The Geranium, Fuschia, Rhododendrum, And Almost All Varieties Of The
Cacti Have Been Taken To The Colonies, And Flourish Well In The Open
Air All The Year Round, Growing Much More Luxuriantly Than In England.
The vineyards must some day form a considerable source of employment
and profit to the colonists.
The wine made in Australia is very good.
The vines are cultivated in the same manner as in France. In the
neighbourhood of Sydney, oranges and peaches are grown out in the open
air. Apples and other fruits flourish well in Van Diemen's Land. All
these fruits are not indigenous to Australia. The only articles of food
natural there, are the kangaroos, emus, opossums, and other denizens of
the forest, a few snakes, some roots, and a worm, about the length and
thickness of a finger, which is abundant in all parts of the colony,
and is taken out of the cavities, or from under the bark, of the trees.
It is a great favourite with the blacks, as it can be procured
when no other food is attainable.
I have before made mention of the bush and scrub; there is a great
dissimilarity between the two. The former resembles a forest, with none
or very little underwood. The scrub, on the contrary, is always
underwood, of from six to twenty feet high, and only here and there a
few trees are seen. To be lost in either bush or scrub is a common
thing. If on horseback the best way is to give the rein to your
four-footed companion, and instinct will most probably enable him to
extricate you.
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