ToL. Yll. No. 149. 



THE AGEICULTUKAL NEWS. 



FRUIT IN QUEENSLAND. 



The fruit imluslrv of Queensland would appear to 

 be in a pro.=peious condition. 'J"he area of banana 

 cultivation is undergoing rapid exteu'sion, although steps 

 have to be taken to protect the ripening fruit against 

 the ravages of the fruit Hy. Growers of citrus fruits 

 have every reason to be contented, aind the growing and 

 canning "of pine-apples also constitute a developing 

 branch^f the industry. The particulars given herewith, 

 have been taken from the Annual Report, 1906-7, of 

 the Instructor in Fruit Culture in Queensland: — 



Bananas, which suffered so severely in the northern 

 part of the colony from a cyclone, during the lieginning of 

 1906, have now recovered to such an extent that a crop of 

 1 2.56,000 bunches will be taken off' during the next few- 

 months. . . , ^ ^, 



In the S(aith, the culture of this Iruit remains about the 

 same, though, owing to the fact that the fruit fiy does not 

 attack the 1'ruit here, the bunches ace allowed to develop 

 properly, instead of l)eing cut half-ripe, with the result that 

 the southern-grown fruit is very superior to that of the north, 

 and sells readily in the local markets. 



Steps have already been taken to protect the banana 

 industry, by bringing in a regulation making it coini)ulsory to 

 ■cover every bunch of bananas with a cheaji netting, which 

 has been proved to be an effectual protection against the 

 ravages of the fly. 



Pine-apple culture is extending steadily m the scut hern 

 part of the State, and also in the Cairns district, and a market 

 is found for the increased yield wdthout difficulty, as our 

 local canneries are aide to absorb any surplus. 



During the year we have conducted exiieriments for the 

 purpose ot" determining whether we can turn the waste 

 material from our pine-apple canneries, as well as the small 

 and crii>pled pines to a profitable use, and as far as can 

 be judged, we have succeeded in doing so. A quantity 

 of small pines were crushed and made into cider, which 

 shows promise of becoming an excellent drink for this climate. 

 An attempt has also been made to preserve the juice of 

 the fruit in a fresh state, without fermentation, and in this 

 we have succeeded. The juice is pressed from the skins 

 and the waste pines, filtered, pasteurized, Ijottled, and 

 hermetically sealed, and has kept perfectly sound for some 



.six months. , . c. 



The citrus crop of 1906 was a record tor this State, 

 and the bulk of the fruit was marketed in good order, ami 

 realized satisfactory prices. The crop of 1907 is also a good 

 one, the quality heing excellent, especially in the case of 

 Washington Xavel oranges and Lislion lemons. 



PIMENTO GROWING IN JAMAICA. 



An interesting account of the methods followed in 

 the growing and preparation of pimento {Piincntn 

 officinalis), is contributed by the American Consul at 

 Kingston, to the United States Consular and 'Trade 

 Reports for the month of November. 



The particulars given below have been abstracted 

 from the article in cpiestion, with a view of supplement- 

 ing the information on pimento growing wdiich has 

 already appeared in the A<jra-aUural Ne^vs (Vol. IV 

 p. 295). 



.Jamaica ajii^ears to be the only country in the w(M-ld 

 from which pimento is exported; although an inferior 



quality of the siiice is grown in Mexico, and other [)arts of 

 Central and South America. 



The pimento berries are dark in colour, and about as 

 large as a pea. They po.ssess an odour and flavour resem- 

 bling a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmegs, from which 

 the name ' allspice ' has been given to them. The pimento 

 tree, which belongs to the^ myrtle family, attains a height of 

 :50 feet. 



The tree flourishes in a wild state, and planta- 

 tions are readily estalilished by allowing land near 

 jiimento trees to become overgrown with bush from which 

 young seedlings spring up, as a result of a large number of 

 seeds deposited by the birds that have been eating the 

 pimento berries. The bush is then cleared, and the pimento 

 trees are allowed to grow up. ilost of the plantations in 

 .Jamaica were formed in this way. It is stated that the best 

 results are obtained, when a distance of 20 feet is allowed from 

 tree to tree. The trees grow well on a poor soil, when it is 

 fairly light and well drained. 



The first crop is yielded when the trees are aliout seven 

 years old, and after tliat the crops increase each year until 

 the trees reach maturity, which takes place at about eighteen 

 or twenty years old. The berries, wdiich form the ' allspice ' 

 of commerce, grow in clusters on the tree. They are gathered 

 while green, before arriving at the stage of ripeness. The full, 

 but unrips berry is spicy and indeed somewdiat peppery. In 

 gathering the berries the process followed is for one person to 

 cliinl) the tree and break off' the young branches, which are 

 thrown to the ground, the berries being picked from the 

 stalks by women and cliildren. Ripe berries are kept separate 

 from the green ones. Contrary to w'hat might be expected, 

 this breaking of the branches does not seem to damage the 

 trees, but is stated to afford the necessary annual pruning 

 without which the trees would not liear regularly. 



The Ijerries are afterwards put through a drying process, 

 in the same manner as cottee, the process lasting from three 

 to twelve days. This takes place either in the sun or some- 

 times, in wet weather, by means of an American fruit 

 evafiorator. The fruits are known to be sufficiently dry 

 when the seeds rattle on shaking, and are of a dark, spicy 

 colour. In favourable seasons, as much as one hundred weight 

 ot dry spice is obtained from a single tree. 



When ripe, the jiimento berries are of a glossy black 

 colour, sweet and sfiicy in flavour. If not picked before reach- 

 ing this stage, such berries are often used to make pimento 

 dram, a native drink. From the leaves of the pimento an 

 essential oil is distilled, which, added to rum, makes bay-rum. 

 The annual average cx[)ort of pimento from .Jamaica is about 

 7.5,000 liags, weighing, on an average, 145 lb. each. 



In 1905-6, the .Jamaica pimento crop fell .short of the 

 average, on account of the heavy and destructive rains which 

 occurred at the time when the berries were forming on the 

 trees, and the 1906-7 crop was again short as a result of the 

 prolonged drought. Cn account of the continuance of the 

 drought, this year's croii is again expected to be small, and 

 will probably not exceed 40,000 cwt. 



As a result, the price of this product is higher than 

 usual, the figure (pioteil in .Jamaica, at the time the Consular 

 refiort was written, being 21s. per 100 th., as compared with 

 an average price for many years past of IS.s. per 100 lb. It 

 is stated that if more care were taken in the preparation and 

 curing of the sjiice <:in the jiart of the small settlers, their 

 product would command a higher price on the market. 



Pimento growing is chiefly carried on in the jiarish of 

 St. Ann, but considerable quantities are also jiroduced in the 

 parishes of St. Elizabeth, St. Mary, Trelawney, and 

 ^Manchester. ^" 



