460 FRUIT CULTURE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 



Australia. Much attention is being paid to citrus culture in New Zea- 

 land, where the soil and climate, particularly in the north island, are 

 well adapted to the industry. The oft-repeated statement that only 

 sour oranges mature in that colony is due to the fact that heretofore the 

 oranges were pro luced from the seedling and that the best grafted vari- 

 eties have only been recently introduced. 



The orange was first planted in New South Wales by Captain Hun- 

 ter, who accompanied Capt. Arthur Philip and the early settlers to 

 Australia in 1788. The ship which conveyed them, while on the voy- 

 age stopped at Rio, where orange plants and seed were obtained. I 

 learn from Captain Hunter's journal of transactions at Port Jackson 

 (Sydney) that some of these plants were taken to Norfolk Island. There 

 is a reference to the latter fact in the journal of Lieutenant King, R. 

 N., who says : 



Two orange trees which I brought with me from Sydney were kept in tubs until 

 I could find a sheltered situation in which I could plant them. 



In another part of the same journal it is recorded that " the orange 

 trees were in a thriving state." The fine appearance of the orange 

 groves and the superb flavor of the fruit in new South Wales are fre- 

 quently mentioned in the early records of the colony. 



Flourishing orange groves are, in the present day, to be found almost 

 everywhere within a radius of 50 miles from the city of Sydney, the 

 oldest trees being found about Parramatta, Lane Cove, and Central 

 Cumberland; while in the valleys of the Hunter, the Hawkesbury, Man- 

 ning, Nepean, Richmond, and Clarence Rivers are flourishing groves. 

 It would be difficult to find in any part of the world groves more beau- 

 tiful or luxuriant than those around Parramatta. There can be seen 

 trees laden with blossoms and fruit in every stage of growth. 



BEST VARIETIES FOR PROFIT. 



There are many varieties of oranges and lemons in New South Wales, 

 all of which are more or less profitable. Every grower has his favorite, 

 and it would be difficult to select- any particular kind as yielding larger 

 profit than another. 



It is probable, however, if a census of opinion were taken that there 

 would be a majority in fa vor of the Parramatta orange (citrus aur&ntium 

 variety) brought originally from Brazil in the early days of the colony. 

 This kind is met with in the markets more often and in greater number 

 than any other variety of orange. The skin is usually thick, but there 

 is nothing coarse about the fruit. Many of Ihe oranges are said to be 

 fruits of seedlings, and I am informed by Mr. Charles Moore, the direc- 

 tor of the Sydney botanic gardens, that, as a rule, seedlings do not pro- 

 duce the same quality of fruit as that from which the seeds were taken; 

 also, that resort must be had to budding, grafting, or layering in order 

 to produce really good fruit. 



