The Raisin Industry / A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curing

by Gustavus A. Eisen

This turning, however, requires some little knack, so as not to drop any raisins on the ground. The trays may be turned either the short or the long way. If the long way, one tray is first placed on the top of the other, and two men catch hold of the long opposite sides of the trays by placing their hands on the outside quarters of the edge and then pressing firmly. This keeps the raisins steady between the trays, and in turning rapidly, if the bunches are at all entire, few or no raisins will be dropped. In turning the short way, the men grasp with their opposite hands at the middle of the short sides, while with their other hands they catch the outside quarters of one of the long sides. By turning quickly over the long side that is held by the hands of the turners, the operation may be performed without dropping any berries. In small vineyards, where the owner must perform the work alone, he may turn the trays without any help whatever, though, naturally, his work will be somewhat slower. He can operate by the aid of a small contrivance called the catcher, a most simple but very effective little tool. It resembles a miniature stool like those used by the milkers of cows. The seat or top may be twelve inches long by six wide, made from one-inch lumber. On one side are inserted four pegs, each about six inches long. The two opposite ones are inserted very close together, but spread strongly outward. After one tray has been placed on the top of the other, the catcher is pushed over the long edge of the trays, which of course will cause them to jam tightly together on that side. By now grasping the trays on the opposite edge, they may be turned without the aid of any one else, and without any loss of raisins. Some use steel clips for the same purpose, but the common home-made wooden catch is undoubtedly the most practical method, as it is the cheapest.

Turning should, as much as possible, be done in the morning or at least in the forenoon while the air is yet cool and the stems of the raisins damp. The pressure of the tray will not then cause the stems to break off and the quality of the raisins to be lowered. If the bunch raisins are on separate trays, which is best, they may be turned earlier in the day than the second grade, which is not apt to be greatly damaged by the breaking of the stems, as they are to be stemmed anyhow.

Reversing.

—This is an operation not properly understood by every raisin-grower, but is still of the utmost importance, especially for the first-class bunches of the first crop, which naturally dry more slowly than the smaller bunches. But the method is also very useful for the second crop, when late in the season the drying is slow and uncertain. The reversing consists simply in reversing the trays on the ground in such a way that the edges which first faced the north afterwards face the south, or vice versa. The object of reversing is plain. It will nearly always be found that the raisins at the top or on the side of the tray nearest the north will dry much more slowly than those on the side facing the south, especially so as soon as the weather begins to turn colder. To prevent this and insure equal drying at the top and bottom, the reversing is performed after the trays have first been turned. This will enable the grower to get his raisins in several days sooner than he otherwise would. Indeed, at the critical period of drying, when fall rains may set in and injure the raisins, it is of the utmost importance to hurry the crop as much as possible; the reversing is at this time almost as important as turning. I have seen the second crop of many a vineyard seriously injured by rain, and its drying delayed only through neglect to reverse the trays. The effect of reversing is oftentimes very striking, and one grower who reverses his trays in time may get his crop in safely, while his neighbor who neglects reversing may lose a great part of his. A few days’ delay at this time of the year is often fatal to the whole second crop, and no pains should be spared in order to hasten the drying by every possible means available.

Slanting the Trays.

—The practice of raising one end of the tray higher than the other is of very questionable value. In the fore part of the drying season, the heat from the sun is such that the raisins receive all the heat they require without being raised at an angle against the sun. Towards the end of the season, I have found that, when the trays have been raised, those grapes which lie on the lower edge of the tray, and accordingly nearest to the ground, dry the quickest, while those at the upper edge dry considerably slower. The cause is that the air a foot above the ground is much cooler than close to the ground; the large space under the raised tray also serves as a cooling room to cool the tray. In some direct experiments made, it was found that, as regards the tail end of the first crop, the raised trays came in several days later than the trays which had remained flat on the ground. In advocating that the trays should not be tilted, I must not be understood to mean that it is not beneficial to keep the tray in a tilted position when there is a close background to sufficiently heat the air equally at the upper and lower end of the trays. This can only be secured by either placing the trays against the side of a hill or on specially prepared drying floors, which are described further on. In this connection I may suggest that when the heat of the sun is not great, and when the raisins dry slowly, the placing of an empty tray behind the drying tray, in order to reflect the sun on the raisins, will considerably hasten their drying. This is a valuable aid in drying, especially when the second crop is late.

Elevating the Trays.

—The practice of elevating the trays containing the tail end of the second crop is a good one. The best way is to place the trays on the top of the vines, when it will be found that the free circulation of air underneath will help to dry the raisins and prevent rot and mold. This method is only adopted after fall rains, but is then of great help in drying the crop.

Stacking Against Rain and Dew.

—The stacking of the trays is also a valuable help in keeping out dew and cold. Late in the season, when it takes several hours of sunlight to dry the night dews, the stacked trays will be dry when the first rays of the sun are out. When heavy rains are expected, the grapes, whether partially dried or not, should always be stacked. It will keep the stems from rotting off from the berries, and will generally save the crop from being seriously injured. Some growers have an idea that only the partially dried grapes should be stacked, but the green ones are equally benefited.