_The Crop._--The Muscat grapes begin to ripen in Riverside later than in the San Joaquin valley, and picking commences between the 10th and the 30th of September. Highlands is said to be two weeks later than Riverside. The first crop is ready to turn in two weeks, and is ready for the sweatbox in three weeks’ time. For drying, trays are used, and about twenty pounds are placed on each tray. These trays are all made of pine or fir. Redwood has been found unsuitable, as imparting both a color and a taste to the raisins if accidentally wet by early showers in the fall. Size of trays, two by three feet, with a cleat nailed at the short ends, but none at the long ends of the trays. Sweatboxes receive the raisins when they leave the trays. Formerly the sweatboxes were much larger and deeper than now, eight or even twelve inches in depth not being unknown. Of late sweatboxes are made two by three feet, or of the exact size of the trays, and not over six inches in depth. A greater depth makes the boxes too heavy to handle, and also causes the bunches to break. The packing of the raisins in Riverside and in the Southern California raisin districts generally is done by the method known as “top up.” That is, the first raisins are placed in the bottom of the box and successive layers are placed on top, until finally the top layer is put on the last. The lever press for the compression of the layers is a Riverside invention. A modification of this press is now in use in nearly all districts where the “top-up” method of packing is practiced. The brands packed are as follows: Three Crown London Layers, Two Crown London Layers, Three Crown Loose Muscatels, Two Crown Loose Muscatels, and Muscatels in sixty-pound sacks; also Seedless Muscatels in sacks of sixty and thirty pounds respectively. Cotton sacks are commonly used for the two latter brands. The brands are apt to vary from year to year, according to the fancy or ideas of the packers, new ones of which are in the field every year. Only those who both produce and pack have anything like established brands. The prices paid for raisins in sweatboxes have varied in different years. In 1887 and 1888, the price was from four and one-half to five cents per pound. In 1889, the price rose to five and five and three-fourths cents, and in one or two instances six cents were paid.