FARMERS' REGISTER 



439 



only once turned over. At the end of 15 days they 

 are, in general, eufficiendy dry. 'J'liis senson was 

 more unlbrimiule lor the early commencement ol 

 the rains than any season for many years, and 

 the crop was remarkably fine. It is Don Salva- 

 dor's inlention, in Iblure years, to have wooden 

 toldos, or awnings, prepared to shelter ihe grapes, 

 wlnle drying, against the rains, and also to cover 

 them durin<r liie night. He says that the drying 

 oftlie grapes is so nmch retarded by their being 

 exposed 10 the dews durmg the night, that when 

 he has the means of covering them tit night, he 

 expects they will be dried in hall' the time usual 

 at present. IJelbre ihe bunches ars spread out, 

 the small grapes are picked out, as well as any 

 which may happen to be injured : the small grapes 

 sire dried se|)arately. I saw a heap of them in 

 Don Salvador's house, which had the appearance 

 of very large currants. When the giafiea are 

 turned, any spoiled ones are, or ought to be, picked 

 out ; they liave no particular rule for judging 

 when they are sufficiently dry, — it is learned by ex- 

 perience. When they happen to get rain while 

 drying, the stalks l)ecome black or rusiy-lookmg, 

 instead ot being of'a bright ImlU brown. Accord- 

 ing to Don Salvador, the district which produces 

 the Muscatel grape extends only two leagues far- 

 ther east; that is, not more than tiiree leagues in 

 all, along the coast, and two leagues inwards. 

 Heeaysihe v; lue of the land planted with it is 

 about 3,000 rials, or 150 Spanish dollars per fane- 

 ga. 'J'here is a piece of land, adjoining their own, 

 which they are anxjius to liuy ; they would give 

 (or ii 1,500 rials per fanega — to plant it witli vines 

 would cost 500 rials more, and there would be no 

 return (or three years. Each fanega, he says, 

 contains 650 slocks, and as each stock is seven leet 

 apart from its neighbors, the number of square leet 

 in a fanega will be 31,850, which is 2 roods 37 

 perches English measure. Ft required, lie said, 

 ten men tor a da)' to hole a fanega lor the planta- 

 tion. If, therelbre, 10 slocks give 25 lbs. of raisins, 

 a fanega will give 1,625 lbs., or 65 arrobas or box- 

 es of 25 lbs. each ; which would be, Ibr an English 

 acre, 2.222 lbs. Don Salvador pays his woikmen 

 3| rials, about 17^ els. a day, besides lood. The 

 Ibod consists of, in the morning, a soup of lentils, 

 &c. ; at dinner, pork ; and alsupper, ihe aspac/iio, 

 or cold soup, Ibrmerly described, bread and grapes 

 at discretion. The whole cosis about 5^ rials, or 

 26 cents a day. 



Saturday, 22nd October. — Having read over to 

 Mr. Kiikpatrick my noies of yesterday's excursion, 

 he said that Don Salvador's infoimaiion was ge- 

 nerally correct, but added the ibilowing observa- 

 tions : — The Muscatel grape, jVJr. lvirk[)atrick 

 thinks, musl he cultivated as much as lour leagues 

 from the coast, but will not succeed beyond that 

 disiance. The extent of coast vv'hich admits of iis 

 cultivation must also l)e five or six leagues, at least, 

 as the principal cultivaiion is in the neighborhood 

 of Velez Malaga, five leagues to the eastward 

 of Malaga. — There are three distinct sorts of rai- 

 sins : — 1st, the Muscatel, which are the finest, and 

 are always packed in boxes of25 lbs., and half and 

 quarter boxes, containing, respectively, tlie hall 

 and quarter of that quantity.— 2dly, Sun or Bloom 

 raisins: these are prepared in a manner in every 

 respect similar to the Muscatel, but from a differ- 

 ent grape ; a very long grape called in the coun- 

 try Uva Larga. These are also generally packed 



in boxes, but sometimes in casks. Those in boxes 

 are also called bunch raisins ; the others are ge- 

 nerally of an interior quality, and separate (i-om the 

 stalks. The sun or bloom raisins keep better than 

 the Muscatel, and /brihat reason, it is this descrip- 

 tion which is usually sent to India. 3dly, the 

 Lexia raisins, which are packed in casks, or grass 

 mats called/rai7s. These raisins are of an inle- 

 rior kind, and require to be dipped in a he {Lexia) 

 of wood ashes, with a little oil, before drying. 



Muscatel raisins ate worth to the grower from 

 30 to 40 rials a box, according to the season. Tiiis 

 year as much as 52 rials was given fbr some that, 

 with the aid ol' toldos, had been preserved without 

 having been touched by the rain. When Mus- 

 catels are 40 rials, or 2 dollars a box of 25 lbs., 

 Blooms are about 30 rials, and Lexia only from 24 

 to 28 rials per quintal of 100 lbs. Mr. Kirkpatrick 

 says, that 12 English acres make 13 lanegas. 

 According to this calculation, an acre will produce, 

 at 2^ lbs. to each stock, 1,760 lbs. ; which, at 40 

 rials the box, or 4d. (8 cents) a pound, are worth 

 £29 7s., (iB140,) at 30 rials £22, (8104 50) an 

 acre. From ihis must, however, be deducted the 

 expense of 70 boxes, at 4 rials each, which 

 amounts to £2 17s. 6d. Still, it seems a most 

 profitable cultivation ; so much so, that I incline 

 to think the (juantity is less than that estimated. 

 The expenses of cultivation cannot exceed £5 or 

 £6 (824 to 829) an acre. The following ac- 

 counts of the exportation of fruits from Malaga 

 were taken from derailed statements which had 

 been copied from the custom house cockels, and 

 were kept in the office of Mr. Kirkpatrick.* 



The ijoxes are partly Bloom or Sunraisins, but 

 principally Muscatel. The barrels and frails are 

 chiefly Lexias. 



In the spring, shipments are made for the Baltic, 

 and small parcels are sent, at all times, in assorted 

 cargoes. On the whole, Mr. Kirkpatrick is of 

 opinion, that fi-om 20 to 25 per cent, may be added 

 to the shipments of the fruit season, to makeup 

 the whole export from Malaga. This would 

 make the whole weight ofraisins annually exported 

 from Malaga from 4,000 to 4,500 tons. The 

 almonds shipped (iom Malaga are of the kind 

 called Jordan ; and these, as well as the Muscalel 

 raisin, will only grow in a very limited district. 

 Mr. Kirkpatrick'has this day about 100 women 

 shelling almonds in his yard. This costs three 

 rials a fanega, which yields from 20 to 22 lbs. of 

 shelled ainnonds. A fanega is the produce of 

 about fbur trees. The grower gets from three to 

 (bur dollars fbr a fanega. The women break each 

 almond separately, laying it on a small anvil, and 

 striking it with a "small iron rod ; others pick them 

 out from the shells on a table. The confectioners 

 purchase the shells Ibr their fires, and they almost 

 pay the expense ofshelling. Such is the superior 

 value of the Jordan almond, that the duty upon 

 them in England is £4 15s. per cwf., which is 

 double that upon the common sorts. The Jordan 

 almond is distinguished in appearance from the 

 common, or Valencia almond, by its greater 

 length. 



Monday, 24th October.— I this day visited the 

 stores of Messrs. Rein and Company, the first 

 mercantile house in Malaga. They were receiv- 

 ing, in one store, Lexia raisins from the country. 



* See next page. 



