In Turkey, the fruit ripens in July-August, when the trees are beaten, and the fallen acorns left on the ground to dry. The natives afterwards gather them, and transport them on camel-back to stores in the towns, whence they go by camel and train to Smyrna, and are there placed in heaps 5-6 ft. deep in large airy stores for some weeks, during which the mass heats, and the acorn itself, which contains but little tannin, and is used for feeding pigs, contracts and falls from the cup. This incipient fermentation is attended with considerable risk; if carried too far, a large proportion of the valonia becomes dark-coloured and otherwise damaged. When ready for shipment, the heaps are hand-picked, the best being reserved for the Austrian market (Trieste), and the rest going to England. In some cases, the rubbish having been removed, the remainder is known as "natural," and is thus exported to England. In Greek commerce, three qualities are distinguished, _chamada_, _rhabdisto_, and _charcala_. The _chamada_ (_camata_ and _camatina_ of Asia Minor) is the best; it is collected in April, before the acorn is matured, hence the cup which encloses the acorn is small and incompletely developed. The _rhabdisto_ is the second quality; it is collected in September-October, and is distinguished by the fruit being larger and riper; the name means "beaten," the fruits being beaten down from the trees with sticks. After mid-October the collection ceases, because the first rains cause the fallen fruit to ferment or turn black, and they then take the name of _charchala_. They are distinguished by the cups being completely open, and containing no acorns. They are considered much inferior, possessing little tannin. [Illustration: Pl. IV. _E & F. N. Spon, London &. New York._ "INK PHOTO". SPRAGUE & CO LONDON REVOLVING, WASHING AND PRESSING MACHINES.] Sometimes the acorn cup is attacked by a kind of honey-dew, which deposits on the cup, and makes it very liable to heat when gathered, the cup becoming very dark and deficient in tannin. The Turkish crop of 1875 was much damaged from this cause, many parcels reaching England in an unsaleable condition. The cause of the disease is yet unknown; it seems specially prevalent when the crop is large and the acorn fully developed. A good sample of valonia should be composed of medium-sized cups, with the rim or wall very thick, and the exterior spines small and uniform. The cut or broken cup should show a bright-drab fractured surface. Valonia contains 25-35 per cent. of a tannin somewhat resembling that of oak-bark, but giving a browner colour and heavier bloom. It makes a hard and heavy leather, and is generally used in admixture with oak-bark, myrobalans, or mimosa-bark.