548 Journal of Agriculture. [10 Sept., 1908. 



Climate and Soil. 



The climate is warm and very dry — so dry that without irrigation the 

 grape shipping industry would not be possible. I was not able to ascertain 

 the average annual rainfall, but it cannot be much over 12 inches. Last 

 year only io| inches were registered, whilst a couple of years back it was 

 only 8 inches. Long periods without any rain are of frequent occurrence. 



The soil is a mellow loam, varying a good deal. The geological 

 formation appears to be chiefly limestone of secondary age, though primary 

 slates are also to be found in the neighbourhood. A curious formation 

 is met with in some of the vineyards where alternate bands of good friable 

 loam are separated by comparatively thin horizontal layers of hard water 

 deposited limestone. In some cases, by making a hole through this crust 

 where it occurred at a depth of about a foot the vine was permitted to 

 send its roots down into the good soil underneath. In other cases this 

 hard layer was entirely remo\ed by blasting, at considerable expense. 

 Analyses were not available, but judging from the fact that many growers 

 are satisfied with Riparia stock the lime contents of the soil cannot be 

 high. This relative freedom from excess of lime, though the geological 

 formation is a limestone one, is not uncommon if it be hard limestone, and 

 not the soft Tertiary form- The soil, though of good mechanical texture, 

 is not a very rich one. The best shipping grapes are said to be produced 

 on the poorer soil. 



Reconstitution. 



The Province of Almeria was officially declared to be " Phylloxerated " 

 in 1888, so reconstitution is quite 20 years old in the district. As is ^o 

 frequently noticeable where vines are allowed to attain large size, the 

 progress of the pest has been comparatively slow — not nearly so rapid as 

 in Jerez or Malaga, where the vines are small and closely planted. Even 

 at the present time some parrales of ungrafted Viniferas are occasionally 

 to be met with. They are gradually teing replaced by grafted vines ; 

 although still alive, many of them ha\'e suffered so much from the presence 

 of Phylloxera on their roots that they no longer give profitable returns. 

 At one vineyard I visited near the village of Huercal the substitution was 

 being carried out by intermediate planting of American vines between the 

 old ones. These were to be grafted later and gradually trained to take 

 the places of the original vine. The considerable distance apart (20 x 20 

 feet) renders such a course possible. Even so, this method is not very 

 satisfactory and, as might be expected, better results are obtained by 

 rooting out entirelv before replanting. The tendency nowadays is to plant 

 the grafted vines somewhat closer than the old vines. 



On the vineyard referred to some of these old vines were of truly 

 remarkable size; some I measured had a girth of 19^ inches a foot above 

 the ground. It is this very considerable developmentj no doubt aided by 

 irrigation, that has permitted ungrafted Viniferas to survive so long. 



Another curious fact which I have also noted in other vine-growing 

 centres, both in France and Spain, waJs brought under my notice in 

 Almeria. This is a seeming diminution in the virulence of Phylloxera ; 

 of recent years the vines first attacked died off rapidly, whereas those which 

 have survived until now die more slowly. The cause is not very apparent, 

 nor has the point much practical value. In spite of this partial resistance 

 their death is only a question of time, and they must, sooner or later, he 

 replaced by grafted Americans. 



