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.
[Illustration: Woombye, North Coast Railway. The centre of a large
fruit growing district.]
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.
Queensland is a country whose capabilities are at present comparatively
unknown even to those living in the Southern States of Australia, and,
naturally, very much less so to the rest of the world, hence a little
general information respecting our country and one of its industries may
be of some help to those who are looking for an opening in this
particular branch of agriculture.
[Illustration: A Tropical Orchard, Port Douglas.]
[Illustration: Coochin York Mangosteen, Port Douglas District.]
Queensland is a country having a population of a little over half a
million, and an area of 429,120,000 acres; the population of a city of
the second magnitude, and an area of some seven and one-half times
greater than that of Great Britain, or two and one-half times greater
than the State of Texas, United States of America.
A country embracing 18 degrees of latitude, from the 11th to the 29th
degrees of south latitude, and extending from a humid eastern seaboard
to an extremely dry interior, some 15 degrees of longitude west. A
country, therefore, of many climates and varied rainfall. A country
possessing a great diversity of soils, many of which are of surprising
richness. A country more or less heavily timbered with either scrub or
forest growth, or consisting of wide open plains that are practically
treeless. A country of infinite resources, that is capable of producing
within its own borders all that man requires, from the extreme tropical
to temperate products. 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.
But even where there are frosts the days are pleasantly warm. Summer is
undoubtedly warm, but it is usually a bearable heat, and sudden changes
are extremely rare, so that though trying in the humid tropical
seaboard, it is not unbearable, and compares favourably with the
tropical heat met with elsewhere. This is clearly shown by the stamina
of the white race, particularly those living in the country districts,
where both men and women compare favourably with those of any other part
of the Empire. Except in very isolated places, communication with the
outside world and between the different centres of population is regular
and frequent; in fact, in all the coastal and coastal tableland
districts of the State one is kept daily in touch with all the important
matters that are taking place in the world. In the home life there is a
freedom not met with in older countries; there is an almost entire
absence of artificiality--people are natural, and are interested in each
other's welfare. They are certainly fond of pleasure, but at the same
time are extremely generous and hospitable. The writer can speak of this
from a large practical experience, as for some years past he has
annually travelled many thousands of miles amongst fruit-growers and
others who are settled on the land, and, without exception, he has
everywhere been met with the greatest kindness from rich and poor
alike--in short, a hearty welcome--and the best that the house affords
is the rule, without exception. In brief, should any of my readers
decide on coming to Queensland, the only difference that they will find
as compared with the older countries is, that our climate is somewhat
warmer in summer, but to compensate for this we have no severe cold in
winter. There is more freedom and less conventionality, life to all who
will work is much easier, and there is not the same necessity for
expensive clothing or houses as exists in more rigorous climates. The
people they will meet are of their own colour and race, no doubt fond of
sport and pleasure, perhaps inclined to be a little self-opinionated,
but solid grit at the bottom. As previously stated, Queensland offers
exceptional advantages to the intending fruit-grower, and the following
may be quoted as examples. The ease with which fruit can be produced,
when grown under conditions suitable to its proper development, is often
remarkable, and is a constant source of wonder to all who have been
accustomed to the comparatively slow growth of many of our commoner
varieties of fruits when grown in less favoured climes, and to the care
that is there necessary to produce profitable returns. Here all kinds of
tree life is rapid, and fruit trees come into bearing much sooner than
they do in colder climates. In addition to their arriving at early
maturity, they are also, as a rule, heavy bearers, their fault, if
anything, being towards over-bearing. Fruits of many kinds are so
thoroughly acclimatised that it is by no means uncommon to find them
growing wild, and holding their own in the midst of rank indigenous
vegetation, without receiving the slightest care or attention. In some
cases where cultivated fruits have been allowed to become wild, they
have become somewhat of a pest, and have kept down all other growths, so
much so that it has been actually necessary to take steps to prevent
them from becoming a nuisance, so readily do they grow, and so rapidly
do they increase. The very ease with which fruit can be grown when
planted under conditions of soil and climate favourable to its
development has had a tendency to make growers somewhat careless as
compared with those of other countries who have to grow fruit under
conditions demanding the most careful attention in order to be made
profitable. This is enough to show that Queensland is adapted for
fruit-growing, and the illustrations accompanying the description of our
chief commercial fruits will show them more forcibly than any words of
mine that my contention is a correct one. Latterly, however, there has
been a considerable improvement in the working of our orchards, growers
finding that it does not pay to grow second-quality fruit, and,
therefore, they are giving much more attention to the selection of
varieties, cultivation of the land, pruning the trees, and the keeping
in check of fruit pests; as, like other parts of the world, we have our
pests to deal with. This improvement in the care and management of our
orchards is resulting in a corresponding improvement in the quantity and
quality of our output, so that now our commercial fruits--that is to
say, the fruits grown in commercial quantities--compare favourably with
the best types of similar fruits produced elsewhere. The writer has no
wish to convey the impression that all that is required in order to grow
fruit in Queensland is to secure suitable land, plant the trees, let
Nature do the rest, and when they come into bearing simply gather and
market the fruit. This has been done in the past, and may be done again
under favourable conditions, but it is not the usual method adopted, nor
is it to be recommended. Here, as elsewhere, the progressive
fruit-growing of to-day has become practically a science, as the
fruit-grower who wishes to keep abreast of the times depends largely on
the practical application of scientific knowledge for the successful
carrying on of his business. 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; it must be properly attended to, and the fruit, when
grown, must be marketed in the best possible condition, whether same be
as fresh fruit or dried, canned, or otherwise preserved, and whether
same be destined for our local, Australian, or oversea markets.
Fruit-growing on these lines is a success in Queensland to-day, and it
is capable of considerable extension, so that, in the writer's opinion,
it offers a good field for the intending settler. Carried out in the
manner indicated, he has no hesitation in saying that Queensland is a
good place in which to start fruit-growing, that the advantages it
possesses cannot be surpassed or even equalled elsewhere, and, further,
that as our seasons are the opposite of those in countries situated on
the north of the equator, our fruits ripen in the off-seasons of similar
fruit grown in those countries, and, with our facilities for cold
storage and rapid transit, can be placed on their markets at a time that
they are bare of such fruits, thus securing top prices.
[Illustration: Bunch of Fruit of the Coochin York Mangosteen.]
Queensland has practically an unlimited area of land suitable for fruit
culture, much of which is at present in its virgin state, and is
obtainable on easy terms and at a low rate. Government land is worth on
an average L1 per acre, and privately-owned land suitable for
fruit-growing can be purchased at from 10s. to L5 per acre, according to
its quality and its distance from railway or water carriage. We have
plenty of land, what we lack is population to work it; and there is no
fear of over-crowding for many years to come. We have not only large
areas of good fruit land at reasonable rates, but the Government of
Queensland, through its Department of Agriculture, is always ready to
give full information to intending settlers, to assist them in their
selection of suitable land, to advise them as to the kinds of fruit to
plant, to give practical advice in the cultivation, pruning, manuring,
and general management of the orchard as well as in the disposal or
utilisation of the fruit when grown; in short, to help the beginner to
start on the right lines, so that he will be successful.
[Illustration: Tamarind Fruits--Kamerunga State Nursery, Cairns.]
There is also little if any fear of over-extending the fruit-growing
industry, as, if it is conducted on the right lines and on sound
business principles, we can raise fruit of the highest quality at a
price that will enable us to compete in the markets of the world
especially now that we have direct and rapid communication at frequent
intervals with Canada, the United States of America, the East (Japan,
Manilla, &c.), Europe, and the United Kingdom.