Raisin-making in Smyrna.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 182, 11 December 1886, Page 8

Raisin-making in Smyrna.

The grapes foa the red raising of Smyrna are grown on the pe'iin=ulo of Curabournou (between the frulf of Smyrna and tha Strait of Kiuo?) and the neiipbouring districts of Vouriah, Cnesmah, and Yerli. Beginning v.lth tho->3 from Oarrabournou, ■which ara the be?t, the qj^li^y becomes poorer in the orde-i that th-s di-'tiiot- hive been named. From each of tnese localities come t'.ro varieties of lai-in. tr i Sieme '•nd the Sultana, the former beir.;.; large, whire and sweet; the latter .~rr.nLt"and D-eedlD -eedle s >3. The Yerlis are tir=t hi mar'-iet, -mill and shrivelled and to bo cons'inied quickly ; tben the Cheemehs and \r>M!lahs; and finally the Cirabournou?, wHch are plump an'J rich and will laafc a i t wel"- a rc.onth Of these last tho best oo to America, and England, though tho boater piro is °!iipped direct to Australia For the or'ier dntrictfthe market i= found chiefly in Germany and on the Continent. Taking tre yeira between IS7O md ISSo, thp Hunp'3 of E'eme Taisin? varied bet\r ten IS, 000 " ana .'iO.OOD tons yearly : that of the Sultana between 9,000 and 26,000 ton--The grapes having bser piokcl from the vines and dipped n a weak polurion of potash to prevent rot, are spread upen ground carefully swept, and then erpo=ed to the sun from four daya to a veek. bein^ frequently turned in th 9 interval. When pufiiciently sun-cured, they are -tripped from their stem 3, packed ia la-jcc c-iajel'u hair bags, and fehipped in 0.-.iq.je= to Smyrna. Keceived from the broker.* by tho packer?, they are submitted to a treatment- which ia rapid and far from attractive Iv a long and lofty room the bajrs ara omptied ; brawny men, barefooted and untidy, break tip with woodon ehovel3the clinfrinjj ma^PG?, and with a whirl epread the rai-in" over a long extent. An bag after bag ia emptied, and tha pile mountp high up toward the ceiling, walls are made about it of empty boxes. To prevent floor and shovels clogging with the adhesive fruif, boya dip dirty brooms into a tili dirtier water and keep up constant sprinkling. One lo?es one's taste for raiainp, and mentally resolves to indulge no more in plum puddings ; still, it ia interesting to watch this cnorinous maas growing larger and larger. An agent frequently compares the quality of ■what i« coming m with that of a sample ho carries on a box cover. If one bag or a dozen are rejected, they are taken out without question ; the inspector pimply accepts or rejects. The number of tons necessary to fill this order are at last before you, and as the business of packing progreesos, your previous resolutions are hardened. The case 3 , which may vary in size from ten pounds to one hundred, are spread closely together aloner the floor nexfc the mountain of fruit. Certain men shovel them full, and . certain others in bare feet walk over them and tread them down ; ehovelling and treading contiuue until the boxes will hold no more, whon they are replaced by others to be treated in like manner. The covers are nailed on. the marks are stenciled, and in a few hours tho whole consignment is in the hold of a steamer,— "Harpers' 3azar."