2 BULLETIN 866, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The name " currant " has developed by gradual evolution from the 

 name Corinth, the port whence the early supplies of this fruit reached 

 western Europe. It is quite likely that the name " currant " was ap- 

 plied to the genus Eibes because of the resemblance its racemes of 

 fruit bear to clusters of the " grape of Corinth." 



Currant grapes are most extensively grown about Morea, the 

 ancient Peloponnesus of Greece, and on the islands belonging to that 

 country, including Cephalonia, Zante, and other adjacent islands. 

 Of late years currant grapes have also been grown to some extent in 

 Australia. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE CURRANT INDUSTRY IN GREECE. 



The devastation of the vineyards of France by the root louse x 

 caused in that country a heavy demand, at high prices, for dried 

 currant grapes to be used in the manufacture of wine and brandy. 

 This resulted in the planting of sneh large acreages in Greece that in 

 some regions the growing of these grapes became the sole industry. 



The reestablishing of the French vineyards on phylloxera-resistant 

 grape stocks introduced from the United States of America and the 

 fact that France in 1883-84 imposed import taxes on dried currants 

 practically excluded the Greek product from that country. This re- 

 sulted in a crisis in the currant industry of Greece, as the production 

 greatly exceeded the demand. 



The " parakratesis," or " retention," act was passed by the Greek 

 Parliament in 1895 for the purpose of maintaining prices and con- 

 trolling the yearly output and to prevent as far as possible the over- 

 stocking of the markets. By its provisions every shipper of currants 

 was obliged to deliver to the customhouse, together with his declara- 

 tion of export, a receipt which showed that he had deposited in one 

 of the Greek Government warehouses a quantity of currants equal, 

 for example, to 15 per cent of those he desired to export. The ex- 

 porter put on the bill which he forwarded to the purchaser a state- 

 ment of the quantity ordered and its price, plus the price of the per- 

 centage of the whole order which he had deposited in the Government 

 warehouse. Therefore, the foreign purchaser when buying 100 tons 

 of currants paid the shipper for 115 tons and virtually made, through 

 the exporter, a present of 15 tons to the Greek Government. The 

 retention requirement was not always 15 per cent, but a figure de- 

 cided upon yearly by a committee of officials from the different 

 centers of currant production. The fruit thus donated by foreign 

 buyers was sold by the Government to local distilleries and wine 

 makers, with the proviso that it must not be exported as currants. 



While the grower usually sold all his fruit direct to the shipper, 

 he often preferred to deliver his inferior grades to the retention 



1 PhiiVoxrrn raKtatrix. 



