^ May, 1908.] Viticulture in Europe. 311 



FOURTH PROGRESS REPORT OX VITICULTURE IN 



EUROPE. 



F . de Castella. 



Reconstitution in Spain. 



Spain is one of the important viticultural countries of the world. 

 According to statistics, it occupies a very high rank so far as wine pro- 

 duction is concerned- In addition to this it is one of the largest pro- 

 ducers of raisins, and ships enormous quantities of fresh grapes each year 

 to Northern Europe and America. Nor must the large quantity of grapes 

 consumed in the fresh state within the country be lost sight of. As regards 

 diversity of products obtained from the vine ; of varieties of \ines and of 

 methods of cultivating them and treating their fruit, few countries present 

 a more interesting field for study. 



Spain is but little known by the rest of Europe. Much of what one 

 usually hears about it is inaccurate and exaggerated, and sometimes e\en 

 maliciously untrue — it is a much maligned country ; one hears of its faults 

 but seldom of its virtues. An impartial observer will no doubt find things 

 10 criticise, but he wiU also find much to admire and interest him. So 

 far as sobriety and good manners are concerned, to mention only two of 

 the chief virtues of the Spaniard, there are few countries which could not 

 learn .something in Spain, and as regards its agriculture, and especially its 

 viticulture, they have long ago reached a high state of perfection. 



The Spaniard has long been known as a good gardener. The Moors 

 were noted for their skill in cultivating the soil, and their irrigation works 

 in many parts of Spain are admired and copied to the present day. When 

 driven out of the countrv in the 15th centur\- tht_'ir cultural methods remained 

 behind them, being adopted by their Spanish conquerors. So far as culti- 

 vation of the soil, and the suiting of the different operations to local clim- 

 atic conditions, I was surprised at the efficiency and thoroughness with 

 which the work is usually done. The Spanish vigneron is a tradesman 

 who takes ^ pride in his work and does his best to carry it out thoroughly, 

 though usually for poor remuneration. 



A consideration which rendered the countrv especially interesting to me 

 \vas the similarity of its climate to that of Victoria — much more so, in fact, 

 than even that of Southern France. In this respect there is little difference, 

 for examole. between Xorthern Victoria and Andalucia. So far as rainfall, 

 and its distribution and temperature are concerned, Jerez or Sevilla are 

 strikingly similar to Rutherglen or the Goulburn Valley. The success of 

 familiar Australian trees such as blue gums, sheoaks, and grevillias amply 

 demonstrates this. Even in r^lontpellier (South of France) blue gums are 

 occasionally cut down by strong winter frosts, but not so in Andalucia. One 

 of our common sheoaks (Casuarina quadrivalvis) is extensively used for 

 street planting in Jerez, and thrives well. Eucalypti grow" everywhere as 

 well as they do with us, and. at Malaga e\en sugar cane is cultivated on 

 a commercial scale, though it is true that the crop is frequently lost through 

 frost. 



This similarity of climate should render Spanish experience valuable to 

 us. It was this fact, as well as the variety of its vine products and the 

 special nature of many of them, that induced me to devote so much time to 

 the study of the vine in the different viticultural regions of Spain. 



Spanish viticulture includes, as has been said, several distinct branches. 

 We have in the first place the three main subdivisions of wine production. 



