Albert H. Benson

“ A banana garden in full bearing is a very pretty sight, the thousands of plants, each with their one or more bunches of fruit, as, where there are several stems it is not at all uncommon to find two or more bunches of fruit in different states of development on the same plant, forming a mass of vegetation that must be seen to be appreciated. This is the case even with dwarf-growing kinds, but with strong-growing varieties, such as the Lady's Finger, the growth is so excessive that the wonder is, how the soil can support it. ”

“ Queensland is a good land for the intending fruit-grower. We offer you good soil, a choice of climates, suitable for the growing of practically every kind of commercial fruit, a healthy climate to live in, cheap land, free education for your children, and free advice from competent experts for yourselves. This is a country that has not been advertised or puffed up; that is, in consequence, not by any means well known; but it is a country that, taken all in all, will take a lot of beating when one is looking out for a home. ”

“ There is no branch of agronomy in which science and practice are more closely connected than in that of fruit-growing. Every operation of the fruit-grower is, or should be, carried out on scientific lines and by the best methods of propagation—pruning, cultivation, manuring, treatment of diseases, and preservation of fruit when grown are all, directly or indirectly, the result of scientific research. To be a successful fruit-grower in Queensland one must therefore use one's brains as well as one's hands; the right tree must be grown in the right kind of soil and under the right conditions ”

“ A country that, once its possibilities are realised and turned to a profitable account, is destined to become one of the most fruitful in the globe, to support a large and thriving population of our own people; and last, but not least, a country that, from a fruit-grower's point of view, cannot be excelled elsewhere. We have a healthy climate, not by any means an extreme climate as is often represented—extreme cold is unknown, frost being unusual on any portion of the seaboard, but common during the winter months on our tablelands. ”

“ The rank luxuriance of the growth of this class of fruits, their handsome foliage, their productiveness, their high economic value as food, and their universal distribution throughout the tropics, all combine to place them in a premier position. As a food it is unequalled amongst fruits, as no matter whether it is used green as a vegetable, ripe as a fruit, dried and ground into flour, or preserved in any other way, it is one of the most wholesome and nutritious of foods for human consumption. ”

“ The second class of soils suitable to fruit-growing are of alluvial origin, and are of a sandy, loamy nature, of fair depth. They are usually met with along our creeks and rivers, or in the deltas of our rivers. In their virgin state they are either covered with scrub or forest, or a mixture of both, but the growth is seldom as strong as on the red volcanic soils. Heavy alluvial soils are not suitable for fruit culture, and are much more valuable for the growth of farm crops, but the light sandy loams and free loams of medium character suit all kinds of fruit to perfection. ”

“ A typical Queensland grove is even more beautiful than those of many other places, as the vigour and size of our trees, their exceptionally healthy appearance, their dark foliage, and the heavy crop of high-class fruit that they bear, are at once evident to a stranger who has never seen the orange grown under such favourable conditions as are experienced here. The yield is often so heavy that the trees actually bend to the ground with the weight of their fruit, and a stack of props has to be used to prevent the tree from splitting into pieces. ”

“ The young tree has not only been able to hold its own against all kinds of indigenous growths, but has developed into a vigorous, healthy tree, thus showing that it is perfectly at home, and that the soil and climate of Queensland suit it to perfection. The fact that by far the greater portion of our mango-trees have been grown from seed has resulted in the production of innumerable varieties, many of which are of decidedly inferior quality, as one never knows when planting the seed what the resultant fruit is going to be like. ”

“ Seedlings are probably the hardiest, and will stand the most neglect, but experience is showing that worked trees are the most profitable to grow. The growth of all kinds of citrus-trees from seed is a very simple matter, all that is necessary being a well-prepared seed bed of friable soil that is partially shaded from the heat of the sun, so as to protect the young plants. Selected, fully ripe fruit from well-grown, prolific, healthy trees is taken, and the seeds sown in rows in the seed bed, or broadcast when weeds are not likely to be any trouble. ”

“ In Queensland, the culture of bananas is confined to the frostless belts of the eastern seaboard, as it is a plant that is extremely susceptible to cold, and is injured by the lightest frosts. It is grown in favourable locations in the South, where it produces excellent fruit, but its cultivation is much greater in the North, where the rainfall is heavier and the average annual temperature greater. In the Southern part of the State its cultivation is entirely in the hands of white growers, who have been growing it on suitable soil in suitable localities for the past fifty years or even more. ”