A GARDEN IN VENICE 



of a penny to twopence a pound ; but the prices 

 are now so low, especially in good seasons, that, 

 as with English fruit, the culture does not 

 always pay. 



At Venice, too, if the table grapes, not grown 

 in too large quantities, can make a price, low 

 though it may be, the wine grapes are worse off, 

 for the wine made at Venice matures in six 

 months, and will not, in my experience, keep. 

 Wine forced on the market was being sold this 

 last spring at fifteen centimes the litre, or one 

 penny halfpenny the quart. 



The old garden, without the Sacca extension 

 to be later spoken of, gave me for some years 

 annually more than five tons of grapes. This 

 paid when sold at an average of five to six 

 farthings the pound ; but for a year or two our 

 yield has been much diminished and the prices 

 lowered. The beginning of the decadence in 

 yield was one of the hail-storms that are the flail 

 of Italy. We were in the garden one late July 

 afternoon when a heavy storm attacked us. 

 There was just time to seek shelter in the tea- 



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