rd, near Woombye.]

[Illustration: Orange Trophy in the Moreton District Exhibit at the
Brisbane Exhibition.]

In comparing Queensland with the citrus-producing districts of Southern
Europe, we have the advantage of better and cheaper land, absence of
frost, more vigorous growth, earlier maturity of the trees, and superior
fruit; but with the advantage of cheaper and more skilful labour,
especially in the handling and marketing of fruit, and proximity to the
world's markets in their favour.

As compared with California, our soil is no better than theirs, but it
costs much less, and their citrus industry is dependent on artificial
irrigation, their natural rainfall being altogether inadequate for the
growth of citrus fruits. Californian conditions more nearly approach
those of our inland districts, such as Barcaldine, with the exception
that the only rainfall in California is during the winter, whereas in
Barcaldine and similar districts the heaviest fall is during the summer
months, but, in both, the successful culture of these fruits depends on
irrigation.

In Jaffa, also, where the oranges are of large size and extra quality,
the trees have to be carefully irrigated and manured, as these
operations are found to be essential to the production of marketable
fruit.

These few instances show how favourably the conditions prevailing in
Queensland compare with those of the great citrus-growing districts of
Europe and America, especially in the matter of soil and climate, and I
feel confident that, if the industry were taken up in the same
business-like manner that it has been done in California and Florida, we
could easily hold our own against any part of the world. In comparing
Queensland with the rest of the world we have the advantage--also shared
by New South Wales and South Africa--of ripening our fruit at a time of
the year which is the off season in the citrus-producing countries to
the north of the equator, so that our fruit does not clash with theirs,
their ripening period and ours being at different times of the year. As
regards our Australian market, our fruit ripening earlier than that of
the Southern States, we are enabled to dispose of a considerable portion
of our crop in the Southern markets before the local fruit is ready for
gathering. This gives us three markets--first, a local one; secondly, a
Southern one; and, finally, when this demand is supplied, an oversea
market to Europe, America, and the Ea