The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-11-24

/ liilS period .eXceSOed oV,Nu,Veo pUItfuS-
! The best estimate o. the 1897 crop now
o0tairabla from the raisin packers them
selves is 1900. 900 pounds. allowing for
! the damages OF recent rains
/ A man wno desires a raisin vineyard
/ ploughS deeply. and plants cuttings az
! the most approved varieties, where the
vines are to stay. AT distance. Of from
six - twelve feet apart. These root
very easily, and are cut down 10 s;umpS
OF fifteen inches in height, which form
the permanent bearing vines In four
years the yield il considerable, and the
crop increases in size and quality tor
several years. The large amount OF wat
er available when necessary reduce. the
/ rdvGges of the paylloxera to a minimum.
When the grapes are dead ripe" the
superb clusters. equal in size. quality.
and appearance to the best elot-house
products. are cut from the vines and laid
| upon wooden trays Of two by three feet
in size. which are put in the vacant
spaces in the vineyard. The expensive
drying floors Of Spain give no better re
suits; the less the grapes are handled.
the finer the bloom and color Of the
raisirs. When one side is sufficiently
dried. the grapes are inverted into an
Ctner tray without shifting r,eir relative
positions. The whole feld process is
simple, cheap. cleanly. and effective
Men and women and children work in
the vineyards and have become experts
ar the business The quality OF the
raisin is decided by daily attention in
the field. tipping the trays to get more
sun, pilinS them 10 cover from showers.
and finally bringing the contents Of
| many trays into large sweat boxes six
or eight Inches deep. where the skin be-
comes tender and the needed moisture
is evenly distributed. Tho same sweat
Ing method is used with lemons, TO re-
duce the thickness Of the rird.
From the raisin grOwe~s' vineyards
end warehouses. the great sweat boxes
go TO the packing houses. AT This poin,
the product usually passes from the
growers ownership. bringing him from
IL 10 cents pound. ungraded. in the
sweat boxes. The best vineyards yield
from one 10 one and half tons Of such
raislns per acre. Hundreds of teams
move along the wide, macadamized
roads OF the r,isin districts, taking
falsins 10 the packers. Clusters Of rails
ins fall to the ground and are picked up
by the town children; the country yuong-
sters are su-feited with fresh grapes and
iaisins. 20 that they can eat 40 more.
Packing companies. with ample capi-
tai. grade and pack raisins OF every var
4
range in size from one-pound pasteboa-d
boXe. OF mschine-seeded Muscets "a
comparatively new producO. 20 fifty
pound wooden boxes OF stemmed Mus
csts. Of Seedless Sultana-. and Of otller
varieties. The cluster grapes-that is.
of raisins packed in carefully seceted
Dunc1es, rot stemmei--requi-e much
skilled labor. Tie best packing houses
use American labor for al higher grades:
boys. girls. and men OF much experience
put up al the fine Five Crowns and Six
Crowns, the best quSliiies known to tEs
trade. a ten-pound box OF Six Crowns.
from one OF the leading packing houses
is as beautiful sight as the American
fruit trade can show: single clusters
large enough 10 make nearly an entire /
layer fiji the box. and the grapes are the |
largest and best that can be grown 4
the pTe.ent time. In al. the packers |
make four grades Of seed rsisins. begin |
ming with Two Crowns. small. cheap.
but good article for general consumption: |
they pack three or four kinds Of seedless |
grapes: they puc up several kinds n I
fancy trade packages ana small car
ton" according to demands. but can |
have nothing better than Six Crown. TO |
fill them with. on a pinch. Tor exhibit |
tiJn purposes. a good hOu.e can FIJI 1
tsole with perhaps tlirty quite distinc. |
and attractive grades and varieties OF /
Taisins. Three Crowns and Four Crowns /
form the great niddieciass raislns. II r. /
possible taat in time most Of these gili
20 to market seeded by machinery. out
seeded raisins nave yet to become widely
known and popular.
TIE trade term Crown" has been bor-
rowed sni translated from the Spanish;
IL IL really conventional symbol !
on ths box. one OF more crowns
being used. TIE sizes q the boxes used
,OT cluster rsisins are naturally those
made customary many year. ago. but IN
ooth larger sn1 smaller packages. and
IN ne grading California rai.in makers
have F70wn nuca originality amI good
sense. Bags. usei To- A time. are u0r
wholly discarded. Boxes are made q
me best Sierra iunbar-s0ft white pine.
spruce. and tsDsrsck-snI the psp-r
and lsoeis. waic1 formerly sere apt -
D. top c5esD AM gsBdy. are n3s more
artistic in c,as 5irecti7B. however.
here i stir room f3- improvement