Statistics of Wine Trade. 77 



a species of willow (Salea; rubra), specially cultivated for that 

 purpose. 



Though nearly a fifth of the cultivated portion of the 

 island was thus planted, yet the individual vineyards were but 

 small in extent, the largest of them not exceeding three 

 or four acres. In the wine-growing countries of Europe fresh 

 plants are set at least every twenty years ; but in Madeira 

 they are allowed to remain in the ground so long as they 

 yield any fruit. The native growers do not relish improve- 

 ments ; of all the agricultural implements which some English 

 landowners, settled near Funchal, wished to introduce, the 

 garden-rake alone was adopted by these enemies of innova- 

 tion. The vineyards of Madeira were usually let out to 

 farmers (caseiros), and rarely cultivated by the proprietors 

 themselves. The yield of an acre was estimated at from 

 one to three pipes. In 1848 the cost of producing a pipe 

 of Madeira amounted to from 12 to 40 Spanish piastres. 

 In the same year the total production of the island amounted 

 to 30,000 pipes, of which only 10,000 were exported, as 

 the inferior sorts, not keeping well, are not suited for 

 the foreign markets. Of the wines exported, half went to 

 Russia and the Baltic provinces, the other, comprising the 

 best kinds, were sent to England, the West , Indies, and the 

 United States. Up to the year 1851, when the last good 

 vintage occurred, the price of a pipe varied from 12 to 14 

 Spanish piastres. So late as 1845, when the Danish corvette 

 Galatea^ on her voyage round the world for scientific pur- 



