The Portland daily press., 1899-04-22
AUSTRALIAN BLACKBERRY LAND.
(From John Plummer's Australian Cor
respondence.)

|. respondence.)
Black berries are SO intimately asso-
oiated with Ieafy hedgerows in English
country lanes that the idea of their grow
| ing in rich luxuriance in q land where
the order of natural history, as known
In the mother country, is popularity sup.
posed TO be reversed, where the stones of
cherries grow outside the fruit, and trees
shed their bark instead OF their leaves;
yet there is nothing strange or incongru-
GUS in English wild fruits thriving in
country where every description of
fruit aud flower known in Great Britain
thriyes in perfection. The sweettrler.
such a favorite In English cottage gar
dens, grows so rapidly in Australia as to
become an agricultural Jest, and in parts
of New South Wales the blackberry is so
prolific that the fruit Is gathered by the
ton, in place of the bushel or hundred
weight with which English black berry
gatherers are familiar.
The black berry is finest and most
abundant on the coast q few miles south
of Sydney and BULL. one of the leading
COASLhl ShANby ~
miners employed in the neighboring col
lierles, is rapidly becoming center for
the annual export OF many tons OF the
delicious fruit. Rising gradually from
the coast are the extensive Iliawarra
mountain ranges, and in not few places
on the slopes of these, on the lofty sum
mits, and in olearings, the blackbe
bushes occupy many acres OF ground.
Paddocks which have been cleared and
fenced, for cultivation or pasturage, otter
no Tar to the advance of the brambles.
| In more than one instance owners of
land have long since ceased to light the
growth, which even bush fires but tenn.
porarily reuard, SO find it more congenial
to ease their holdings for small rental
to the pickers, who as II rule have any
thing but an easy time of II. The bushes
grow in most irreg ular way, presenting
in most cases u compact mass of thorn
and briar many yards deep and several
feetShigh. To reach every part of this
mass OF ENHANCEMENT is the blackberry
d icker's aim. Yet he succeeds In doing
so, and may spend a day mt one spot,
forcing his way through the bushes ms
best he can. Generally he will cut mar
row track to the heart of the bushes, and,
establishing a center at that point,
''worlS" the bushes clearly and srstemat-
icaIly. Billies, buckets AMI tins receive
the fruit, witch may then have to be car
ried some distance, perhaps right into
the township, before being disposed OF.
Most of the black berry pickers are coal,
miners, and they have the assistance of
their wives and families. The systematic
gathering of the fruit commenced few
years ago. In 1894 four tons OF black
berries were sent by rail from BULL TO
Sydney. In 1895 the quantity was II
tons; in 1897 it had risen to % tons; in
1858 to IS tons; and this year it Is expect
ed to reach 100 tons. The blackberries
are purchased as they are picked, by a
local dealer, who finds the demand al
ready exceeding the supply. The berries
are collected In carts stationed at suitable
points. and sent, packed in tins, to sgd
ney In some instances Sos. ton Is paid
for the right of entering lands ana pick
ing The fruit. CartIng is estimated to
cost los. "a ton, and 81 Is. IA ton Is paid
the pickers, being ut the rate OF Id. a
pound. That there are some smart pick
ers in the district may be gagged from
the fact that the net gain to one family
in u single fortnight has been 40, Anoth,
err good family of pickers has delivered
400 pounds weight of fresh blackberries
the result of one days work. With the ex-
ception of Western Australia and Queens
land, the bulk of the jam made from the
Bull black berries is consumed in New
South Wales, the duty on sugar prohibit
ing much export. Allowing for evapora-
tion Of the water in the fruit, it is COM
puted that one ton of blackberries will
turn out about 3-4 tons of Jam, or 1000
one-pound tins. The greatest demand
for ackberry jam appears to be in the
Newcastle district-the Australian BLACK
country" and chief source OF coal supply
il the southern hemisphere.