Journal of Agriculture. [ii Jan., 1909. 



The most striking feature of the soil is its redness, a colour unusual 

 in S[>ain, but which reminded me of several of our Australian soils. In 

 texture, this soil is also simihir to many Australiini ones, being on the 

 average a substantial loajii. In the lower levels it is fairlv stiff but 

 more stony as one rises u|> the sidrs of the hills which are of hard lime- 

 stone rock. The soil, 1 was iidDrmed, does not contain a high per- 

 centage of carbonatf of liin<'. Some paler coloured cla\ey soils are to 

 be met with in the k/wer le\el>. Thev also produce very good raisins, 

 l)ut the majority of the vineyards are on red .soil which is more plentiful. 



Irrigation is not aj)plied to the vinevards ; the rainfall seems to be 

 sufficient without it. It is said that irrigation would interfere with 

 ffualit\ and lead to the production of a raisin deficient in substance. 

 The \inevards ascend the hills to a considerable height, most of those in 

 the up])iT IcNfls producing excellent raisins. 



J)on Juan Morand tonk me out to his fine property at .-Mter, one of 

 the best raisin vine\ ards in the neighbourhood and tNjjical of most of 

 those in the district. 



Culture, Pruning, Etc. 



I was anxious to obtain information as to the identitx or otherwise 

 of the " .Moscatel " locallv grown with that of Malaga, which appears 

 to bf the same as our Gordo Blanco. Opinions were not unanimous on 

 the point ; though most of the authorities I consulted consider that there 

 is onl\ one large white Muscat grown in .Spain and that the vines of 

 Malaga and Denia are one and the same variety, others again say there 

 is a slight difl'erence between them. The question can only be finally 

 .solved bv the importation of vines from each locality and their careful 

 obser\:ition under exactly similar conditions. I am strongly inclined to 

 think that thev are one and the same variety. 



The vineyards are established in the usual wav, though subsoiling 

 before plantation is not perhaps considered so absolutely essential as it 

 is in districts where vines are grafted on resistant stocks. The most 

 usual distance apart is 8 ft. x 3 ft. 6 in. ; formerly they w^ere planted 

 closer but this is now the acce}>ted distance. 



Pruning differs considerably from the Malaga system, the vines being 

 short pruned in I'xactlv the same way as wine vines trained gooseberry 

 ,st\lr. I''i\c to six s]>urs, of z eves each, are left on each vine, the 

 arms of which elongate in the ordinary way instead of forming the 

 musluoom shaped crown characteristic of the Malaga system. Summer 

 pruning f)r training is the same as at Malaga, the vines being grown 

 goo.seberrv bush system and neither trained nor tied up in any wav. 



('ultivation is executed with the old fashioned wooden plough or 

 arado, the vinevards being kept in very good order. Manuring is prac- 

 tised, a dressing of seaweeil .ind stable manure bein;; nsual]\- applied 

 every second year. Proix'rty is nuich subdivided aboul here, being often 

 owned or lea.sed in '<m:dl farms. Workiu'i on the shares system is not 

 uncr.mmon : the prochice is equally divided K'tween landlord and tenant 

 in former times the proportion was g ]>ar!s for the proprietor and 

 7 fo'" the tenant bait it is nol now easy to find tePiants prepared to work 

 on this basis. 



T exoerienced some dinicnltx in getting information as to average 

 yields for. dthough the metri'^ >-\stem has long he^\\ in force in Spain, 

 it 's remarkable to wbit in extent the old wei<Tbts and measures are 

 still emplo\<'d, esiiecialK in connexion with land and agricultural 



