382 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 May, 1898. 
Viticulture, and that the admixture of loam in greater or less quantity at once 
increases the saccharine density in proportion. It was also obvious that the 
vines were far healthier in the loamy soil than on the ridges, the vegetation 
being stronger and of a healthier colour. 
The varieties of grapes grown in this district are numerous, and some ill- 
adapted for wine-making; possibly they are planted with an eye more to their 
yield than the quality of wine made from them; some of them, as the Mataro 
and Doradilla, are now in South Australia being torn up or grafted: with 
better kinds, as the wine made from them has turned out unsatisfactory, 
and the wineries care only to buy such grapes as the Shiraz, Carbenet, 
and Riesling, &c., paying for the latter much higher prices. In the case of an 
extension of vine-planting, attention should be paid by vignerons to the propa- 
gation.of the best varieties only; it costs no more to cuitivate a good grape 
than an inferior article, and the value is greater to the cultivator whether he 
makes the wine himself or sells his grapes. 
More discrimination is wanted also in the planting of table grapes. In 
one ease the vineyard resembled a botanical garden more than anything else— 
wine grapes, table grapes, red and white in endless variety being mixed up in 
confusion. 
In some instances I found wine made of satisfactory quality, which would, 
in my opinion, compare favourably with many of the wines of the southern 
colonies, and would meet with a ready sale in England if supplied at a reason- 
able price. The defective arrangements of some cellars, however, require 
much improvement, and it is a matter of surprise that the wines are as good 
as they are. 
Other wines, however, are spoilt and made undrinkable by the addition of 
sugar to sweeten them, and inferior spirit to fortify them. By doing so the 
vignerons completely mask the finer qualities of the wine, and turn it into a 
kind of grog—and poor grog at that. he excuse for doing so is that there is a 
demand for that class of ‘‘ wine” (apparently a large demand) which must be 
met, and that it pays better than making clarets or hocks. Even so, the 
“wines” could be made Jess coarsely and of more salubrious ingredients. 
Another cause of the poor quality of some of the wines lies in the habit 
some growers who sell their grapes have of too long pruning the vines to 
obtain as large a crop as possible and vintaging early before the grapes are 
fully ripe to avoid risk of damage by rain, so that must is produced of low 
density and quality, which must be sugared and spirited to prevent spoiling. 
The buyers have a remedy for this by combining and refusing to take the 
grapes under a certain density, as is done elsewhere, but they appear to be 
indifferent about it. 
Mirenerr.—tThe soil of this district is poorer than that of Roma, and the 
subsoil wouid appear to be less permeable to water; a visit to several vineyards 
has convinced me that it is not adapted for wine grapes. In many places the 
vines were chlorosed from want of nourishment, and the grapes attacked by 
anthracnose, there being little vitality to resist fungoid disease. ‘Table grapes 
ean be and are more successfully cultivated, the amount of sugar in them is 
not of the same importance as in wine grapes, and being in.smaller quantities 
greater attention to cultivation can be given. Plentiful manuring is indicated 
for this district, with careful pruning. Attention to these points would ensure 
a fair crop of sound table grapes, and the vines would be better enabled to 
resist fungoid disease. 
Sranrnorpe.—tThe soil of this district is composed of disintegrated 
granite, and is for the most part sandy and poor in quality, with a subsoil of 
elay apparently impervious to water. In places vines show signs of impaired 
vitality, are chlorosed, and a prey to fungoid disease, anthracnose being most 
prevalent. In two instances small vineyards of eight to ten years of age, 
which should have been in their prime, were utterly exhausted, and without a 
single grape on them. As at Mitchell, the vine will make a vigorous growth 
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