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CHAPTER IV. 



Beverages. 



Like food products, the greatest progress made in the 

 development of beverages of vegetable origin has been in 

 the extension of applications, rather than the introduction 

 of entirely new sources. The most marked extension of 

 well-known beverages has been due to the introduction of 

 the vine ( Vitis vinifera) into Australia, the Cape, and 

 Canada, all of which have become wine-producing countries, 

 and the extension of the vine in each may be reckoned with 

 the growth of the colony itself. 



The first vineyard planted in South Australia dates 

 back to the year 1840 ; in 1852, 282 acres of land were 

 under vine cultivation, which in 1884 had extended to 

 4,590 acres, yielding 473,535 gallons of wine. Every year 

 more land is being put under vine cultivation, so that the 

 trade is still extending. In Victoria and New South Wales 

 the vine is similarly spreading ; a considerable amount of 

 attention having been given to it, especially during the 

 last twenty years. The ravages of the phylloxera in the 

 European vineyards has indirectly helped to increase the 

 demand for the colonial produce. The wine imports during 

 the past thirty years show a considerable fluctuation : thus, 

 in 1856 the returns were 9,481,880 gallons ; in 186G, 

 15,321,028 gallons ; in 1876, 19,979,838 gallons ; in 1886, 

 14,561,913 gallons; and in 1889, 15,934,934 gallons. This 

 falling-off since 1876 may, to some extent, be due to the 

 spread of temperance principles, for we find that the im- 

 ■ports of tea have increased from 86,200,414 pounds in 1856 

 to 221,602,660 pounds in 1889 ; while cocoa has also 

 increased from 7,343,475 pounds in 1856 to 26,735,974 

 pounds in 1889. Coffee, on the other hand, shows a 



