Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-10-15
RAISE OUR OWN MALAGAs.

The grapes that are sold by the fruit
dealers of this country as Malaga
grapes" said a commission merchant,
"are not Malaga grapes at all. A gen
uine Malaga grape is the rarest grape
that ever came to our markets, and is
nowadays rarely ever seen here. 1t it
grape so tender and delicate that 1t
will not stand shipment well. and i'm
portations that have arrived here in
good condition had to be disposed of
almost on the moment IL the importer
hoped to realize on his venture. The
Malaga grape crop is nearly all utilized
for raisins and In the making of that
Malaga wine connoisseurs talk so
knowingly and unctiously about and
have never seen, much less tasted.
The white and pinkish-white grapes
you buy here as Malaga grapes grow
in the almost inaccessible mountain
regions of Spain, in the district of
Almeria. Unlike the Malaga, the Al
meria grape is the hardest grape that
| grows. Ii Is like the region that is its
native soil The region is wild and
primitive, with lusty people inhab-
| iting it. The vineyards are fifty miles
back from the sea, without a road con-
] Meeting them with outside communica-
/ ton The intermediate country is in
| tested by wild beasts and still more
savage outlaws, and tourists have not
yet ventured to include that part of
Spain in their wanderings. Only one
American has ever yet yentured in that
isolated region, and that was Charles
Goodsell Of this city
THE average grape crop of the Al
meria district is nearly 100000 barrels
of forty pounds each--the squatty, tub
like receptacles the grapes come to this
market in That makes about 10000
tons of grapes that are transported
these fifty miles between the vineyards
and the wharf at Almeria on the backs
OF donkeys through the mountain will
derness. The vineyards are all small
holdings of the mountain peasants and
yield about five tons to the acre. The
usual price received for the grapes, de-
liyered on the wharf at Almeria, packed
in the barrels, the packing being done
lat the vineyards, is cents a pound. The
cork dust in which the fruit is packed
is taken TO Almeria on the vessels that
bring away the grapes and is sold to the
grape owners, who carry 1t over the
mountains on their donkeys on their re-
turn trips.
THE harvesting of this unique grape
crop is done during August. The ves-
sells which transport the grapes across
the sea cannot reach the Almeria
wharf because of shallow water. They
lie at anchor half mile or SO off. The
grapes are carried to the vessels in
rowboats of antique pattern and small
capacity. The Almerian grape growers
and handlers savagely resent any effort
to introduce improved methods OF
transfer
The grapes begin to reach New York
about Oct l. This market handles
about half the crop, OF perhaps 100000
barrels The importers sell dealers
only by auction, which sales are held
on stated days at the Produce Exchange
from October to April. They are cata-
logued and sold for what they are
Almeria grapes. They do not become
Malaga grapes until they reach the
hands of the retailers. These grapes
are the nearest to being imperishabl
of all the fruits that grow. | have had
them sound as the day when they Were
picked from the vines in Spain moro
than a year after they were picked. n
New York Sun.