Over 80 years of UC research plus industry and grower experience and innovation are brought together in this production manual. Covers all aspects of the California system of raisin production from vineyard planting and development, pest management, cultural practices, harvesting, drying, handling, and economic considerations, to inspection and marketing. Chapters on grapevine physiology, growth and development, fruitfulness, fruit ripening and drying, characteristics, and raisin quality factors reveal the latest in technology and best practices. This 280 page manual is illustrated with 86 color and black and white photographs, 44 tables, and 72 graphs and line drawings. A detailed appendix outlines resources and organizations in the California raisin industry.

Many people make their living and gain wealth by cultivating the raisin grapes, and many people search for books to study the methods of cultivation, pruning, fixing, and packing while waiting for their vines to bear. This work on the raisin industry answers all the questions one has concerning raisin cultivation. The writer provides every detail related to raisins in the book. He starts by delivering a brief history and moves forward to describe the condition in which raisins thrive, the diseases that may affect the cultivation, their cures, etc. This treatise is of great interest to any individual wanting to start raisin cultivation or those who have succeeded in the field. Contents include: Historical Raisin Districts Climatic Conditions, Soils, Location and Irrigation The Raisin Grapes Diseases and Insect Pests The Raisin Vineyard Drying and Curing The Packing-house Statistics of Importation, Production and Prices Through the California Raisin Districts Raisin-growers and Their Vineyards

A funny and informative book about how grapes become raisins and their many uses.

Fruit and vegetable production is a labor-intensive process, and over half of the hired workers employed by growers are believed to be unauthorized immigrants. Reforms to immigration laws, if they reduce the labor supply, may increase the cost of farm labor. The authors of this report assess how particular fruit and vegetable commodities might adjust if labor rates increased. Analysis of case studies suggests a range of possible adjustment scenarios, including increased mechanization for some crops, reduced U.S. output for a few crops, and increased use of labor aids to improve labor productivity for others. Charts and tables. This is a print on demand edition of an important, hard-to-find report.