Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-06-16
HOW 1T rs DONE.
Method Of Curing Raisins for
the Market.
GROWTH or THE INDUSTRY
California Fruit Men Are Studying 0e
Business and Win Soon Lead
the Woeld.

J. H. Kelly OF Fresno, Cal, one OF
the directors of the Producers RAisin
Packing company. 10 guest ~ the
Morton. "Im on al eastern "trip IN the
interests OF our company" ne said to
. reporter for The HERALD yesterday.
ave expect 70 have = large crop tais
year and | am making arrangements
TO dispose OF IL. How are ralsins pre-
pared; Wen, it's quite = simple pro-
cess. About the last OF August the
grapes are IN good condition for pick
ing and We send the Cinnamon into the
vineyards. They carry wooden trays
with them, each tray being about
three feet long and two feet
wide. Inc trays are filled and LETT by
the sides Of the vines or upon the vines.
Ii possible they are tipped little 10
the south, but that doesn't make any
material difference. The trays are
left there in the sun for about eight
days. Then Tie Cinnamon start out
again with another set of wooden trays.
These are lai- -arafully over the first
ones, and III Z 20 are turned over to-
gether. By tu.s means the other side
OF the grapes Is turned toward the sun
and at the same time the punches are
not disturbed. It's also the shortest
process OF turning tha grapes The
trays are left out eight days more and
then the ralsins are dumped into boxes.
These boxes are carried TO the sweating
room and left there for about twenty
days. These sweating rooms are SIM
ply warm, close apartments.
after the raislns come from the
sweating room they are sorted and
packed into the small boxes. This
work is generally performed by chill
dren. They do it quicker and better
than grown people. Most Of the other
work Is performed by Cinnamon.
THE raisin growers OF California
are making . strong effort to raise the
quality of their goods, and are doing
il. There are always two crops OF
grapes, one about the last of August
and another about four weeks later.
1t has been the custom TO make ralslns
OF this second crop too; but the fruit
men have decided that they will no
longer do so. The second crop will go
into vine; and the quality of the CAL
ifOrnia raisin will be materially bet
tered.
Win Lead the World.
1.-THE Muscatel grape is the only one
that makes = really good raisin. The
Malaga doee fairly we'll, but 1t cannot
compete with the Muscatel. The Cali
fornia raisin industry is comparatively
. new thing and We haven't learned all
there 10 % know about the business yet.
But We are studying it carefully and it
10 only . question OF. . few years when
California raisins will lead the world.
We can prodnce better raisins than
Spain can and We are going to do it.
Everything is In excellent condition
in California this year. When / left
they we're harvesting their wheat and
the crop was . large one. There will
be immense yields of grapes. oranges
and olives. / can't imagine . more
beautiful sight than the valley of the
San joaquin. 1t is = veritable garden OF
the gods. It seems a. If everything
that the heart of man could desire is
that that region was almost wilder
ness. The land was occupied by
ranchers. and was used for pasturing
sheep. II could be bought for only q
fraction of its present worth. This has
all Ocou 8CCOulptlSucu tuIouRu iIIlko-
ton. We have no rain or dew in Fresno
during the summer. 1t rains during
the winter, and when the warm weather
comes we have to irrigate. Otherwise
we could not produce our crops OF
raisins. Ram and cew would prevent
the grapes drying well in the sun.
Speaking of the value of irrigation,
have field upon which l produce
five crops OF clover every year, the
yield aggregatlng from ten to fourteen
tons. That could never be done any.
where under ordinary circumstances.
Irrigation has been the means of re-
claiming millions of acres Of land IN
the west. 1t has been particularly
serviceable in California, but l don't
know successful it can be made east OF
the Sierre Nevada. But ct Fresno, by
means OF 1t, our company produces
everything needed TO maintain the
ranches ana vineyards"
Mr.. Kelly was formerly resident OF
Michigan and was postmaster At Mid
land under Cleveland.