64 AGRICULTURAL, EXPLORATIONS IN ALGERIA. 



Tdhle grape)^. — Excclleiit tabic grape.s arc grown, some of whicli — 

 the CHiisault, for cxani})le — arc valuable also as wine grapes, while 

 others, like the Golden Chasselas, are grown ehieU}' for the table. 

 The latter is ])y far the most popular variety. It is an excellent 

 grape, bearing shipment well. Grapes mature earl}' enough for profit- 

 able exportation in the littoral zone of the coast region onl}'. Near 

 Algiers the Chasselas ripens in the first part of July and reachcnS the 

 French markets in advance of home-grown grapes. Vines of this 

 variety generall}' begin to 3'ield frcel}' in their fifth year. Reeds 

 are usually planted as a wind-l)reak, the same as in market gardens. 

 An average crop from an acre is 3 tons of fruit. The first Algerian 

 grapes that reach the Paris markets are said to bring as nuich as $'26 

 per 100 pounds. 



Table grapes grown elsewhere than along the coast ripen too late for 

 export, but often find a good sale in local markets. The varieties 

 peculiar to the colony are generally of inferior quality, although some 

 of them are not without value. Those grown in Kal^ylia are nearly 

 all pruned to long canes, and often ascend to the tops of tall trees. 

 It is difficult to gather the grapes from such vines or to spray them 

 when infected with fungous diseases. 



Raisins are dried in small ((uantities b}' the Kabyles. Otherwise 

 this industry has not developed in Algeria, although the climatic con- 

 ditions would seem to be peculiarly favorable to raisin making. 



OLIVES. 



From the earliest times of whicli we have record the olive has been 

 one of the most important products of northern Africa. The same 

 varieties yield a higher percentage of oil in Algeria and Tunis than in 

 southern Europe. The oil content varies greatly in different parts 

 of the colony, l)ut as high as 34 per cent has been obtained from olive.' 

 grown m the oases of the Sahara. African oils have a higher mar- 

 garin content and are more easily fixed at a temperature of 40'^ F. 

 than oil made from European olives. The annual production of oil 

 in Algeria is estimated at 13,2()(),000 gallons, the bulk of which is con- 

 sumed in the colony. The export trade is as yet comparatively insig- 

 nificant, amounting annually to only about $200,000. In fact, Algeria 

 does not produce enough for home consumption, importing annually 

 from 2,500,000 to 3,000,000 gallons of edible oils. The number of 

 grafted olive trees in the colony is estimated at 4,500,000, the greater 

 part of them being in Kabylia. Tunis, the olive-growing country par 

 excellence of northern Africa, is said to contain some 15,000,(100 

 grafted trees, covering about 500,000 acres. The olive is thoroughly 

 at home in Algeria, especially in the Kat)yle mountain district, where 

 several local varieties exist, some of which are of considerable value. 



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