Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Trove Tuesday - Citrus Growing at St Ives

The Sydney Morning Herald in 1913 reported on Mr Cunningham's orchard at St Ives.

1913 'CITRUS-GROWING AT ST. IVES.', The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), 28 July, p. 6, viewed 12 January, 2015, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article15438753

A transcription of the article follows.


CITRUS-GROWING AT ST. IVES. 

The picturesque district of St. Ives is well known as one of the most successful centresaround Sydney in the cultivation of citrus fruits. The orchards are at present looking well, and if the excessive rains which have fallen of late do not unduly affect the treesby causing "wet feet," there is every pros-pect of a heavy crop.

Mr. James Cunningham, of Margaret-street,who cultivates a citrus orchard of 10 acres,has shown us some splendid samples of Jaffaoranges and Parker's Special mandarins grownon his property. The Jaffa oranges are bcautifully coloured, tender, and juicy, measuring11 1/4 in circumference, and weighing nearly14oz. The Parker's Special is also a largesize, measuring 10in in circumference, and ofperfect shape. The trees from which this fruitwas picked are grown on soil consisting forthe most part of loam and ironstone gravel,and the only manure supplied consisted ofbush rakings. The trees attain a symmetricalshape, and are covered with dense foliage.The fruit hangs well on till Christmas.




Saturday, July 4, 2015

Coo-ee!

We have an entertaining and interseting topic for our July General Meeting. Guests are invited to join members at this event at 2:00pm, 18th July 2015 in Ku-ring-gai Library Meeting Rooms, The Old Gordon Public School (adjacent to the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon; Corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).


Historian Dr Richard White (Univ. of Sydney) returns with a talk on the social and cultural history of the coo-ee bush call, from its adoption from the Aborigines, its rise as a way of demonstrating nationality, to its decline to the point where it has almost faded from our lives.

https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/ARTV05167/