1 Ave., 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 73 
Agricultural Society, inviting the Department to hold the next Agricultural 
Conference at Maryborough. I take it that is to show the goodwill of the 
people of Maryborough towards these Conferences. But I may say that several 
invitations were received this year by the Department to hold the Conference 
in various towns in the State, Cairns being among the number. It is not 
unusual, I am pleased to say, for these invitations to be given, and they all 
receive consideration, but, of course, we cannot divide the Conference up into 
five or six different parts. Toowoomba was chosen as the place for the present 
gathering, and undoubtedly who ever may be in charge of the Department next 
year will give the question his best consideration, and advise the delegates 
accordingly. It is gratifying to find that the towns of the State are willing to 
extend their hospitality to this Annual Conference ; and I thank Mr. Cameron, 
as president of the Wide Bay and Burnett Pastoral and Agricultural Society, 
for his kind invitation. 
Mr. Anzerr H. Brensoy, the Instructor in Fruit Culture, Department of 
Agriculture, then read the following paper :— 
FRUITS SUITABLE FOR DOWNS COUNTRY. 
{By Atsrerr H. Benson. ] 
Having been requested to prepare a paper on the above subject for this Con- 
ference, I will endeavour to make my remarks as brief and concise as possible, as 
were I to go into the matter at any length I should require not one, but a series of 
articles, as the subject is a comprehensive one, which, if treated properly, would 
require an amount of detail that it is impossible to condense into the time allotted for 
this paper. 
n the first place, Downs country, taken as a whole, is by no means typical fruit 
land, the heavy blacksoil, treeless plains so characteristic of such country being 
better adapted to the growing of all iia of farm crops suitable to the climate than 
to the production of fruit. At the same time there are patches of country all over 
the Downs that, given the necessary preparation of the land, the selection of suitable 
varieties, and the proper care of such trees when planted, will produce first-class fruits 
valuable both for home use and local consumption. : 
The most suitable soils for fruit culture are free chocolate loams with rotten 
rock subsoil, free loams of brown or red soil, and sandy loamy soils. When selecting 
an orchard site on such soils, see that it is as level as possible, or at any rate only 
gently sloping, as such soils usually have good sub-drainage. If the site selected is 
on a slope, heavy rainfall causes too much washing of the soil, especially where the 
land is kept in the high state of tilth so essential to the retention of moisture in the 
soil during dry spells, and on which successful culture will very largely depend. 
Prepare the land thoroughly before planting ; better get one acre mail done than 
ten acres indifferently, as it will give more satisfaction and pay better in the long 
run. Plough the land well and subsoil as deeply as you can, so as to get as large a 
body of soil as possible available for the trees’ use, as once the trees are planted it 
is impossible to get the land into as good a condition as if the work is done in the 
beginning. Remember that planting an orchard is not like growing a corn or wheat 
crop, which only occupy the soil for a few months, but that an orchard will occupy the 
land for many years; hence, the initial preparation of the land must beas thorough as 
possible. This has been amply proved at the Westbrook and Hermitage State Farms, 
where the initial work was well done, and the trees have made remarkable growth and 
produced fruit of superior quality in consequence. 
When planting, don’t crowd your trees ; 25 feet x 25 feet is quite near enough for 
most varieties, as, when the trees attain any size, the roots will occupy the whole of the 
ground. If crowded, cultivation is difficult, and the trees soon show signs of distress 
in dry weather; the result being a crop of inferior undersized fruit, which is of little 
value and hard to dispose of. 
Keep the orchard well cultivated, prune thoroughly, keep diseases in check by 
spraying and the gathering and destruction of infested fruit. The best cultivators for 
orchard use are of the Planet Junior and Senior types, top notch cultivators, spring 
tooth cultivators, and Morgan spading harrow. As to pruning, I cannot give better advice 
than that already given in the Queensland Agricultural Journal by both Mr. Voller 
and myself; and for keeping down diseases the best all-round winter spray is the 
lime, sulphur, and salt wash, which is both an insecticide and fungicide; tobacco or 
resin washes are the best for black aphis in spring; and the gathering and destruction 
of infested fruit at all times is the best remedy for the fruit fly, aur 
