Quite a number of fruits are included under this heading, and all reach
a very high state of perfection in this State. The whole of the family,
the lemon-shaped citron excepted, is noted for the beauty and symmetry
of growth that its trees make, and I know of few more beautiful sights
in the vegetable world than a well-kept citrus grove in full bearing.
Take the common round orange as an example, its well-balanced and evenly
grown head, its dark glossy green foliage, its wealth of white blossoms,
which perfume the whole neighbourhood, or its mass of golden fruit
between its dark-green leaves, render it one of the most beautiful of
fruit trees at all times, but especially so when covered with blossoms
or ripe fruit. 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. Those who have seen the enormous crops of apples that are
produced on some trees in Tasmania or the old cider orchards of Devon or
Somerset can form an idea of the crops; but the writer, who has seen
both, as well as our Queensland trees, has no hesitation in saying that
a Queensland mandarin can give points to either as a heavy cropper; in
fact, if it has a fault, it is its proneness to overbear, particularly
when young. This all tends to prove how well adapted Queensland is to
the growth of citrus fruits, and were I asked to select a country
particularly suited to their culture I should have no hesitation in
naming this State, as I know of nowhere where their culture can be
carried out with less trouble, or where the trees will produce better
fruit or heavier crops. Queensland may well be termed the home of citrus
fruits, as we have no less than three native species which are
indigenous to the State, and are by no means uncommon in our scrubs.
Their presence gives unmistakable proof of the suitability of this State
for the culture of fruits of the same family, so that I think a short
description of these native species may not be out of place, but will be
of some interest to my readers.
[Illustration: Young Orange Orchard (6 years old) on scrub land, near
Mapleton, Blackall Range. Showing the standing scrub in the background.]
_Citrus australis_, the native orange or lime, is both the largest and
most common. It grows into a large tree, having a diameter of 15 to 18
inches in the trunk, and a height of 60 feet or more. It produces a
quantity of thick-skinned acid fruit, of from 2 to 3 inches in diameter.
The skin is full of a resinous sap, and the fruit is of little value. It
is a slow-growing tree, though, as just mentioned, it attains a
considerable size, is very hardy, and produces a quantity of fruit. Its
slow growth, when young, has prevented its use as a stock on which to
work improved varieties, but I have no doubt it would make a very hardy
stock that would be distinctly disease-resistant.
The second variety is _Citrus australasica_, the so-called finger lime,
a thorny bush, producing a fruit of from 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, and
3 to 4 inches long. The fruit has a thin skin, and contains an agreeable
acid pulp that varies in colour, in some specimens being of a reddish
tinge that resembles the pulp of a blood orange. These two varieties are
met with in the Southern part of the State, but the third is a Northern
species, to which Mr. F. M. Bailey, our Colonial Botanist, has given the
name of _Citrus inodora_, the North Queensland lime. It is met with in
the scrubs of the Russell River, and is described by Mr. Bailey as
bearing a greater resemblance to the cultivated species than the two
former varieties. It produces a fruit over 2 inches long by 1-1/4 inches
in diameter, having a thin rind and a juicy pulp of a sharply acid
flavour, so that even in its wild state it is a desirable fruit, and
takes the place of the cultivated lemon. Where native species flourish
as they do here, there is every probability of cultivated species
thriving equally well, and this is found to be the case in practice.
[Illustration: A young Orange Orchard, Woombye District.]
No fruits are more generally distributed or have a wider range in this
State than those of the Citrus family, as, with the exception of the
colder parts of the Downs, where the winter temperature is too low, the
Gulf country, and the dry Western districts, where there is no water
available for irrigation, they can be grown from one end of the State to
the other, provided that they are planted in suitable soil, and that, in
the drier parts, there is an available supply of suitable water with
which to irrigate them during the prevalence of long dry spells. The
country adjoining the eastern seaboard, extending from the Tweed River
in the South to Cooktown in the North--a distance of about 1,100 miles,
and extending inland for nearly 100 miles--is naturally suited to the
growth of citrus fruits, and there is probably no country in the world
that is better adapted to, or that can produce the various kinds of
these fruits to greater perfection or with less trouble, than this
portion of Queensland. Of course, the whole of this large area is not
adapted for citrus culture, as it contains many different kinds of
soils, several of which are not suitable for the growth of these fruits,
and there is also a large extent of country which is too broken and
otherwise unsuitable. At the same time there are hundreds of thousands
of acres of land in this area in which the soil and natural conditions
are eminently suited to the growth of citrus fruit, and in which the
tenderest varieties of these fruits may be grown to perfection without
the slightest chance of their being injured by frost; and where the
natural rainfall is such that, provided the trees receive ordinary care
and cultivation, there is seldom any necessity for artificial
irrigation. At the present time there are hundreds of citrus trees
growing practically wild in different parts of the coastal country that
are in vigorous health and producing heavy crops of good fruit, even
though they are uncultivated, unpruned, unmanured, and have to hold
their own against a vigorous growth of native and introduced shrubs,
trees, and weeds. When the orange, lime, citron, or common lemon become
established under conditions that are favourable for their proper
development, they apparently become as hardy as the indigenous plants,
and are able to hold their own against them, thus showing how well the
climate and suitable soils of coastal Queensland are adapted for the
cultivation of citrus fruits. The commercial cultivation of citrus
fruits is at present practically confined to this coastal area, the most
important centres, starting from the South, being Nerang, Coomera,
Redland Bay, Brisbane, Enoggera, Gatton, Grantham, Toowoomba, North
Coast line from North Pine to Gympie including the Blackall Range and
Buderim Mountain; the Wide Bay district, including Maryborough, Tiaro,
Mount Bauple, Gayndah, Pialba, and Burrum; the Burnett district,
including Bundaberg and Mullet Creek; the Fitzroy district, including
Rockhampton and Yeppoon; Bowen, Cardwell, Murray River, Tully River,
Cairns and district, Port Douglas, and Cooktown. In addition to these
districts a few citrus fruits are grown at Mackay, Townsville, and
several other places. Citrus fruits are also grown further inland, but
their cultivation here is largely dependent on the ability to supply the
trees with suitable water for irrigation during dry spells. Frosts have
also to be taken into consideration, for, though the days are warm, the
temperature often falls considerably during the night, owing to the
great radiation, and citrus-trees in districts like Roma, Emerald, &c.,
are liable to injury thereby. West of Emerald, at Bogantungan,
Barcaldine, and other places, citrus fruits do very well with
irrigation. Some of the finest lemons, Washington Navel, and other
improved varieties of oranges are grown here to perfection, the lemons
especially being of high quality, and curing down equal to the imported
Italian or Californian article. The soil in many of the inland districts
is well suited to the culture of citrus fruits, and when the trees are
given the necessary water, and are uninjured by frost, they produce
excellent fruit. I stated, some short distance back, that there is
probably no country in the world that is better adapted to the
cultivation of or that can produce the various kinds of citrus fruits to
greater perfection or with less trouble than the eastern seaboard of
Queensland. To many of my readers this may seem to be a very broad
statement; but I am certain that, if suitable trees are planted in the
right soil and under favourable conditions, and are given anything like
the same care and attention that is devoted to the culture of citrus
fruits in the great producing centres for these fruits in other parts of
the world, we have nothing to fear either as regards the cost of
production or the quality of the fruit produced. In order to exemplify
this, it may be interesting to compare our capabilities with those of
the principal citrus-producing districts north of the equator. To begin
with, I will take Florida, which more nearly approaches our climatic
conditions than any other citrus-growing country that I know of, and
which is noted for the excellence of its citrus fruit, and we find that
we have all its advantages except that of proximity to the world's
markets, without its disadvantages. We have a better and richer soil,
requiring far less expensive artificial fertilisers to maintain its
fertility, and at a very much lower price. We can grow equally as good
fruit; in fact, it is questionable if Florida ever produced a citrus
fruit equal in quality to the Beauty of Glen Retreat Mandarin, a
Queensland production. We get as heavy, if not heavier, crops, and our
trees come into bearing very early. We have no freeze-outs similar to
those which have crippled the industry in Florida so severely in the
past that many of their wealthy growers are actually covering in whole
orchards of many acres in extent as a protection from frost. This
covering-in is accomplished by means of a framework of timber having
slat-work or panel sides and tops--in fact, by enclosing their orchards
in a huge elaborate bush-house, which is further protected by the heat
produced by six large heating stoves or salamanders to each acre of
trees enclosed. If it pays the Florida growers to go to all this expense
in order to prevent freeze-outs and to produce first-class fruit, surely
we can compete with them when a seed stuck in the right soil under
favourable conditions will produce a strong, vigorous, healthy tree,
bearing good crops without any attention whatever.
[Illustration: An Orange Orchard, near Woombye.]
[Illustration: Orange Trophy in the Moreton District Exhibit at the
Brisbane Exhibition.]
In comparing Queensland with the citrus-producing districts of Southern
Europe, we have the advantage of better and cheaper land, absence of
frost, more vigorous growth, earlier maturity of the trees, and superior
fruit; but with the advantage of cheaper and more skilful labour,
especially in the handling and marketing of fruit, and proximity to the
world's markets in their favour.
As compared with California, our soil is no better than theirs, but it
costs much less, and their citrus industry is dependent on artificial
irrigation, their natural rainfall being altogether inadequate for the
growth of citrus fruits. Californian conditions more nearly approach
those of our inland districts, such as Barcaldine, with the exception
that the only rainfall in California is during the winter, whereas in
Barcaldine and similar districts the heaviest fall is during the summer
months, but, in both, the successful culture of these fruits depends on
irrigation.
In Jaffa, also, where the oranges are of large size and extra quality,
the trees have to be carefully irrigated and manured, as these
operations are found to be essential to the production of marketable
fruit.
These few instances show how favourably the conditions prevailing in
Queensland compare with those of the great citrus-growing districts of
Europe and America, especially in the matter of soil and climate, and I
feel confident that, if the industry were taken up in the same
business-like manner that it has been done in California and Florida, we
could easily hold our own against any part of the world. In comparing
Queensland with the rest of the world we have the advantage--also shared
by New South Wales and South Africa--of ripening our fruit at a time of
the year which is the off season in the citrus-producing countries to
the north of the equator, so that our fruit does not clash with theirs,
their ripening period and ours being at different times of the year. As
regards our Australian market, our fruit ripening earlier than that of
the Southern States, we are enabled to dispose of a considerable portion
of our crop in the Southern markets before the local fruit is ready for
gathering. This gives us three markets--first, a local one; secondly, a
Southern one; and, finally, when this demand is supplied, an oversea
market to Europe, America, and the East.
When grown under favourable conditions, citrus-trees are heavy bearers
in this State, it being no uncommon thing to meet with seedling or
worked orange-trees of from ten to twelve years of age producing over
twenty cases of marketable fruit to the tree, averaging about 10 dozen
medium-sized fruit.
[Illustration: Bunch of Valencia late Oranges, Blackall Range District.]
[Illustration: Washington Navel Oranges, Barcaldine District, Central
Line.]
Citrus-trees of all kinds, particularly worked trees, come into bearing
very early, and the returns obtained from an orchard rapidly increase.
The illustrations give a good idea of the rapid growth, and a fair one
of the crop of fruit the young trees are bearing, but the following
examples, taken at random for the crop that was marketed in January,
1906, will show better how our trees bear:--
Mr. A., Blackall Range, marketed 7-1/4 cases per tree from a row of
twenty-five Beauty of Glen Retreat Mandarins, planted April, 1900.
A return of L1 10s. per tree.
Mr. B., from the same district, averaged 7 cases of Washington
Navel Oranges per tree from trees six years old, which realised L1
15s. per tree, and 8 cases of Beauty of Glen Retreat Mandarins from
trees of the same age. The navels were large, and averaged 5 dozen
per case, and the mandarins 10 dozen per case.
Mr. C, another district, averaged 6 cases of Valencia Late Oranges,
from trees six years planted, and 10 cases per tree from Emperor
Mandarins, nine years old.
One twelve years old orange-tree in this district produced over 25
cases of fruit.
Mr. D., same district as last; Washington Navels averaged 10 cases
per tree, ten years planted, and have borne regular crops since
three years old.
Numerous other cases might be given, but the above are sufficient to
show the earliness at which our trees bear, and the crops they yield.
Trees in full bearing often yield up to 40 cases, but these are usually
old seedlings, which bear a very heavy crop one year and a comparatively
light crop the next. All the instances I have quoted are from worked
trees, which are found to give the most regular and constant yields.
Until quite recently, citrus-trees were almost entirely grown from seed
in this State, with the result that we have a very large number of
types, and many crosses between different species. This was not
advisable, as a uniformity in type is desirable for marketing, hence the
greater number of trees now being planted are of selected varieties of
proved merit. Many of the seedlings have produced most excellent fruit,
but a seedling has usually the disadvantage of being very full of
seeds, and having a lot of rag (the indigestible fibre round the pulp)
as compared with the worked varieties, which have either no seeds or
very few seeds and little rag. Seedlings are also of many types, and
they produce a lot of small fruit, thereby making an uneven sample,
whereas worked trees produce fruit even in size and quality. 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. Fresh seed
germinates quickly, and the young plants are soon ready to be
transplanted into the nursery bed, where they are either worked over or
allowed to remain seedlings. At twelve months old, from seed, a tree
will have a stem-diameter of about 3/4-inch, and a height of 3 to 4
feet, a growth about twice that made in the Southern States.
The general remarks I have given respecting our fruit soils apply with
equal force to those best adapted for citrus culture--viz., they must
possess perfect drainage, and be of a friable nature. We are growing
most of the best varieties of citrus fruit, the original trees from
which they are now being propagated having been introduced into the
State from the most celebrated citrus-producing districts in the world,
and, as stated and shown by the accompanying illustrations, they are all
doing well.
The Washington Navel, the variety of orange most commonly grown in
California, does remarkably well on our rich volcanic scrub soils, where
it has proved itself a regular bearer of high-class fruit. The
Mediterranean Sweet Orange, Valencia Late, and Jaffa also do well in
many parts, the Valencia Late adapting itself to most districts. Many
other kinds of oranges are grown, but the varieties mentioned are some
of the best, and are the ones now being planted in the greatest
quantity.
[Illustration: Spray of Orange Blossom.]
In mandarins, all kinds do remarkably well, and I never saw this fruit
produced to greater perfection in any part of the world than it is in
Queensland. The varieties most commonly grown are: The Emperor or
Canton, the Scarlet or Scarlet Emperor, Thorny or Tangerine, and Beauty
of Glen Retreat, though there are many types of seedlings in addition to
these well-known sorts. The grape fruit which is now so popular in
America does well, but, so far, has not taken on in our markets. Citrons
grow practically wild, and produce good fruit, for which there is a
limited demand for peel. Their cultivation could be extended with ease
were there a better demand for peel. The Seville Orange, which is used
for the manufacture of marmalade, is an exceptionally hardy and prolific
tree, and, were it required, we could easily grow enough of this fruit
to supply the world. Lemons do best inland, or at an elevation of some
2,000 feet above sea-level, as this fruit is apt to become too coarse in
the skin when grown in a humid climate. In suitable localities very good
fruit can be grown, which compares very favourably with the European or
American grown fruit.
The lime does well in the more humid districts, taking the place of the
lemon, and one variety--the Tahiti--has proved itself to be a heavy and
regular bearer. The West Indian lime, from which the lime juice of
commerce is made, is very easily grown, particularly in the more
tropical parts, where it is often met with growing in an entirely
uncultivated condition, and bearing heavy crops of fruit. Kumquats are
easily grown, and are heavy bearers, and all the different types of
pomelos or shaddocks do well. Seedlings of the latter are very hardy, as
they are deep-rooted plants that stand dry weather well and are,
consequently, not liable to injury during dry spells. There is very
little demand for the fruit, but I am of opinion that the seedlings will
prove to be of value as stocks on which to work our best kinds of
oranges.
The culture of all kinds of citrus fruits, when grown in suitable soil,
is by no means difficult, as it consists mainly of keeping the land well
stirred and keeping down all weed growth during dry spells, the keeping
of the trees well pruned out in the centre, and the keeping in check of
all diseases, both insect and fungus. Although citrus fruits are subject
to many pests, they are for the most part easily kept in check by either
spraying or cyaniding, or both, provided that reasonable care is taken,
and the pests are destroyed before they have obtained control. Taken as
a whole, our citrus fruits are remarkably clean, and compare more than
favourably with those grown in the Southern States. The culture of these
fruits is extending rapidly, with a corresponding increase in
production, but, despite this, our prices have been better during the
past season than for some years, as the quality of our fruit is such
that it will command a good market. When properly handled, it has good
keeping qualities, and I have no doubt that we will, in time, be able to
supply the markets of the Old and New Worlds with good fruit, in the
best of condition, at the time of the year that their markets are bare
of locally-grown citrus fruit.
There is a good opening for the growth of citrus fruits in this State,
as the writer knows of no country where they do better, where they can
be produced with as little trouble and expense, where they can be
successfully grown over such a large area, or where the soil and climate
is more suited to the production of fruits of the highest quality as in
Queensland.
[Illustration: Lisbon Lemon, Esk District.]