TITtf OMATTA SUNDAY BKK: ArKIIJ 0, 1911.
5
Tl
FRESNO PIONEER IN RAISINS
Buiy California City Center of Dried
Grane Industry.
produced by sun and soil
Tootfc.eme Wlta bo tw (miinrr
"Ilk b Artificial wrrlrifnir or
C'hesalosJ Proirr Omaha,
to Ohirrtf liar.
of th
-ices
in a
bail
untl
Krpno. the (tPORraphlral renter of Cali
fornia, in the hub of the ar.alest ralnln
protluclnn section of that state and hence
of tl United States. Fresno county pro-
ices more raisins than any other county
California, though by no means all of
thrnn. Tulare, Klnm and Madero counties,
all of which border on IVmno, are heary
producers, while, Kern county, or. In fact,
most any part of the are San Joaquin
valUy, ralaea Ita share. Then there are the
southern California vineyards to be
counted in.
But Fresno, this beautiful city of
noma 26,000 population. In the pioneer
ralaln trower, the 'center of the great
.vineyard country, Just as It was once the
center of the greatest (train section of the
state and la still of the decirilous fruit belt.
Ita sandy, loamy soil, like that of Tulare,
Klnjs, Kern and Madero counties, is most
highly adapted to theve products and is
watered by the most complete system of
Irrigation on the American continent.
j. . .
The ralaln la made from the Muscatel or
Muscat (rape, mostly. The process of Its
making la 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
ficial process Is resorted to to sugar and
cur the ralaln. The fsct Is, raisin growers
have to be careful not to let nature make
their raisins too sugary, to use a term
common to the industry. No artifice en
ters Into Its mnklns- at all. Naturn does
all the work, assisted by strong-backed
men to pick and care for the grapes.
Th- Muscat or Muscatel grape vine
grow down on the ground. It Is never
trained up like other grapes. It Is a most
rugged plant. It sinks its roots deep In
the soil and lives for long yearsT 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
'v for the purpose of cultivation, for a vine
Jvrd requires a vast amount of cultivation.
The vines are pruned In the winter after
the leaves and fruit are off. Each vine
Is cut back nearly to the body, leaving
about five short prongs of two or three
knuckles or joints each. Viewing a naked
newly pruned vineyard In the dead of the
winter season, one unacquainted with the
facts would falter before believing that
by May It could develop to such lengths
as to form one. complete, solid mass of
green over the entire area some vine
yards of hundreds of acres In extent. But
that la what nnmiM Tfi.,, nMro, ., . ...1
rk to the body of the vine grow out
until they meet and overlap at the re
spective distances of eight and ten feet
and covered with their deep, green foliage
form solid covering by what la regarded
In this section as springtime.
. bather Croat la A ewaat.
The ralttln grapes are not ready for
picking until about August, sometimes
starting the last of July. The vines yield
two and three crops, one picking beginning
In a large Vineyard almost bernre the other
is completed. In fact, they depend en
tirely on the aun and how, pro-iptly the
grapes ripen. The first picking is only
Intended to gather the ripest and an ex
perienced picket has no difficulty In de
termining what grapes to. gather. Many
vlneyardlsta have fountl It. profitable to
ell the last crop of grapes green without
trsxklng raisins of them and to turn hogs
In on their vineyards after the last pick
ing. They fatten on the sugar-fruit.
In picking the grapes one has only to
equip himself with a short knife made for
the purpose. It is a squatting business,
and. Incidentally, that Is why the Chinese
and Japanese make the best grape pickers,
for they are squatting people. The picker
has a tray made of shakes laid side hy side
so us to form a flat surface with cleats at
the ends, about two by three feet. He
simply lays his grapes In clusters upon
one of these trays and leaves It on or be
tween the vines for the sun to cure the
(Vape. At a good picking a vine usually
Mis a tray and leaves grapes for the next
puking. I'siially twenty pounds of grspes
are placed on a tray and that makes up
Into about five pounds of rslslns. When a
vineyard has been picked over these grape
laden ' trays stretch in great rows clear
across the vineyards.
Haialae Are 8nn Ortrd.
How long does it take for these grapes
to dry Into raisins? That depends on how
) vigorously the sun shines. I'sually In the
'arller crops it takes from three to five
t'ays.' Then when the grapes are dry
enough on one side one man. who goes
through the vineyard for that purpose,
turns them on the other side. This Is done
simply by laying an empty tray on the
covered one and turning It over. That puts
up to the sun the side thai las been
When the grapes are dried on both sides
inuii ti iiiiuugu iiiv vinr)rus anu pui
them into sweat boxes -pine boxes about
two feet wide, three long and ten Inches
deep. These boxes are filled with the dried
ralsina and In time gathered up and hauled
off to the packing houses or the vlneyard
lsta. warehouse, which on the largs ranches
is on the place.
Trial,, In brief. Is all there is to making
raisins. But there Is a vast amount more
detail and hard work to the keeping of
vineyard end the taring tor the fruit than
could be told In three times that apace.
It Involves much hard, laborious work and
some science. The later crops are not out
of the way before tha fall rains, so that
the utmost earn miiHt be taken to guard
the drying fruit from the wet. A little
rain will not hurt, provided the raisins can
be -immediately subjected to the warmth
of the sun or the drier, but much moisture
will mildew and ruin them. On the larger
vineyards artificially healed drying houms
aro maintained for the later crops and
there the danger from rain Is not so great,
but the small vlneyardlut who does not
run one of these driers must be constantly
stacking and unpacking Ins trays to guard
against the wet. These trays with their
..fruit upon them ure stacked up at night,
perhaps flftotn or twenty high, properly
tapped to turn the rain and unstavked in
the morning. This Involves a lot of hard
work-
larrfal Cnltltatlas, Repaired.
About the only time a vineyard requires
no attention Is between the picking of the
last crop of grapes and the pruning, say
tiom October to January, and again from
the time the vines have reached their full
growth and the biooin Is matured to the
Picking. As soon as the vines are pruned
.January or February the plowing be-
are kept up anernaieiy. ine weeds must
be kept out entirely and the soil must be
well watered.
OH of the chief problems of the Call
VrnU vlneyardlst Is thai of labor; not
uiough wiilte forces can be obtained. In
ate ver they have had to depend on
be Japne and Chinese and so unsatis
factory has this proved that in some cases
the owner has simply sold his grapes on
the vine to the oriental and let him harvest
and market the crop. iMnser Indians were
used In former years by some vlneyardlsta,
but they were neither Industrious nor nu
merous enough to meet the demand.
After the raisins leave the ranch those
that are sold to the M raisin and fruit
packers, they are prepared for the market.
Left hands in thexe packing hounea, em
ploying large numbers of women and girls,
sort and grade them and place them In
predy packages or boxes, while those that
are "stemmed" are placed In sacks. They
are the "loose" and cheaper raisins you
buy. This stemming process corresponds
with threshing of grain and a atemmer
looks like a big grain separator.
There la one kind of rainln that does
grow up, or whose vine is trained up on
sticks; that la the seedless raisin, which Is
used as a substitute for currants. It Is of
two varieties, chiefly In California the
Seedless Sultana and the Thompson Seed
less. It Is smaller than the Muscat or
Muscatel and grows In very much larger
clUHlers. It Is a very delicious fruit.
There was a time in the early '90s when
wise men predicted that the "bottom will
drop out of this raisin business," for about
every rancher In the San Joaquin valley
was setting out vines. One vineyard in
Kings county, what was then the western
part of Tulare county, consisted of 970
acres. It was known far and wide as the
Lucei ne vineyard and was the largest In
the country. But the botom Is far from
dropping out. What was at first a luxury
has by the force of commercial ingenuity
world was younger and simpler, raisins,
Industry today is stronger and better and
surer than ever. It ought to go on in
creasing in profit every year. It Is a sci
ence, for the best brain of the country has
been applied to lis care and culture.
History of the Crop.
In the old days, the far days, when the
world was younger and simpler, rainins,
figs and honey were the only sweets.
Supar, even In Roman times, was a rare
drug, prescribed for medicine. Sweet foods
and drinks were made with honey and
raisins. The sweet wine, which the Koman
matrons were permitted to drink, In the
sober timea of the republic, was a sort of
a syrup of raisins steeped in wine. The
Greeks had a similar syrup, prepared some
how with smoke. In all the Mediterranean
countries, raisins were one of the earliest
and most universal articles of food. The
gift of Aptgall to David was "200 loaves and
two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready
dressed, and five measures of parched
corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins
and 200 cakes of figs." When David, pur
suing the Amalekites. came on a famished
Egyptian slave, left behind, too weak to.
talk, they "gave him bread, and he did
eat; and they made him drink water; and
they gave him a piece of a cake of figs.
and two clusters of raisins; and when he
had eaten, his spirit came again to him,"
One of the prohibitions of those who had
taken the vow of a Nazarlte, during the
time of their separation, was that they
should not "eat moist grapes, nor dried."
During all the middle ages, ralsina were
one or the articles or commerce, aoross
Europe, when almost all other commerce
was stopped. Raisins were part of the
food served by early Russian cxars to
their drujlna, or followers. During the
darkest of the dark ages, some commerce
still survived, In the most precious things-
pearls, silks, wine, women and raisins.
England has been, for more than a thou
sand years, the principal raisin Importer
of the world, deriving Its raisins from
Spain, Smyrna, Calabria, the Upart Is
lnd, the south of France, and, recently.
from Africa, Australia and South America.
Processes Used la Europe.
The oldest way of making raisins is
simply to leave them on the vines until
the clusters are dried. Those are Shakes
peare's "ralBlns o' the sun." A quicker
way la to cut the stalk part way through,
to hasten drying. More commonly, they
were out and laid on the ground. "Dip
ping" has always been common In Spain
and France, dipping in a lye solution; In
Asia Minor, dipping In hot water on which
floated a film of olive oil. The finest rais
ins have always ben served In clusters;
the commoner sorts were always more or
less aeparated from their stems.
These were the raisins which were the
world's luxury, until California produced
for the first time clean raisins, dried on
wooden trays. California first equalised
the moisture and graded the else of rais
ins. California first marketed stemmed
raisins really stemleaa, and finally seeded
raisins really seedless. California first of
fered a surfeited world already coyed with
sweets, raisins palatable to even Its Jaded
teste. And now California ralaln day pub
licity la teaching the world a hundred new
ways to serve raisins, and a hundred new
reasons for eating them.
The only foods older or more universal
than raisins are meat and bread. From the
beginning of time, raisins have marked the
renter and the spread of civilization. They
were the first luxury, and have been the
chief 'delicacy of mankind. Of all staple
things, only wheat and beef surpass them.
And of all staples, no others are so strictly
limited In their field of production.
Omaha will join tit the movement to
popularize the use of rslsins, started by the
Krsno Chamber of Commerce, by using
many raisins Arrll the day set islde
In honor of the raisin. Raisin dishes of
various kinds will be served at the prin
cipal hotels of the city. Several Omaha
bakeries will put out raisin bread.
Since the Iand show, where raisin bread
was distributed free by the Fresno Cham
ber of Commerce, Omaha consumption of
raisins has greatly increased. One Omaha
bakery is turning out hundreds of loaves a
week to meet the demand.
Special raisin 'dishes and raisin bread will
be served April 29 by the Rome, Henshaw,
Paxton. Merchants and Loyal hotels.
In other cities throughout the country
some similar observance of the day will
bear testimony to the fruits of the Fresno
advertising campaign.
Settling Rapidly
in the Fertile
Cache Valley
People Find Garden Spot in South
ern Part of Idaho and
Buy Land.
In the southernmost part of the rapidly
growing state of Idaho, adjoining the Utah
line, in the Cache valley, 15,000 acres of
fertile land have been thrown open to
settlement. The fat-he Valley Colonisation
and Townsite company have launched the
project and are now rapidly filling up thlsi
country with people from various parts
of the I'nlted States. The vast resources
of this rich land are fully realized by all
who once visit the valley.
Most of the land is cleared and some of
It Is in crops. That which Is not now un
der cultivation, simply awaits the touch
of man's hand to spring into the most fer
tile of fields, where abundant crops will
be yielded year after year for an Indefinite
period.
Cache valley is known as the "granary"
of Utah and Idaho, and it might be with
equal appropriateness referred to as the
sugar beet storehouse of this section, for
the sugar beet has become one of the staple
crops of the valley and the establishment
there of two Immense sugar beet factories
has meant much for the farmer of the
Cache valley.
Cache valley Is an empire In itself, cap
able of supporting a population of 100,000
through its agricultural resources alone.
The valley stretches from Paradise, Utah,
on the south, to Oxford, Idaho, on the
north. It Is more than sixty miles long and
from twenty to thirty miles wide, and con
tains about 1,600 square miles, about one
third of which lies In southern Idaho. The
Idaho portion of the valley Is just as
fertile, just as productive, and In all ways
as desirable as the portion lying In Utah
In i'act It. Is a continuation of the same
conditions, and the name climate. The north
portion, although not subjected heretofore
to the same Intense cultivations as the
southern part, has been Just as prolific in
proportion to cultivation as any section
of the Valley.
The two large sugar factories of Cache
valley have played a conspicuous part In
the prosperity of the valley In the last
few years. In the year 1909 these factories
distributed among the farmers for beets
the sum of $698,000, and for tho factory
labor, the sum of $270,000.
Fruit growing Is another Industry for
which Cache valley Is noted. The apple
Is "king" In Cache, and over the entire
country can be found no better apple than
Is produoed here. In the year 1909 17,000
boxes of apples were shipped from the
Cache valley, and In 1910 the yield was
fully a third greater. Wheat was for
many years the chief industry of that
valley. In 1909 the crop of wheat alono
amounted to $.000,000 bushels. Dairying
should also be mentioned as an important
industry, the products for last year In that
line were estimated at $2,000,000.
Cache valley is also notsd for the pio
ductlon of alfalfa, and foe all crons of
hay and forage. It is celebrated for its
horses and stock.
In this fruitful valley the oolonixatlon
plan Is to be carried out and any one with
the Inclination may take advantage of the
opportunity. Canals have been constructed
which will carry water to every acre of the
track. These canals are fed from Mink
Croek, an ever constant stream of water
supplied from the snows of t lie Wasatch
mountains, and from two Immense isr
voirw into which the waters of thj stream
are emptied during the season vvnen not
being used for irrigating purposes. The
huge reservoirs are now helng filed ready
to be turned on the land. The water right
goes with the land which cannot be hail
nlthout the water, nor the water without
the land. Most of the land has a gentle
slope south and cast easy to irrlga'.e and
a great deal of It under fence.
Caldwell Explains
Change of Marble
to County Board
Says that the Board Preferred the
Colorado Marble in the
First Place.
George W. Caldwell of Caldwell & Drake,
the contractors of the new court house,
was granted a hearing Saturday morning
by the county commissioners to show why
he had sublet the marble work to the
Colorado White Marble company Instead
of securing the Italian marole, as called
for In the specifications. It is one of the
conditions of the contract that all sub
contracts for material must be approved
by the board.
This unwarranted change was one of the
charges brought against Caldwell & Drake
by Architect John Latensr last week. In
a signed communication to me ooara ine
architect states that the contractors never
sooke to him about changing to "Yule
and would not have had his recommenda
tion had they done so.
Mr. Caldwell had J. F. Manning, general
manager of the Colorado company, with
him Saturday morning, showing samples
of the marble. The contractor asserts that
the whole case Is "much ado about noth
ing," and that the board wanted Colorado
marble In the first place, but that they
thought that It would come too high. He
says that the Colorado company has come
down $26,000 in their bid. The contract
calls for $102,728 worth of marble.
The board took the matter of approval
or disapproval of the change under con
sideration until Monday morning.
Commissioner Lynch Is strongly opposed
to allowing the change and says that the
board should stand pat. He is highly dis
satisfied with the attitude assumed by the
contractors and the slow progress of the
work.
BRICK
MAKER!!
Our town Is building so fast thst we
have TURKU l.L'MHER YARDS, all of
them doing more than they can handle.
What we want Is a I1RICK PI, A NT. Got
AI,U THE L.UMHKR WE WANT, but we
DO W ANT A BRICK MAN WHO CAN
MAKE BRICK. Will make a first class
proposition to the right man.
Buhl. Idaho, is the market point for
W.Oik) acres of Carey Act land; the richest
land that lies out of doors. There Is cheap
electric power gained from the falls of
the Snake river. There are oceans of farm
produce of every description Everything
is favorable. Please WRITE ME AT
ONCE.
You can satisfy yourself about this If
you will write me at once. I can send you
a booklet showing JUST WHAT TH18
SECTION HAS TO DEPEND ON; Just
WHAT IT WILL DO FOR YOU. Write
for the book. It costs nothing and may
mean n fortune to vou. Address
O. H. MoQUOWH, Secretary BUHT, COX
MUKOIAX CLUB, Buhl, XtUho.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FARMER
tiood Advertising; Medina.
One Hollar Per Year.
SKIN-TORTURED AND
DISFIGURED BABIES
Spring Humors
Come to mont people and cause many
troubles, pimples, bolls and other erup
tions, beside loss of appetite, that tired
feeling, biliousness. Indigestion and head
ache. The sooner you get rid of them the
better, and the way to get Hd of thorn
and to build up the srvtem la to take
Hood's Sarsaparilla
Tho Spring Medicine par excellence as
shown by unequaied, radical and perm
anent cures.
Get it today In usual liquid form or
chocolated tablets known as Sarsataba.
And Worn-Out, Worried Parents Find
Comfort in Cuticura Soap
and Ointment.
Is your little one a sufferer from
Itching, burning, eczema or other tor
turing, disfiguring skin trouble? Asa
you, yourself, worn out by Ions, siagp
lees nights and ceaseless sjxxikty. aod
have you tried treatment ftr treat
ment without avail r If so, you will
re-ad with Interest the following lrtker
from Mrs. Noble Tubman, of Dodson.
Mont., telling what Cutioura soap ana
Cutioura ointment did (or just tuoa s
case as youss:
" When my baby boy was fix months
old. his body was completely oovernd
with large sores that seemed to itob.
and burn, and cause terrible suffering.
The eruption began In pimples wniub.
would open and run, malting large
sores. Els hair came oot and finger
nails fell off, and the sores were over
the entire body, causing little or no
sleep for baby or royaeli. Great soabs
would come off when I removed his
shirt.
"We tried a great many remedies
but nothing would help him, tiil a
friend induced me to try Cutioura soap
and ointment. I used the Cutioura
soap and ointment but a short time
before I oould see that he was improving,
and in six weels' time he was entirely
cured. He had suffered about six weeks
before we tried the Cutioura soap and
ointment, although we had tri-d sev
eral other things and doctors too. I
think the Cutioura rerordies witt do all
that is olnimed for them and r great
deal snore."
Cutioura soap and ointment are sold
by druggists and dealers everywhere,
but mothers of skln-tortnred Infants
and children oan obtain a liberal sample
of each, tnailed free, with a thirty-two
page booklet on the slrlo and its treat
ment, by addressing "Cutioura,'' Dept.
A, Boston, Ums
Visit California
It is the most desirable place to spend a vacation.
The climate is delightful the year around. Pictures
que scenery, big trees, beautiful parks and orange
groves, excellent hotels and all forms of outdoor
sports. You will enjoy your trip from the start if
you go via
UMflu FAeBR
Standard Road of the We$t.
New and direct route to
Yellowstone National Park
Electric Block Signals.
Excellent Dining Cars.
For literature and Information relative to fares, routes, etc.,
rail on or address
L. BEINDORFF, C. P. & T. A.
1324 Farnam St., Omaha, Neb.
Phones, Doug. 1828; Ind. A3231.
ABB TOTT OOXKQ TO BUT LAITDt No
farmer should think of buying a home
oetore seeing a copy or our Journal. It
hHS lands, city property and stocks of
goods advertised in It from every state
in ine union, so that you ran find Just
What you wish in its columns. It reaches
(5,000 readers each Issue. Advertising
rates, 2c per word. HenU 10c for 2 months'
trial subscription. It will be stopped at
the end of 2 months unless you renew.
133 Journal, Traer, Iowa.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FARMER
Good AdTertlstnsr Medium.
THEN
(D)F Tit
oobo
Wc have solved this ques
tion for 75,000 people or
over half the population
of Omaha, and we can
do it for you whether you
live in an old house or a
new one. The service can
be quickly and cheaply
installed. Ask us about it.
Omaha Electric Light
and Pover Company
. A
w
v
isMMioi
RIow OB
Early
Get First
. Cll0l2i
Selcc
w
w
vs.
fin
MW
mo n W v SB
CropsJ
IJaaSMBSSSBSSMlM''" ' '"' '" .inai " "
Ml V
Best
secured
water rights
Every foot
under cultiva
tion, mostly al
falfa and fall wheat.
The greatest soil on
earth for sugar beets.
Large sugar factory in
the district. Duy today.
Start farming tomorrow
with your crop already grow
ing. Can you beat it?
An opportunity for the man who wen ta
to live "next to nature" and yet within
easy hailing distance of a metropolis.
Four hours ride from Salt Lake-
three hours from Ogden. Right
in touch with the very best
markets. Room here for two
hundred and fifty thrifty
families. Join the two-fifty,
A life of health, wealth and
pleasure absolutely as
sured in this beautiful
tract lying in Idaho's
and the world's
Write today for full particulars, plat
and prospectus.
'The Cadie a
richest and most
favored agricul
tural district
Cache Valley
lODizan
Company
Address :
Globe Investment Company,
2433V2 Washington Av
Ogden, Utah.
or
C. A. Gray & Co..
125 Main Street,
Salt Lake City, Utah-
or
Geddes, Larson & Co.
Main Street,
Preston, Idaho.
Exclusive Agent
Bee "waott ads Ibplocj pesolts
