ae —e—eEeeEeeEeeEeeEeEeeEeEeEEeEeeEEeEeEeEeEeeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeEeeeeeeeeeerreeeeee eee 
148 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jury, 19 Ol. 
The question of the packing of fruit for market is one that our average fruit 
grower is slow to sp, and the want of knowledge is a matter which affects the 
marketable price of his productions. As a rule, any sort of package suits him for 
purpose of transit. Size or material isno object, and in many instances, nail or kero: 
cases are used, the previous contents of the cases not being taken into account as ha 
a deleterious effect upon the flayour of the fruit packed, and thus lessening the vs 
of the product and creating a distrust among those consumers who have handled tht 
brand on previous occasions. a 
Unless a standard case suitable for the various fruits, only to be used om 
becomes compulsory, the success of the fruit industry of Queensland will never 
attained. There is no reason why, with all the fruit land available, Queensland shou 
import the quantity of southern fruit she does during our own season, and our gro 
must bestir themselves in this matter, and produce first-class fruit, not only suffi 
for local requirements, but for export. - i 
In our Western country we have large tracts of land suitable for the cultivatic 
of raisins, currants, figs, &e. The climate being naturally dry, it is a factor in # 
production of dried fruits. With such natural resources, how is it that we 
annually sending thousands of pounds to foreign countries for dried fruits? We ha 
better facilities for conveying our fruit to market than the people’ who started | 
settlement at Mildura, and see what wondrous strides they have made in the last 
years with their dried fruits. 
Let us see toit that we do not neglect our opportunity. On the coastal districts | 
we can grow in abundance such fruits as the pineapple, banana, tomato, custa 
apple, persimmon, mango, all varieties of citrus, and in the Southern portion 
gooseberries and strawberries. For many years the pineapple and banana indu 
round about Brisbane was a most pretitable crop, but with the expansion of ar 
cultivation, prices became so low that very few of the early growers have continue 
grow them, preferring rather to sell their holdings for building purposes. 
Still, with low prices, the pineapple and pene are produced at a profit, a 
there is a great future before both varieties of fruit. 
We must have a canning and dried fruit establishment to utilise our surplus fru 
such establishment to be worked on business lines. We must get the best m 
possible and turn out a superior article, and we would then be able to compete again 
the world with our products. 
At present we have to rely upon the southern markets to consume our ontpv 
and very often the returns do not pay the cost of production, and for the loss caus 
by heavy freights and careless handling, and obsolete means of transit on both rail 
and steamer. 
We must have proper fruit trucks constructed for carrying our fruit from gro 
to market, and it is a shame to see the amount of loss annually to the grower thro 
the negligence of the Railway Department. 
Perishable fruit is daily put into box or open wagons, the latter covered with 
tarpaulin and left out all day on the line to sweat, and on arrival at its destina’ 
bananas especially are just as if they had been boiled. These remarks apply als 
steamer transit. Many times I have seen crates of bananas unfit for use throu 
over heating in the holds, and only last month a consignment of pears from the sou 
worth £300 was simply lost through being put into the hold to make room for a 
sheep. Custard a ate and persimmons have not so far been produced in any ¢ 
uantity, and good markets for same can be found in the southern States. he: 
Frits have been grown here for a considerable time, but have been a long tin 
securing the palate of the customer; such also can be said of the mango, 0} 
southern friends do not like mangoes at all, whichis a considerable loss to us, as 
uantities are grown and consumed in our State, and in a prolific season the m 
es not pay to market. The requirements at present for condiment (chutney) 4 
limited, yet we import annually large quantities of foreign chutney. Cape goosebe’ 
and _ strawberries pay the present growers fairly well, the gooseberry finding a re 
market at the jam factories, and when the intercolonial duties come off, larger fi 
will be open for the output, and the preserve takes well in our southern cities. 
export annually many thousands of quarts of strawberries to the southern cities, 
if better AEC and more careful handling were carried out by the Railw 
Department, the growers’ returns would correspondingly increase. Why is it that 
backbone of the country always has to suffer? 
Citrus Fruits.—Queensland may be very properly styled the home of the citr 
for in no part of Australasia does this variety of fruit grow so luxuriantly, but the 
is a thorn to every rose, so also the citrus tribe has its enemies, more so, I believe, th 
any other fruit. All kinds of scale insects attack it, and seem to have a preferet 
