mn h i^^7'] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



6gJ 



EEVIEW OF FBUIT INDDSTRIES IN THE COLONIES. 



-With the exception of oue or two, most of our 

 Colonies are separated from the Mother Country by 

 such "countless miles of ocean" that it was thought 

 impossible to draw from them any appreciable quant- 

 ity of fresh fruit. But the rapid progress made in 

 the construction of large and swift oceau steamers 

 has brought even our Australian Colonies wiihin the 

 compass of a four weeks' voyage ; and, if we can draw 

 supplies of oranges, apples, and pears from the far- 

 off orchards of Australia and New Zealand, what 

 cannot be done with the production of Colonies at 

 less than one-half the distance ? The voyage to New Zea- 

 land is possibly longer than to any other British Colony, 

 and if, as has been proved to be the case, supplies of ex- 

 cellent fruit can be brought from thence, there is 

 suggested to us a possible opening for a trade in 

 fruit with our Colonial Empire at present hardly 

 realised. The establishment of a coloni d niarket in 

 connection with the Colonial and Indian Exhibition 

 was tha means of bringing very forcibly before us the 

 characteristic fruit of each Colony, and the lesson taught 

 by it, if rightly followed up, will tend to bring an 

 acceptable supply of food within reach of all classes 

 in the Mother Country, while at the same time it will 

 develop such interest in the resources of the Colonies 

 themselves that attention will be devoted to an almost 

 unworked field of productive industry. 



As regards the exhibits of each Colony, which con- 

 sisted of both fresh and preserved fruits, I may men- 

 tion that a report, undertaken at the request of H. 

 E.H. the President of the Commission, has been pre- 

 pared by me, and is now in the press. This report 

 enters as fully into details as was practicable in the 

 limited space at my command. I have briefly sum- 

 marised under each Colony its capabilities iu the way 

 of fruit, and mentioned what appeared to be the most 

 successful of its exhibits, I will not now, therefore, 

 travel over the ground of this report ; but, with your 

 perndsdon, shall endeavour to supplement it by such 

 further information as I have gathered during this 

 inquiry, which to me has been throughout of an in- 

 teresting character. 



CANADA. 



Following the order in which the Colonies were placed 

 in the Official Catalogue of the Colonial and Indian 

 Exhibition, we begin with the Dominion of Canada, 

 which, as was naturally expected, made a magnificent 

 show of fruit, and there is little doubt the Dominion 

 is destined to become, in the near future, a very 

 formidable rival to the United States in the supply 

 of apples to the English market. The Canadian fruit 

 possesses high colour and delicate flavour equal to 

 the best American apples, and it is merely a question 

 of time whether Canadian apples are not as largely 

 consumed in Europe as American apples. 



At present American apples are imported to the 

 ■ value of 500,000?, while the value of Caudian apples 

 amounts only to 91,000/. It would be unfair to sup- 

 pose that Canada can produce apples only. In its 

 clear, bright, and stimulating climate it can grow al- 

 most any fruit of temperate climates, but at present, 

 through its horticultural societies and other organi- 

 sations, it wisely devotes chief attention to the improved 

 cultivation of the apple, and to the introduction of 

 new varieties or the acclimatisation of old ones. The 

 Province of Ontario is the most important centre for 

 apple growing, and in good years it is estimated that 

 this one Province alone will produce over a million 

 barrels. 



AUSTEALASIA. 



The Australian Colonies, although much further off 

 than Canada, possess one great advantage arising from 

 their position in the Southern Hemisphere. Their 

 winter is our summer, and our winter is their summer. 

 The Australian fruits will, therefore, come into the 

 English market at a time when few other fruits are avail- 

 able. As a writer recently remarked : " In May and 

 early June housekeepers ar(; sorely tried to furnish 

 the last course. English apples are few and shrivelled. 

 Those of American growth are spent. Pears are not 

 oa hire. The time of etrawberries has not come, 



except for the ' swacczering ' classes. Grapes are in 

 their worst season. Tiie nuts of autumn are dry and 

 mustj', and oranges are over. It is at this season 

 that we are to be blessed with the noble and beauti- 

 ful growth of Australia, of which as yet only the 

 timid firstlings have appeared in the fruit market of 

 the Colonial E.ihibition." 



Taking a rapid review of the Australian Colonies, 



it might be mentioned that New South Wales and 



South Australia are destined to produce oranges equal 



to any in the English market, and in this one fruit 



alone they possess an opening of great value. Australian 



oranges are expected to arrive in Europe in June, 



July, and August, a time when no oranges are found 



in the Northern Hemisphere. Shipments of this fruit 



at such a time must naturally cause a change in the 



characteristics of tlie English fruit trade, but for fine 



fruit carefully packed and well placed, there is little 



doubt it would soon establish itself as a recognised 



article of trade, and prove adequately remunerative. 



Victoria produces excellent apples, apricots, cherries, 



figs, melons, plums, and raspberries. Fig drying is 



being taken up as a local industry, and it is to be 



hoped that some portion at least of the 200,000^. we 



pay at present for our supply of foreign figs will be 



attracted by our brethren in this Colony._ The canned 



fruit of Victoria has been pronnunced in the City to 



be equal to the best Californian fruit now so largely 



used in Europe ; and, after carefully testing them, 



one firm has expressed the opinion that " there will 



doubtless be a large trade done between the Mother 



Country and the dependency of Victoria." 



Each Australian Colony by virtue of its geographical 

 position, its climate, and soil, and the tastes and 

 habits of its people, is enabled to take up its own 

 speciil branch of fruit industry. South Australia 

 produce.') grapes and apples, which can be sent here 

 in large quantities ; but if all its pears are equal 

 to those which appeared in the Colonial Market, and 

 they can be supplied in large quantities, this Colony 

 will have a distinctive fruit of great value in northern 

 markets. 



The weak points in the shipments of last year are, I 

 beUeve, well recognised at Adelaide, and will no doubt 

 be carefully avoided in the future. I am glad to 

 notice that the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Society of South Australia is taking action with the 

 view of securing a cool chamber capable of taking 10 

 tons of fruit by each fortnightly steamer from February 

 1 to April 30 of the current year. The first 

 consignment of South Australian fruit of this 

 season is probably, therefore, now on its way 

 home ; and I feel sure that the members of this 

 Institute, no less than English people generally, 

 wish every success to an enterprise which, although 

 primarily in the interest of trade, tends at the 

 same time to bind us closer together as an Empire 

 iu the paths of progress and in mutual well-being. 

 Queensland is capable of producing rich stores of 

 both temperate and tropical fruits, and there is a 

 local trade with Sydney in bananas and other fruit 

 which no doubt will lead to much greater develop- 

 ment. Pineapples of good quality and large size 

 are grown in the Colony, and Mr. Theodore Wright 

 speaks of fruit weighing from twelve to thirty pounds 

 in weight grown at Mackay, on the Pioneer Eiver. 

 While sub-tropical Queensland, with a fine dry 

 stimulating climate, granted only a sufficiency of 

 water, possesses excellent capabilities for producing 

 fruit with good keeping qualities, equal to the 

 Californian fruit, it is evident that tropical 

 laud must eventually become the seat of a large 

 fruit industry, provided a good outlet is found for it. 

 Western Australia, with an equally dry and stimu- 

 lating climate, has produced raisins and currants of 

 excellent quality. As regards the latter, it has been 

 believed that the Corinth vine has not proved a 

 succes.= anywhere except in the Morea and Ionian 

 Islands. What may have happened elsewhere I can- 

 not say, but the currants shown at the Colonial 

 and Indian Exhibition from West Australia, South 

 Australia, and the Oapo of Good Hope were seed- 

 legg, aud, moreover, were of «moh food quality that 



best 

 Queens- 



