The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-05-13
HOW RAISiNS ARE MADE.
The Curing Process Has BECOME Yer.
Nice and Interesting Science.

| The Curing Process Has BECOME Very
Nice and Interesting Science.
The picking of raisin grapes requires
more care. and is a slower operation
than the gathering of other varieties
| The clusters, cut from the vine care
fully. one by one. all imperfections and
! bad berries trimmed off, are then ar
ranged regularly on the trays, so that
all will have fair exposure to the sun.
! If heaped or everything each other in
the least, the drying of the under
punches will be greatly retarded.
To make good raisins the grapes
! should undergo kind of fermentation
in the first stage of curing, which gives
them pulled appearance and fills the
air with a pleasant fragrance. From
| 90 to 100 degrees in the shade is the
| temperature most favorable for this
process After the fermentation has
| ceased and the grapes have taken on
| the shriveled appearance characteristic
| of raisins, the sun can do them no
| harm, however hot.
To facilitate the driving and render it
| uniform, the trays are reversed after
three or four days, in order that the
| trays to the northward may be exposed
to the south. When the upper side has
become well cured, which may be any
where from week to two weeks, the
raisins are turned. The reverse side
does not require as strong exposure as
the other.
The total time of curing varies great
lv-from ten days, or less. in hot wealth
er, to month or more under unfavOra-
BILE conditions. Raisins cured in about
fifteen days are the best
When the bulk of the raisins is prop
erly cured the work of taking them up
is begun. For this purpose the trays
are collected ana piled III stacks of fifty
Or more, and sweat boxes, each holding
about one hundred pounds when filed
placed alongside them. Three grades
are usually made extra fine lunches
for Impe rial clusters; ordinary punches
for London layers, and imperfect
punches and loose berries to be run
through the steamer. Bunches not
sufficiently dried are laid on the trays
and exposed to the sun again.
Those put in the sweat boxes are
never uniformly dried, some being over
cured, and some not cured quite enough.
To equalize them and soften the stems,
which are very brittle when taken from
the trays, they are placed in cool
room and allowed to remain for a GER
tain period. during which the stems be
come flexible, and the undercured rails
ms impart their excess of moisture to
tho nuarHriaH ho
sulting in perfect uniformity through
out the whole mass, and moist soft
ness and elasticity to be gained by no
other means
This equalizing-or sweating as it is
commonly called-is one of the most
essential operations in raisin- ma king,
and it should last ten days at the very
least. Haste to get the crop to market
has led to neglect of this necessary
process, much to be regretted. Raisins
are purposely overdried, taken directly
from the field, steamed and packed
Immediately. A continuance of this
practice will do incalculabl harm 10
the raisin industry.
A few extensive growers pack their /
own crops. but the bulk of the packing
is now done by esta blishments organ /
lied especially for the purpose. These .
ordinarily buy the raisins in the sweat 4
boxes, but in some instances they pur-
chase the crop upon the vines. picking .
and curing II themselves. The pack
are mostly located in the
towns Some OF them employ more
than I'VE hundred hands. Women and
girls come to the town from all direc-
tons during the picking seasons. part
les of them renting houses or living.
gypsy-like in tents Earnings range
from one dollar and twenty Ave cents
20 three dollars day.
The raisins are then pressed and slid
into the packing boxes. They are made
IN three sizes, quarters half and whole
boxes. holding, espectively, I've ten
and twenty pounds. The las. j. alvav7
when speaking If 4 box ot
raisins, the other ones half aud quarter
boxes. The top layer Is surrounded
With Ornamental paper in addition II
the plain white. Tho packers label
5 placed over this, TIE printed cover
nailed on, the edges nicely trimmed
Less care IS reauired -~i:h loose rails
rs. and it * here la the greatest I'm
7rovenent has beeu made O. tin span
sh me skod c; packing. combined
,temme- and grader las been perfected.
" which large quantities are handled
Nth very little labor.
The cost OF In Dor prevents California
rom competing with Spain ia some o:
he niceties Of the raisin business L
would not pay Us 70 trim and nurse the
crapes upon the vines. in order to
eeure perfect lunches Of large berr;ee,
TOR 10 handle the clusters fv The -:e-1s
My. But, with the exception or such
ancy work. comparison with oar rrea.
ival viii be all in favor o. California
bur grapes are more neaty. and have
icher flavor. and our rassins are better
ured, and viii keep twice - Io1c IT.
ut detcriOr-t.ns .-S)verlan5-
Cheap N4-e>---A lE1..n calls BIS 81 r.
Is the beautiful title firiEc t-re4u~s.
h, q her own reward Sic docs al
ne AoG>e work and gets no wage.
ankee Blade
And j. tire ar s~4lths Here
ssed q visitor - q mountain resort
Excellent. >ir- c>,ccl'enr. tsue ear tr-