686 Journal of Agriculture. [lo Nov., 1908. 



in Spain, and I anticipated .returning to France after a brief visit to 

 Valencia, where I wished to see something of the pudding raisin district. 

 The Visconde de Eza explained to me that I had as yet seen but little 

 of the viticulture of his country, and that the most interesting part of 

 Spain, so far as reconstitution is concerned, was as vet unknown to me. 

 He urged me more particularly to visit Pamplona, the capital of Navarra, 

 in the extreme north of Spain ; the adjoining viticultural district of La 

 Rioja ; Valencia ; and also' Villaf ranca del Panades, near Barcelona. He 

 very kindly gave me letters to the directors of the Government viticultural 

 stations in these four centres. 



A brief description of reconstitution in Navarra, and some of the lead- 

 ing features of the interesting district of La Rioja, forms the subject 

 of the present report. Before proceeding to these places I had an oppor- 

 tunity of visiting the central agricultural institute in Madrid, known as 

 the Escuela Especial de Ingenieros Agronomos, where students qualify for 

 the degree of Ingeniero Agronomo (agricultural engineer), the course 

 having a duration of six years. The institute is situated at Moncloa, a 

 suburb of Madrid. It occupies the site of a pottery factory, at one time 

 somewhat famous. At the time of my visit the school was closed for the 

 Christmas vacation and extensive alterations and improvements were being 

 made to various branches, the chemical laboratories in particular were being 

 much improved and enlarged. I was shown over the buildings by the 

 principal, Don Antonio Botija y Fojardo. Adjoining them are the experi- 

 mental plots, occupying some 90 acres of land. In close proximity to 

 the school is the Granja, or experimental farm of the Government, which, 

 though a separate institution, is run to some extent in conjunction with it 

 so as to give students the benefit of practical work on a large scale. The 

 Granja consists of nearly 1,800 acres of land devoted to mixed farming. 

 Some portions of it are irrigable, though in the high cold situation of 

 Madrid such is not indispensable. It contains collections of the more 

 important vine varieties grown in Spain, and plots where experiments are 

 conducted as to manuring, and different systems of training and culti- 

 vation. As phylloxera is as yet unknown in the neighbourhood of INIadxid 

 little was to be learnt in connexion with reconstitution in this interesting 

 establishment, which bears witness to the practical interest the Spanish 

 Government now take in agricultural education and experimental work 



Navarra. 



From Madrid I proceeded to Pamplona, the capital of the old 

 kingdom of Navarra. Navarra is situated right in the north of Spain, 

 on the French frontier, and near the junction of the coast lines of Western 

 France and Northern Spain. A good part of the province, consisting of 

 high mountains, is too cool for the growth of the vine. I carried a letter 

 from the Visconde de Eza to Don Nicolas Garcia de Los Salmones the 

 director of the agricultural service of the province. Don Nicolas is well 

 known outside of Spain, especially in France, as he has frequentlv acted 

 as one of the Spanish representatives at viticultural conventions in different 

 parts of Europe. M. Couderc had given me a letter to him when I passed 

 through France some four months earlier, and this I was also able to pre- 

 sent to him. I cannot speak in sufificientlv high terms of the reception 

 I met with at Pamplona, nor could I thank Don Nicolas enough for his 

 kindness to me personally, and for the large amount of valuable informa- 

 tion he so freely placed at my disposal. Of his high qualification it is 



