THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 17 



cool valleys are larger, but not of equal flavor and sweetness. In wet 

 seasons, the hillsides are preferred, the valley lands then being too wet 

 and cold. Accordingly, as the seasons are wet and cold, or dry and 

 warm, the various localities produce raisins of different qualities, which 

 again are valued and paid for differently. The extent of the valley or 

 plain lands decides the extent of the raisin districts, and of late years 

 the rolling vineyards have decreased in quantity, while those on the 

 plains have increased, until at the present time almost all the plain 

 lands are occupied with raisin vineyards, especially in the Denia sub- 

 district. 



Climate. The climate of Denia and its surroundings is rather cold 

 and windy; damaging spring frosts, as well as early fall rains, fre- 

 quently interfere with the setting of the grapes and with the harvest- 

 ing of the crop; it has even happened several times that the entire 

 crop has been seriously injured by one of these, or by both causes 

 combined. Farther north, or in the Valencia district proper, the 

 climate is milder, and frost is rare. Oranges are here at home, while 

 the culture of raisin grapes becomes less every year. North of Castel- 

 lon the climatic conditions are such that no raisin culture is possible. 



As compared with the climate of Malaga, that of Denia is much less 

 favorable to the raisin grape. The production of sun-dried and 

 undipped raisins in Denia is not possible, and, although it has been 

 attempted several times, it has seldom succeeded. The rainfall of 

 Denia averages twelve inches per year. The rainiest months are those 

 of November, February and April, but the heaviest rainfall at one 

 time occurs quite frequently in the first week of September, while 

 light showers are not uncommon in August, at that time doing much 

 damage to the grapes or the just exposed raisins. 



Irrigation. Not only is irrigation necessary to grow the vines suc- 

 cessfully and to produce an abundance of grapes, but the irrigation 

 in the province of Valencia is necessary to the health and longevity of 

 the vines. Nowhere else in Spain is the water so abundant, and no 

 saving of the water is necessary in the majority of the districts. 

 Through an abundance of water, thp soil on the lowlands has now 

 filled up to such an extent, that In the best vineyards the surface 

 water is only from five to eight feet from the surface of the ground. 

 Those vines which could not be irrigated have gradually become dis- 

 eased, and the hillside vineyards are being rapidly abandoned and 

 devoted to something else. Upon the abundance and constancy of the 

 water depends the prosperity of the whole province, and there is 

 hardly a more prosperous country in Spain. To show the close con-' 

 nection between irrigation and raisin production in Spain, it will no 

 doubt interest many to know something of the irrigation system 

 and the irrigation districts of the province of Valencia, than which no 

 more important ones are found in Spain. 



The district of Alicante is supplied with water from the river 

 Monegre, and the Elche district from the river Minalapo. In the 

 northern part of the province is the Murviado irrigation district, taking 

 its water from the river Palencia. The Jucar irrigation district, situated 

 immediately south of the huerta of Valencia, takes its water from the 



