CURRANT-GRAPE GROWING. 3 



warehouse, for which he received a receipt, which in Greece was 

 negotiable and brought nearly as much as the market value of the 

 currants. 



The retained currants enabled the Government of Greece to pro- 

 mote the making of wines and brandies. With the money received 

 for such currants a bank was established in 1899, called " The Cur- 

 rant Bank," with a capital of 3,500,000 drachmas (about $675,000). 

 This bank lent money on easy terms to the growers of currant 

 grapes on the security of their crop and assisted them in other ways. 



The " parakratesis " act in this way directly levies a tax upon the 

 foreign consumer and utilizes the surplus crop ; but such a law will 

 be of avail only so long as Greece has a monopoly in currants. 



About 150,000 acres are devoted to currant-grape growing in 

 Greece, which area in a favorable season produces from 300,000.000 

 to 340,000,000 pounds of currants. 



IMPORTS OF CURRANTS INTO THE UNITED STATES. 



The imports of currants into the United States from 1906 to 1918, 

 inclusive, and their value are shown in Table I. 



Table I. — Quantity and value of currants imported into the United States for 

 the 13-year period from 1906 to 1918, inclusive. 





Pounds. 



Value. 



Year. 



Pounds. 



Value. 



Year 



Total - I poSid.i 



Total. 



Per 

 pound. 1 



1906 



37,078,311 

 38,392,779 

 38,652,656 

 3 \ 482, 111 

 33,326,030 

 33,439,565 

 33,151,396 



SI. 119, 146 

 1,746,941 

 1,592,018 

 1,185,106 

 1,190,020 

 1,486,263 

 1,561,350 



SO. 030 

 .048 

 .041 

 .036 

 .036 

 .044 

 .047 



1913 



1914 



1915 



1916 



:0, 843, 735 

 32,033,177 

 30,350,527 

 25,373,029 

 10,476,534 

 5,168,070 



SI, 306, 410 

 1,233,228 

 1,209,273 

 1,382,839 

 1.056,525 

 561,904 



SO. 042 



1907 



1908 



.040 

 .039 



1909 



.054 



1910 



1917 



.100 



1911 



1918 



.109 



1912 











1 The part of the cents shown is the nearest decimal fraction. 



From Table I it appears that the United 'States in the decade 

 previous to the war annually imported nearly 34,000,000 pounds of 

 dried currants, these at an average of 4 cents per pound, costing 

 about $1,360,000. In 1917 the imports were 10,476,534 pounds, cost- 

 ing slightly more than 10 cents per pound, or $1,056,525 ; but in 1918, 

 because no more were to be had, only 5,168,070 pounds were im- 

 ported, costing almost 11 cents per pound, or $561,904. 



EXPLORER'S NOTES ON CURRANT GRAPES. 



The following extract from a letter dated March 6, 1901, of 

 David Fairchild, Agricultural Explorer for the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture, transmitted with an introduction of Pana- 

 riti cuttings from Greece, is of interest in this connection : 



