February i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



551 



even of wealth. From Deloraine to Latrobe tlie road 

 is rough. It is here that tbe Mersey and Deloraine 

 line (which Parliament has decitled to complete) is 

 to run. A few miles out of D.'loraiue we come to 

 tbe "Black Forest," a forest no longer, and then Dun- 

 orlan, all splendid land. Litrobe is the centre of a 

 rising district. From Kentishbury, Barrington, Rail- 

 ton, the Nook, Nortbdown, and elsewhere, tlie farm- 

 ers cart their produce and drive their cattle to that 

 place. The road thence lies along the north-west coast. 

 At Kentishbury several sturdy Scotch families are 

 located. The heat lands in this part of Tastii.ania 

 were originally, with few exceptions, very heavily 

 timbered, and in some instances covered with impene- 

 trable scrubs. The eucalypti ure from 20 ft. to .30 ft. 

 in circumference at the butt. I have seen a family 

 lodged in a fallen tree, which served them !iot only 

 for a dwelling, but fiu' the storage of their produce. 

 There are also in these scrubs tho myrtle, the sassafras, 

 the musk with its odorous leaves, and huge tree ferns 

 flourishing in the leafy glooin. This lar;d, however, 

 is too good to be suffered to remain idle, and much 

 of it is cleared. The best soil is vo c;inie in its 

 origin, and the prevailing volcatdc rook is basalt in 

 tlie North, and in the South doloritt-, a variety of 

 greenstone. The farmer do's not geneially undertake 

 the herculean task of clearing his land at the first. 

 He rmgs the larger trees and burns off the rest. 

 Tbese trees that, are left stand dead, gaunt, and 

 ba:'e in the nddst of the wheat and potatoe?, every 

 storm bringing down some of the branches. There 

 U a line reach of country from Port Sorell to Emu 

 Bay, which generally goes by tho name of the North- 

 west Coast. Rivers, navigable for a short distance, 

 Boch as the Mersey, tbe Forth, and the Leven, afford 

 the means of transport for produce and commodious 

 harbours. The limd growa excellent wh at, oats, barley, 

 hay, and potatoes. Cattle are fattened for the various 

 towns on the coast and for the Launceston market. 

 The uumbcr of acres under wheat in Tasmania was 

 46,221 this ye&r, and 51,757 last year. The difference 

 is accounted for by the activity in mining and the 

 scircity of labour. The total number of bushels jjro- 

 duceil this year has been 940.889, against 977,.365 last 

 ytar. The average yield is 20"27 bushels per acre, 

 against 18'88 last year, showing an iinprovenipnt. 

 The p''ioe has ranged from 4=. 6d. to 63. per bushel. 

 'I"he total produce of barley was 89,739 bushels The 

 acreage devoted to oats was 28,849. The average 

 >ield of rye was 16'5l bushels. Linseed produced 

 8n5'6i» lb. per acre. The average price was 2Ad. per 

 lb. lu root crops there is an mcrease of 1,004 a^rus. 

 The total produce of potatoes was .37,.526 tons, of tur- 

 nips 2.3,272 tons, of carrots 1,281 tons, of mangolds 

 17,251) tons, of onions 22G tons. The number of acres 

 of iiay was 38,043 ; the average price was from Gas. 

 to lOos. per ton. 



Tho settlements that I have referred to — especially 

 those of the north-west coast — are comi.ai'ativcly re- 

 cent, hut there are others that are much older (quiet 

 townii) th.it were in existence long before Queensland 

 was fettled, and when tho blacks corrobbureed on the 

 b.anks of the Yarra where Melbourne now stands. 

 Longford i'! one of these places. It is twelve miles 

 from Launceston, and is the centre of a wealthy agric- 

 ultural an^I pastoral district. The soil is lighter thau 

 that of tl.c ooait, but, when manured with guano or 

 boncdust, it j'ields excellent crops. B'rom Longford, 

 farms that have long been cleared and are let at a 

 good rent extend for many miles. There is a splendid 

 expanse of agricultural land to be seen from tho 

 I oad to Cressy, about three miles from Longford— 

 li'jMs of wheat and oats, interspersed with small 

 cr,acts of forest, where the sheep find shelter ; farm- 

 hous 'S, witli their outbuildings and h.aystacks, .away 

 to tho base of tlie western tiers. The late Henry 



Reed, E?q., owned a great extent of farm laud and 

 was said to be a good landlord. His property has 

 been divided among his children. I mention him be- 

 cause, more than any other man, he has left traces of 

 his character and energy in the northern parr, of 

 Tasmania. 



As we move towards the Midland districts and the 

 South we find the pastoral interests flourishing. Tho 

 neighbourhood of Perth, however, which is only ten 

 miles from Launceston, is tbe home of the Messrs. 

 Gibson, father and son, who are most succes.sful in 

 breeding merino sheep. Mr. Ktrmode, ofMona Vale, 

 and the Messrs. Parramore, all residing within a 

 short distance of Ross, are well known in Queensland 

 as successful breeders of stud sheep that bring fancy 

 prices . — Queenslander. 



REJLVRKS ON BAL.A.TA AND OTHER PSEUDO- 

 GUTTAS. 



EY JAMES COLLINS. 



The great value of gutta-percha, the fear of the supplies, 

 in time, not equalling the demand, has led to the recom- 

 mending of various substances as substitutes, or ,as supple- 

 mentary, to the present supplies of gutta-percha. The 

 following notes may be taken as a short resume of the 

 subject, and indications ai-e given as to the way in which 

 these substances may possibly be utihsed. For convenience, 

 these vai'ious .substances are grouped geographically;— 

 1. — American Sooeces op Supply. 

 Natural Order, Sapotaced. 



Balata Gum* (Mimvsops Batata, Gartner,) known also as 

 paardenvleesch (horseflesh), bullet tree, boerowe, boUetrie, 

 &c., is found in Demerara, Berbice, British Guiana, Antilles, 

 -Jamaica, and .Surinam. 



Professor Bleekrod was one of the first writers on the 

 subject, his communication being addres.sed to the Society 

 of Arts, in lS.57,t and the tree described and named by 

 him as !^apota Midleri. In 13G0, Mr. WalkerJ communicatetl 

 samples, &c., received by hitu from Dr. V"an Hoist, of 

 Berbice; and, iu 186'1, Sir William Holmes§ also drew the 

 Society's attention to the same subject. 



The tree is a large one, with a trunk of about 6 feet 

 in diameter, and furnishes a wood much liked for building 

 purposes. The Dutch name, *' paai'denvleesch," is given on 

 account of the wood being of the colour of horseflesh. The 

 bark is thick and rough, and the fruit is of the size of 

 a coffee-berry, sweet Uke a plum, and with a hard wliite 

 kernel, which yields a bitter oil. The leaves are glossy, 

 oval, and acuminated. The milk is drunk by the natives 

 and when diluted with water is used as a substitute for 

 cows' milk. The tree grows in groups, and in alluvial soil. 



The "Balata" gum is of a character somewhat between 

 caoutchouc and gutta-percha, combining in some degree the 

 elasticity of the one with the ductility of the other, freely 

 softening and becoming pla,stic, and easily moulded if plunged 

 in hot water. What small parcels were sent to this country 

 met with a ready sale, and were remarkably pure and free 

 from adulteration. But, unfortunately, through the difficulty 

 of collection, the undertaking being dangerous and unhealthy, 

 the supply of this excellent article has fallen otf. 



The Balata is collected by making incisions in the bark, 

 about 7 feet from tho ground, and a ring of clay placed 

 round the tree to catch the milk as it exudes. The yield 

 is said to be in profusion, especially at the time of the full 

 moon, and the operation can be repeated every two months 

 in the rainy season. It takes six hours to bring about 

 coalesence by simple atmospheric influence, but very quickly 

 by boiling in water. A large tree is said to yield as much 

 as 45 lb, of "dry gum,'"^ 



II, — Indian Sources op Supply. 

 Natiu'al Order, SaiJOtace<p. 



Pauchontce, or Indian gutta tree (Dirhnp siselhptira), is 



« The term "gum" is here used iu its colloquial, not iu its 

 scientific sense. 



f Journal of the Society of Arts, London, Oct, 8. IS.'j?, 



t n. Aug. 24, 18S0. 



I //), Mar, 4, 1804. 



i[ Trinidad Chronicle, Sept. 2nd, 1873, 



