THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 25 



sweet, with a strong flavor and aroma. The raisins are similarly 

 aromatic and very sweet, sometimes semi-transparent, but generally 

 dark violet. The flavor of the raisins is entirely distinct from the 

 Muscatel, and is very superior to that of the also seedless Suhana 

 raisins. 



Soil and Irrigation. The soil best suited to the currant grape is a 

 calcareous marl, which must be of good depth, loose, and easily 

 worked. Such marls are also prized for their great power of retain- 

 ing moisture. But vineyards are planted in Cephalonia, Zante and 

 Ithaca in the most different soils and situations. They are found in 

 gray marls, in red clay, on the plains and among the hills, in fact, 

 in the most widely different situations. The soil of Zante contains a 

 small percentage of sulphate of lime or gypsum, which is by many 

 considered indispensable for the successful and profitable culture 

 of the currant vine. The currant vine thrives especially in low and 

 rich land which can be irrigated, and irrigation is quite essential to 

 the perfect development of the grapes. Many vineyards, however, 

 are not irrigated, the irrigation, of course, only being practicable on 

 the plains. This irrigation is practiced from October to the end of 

 December, often while the natural rainfall supplies the artificial water- 

 ing. The lands are generally small freeholdings, owned by the 

 peasants. The most valuable currant vineyards are situated on the 

 rich and level valley lands. 



Preparation of the Land for Irrigation. The preparation of the 

 land for a currant vineyard is expensive, as the land is hardly ever 

 level enough to admit of the vines being immediately planted. The 

 surface is therefore first leveled and divided up in smaller cheeks or 

 flats, each one surrounded by a bank. The whole is covered with a 

 network of ditches, which are necessary for the perfect irrigation of 

 the soil. Where there is water enough, the vineyards are irrigated in 

 November and December, and are then flooded as often as practicable, 

 the water sometimes standing on the ground for weeks in succession. 

 In perfectly arranged vineyards, the irrigation is so managed that the 

 water flows from one check to another, and is first shut off at the 

 advent of the New Year, when the pruning and cultivation begins. 

 By this plentiful irrigation, the ground becomes thoroughly soaked, 

 and remains saturated until the next season, when rain again sets 

 in and fills the irrigation canals. No summer irrigation is used in 

 old vineyards, and in young vineyards only in case of great necessity. 



Distances of the Currant Vines. The vines are set at various dis- 

 tances, in some places four feet each way, in others again six by 

 ten, giving a various number of from 740 to 2,622 to the acre. In 

 some places, the old practice of planting the vines in groups of four 

 still exists. Each group consists of four vines one and a half feet 

 apart, and each group distant six feet from each other either way. 

 Of late, however, the vines are planted farther apart, probably because 

 the soil is becoming exhausted, a favorite way being to have the vines 

 closer one way than the other. 



Care of Cuttings, Planting and Grafting. Great importance is 

 attached to procuring cuttings from a distance, or in getting new 

 strains. Cuttings from the nearest vineyard are never used, as they 



