FRUITS OF QUEENSLAND. 91 



are in Queensland. Another drawback to the growth of this fruit is that the 

 soils of our coldest district are not the best of cherry soils. The cherry likes a 

 deep, moderately rich loam, whereas we are growing it mostly on sandy loams 

 of a granitic origin. What fruit we do grow is good, and pays well on account 

 of its earliness, but I do not consider that this State will ever be able to 

 compete with the South in the growth of the cherry. 



THE PEAR. 



Many kinds of pears do well, but, unfortunately, this fine fruit is very 

 liable to be attacked by fruit fly. It does well generally in the districts that 

 I have mentioned as suitable for the apple, plum, and apricot. The tree is 

 healthy, grows rapidly and to a large size. It comes into bearing remarkably 

 < arly as compared with the pear in colder climates, and produces excellent 

 fruit. I have grown as good Bartletts here as could be obtained anywhere, 

 and the trees have proved to be good bearers and doers. This fruit does best 

 on deep soils of a medium to strong loamy nature, and of good quality, though 

 it does well in much freer soils, but does not make as good a growth or bear 

 as heavily. It is usually grown on seedling-pear stocks, but the growing of 

 suitable varieties on quince stocks and keeping the resultant trees dwarfed 

 is to be recommended. This method of growing the pear does well here, and 

 dwarf trees can be easily protected from fly, whereas it is practically impossible 

 to deal with big trees, which the pear becomes when grown on pear roots. 



THE ALMOND. 



This fruit does well in parts of our coastal tableland country, though its 

 habit of blossoming too early in the season renders it very liable to injury 

 from late frosts. The trees do remarkably well, grow rapidly, and bear heavily 

 when the blossoms are uninjured by frost, hence it is a good tree to grow in 

 selected situations containing suitable soil, as it commands a ready sale, and 

 is very little troubled with pests. A free, sandy, loa-my soil is best suited to 

 the growth of the almond, and the situation should be well protected from 

 frost. The trees are usually worked on peach stocks, on which they make a 

 very rapid growth. Several varieties should be grown together, as a better set 

 of fruit will be obtained by doing so, most almonds requiring the pollen of 

 another variety flowering at the same time to render their flowers fertile. The 

 almond grows into a handsome, shapely tree, and, when in blossom, an orchard 

 is a sight not easily forgotten, the wealth of flowers being such that it must 

 be seen to be fully appreciated. 



The walnut, chestnut, quince, blackberry, raspberry, and one or two other 

 fruits of the temperate regions are also cultivated to a small extent, but are 

 of no great value so far, though there is no reason why the walnut, which does 

 well with us, should not be cultivated to a much greater extent than it is, as 

 there is always a fair demand for the nuts. Blackberries of different kinds 

 have been introduced, and do well, the common English blackberry almost too 



