384 COFFEE. 



ten or fifteen miles, and from these jut out a series of spurs or 

 foot-hills, upon which the raisin crop is grown. They are " all 

 up and down," and, indeed, I believe are only available for the 

 cultivation of the grape. The grapes begin to ripen about, the 

 first of August, and, as soon as picked, are conveyed to the drying- 

 places, which here are called toldos. These are probably one hun- 

 dred feet long by twenty feet broad, paved with clean gravel stones, 

 and sloping toward the west in order to have the . full effect of 

 the afternoon sun. They are surrounded by a low wall, for the 

 pui-pose of allowing this space to be covered at night, which is 

 usually done with boards, but sometimes with canvas. Several 

 of these places are usually ranged side by side. The grapes gen- 

 erally remain here for twelve or fifteen days, according to the 

 weather, being turned from time to time so as to expose all 

 parts of the bunch to the sun, and, when dry, are packed in boxes 

 such as are familiar to us in the United States. The boxes are 

 manufactured at large mills in Malaga, and, together with the white 

 paper for packing, are furnished by the merchants to the farmers, 

 who, after filling them, ship them again to the merchants in 

 Malaga. 



This brings me to the consideration of the weight of raisins 

 in the box. This is absolutely within the control of the merchants 

 in Malaga, and, in turn, within that of the dealers of the United 

 States. "Those rascally Spanish farmers" pack neither more 

 nor less quantity than what they are ordered to do, and, as above 

 mentioned, the question of having a uniform weight of raisins 

 packed in the boxes is wholly within the hands of the dealers in 

 the United States. It simply requires concert of action and a 

 demand on the part of the Spanish merchants and American 

 dealers that all raisins shall be packed so and so, and it wUl be 

 done. A large raisin shipper in Malaga remarked to me that 

 when the dealers in New York kicked up a row about the mat- 

 ter two years ago, the shippers in Malaga came together and 

 resolved that they would not ship under ten kilos, or twenty- 

 two and a half pounds. This was adhered to until certain im- 

 porting merchants in N'ew York sent out explicit orders for boxes 

 of less weight than those, and they either had to fill the orders 

 at the weights named or lose the business. Of course it is to the 



