THE VINE IN SMYRNA AND MITYLENE. 779 



Maturity. The Black, Red, and Muscadine vines begin to yield in 

 their third, bnt do not reach their fall strength nntil their fifth or sixth 

 year. The Sultana vines begin to bear in their fifth and attain the 

 maximum of production in their seventh or eighth year. A good, 

 healthy plant will produce about 25 cwt. per acre, but the average yield 

 is from 10 to 15 cwt. per acre. 



Vintage. The grapes begin to ripen about the 1st of July, the Sul- 

 tanas being the earliest. Their vintage begins towards the end of July 

 and lasts till the middle of August. The vintage of the Red grape be- 

 gins by the end of August and lasts till the 20th of September ; that of 

 the Black in the early days of September, ending with October. The 

 Muscadine is gathered during the second half of August. An excellent 

 wine is made with this variety, but in small quantity. Less than 

 5,000,000 gallons of wine are manufactured annually in this province, 

 although the best materials are at hand and in great abundance. 



Rain-fall. It happens occasionally that rain falls during the vintage 

 time, causing heavy losses to growers through the inevitable deteriora- 

 tion of quality. This was the case last season, and large quantities 

 were in consequence shipped to France to be made into spirits. 



Cultivation. The work required in the cultivation, gathering, and 

 curing of the grapes is performed by hand, and, notwithstanding labor 

 is cheap, is rather costly. The average yield per acre per annum is val- 

 ued at about $88. The value of vineyards per acre is about $440, and 

 the cost of a crop per acre, tithes to Government included, is nearly or 

 quite $50. 



Exports. The exports of black raisins amount yearly to from 800,000 

 to 900,000 cwt. ; 70 per cent, of this quantity is shipped to France ; the 

 remainder finds its way to Austria, Germany, Russia, and Roumania. 

 The best quality of black raisins is exported to Roumania, to the extent 

 of 45,000 cwt. per year. In general, the crop of raisins of all qualities 

 and kinds, in the province of Smyrna, amounts to about 1,900,000 cwt. 

 It is yearly increasing. Out of this quantity 650,000 cwt consist of 

 Sultanas, 80 per cent, of which is exported to England, 10 per cent, to 

 Russia, and 10 per cent, to Germany, Austria, and the United States. 



W. E. STEVENS, 



UNITED STATES CONSULATE, Consul. 



Smyrna, February 28, 1884. 



MITYLENE. 



REPORT BY CONSULAR AGENT FOTTION. 

 [Republished from Consular Reports, No. 41$.] 



Vineyards are cultivated at Mitylene in valley, table-land, and hill- 

 side, inland and on the sea-coast. They are cultivated very near the 

 sea-coast because here there are no sea-fo^s. The custom of pruning 



