16 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



at the most nine miles, but the average is less, so that the whole 

 district over which the Denia vineyards are spread includes only an 

 area of 350 square miles, equal to ten townships of land, or about 

 224,000 acres. A large part of this land is not cultivated, and consists 

 of mountains and waste places only suitable as watersheds. The town 

 of Denia is the principal town of the sub-district, and has now a popu- 

 lation of about 2,600 people. It is situated about half way between 

 Valencia in the north and Alicante in the south, on the shore of the 

 Mediterranean, in about the latitude of Sacramento in California, or 

 thirty-eight degrees, fifty minutes north. Being one of the oldest 

 towns in Spain, Denia was first founded by the Phoenicians, who here 

 established the worship of Diana, from which word the name Denia is 

 a corruption. The Phoenicians also introduced the grapes, and possibly 

 also the drying of raisins; but the local tradition gives the honor of 

 the latter industry to the Moors, who are said to have brought with 

 them the variety of grape known as the Muscat of Alexandria. 

 During a part of the year, Denia is the export harbor for the raibins of 

 the district. This is only possible in the early part of the raisin sea- 

 son, as then only are the winds favorable, the so-called harbor being 

 nothing but a roadstead. Later in the season, when storms and rains 

 set in, all the raisins are shipped to Valencia by railroad, and from 

 there exported by steamers and sailing vessels. 



Among other industries of the Denia district are the cultivation of 

 onions, the manufacture of cotton goods, its sardine fisheries, etc. , all 

 giving work to the vineyard workers during a time of the year when 

 there is nothing or but little to do in the vineyards and packing- 

 houses. 



The raisins of Denia are not all of the same quality, but vary accord- 

 ing to the locality where grown. The whole district is dotted with 

 small villages, all producing raisins. The principal ones of these are, 

 besides Denia proper, Jabea, Jaraco, Jerrea, Oliva, Pedreguer, Jalon, 

 Gandia, Ondara, Vergel, etc. Of these, Denia proper produced in 

 1876 over 2,500 tons of raisins, Jabea 1,700 tons, Oliva 1,600 tons, 

 Pedreguer 1,000 tons, Retoria 900 tons, Jalon 850 tons, Ondara and 

 Benisa 800 tons each. But, besides these, there are some twenty odd 

 more villages or smaller raisin centers, which produce from 200 to 700 

 tons each, or an aggregate of 20,000 tons of raisins. 



Soils and Appearance of the Districts. The soils of the province of 

 Valencia, where the vineyards are situated, are of various kinds, such 

 as cretaceous and calcareous soils, containing admixtures of clay, sand 

 and gravel. The color is often red, changing to gray where irrigation 

 has been practiced, but much of the soil is of an ashy white color, 

 similar to that of bottom lands generally. In many of the lower 

 situated plains, the soils are blackish or dark gray, especially so where 

 stable or other manures have been used for years. 



Many vineyards are situated on the hillsides or on the rolling lands, 

 where the gravelly soils produce raisins of smaller size and in less 

 quantity, but sweeter and finer flavored. But the largest bulk of the 

 vineyards are on comparatively level land, which can be and which is 

 irrigated. The raisins produced on these low grounds in the moist and 



