The wheat harvest commences partially about the middle of November, and is generally over by Christmas.  The maize, however, is not ripe until the end of March, and the gathering is not complete throughout the colony before the middle of May.

Potatoes*, cabbages, carrots, parsnips, turnips, pease, beans, cauliflowers, brocoli, asparagus, lettuces, onions, and in fact every species of vegetables known in this country, are produced in this colony; many of them attain a much superior degree of perfection, but a few also degenerate.  To the former class belong the cauliflower and brocoli, and the different varieties of the pea; to the latter the bean and potatoe.  For the bean, in particular, the climate appears too hot, and it is only to be obtained in the stiffest clays and the dampest situations.  The potatoe, however, is produced on all soils in the greatest abundance, but the quality is not nearly as good as in this country.  In this respect, however, much depends on the nature of the soil.  In stiff clays the potatoes are invariably watery and waxy, but in light sands and loams, they are tolerably dry and mealy.  Manure also deteriorates their quality, and in general they are best when grown on new lands.  Potatoes are in consequence very commonly planted in the fields, as a first crop, and are found to pulverize land just brought from a state of nature into cultivation more than other root.  An abundant crop of wheat, barley, or oats, may be safely calculated to succeed them; more particularly if a light covering of manure be applied at the time of their planting.

[* For the Colonial Garden, see Appendix.]

The colony is justly famed for the goodness and variety of its fruits:  Peaches, apricots, nectarines, oranges, grapes, pears, plums, figs, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, and melons of all sorts, attain the highest degree of maturity in the open air; and even the pineapple may be produced merely by the aid of the common forcing glass.  The climate, however, of Port Jackson, is not altogether congenial to the growth of the apple, currant, and gooseberry; although the whole of these fruits are produced there, and the apple, in particular, in very great abundance; but it is decidedly inferior in quality to the apple of this country.  These fruits, however, arrive at the greatest perfection in every part of Van Diemen’s Land; and as the climate of the country to the westward of the Blue Mountains, is equally cold, they will without doubt attain there an equal degree of perfection; but the short period which has elapsed since the establishment of a settlement beyond these mountains, has not allowed the nltramontanians to make the experiment.