lo -March, 1909. 



1 rrigatiiDi hi luistcrii Spain. 



179 



Mr. Murray further refers me to the work of Mr. W. H. Hall from 

 ■which quotations appear above as well as the work of Sir Colin S. 

 Moncrieff concerning which he sa\s — 



The results obtained by irrigation in Valencia are there favorably spoken of 

 -and held up as a motive to our irrigators. 



On 13th January, 1908. I arrived at Valencia, the capital of the 

 province of the same name, which, together with the adjoining ones of 

 Castellon, Alicante and Murcia, constitute the agricultural region of the 

 Levante. Valencia is the most important of the four and when one con- 

 siders what a large portion of its surface consists of barren hills the 

 fertility of the irrigable portion is but more evident. 



IRRIGATING OLIVES AND VINES NEAR SAGUNTO. 



The railway journey from Barcelona to Valencia is a most interesting 

 and varied one. The Ebro, the fine river I have several times referred 

 to in connexion with Navarra, Aragon and La Rioja, is crossed near 

 Tortosa, the railway line running inland for some distance lo avoid the 

 low lying, swampy lands of the delta. Near Tortosa, an unusual sight 

 meets the eye in the shape of large rice fields, for this is the chief rice 

 producing region of Spain. The total area in that country under rice 

 in 1906 was 90,750 acres; of this 70,750 acres were situated in the pro- 

 vince of Valencia. In 1906, the Valencia rice fields yielded 3I million 

 cwt. of rice or an average yield of 50 cwt. per acre. 



Many fruit trees are to be seen near the river, but though fruit is 

 largely grown in the Levante, and especially in the irrigated areas, one 

 .seldom sees a large orchard according to Australian ideas. Mixed 

 farming is the rule and each small farmer grows a few fruit trees in 

 rows amongst his other crops. Occasionally, a block planted exclusively 

 with fruit trees is to be seen but, except in the case of orange groves, it 

 is rather the exception than the rule. Higher up in the hills, where 

 the climate is cooler, apple and pear orchards are to be seen but here 

 the fruit trees are in small patches and much mixed. Peaches and 

 apricots are extensively grown, though the former are apt to suffer con- 

 siderably from fruit fly in some seasons. Thus the line continues, the 



