580 JounuiL uf Agriculture. [10 Oct., 1908. 



Granada. 



Granada, the capital of the province of tlie same name, is a tine town 

 of 76,000 inhabitants. It is the centre of a rich agricultural district. The 

 vega, or plain, of Granada, is a wide fertile valley through which runs the 

 river Jenil. The level land is all irrigated. The chief crops are wheat 

 and sugar beet; sugar mills and distilleries abound in the neighbour- 

 hood. The land of the vega is very rich ; the wheat yield being usually 

 over 40 bushels per acre (irrigated). It is mostly leased to small farmers 

 at an annual rental of from jT^z to ^4 per acre. 



The Duke of Wellington's Estate. 



I was well received by the British Vice-Consul, Mr. Chas. E. G. Daven- 

 hill, who very kindly gave me a letter to the Duke of Wellington's manager, 

 Mr. ^j'ontague J. Alostyn. 



La Torre del Mobno del Rey is the name of the Duke's estate. This 

 magnificent property, which is situated only a few miles from Granada near 

 the small railway station of Illora, was presented to the grandfather of the 

 present owner by the Spanish nation as a token of gratitude after the close 

 of the Peninsular war. The estate comprises nearly 20,000 acres, a large pro- 

 portion of which consists of rich vega lands, leased out to small farmers. The 

 poorer lands on the hillsides are worked under Mr. Mostyn's direct manage- 

 ment, olive culture being the most important branch on land which cannot 

 be irrigated. 



There are 36,000 olive trees, mostly of the Tempranillo variety, on the 

 estate. Eighty trees are planted to a Spanish acre. The olive is con- 

 sidered the most profitable crop for the poorer lands of the estate. Where 

 irrigation is not possible provision is made for the retention of as much 

 of the rainfall as possible by working the ground into a sort of semilunar 

 dam on the lower side of the tree. This small mound is demolished and 

 levelled at the second cultivation. A well-equipped olive mill fitted recently 

 with the mo.st modern machinery deal.'i with the produce of the "olival." 

 The vineyard is smaller than I had been led to believe, being only 

 about 50 or 60 acres in extent. It is well planted and thoroughly culti- 

 vated, t was glad to have an opportunity of visiting a Spanish vineyard 

 under English management. I spent an interesting afternoon with Mr. 

 Mostyn, by whom I was most courteously received. 



Before being planted the vineyard was subsoiled 3 feet deep by hand 

 labour at a cost of nearly ^40 per acre; the soil is marly and somewhat 

 gravelly. It is situated on the low hills near the sides of the vega. In 

 places it is very limey — som.e portions proved on analysis to contain as much 

 as 60 per cent, carbonate of lime. The vines are planted at 6 ft. x 6 ft., 

 and are hand cultivated, but it must be remembered that vineyard labourers 

 are here only paid is. 3d. per day, and feed themselves. 



The variety grown is exclusively the Pedro Ximenes, which here pro- 

 duces a very fair white wine, selling locally when a few months old at 

 about 8d. a gallon. The wine, so far as crushing and pressing are con- 

 cerned, is made in much the same way as we make our drv whites in 

 Australia. 



The .stock used is almost exclusively \o. 1202. It appears to do remark- 

 ably well in this limestone soil. 



The vines are formed with crowns of n;edium height, and are short 

 pruned, a fair number of spurs being left on each vine. 



Both field and bench grafting have been tried, the former being the 

 more usual. The overseer informed me that out of 600 grafts done last 



