188 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAT. [1 Man., 1899. 
The Orchard, 
STRAWBERRY CULTIVATION. 
T'HE season for planting strawberries is now close at hand, and, notwithstanding 
. that full directions for the culture of this delicious fruit have been given in 
previous numbers of the Journal, we make the following suggestions for the 
benefit of those who haye not been recipients of the Journal until lately :— 
An important factor in successful strawberry culture is the variety which 
should be planted. Of the following four, either or all may be chosen :— 
Marguerite, Empress Eugenie, Trollope’s Victory, Pink’s Prolific, and 
Hautbois. 
Of these, the Marguerite is the largest, the Empress Eugenie coming next. 
Trollope’s Victory, Pink’s Prolific, and Hautbois are very fine flavoured fruit, 
and all are adapted to the Southern climate, especially on the North Coast line 
and at Buderim Mountain, where they grow to a large size. 
First-year-old suckers are the best plants to put out. 
Plant in rows 18 inches apart, with 9 inches distance between the plants. 
Do not plant on hills, as the plant roots do not obtain sufficient moisture ; 
therefore plant on the level. 
They do best planted on sandy loam, and should be mulched at the time of 
planting, or, better still, lay down a mulch of short stable manure betore 
planting. It is easy to put in the plants by slightly moving the straw and 
making the hole beneath it. 
If possible, the plants should be irrigated at intervals. 
In preparing the ground it should be ploughed to a depth of 12 inches. 
IMPORTED FRUIT TREES. 
Wr have received the following letter from Mr. John Williams, of Broad- 
water, writing on behalf of the Queensland Nurserymen’s Association, on the 
important subject of the importation of fruit trees from the south. It must 
be understood that in publishing this letter we do not establish a precedent 
opening the door to controversial correspondence. We give it solely because 
it affords us an opportunity of showing that the Department of Agriculture is 
quite in accord with the writer’s views as expressed by the Queensland Nursery- 
men’s Association, as will be seen from the extracts given trom the Queensland 
Agricultural Journal, and from Mr. A. H. Benson’s remarks which fellow :— 
To the Editor of the Queensland Agricultural Journal. 
Sir,--At a meeting of the Nurserymen’s Association held in Brisbane on 13th 
January, 1899, it was decided that I should write to call your attention to the vast 
quantities of trees annually imported from the southern colonies that are wholly 
unadapted to the Queensland chmate. A gentleman from Gladstone called on me 
recently, and said that some three years ago he bought upwards of £30 worth from a 
southern firm, and now he finds, after three years’ labour, loss of sweat, money, &¢., 
he has to dig them up, as his peaches, plums, and other fruit trees purchased, are of 
no use whatever, being unproductive. 
. 
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