478 [Assembly 



lliis enables us to comprehend why tiie vegetables cultivated in 

 the south of Europe, can be acclimated on the southern shores of 

 New Holland, a fact already confirmed by experience. Many of the 

 industrious emigrants 'who form that new colony, seeing the advan- 

 tages for horticulture there, zealously went into that business with 

 all their money and all their devotion. 



They have already made vast gardens in this country of their adop- 

 tion, filled with a multitude of plants from all the countries of the 

 world, and particularly from Europe all the plants used for food and 

 other uses. , 



The first gardener of this colony is Mr. Stevenson, who went to 

 work to clear off many acres for a garden of acclimation, which in 

 the course of the last five or six years, would rival those established 

 by the government of France and England, at vast expense, in their 

 colonies. Now there is not a fruit or a vegetable cultivated in 

 Europe from the fig, olive and orange down to our most common 

 vegetables, which are not in Stevenson's garden at Adelaide. But 

 the peculiar mildness of the climate has enabled him to add a great 

 number of vegetables unknown to our gardens, such as bananas, 

 guavas, pine apples and other tropical plants. Stevenson has been 

 especially careful to have tliere, not only all tliose raised in the 

 botanical garden at Sidney, but hundreds of others from the most cele- 

 brated vineyards. This example is not lost, other colonists have fol- 

 lowed it ; Messrs. Slack and Davis have also obtained remarkable re- 

 sults. The garden of Mr. Slack is about 20 miles from Adelaide on 

 the road to Mount Barker. Its situation is marvellously adapted to 

 the apple^ that favorite of England, for which a grand orcliard is re- 

 served. 



Cherries, gooseberries, red and spotted, and strawberries flourish 

 there. But the glory of his establishments is his extensive vineyard, 

 which has the honour of having first furnished wine to the people, a 

 wine equal to those of the Rhine itself. Nevertheless Mr. Slack, 

 also makes beer, the English liquor ; his hops grow better than the 

 English. 



