274 



there on fruit culture, and also inspecting the sites which Mr. Laurence 

 Tate is willing to offer to the Government for the purpose of establish- 

 ing an experimental fruit farm. 



On Monday the 31st August I inspected the various sites which Mr. 

 Tate is willing to give the lease of for a term of years. 



I Jfirst carefully inspected the sites proposed on his own property 

 "Shafston", then proceded to Grand Vale, the owner of which Mr. King, 

 is willing to grant the lease of any land the Government might select. 

 I examined the proposed sites on Grand Vale, after which we visited 

 " Forest" another property owned by Mr. King. I went carefully over 

 the different pieces of land which Mr. Tate thought might prove suit- 

 able and finally came to the conclusion that " Forest" would be the most 

 advisable spot to advise the Government to select if they decide to 

 establish the fruit farm. 



" Shafston" grows grapes well, and a great advantage in having the 

 farm there would be that it would be immediately under the eye of 

 Mr. Tate, who is a very enthusiastic cultivator. But there is not a 

 very large population near Shafston, and the people who live there- 

 abouts are apparently better off than those people who live in the 

 district round Forest. 



" Grand Vale" is wet with a clay soil not suited for grapes, and is 

 out of the way. 



Forest is situated almost entirely in St. Elizabeth, and near a poor 

 district called " The Grove." It is extremely hot, has a fine black sandy 

 loam soil, and is well drained. It would be admirably adapted for an 

 experimental grape plantation and could be easily visited by a large 

 population who apparently would be only too glad to find a method of 

 increasing their incomes. 



That most of the district from Black River to Ferris is well adapted 

 for grape culture is abundantly proved by the vines which are already 

 growing in several " yards." These vines are very badly treated, yet 

 they grow and bear much better than one could expect. 



The grapes found fruiting, with the exception of those at Shafston, 

 are the Black Barbarossa, a grape of poor flavour, but large and showy 

 and evidently one capable of existing under the greatest difficulties. 



At Shafston Mr. Tate has the following fruiting vines : — Barbarossa, 

 Muscat of Alexandria, Gros Colmar, Foster's Seedling, Raisin de 

 Calabre, Black Hamburgh, Black Alicante. 



The first named was fruiting very heavily, the second almost equally 

 so, while of course there is no grape to be compared to it for flavour. 

 As far as I could judge from one visit, there are only four grapes worth 

 growing in that district, the two just mentioned, " Foster' s Seedling" 

 and Black Hamburgh. Foster's Seedling grows most vigourously, and 

 although not a fine flavoured grape, it fruits heavily and is a nice look- 

 ing grape. 



" Black Hamburgh" is not a vigorous grower but it bears a grape 

 that ripens two or three weeks sooner than any of the others. It also 

 ripens all the berries on a bunch together which many of the other 

 black grapes do not. This is especially the case with Barbarossa and it 

 is a great draw-back to it, half a dozen green berries often spoiling the 

 appearance of an otherwise grand bunch. 



Tuesday, September 1st. Demonstrated at Salem on budding oranges, 



