The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-01-23
AlfslelIanenms.
California Raisin-Making.

The original process of drying grapes into
raisins, and which is still practiced to some
extent, is to clip off the punches and let them
drop and remain on the dry sand or soil be-
tween the rows Of vines until the juice har-
dens and thickens to a waxy consistency,
and the whitish skin colors to the beautiful
rich purple of the raisins:
Another process was to break the stem OF
each bunch of grapes nearly from the branch,
so as to stop the flow of sap into the fruit
and let it hang and cure 10 that way. These
TWO methods have the advantage of preserv-
ing the fruits from bruising by hanging or
hauling in wagons until it is dry enough to
be handled without injury but they are both
the stems, and if fogs or rain come ON before
it is gathered under shelter, it cannot be
covered and is consequently damaged.
Still another method is pracliced. 1t is the
most popular. for it may be seen in operation
at almost every country and village house
in Southern California. Some time in Sep
TENDER or October, fifty or one hundred
pounds of the finest Mucatel grapes are
bought at 1 cent pounnd, some of the
punches weighing from two to five pounds,
so large that they have to be cut in pieces to
dry.
They are spread out as thinly as possible
no bunch on top of another-on some
sunny porch floor, or on the roof OF
house or shed, or on trays made of laths or
shakes" as the Californians call the red
wood clapboards, and placed upon trestles in
the yard Here they lie in the hot sun all
day long, and are generally covered, after they
begin TO color and shrink, with some kind of
canvas at night.
In two or three weeks the punches are
carefully turned over, and allowed to con-
tinuc drying for another two or three weeks,
until they are thoroughly colored and the
juice has all evaporated. Thus thousands
of families are now making their own raisns
at cost of about 4 cents per pound. At this
rate plum puddings for Thanksgiving and
Christmas are cheap here; and as we raise
our own almonds, English walnuts and fiji.
berts, our children have "raisins and nuts,
as often as is good for them.
But now for the way in which raisns are
made TO sell. The grape-grower, if he cul.
tivates but eight or ten acres, Can, with the
aid of wife and children, gather his own fruit
and haul it to the raisin-maker; but if he is
q man of enterprise or means, and manages
his hundred or more acres, he hires at $1.25
day force of Cinnamon, who, with crook
ed pruning knives, go through the vine.
yards, clip off the ripe punches ofgrapes and
place them carefully on shallow trays 3x6
feet, and inches deep, avoiding the possibil.
ity of bruising them.
These trays, when filled, are gathered up
and loaded into two-horse spring wagons
and hauled up many miles into level places
among the foothills" as the approaches to
the mountains are called, to get out of the
danger of fogs which often rise late in the
season on the lower plains.
Here from fifty to one hundred acres OF as
level land as can be found has been scraped
and rolled smooth. On these fields the
grapes are spread upon the ground by draw.
ing the bottom from each tray and letting
them drop gently on their warm bed. They
are thus emptied in succession OF rows, hun
dreds of feet long and uniform width. from
dozens of wagons that come and go day after
day from every direction.
Such grape fields resemble an immense car
pet store, where every Imaginable pattern o
goods is rolled out in the hope of pleasing
some fastidious customer. The freshly lsiC
rows present light green shade of color
| Those that have been down few weeks have
notified appearance, while those that are
about dry enough to come up have deeper
and more uniform color.
| For the reason that the dry soil retains it,
warmth during the night, grapes dry quicker
as above described, than if elevated OF
boards, and they also moIs completely retair
their flavor. In two weeks the smaller
punches are ready to be gathered up, in do
ing which the larger punches are turned owe
50 as to be dried on the under side. This re
qures two weeks longer, when they are taker
up also. Then follow the "gl eaners," womer
and children, who gather up all the loos'
berries that have fallen of, which ale sold al
"dried grapes"
"How about the dirt p
"Oh, that amounts to nothing. California
dirt is clean, because it does not rain, anC
soon drops off, When the latter crop is OF
the ground, and the first showers are expect
ed, raisin.dryers bring upon the field grea
rolls of oiled Manila paper and at night, o.
when rain is threatened, this paper is spread
upon the rows of grapes for the purpose o
keeping them dry This process is some
times continued until late in December.
Last season many Car loads of grapes were
taken up on the railroad to the Mohavs
Desert, and there spread out on the "burninl
sand" to dry, because the raisin-makers wer,
not prepared for so large a crop. Thus ever
the 1.-THE Great American Desert" for sea
son became fruitful /; and who knows bu
it may yet become useful in this way!
The dried grapes are put into boxes hold
ing about bushel, and hauled 10 the pack
ing house, where they are piled on top o
each other as high as the ceiling or roof. II
the course of eight or ten days the Sigh
moisture in some ofthem, and the heat, cause
them TO "sweat," and this moisture so per
meates the whole bulk IS to give them sof
and fresh appearance.
They are then ready for sorting and box
ing. This is done by women and Cinnamon
seated forty or fifty in room, at long tables
To each is emptied as often as needed {
sweating box full of fruit; and along side o
each are placed two new, clean boxes, into
one of which the largest and most perfec
lunches are packed, which are labeled Lion
don Layers" and into the other boxes the
smaller and less perfect punches, which ar,
labeled simply Layers" or as some Cali
fornia raisin-makers are now taking pride il
stamping them, California Layers )" Will,
the loose berries are passed through wind
mill and cleaned of their stems and dust, anC
boxed as "Loose Muscatels" Though mos
of them are the finest berries of the crop
they sell for much lower price-being most
ly used for cooking-than those adhering tt
their UNBEATABLE stems.