hat of
fruit-growing. Every operation of the fruit-grower is, or should be,
carried out on scientific lines and by the best methods of
propagation--pruning, cultivation, manuring, treatment of diseases, and
preservation of fruit when grown are all, directly or indirectly, the
result of scientific research. To be a successful fruit-grower in
Queensland one must therefore use one's brains as well as one's hands;
the right tree must be grown in the right kind of soil and under the
right conditions; it must be properly attended to, and the fruit, when
grown, must be marketed in the best possible condition, whether same be
as fresh fruit or dried, canned, or otherwise preserved, and whether
same be destined for our local, Australian, or oversea markets.
Fruit-growing on these lines is a success in Queensland to-day, and it
is capable of considerable extension, so that, in the writer's opinion,
it offers a good field for the intending settler. Carried out in the
manner indicated, he has no hesitation in saying that Queensland is a
good place in which to start fruit-growing, that the advantages it
possesses cannot be surpassed or even equalled elsewhere, and, further,
that as our seasons are the opposite of those in countries situated on
the north of the equator, our fruits ripen in the off-seasons of similar
fruit grown in those countries, and, with our facilities for cold
storage and rapid transit, can be placed on their markets at a time that
they are bare of such fruits, thus securing top prices.

[Illustration: Bunch of Fruit of the Coochin York Mangosteen.]

Queensland has practically an unlimited area of land suitable for fruit
culture, much of which is at present in its virgin state, and is
obtainable on easy terms and at a low rate. Government land is worth on
an average L1 per acre, and privately-owned land suitable for
fruit-growing can be purchased at from 10s. to L5 per acre, according to
its quality and its distance from railway or water carriage. We have
plenty of land, what we lack is population to work it; and there is no
fear of over-crowding for many years to come. We have not only large
areas of good fruit land at reasonable rates, but the Government of
Queensland, through its Department of Agriculture, is always ready to
give full information to intending settlers, to assist them in their
selection of suitable land, to advise them as to the kinds of fruit to
plant, to give practical advice in the cultivat