the decline of the nineteenth century ; at that time 

 however, the cultivation of the vine began to rise rapidly 

 in favour and large areas in both Islands were quickly 

 transformed into vineyards, so that it is questionable 

 whether there were ever more extensive vineyards at any 

 other period of the history of the Islands, nor has the 

 advent of the Phylloxera in the least affected the ardour 

 of the vine-growers. 



The cultivation of fruit trees in these Islands is 

 greatly handicapped by the import duty on wheat. This 

 duty at the rate of 10 shillings per quarter, amounts in 

 normal times to an ad valorem tax of 25 to 33 per cent, 

 on the value of the imported article and is therefore a 

 powerful incentive to the cultivation of wheat and of 

 other field crops which form part of the usual courses of 

 rotation. The import duty on wines has of course, the 

 same effect on the cultivation of the vine for the 

 production of ordinary table wines, and the present 

 popularity of vine culture is no doubt due mainly to the 

 protection afforded by this import duty. The cultivation 

 of other fruit trees is not in the same fortunate 

 circumstances as regards protection, indeed it has to 

 compete with field crops which are directly or indirectly 

 protected by import duties and has often to stand the 

 severe competition of the foreign produce which is 

 imported free of duty. 



Without entering into a discussion on the merits of 

 these import duties either from the social or from the 

 agricultural standpoint, it is enough here to repeat that 

 the detection of Phylloxera in various localities in Gozo 

 in July 1919, has hardly damped the enthusiasm of wine 

 growers, who are keen to start planting American vines 

 for grafting stock, so as to secure immunity for the newly 

 planted vineyards ; and it is not improbable that, at no 

 distant date, wine will eventually replace wheat as the 

 staple produce in both Islands. The change will not 

 be for the worse, as the cultivation of the vine will offer 



