For the great seal to every grant, not exceeding 1000 acres 0 5 0
For all grants exceeding 1000 acres, for every 1000 each
grant contains 0 2 6
For a license of occupation 0 5 0
Secretary's Fees.
if under 100 acres 0 5 0
Between 100 and 500 acres 0 10 0
All above 0 15 0
In grants of land, where the number of proprietors shall
exceed 20, each right 0 2 6
In ditto, where the number of proprietors shall not exceed
20--the same as for grants in proportion to the quantity of land
For license of occupation of land 0 2 6
For every grant of land from 1000 to 20,000 acres, take for the
first 1000 acres 15s. and for every 1000 acres more, 2s. 6d.
Fees to be taken by the Surveyor General of Lands.
For each grant, not exceeding 40 acres 0 7 6
Ditto 90 ditto 0 10 0
Ditto 190 ditto 0 15 0
Ditto 250 ditto 1 0 0
Ditto 350 ditto 1 10 0
Ditto 400 ditto 2 0 0
Ditto 750 ditto 2 12 6
Ditto 1000 ditto 3 5 0
Ditto, on town leases, per foot on street front 0 0 1
And on all grants exceeding 1000 acres for each 100 acres
so exceeding 0 4 0
Auditor's Fees.
Registrar's Fees.
For ditto from 500 to 1000 acres 0 2 6
For every 100 acres to the amount of 20,000 0 10 6
For recording a grant of a township 1 0 0
To be received in the Secretary's Office.
where the official seal is affixed 5 5 0
On all special licenses for marriages 4 4 0
On the registering of vessels exceeding 40 tons per ton; 0 1 0
And to the Principal Clerk 0 10 0
For all vessels not exceeding 40 ton's 2 0 0
And to the Principal Clerk 0 10 0
On affixing official seal to the clearances of vessels of
foreign voyages, or fishing, per ton 0 0 6
For every person leaving the colony, whereof ls. goes to
the Principal Clerk 0 2 6
Transcripts of all papers, per folio of 72 words ls. and
transcribing Clerk, per ditto, 3d. 0 1 3
Licenses for colonial vessels coastwise to the Coal River,
Hawkesbury, or elsewhere, not extending to Van Diemen's Land
or Bass's Straits, as heretofore to Coal River 0 5 0
Fees to the Principal Clerk
Certificates and tickets of leave, each 0 2 8
N. B.--Six-pence of the free and conditional pardons,
and two-pence on certificates and tickets of leave, are to be
paid to the Government Printer, as a remuneration for the
paper and printing.
On receiving Appeals.
Upwards of £50, and not exceeding £100 2 2 0
Upwards of £100, and not exceeding 300 3 3 0
Any sum exceeding £300 5 5 0
On all Appeals To the Principal Clerk 0 10 0
To the Door-keeper 0 5 0
Affixing colonial seal to appeals to the King in Council 5 5 0
Principal Clerk 1 0 0
Transcripts of all papers, per folio of 72 words ls.
and transcribing Clerk per ditto, 3d. 0 1 3
Naval Office.
service 0 15 0
Ditto, ditto, and not in Government service 1 10 0
Ditto with no articles, ditto ditto 0 15 0
Ditto for all foreign vessels 3 0 0
Permission to wood and water, for every vessel not exceeding
100 tons per register 1 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 100, and not exceeding 200 tons 2 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 200, and not exceeding 300 ditto 3 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 300, and not exceeding 400 ditto 4 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 400, and not exceeding 500 ditto 5 0 0
For every vessel upwards of 500 tons 6 0 0
Ditto to trade 1 1 0
Dues of each bond 0 10 6
Ditto of port clearance 0 5 0
Ditto ditto to the Naval Officer's Clerk 0 2 6
Ditto to Naval Officer's Clerk, for each permit to land
spirits or wine, per cask 0 0 6
For Colonial Vessels
Ditto ditto to Newcastle 0 10 0
Ditto to the fishery or settlements at the southward 0 10 0
Ditto to Naval Officer's Clerk 0 2 0
King's Dues for Orphans
Ditto ditto exported 0 5 0
For each 1000 square feet of timber for home consumption 3 0 0
Ditto ditto exported 6 0 0
Duties
(the manufactures of Great Britain excepted) to pay a duty of
5 per cent. ad valorem on the amount of their respective
invoices.
On every gallon of spirits landed 0 10 0
Ditto wine ditto 0 0 9
n every pound of tobacco 0 0 6
Wharfage on each bale, cask, or package 0 0 6
The Naval Office to receive 5 per cent. on all duties collected
at this port.
Wharfinger's Fees.
Metage per ton on coals 0 2 6
Measure of timber, per 1000 feet 0 2 0
The following duties to be levied and collected by the Naval
Officer on the articles hereunder named, upon their arrival and
landing, whether for colonial consumption or re-shipment.
On each ton of sandal wood 2 10 0
On each ton of pearl shells 2 10 0
On each ton of beech-le-mer 5 0 0
On each ton of sperm oil (252 gallons) 2 10 0
On each ton of black whale or other oil 2 0 0
On each fur seal skin 0 0 1½
On each hair ditto 0 0 0½
On each kangaroo ditto 0 0 0½
On cedar, or other timber, from Shoal Haven, or any other
part of the coast or harbours of New South Wales (Newcastle
excepted, as the duties are already prescribed there),
when not supplied by government labourers, for each solid foot 0 1 0
For every 20 spars from N. Zealand or elsewhere 1 0 0
On timber, in log or plank, from New Zealand or elsewhere,
for each solid foot 0 1 0
Gaoler's Fees.
From every sailor confined for being disorderly, for the
first night thereof 0 2 6
For every following night 0 1 0
From every free person thereof, and person having a ticket of
leave, taken up and confined for being disorderly, on the
discharge of the same, each 0 3 0
From every person receiving a certificate of his or her term
of transportation being expired (reference being always had to
the black book in his possession) 0 0 6
Fees to be received by the Chief Constable
found riotous or disorderly, of constables assisting in the
apprehension 0 2 6
For each night that sailors so apprehended may be confined;
which is to be directed as the foregoing 0 2 6
For the apprehending of deserters or runaway sailors, to be
divided equally among apprehending constables and himself 2 0 0
For serving summonses from the Judge Advocate's Office, for debts
under 40s. each summons 0 1 0
For the seizure of stills, or other articles prohibited by the
Colonial Regulations, and ordered for distribution among the
seizing Constables, the Chief Constable is to receive an equal
proportion with them.
Surplice Fees.
Clerk 0 10 6
Sexton 0 5 0
Ditto by Banns, free persons Clergyman 0 10 6
Clerk banns 0 2 0
Clerk marriage 0 3 0
Sexton marriage 0 10 6
Christenings, for registering Clerk 0 1 0
Churching, free persons only Clergyman 0 1 0
Clerk 0 0 6
Sexton 0 0 6
Funerals, free persons--Clergyman 0 3 0
Clerk 0 1 0
Bell 0 0 6
Grave digger 0 2 6
Post Office Charges
Every parcel not exceeding 20lbs. 0 1 6
Every ditto if exceeding 20lbs. 0 3 0
Every colonial letter from any part of the territory 0 0 4
Soldiers' letters, or those addressed to their wives 0 0 1
Market Duties at Sydney.--Grain, etc. lodged in the
store to be paid for as follows; viz. wheat or barley 3d. per
bushel; maize or oats 2d. per ditto; potatoes 3d. per cwt. and if
not sold the same day shall pay store-room rent every succeeding
market day the articles continue there, to the clerk, who is not
to deliver up such articles until the same be paid.
Market and Fair Duties at Parramatta.
For each horse, mare, gelding, or foal, if sold 0 1 6
Ditto ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 6
For each bull, cow, ox, or calf, if sold 0 1 0
Ditto ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 4
Sheep, lambs, or pigs, per score, if sold 0 2 0
Ditto, ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 8
And any number of sheep, lambs, or pigs, under a score,
for each sold 0 0 1½
Ditto, ditto, ditto, if not sold 0 0 0½
Ferry across the River Hawkesbury, called Nowland's Ferry:
Tolls for each foot passenger 0 0 3
A saddle horse 0 1 6
A foal 0 0 6
A horse and chaise 0 2 6
A cart with 1 horse or two bullocks 0 2 6
A ditto with 2 horses or 3 bullocks 0 3 0
A waggon with 4 horses or 6 bullocks 0 4 0
For horned cattle 1s. per head
For do. if more than 1, and not exceeding 20, 9d. per ditto
For ditto, if upwards of twenty, 6d. per ditto
For sheep 2s. per score, or 7s. 6d. per hundred
For hogs and goats 2d. each, or 2s. per score
Passengers to pass and repass the same day for one payment.
Toll Gates between Sydney and Parramatta:
For each score of sheep or swine 0 0 10
For every single horse 0 0 3
For every cart drawn by a single horse or bullock 0 0 4
For every cart drawn by 2 horses or bullocks 0 0 6
For every cart drawn by 3 horses or bullocks 0 0 9
For every cart drawn by 4 horses or bullocks 0 0 10
For every waggon drawn by 2 horses or bullocks 0 0 10
For every waggon drawn by 3 horses or bullocks 0 1 0
For every waggon drawn by 4 horses or bullocks, or more 0 1 2
For every single horse chaise 0 1 0
For every curricle with two horses 0 1 6
For a four-wheel carriage drawn by 2 horses 0 2 0
For the same drawn by three horses 0 2 6
For the same drawn by four horses 0 3 0
N. B. The tolls between Parramatta and Windsor are exactly the
same as those between Sydney and Parramatta, only at the former a
cart drawn by 4 horses or bullocks is 10d.
Tolls at the New Bridge over the South Creek at Windsor, called Howe Bridge.
For each foot passenger 0 0 2
Ditto ditto single horse 0 0 6
Ditto ditto ditto, or bullock in draft 0 1 0
A cart, with 2 horses or bullocks 0 1 2
For each horse or bullock above that number 0 0 2
Waggons, or four wheeled carriages with two horses or bullocks 0 1 6
For each head of cattle not in draft, under a score 0 0 6
For every score 0 5 0
Ditto ditto per hundred 1 0 0
Ditto ditto sheep, goat, or pig, under a score 0 0 1
Ditto ditto a score 0 1 0
The Governor and Family, the Lieutenant Governor, and all
persons on public duty to pass free.
Tolls to be taken at the Ferry across the River Hawkesbury.
(This is Mr. Howe's Ferry).
For each foot passenger 0 0 3
A single horse 0 1 0
A single horse chaise 0 1 6
A chaise with 2 or more horses 0 2 6
A cart with 1 horse or bullock 0 2 6
Each additional horse or bullock 0 0 3
Waggons, or 4 wheeled carriages, with 3 horses or bullocks 0 2 0
Each horse or bullock 0 0 3
Each head of cattle not in draft, under 6 0 0 9
Ditto ditto under 20 0 0 6
Every score 0 7 6
Every sheep, goat, or pig, under a score 0 0 1
Ditto ditto per score 0 1 0
Ditto ditto per hundred 0 4 0
The unweaned young of every kind, half price.
Tolls to be taken at the Bridge over the Chain of Ponds, near Windsor.
For a single horse 0 0 3
A cart and horse, or two bullocks 0 0 6
Ditto with more than two 0 0 9
A waggon with 3 horses or 4 bullocks 0 1 0
Ditto with more 0 1 3
A single horse chaise 0 1 0
A four-wheel carriage 0 1 6
Horned cattle, each 0 0 2
Sheep and pigs, per score 0 1 0
The Colonial Garden.
Potatoes.
For a general winter crop in field or garden, should be planted from the end of January to the end of February, or even the beginning of March, rather than lose the planting; and they will come into use in winter, when cabbages and other vegetables run to seed. The ground should if possible be prepared a month before the planting, and a preference given by the country gardener to new ground, or dry wheat stubble, where the soil is light. The town gardener should keep his ground in a good state by frequent light manuring.
The sets made choice of should be the produce of the last winter crop; and when planted should have a covering of light manure; without which the ground will be impoverished; but with such assistance be improved.
The best potatoes to preserve for sets are of a middle size, as well for profit as security; for if the largest are made use of, there must be a considerable waste; and those of the dwarf kind should be rejected, from their degeneracy and weakness.
An experienced gardener, who has been a settler here more than twenty years, plants his seed potatoes uncut for the winter crop; his reason for which is, that if they are cut they are likely to perish in the ground, from the rains of March; which will not be the case if put in whole.
In July the ground should be prepared for the summer crop, at which time the winter crop will be fit for digging; in which process every care should be taken to prevent their being bruised; and if possible they should be dug in cloudy weather, to avoid exposure to the sun, which would rot them; whereas if carefully preserved they will keep sound for a length of time; which will be the more desirable, as at this season vegetables are mostly scarce and dear.
In August the planting should be made, or even in September, if necessary; and at the end of the latter, or in October, they will require to be hilled and earthed, and well cleansed from weeds, which must also now and then be done as weeds make their appearance. In the choice of seed for this crop, a middle sized potatoe should be preferred, without any objection to their being cut, as is the customary mode of planting.
Manure.--Fresh stable dung, and litter, or decayed thatch, answers better for manure than that which is very rotten; but if the ground be fresh and light, they will want no manure, and the potatoes be of a better quality, though probably less plentiful.
In October you may also plant potatoes for a latter crop; and this, though perhaps less abundant than that sown in August or the beginning of September, will nevertheless be sufficiently productive to pay well the expence and labour of planting.
The potatoe is so essential and desirable an article of food,
that too much care cannot be bestowed in their culture and
preservation; for should other crops fall short, this will afford
the grower a certain means of supporting his family.
Carrots and Parsnips
For a general crop, may be best sown in December and January. The ground should be dug deep, and broke up very fine. If the soil be light, the seed should be sown on a calm day, and trod in.
Carrots and Parsnips may also be planted in
July, and also in November. They thrive best in an open
situation, or a light sandy soil; and after they come up, should
be thinned and set out with a small two inch garden hoe.
Cabbages
For a constant supply may be sown in January, April, May, July, August, October, and early in November, at a time when the ground is in a moist state. The plants sown in April will not run to seed. Care should be taken to set out the plants in a richer and stronger ground than the bed they are taken from; otherwise the crop will be poor. Their first bed should now and then be weeded with the hand, in dry weather, and the freshest and strongest plants removed first. In setting them out, a passage should be allowed between the rows of at least two feet, and in the rows the plants kept eighteen or twenty inches distant from each other, which will allow them a free circulation of air. As they grow up, they should occasionally be earthed up a little, and carefully weeded, as nothing has a more negligent and slovenly appearance than a foul bed of cabbage. In very dry hot weather, their first bed should be watered now and then; after rain they should be set out, but not during its continuance, as it would wash the mould from the roots, and numbers decay without taking root at all in the new bed. Cabbages run to seed in August and September.
A gardener of long experience in the Colony has favored us
with the following remarks on the culture of the cabbage:
"Although cabbage seed may be here sown with advantage at several
times of the year, yet I have of late years confined myself to
two sowings only; namely, in January, and as near the middle of
May as I could find the weather most favorable, for two general
crops. That sown in January comes well in for a winter supply;
but must be taken great care of, or will come to nothing; for as
January is one of our hottest months, they will require to be
shaded from the sun's excessive heat by boughs, which if closely
twined together will continue their shelter even after the leaves
are withered; and also, to be watered at least once in every two
or three days, until they get pretty strong in the ground. The
other crop, sown in May, will come into use early in summer; and
do not require any care more than they usually receive."
Turnips
The ground should be prepared in February; and at the latter end of the month some may be planted; for which purpose gentle showery weather is most favourable.
Turnips for a general crop should be sown early in March, and they will be ready for food for sheep in the beginning of May. During their growth they require hoeing once or twice, to thin and keep them clean, if the land be foul.
Turnips for table use may be sown at any time between March and September, or the beginning of November, when absolutely necessary.
Turnips for Sheep.--The ground should be prepared in January and February, by the plough or hoe, harrowing, manuring, and totally cleansing it from all weeds whatever, so that it be brought into the best state possible.
The Seed.--To raise turnip seed properly is an object
worthy of the strictest attention. To do this, the bed should be
examined carefully when the turnips have attained about a third
of their size, and the largest, smoothest, and most healthy taken
up and transplanted into a richer bed, in rows a foot wide, and
about six inches between the plants that are in the same
row.--The seed will be fit to cut the latter end of November.
Cauliflower.
The seed may be sown at any time between November and
February; but best in December. Some sow about the middle of May
for a summer crop, and this practice is found to answer.
Asparagus.
The seed should be sown in October, in drills, four drills in
a bed four feet wide, the ground being first well prepared, and
richly manured. At the latter end of April, or beginning of May,
the haulm should be cut down within two inches of the bed (though
some cut it nearly level), and constantly kept from weeds. The
ground should be dug with a three pronged fork, and not with a
spade, as the latter will cut the crown of the roots, and destroy
the plants. A professed gardener of twenty-three years practice
in the colony assures us, that he has now a bed of twenty years
standing, which constantly yielded a good crop until the year
before last, the failure of which he attributed to the ground
being worn out, and therefore set out a fresh bed. In this
country it requires a cool soil, and that the beds should not be
laid too high, four or five inches being a sufficient height.
Onions.
In March prepare the ground, by breaking it up well, and richly manuring it. At the end of the month, and beginning of April, sow for a light crop of onions for immediate use.
In April prepare for a general crop, which should be sown at
the latter end of the month, or beginning of May, to keep them
from going to seed. When they grow to a proper size, which will
be from the latter end of October to the beginning of November,
they should be carefully laid down, so as not to break the tops;
for should the tops be broke, and the wet penetrate, the onions
will inevitably spoil. When fit to draw, they should be gathered
on a fine dry day, and lain under cover, so as not to be at all
exposed to the sun.
Pease and Beans of all kinds.
The ground should be prepared in March, by well working and manuring; and at the end of the month, and in April, they may be sown for a spring crop. Some sow from the beginning of March till the middle of June, as occasion may require.
Prepare in August for a latter crop; and
French beans may be as well sown in October as at any other
time.
Cucumbers, Pumpkins, and Melons.
The ground should be got ready for these in August, and they
should be sown in September.
Radishes.
May be sown when turnips are sown.
Lettuces and Small Sallad
Are sown every month, for a constant supply; but lettuces are
best sown in April and November, and small sallads in May, and
the latter end of November.
Grass and Clover.
Turnip ground, on which either is intended to be sown, should
be cleared, cleaned, and broke up in August, great care being
taken to leave no weeds or large clods.
Spinage
Is best sown in March and September.
Brocoli, brown and white
Should be sown the beginning of January, and treated as
cabbage sown at that time. Some observe the practice of sowing
from November until February, but this is a vague method, and not
to be depended on.
Strawberries.
March is the proper season for planting this fruit. The runners and leaves should be all cut close away before they are set, which will strengthen them greatly, and before winter they will have new leaves. If planted in clumps, the fruit will be larger than if suffered to run over the bed; but by the latter method they preserve a more delicate appearance, and are certainly less likely to contract filth.
As soon as planted, a sprinkling of fresh earth should be thrown over the beds, which should be plentifully watered twice or thrice a week, if the season turn out dry; and as the plants require much air, they should be thinned, in order to preserve a free circulation.
When sown in beds, the following mode of treatment should be observed:--When the bed is well prepared, plant the rows of the large kinds, such as the Chili and Carolina, two feet apart, and allow one foot between each of the plants in the same row. The smaller kinds do not require so much space; eighteen inches between the rows, and eighteen between the plants will be sufficient; but as much greater space may be given as the ground will admit of.
In April all strawberry beds should be well dressed and
cleaned, in order to prevent the lodging of insects; and in July
they should be gone well over, and have their spring dressing; in
doing which the runners must be taken off from the plants, and
the weeds cleared away. The ground will then also require to be
loosened, and would be much benefited by a layer of fine manure
and fresh earth between the rows, as this treatment will
strengthen the plants, and produce the largest and finest
fruit.
Raspberries
Should also be dressed and cleaned in July.
Grapes.
Begin in April to pinch and prune the vines, which must be
cleaned from all cankered and unhealthy leaves or other
substances, to preserve them from insects. In July they should
also be gone over, and pruned and nailed, where requisite. All
walls and stakes should then be attentively examined, to prevent
the harbouring of insects, which will otherwise destroy the young
wood and fruit.
Pine Apples.
In the management of Pinery, should gentlemen incline their
attention thitherward, the following observances will be useful.
In May let them be unplunged, and lain down on their sides, till
all their leaves be free from water. Take off all yellow leaves,
and suckers, and let these suckers be plunged into fresh pots of
earth, and in a fresh bed of heat, by means whereof the Pinery
will always be kept full. The spider is their chief enemy, and
therefore should not be permitted to harbour near them, as the
smallest of the tribe will kill the crown, and destroy the
fruit.
Trees of all Kinds
In JANUARY and FEBRUARY should be BUDDED. A competent judge will best inform himself of the proper time for this operation by the ripe appearance of the buds themselves. For this use the practical gardener chooses a small instrument which may be made of bone, with wrappers of worsted, which being elastic, is better than bark, or any other substitute. The tops of the budded stocks are by some left uncut until the August or September following; but a gardener of much experience in the Colony makes it a rule to cut his tops off immediately, as the buds strike much sooner with this practice.
PEACHES and PLUMS are best budded upon their own stocks.
APRICOTS may be budded upon peach stocks.
The ENGLISH MULBERRY upon the cherry; or Cape; and ORANGES will succeed best upon lemons; and all tender trees are better to be budded in summer than in spring.
It may be here proper to observe, for the better information of those who have not given themselves the trouble of dividing the year into seasons, and which it would indeed be difficult to do by a comparison with those to which in Europe we were accustomed, that the spring months are, September, October, and November; the summer months, December, January, and February; the autumn months, March, April, and May; and the winter months, June, July, and August. Hence it is observable, that our wheat harvesting begins in the last of the spring months, November, and is entirely over before the end of summer.
In March, all fruit trees should be examined, and the broken or decayed limbs taken off.
In May, all fruit trees should be pruned, except evergreens, and such branches as are necessary to be taken off cut close to the tree, that the wound may heal the sooner, and thus prevent the tree from injury by rain or dew.
In May, orange trees may be safely transplanted, as well as in
June; which is the general season for transplanting fruit trees: in doing which, the roots should be carefully taken up, and planted as near to the surface as possible, taking care at the same time that the whole be covered, being first spread out like an open hand; after which the covering may be thickened with a little rich manure; and when the hole is filled, the earth about the root should be trodden gently, so as to fix the position of the plant.
June is also the best time for making layers, and planting cuttings from hardy trees.
In July, such fruit trees as were not transplanted in June should be removed, and stocks to bud and graft upon transplanted.
In August, evergreens may be transplanted, in which great care must be observed, as they are very tender; and as their roots will not bear exposure to the sun, they must be so carefully dug round as to admit their being taken up with as large a ball of earth clinging to the root as can be done, in which exact state they always should be fresh planted.
In August, also, the nursery will require to be well gone over and cleaned, and young trees prepared for grafting. Wall fruit and shrubs must be now particularly attended to, in divesting them of every foul or decayed substance.
In this month, also, all gardens should be cleaned and dressed. The gardener ought to be particularly attentive in keeping off weeds and insects, as grubs frequently make their appearance at this time, which very much injure all vegetable productions.
This month also the nursery wants cleaning, and the young trees must be prepared for grafting: the weeds preparatory to which, must be cut down and destroyed, or they will afterwards give much trouble. Decayed branches should likewise be taken from fruit trees; and such trees as appear stunted should have the ground opened about the roots.
SEPTEMBER is a good month for grafting fruit trees, the scions intended for grafts being cut off a fortnight or three weeks before, and the ends which are cut stuck in the ground until wanted for use.
Trees budded at the beginning of the year must now be cut down within about two inches of the bud; this space above the bud being left to tie the young shoots to, to prevent their being broken off by the wind. No shoots should be suffered to grow but the eye that was budded, and all others should be rubbed off as soon as they appear.
OCTOBER.--Young trees that were grafted in September should now be examined, and all the young shoots broken off, but one or two, both from the grafts and stocks:--The clay must be taken off, and the bandages loosened. The ground between the rows of all young trees should also be kept clear of weeds, or they will deprive the trees of a great part of their nourishment.
Apricot and peach trees should be examined this month, and where the fruit appears to be set too thick, which will be mostly the case in prolific seasons, they must be reduced to a moderate quantity. This must nevertheless be done with care, and only such of the fruit as is proper to remain left upon the tree.
In this month the garden should be cleaned all through, and walls and fruit trees well examined, to prevent insects from lodging.
In NOVEMBER such trees as were inoculated the previous summer will want the young shoots tying, either to the top of the stock, or to have a stake driven in near them to tie the shoot to, that they may not be broken off by the wind. All budded and grafted trees will in November want constant attention. All shoots that do not grow from the eye of the bud, or from the graft, must be taken off, that the graft or bud may receive all the nourishment the stock can afford.
In November evergreens may be propagated by layers, from the young shoots of the summer's growth.
In December the same observance is to be attended to with respect to evergreens; and peach trees should now be thinned of their fruit, where it appears too thick.
Observations on some particular Fruit Trees.
The Orange.
In pruning, the knife should be as little used as possible, if you wish them to bear. The southerly winds are very unfavorable to their growth, and parts opened by the knife admit the air, and kill the bloom. This tree is perhaps more infested by ants than any other; and the black contracted appearance of the leaves is much attributed to this insect. From this persuasion, which is pretty general, various methods have been tried to keep them off. Human ordure laid round the boll of the tree will prevent their appearing so long as it retains moisture, but not longer; tar has been applied round both the trunk and branches, and only answered while moist; yet a cure, if the ant be really inimical, is certain to be found, with little trouble, and without expence, in common suds from a wash tub, in which ley has been used. This wash should be laid well about the roots in the evening, when the ants have left the tree, which will be mostly the case, and in wet weather always so, and there need be little apprehension of their return next morning; a woollen bandage, dipped in oil, will also be found a preventative to their ascending the tree. This application, whenever ants appear, will have the desired effect; but whether these insects are injurious to the tree or not, is to be doubted upon this principle, namely, that the ant, being excessively carnivorous, is instinctively led to the orange tree in quest of the eggs, exuviae, larvae, etc. of some very minute insect, whose eggs are attached to the leaves by a glutinous substance, emitted by themselves in such quantity as to discolour the leaf, the pores of which being thus stopped, it becomes hard and tusky, and gradually closes. It seems impossible that this change should be produced by the ant: for if it even attacked or destroyed the blossom, this would not affect the leaves when the tree is not in bloom; and therefore it is rational to conclude that their changed appearance proceeds from some other cause, perhaps from some other insect, perhaps from the assaults of the weather, or some peculiarity in its soil or situation, or from a combination of these and other causes; in exemplification whereof it is worthy to be remarked, that a gardener in the Brickfields planted a number of seed sixteen years ago, all from the same tree; of which forty-four came up, and were all treated with equal care. None shewed fruit until about seven years since; when one produced about two-hundred oranges, and four or five others had from thirty down to ten or a dozen each. The following year the same trees were full; and afterwards others began to bear. This very great disparity in their time of bearing, keeping in mind at the same time that the seeds were from the same tree, all sown at once, and all equally well attended to, would be sufficient to excite astonishment, were we not to make allowance for the various causes that might have tended to accelerate or retard their growth.
The gardener himself says, that the chief of the defaulters were a good deal shaded from the sun by a range of peach trees, which depriving them of a great proportion of the warmth necessary to a fruit which thrives best in the hottest climates, he considers sufficient to occasion all the difference spoken of.
The Apple
Has a great enemy in a minute insect called the Cochineal, owing more, perhaps, to its being nearly of the same colour, than from any resemblance to the Spanish insect of that name. A gentleman who had eight trees that had for several years borne a delicious apple, had the mortification to find the whole of his trees at once infested by those insects in excessive number; after which they left off bearing, and after failing in many experiments to relieve them, he came unwillingly to the resolution of cutting down the trees. These insects are of a dark red, approaching to a purple, and combine in such numbers on the roots as well as branches, as to shew in protuberated clusters, exhibiting a downy whiteness on the surface. A gardener of the colony, who has attended a good deal to this matter, affirms that a weed called the Churnwort presents a perfect remedy to the disaster; with this weed, the roots, cleared of the earth, and the branches also, he advises to be thoroughly well rubbed.