Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-04-09
FRESNO PIONEER IN RATSTNS
Busy California City Center Of Dried
Grape Industry.
PRODUCED BY SUN AND SOIL
Toothseme Fruits Go 20 Consumer
with no Artificial svveetenIng or
ChemicnI Processes--Omaha
90 Observe nay.

90 Observe Nay.
Fresno. the geographical center Of Cali
fornia, il the hub Of the greatest raisin-
producing section OF that state and hence
Of the United States. Fresno county pro
y ices more raisins than any other county
In California though by no means all OF
them. Tulare, Kings and Madero counties,
All OF which border on Fresno, are heavy
producers, while Kern county. or in fact,
most any part Of the great San Joaquin
valley, raises its share. Then there are the
southern California vineyards to be
counted in.
But Fresno. this beautiful city Of
some $1,000 population Is the pioneer
raisin grower, the center Of the great
vineyard country, just as It was once the
center Of the greatest grain section Of the
state and is still of the decidious fruit belt.
Its sandy. loamy soil like that Of Tulare,
Kings, Kern and Madero counties is most
highly adapted TO these products and is
watered by the most complete system OF
irrigation on the American continent
MuscRt Principal Grape.
~ The raisin is made from the Muscatel or
Muscat grape, mostly. The process OF it's
making Is as simple as nature itself, a
fact that most people OF the eastern or
middle states are grossly in error about
They have the vague idea that some arti-
fetal process Is resorted TO TO sugar and
cure the raisin. The fact is, raisin growers
have to be careful not to let nature make
their raisins too suBary, to use a term
common to the industry. No artifice en-
tiers into It's making at all. Nature does
all the work. assisted by strong backed
men TO pick and care for the grapes.
The Afusoat or Muscatel grape vine
grows down on the ground 1t is never
trained up like other grapes. 1t is a most
rugged plant It sinks it's roots deep in
the soil and lives for long years. The
vines are set at right angles eight feet
one way and ten feet the other apart so
as TO make straight rows across the field
no matter which way one looks. This Is
y for the purpose Of cultivation. for vine
Ward requires a vast amount OF cultivation
The vines are pruned in the winter after
the leaves and fruit are off Each vine
il cut back nearly to the body. leaving
about five short prongs OF two or three
knuclSles or joints each Viewing a naked
newly pruned vineyard in the dead Of tn,
winter season, one macquainted with tn,
facts would falter before believing tina
by May It could develop to such lengths
as to form one complete, solid mass O.
biNth 1NNA inc bhlHb hiHh-hOIu6 vine
yards OF hundreds of acres in extent. Blu
that is what occurs These prongs prune,
back to the body of the vine grow gu
until they meet and overlap at the re
spective distances OF eight and ten fee
and covered with their deep green foliag
form a solid covering by what is regarde,
in this section as springtime.
Gather Crop in ggust.
The raisin grapes are not ready 70
picking until about August, sometime
starting the last of July. The vines ylel
two and three crops, one picking beginning
in q large vineyard almost before the othe
is completed In fact they depend en-
tirely on the sun and how promptly tn
grapes ripen The first picking is onl!
intended to gather the ripest and an ex
perienced picker has no difficulty in dc
termining what grapes to. gather. Man
vlneyardists have found It profitable I
y sell the last crop Of grapes green withou
making raisins OF them and to turn hog
in on their vineyards after the last pick
ing. They fatten on the sugar-fruit.
In picking the grapes one has only 4
equip himself with a short knife made 10
the purpose. It is a squatting business
and, incidentally, that Is why the Chimes
and Japanese make the best grape pickers
for they are squatting people. The pickle
has a tray made OF shakes laid side by sid
80 as 20 form flat surface with cleats a
the ends, about two by three feet III
simply lays his grapes in clusters upor
one OF these trays and leaves 1t on or be
tween the vines for the sun to cure tn
ggrspes. Al good picking a vine usual
(ills a tray and leaves grapes for the mex
picking, Usually twenty pounds OF grape
are placed on a tray and that makes u
into about five pounds Of raisins. When
vineyard has been picked over these crap
laden trays stretch in great rows clea
across the vineyards.
RaisIns Are sun Dried.
How long does II take for these grape
to dry into raisins? That depends on hoy
vigorously the sun shines. Usually in tn
earlier crops it takes from three to fiv
Sdays Then when the grapes are dr.
enough on one side one man. who zoe
through the vineyard for that purpose
turns them on the other side. This is don
simply by laying an empty tray on tn
covered one and turning Il over. That put
up to the sun the side that has bee
against the tray.
- When the grapes are dried on both side
men go through the vineyards and pu
them into sweat boxes-pine boxes sbou
two feet wide three long and ten inche
deep. These boxes are filled with the drie
raisins and in time gathered up and haule
as.lrE 81.