376 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1882. 



whole been injurious. In some plnees the sutjar cane 

 has suffered and alarmists have declared tliat there will 

 in those places be no crop next year. The districts so 

 affected are, however, comparatively smsll in extent 

 and few in nucnher, and a warm spring, now setting in, 

 will probably remedy any mischief done. Against the 

 pessimist view of the matter there is also to be set the 

 great extent of new country, both north and south, 

 being cleared and planted for next season, and the 

 sugar crop now being crushed is turning out very well." 

 A full account of Mr. Costello's coffee experiment 

 appears in the Mackay Standard of .July 21st, from 

 which we quote as follows : — 



"The pioneer of the Coffee Industry, and we believe 

 it will become in this district of sufficient importance 

 to be ranked a< an industrj', is undoubtedly Mr. J. 

 Costello, of Millicent. Although, prior to the date of 

 that gentleman's settlement in this d strict, coffee 

 plants had been raised, and in fact coffee had been 

 manufactured, in small quantities, yet Mr. Costello 

 was the first person to take up the business of coffee 

 growing upon such a scale as to test its suitability to 

 the climate and soil of the Mackay district. The work 

 which was before Mr. Costello in his experimental 

 venture was by no means a light one because he was 

 not possessed of the ample means which would have 

 rendered a trial of this crop an easy matter, and the 

 present result of his labors at IVIillicent speaks volumes 

 for the energy and pertinacity with which he stood 

 by his pet project and has eventually overcome diffi- 

 orlties cefore which many less determined men would 

 have succumbed. In his capacity of manager of a 

 sug-ir estate, it has only been at rare intervals that he 

 has b -en at liberty to visit his property at Millicent, 

 which IS situated at a distance of about 12 miles from 

 town, on tile North side. Here, however, he has manag-'d 

 til develop a properly which, while it is particularly 

 iuere.sting as the pioneer coffee plantation of the dis- 

 trio.t, we sincerely hope, as we honestly believe, is 

 |le^Ilned to become very profitable in the not distant 

 futire. Commencing op'-rations by cutting down and 

 ul ■iiiing the scrub from the high ridges on his farm, 

 li • was only able during the first season, (nearly five 

 3'^^:ir3 ago,) to plant a small number of trees which 

 lie had rinsed in bnxes in his gnrden at the phmta- 

 tion which he was then managing. With little other 

 knowledge than that acquired by reading, the first 

 few 1 ears' experience of the best mode of culture of 

 the cuffei^ plant, was necessarily experimental and 

 tborouiihly practical ; and it is gratifying to remark 

 thai the results of Mr. Costello's labirs liave lieen 

 satisfactory. Uunng the second year, an area of 15 

 acres was planted with coffee, and at the present 

 time weKliould estimate that there are fully 12 acres 

 growing well. To account for the reduced urea, we 

 may explain that in the first instance fifteen acres 

 were planted, but before the trees had reiiched any 

 great height they were subjected to attacks from 

 scrub wallaby and other vermin to such an extent as 

 to render it quite a question whetlier it would be 

 wise to throw up the project altogether. Not dmint- 

 ed, however, with this reverse, Mr. Costello continued 

 to replant and supply the blanks at the same time 

 taking such precautions as he was able to prevent 

 a recurrence of the attacks. Instead of attempting 

 to enlarge the area under crop. Mr. Costello's efforts 

 have been directed to completing so far as lay in his 

 power the planting of the area first cleared and the 

 result at present is that making due allowance for 

 blanks and young plants, we may estimate that there 

 are at present about 12 acres of coffee plants between 

 three and four years old. At the time this enterprise 

 was undertaken there seemed little probability of a 

 sugar mill being erected within such a distance of 

 MUlicent as would render it desirable to plant i-ane, 

 3,nd hence the attention of the proprietor was directed 



to such products as might be likely to yield a fair re- 

 turn in future, and coffee was the one on which the 

 owner decided. The system of planting adopted here 

 was to place the rows at a distance ol eight feel apart, 

 and the trees are set six feet apart in the rows. 

 At the present time the primaries are interlocking in 

 the rows, and within another year they will do so 

 between the rows. The trees have been of course re. 

 gularly pruned and topped, and they present a very 

 different appearance to the shrubby trees which we 

 are accustomed to see in gardens. The plants are 

 lopped according to circumstances, such as situation, 

 and exposure or aspect, and the average height we 

 may place at two feet six inches. The varieties 

 grown at Millicent are Mocha, Arabica, and Li- 

 berian, and it is remarked that the latter do not 

 make so much growth in a given time .as the 

 former varieties. Millicent has during the last 

 season been visited by a number of gentlemen 

 whose experiences in Ceylon and other parts of the 

 world entitle them to express an opinion on the sub- 

 ject of coffee-growing, and their reports as to the 

 general appearance of the coffee, are such as to render 

 Mr. Costello satisfied with his prospects of future 

 success. The original plants nearly five years old, are 

 loaded with the cherries, and are calculated to give a 

 return at the rate of 12 cwt to the acre, and it is to 

 be regretted that their number is very small. The bulk 

 of the crop, which is between 3 and 4 years old, is 

 estimated to give from 5 to 8 cwt. to the acte, and 

 this, for young trees, we understand, is a highly 

 satisfactory yield. It is probable, therefore, that the. 

 crop for this year will not fall far short of three 

 tons, and although this will appear a small amount, 

 yet as practically the first crop of coffee grown 

 in this locality it is worthy of more than passing 

 notice. The soil on which the coffee is grown is 

 a deep chocolate, with plenty of stones intermixed, 

 such as may be found in all the scrubs of 

 this district in great quantities. It is by no 

 means uncommon for coffee growers from others 

 countries to declare that particular soils and eleva- 

 tions are essential to successful coffee growing, but a 

 visit to Milicnt has satisfied many of these gentlemen 

 that the specialities considered necessary in other 

 countries do not apply in this district. The maiden 

 crop taken off last year by Mr. Costello was prepared 

 and manufactured by such means as his ingenuity 

 suggested, and having tusted the manufactured article 

 we can conscientiously assert that it is as fine a 

 sample of coffee as we ever had the pleasure of drink- 

 ing. Mr. Costello is impor-ing from Ceylon, for his 

 coming crop, a pulping machine, and if, as we believe 

 he will be, he is able to place three tons of coffee, 

 such as we tasted, in the Qiieensl.and market the lovers 

 of this beverage will b' fortunate in having the op- 

 portunity of securing for themselves a supply of 

 probably the best and purest coffee ever offered to 

 the public in this colony. That Mr. Costello will 

 succeed, as we think we have shown he deserves to 

 do, will be the wish of every person interested in 

 agriculture in Queenshind and we can only express the 

 hope that his success may lead to the establishment in 

 tropical Queensland of an industry which for impor- 

 tance will rank second only to that of sugar. " 

 It thus appears that coffee will grow and fniit in 

 Northern Queensland, hut it remains to be proved if 

 on a large scale, it will pay. Not certainly if cheap 

 Indian or Ceylon labour is excluded. And if, with 

 Ceylon labour the leaf disease is introduced, it will 

 be a bad lookout. Besides weeds it will be seen tliat the 

 serious pest of animal vcimin has to be contended with. 

 As settlement advances, however, the wallabies (small 

 kangaroos) and other marsupials will disappear, the 

 fur and flesh bemg of some value. Ceylon planters w ill, 

 no doubt, fully try experiments, with coffee in Queensland, 



