CHAPTER X. AUSTRALIAN FISH AND OYSTERS—AND THEIR FOOD VALUE. No deep-sea fisheries in Australia, although her people come from a maritime stock—The defectiveness of our Australian fish supply—Our primitive methods of fish capture—The beam-trawl in deep-sea fishing—Drift-net and other deep-sea fishing—Benefits from the development of our deep-sea fisheries—Fish markets—The "middleman" controversy—The distribution of fish to the public—Fishmongers and the sale of fish— The development of the oyster—The failure in the New South Wales and Victorian oyster supplies—The recreation of our oyster fisheries— The food value of the oyster—The food value of fish
CHAPTER XI. ON SALADS; SALAD PLANTS AND HERBS; AND SALAD MAKING. Salads plainly intended for Australian use—Many people miss the present in looking for the future—Cookery of the highest excellence amongst all classes in France—A contrast between the English and the French methods of making a salad—Detailed instructions for the preparation of a French salad—Importance of a roomy and properly shaped salad bowl—Poor display of greengrocery in Australia as compared with the show of meat—Salad plants in great request elsewhere which might readily be cultivated in Australia—Salad herbs indispensable to a proper salad, but entirely unknown in Australia—A complete recipe for the famous Mayonnaise sauce—An excellent recipe for a herring salad
CHAPTER XII. ON AUSTRALIAN WINE, AND ITS PLACE IN THE AUSTRALIAN DAILY DIETARY. "With time and care Australia ought to be the vineyard of the world"—Interesting facts in the early history of the vine in Australia—Figures showing the possibilities of Australian viticulture —The climate—The soil—"Cepage," or variety—The preparation of the soil—Laying-out the vineyard—Whether to plant cuttings or rooted vines—The height of the vine above the ground—On pruning— The cellar—The gathering of she grape—Varying additions to the must —The must itself—Fermentation—THE TASTING AND JUDGING OF WINES— uniformity required in Australian wines—The future success of the Australian wine industry, and upon what it depends
PART I.
THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA
CHAPTER I. THE CLIMATE OF AUSTRALIA.
Australia, forming as it does a vast island continent in the Southern world, lies to some extent within the tropical range, for the Tropic of Capricorn traverses its northern part. At present, however, its most densely populated portion lies just outside the tropics, and it is this semi-tropical part of Australia with which we have mostly to do. And apart, too, from the mere fact of Australia being between certain parallels of latitude, which makes its climate tropical or semi-tropical, as the case may be, its position is peculiar in that it forms this enormous ocean-girt continent already described.
One of the most extraordinary circumstances in connection with the Australian people is, that they have never yet realized their semi-tropical environment. It would naturally be supposed that a dominating influence of this kind would have, from the very first, exercised an irresistible effect on their mode of living. But, on the contrary, the type of the Australian dwelling-house, the clothing of the Australian people, and, what is more significant than anything else, their food habits, prove incontestably that they have never recognised the semi-tropical character of their climate all over the rest of the world it will be found that the inhabitants of different regions adapt themselves to their surroundings. For instance, the Laplander and the Hindoo live in such a widely different manner, that one can scarcely believe they belong to the same human family.
It has, however, been reserved for Australia, strange even from the first, to prove an exception to this universal law. Yes, strange even from the first! For did not the earliest arrivals find that the seasons came at the wrong time of the year; that Christmas-tide came with sunshine, and that the middle of the year was its coolest part? Were there not found in it curious animals, partly quadruped, partly bird, and partly reptile? Were there not discovered, also, other animals who carried their young in a pouch? Moreover, did Dot these first settlers see that the trees shed their bark, and not their leaves; and that the stones were on the outside, not the inside, of the cherries?
But even admitting these peculiarities of season, of FAUNA and of flora it may be asked, How is it that the people of Australia have never adapted themselves to their climatic surroundings? The answer, or rather answers, to such an interrogation must largely consist of matters of opinion. This being the case, therefore, I call do no more than attempt to give my own explanation of this singular anomaly. It must be remembered that the one great impetus to colonisation in Australia was the discovery of gold in 1851. Up till that time settlement had been proceeding steadily, it is true. Indeed, one may go 80 far as to say that the development of the country was progressing, although slowly, on safe and natural lines. But the announcement of the finding of gold, which was continually being corroborated by successive reports, acted as an electric stimulus throughout the whole civilized world. As a consequence shipload after shipload of new comers flocked to Australia, all aflame with the same ardent desire—gold. Amongst them were certainly many of the picked men of the earth, whose spirit will leaven the whole of Australasia for all time to come. Yet even at the present day we still see the influence of this gold period at work, in the readiness with which men are caught by any plausible mining prospectus. They have only to be told that a company is being formed to extract gold out of road metal, and they are ready to believe it, and, what is more, prepared to put money into it.