Il8 CHILE - MISCETXANEOUS 



brand3^ The must, called chicha, is largely cons:uraed by the lower classes. 

 In the south of the province of lyinares, the vine is usually cultivated in 

 dry soil producing must for immediate use and an inferior kind of wine. 



The annual yield of the vines ma3^ be thus distributed : 2,000,000 hec- 

 tolitres of wine, 600,000 hectolitres of chica, 400,000 hectolitres of cha- 

 colies (wine made from green grapes): 100,000 hectolitres of brandj^ con- 

 taining 50 % of alcohol, 10,000 hectolitres of raisins. This, it will be 

 seen, is a considerable yield, the value of which is about 100,000,000 fr. 

 not taking into account the grapes consumed. 



Fruit cultivation is also very profitable. The climate and the soil of 

 Chile are adapted to the production of exquisite fruits, and the jam 

 making industry is of great importance. The fruits of temperate climates 

 are produced in great variety and abundance, especially peaches, pears, 

 apples, plums, figs and nuts. These last are exported in large quantities 

 to Argentina and to the United States (in 191 1 : 3,871 tons to the value 

 of 1,858,000 gold pesos). 



The area planted with fruit trees is, according to official reports, 

 about 16,000 hectares (i) : the average profit per hectare is calculated 

 at 400 gold pesos. 



But some plantations yield still more. Nut trees planted 15 metres 

 from each other produce 80 kg. of nuts each, equal to a yield of 1,800 

 paper pesos per " cuadra" (2). It must, however, be remembered that 

 from the time the nut tree is planted twelve or fifteen years must 

 elapse before it attains its full growth; during that time, however, 

 the intervening space is utilized for the cultivation of herbaceous plants. 

 fiS The plum tree produces about 50 kg. of fruit, which is reduced by 

 drying to 10 kg. and is sold at 40 centimes per kg.: and a cuadra with 625 

 trees will yield 2,540 pesos. The apple, orange and almond yield large pro- 

 fits, about 5,000 pesos per cuadra. 



The diseases of plants naturalty influence the profits, and much re- 

 mains to be done to protect the fruit, but these diseases are not frequent or 

 very serious. 



The growth of f mit trees is so rapid that it is not rare to see them pro- 

 duce after the third year ; after the fifth they reach almost their full rate 

 of production. 



The planting of olives has now been begun and if judiciously managed 

 it may become very remunerative. In Chile olive oil is consumed in large 

 quantities, but it is all imported. In igii oil imported for food reached 

 the amount of 4,041,698 kg.; of this at least 1,100,000 kg. came from Italy 

 and Spain, and a considerable part of the 2,300,000 kg. imported from the 

 United States was olive oil. 



!^ 5. Kitchen gardens. — Kitchen vegetables are cultivated very 

 intensively and for the purpose 100,000 ha. are utilised. Onions, garlic, 

 tomatoes, celery, lettuce, beans, asparagus, artichokes, radishes etc., are 



(i) According to private authorities it is about 40,000 hectares 

 (2) Cuadra = about i % ha (15,615 sq. m.)- 



