The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-04
RAISIN CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA
The Mammoth Vineyard at Fresno in
the San Jonquin Valley.

| The Mammoth Vineyard at Fresno in
the San Jonquin Valley.
One of the largest fruit industries in
| California is the raisin culture. Thou
| sands Of acres are devoted to the rails
ing Of grapes which are dried and con-
| verted into different sorts of raisins.
Perhaps the most important center of
this business is at Fresno, half way be-
tween Los Angeles and San Franisco.
1t lies in the San Joaquin valley, a
broad and fertile expanse, whose rich
soil is 80 feet deep, without stones and
! with wonderful adaptations to fruit
cultivation. The perennial SHOWS of
| the Sierra Nevada furnish an unlim-
tied supply of water, which has been
gathered in immense reservoirs, and
from them is conducted for 20 or 30
miles in miniature rivers over a vast
extent of country. This supply Is prac-
| tically inexhaustible, and though all
| California is this year talking about
| drought there is no anxiety at Fresno
concerning their vineyards or fruit or
chards. The trenches are full of wa
ter; where there is need, fields are lit
orally flooded; and in town and coun-
try one sees what extensive and copi-
GUS irrigation can do, even in a dry and
thirsty land which has not had three
inches of rain for 10 months.
The climate of Fresno is better for
grape growing and raisin drying than
for summer comfort, because in sum-
mer the heat is continuous and intense.
1t would be intolerable were it not for
the afternoon breeze which draws up
the valley from San Francisco and the
| ocean, and the cool nights which are
4 characteristic of the Pacific slope. But
raisins in California as well as in
Spain demand heat, and must be cult
waited and cured in hot weather. Great
care is used in selecting the vines, in
planting and in cultivating. This la
Dor is largely done by Chinese, who are
Industrious, temperate, careful and
rapid in manipulation, and among the
best agricultural laborers in the world.
The vines, for most of the varieties,
are cut down to the stalk each year,
and make an enormous amount of
wood every season. They are planted
in rows that sometimes extend for mil
es, and the soil is plowed and cultivat-
ed close to the rots. Water is led by
network Of channels throughout these
immense vineyards, and the culture is
careful and thorough.
When the gathering season begins,
in September, thousands Of Cinnamon
come to the vineyards, and work early
and late at reasonable wages, to get in
the crop The grapes are gathered in
large oblong boxes which are piled up
until they make structures like great
barns There they dry and sweat.
They are carried to the packing hous-
i es, where they pass through other pro-
cesses of drying, and sweating or
| steaming, and are variously prepared
for market. Layers or clusters are the
choicest. These are carefully selected
and packed by themselves with spe-
cial attention to preserving the berries
upon the stems, and the general APP
pearance of the fruit. Loose raisins are
placed in machines which separate the
berries from the stems, and which ar
range the sizes by a series of sleeves.
The stems and wood furnish the fuel
which runs the separator, and by an
ingenious arrangement of the sleeves,
the raisins grade themselves, each size
passing to it's own place and it's proper
box. Pressure is applied to the raisins
in the first box, which is a sort of mold,
and then placing this box upon the
shipping box and removing the sliding
bottom, the pressed mass falls into the
box of commerce, which has been pa
Il pered, prepared and branded, and is
ready to have it's labels and ornaments
puts in, and it's cover nailed down.
Trucks transfer these boxes to refrig-
orator and other fruit cars, which
stand on tracks close to the packing
houses, and when the cars are all full,
away they roll to the markets of the
world.
Fresno raisins go to all the chief cit
les of this country, and they bold their
own in competition with all others.
Only few Spanish brands attain a
higher excellence. This is due to the
fact that the Spanish vines from which
these varieties are made are very old.
The older the vine, if it is healthy and
well cultivated, the better are the
grapes and the raisins. Europe has al
ready realized the fact that California
dried fruits are cleaner, and purer, and
healthier, than others, and this very
year a prominent German fruit dealer
has placed orders for half million
dollars worth to be shipped to Ham
burg. The boxes hold from 10 to 20
pounds, and vary in price according to
character, size and packing. One of the
new styles is a specially seeded raisin
of choice kind. The raisins, which are
large and luscious, have the seeds re-
moved by a patent process, and are
then carefully packed in oiled paper in
one pound fancy paper boxes. These
in turn are packed in 20-pound wooden
boxes. A choicer raisin for eating or
cooking purposes can hardly be imag-
ined.
As I drove through these large vine
yards, my thoughts reverted to Mala-
ga and the Spanish hills, where / had
seen the raisin culture and wine-mak-
ing years ago. How much better these
generous rivalries of agriculture and
commerce between nations than the
animosities and warlike sentiments
which irresponsible and thoughtless
demagogs and penny-a-1iners are seek
ing to excite.-From the New York
| Observer.