372 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



November 19, 1904. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



BANANAS AND PINE-APPLES IN 

 QUEENSLAND. 



In the iuimuil report of the Qucoiisland Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture for 1903-4 the following reference 

 is made to the cultivation of bananas and pine- 

 apples : — 



The area under bananas increased by 1,-'51 1 acrts— from 

 5,266 acres in 1902 to 6,577 acres in 190:5. The total pro- 

 duction, however, notwithstanding the increased area, 

 shows a reduction of 47,437 bunches, the figures for the 

 two years being 1,160,01-0 bunches and 1,112,.'578 bunches 

 respectively. This fruit forms the principal article of export 

 at Geraldton and Cairns, and it lias been necessary to 

 increase the number of insi>ectors at the former place to 

 -safeguard the southern trade. Tliough every effort is made 

 to induce the sliiiipers to send but the best fruits to market, 

 these efforts are severely handicapi)ed liy the treatment this 

 delicate fruit receives on board sliij) and on the wharves. 

 There is room for much improvement in this connexion, and 

 as the trade is of .some considerable value to the shii)iiing 

 companies, it is thought that it would be to their interest to 

 Revise better means of handling, so that the fruit could reach 

 its destination in better form. In one case during last year 

 some thousands of bunches out of one ship were condenmed 

 in a southern ])ort and destroyed, and it was ascertained on 

 investigation that the principal cause was owing to the wet 

 weather during the voyage, which necessitated the holds 

 being closetl down during the greater part of the voyage. 

 A free circulation of air, so necessary to this delicate 

 fruit, was thus excluded. The loss on this consignment to 

 the growers was something considerable. 



The area under pineapples increased from 1,101 acres 

 in 1902 to 1,493 in 1903, an addition in area of 392 acres. 

 Of this fruit the Brisbane district carries the largest area, 

 viz., GOl acres, followed by the Logan with 206 acres. 

 During tlie year many exiieriments have been made to test 

 the keeiiing i|uaiities of this fruit in view of an export trade, 

 but though they have been successful up to a certain point, 

 the carriage over-sea in the I'old room has not yet been 

 accomplished. Attention has been given to the canning 

 factories in the direction of canning, and a trade with the 

 western States is in a fair way of being established ; l)Ut 

 competition with the Straits Settlements, which enjoys the 

 advantage of a free port and a goodly supply of cheap 

 labour, lias to be overcome. Inquiries ha\-e been made as to 

 the system of manufacture in vogue at Singapore, and the 

 results of these inquiries hav- been placed at the service of 

 fhose interested. 



COCOA-NUT OIL INDUSTRY IN JAMAICA. 



The following menioranduiu on tlie above .subject 

 has been pre])are(l by Mr. .John Barclay-, Secretary of 

 the Jamaica Agricultural Society : — 



Before the hurricane in August 1903, Jamaica exported 

 about thirty millions of cocoa-nuts, value £68,000. The 

 hurricane destroyed 7-5 per cent, of the bearing trees 

 and injured the remainder so materiallj' that they have not 

 boi-ne much this year. The shortage of cocoa-nuts was so bad 

 that a soap company which depended mostly on cocoa-nut oil 

 for making its soa[) has had to shut down. There is not 

 niucli land availalile to take up for growing cocoa-nuts unless 

 a going plantation were purchased. Some of the sugar 

 estates in Trelawny that have been going out of cultivation 

 \\ould form very suitable spots, and the soil W(.iuld be in very 

 good condition for planting cocoa-nuts. Such lands could 

 not be compared in price, which might be £2 to .£4 per acre, 

 with the large stretches available in Central America, such 

 as the ilosijuito Coast, where land can be got on nominal 

 terms; but, on the other hand, we have a .settled and peaceful 

 population and conditions of civilization all around ; we have 

 good laws, gooil roads, gond shipping facilities, and no 

 such enemies to cocoa-nuts as do such extensive damage in 

 South America -"Squirrels, monkej'.s, etc. 



I am afraid this year and next year cocoa-nuts will not 

 be plentiful enough here to be got at anything less than the 

 market price as rpioted in Xew York. 



ORANGE INDUSTRY IN PORTO RICO. 



The following reference to the orange industry in 

 Porto Rico is made by Frofcs.sor Earle in the Annual 

 Report on the Experiment Station : — 



;Many thiiusands of orange trees have been planted 

 during the past two years, and the indications are that theso 

 plantings will be largely increased in the near future. The 

 prospects for developing a successful orange industry seem 

 very flattering. There is an al>undance of suitable land at 

 reasonable prices. The ipiality of the fruit is good. (_'heap 

 labour, cheap freight rates, and the absence of tariff charges 

 will make it jiossiblc to place Poito liicau oranges on the 

 American market in ciim[)etitiini with those grown in other 

 countries. The climate i< favourable, and .so far no diseases 

 or insect pests have been observed that are not to be encoun- 

 tered elsewhere with equal severity. Xuinerous kinds of 

 scale insects occur, any one of wliich would be capable of 

 doing great harm, but eai'h seems to be held in check l.>y one 

 or more natural enemies. 



