lo April. 191 i.] 



The Mallee. 



243; 



by Mr. H. Wilkinson, thie College foreman. The strike could not possibly 

 have been better, as every graft was successful. We were not, however, 

 prepared for the phenomenal growth they have made. The posts shown 

 in the photographs stand a clear 9 feet out of the ground. It is proposed 

 to equip them with overhead wires so that there will be no obstacle to 

 cultivation both ways with a team. As will be seen by the illustration, not 

 only has the growth reached tKe top of the.se lofty posts, but there is a. 

 good deal to spare. In fact, many of the shoots extend over 12 feet. 

 Several vignerons, with considerable experience in grafting in the field, 

 have stated they never saw such extraordinary results. 



The vine in the foreground of the first illustration is Ohanez, a table- 

 variety of recognised carrying qualities. The resistant stock on which it 

 is worked is Aramon x Rupeslris Ganzin Xo. i. This, as already indi- 

 cated, was planted in October, 1909. The grafting was done at the end 

 of the following Septeml^er. The photograph was taken on the i8th Feb- 

 ruary, so that the growth exhibited has taken place in less than 5 months. 

 Several of these five-month old grafts are actually showing a small crop. 

 Next season they will doubtless produce a fair return. 



The .second illustration is of another well known table varietv. 

 Waltham Cross. It is worked on Ruoestris du Lot. and was Ijench-grafted 

 in the ordinary way dur- 

 ing the grafting season 

 1909. After being cal- 

 lused. it was planted out 

 in the usual manner in 

 the Wahgunyah Nirsery 

 where it rooted. The 

 following year (19 10), 

 and at about the same 

 time as the field-grafts 

 were put on. this bench - 

 graft was removed and 

 placed in its permanent 

 position as shown in the [ 

 photograph. It is tho- 

 roughly healthy, anrl has 

 made satisfactory growth 

 for a bench-graft, but 

 cannot compare with the 

 adjoining vines growing 

 under precisely the same 

 conditions, but grafted in 



the field. HENCH-GKAi' 1 — 16 MUMUs FKOM liKNCH 



TIIK iMALLKE. 



/. M. />'. Connor, Ai^rtcullural Supcrittt tulcni. 



For .some time past I have had opportunitif-s of closely inspecting the 

 different portions of the Mallee — our great wheat j)rovincc — and have 

 come to the conclusion that it is not only worth saving, as was so re- 

 peatedly questioned during th.- droughl-strickrn years of 1902-3. when the 



