k^ 



^MB tropical AOKiCtrtfURlSt. iAptnL h 288^ 



they could hold their owu with any at present im- 

 ported into this coimtry. 



Practically an undeveloped country, Western 

 Australia cannot be expected to show such an ad- 

 vance in matters horticultural as her sister Colonies ; 

 but what she has done already is good earnest of 

 what she is capable of doing, and it is evident 

 that choice and delicious fruits are to be numbered 

 amongst the stores of her prosperous future. 



Tasmania, unfortinately, was not represented at 

 the Colonial and ladian Exhibition, and, in view of 

 her capabilities as a fruit country, this was a dis- 

 tinct loss both to herself and to those who feel 

 an iuterest in colonial industries. As regards the 

 importance and value of fruit culture in Tasmania, 

 I cannot do better than quote a few words from 

 the admirable Paper read before the Koyal Colon- 

 ial Institute by Chief Justice Sir William Dobson 

 on May 11 last. He said : — " As might be expected 

 from our climate, the cultivation of fruit forms a 

 staple industry. I cannot demonstrate this morecleaily 

 than by telling you that, besides what we consume 

 at home — and we are large fruit consumers — we send 

 away S5,O0iJ/. worth to the neighbouring Colonies in 

 an unmanufactured state, and we manufacture four 

 and a half million pounds of jam, or more than 2,000 

 tous, of the value of 86,000^., of which we export 

 72,O00L worth. We also export what is called pulp 

 to the value of 13,000^. This is fruit of soft kinds 

 that would not stand a voyage, which is boiled down 

 and put into casks and shipped, for the most part, 

 to our neighbour, Victoria, who imposes a heavy duty on 

 our jam, but imposes a comparatively trivial duty ou the 

 pulp, which her jam manufacturers convert into Victoria 

 jam. Our manufactories employ about 300 hands, of 

 whom one-third are women. In the valleys ou the slopes 

 of Mount Wellington, and in other moist and sheltered 

 spots, the little settler has his raspberry plot and his 

 black currant plot, for these are the most favoured 

 fruits for jam making. Once planted, they need little 

 attention, and the only labour required is in picking 

 and carrying to market. " 



Fresh fruit from New Zealand arrived last summer 

 in 30 consignments, and English people were abie to 

 realise what the apples of the Antipodes were like, 

 by the beautiful fruit which Sir Julius A'^on Haast dis- 

 played tor some weeks amongst the other numerous 

 attractions of ihe New Zealaud Court. The changes 

 of temperature and the daily variations must be con- 

 siderable in a country like New Zealand, and these 

 are factors which must be well weighed by horti- 

 culturists. But it is evident that apples, quinces, and 

 fruits of this character can be very successiuUy grown 

 there. Moreover, they possess such keeping qualities 

 that fruit stood the long voyage without special 

 storage, and remained 'good for several weeks after- 

 wards. A writer on fruit culture in New Zealand 

 remarks that since New Zealand fruit reaches Europe 

 when there is little or none in the market it must 

 realise good prices. He adds: "So long as the 

 grower could get 2hd. per lb. for his fruit it would 

 pay well. " 



FIJI. 



Although one of the latest additions to our Colonial 

 Empire, the Fiji Islands are striving their utmost to 

 take a worthy place. They possess in their late Ad- 

 ministrator, and now Lieut-Governor, the Hon. J. B. 

 Thurston, c. m. a., an officer of great zeal and energy, 

 and one who is not only thoroughly conversant with 

 local circumstances, but who sympathises with any 

 well- directed efforts to develop the resources of these 

 fertile islauds. Sydney, in New South Wales,;js only 

 seven and a half days distant from Viti Levu, 

 while Auckland, in New Zealand, is only four and 

 a half days distant. Hence it is not surprising that 

 a trade in tropical fruit, begun in 1877, has now assumed 

 considerable importance. In 1885 the value of bauanas 

 and pineapples exported from the Fiji Islands reached 

 24,0O0Z. A fruit-preserving company has been estab- 

 lished, and the canned Fiji fruits exhibited at the 

 Colonial and Indian Exhibition woro attractive and 

 food. 



SOUTH AFEICA, 



\\'e come now to the South African Colonies, and, 

 if time permitted, I would be glad to enter fully into 

 the merits of the excellent collections which were 

 sent last year from the Cape of Good Hope and 

 Natal. The Cape of GaoJ Hope is so engrossed with 

 diamonds that it has little time for rural industries ; 

 but if it seriously devoted attention to the subject 

 of fruit, it could supply European markets with raisins 

 and currants, and with fresh grapes in almost un- 

 limited quantities. 



The collections of Natal fruits were most varied and 

 interesting. Many were essentially tropical, others were 

 purely temperate fruits. The varieties indicated a 

 wide range of climatic conditions, while the quality of 

 all the fruits was exceptionally good- The yellow 

 peach is so abundant in the Colony that it is' often 

 used for feeding pigs. If dried aud exported in largo 

 quantities, iMatal peaches should prove a valuable addi- 

 tion to the food supply of this country. Fresh fruit 

 from Natal could be placed iu the English market 

 during the months of March, April, aud May. These 

 are probably the months we most require thenV. As 

 indicating the interest taken just now in colonial fruits, 

 a correspondent at Pietermaritzburg su^'gests that, " if 

 Australia can send her oranges over a far greater dis- 

 tance of tropical sea to arrive in good condition in the 

 London market, there is no reason why the Cape 

 should not also engage in the trade, and find it even 

 more profitable." 



EASTERN TROPICS. 



In the Eastern Tropics we have the Empire of India, 

 Ceylon, Mauritius, and the Straits Settlements. As 

 regards India and Ceylon, it is doubtful whether we can, 

 at present at least, obtain any fresh fruits of a suitable 

 character. Iu fact, they have very few fruits which 

 they can spare iu large quantities capable of bearing 

 a long sea voyage. They might, however, supply some 

 preserved fruits. At the Colonial and Indian Exhibition 

 there was shown, from India, a small dried apricot 

 {Primus armcnica, L.), an important article of food iu 

 the Punjaub Himalayas, aud in the North-West Pro- 

 vinces, which deserve attention as a probable source of 

 an import trade for the English market. This fruit is 

 known iu India as the mish-mush, or " Moon of the 

 Faithful." Dr. Watt remarks that it is largely eaten 

 by all classes, fresh or dried, but chiefly fresh, aud 

 sometimes in preserve by Europeans. Sometimes the 

 apricots are pressed together and rolled out into thia 

 sheets or " moons " two or three feet in diameter, like 

 a blacksmith's apron. From Afghanistan large quant- 

 ities of the dried fruit are imported into India, and 

 distributed by trade far into the plains of Bengal. 



Mauritius produces most tropical fruits, such as 

 pineapples, bananas, litchis, gaavas. The natural outlet 

 for Mauritian fresh fruit would be during the winter 

 mouths to the Cape and South Australia. Preserved 

 and canned fruit might be prepared cheaply aud abund- 

 antly, and tor these there are markets all over the 

 world. Although no serious attempts have hitherto 

 been made to develop the fruit resources of Mauritius, 

 there is no doubt an external trade in fruit might be 

 established, which would do something to alleviate the 

 present depressed condition in which it is placed by the 

 fall in sugar. 



The Straits Settlements yield perhaps the richest 

 stores of tropical fruits of any of our depsudencieSi 

 The maugostecn, durian mango, pineapplci papaw, 

 duku, attap, loquat, plessan, ranibustin, pumelo, baua- 

 nas, blimbiug, guava cherimelia, were all shown at the 

 Indian and Colonial Exhibition in a preserved state, 

 and, with other better-known tropical fruit, they formed 

 one of the most interesting collections of East Indian 

 fruits seen in this country. Singapore pineapples are 

 largely exported preserved whole in syrup, and the 

 enterprise shown by several firms in popularising this 

 article will no doubt lead to a considerable trade being 

 established in this country. 



WEST INDIES. 



From the Eastern Tropics, I would ask to go witli 

 me to the Western Tropics, and especially to those 

 beautiful islands dotted over the Caribbeau eea, While 



