All varieties of this fruit thrive well and bear heavily in the more
Southerly part of our coast country, as well as on the country
immediately adjacent to it, the coastal tablelands, and several other
parts of the State. The trees are rapid growers, come into bearing very
early, and often bear enormous crops of fruit. They are good fruits for
home consumption or for the fresh-fruit trade, but are not equal to
European varieties of plums for preserving, drying, or jam-making. In
this State they have one very great drawback, and that is their
liability to the attack of the fruit fly, a pest that very frequently
destroys the entire crop. For home use they are, however, a very useful
fruit to grow, provided that the trees are kept dwarf, so that they can
be covered with a cheap mosquito netting as a protection from the fly,
as they are very easily grown, are by no means particular as to the kind
of soil on which planted, and are heavy bearers.