In the more tropical North frosts are unknown on the coast, and there is no danger to even the most delicate plants from cold.

Running parallel with the coast we have a series of ranges of low mountains, running from 2,000 feet to nearly 6,000 feet, the general height being from 2,000 to 3,000 feet, and at the back of these ranges more or less level tablelands, sloping generally to the west. On and adjacent to these ranges in the Southern part of the State, there are fairly sharp frosts in winter, but the days are warm and bright. This is the district best adapted for the growth of deciduous fruits and vines, table varieties doing particularly well. It is a district well adapted for mixed farming and dairying, as well as fruit-growing; the climate is even and healthy, and is neither severe in summer nor winter. The average rainfall is some 30 inches, and is usually sufficient, though there are dry periods, when a judicious watering, as recommended for the coast districts, would be of great value to fruit and vegetable growers. The more northern end of this tableland country has a much better rainfall—some 40 inches per annum—and frosts, though they occur at times, are not common. Here the climate is very healthy, there are no extremes of heat and cold, and, lying as it does inland from the most trying portion of our tropical seaboard, it forms a natural sanatorium to this part of our State.

Further west the rainfall decreases, the summers are hot—a dry heat, as distinct from the more humid heat of the coast, and much more bearable. There are frequent frosts in winter, particularly in the Southern part of the State. Fruit-growing is only carried on to a slight extent at present, and then only with the help of water, but when the latter is obtainable, very good results are obtained. Grapes do well, both wine and table, and for raisin-making. Citrus fruits are remarkably fine, the lemons especially, being the best grown in the State. The trees are less liable to the attack of many pests, the dryness of the air retarding their development, if not altogether preventing their occurrence. The date palm is quite at home here, and when planted in deep sandy land, and supplied with sufficient water, it is a rapid grower and heavy bearer. As an offset to the smallness of the rainfall, there is a good supply of artesian water, distributed over a wide range of country, that can be obtained at a reasonable rate, and that is suitable for irrigation purposes. All bore water is not suitable for irrigation, however, as some of it is too highly mineralised, but there are large areas of country possessing an artesian supply of excellent quality for this purpose. It will thus be seen that we have in Queensland, roughly, three distinct belts of fruit-growing country—

So far, I have confined my remarks mainly to the climatic side of fruit-growing, and, before dealing with the growing of the different kinds of fruit, I will say a few words about our fruit soils, and will deal with them in districts, as I have endeavoured to do in the case of climate.1st.—Soils of Eastern Seaboard, and Land adjacent to it, suitable to the Growth of Tropical and Semi-Tropical Fruit.

Several distinct types of soil are found that are well adapted for fruit-growing, but they all have one general characteristic which is a sine qua non of success—viz., they must possess good natural drainage, so that there is no danger of their becoming waterlogged or soured during periods of continued or heavy rainfall, as these conditions are fatal to fruit culture under tropical and semi-tropical conditions. Of such soils, the first to be considered are those of basaltic origin. They are usually of a chocolate or rich red colour, are of great depth, in parts more or less covered with basaltic boulders, in others entirely free from stones. The surface soil is friable and easily worked, and the subsoil, which is usually of a rich red colour, is easily penetrated by the roots of trees and plants grown thereon. Occasionally the subsoil is more compact, in which case it is not so good for fruit-tree growth, but is better adapted for that of sugar-cane, corn, grass, &c. These basaltic soils are usually rich, and are covered in their virgin condition with what is termed scrub—a dense mass of vegetation closely resembling an Indian jungle. The scrub growth is totally distinct from forest growth, which will be described later, in that the bulk of the timber growing in it, much of which is of large size, is of a soft nature, and once cut down soon rots away. Imagine a dense wall of vegetation, consisting of large trees running up to 100 or 150 feet in height, with trunks ranging from 2 to 8 feet, or even more, in diameter, and between these trunks an impenetrable mass of smaller growths, all of the most vivid green colours, together with innumerable vines and creepers that are suspended from the branches of the trees, hanging in festoons, creeping palms and bamboos, ferns and orchids of many kinds, both on the ground and growing on the tree trunks, as well as many beautiful foliage plants only found in hothouses in England, and you will have a faint idea of what a virgin scrub in coastal Queensland is like. Much of the timber of the coastal scrubs is of considerable commercial value for building purposes and furniture making, and is, or should be, so utilised prior to felling and burning off.

True scrub lands are not by any means the most difficult to clear, though to a "new chum" the work will appear at first of a Herculean character. Brushing the dense undergrowth and then felling the timber at a face costs from £1 10s. to £2 per acre, according to density, size of timber, and proportion of hardwood trees contained in it, and once this is done the fallen mass is allowed to become thoroughly dry, when it is burnt off. A good fire is half the battle, as the subsequent work of burning off the heavy timber left from the first burn is comparatively light. No stumps are taken out, as the bulk are found to rot out in a few years, and their presence in the soil is no detriment to the planting of such crops as bananas or even citrus fruit trees. No special preparation of the land, such as breaking up, &c., is necessary prior to planting. Holes are dug, trees or bananas are planted, and the whole cultivation for the first few years consists in keeping down weed growths with the chipping hoe. Once the stumps have rotted out the plough and other implements of culture take the place of the hoe. These soils are especially adapted for the growth of oranges, limes, mandarins, mangoes, bananas, pineapples, papaws, custard apples, strawberries, and cape gooseberries in the South; in fact, for nearly every kind of tropical and semi-tropical fruit.

Some basaltic soils are occasionally covered with forest in the place of scrub, or a mixture, part scrub and part forest. Forest country, as distinct from scrub, is open-timbered country, with little undergrowth, and no vines or other creepers. The timbers are also, as a rule, very hard, and the stumps will not rot out. Such land, when at all heavily timbered, is much harder to clear and get ready for fruit-growing than true scrub, as all timber must be felled and burnt off, and all stumps and roots taken out, so that the land can be thoroughly broken up and brought into a good state of tilth prior to planting. These soils are suitable to the growth of similar fruits to the true scrubs, but, as a rule, they are not as rich. The second class of soils suitable to fruit-growing are of alluvial origin, and are of a sandy, loamy nature, of fair depth. They are usually met with along our creeks and rivers, or in the deltas of our rivers. In their virgin state they are either covered with scrub or forest, or a mixture of both, but the growth is seldom as strong as on the red volcanic soils. Heavy alluvial soils are not suitable for fruit culture, and are much more valuable for the growth of farm crops, but the light sandy loams and free loams of medium character suit all kinds of fruit to perfection. These soils usually are easy to work. They retain moisture well when well worked, and frequently they are capable of being irrigated, either from adjacent creeks or rivers, or by water from wells. These soils are some of our best for citrus fruits, and are well adapted for the growth of pineapples and bananas, as well as most other tropical fruits, when free from frosts. The third class of soils are free sandy loams, either scrub or forest. They are of various colours, and range in texture from light sandy loams to medium loams; they possess excellent drainage, and though, when covered with forest, they are not naturally rich, they make excellent fruit soils, and respond rapidly to systematic cultivation and manuring. They are usually of sandstone or granitic origin, and, when covered with scrub in the first place, grow good crops for the first few years, when they become more or less exhausted in one or more available plant foods, and require manuring. These soils, like the sandy alluvial loams, are easy to work, retain moisture well when kept in a state of perfect tilth, and respond readily to manuring. They will grow all kinds of fruits when free from frost. There are other soils on which fruit can be grown, but those mentioned represent those most suitable. The land on which these soils occur is often much broken, particularly in rich scrub country; it is fairly level when of alluvial origin, and more or less rolling, as a rule, when of a sandy loamy nature. High, ridgy, free, loamy country is usually the most free from frost, and alluvial flats the most liable to it.2nd.—Soils of the Coastal Tablelands, suitable for the Growth of Deciduous Fruit.

Starting from the Southern part of the State, adjoining the New South Wales border, the fruit soils are all of granitic origin. The country is much broken, but between the ridges and along the creek flats there is a considerable area possessing soils varying from a coarse, granitic, gritty soil to a fine granitic soil; that on the creeks of an alluvial nature, but still granitic. These soils vary considerably in quality, but are, as a rule, easy to work and retain moisture well. They are covered with open forest and are particularly adapted to the growth of apples, plums, peaches, and grapes, though other deciduous fruits are grown but not to the same excellence as those mentioned. Proceeding north the fruit soils are either sandy loams or loams of a brownish colour of volcanic origin. The former are suitable for almonds and wine grapes, and the latter for peaches, apricots, pears, apples, and especially olives. Further north a few of these fruits may be grown on loamy soils, together with citrus fruits, but, commercially, deciduous fruits are confined to the southern end of this district, the winter temperature being too high for their successful growth further north, as the trees get no winter rest, hence do not mature their fruit-bearing wood properly.3rd.—Soils of the Central Tablelands, suitable to the Growth of Grapes, Dates, Citrus Fruits, Etc.

At the Southern end of the State the fruit soils are all of a sandy nature. Nothing else is used in any quantity, as sandy soils alone will retain sufficient moisture for the growth of grapes and fruit trees during dry spells, and even then only when kept well and deeply worked. Further north, where suitable artesian water is available, the best fruit soils are also free loams of a sandy nature, either alluvial or open forest soils, but deep, and possessing perfect drainage, as irrigation on land without good natural drainage is fatal to fruit culture. These sandy loams are also easy to work; though by no means rich, they, on account of their depth, grow good crops of fruit by means of irrigation, and the fruit, such as dates, oranges, lemons, grapes, &c., is of very fine quality. The fruit soils of this district are covered either with open forest—the trees being of comparatively small size—or with a scrubby undergrowth through which a few larger trees are scattered. Nearly all the timber of this district is extremely hard, is more or less stunted, and burns readily, hence clearing is not a very expensive item.

Having now given a very brief description of our climate and the fruit-soils in our principal fruit-producing centres, we will next consider the culture of those fruits which are grown in commercial quantities in the different parts of the State, as well as that of a few less well-known fruits which show especial promise. We will first deal with our tropical fruits, of which the first to be considered is the banana, as its production greatly exceeds that of any other tropical fruit, and, as far as Australia is concerned, this is the only State in which it is grown in commercial quantities. From tropical fruits we will go on to semi-tropical fruits, then to temperate fruits and vines.