growth of many of our commoner varieties of fruits when grown in less favoured climes, and to the care that is there necessary to produce profitable returns. Here all kinds of tree life is rapid, and fruit trees come into bearing much sooner than they do in colder climates. In addition to their arriving at early maturity, they are also, as a rule, heavy bearers, their fault, if anything, being towards over-bearing. Fruits of many kinds are so thoroughly acclimatised that it is by no means uncommon to find them growing wild, and holding their own in the midst of rank indigenous vegetation, without receiving the slightest care or attention. In some cases where cultivated fruits have been allowed to become wild, they have become somewhat of a pest, and have kept down all other growths, so much so that it has been actually necessary to take steps to prevent them from becoming a nuisance, so readily do they grow, and so rapidly do they increase. The very ease with which fruit can be grown when planted under conditions of soil and climate favourable to its development has had a tendency to make growers somewhat careless as compared with those of other countries who have to grow fruit under conditions demanding the most careful attention in order to be made profitable. This is enough to show that Queensland is adapted for fruit-growing, and the illustrations accompanying the description of our chief commercial fruits will show them more forcibly than any words of mine that my contention is a correct one. Latterly, however, there has been a considerable improvement in the working of our orchards, growers finding that it does not pay to grow second-quality fruit, and, therefore, they are giving much more attention to the selection of varieties, cultivation of the land, pruning the trees, and the keeping in check of fruit pests; as, like other parts of the world, we have our pests to deal with. This improvement in the care and management of our orchards is resulting in a corresponding improvement in the quantity and quality of our output, so that now our commercial fruits—that is to say, the fruits grown in commercial quantities—compare favourably with the best types of similar fruits produced elsewhere. The writer has no wish to convey the impression that all that is required in order to grow fruit in Queensland is to secure suitable land, plant the trees, let Nature do the rest, and when they come into bearing simply gather and market the fruit. This has been done in the past, and may be done again under favourable conditions, but it is not the usual method adopted, nor is it to be recommended. Here, as elsewhere, the progressive fruit-growing of to-day has become practically a science, as the fruit-grower who wishes to keep abreast of the times depends largely on the practical application of scientific knowledge for the successful carrying on of his business. There is no branch of agronomy in which science and practice are more closely connected than in that 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.

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 £1 per acre, and privately-owned land suitable for fruit-growing can be purchased at from 10s. to £5 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 cultivation, pruning, manuring, and general management of the orchard as well as in the disposal or utilisation of the fruit when grown; in short, to help the beginner to start on the right lines, so that he will be successful.

There is also little if any fear of over-extending the fruit-growing industry, as, if it is conducted on the right lines and on sound business principles, we can raise fruit of the highest quality at a price that will enable us to compete in the markets of the world especially now that we have direct and rapid communication at frequent intervals with Canada, the United States of America, the East (Japan, Manilla, &c.), Europe, and the United Kingdom.

QUEENSLAND FRUIT GROWING.

Very few persons have any idea of the magnitude or the resources of this State of Queensland, and in no branch of agricultural industry are they more clearly shown than in that of fruit-growing. Here, unlike the colder parts of the world or the extreme tropics, we are not confined to the growing of particular varieties of fruits, but, owing to our great extent of country, and its geographical distribution, we are able to produce practically all the cultivated fruits of the world, many of them to great perfection. There are, however, one or two tropical fruits that are exceptions, such as the durien and mangosteen, whose range is extremely small, and one or two of the berry fruits of cold countries, which require a colder winter than that experienced in any part of this State. It will, however, be seen at once that a country that can produce such fruits as the mango, pineapple, banana, papaw, granadilla, guava, custard apple, litchi, sour sop, cocoa nut, bread fruit, jack fruit, monstera, alligator pear, and others of a purely tropical character; the date, citrus fruits of all kinds, passion fruit, persimmon, olive, pecan nut, cape gooseberry, loquat, and other fruits of a semi-tropical character, as well as the fruits of the more temperate regions, such as the apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, quince, almond, cherry, fig, walnut, strawberry, mulberry, and others of minor importance, in addition to grapes of all kinds, both for wine