This Peruvian fruit, introduced into this State _via_ the Cape of Good
Hope, hence its name, has now spread throughout the greater part of the
tropical and semi-tropical portions of Queensland. Its spread has
largely been brought about by the agency of fruit-eating birds, that
have distributed the seeds widely by means of their castings. It is one
of the first plants to make its appearance in newly burnt-off scrub
land, and often comes up in such numbers as to give a full crop of
fruit. In other cases it is usual to scatter a quantity of seed on such
land, so as to be sure of securing a plant. No cultivation is given; the
plant grows into a straggling bush bearing a quantity of fruit which is
enclosed in a parchment-like husk. The fruit is gathered, husked, and is
then ready for market. The bulk of the fruit is grown in this manner,
and as it can be grown on land that is not yet ready for any other crop
(grass or maize excepted) it is a great help to the beginner, as a good
crop and fair prices can usually be obtained. The name "gooseberry" is
somewhat misleading, as it is not a gooseberry at all, is not like it,
nor does it belong to the same natural order. It is a plant belonging to
the order Solanaceae, which includes such well-known plants as the
potato, tomato, tobacco, &c., and altogether unlike the common
gooseberry, which, by the way, is one of the fruits that we cannot do
much with. In addition to being grown in the wild manner I have
described, it is occasionally cultivated in a systematic manner,
somewhat like the tomato, but not to any extent; growers preferring to
depend on it as a first return from newly fallen and burnt-off scrub
land. As a fruit it meets with a very ready sale, as it is one of the
best cooking fruits grown; plainly stewed and served with cream, made
into puddings or pies, or converted into jam, it is hard to beat. The
jam has a distinct flavour of its own, one that one soon becomes very
partial to, besides which it is an attractive-looking jam that, were it
better known in the world's markets, would, I feel sure, meet with a
ready sale at satisfactory rates. The plant is somewhat susceptible to
cold, hence it does best in a district free from frost, but it is not
killed out by light frosts, only killed back, and its crop put back.
Like all plants belonging to the same natural order, it likes a good
soil, rich in available potash, and this is probably the reason why it
does so well on newly burnt-off scrub, the ashes of which provide an
ample supply of available potash.