IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE GLOBE. 205 



The growth of the vine and fig- is here something wonderful. 

 I should tell you, tiiat for the last seven years the cultivation 

 of the former, which was neglected in the early days of the 

 colony, has been much attended to at and about Perth, the 

 capital, where, though only 1^^ farther to the north than I am 

 here, the heat is much greater. Wine and raisins are now 

 making there in considerable quantities, and more might, I think, 

 have been done, had it not been for unacquaintance with 

 the culture and pruning. The short system of pruning there, 

 adopted recently, has nearly destroyed many of the vineyards 

 before they had reached perfection. In this district one other 

 gentleman and myself and sons are at present the only cultivators 

 of the vine, and it is only three years since I planted my first. 

 The prospect is so flattering, that I have now above an acre of 

 trenched vineyards, and have just planted out about 3000 more 

 plants. To give you an idea of the growth of the vine here, I 

 need only mention that on the 6th of September, 1846, 1 planted 

 at my farm 400 2-year old vine-plants which I procured from 

 Pertli, and which, in transitu, were two tnont/is out of ground, 

 and apparently dried up. Nearly all struck. They were planted 

 in ground trenched 3 feet deep. In June, 1847, they were pruned 

 close down ; in January, 1848, they produced a considerable 

 number of fine grapes ; and when I pruned them in June last 

 (1848), I cut off from many shoots seven yards in length. At 

 tills moment tliey are just bursting forth, and from the enormous 

 sliow of fruit I think tliere will be a ton of grapes upon them 

 in January. In my sand-garden here on the shore of the inlet 

 their growth is hardly less. The fig is equally luxuriant and 

 prolific ; I shall have bushels and bushels on young trees only 

 planted four years, and now eight and ten feet high. 



Of vines we have here the following kinds : Sweetwater, 

 Muscat of Alexandria, Eed and Wliite Constantia, White Ham- 

 burgh, Wortley Hall, Crystal, and some others not accurately 

 known ; but we are especially deficient in black grapes. In figs 

 I have White Marseilles, Brown Ischia, and what is called here 

 the Turkey, but which is, I think, the Brunswick or Madonna. 



Of potatoes we (the colony generally) only have a red sort (I 

 believe the Scotch Red), and I have a few Ash-leaved Kidneys 

 and Pink Eyes. 



The peach, nectarine, and apricot thrive here wonderfully. I 

 am by degrees getting them, but generally the peaches are 

 inferior sorts raised here from seed, and bear the third year. 

 The black currant and raspberry might do here, though they 

 do not at Perth. 



Our melons, cucumbers, and vegetable marrow come here to a 

 perfection I never saw in Europe. I picked the Netted Romana 

 in my open sand-garden last year, weighing 19^ lbs. 



