688 J oiir7ial of Agriculture. [lo Nov., 1908. 



is directed by an Assembly, known as the Diputacion Foral y Provincial de 

 Navarra, usually referred to as the Diputacion. The agricultural branch 

 is under the direction of Don Nicolas Garcia de Los Salmones. Pam- 

 plona being up among the Pyrenees is right out of the region of the olive, 

 though a few thousand acres are planted in Southern Navarra. North of 

 Pamplona it is too cold and bleak even for the vine. In the southern 

 portion, viticulture is one of the most important forms of agriculture. 

 About the centre mixed farming is the rule, much wheat and sugar-beet 

 being grown. Vines are grown almost exclusively for wine, the usual tvpe 

 of which being vin ordinaire, selling at a cheap rate, for Navarra does not 

 boast of any celebrated wines. This wine is rather lighter than that 

 produced in the adjoining districts. 



It is more than twelve years since phylloxera found its way into the 

 province, which was officially declared to be " phylloxerated " in 1896. 

 The Diputacion realized the serious nature of the trouble, and actively 

 assisted growers in the task of reconstitution, supplying them with resis- 

 tant vines at a cheap rate, and giving them the most reliable and most 

 recent information on the subject. Large plantations of mother vines were 

 m.ade; grafting classes were established; and those growers who replanted 

 on resistant stocks were freed from taxation for a period of six vears. To- 

 this generous assistance is no doubt due the rapid progress of reconsti- 

 tution. It has also stimulated other districts in the same direction. The 

 active assi.stance received by growers in the north and east of Spain is in 

 ■striking contrast to the way they were left to their own resources in Anda- 

 iucia. 



The province of Navarra affords an object lesson in reconstitution which 

 should be of interest to Victorians at the present time, as replantation 

 on resistant stocks is at the present moment being actively carried out under 

 the direction of one of the leading viticultural authorities of the day. A 

 few figures as to the extent of the viticultural industry, the provisions made 

 to assist growlers, the demand for resistant stocks and the supplies avail- 

 able, will be interesting. In 1889, or before the appearance of phylloxera, 

 Navarra possessed 115,567 acres under vines, yielding 23,000,000 gallons, 

 or nearly 200 gallons to the acre. At the end of 1906 the area under vines 

 was only 19,706 acres, which yielded in that season, which was a fair one, 

 1,883,000 gallons, or less than 100 gallons to the acre, this small yield 

 being no doubt accounted for by the number of vines not in full bearing. 

 The Diputacion owns 600,000 mother vines, from which it distributed la.st 

 season 20,000,000 rooted vines — (barbados)— and cuttings, though the total 

 number applied for amounted to 50,000,000. Don Nicolas informed me 

 that some trouble has been caused through applications being received 

 from speculators who wished to resell cuttings, sometimes outside of the 

 province. He has had to frame stringent regulations to prevent this 

 practice. 



The active way in which reconstitution is being pushed on, and the 

 increasing demand is shown by comparing the above figures with those for 

 1904, in which year the applications received, and quantities available 

 were as follows: — 



Applications. Quantities available. 

 Nursery cuttings ... 9,158,900 7,143,426 



Cuttings fit to graft ... 6,029,050 2,815,056 



Barbados ... ... 3,717,650 714.639 



