1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

The Vines,their Cultivation,and Chief Vineyard Districts. 177

landlord as rent, after the G-overnment has taken its tithe. The half-produce of- corn, sugar, and wine is rigidly exacted by the landlord, but any vegetables gro-wn are commonly retained by the tenant,together -with the grass crop, although the land lord can demand half of the latter if he pleases. The tenant who resides on the land leased to him is called a ■caseiro, from the casa or house which he occupies, while, if he merely rents the land and does not reside on it, he is termed a meyro, from the meyo or half-produce that he has to give to his landlord. The latter is commonly the proprietor of nothing but the land—^buildings, embankments, walls, trees, vines, «&c., belonging innearly every instance to the tenant. The most important viticultural district of Madeira is, or rather was, Cama de Lobos, and one of its best vineyards was that of Torre Bella, belonging to Mr. Kussell Gordon, nearly all the vines of which, as already mentioned, have been destroyed by the phylloxera. On the mountain slopes to the west hes the Campanario district, not so important as Cama de Lobos as regards the quantity of wine it is capable of producing, but in my judgment yielding a wine of even higher character—less powerful, but altogether more refined in flavour and bouquet. Fortunately, this district is at present untouched by the phyl loxera. vineyards under the cliffs at Cabo Girao and Pajaa dos Padres also yield fine wines, but only in limited quantities. The districts of Sao Martinho, Santo Antonio, Santo Amaro, und Sao Joao, in the neighbourhood of Funchal, all produce high-class wines. Of Mr. Leacock's vineyard at the latter place Ihave already spoken, and no great distance from it is the famous vineyard of the Bibeiro Secco, belonging until recently to the Messrs. Davies, the well-known sherry shippers of Jerez. The wine from this -vineyard, planted after its destruction by oidium with vines principally of the prized palomino species brought from Jerez for the purpose, enjoys a high repute, but unfortunately many of the vines have beenrecently destroyed by phylloxera, and sugar-canes have taken their place. On our way to the vineyard we visited Mr. Eichard Davies's beautiful villa M