Fruits of Queensland

Part 1

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FRUITS OF QUEENSLAND BY ALBERT H. BENSON, M.R.A.C.,

Late Instructor in Fruit Culture, Queensland Government; now Director of Agriculture, Hobart, Tasmania.

BRISBANE: BY AUTHORITY: ANTHONY J. CUMMING, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 1914.

CONTENTS.

PAGE. Preface 5 Introduction 7 Queensland Fruit-growing 17 Climate 18

1st.--Soils of Eastern Seaboard, and land adjacent to it, suitable to the growth of Tropical and Semi-tropical Fruit 21

2nd.--Soils of the Coastal Tablelands, suitable for the growth of Deciduous Fruit 23

3rd.--Soils of the Central Tablelands, suitable for the growth of Grapes, Dates, Citrus Fruits, &c. 24

The Banana 24 The Pineapple 31 The Mango 41 Mangosteen 45 The Papaw 47 The Cocoa-nut 49 The Granadilla 51 The Passion Fruit 51 Custard Apples 53 Citrus Fruit 57 The Persimmon 71 The Loquat 73 The Date Palm 75 The Pecan Nut 75 Japanese Plums 77 Chickasaw Plums 77 Chinese Peaches 77 Figs 79 The Mulberry 79 The Strawberry 79 Cape Gooseberry 82 The Olive 83 The Apple 85 The Peach 87 The Plum 89 The Apricot 89 The Cherry 90 The Pear 91 The Almond 91 Grape Culture 93 List of Fruits and Vegetables Grown in Queensland 102

PREFACE.

In the more thickly populated portions of the Old and New World, and, to a certain extent, in the large cities of Australia, the question of how to make a living has became one of vital importance to a large portion of the population, and is the cause of considerable anxiety to fathers of families who are endeavouring to find employment for their sons.

This difficulty of obtaining employment is a very serious question, and one demanding the most earnest consideration. It is probably the result of many different causes, but, in the writer's opinion, it is due mainly to the fact that for years past the trend of population has been from the country districts to the towns, with the result that many of the great centres of population are now very badly congested, and profitable employment of any kind is often extremely difficult to obtain. The congested towns offer no possible outlet for surplus labour, hence it is necessary that such labour must find an outlet in the less thickly populated parts of the world where there is still plenty of room for development and population is badly needed. Queensland is a country possessing these qualifications; but is, unfortunately, a country that is little known to the general mass of home-seekers, and, further, what little is known of it is usually so inaccurate that a very erroneous opinion of the capabilities of this really fine country exists. The great flow of emigration is naturally to those countries that are nearest to the Old World--viz., the United States of America and Canada--and little attention is given to Australia, although we have many advantages not possessed by either the United States or Canada, and are not subject to the disadvantage of an intensely cold winter such as that experienced throughout the greater portion of those countries for several months yearly.

To those looking for homes the following pages are addressed, so that before deciding to what part of the world they will go they may know what sort of a country Queensland really is, what one of its industries is like, the kind of life they may look forward to spending here, and the possibility of their making a comfortable home amongst us. The life of a fruit-grower is by no means a hard one in Queensland, the climate of the fruit-growing districts is a healthy and by no means a trying one, and is thoroughly adapted to the successful cultivation of many fruits; and, finally, a living can be made under conditions that are much more conducive to the well-being of our race than those existing in the overcrowded centres of population. The writer has no wish to infer that there are big profits to be made by growing fruit, but, at the same time, he has no hesitation in saying that where the industry is conducted in an up-to-date manner, on business lines, a good living can be made, and that there is a good opening for many who are now badly in want of employment. The illustrations represent various phases of the industry, and have been specially prepared by H. W. Mobsby, the Artist of the Intelligence and Tourist Bureau. Most of the Illustrations have been taken at an exceptionally dry time, and at the close of one of the coldest winters on record, so that they do not show the crops or trees at their best; at the same time, they give a fair idea of some of our fruits, orchards, and fruit lands.

ALBERT H. BENSON. Brisbane, Queensland, January, 1906.

INTRODUCTION.

Queensland's greatest want to-day is population: Men and women to develop our great natural resources, to go out into our country districts as farmers, dairymen, or fruit-growers--not to stick in our towns, but to become primary producers, workers, home-builders--not the scourings of big cities, the dissatisfied, the loafer, but the honest worker whose wish is to make a home for himself and his family. There are many such in the overcrowded cities of older countries, striving in vain to make a living--existing, it can hardly be called living, under conditions that are by no means conducive to their well-being--often poorly fed and poorly clad--who would better themselves by coming to Queensland, and by whom Queensland would be benefited. Queensland has room for many such annually: men and women who come here for the express intention of settling amongst us and building homes for themselves; who come here prepared to work, and, if needs be, to work hard; who do not expect to become rich suddenly, but will be contented with a comfortable home, a healthy life, and a moderate return for their labour--results that are within the reach of all, and which compare more than favourably with the conditions under which they are at present existing.

Queensland's most valuable asset is her soil, and this requires population to develop it: soil that, in the different districts and climates best adapted for their growth, is capable of producing most of the cultivated crops of the world, and, with very few exceptions, all the fruits of commercial value, many of them to a very high degree of perfection. This pamphlet is practically confined to the fruit-growing possibilities of Queensland, and an endeavour is made to show that there is a good opening for intending settlers in this branch of agriculture, but the general remarks respecting the climate, rainfall, soils, &c., will be of equal interest to any who wish to take up any other branch, such as general farming, dairying, &c. The Queensland Department of Agriculture has received a number of inquiries from time to time, and from various parts of the world, respecting the possibilities of profitable commercial fruit-growing in this State, and this pamphlet is intended in part to be an answer to such inquiries; but, at the same time, it is hoped that it will have a wider scope, and give a general idea of one of our staple industries to many who are now on the look-out for a country in which to settle and an occupation to take up when they arrive there.

No branch of agriculture has made a greater advance during the past quarter-century than that of fruit-growing, and none has become more popular. The demand for fruit of all kinds, whether fresh or preserved, has increased enormously throughout the world, and it is now generally looked upon more as a necessity than a luxury. Hence there are continually recurring inquiries as to the best place to start fruit-growing with a reasonable prospect of success. It is not only the increased demand for fruit that causes these inquiries, but fruit-growing has a strong attraction for many would-be agriculturists as compared with general farming, dairying, or stock-raising, and this attraction is probably due to a certain fascination it possesses that only those who have been intimately acquainted with the industry for years can fully appreciate. In addition to the fact that living under one's own vine and fig-tree is in itself a very pleasant ideal to look forward to, there is no branch of agronomy that calls for a keener appreciation of the laws of Nature, that brings man into closer touch with Nature, that makes a greater demand on a man's patience, skill, and energy, or in which science and practice are more closely related, than in that of fruit-growing. To all those who are considering the advantages of taking up fruit-growing as an occupation, and to those who feel the attraction I have just described, these few words on fruit-growing in Queensland are addressed, as the writer wishes them to learn something of the fruit-growing capabilities of this State, so that before deciding on the country in which they will make a start they may not be in complete ignorance of a land that is especially adapted for the growth of a larger number of distinct varieties of fruit than any other similar area of land with which he is acquainted either in the Old or New World.

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