37 



A sandy soil generally gives a dry thin wine, and if the season 

 be moist the colour may be poor. The wines, however, produced 

 on these soils are generally straight to the taste that is to say can 

 be blended with most other wines, in order to dilute them, without 

 changing their respective characters. 



A heavy clay soil, on the other hand, produces a full-bodied 

 wine, heavy, rich in extract, and in some cases may impart to it a 

 peculiar taste known as an " earthy taste." 



Between these two widely different soils, there are other inter- 

 mediate ones that partake more or less of the character of the one 

 or the other, according to the respective proportion of their sandy 

 or their clayey constituents. 



On limestone formations, the wine will be delicate to the taste, 

 with a fine brilliant colour and a pleasant flavour, which in the 

 drier localities may be inclined to be fiery. 



Volcanic soils will produce vigorous dry wines. 



Besides the geological character of the land, the natural flora 

 which cover it give some indication as to its suitableness for wine- 

 growing and fruit-growing. 



A slope always assists drainage, but more especially in the 

 drier districts of this State a vineyard always looks more luxuriant, 

 and gives a better yield on the flats and on slightly undulating 

 country, the reason being, that during the long droughts and 

 excessive heat which sometimes prevail, the slopes often get too 

 dry, and the vine suffers considerably. During the heavy down- 

 pours of rain, too, that come down occasionally, tons and tons of 

 soil are sometimes washed down the steep slopes, leaving the land 

 denuded and deeply cut by the rush of water down the incline. 



In the cooler climates, such as the centre of France and the 

 banks of the Rhine, the slopes are generally planted in vines, in. 

 order to utilise the full amount of sunshine and warmth ; but in 

 this country of light and heat, shelter from the wind is of far 

 greater importance, and should mostly be studied in establishing a 

 vineyard or an orchard. 



Generally speaking, in our singularly genial climate and 

 wherever the moisture is sufficient, many fruit trees will grow and 

 produce some fruit in almost any soil, except dry, pure sand or wet 

 swamps. The several sorts of fruit trees grown, however, accommo- 

 date themselves more readily to the different classes of soils, and in 

 that respect the likings of each genus should be studied and as 

 far as possible satisfied. 



As a rule, the liyht sandy loam, which is very prevalent all over 

 this country, by reason of its warmth and the easily assimilable 

 nature of the plant food it contains, is quicker than stronger soils ; 

 it is also more easily cultivated, but it soon runs out, and unless 

 the drain on its store of plant food caused by a few years' cropping 

 is made good by applications of fertilisers, the vigour of the tree is 

 checked, it is comparatively short-lived and soon becomes unproduc- 



