) May, 1900.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 377 
; la great radiation ; and citrus trees at districts like Roma, Emerald, &c., are 
| ble to injury thereby. The soil in many of the inland districts is well suited 
} “the culture of citrus fruits, and when the trees are given the necessary 
| Water and are uninjured by frost they produce excellent fruit, lemons especially 
| i, § superior to those raised on the coast. I stated some short distance back 
| “at there is probably no country in the world that is better adapted to the 
| filtivation of or that can produce the various kinds of citrus fruits to greater 
| Mtfection or with less trouble than the eastern seaboard of Queensland. To 
_ | "ny of my readers this may seem to be a very broad statement; but I am 
| ‘tain that, if suitable trees are planted in the right soil and under favourable 
j iutitions, and are given anything like the same care and attention that is 
| oted to the culture of citrus fruits in the great producing centres for these 
la, Its in other parts of the world, we have nothing to fear either as regards 
© cost of production or the quality of the fruit produced. In order to 
qemplity this, it may be interesting to compare our capabilities with that of 
GEE citrus-producing districts north of the Equator. To begin with, 
Will take Florida, which more nearly approaches our climatic conditions than 
| °Y other citrus-growing country that T know of, and which is noted for the 
_ | Xcellence of its citrus fruit; and we find that we have all its advantages, 
cent that of proximity to the world’s markets, without its disadvantages. We 
| “Ne a better and richer soil, requiring far less expensive artificial fertilisers to 
htain‘its fertility and at a very much lower price. We can grow equally as 
| od fruit; in fact, it is questionable if inbyan ever produced a citrus fruit 
| Wal in quality to the Beauty of Glen Retreat Mandarin, a Queensland 
uction. We get as heavy if not heavier crops, and our trees come 
earing yery early, and we have no freeze-outs similar to those which 
| othe crippled the industry in Florida so severely in the past that many 
|" their wealthy growers are actually covering in whole orchards of as 
}tch as 15 acres in extent as a protection from frost. This covering-in 
ie ’ccomplished by means of a framework of timber having slat work, 
| Ecol sides and tops—in fact, by enclosing their orchards in a huge 
V ley orate bushhouse which is further protected by the heat produced by six 
Ta S¢ heating stoves or salamanders to each acre of trees enclosed. If it pays 
| ,° Florida growers to go to all this expense in order to prevent freeze-outs and 
| produce first-class fruit, surely we can compete with them when a seed stuck 
| ia right soil under favourable conditions will produce a strong, vigorous, 
| “uthy tree bearing good crops without any attention whatever. 
In comparing Queensland with the citrus-producing districts of Southern 
; yee we have the advantage of better and cheaper land, absence of frost, 
with vigorous growth, earlier maturity of the trees, and superior fruit ; but 
8 the advantage of cheaper and more skilful labour, especially in the 
Ndling and marketing of the fruit, and proximity to the world’s markets in 
theft favour. 
2 As compared with California, our soil is no better than theirs, but it 
ms much less, and their citrus industry is dependent on artificial irrigation, 
Sr natural rainfall being altogether inadequate for the growth of citrus fruits. 
Hfornian conditions more nearly approach those of our inland districts, such 
la, arcaldine, with the exception that the only rainfall in California is during 
the Winter, whereas in Barcaldine and similar districts the heaviest fall is during 
4 iq ummer months, but in both the successful culture of these fruits depends 
| “Urigation. 
j ne, Tn Jaffa, also, where the oranges are of large size and extra quality, the 
8 have to be carefully irrigated and manured, as these operations are found 
© essential to the production of marketable fruit. 
a These few instances show how favourably the conditions prevailing in 
| Meensland compare with those of the great citrus-growing districts of Europe 
1h, America, especially in the matter of soil and climate, and I feel confident 
| a if the industry was taken up in the same business-like manner that it has 
) “ndone in California and Florida that we could easily hold our own against 
