neceiuber, 1918 



The Custard Apple. 



Thoujrh little known in Addlaklc, 

 tlu> lustard apple, which, of course, 

 is not an apple at all, is well known 

 in Svdnev, where a considerable 

 tinantitv is imported from Hrisbane 

 ,ind northern towns of Oneensland. 

 It is not attractive to the taste 

 at first it is said, hut wc have 

 hoard it described as a " fruit 

 salad with the snirar and cream 

 th'rowTi in." The fruit sold in Syd- 

 ney at M. and i / each, is about 

 the size of a cricket ball, rou<jh 

 and somewhat pineapnlev in ap- 

 pearance, with the colour rather 

 resembling- a iiassion fruit. Some 

 varieties, of which there are many, 

 srrow to a much lariJ-er si/.e, 20 lt)s. 

 being about the limit. The pulp, 

 when ripe, is verv soft and mellow 

 and is usually eaten with a spoon. 

 The word custard is very appro- 

 priate. It is too much a tropical 

 fruit to eyer become widely grown 

 in otir State, but probably it would 

 grow and fruit in som's districts 

 under snecially favourable condi- 

 tions. Heat and moisture are ne- 

 cessary, the former, at all evients, 

 we can frenerallv snnnly. Tt can 

 be readily grown from se's'd but 

 does not come true. It qs said to 

 travel well so there is no reason 

 why it should not be seen more 

 often in Adelaide. It is growing 

 in favour in South Africa and we 

 find the following interestin<r note 

 on the subject in a recent issue of 

 the Union Anricultural Toumal in 

 connection with a specimen illus- 

 trated which wei"-hed 21 fts., which 

 is, it remarks, by no means ab- 



The custard apple has a very 

 wide, range in South Africa ; it is 

 grown successfully in the warmer 

 districts of the Transvaal, Natal 

 and Cape Provinces. Propagation 

 is simple, as the tree grows readily 

 from seed, but as in the case of 

 most other fruits, it cannot be 

 depended npon to reproduce itself 



THE GARDEN AND FIET. 



" true from sec<l" ; rccour.se tlu^^e- 

 fore is had to grafting. 



From what may be gathfred 

 from Indian writers on the subject 

 it woidd a])pear that the custard 

 apple trcc> has a decided weakness 

 for growing ont of cracks and 

 crannies on '.-ocks, old walls, and 

 other similar situations. Po.ssiblv 

 in the, wild static this may be the 

 case, and so assuming the cor- 

 rectness of this statement one is 

 iini)rei)ared to read that " a dee^) 

 stony soil is generally suitable, but 

 alluvial produces irood specimens." 

 From w'^ot the writer has seen in 

 South Africa, both the best grown 

 trees and the finest fruit are i)ro- 

 duced in the deep free loams. Tt 

 is necessary, however, for the 

 tree to succeed that a frostless 

 situation is selected in which to 

 plant it, that plenty of room be 

 allowed for the spread of its roots 

 and branches, and that it receives 

 such attention with the pruning 

 .shears and cultivator as is metted 

 out to anv frtvit tree when planted 

 in orchard form. When sinsrle trees 

 are srrown in a parden it ma^- be 

 possible to afford them plenty of 

 liquid cow manure, and to this 

 particular dressing they seem to 

 respond more readily than to 

 any other. In the case of a small 

 plantation this system would be 

 more difficult to carry out, but in 

 case cow manure were obtainable 

 it should certainly be used and a 

 complete fertilizer appli';d biennial- 

 ly. The custard applp is supposed 

 to be one of those fruits for whicli 

 a taste must be acquired. One 

 Indian writer states he h^s "never 

 met a European who was partial 

 to it " ; from what one can see 

 and hear in South Africa, there 

 is no need to acquire a taste for 

 it, the taste is here, but sufficient 

 of the fruit to gratify it is absent. 

 That this shoidd be the case con- 

 sidering the ease with which the 

 trees can be grown, would in an 



iD. ;i05 



older (oniilrv appear remarkable, 

 but in Sou 111 Africa it is not sin- 

 gular, when one considers the size 

 of the country and the nnnicrous 

 other channels, even in fruit grow- 

 ing, whicli invite the attention and 

 energy of our farmers. It must 

 not be assumed, however, that no- 

 thing has l)een done in the ])rc>duc- 

 tion of this fruit ; the troulde is 

 that too little effort has hm-n made 

 and insuilicient notice taken of its 

 pos.sibilities. There is every rea- 

 son why further planting should 

 take place to supply our own ma'r- 

 kets. It is possible also that in 

 time an export l)usiness will de- 

 velop, as the custard apple is in a 

 class by it.self as a shipping fruit, 

 and can be sent with success horn 

 South Africa to almo..st any part 

 of the world— R. A. Davis, Chief 

 Division of Hortictilture. 



♦ 



Summer Pruning. 



Sumjner pruning is often done 

 while the rapidly-growing shoots 

 are young and succulent, by nip- 

 ping off their points with finger 

 and thumb, and is more generally 

 knowTi as " pinching " than prun- 

 ing, though it is pruning to all 

 intents and purposes, and is 

 powerful for good or evil according 

 to the time when it is done and the 

 amount or lack of intelligence and 

 knowledge put in every pinch. Dur- 

 ing the last few years the tendency 

 has been towards doing this work 

 at a later dat^ than formerly, 

 when most of the shoots have be- 

 come too tough, and woody in 

 texture for pinching, and must be 

 cut off with the knife or secateurs 

 to sever them in a neat, workman- 

 like manner. Do not just break 

 the shoots and leave them on the 

 tree to wither and fall off on their 

 own accord. No advantage is 

 gained by this, but the disadvan 



DE^OIDUOUS FRUIX TREES. 



WieKS Bros., 



Late H. Wicks, Riverside and Balhannah, Payneham 



We ppBcialize in Deciduous Fruit Trees and Vines. 45 acres of faultlessly grown Fruit Trees. 



Large Stocks of Apples, Almonds, Apricots, Cherries, Plums and Prunes, Pears, Peaches, Quinces, etc., etc. 



ORDERS FORWARDED TO ANT PART OF THE COMMONWEALTH. 

 Inspection invited. Visitors met by appointment at Balhannah Railway Station. 



Catalogues Free on Application. 



