1 Jury, 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 33 
FEEDING FOWLS. 
Touching on maize, how common it is still to see the farmer’s wife keep 
on day after day, year in and year out, feeding nothing except this to her 
poultry. No greater mistake can be made than this. Maize alone is neither 
good for the laying hen or fattening bird, and we would strongly advise those 
so persistent in its use to desist. Don’t by any’ means stop feeding maize 
altogether, as this also would be a mistake, as it is a cheap and valuable food. 
Feed it in conjunction with other grain, such as wheat, barley, and oats, 
according to price. Itis best not to mix different sorts of corn together, but 
feed them each alternately—say, one one day, and another the next. owls are 
usually passionately fond of maize, and will pick it out first, and perhaps leave 
the rest, .if a mixture be given. Laying hens fed solely on maize go off in their 
yield, as the egg organs are very liable to become fatted up by this food. 
The Orchard, 
SOUTH AFRICAN FRUIT, 
Mx. D. O'Connor, Duporth, Oxley, forwards ug the following extract from 
the Spectator on the subject of the British imports of fruit from South Africa. 
A perusal of the article should afford much encouragement to our Queensland 
fruit-growers, aided as they are in their work by expert advice :— 
Queenslanders in general, and fruit-erowers in particular, are greatly 
indebted to the Agricultural Department for their enterprise and generosity in 
helping to instruct our orchardists in the production of good fruit. The 
various climates and soils of our colony are capable of producing in excellence 
nearly every known fruit. Our markets uready show improvement in the 
quality and abundance of Queensland fruits, but there is still great room for 
improvement. Too many inferior trees are allowed to encumber the ground ; 
these should be eradicated and replaced, after the ground is properly prepared, 
by the finest kinds procurable. It is useless to export inferior fruit ; the best 
alone will pay. The enclosed extract from the Spectator should give some 
encouragement to our growers. When on a visit to the Cape some time ago, 7 
was surprised at the high quality of the fruit, especially the apricots, grapes, 
and peaches. The Spectator’s encomiums are quite justified. 
During the last month (April) connoisseurs in fruit have had the oppor- 
tunity of enjoying what is to most a new luxury. This isthe finest fruit of 
Cape Colony, some of which has been placed upon the London market. ‘There 
are still great difficulties in the way of its transport, as freezing destroys it, and 
the maintenance of a cold chamber at a proper temperature gives more trouble 
than the steamship companies like. But what does arrive in good condition is 
incomparably good. ‘The large’ heart-shaped plum as full of juice as a peach, 
apricots with a double share of apricot flavour, peaches without a suspicion of 
the bitterness of Californian peaches and Williams’ Bon Chrétien pears, are the 
most prized varieties. ‘There are also three kinds of grapes, small black cluster — 
grapes; and two large varieties, with Muscat flavour, one black and the other — 
white, all grown out of doors, but not inferior to English hot-house grapes. 
The Cape has a great advantage over California for profitable fruit-growing. 
Tts seasons are the converse of ours. While we are freezing, the South African 
sun is ripening the orchards and vineyards of the Old Colony. Nature 
does so much for the Cape farmers that we wonder that they have not 
done more for themselves. ‘The perfect climate produces the fruit of a flavour 
unsurpassed in quality, and in quantities as great as Nature almost unassisted 
will grant. In January, when dessert on English dinner-tables is supplied 
