GARDEN CALENDAR.

Dunstan Times, Issue 781, 6 April 1877, Page 3

GARDEN CALENDAR.

Kitchen Garden.—Prepare vacant ground for future crops. Clear away all fallen leaves and litter. Contemplated alterations should now he done before wet weather sets in. In settling the rotation of cropping, avoid as far as possible two crops of the same nature on the same ground in succession. Cabbage—Plant for spring use as directed for last month. 1 f not done before, sow for spring planting. Carrots— Take up and store in sand. Cauliflowers— Prick out on a warm sheltered situation as directel last month. Celery—Continue to earth up. Garlic—Towards the end of the month piant the cloves, six inches apart, in shallow drills one fot apart. LettucePlant out on warm borders from previous sowings. Nasturtiums—Gather for pickling. Shallots—Plant as directed for garlic. Gather fruit, and hang up in a warm place. Fruit Garden,—Most kinds of Apples and Pears will be fit for gathering in the course of this month. If the fruit parts readily from the spur on being lifted to a horizontal position it is ripe. If it requires pulling or twisting it is not lit forgathering. Care should be taken not to bruise tlie fruit. Store in a.cool dark room. Propagate Currants and Gooseberries by cuttings, taking care to pick out the eyes from tho lower part of tho cutting, and as high up as three inches above the deplh to which it will bo inserted in the soil. Make fresh plantations of Raspberries and Strawberries, planting the latter in vows two feet apart, and 12 to 15 inches from plant to plant. Flower Garden.—ln case of frost at night, tender things may now bo removed for protection to pits or frames, cither glaze 1 or covered with calico. Hardy things may safely bo transplanted. If necessary to move large shrubs, prepare them for lifting by giving a good soaking of water, so that they may be lifted with a good ball of earth. Continue to plant hardy bulbs, as directed last month. The last froso of summer, once fragrant and fair ; now hangoth alone, on tho ragged edge of despair. There now. When a St. Louis man los-s 50 dollars on the street ho offers 45 dollars reward fur it. He'knows what St. Louis human nature is. "’ill the young man of the period be good? Will be cut off several yards of bis new overcoat and give them to tho poor. A Christmas disappointment, - ‘ It’s a lovely doll, dear grandpa and grandma’; but —but I’d been thinking it would be twins!’

SPURIOUS WINES.

—o—(From the Australasian.) Renders of the Australasian are tolerably familiar with the subject of spurious wines. They have heard of Elbe port and Hamburg sherry, and they are aware of the danger of indulging in those delectable concoctions of the wine chemists. The manufacturers of wines in the warmer parts of Australia have lately discovered good markets for their produce in London, and it has been reported to us that some of the largest sales reported have been made to merchants who had no intention of re-selling the wines as Australian produce. In the Argus appeared a letter which throws further light on the probable destiny of the parcel in question. “ Fine wines,” writes the correspondent, “are now very scarce in the London market, the current Jjl'ico for fine port and sherries being from LBO to Lloo per pipe of 115 gallons. Ibe largest manufacturer of cheap wines on the Continent is M- Thomas Paul Emily whose establishment is situated on an island in the Mediterranean, opposite Cette, in France. Last year I visited Monsieur Emily’s immense wine houses. His mode of operation is to kill the fermentation at once, but it is not sold in this state as it is considered too valuable to do so. It is kept for blending purposes, three to five gallons being used to the quarter-cask. One has only to state to Monsieur Emily the price one wishes to pay, and the wine to bo imitated, to procure with a little blending what is required. Large sheds are filled with empty pipes, butts, and should quarter-casks of wine bo ordered, it would only take three days to fill, brand, mark, and ship. Now, if the Australian wine growers would ship the pure juice of tho grape in its natural state, by killing the fermentation, it could be exported at once, and find a ready market in London. The cheapest article I could find in the London market of pure juice post sold at 12s 5d per gallon in bond, and 15s for pure juice Paxaritta. This is a white wine, pure juice, and difficult to be had at said figure. The best cheap sherries are made at Hamburg, and fetch L 9 per butt f.o.b. The butt of 108 imperial gallons contains only from 12 to 15 gallons of the pure juice of the grape. The London wine-merchants arc always using those wines, and are eager buyers of the pure grape, and, in my opinion, tho v hies of this country should be shipped in that state. Messrs Gilbey, of London, could themselves take all Australia could produce for many years to come, if it could be bought by them at corresponding continental prices. This will be good news to growers, but hardly pleasing or flattering to those consumers who exhibit a preference for the sophisticated importations from Europe. The author of the letter promises at another time a few particulars regarding the blending of brandies by the large houses, such as Hennessy’s and Martell s, as also how the distillation is conducted. No doubt if he has trade secrets to dispose of he will not have to wait long for purchasers.