428 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Drc., 1898. 
TOWNSVILLE. 
Sorn.—The soil around Townsville is patchy and of variable quality. At 
the foot of the hills is found a good soil—deep, more or less sandy in character, 
and therefore well drained, and on the whole suitable for viticulture. In the 
plains there are large tracts of ground too clayey in character to permit vines 
to be grown successfully, but with patches here and there of loamy soil, on 
which the vine would do fairly well. Along the banks of the River Ross are 
patches of alluvial, likewise adapted for viticulture. 
Crimate.—The great drawback to grape culture in this district is the 
climate, which practically allows the vine no repose; before the vine has well 
finished one season’s vegetation, another has started. The vine has no time to 
recuperate its strength, and resembles a man working twenty-three hours out 
of the twenty-four, and the consequence is but little fruit, and that of poor 
quality. Nor is it possible to indicate a way of overcoming this difficulty; the 
only suggestions I can make that might modify the evil a little are to plant the 
vine deep and remove surface-roots, to prevent, as far as possible, the vine being 
influenced by variations of temperature during the winter; to prune closely 
and restrict the growth to comparatively few canes. These will grow 
inordinately, but will have in all probability fertile eyes for next season’s 
“growth. Those vines left with too many spurs will, in consequence of 
exhaustion, have infertile eyes. Some trials in pruning vines on the long-rod 
system might prove servicable in mitigating the infertility of the vine. The 
system is explained on p. 464 of the Agricultural Journal for June, 1898. 
Those eyes on the fruit-branch which prove infertile and show no bunches 
when they burst may be suppressed so as to take off some of the strain on the 
vine; but on no account must the shoots which are intended for next year’s 
wood be suppressed. The humidity of the climate has the effect also of 
promoting the grown of fungus disease, but apparently not more so than in 
other coastal districts further south, where viticulture has proved fairly 
successful. 
Remarxs.—The climate is the great enemy to grape culture in this 
district, and under its influence the vine will prove but a partial success. The 
want of sufficient repose and the humidity of the climate must seriously affect 
its fertility. The most useful vines for this district would be the better 
quality of American vines, which are disease proof. Some European varieties 
appear to do well, except for the small crop they give. The American vines 
recommended are—Wilder, Goethe, Elvira, Iona, &c. The Buropean varieties 
recommended are—Royal Ascut, Lady Downe, Almeria, White Syrian, &c. 
All European varieties should be periodically sulphured with finely 
powdered sulphur. If the fungus attack is obstinate, wash the vines in the 
winter with a 10 per cent. solution of sulphuric acid, but the only hope of 
raising the finer European varieties is in constant attention to the use of sulphur 
as a preventive. If neglected until the disease has appeared, it will be 
powerless to combat the evil, which will have gained too much hold. 
CHARTERS TOWERS. 
Sorr.—The soil in this district is very varied, arising from the decomposition 
of granite, porphyry, quartz, slate, diorite, and limestone formations. or the 
most part itis sandy or loamy with a subsoil of rotten clay mixed with quartz 
particlés. Patches of sticky black soil, similar to that on the Downs, are to 
be found. Where the soil is sufficiently deep and not too sandy, with a well- 
drained clayey subsoil, the vine can be cultivated with advantage. In all parts 
of the district isolated vines are to be found growing vigorously, showing that 
a suitable soil for viticulture is to be found in patches. 
Cuimarte.—The climate is favourable to viticulture, inasmuch as it is drier 
than on the coast, and consequently there is, I am told, very little disease in 
the vines either in the shape of oidium or anthracnose. Such varieties 
as the Muscats and Black Hamburg, which are most susceptible to disease in 
