Читать книгу The Raisin Industry - Gustavus A. Eisen - Страница 53

—The port of Smyrna, so famous for its dried figs, is hardly less renowned for the immense quantity of raisins and dried grapes of different kinds which are shipped from there to all parts of the world. While Smyrna figs are better known than Smyrna raisins, the latter are by far the most important industry. Thus from 1880 to 1881 the raisin crop exported from Smyrna was valued at $4,602,388; while the value of the fig crop did not exceed $1,646,998, or about three million dollars less than the former. Since that time the raisin trade has yet further increased, until it to-day reaches one hundred thousand tons of raisins and dried grapes. Unlike the figs, which are only grown in the interior valleys some thirty to sixty miles from Smyrna, the grapes which produce the raisins are grown in the immediate vicinity of the town. The large territory which exports the Smyrna raisins can, however, be divided into several sub-districts, each one having some characteristics of its own, both as regards quality of raisins, time of ripening, etc. These districts are: Chesme, Vourla, Yerly and Carabourna. The principal variety of grape grown in these districts is the Sultana, a seedless grape with enormous bunches. Many other varieties are found there also, such as “black” and “red,” the latter said to be identical with the Spanish Muscat of Alexandria, which I doubt.

The Chesme district is situated to the west on the peninsula near Smyrna, its principal port for exportation of the crop being the town of Chesme. The Chesme raisins are considered inferior to those of the other districts. Three-fourths of the raisins from the district are exported to Hamburg, Bremen, Stettin, Amsterdam, and to Trieste in Austria. The latter town is the main distributing point for most of the raisins grown in the eastern Mediterranean raisin districts.

The Carabourna or Karabournou district produces the best raisins,—both of the Sultanas, the red and the black. The district is situated to the east and north on the same peninsula as Chesme. The district is rough and hilly, but the whole is cultivated to vines. The Carabourna “Elemês” go about one-half to Russia, the balance to England and Trieste.

The Vourla district consists of a fertile plain lying on the isthmus between the Bay of Smyrna and Scala Nova or Ephesus. The export place is the port of Vourla, one of the finest harbors on the coast of Asia Minor, and often the meeting place for fleets of the Western nations of Europe during their remonstrances in Turkish waters.

The Yerly district immediately surrounds the town of Smyrna, and extends from Nymphio in the east to Tourbali in the south and Sivri-Hissar in the west, thus bordering the Vourla district. Yerly Sultanas are the earliest in the market, sometimes being ready in the first weeks of August.

Small quantities of raisins also come from Tyra, Bairdir, Aidin and other places in the fig districts in the interior. The Island of Samos, off the coast of Asia Minor, produces raisins of several kinds, such as Sultanas, black raisins, principally for distilling abroad, and Muscatel raisins, the latter reaching three thousand tons in favorable seasons. The Island of Cos or Stanchio is also famous for its Sultana raisins, said to be the finest of any produced in Turkey.

The climate of the Smyrna raisin districts is very mild, allowing farm labor to be performed the year round. The temperature seldom falls below the freezing point, while from the middle of May to the middle of September it ranges from 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. During the summer, the Imbat or seabreeze tempers the heat and makes the climate pleasant to live in. The grapes begin to ripen about July first, the Sultana grapes being the earliest. The rainfall is abundant during the rainy months of the year, September to April, and averages twenty-five inches, varying from fifteen inches in dry seasons to thirty-three inches in very wet years. The following table of the rainfall is taken from the consular reports published in 1884:

Table showing the monthly rainfall in the city of Smyrna, in inches and hundredths of inches, during the nineteen years ending with 1882.

Compiled by W. E. Stevens, Consul at Smyrna.

Year	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Year- ly total.
1864	3.59	1.53	.58	3.75	1.59	.80	2.40	.50	3.30	3.51	6.80	1.49	29.84
1865	7.07	9.05	4.43	1.42	.23	.34	.10	...	...	1.27	2.67	.10	26.69
1866	1.40	1.78	1.79	.20	.95	.63	.13	.06	.39	.08	3.84	3.91	15.16
1867	2.63	3.14	1.16	.37	1.37	.67	...	...	...	1.54	5.76	7.08	23.72
1868	8.30	.32	11.24	.92	.83	.67	.27	.07	.52	1.30	4.92	.84	30.20
1869	3.21	.74	12.07	1.78	.19	.59	.04	...	.08	1.81	3.46	.80	24.77
1870	5.79	2.81	2.29	2.24	.07	...	...	.47	3.95	4.45	.18	6.73	28.98
1871	11.10	1.19	1.29	.66	1.09	.39	...	...	.07	1.36	7.04	4.58	28.77
1872	3.17	1.46	.50	4.18	3.09	.60	...	...	2.82	...	3.65	4.76	24.23
1873	2.41	5.64	2.08	.50	2.38	.16	...	...	...	2.50	2.92	2.62	21.21
1874	.14	5.82	1.92	.40	.15	...	...	...	.02	.30	10.31	8.99	28.05
1875	4.58	9.48	5.78	1.36	...	...	...	...	.15	2.87	4.86	3.96	33.04
1876	2.88	1.45	2.53	3.12	.42	1.76	.54	...	.08	.94	5.75	8.48	27.95
1877	3.08	2.92	4.84	1.11	3.47	.94	.11	.36	.61	4.00	6.09	5.98	33.51
1878	6.27	2.10	3.00	4.97	.29	.13	.40	.63	1.22	...	.44	8.50	27.95
1879	4.28	2.69	1.61	.35	2.36	.01	...	...	1.38	2.71	4.06	1.81	21.26
1880	1.61	.30	2.87	1.69	2.69	.18	.04	...	1.32	.60	4.09	2.49	17.88
1881	6.15	3.92	1.74	.80	1.45	...	.10	...	...	5.47	.15	4.72	24.50
1882	1.27	1.17	1.04	3.45	.66	.09	...	...	...	1.02	7.89	4.56	21.25
Average	4.15	3.03	3.30	1.75	1.22	.42	.22	.11	.84	1.88	4.47	4.34	25.73

As will be seen, most of the vineyards are situated within the reach of the seabreezes, some even being almost on the edge of the waters of the Mediterranean. The best vineyards are those which are situated inland from seven to twenty miles from the coast. The vineyard districts are all rough and hilly, except those in the Vourla district, which are on comparatively level ground. While some vineyards stretch from the seashore, others reach an elevation of four hundred feet or over. The soil varies with the districts. The best soil for the Sultanas is considered to be hippurite limestone soil, common in some districts. This white, marly soil is in places mixed with a yellow-ocher-colored loam, with sand and gravel. The abundance of the rainfall makes irrigation unnecessary, and no vines are grown with irrigation.