i86 Journal of Agriculture. [lo March. 1909. 



No doubt the soils of the Huertas are ideal ones for the use of artifi- 

 cial manures, owing to the large proportion of humus they contain. This 

 peculiarity is the result of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years of con- 

 tinuous cultivation, during wliich all available manure has been put into the 

 soil so that, in addition to their being mostly of alluvial origin, they have 

 by gradual increase of their humic contents become practically garden 

 moulds. Green manuring has also largely contributed to this result, for 

 it is practised to an enormous extent, var'ous leguminous plants being sown 

 for this purpose, such as tares, vetches, peas, beans, &c. The tick or 

 horse bean is a very favourite plant for this purpose and one which is 

 very largely used. It appears to make more growth in the cold weather 

 than peas, ajid therefore to produce a greater weight of green stuff by 

 the time the moment for ploughing it in comes round. These beans 

 •should certainly be worth a trial for green manuring purposes in Victoria. 



Rotation is looked upon as being of great importance and, with such 

 a varied choice of products as can be grown, there is no difficulty in 

 •carrying it out. Various systems of rotations are in vogue; one strongly 

 recommended by Dr. Maria Marti is as follows : — 



Commencing with a worn out lucerne field which has been broken up 

 to a depth of about 18 inches and manured with i cwt. of superphosphate 

 and about \ cwt. of chloride of potash, a crop of hemp is grown which 

 is followed in succession by crops of beans, to be harvested, maize, beans to 

 t>e ploughed in for green manure, onions, then potatoes or peanuts, after 

 which lucerne may be put in again. It is often sown with wheat as a 

 •cover crop. This rotation would extend over a period of six years, the 

 preparatory ploughing for each crop except the beans being about 12 inches 

 ■deep. 



With such a variety of crops to choose from, it is not easy to lay down 

 hard and fast rules and many different rotations are followed according to 

 •circumstances. 



Visit to Gandia. 



I arrived in Gandia by train from Valencia on the evening of 14th 

 January, 1908, bearing a letter of introduction from Mr. Harker to his 

 brother-in-law, Senor Romaguera, who is H.B.M. Vice-Consul in Gandia, 

 and who very kindly showed me as much of this interesting neighbourhood as 

 it w'as possible to see in the brief time at my disposal. Senor Romaguera 

 is largely interested in orange culture and in the varied agriculture of 

 the region, which is practically the same as in the other irrigated areas of 

 Eastern Spain, for Gandia is on a smaller scale, a repetition of the 

 Huerta de Valencia. One finds the same intense culture and carefully 

 applied irrigation as well as the variety of products which has just been 

 •described. 



From Valencia, one takes the train for Madrid {via Albacete) running 

 south some 30 miles along the coast to Carcagente. another important 

 Irrigation centre remarkable for the number of date palms growing about. 

 A snap-shot from the train which is reproduced gives some idea of these 

 trees laden with their crop of yellow fruit. At Carcagente, a change is 

 ■made to a small local line which takes one on to Gandia and Denia still 

 further down the coast. The carriages on this line are two-storied and 

 from the upper, third-class compartments one obtains an excellent view 

 of the very picturesque countrv through which the line passes. 



Carcagente is some distance inland. Between it and Gandia the line 

 is separated from the sea by the Sierra de Murta, a range of fairly high 



