As previously stated, the successful culture of fruit depends mainly on
the right kinds of fruit being grown in the right soil and climate. This
naturally brings us to the question of climate, and here one again gets
an idea of the extent of our country, as we have not one but many
climates. Climate is a matter of such vital importance to fruit-growers,
and there is such a general lack of knowledge respecting the climate of
Queensland, that a little information on this point is desirable. I am
afraid that there is a very general impression that Queensland has a
climate that is only suitable for a coloured race; that it is either in
the condition of a burnt-up desert or is being flooded out. That it is a
country of droughts and floods, a country of extremes--in fact, a very
desirable place to live out of. No more erroneous idea was ever given
credence to, and, as an Englishman born, who has had many years'
practical experience on the land in England, Scotland, the United States
of America, and the various Australian States, I have no hesitation in
saying that, as far as my experience goes--and it is an experience
gained by visiting nearly every part of the State that is suited for
agricultural pursuits--taken as a whole, it is difficult to find a
better or healthier climate in any other country of equal area. Our
climate has its disadvantages, no doubt, particularly our dry spells,
but show me the country that has a perfect climate. We have
disadvantages, but, at the same time, we have great advantages;
advantages that, in my opinion, outweigh our disadvantages.
Our eastern seaboard, extending from the New South Wales border in the
south, a few miles to the south of the 28th degree of south latitude, to
Cape York, some 20 miles north of the 11th degree of south latitude,
contains our best districts for the growth of tropical and semi-tropical
fruits. The coastal climate, however, varies considerably, and is
governed by the proximity or otherwise of the coast ranges. When they
approach the coast there is always more rainfall, and as they recede the
rainfall decreases. With one or two exceptions, where the coastal range
is a considerable distance inland, the eastern coastal districts have a
sufficient rainfall for the successful culture of most fruits, though
they are subject to a dry spell during winter and spring. During this
period of the year, the weather is extremely enjoyable; in fact, it is
hard to better it, even in our extreme North. But as summer approaches,
thunderstorms become prevalent, and are accompanied by more or less
humid conditions, which, though good for fruit-development, are not
quite so enjoyable as the drier months. Summer is our rainy season, and
the rainfalls are occasionally very heavy. The weather is warm and
oppressive, particularly in the more tropical districts; but these very
conditions are those that are best suited to the production of tropical
fruits. The climate of those districts having the heaviest summer
rainfall is somewhat trying to Europeans, particularly women, but it is
by no means unhealthy, and in the hottest parts, having the coast range
nearly on the coast, there is, within a few miles, a tableland of from
2,000 to 4,000 feet elevation, where the climate is cool and bracing,
and where the jaded man or woman can soon throw off the feeling of
lassitude brought about by the heat and humidity of the seaboard. In
autumn the weather soon cools off, drier conditions supervene, and
living again becomes a pleasure in one of the best and healthiest
climates to be met with anywhere. Practically all the district under
review has a sufficient rainfall for the growth of all fruits suitable
to the climate, though there are occasionally dry spells during spring,
when a judicious watering would be a great advantage. This does not
imply a regular system of irrigation, but simply the conserving of
surplus moisture in times of plenty by means of dams across small
natural watercourses or gullies, by tanks where such do not occur, or
from wells where an available supply of underground water may be
obtained. The water so conserved will only be needed occasionally, but
it is an insurance against any possible loss or damage that might accrue
to the trees during a dry spell of extra length. So far, little has been
done in coastal districts in conserving water for fruit-growing, the
natural rainfall being considered by many to be ample; but, in the
writer's opinion, it will be found to be a good investment, as it will
be the means of securing regular crops instead of an occasional partial
failure, due to lack of sufficient moisture during a critical period of
the tree's growth. The average yearly rainfall in the eastern seaboard
varies from 149 inches at Geraldton to 41 inches at Bowen, the mean
average being about 90 inches to the north and 49 inches to the south of
Townsville. Were this fall evenly distributed throughout the year, it
would be ample for all requirements. Unfortunately, however, it is not
evenly distributed, the heavy falls taking place during the summer
months, so that there is often a dry spell of greater or less extent
during the winter and spring, during which a judicious watering has a
very beneficial effect on fruit trees, and secures a good crop for the
coming season. The rainfall shows that there is no fear of a shortage of
water at any time, the only question is to conserve the surplus for use
during a prolonged dry spell. These conditions are extremely favourable
for the growth of all tropical and semi-tropical fruits, as during our
period of greater heat, when these fruits make their greatest call for
moisture, there is an abundance of rain, and during the other portions
of the year, when the call is not so heavy, it is usually an inexpensive
matter to conserve or obtain a sufficient supply to keep the trees in
the best of order. Throughout the southern half of this seaboard frosts
are not unknown on low-lying ground, but are extremely rare on the
actual coast, or at an elevation of 300 to 400 feet above the sea, so
much so that no precautions are necessary to prevent damage from frost.
We have, unlike Florida and other parts of the United States of
America--great fruit-growing districts--no killing frosts, and now, at
the close of one of the coldest winters on record, and one of the
driest, nowhere have our pineapples--fruit nor plants--been injured,
except on low-lying ground, over in the Southern part of the State, and
mangoes, bananas, &c., are uninjured.
[Illustration: Burning-off for fruit growing, Mapleton, Blackall Range.]
[Illustration: Same land one year later. Fruit-grower's family gathering
strawberries.]
In the more tropical North frosts are unknown on the coast, and there is
no danger to even the most delicate plants from cold.
Running parallel with the coast we have a series of ranges of low
mountains, running from 2,000 feet to nearly 6,000 feet, the general
height being from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, and at the back of these ranges
more or less level tablelands, sloping generally to the west. On and
adjacent to these ranges in the Southern part of the State, there are
fairly sharp frosts in winter, but the days are warm and bright. This is
the district best adapted for the growth of deciduous fruits and vines,
table varieties doing particularly well. It is a district well adapted
for mixed farming and dairying, as well as fruit-growing; the climate
is even and healthy, and is neither severe in summer nor winter. The
average rainfall is some 30 inches, and is usually sufficient, though
there are dry periods, when a judicious watering, as recommended for the
coast districts, would be of great value to fruit and vegetable growers.
The more northern end of this tableland country has a much better
rainfall--some 40 inches per annum--and frosts, though they occur at
times, are not common. Here the climate is very healthy, there are no
extremes of heat and cold, and, lying as it does inland from the most
trying portion of our tropical seaboard, it forms a natural sanatorium
to this part of our State.
Further west the rainfall decreases, the summers are hot--a dry heat, as
distinct from the more humid heat of the coast, and much more bearable.
There are frequent frosts in winter, particularly in the Southern part
of the State. Fruit-growing is only carried on to a slight extent at
present, and then only with the help of water, but when the latter is
obtainable, very good results are obtained. Grapes do well, both wine
and table, and for raisin-making. Citrus fruits are remarkably fine, the
lemons especially, being the best grown in the State. The trees are less
liable to the attack of many pests, the dryness of the air retarding
their development, if not altogether preventing their occurrence. The
date palm is quite at home here, and when planted in deep sandy land,
and supplied with sufficient water, it is a rapid grower and heavy
bearer. As an offset to the smallness of the rainfall, there is a good
supply of artesian water, distributed over a wide range of country, that
can be obtained at a reasonable rate, and that is suitable for
irrigation purposes. All bore water is not suitable for irrigation,
however, as some of it is too highly mineralised, but there are large
areas of country possessing an artesian supply of excellent quality for
this purpose. It will thus be seen that we have in Queensland, roughly,
three distinct belts of fruit-growing country--
1st.--The Eastern Seaboard, and the land adjacent to it, suitable
for the growing of tropical and semi-tropical fruit;
2nd.--The Coastal Tablelands, suitable for the growth of deciduous
fruits, vines, olives, and citrus fruits in parts;
3rd.--The Central Tablelands, suitable for the growth of grapes,
for table and drying, dates, citrus fruits, &c., but requiring
water for irrigation to produce profitably.
So far, I have confined my remarks mainly to the climatic side of
fruit-growing, and, before dealing with the growing of the different
kinds of fruit, I will say a few words about our fruit soils, and will
deal with them in districts, as I have endeavoured to do in the case of
climate.
1st.--Soils of Eastern Seaboard, and Land adjacent to it, suitable to
the Growth of Tropical and Semi-Tropical Fruit.
Several distinct types of soil are found that are well adapted for
fruit-growing, but they all have one general characteristic which is a
_sine qua non_ of success--viz., they must possess good natural
drainage, so that there is no danger of their becoming waterlogged or
soured during periods of continued or heavy rainfall, as these
conditions are fatal to fruit culture under tropical and semi-tropical
conditions. Of such soils, the first to be considered are those of
basaltic origin. They are usually of a chocolate or rich red colour, are
of great depth, in parts more or less covered with basaltic boulders, in
others entirely free from stones. The surface soil is friable and easily
worked, and the subsoil, which is usually of a rich red colour, is
easily penetrated by the roots of trees and plants grown thereon.
Occasionally the subsoil is more compact, in which case it is not so
good for fruit-tree growth, but is better adapted for that of
sugar-cane, corn, grass, &c. These basaltic soils are usually rich, and
are covered in their virgin condition with what is termed scrub--a dense
mass of vegetation closely resembling an Indian jungle. The scrub growth
is totally distinct from forest growth, which will be described later,
in that the bulk of the timber growing in it, much of which is of large
size, is of a soft nature, and once cut down soon rots away. Imagine a
dense wall of vegetation, consisting of large trees running up to 100 or
150 feet in height, with trunks ranging from 2 to 8 feet, or even more,
in diameter, and between these trunks an impenetrable mass of smaller
growths, all of the most vivid green colours, together with innumerable
vines and creepers that are suspended from the branches of the trees,
hanging in festoons, creeping palms and bamboos, ferns and orchids of
many kinds, both on the ground and growing on the tree trunks, as well
as many beautiful foliage plants only found in hothouses in England, and
you will have a faint idea of what a virgin scrub in coastal Queensland
is like. Much of the timber of the coastal scrubs is of considerable
commercial value for building purposes and furniture making, and is, or
should be, so utilised prior to felling and burning off.
True scrub lands are not by any means the most difficult to clear,
though to a "new chum" the work will appear at first of a Herculean
character. Brushing the dense undergrowth and then felling the timber at
a face costs from L1 10s. to L2 per acre, according to density, size of
timber, and proportion of hardwood trees contained in it, and once this
is done the fallen mass is allowed to become thoroughly dry, when it is
burnt off. A good fire is half the battle, as the subsequent work of
burning off the heavy timber left from the first burn is comparatively
light. No stumps are taken out, as the bulk are found to rot out in a
few years, and their presence in the soil is no detriment to the
planting of such crops as bananas or even citrus fruit trees. No special
preparation of the land, such as breaking up, &c., is necessary prior to
planting. Holes are dug, trees or bananas are planted, and the whole
cultivation for the first few years consists in keeping down weed
growths with the chipping hoe. Once the stumps have rotted out the
plough and other implements of culture take the place of the hoe. These
soils are especially adapted for the growth of oranges, limes,
mandarins, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, papaws, custard apples,
strawberries, and cape gooseberries in the South; in fact, for nearly
every kind of tropical and semi-tropical fruit.
Some basaltic soils are occasionally covered with forest in the place of
scrub, or a mixture, part scrub and part forest. Forest country, as
distinct from scrub, is open-timbered country, with little undergrowth,
and no vines or other creepers. The timbers are also, as a rule, very
hard, and the stumps will not rot out. Such land, when at all heavily
timbered, is much harder to clear and get ready for fruit-growing than
true scrub, as all timber must be felled and burnt off, and all stumps
and roots taken out, so that the land can be thoroughly broken up and
brought into a good state of tilth prior to planting. These soils are
suitable to the growth of similar fruits to the true scrubs, but, as a
rule, they are not as rich. 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. These soils usually are
easy to work. They retain moisture well when well worked, and frequently
they are capable of being irrigated, either from adjacent creeks or
rivers, or by water from wells. These soils are some of our best for
citrus fruits, and are well adapted for the growth of pineapples and
bananas, as well as most other tropical fruits, when free from frosts.
The third class of soils are free sandy loams, either scrub or forest.
They are of various colours, and range in texture from light sandy loams
to medium loams; they possess excellent drainage, and though, when
covered with forest, they are not naturally rich, they make excellent
fruit soils, and respond rapidly to systematic cultivation and manuring.
They are usually of sandstone or granitic origin, and, when covered with
scrub in the first place, grow good crops for the first few years, when
they become more or less exhausted in one or more available plant foods,
and require manuring. These soils, like the sandy alluvial loams, are
easy to work, retain moisture well when kept in a state of perfect
tilth, and respond readily to manuring. They will grow all kinds of
fruits when free from frost. There are other soils on which fruit can be
grown, but those mentioned represent those most suitable. The land on
which these soils occur is often much broken, particularly in rich scrub
country; it is fairly level when of alluvial origin, and more or less
rolling, as a rule, when of a sandy loamy nature. High, ridgy, free,
loamy country is usually the most free from frost, and alluvial flats
the most liable to it.
2nd.--Soils of the Coastal Tablelands, suitable for the Growth of
Deciduous Fruit.
Starting from the Southern part of the State, adjoining the New South
Wales border, the fruit soils are all of granitic origin. The country is
much broken, but between the ridges and along the creek flats there is a
considerable area possessing soils varying from a coarse, granitic,
gritty soil to a fine granitic soil; that on the creeks of an alluvial
nature, but still granitic. These soils vary considerably in quality,
but are, as a rule, easy to work and retain moisture well. They are
covered with open forest and are particularly adapted to the growth of
apples, plums, peaches, and grapes, though other deciduous fruits are
grown but not to the same excellence as those mentioned. Proceeding
north the fruit soils are either sandy loams or loams of a brownish
colour of volcanic origin. The former are suitable for almonds and wine
grapes, and the latter for peaches, apricots, pears, apples, and
especially olives. Further north a few of these fruits may be grown on
loamy soils, together with citrus fruits, but, commercially, deciduous
fruits are confined to the southern end of this district, the winter
temperature being too high for their successful growth further north, as
the trees get no winter rest, hence do not mature their fruit-bearing
wood properly.
3rd.--Soils of the Central Tablelands, suitable to the Growth of Grapes,
Dates, Citrus Fruits, Etc.
At the Southern end of the State the fruit soils are all of a sandy
nature. Nothing else is used in any quantity, as sandy soils alone will
retain sufficient moisture for the growth of grapes and fruit trees
during dry spells, and even then only when kept well and deeply worked.
Further north, where suitable artesian water is available, the best
fruit soils are also free loams of a sandy nature, either alluvial or
open forest soils, but deep, and possessing perfect drainage, as
irrigation on land without good natural drainage is fatal to fruit
culture. These sandy loams are also easy to work; though by no means
rich, they, on account of their depth, grow good crops of fruit by means
of irrigation, and the fruit, such as dates, oranges, lemons, grapes,
&c., is of very fine quality. The fruit soils of this district are
covered either with open forest--the trees being of comparatively small
size--or with a scrubby undergrowth through which a few larger trees are
scattered. Nearly all the timber of this district is extremely hard, is
more or less stunted, and burns readily, hence clearing is not a very
expensive item.
Having now given a very brief description of our climate and the
fruit-soils in our principal fruit-producing centres, we will next
consider the culture of those fruits which are grown in commercial
quantities in the different parts of the State, as well as that of a few
less well-known fruits which show especial promise. We will first deal
with our tropical fruits, of which the first to be considered is the
banana, as its production greatly exceeds that of any other tropical
fruit, and, as far as Australia is concerned, this is the only State in
which it is grown in commercial quantities. From tropical fruits we will
go on to semi-tropical fruits, then to temperate fruits and vines.