ENVIRONS OF XEKES. 



7 



they had only made 55, when the rains commenced, and 

 he doubted now whether they would make any more. 

 Sixty-seven butts, from 38J- acres, is equal to gallons, 

 old measure^ per English acre. The soil was of the de- 

 scription called albariza, which produces the finest wines. 

 The vinador stated, that in replanting a part of the vine- 

 yard, they had dug it to the depth of a vara, or Spanish 

 yard — about 3S^ English inches ; but on proceeding to 

 the spot where they had been trenching, and stepping 

 into the trench, I found the surface only came to my 

 knee. From twelve inches below the surface the soil was 

 quite compact, but appeared to differ frgm the surface 

 soil only in not having been exposed to the atmosphere. 

 According to Roocas Clementi, a Spanish writer upon the 

 Vines of Andalusia, the albariza soils contain generally 

 about 70 per cent, of carbonate of lime, the remainder of 

 the compound being chiefly alumina, with a very small 

 portion of silica, and occasionally a little magnesia; but 

 in some places it is almost pure carbonate of lime. This 

 soil absorbs every drop of moisture which falls upon it, 

 and never cracks or opens in the greatest heats of summer. 

 I paced over the piece of ground which had been trenched, 

 and found it 45 by 16 paces — about 24 perches. This, 

 he said, had occupied ten men for four days. 



The distance of the plants in this vineyard was about 

 five feet each way. Some of the vines were very old, 

 and appeared to be in very bad condition. The vinador 

 said they were renewing them gradually, and thus the 

 vineyard was not all in full bearing. Some plants, which 

 were only six years old, appeared extremely vigorous ; 

 and as the grapes had not been gathered from a part of 

 them, we counted the bunches on a considerable number, 

 and found them to average eight or nine ; and from our 



