i!Concerning the Produits o f the I f and.
The oil o f CheŸjb, which'is' Reckoned the bed in quality o f
any flïa'dé Ìli the' Véiièliah'il'alfe,:,,ìs thérïioil valuable' produis of
the iilàhd. " Áccóldirtg'tó Ihé Calótìtidhl 'o f the iflanders them-
fe lv s , ' they make from three thtrafand to three thoufand five
hundred barrels a year. Thé pritfe of oil is genefaly fourfequins
á bifrèl j in T ffn é r tithes''it ; wBá' hiufch' éhéáfiér. Though the
Cherïïûës dû'not'exaQiÿ fôïlôvV the Tufcáh method3o f preparing
the olivfes’, théy'cùffie àt leàft Very near it. Their oil would he
aá thick and'diBgteeable to the tañe aé that ufually made on
our continent, if, according to the famé floveViIy method, they
lct:thtì olWes ftrrhbnt and rSl without ilïrting them. They are
careful fo'avo'td this'defed, as well as thé ílupid ánd abfurd method
o f gathering them pradifed in many other places.' In the
kingdbnif o f Naples, 3ánd in féveral other parts of Italy; they fife
to beat the branches with Ibng poles, in order to make the fruit
fall. This foolllh niéthod", befides hurting the plants,1 and
fpoiling many branches that would bear the year following,,
makes the ripe and unripe fruit fall indifcriminately, and bruifes-
'a gréât deal o f both kinds; whereby they become rancid in the
heaps, and give an ill flavoured oil;, ' '
The greatefi’ part of1 this oil is exported'out o f the iiland"; but.
almòft all the value is required for the purchafe o f corn, o f
which the inhabitants dò hot raife enough to maintain them four
months o f the ÿeaf. They ufed to be fupplied vtith this article
by the Turkiih merchants, at" a reafonable price in times o f peace;,
but fince the war with Ruffia they have been obliged to make
their provifion elfewhere with much greater charge,.
The
The wine, o f which they make only a few hundred barrels
for exportation; though the produd might eafily be much in-
creafed, is not o f a perfect quality in proporiton to the oil.
This is probably owing,tq the, little knowledge and care .they
have in gathering »and preying, the grapes,, and in fermenting; the
wine. I have tailed very,good wine in private houfes’j and no
- doubt great improvements might be made, i f the people were
more attentive and better,j.qilrudieq, in this article.. Honey., and
. w ^ .m igh t he ejcpeged to form.,rich prociucl.s, and eafily .'procured
in an lfland where the hiljsfar.n for the moil part ,covered
with fweet herbs;,,yet they are very inconfiderable, and mpre
neglected than they were in, former, times-. . Thofe fc'vV, who
, keep hives, .follow the,firujl and inconfidyrateme|hpd af,¡kdUng
the bees, every year, cruihing them together withtheir- lahqurs';
a brutal cuilom, by which not only the bees are loll, but the
fine quality of the honey is alio fpo ik; which, if. properly
managed, would be. nothing inferior to that e)f themeighbourim;
city o f Frame, and would make an ufeful branch o f trade. ; ,
T h e figs are excellent, but no great quantity is exported;
perhaps the-yearly, value that comes in for this article does not
amount to four hundred lequins.- .
The finer'fruits for the, table, fuch as peaches, pears; apricots,
and the-like, are rarely cultivated in the ifland; confer
quently they arc fearce, and but. indifferently good. The Cher-
. lines do great injuilice to their own indnilry, as well as to the
* happinefs of their climate, hy negleding them. It ihould feem,
that the mild temperature o f the air, under which they live,
ought to encourage them to hav.e their gardens well provided
with the moil delicate fruits, Befides the foftnefs o f the climate,.
there;