The Raisin Industry: A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curing — John Shaqi
The Raisin Industry: A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curingEisen, Gustavus A.
History
The Raisin Industry: A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curing
Eisen, Gustavus A.
Raisins; Viticulture -- California
The bulk of the Valencia raisins come from the central district, or the
Denia sub-district, comprising the land between Villa Joyosa in the
south and Cullera in the north, or about thirty miles on each side of
the town of Denia. Towards the interior the raisin district extends at
the most nine miles, but the average is less, so that the whole district
over which the Denia vineyards are spread includes only an area of 350
square miles, equal to ten townships of land, or about 224,000 acres. A
large part of this land is not cultivated, and consists of mountains and
waste places only suitable as watersheds. The town of Denia is the
principal town of the sub-district, and has now a population of about
2,600 people. It is situated about half way between Valencia in the
north and Alicante in the south, on the shore of the Mediterranean, in
about the latitude of Sacramento in California, or thirty-eight degrees,
fifty minutes north. Being one of the oldest towns in Spain, Denia was
first founded by the Phœnicians, who here established the worship of
Diana, from which word the name Denia is a corruption. The Phœnicians
also introduced the grapes, and possibly also the drying of raisins; but
the local tradition gives the honor of the latter industry to the Moors,
who are said to have brought with them the variety of grape known as the
Muscat of Alexandria. During a part of the year, Denia is the export
harbor for the raisins of the district. This is only possible in the
early part of the raisin season, as then only are the winds
favorable,--the so-called harbor being nothing but a roadstead. Later in
the season, when storms and rains set in, all the raisins are shipped to
Valencia by railroad, and from there exported by steamers and sailing
vessels.
Among other industries of the Denia district are the cultivation of
onions, the manufacture of cotton goods, its sardine fisheries, etc.,
all giving work to the vineyard workers during a time of the year when
there is nothing or but little to do in the vineyards and
packing-houses.
The raisins of Denia are not all of the same quality, but vary according
to the locality where grown. The whole district is dotted with small
villages, all producing raisins. The principal ones of these are,
besides Denia proper, Jabea, Jaraco, Jerrea, Oliva, Pedreguer, Jalon,
Gandia, Ondara, Vergel, etc. Of these, Denia proper produced in 1876
over 2,500 tons of raisins, Jabea 1,700 tons, Oliva 1,600 tons,
Pedreguer 1,000 tons, Retoria 900 tons, Jalon 850 tons, Ondara and
Benisa 800 tons each. But, besides these, there are some twenty odd more
villages or smaller raisin centers, which produce from 200 to 700 tons
each, or an aggregate of 20,000 tons of raisins.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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