This fruit does well in parts of our coastal tableland country, though
its habit of blossoming too early in the season renders it very liable
to injury from late frosts. The trees do remarkably well, grow rapidly,
and bear heavily when the blossoms are uninjured by frost, hence it is a
good tree to grow in selected situations containing suitable soil, as it
commands a ready sale, and is very little troubled with pests. A free,
sandy, loamy soil is best suited to the growth of the almond, and the
situation should be well protected from frost. The trees are usually
worked on peach stocks, on which they make a very rapid growth. Several
varieties should be grown together, as a better set of fruit will be
obtained by doing so, most almonds requiring the pollen of another
variety flowering at the same time to render their flowers fertile. The
almond grows into a handsome, shapely tree, and, when in blossom, an
orchard is a sight not easily forgotten, the wealth of flowers being
such that it must be seen to be fully appreciated.
The walnut, chestnut, quince, blackberry, raspberry, and one or two
other fruits of the temperate regions are also cultivated to a small
extent, but are of no great value so far, though there is no reason why
the walnut, which does well with us, should not be cultivated to a much
greater extent than it is, as there is always a fair demand for the
nuts. Blackberries of different kinds have been introduced, and do well,
the common English blackberry almost too well, as unless kept in check
it is apt to spread to such an extent as to be a nuisance. In addition
to the cultivated fruits I have briefly mentioned as growing in
Queensland, we have a number of native fruits growing in our scrubs and
elsewhere that are worthy of cultivation with a view to their ultimate
improvement. Of such are the Queensland nut, a handsome evergreen tree,
bearing heavy crops of a very fine flavoured nut. The nut is about
3/4-inch in diameter, but the shell is very hard and thick. It could no
doubt be improved by selection and careful breeding. The Davidsonian
plum is also another fruit of promise. It is a handsome tree of our
tropical North coast, and bears a large plum-shaped fruit of a dark
purple colour, with dark reddish purple flesh, which is extremely acid,
but which is well worth cultivation. Several species of eugenias also
produce edible fruit, and there are two species of wild raspberries
common to our scrubs. There are the native citrus fruits I referred to
in an earlier part of this paper, as well as several other less
well-known fruits that are edible.
[Illustration: Tamarind Tree, Port Douglas District.]