Many attempts have been made during past years to introduce this delicious fruit into Queensland, but these always resulted in failure. True, a certain variety of mangosteen has been successfully grown at Port Douglas, also on the Lower Burdekin, and rumours of the existence of the true Java mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana) have been received, but, in nearly every case, they have, on investigation, proved to be Garcinia xanthochymus, or some other species. At the Kamerunga State Nursery, however, trees of undoubted parentage were successfully raised. It is said that a thriving young plant, which is unquestionably G. mangostana, is owned by Mr. Banfield, of Dunk Island. The records of the Kamerunga Nursery show that in October, 1891, a quantity—about 100—of ripe mangosteen fruit was received from the Batavian agency by the then manager, Mr. Ebenezer Cowley, from which some 600 seeds were obtained. Of these, only a few germinated. The next mention is of the distribution, in February, 1892, of six plants to an applicant on the Mossman, and of two more in May of that year. Since then several young trees have been raised at the nursery, and one of them, in January, 1913, fruited for the first time for twenty-two years, and is the first to have done so in this State. Some of the fruit was sent to the Department of Agriculture and Stock, and proved to be fully equal to those of Java. A full history of the mangosteen and of its introduction into Queensland is given in "The Queensland Agricultural Journal" (vol. xxx., June and July, 1913). The photographs were taken from the original fruit. Fruit of Mangosteen. |