1 Man., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 189 
The Department of Agriculture, under “Ze Diseases in Plants Act of 1896,” 
has all invoices of fruit trees imported passivg through its hands, and, after last 
season's importations, cannot be ignorant of the tact that thousands of these trees will 
be of no use, but worry and vexation to the owners. ‘ 
The first duty of the Department of Agriculture should be, seeing that we have 
Mr. Benson, an expert, to tell the people what trees are suitable, and then to teach them 
how to grow the fruit. 
[ think, Mr. Kditor, much good would result by your giving a list of the different 
kinds suitable to our colony, and the localities they are adapted for. 1t will be far 
better than any picture illustrations, which can now be put into catalogues, that catch 
the eye and fix the order. Who would buy a horse from a picture? Yet how many 
will buy a “‘fruit tree’? Buta list as suggested will be advice worth following. 
On behalf of the Queensland Nurserymen’s Association, ; 
I remain, &c., 
JOHN WILLIAMS, 
The Nursery, Broadwater, Mount Gravatt. 
Mr. Williams, in the above letter, states that “the first duty of the 
Department of Agriculture should be, seeing that we have Mr. Benson, an 
expert, to tell the people what trees are suitable.’ The following extracts 
from Departmental records show that the Department of Agriculture has been 
following the lines suggested by the Queensland Nurserymen’s Association, 
and it is gratifying to know that the Department has the approval of the 
Nurserymen’s Association for their action respecting this very important 
matter—viz., the importation and dissemination of unsuitable fruit trees in 
this colony :— 
On 10th May, 1897, in a paper on “‘ A Few Notes on Fruits to Grow,” read 
before the Queensland Fruit Growers’ Association and widely published by the 
Press, the expert gave the following advice:—“ Don’t plant trees that have 
been raised in the southern colonies of varieties that are suitable to the 
southern colonies, but which are totally unsuitable for tropical and semi- 
tropical Queensland.” In the same paper a list of suitable fruits was given. 
In the Annual Report of the Department of Agriculture for 1897-1898, 
the Instructor in Fruit Culture states:—“ One great fault has been made 
throughout the length and breadth of the colony, and still continues to be made 
despite all that one can say or write respecting it, and that is—that growers 
have planted trees in unsuitable soils and in unsuitable positions, and not only 
this, but they have planted and still continue to plant large numbers of trees 
that are absolutely unsuitable to the climatic conditions of the district in which 
they are attempted to be grown. Such injudicious planting in the past has 
resulted in much loss and many failures, and tle trees, where not actually dead, 
are generally so diseased as to be a source of danger to any other trees growing 
in their vicinity.” 
This statement is followed by a list of the fruits which are recommended 
as the most suitable for Queensland and of the districts to which individual 
fruits are best adapted. 
In the Queensland Agricultural Journal for 1st July, 1898, under the. 
heading of “Orchard Notes for July,” the following advice appears :— 
“ Don’t plant rubbish, and only plant those trees that your soil and climate 
are adapted for. Remember that the climatic conditions of this colony, with 
the exception of the Stanthorpe district, are altogether different to that of the 
colder parts of the southern colonies, and that therefore we cannot grow the 
same fruits here in our tropical and semi-tropical districts that are grown 
successfully in the south. 1 wish to call the attention of all fruitgrowers to 
this very important matter, as during the past few weeks several thousand 
fruit trees have been imported into Queensland from the southern colonies, 
many of which are quite unsuitable to the districts to which they have been. 
sent, and the planting of which will only cause disappointment and loss to those 
persons who have purchased them. The trees themselves are good, and provided 
