192 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September r, 1884. 



for very high-priced articles, such as maize for local consump- 

 tion and a few other things suitable for fodder. Through- 

 out the cooler months of the year maize grows and yields 

 well, as much as 50 bushels per acre having been garnered, 

 but it is not so thrifty or satisfactory during the summer. 

 This points to the necessity for obtaining water for irrigation 

 ami using the cooler portion of the year as the growing 

 season. As the winter and spring months are almost in- 

 variably dry, growth is only possible with irrigation. Rice 

 is another commodity which succeeds admirably wherever 

 tried on this river. Unfortunately for Mr. Webb the bulk 

 of his cultivated land had been swept away by the flood, 

 the crops with the soil having been carried away together. 

 On account of this I am not able to say much from personal 

 observation as to lie- carrying capacity of the soil on this farm, 

 but what I saw elsewhere convinced mo of the correctness 

 of all Mr. "Webb told me. On an adjoining selection, owned 

 by a Mr. M'Nicol, I saw a vigorous standing crop of rice 

 looking its best and promising to give very satisfactory 

 returns. Mr. Webb's experiments have been extended largely 

 to fruit of all kinds, and he has learned that grapes 

 and peaches are almost useless for the climate — more 

 particularly the former. I was quite prepared to see that 

 the grape vine was a failure so far as bearing was con- 

 cerned, but I expected that it would make wood freely, 

 which, however, would never ripen. But experience proves 

 that they will not make wood; some vines in this garden 

 five years planted being actually smaller and weaker than 

 plants one year old from the cuttings in more southern 

 latitudes. The orange is only a fair success, but if its 

 cultivation be followed up experimentally and with intel- 

 ligence there is good reason to hope it will eventually 

 prove more satisfactory. There is abundance of soil well 

 suited for the orange — rich scrub land full of organic matter 

 — and there is plenty of water to allow of irrigation, and 

 the orange is a tree which must always have moisture 

 to do well. The nrango, pineapple, banana, and papaw 

 are everywhere at home here, and speak for themselves 

 as to the adaptability of the soil and climate for their 

 production. Gooktown, or some other suitable locality in 

 Northern Queensland, should be made use of as a nurs- 

 ery fur tropical fruits and other vegetable products; for. 

 notwithstanding the fair amount of success attained through 

 the efforts of the Acclimatisation .Society working from 

 Brisbane as a centre, those efforts have been to a great 

 extent nullified by the very huge percentage of loss in 

 I In- plants transmitted by steamer from the metropolis. 

 Nor can these losses be altogether avoided by any amount 

 of care taken in transit, and the only natural remedy for 

 this is the establishment of a nursery for tropical products 

 at some suitable ami central northern town. The man- 

 en, duiion. breadfruit, custard apple in varieties, cacao, 

 Liberian coffee, cinchona, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, and 

 many other spices and economic plants are well adapted 

 for the district, and probably for much of Northern 

 Queensland; but, until a nursery is established for them 

 in a climate that suits them, such products stands very 

 poor chance of diffusion. If the interests of the North 

 are considered worthy of attention by the powers that 

 be, no time will be lost in attending to this matter, and 

 the sooner it is taken in hand the better for the colony 

 at large. 



# # * 



It was here that I first became aware' of the existence 

 of the tuberous-rooted vine mentioned above. I was tidi- 

 ng Mr. Webb that the tuberous-rooted vine of Cochin- 

 China and Guinea, now under trial in California and else- 

 where, and which Mr. Pink, of the Botanic Gardens. Bris- 

 bane, was endeavouring to introduce, was the only chance 

 for Northern Queenslanders in the matter of vine culture, 

 when he told me of this vine, which I have made an 

 object of special inquiry ever since. 



* * * 



I saw at Mr. Webb's a sample of coal gathered from 

 the outcrop of a seam found within a few miles of his 

 residence, and only some lour miles from the projected 

 railway line. This discovery is another very important and 

 promising one for the port. Vessels trading with India 

 and China are frequently compelled to steam as far south 

 as Newcastle to obtain a supply of coal, and if they could 

 procure it in Cooktown that port must, be greatly benefited. 

 But while I saw abundant proof of the stability and future 



prosperity of Cooktown and its environs, nothing impressed 

 me more forcibly than the promise I saw in the latent 

 agricultural wealth of the district. Whether sugar is ever 

 taken in hand or not as an agricultural product, the agric- 

 ultural resources of the district are prospectively great, 

 and second to none in the colony; all that is required is 

 capital and labour to develop it. At the present time 

 capitalists are intimidated by the aspects of the labour 

 question. Tropical cultivation is all that the climate of 

 the North is suitable for, and the land is better adapted 

 for cultivation than for any other purpose; and all tropical 

 products have hitherto been the result of black labour. 

 Whether their production by white labour is practicable 

 or not. remains to be proved. The prevailing opinion in this 

 district is that it is nut. Labour is at present too highly 

 rated, and withal too unreliable, to warrant the outlay of 

 capital on any agricultural industry worthy of the name. 

 And there is no possible agriculture in the North within 

 reach of Europeans without capital; In good seasons land 

 within the tropics could be used to better purpose than in 

 the raising of maize and potatoes, for which the southern 

 colonies are by nature so much better fitted, and with which 

 even in these things they would seldom successfully com- 

 pete; but for tropical products these lands are worthy of 

 cultivation under favourable circumstances, such as are al- 

 together wanting. 



Leaving the hospitable roof of Mr. Webb on the morn- 

 ing of the Cth April, we started at an early hour en route 

 for the MTvor, intending to reach there that evening. Our 

 course lay through country much of which had been alienated, 

 the remainder being open for selection. The distance we 

 had to traverse was about forty miles ; journeying proved 

 very wearisome both for man and beast, for the country 

 was everywhere more or less rotten, and for some distance 

 the horses had to travel through streams of water. Selec- 

 tion alter selection untouched by the plough, but well 

 adapted for cropping with rice or maize, and which would 

 be comparatively easy to irrigate, was passed through. 

 Running streams of water, marked in their course by Alex- 

 andra palms and scrub timber of various kinds, were very 

 frequently met with, and to anyone at all accustomed to 

 the country these streams were at once suggestive of per- 

 manence. On inquiry my companion informed me that 

 most of them were perennial. All that is necessary in 

 many eases to irrigate ad libitum is the cutting of a race 

 to lead the water where required. Nature has also been 

 fairly bountiful in the matter of the soil, for a deep fertile 

 loam, mostly chocolate and friable, often almost black and 

 s in ly, and generally basaltic or volcanic in its origin, is 

 almost universal in these localities, and one selection part- 

 icularly, pointed out to. me, called Clenwatb.cn, had been 

 chosen by its proprietors — Messrs. Webb & Co.— on account 

 of these great natural advantages. Little or nothing had 

 been tried upon this land in the way of cultivation, but 

 as a preliminary to such work a wallaby-proof fence was 

 in course of erection. Patches of rich scrub laud line the 

 creeks mentioned, the remainder being open forest lightly 

 timbered with bloodwood, Moreton Bay ash, and other 

 small timbers, so that the cost of charing would no! be 

 a very heavy item; but all these forest lands must be 

 commenced upon with the plough, so that thorough clear- 

 ing and not the make-shift style generally practised, and 

 successfully so in scrub lands, is indispensable. 



Immediately adjoining Gleuwathen is a selection owned 

 by Mr. Baker, of the Great Northern Hotel, Cooktown, 

 and at the time of my visit a very snug and commodious 

 slab hut had been completed upon it, and a few acres of 

 maize which hail been planted looked exceedingly well. 

 The winter in that locality suits Indian com we'll, and 

 rice can be grown at any season if there is moisture enough 

 to start it. Speaking of starting it, the rice plant seems 

 to have almost as many lives as the proverbial cat, and, 

 as a rule, three crops are the result of one sowing ; the 

 worst crop of the three being the first. Passing this selec- 

 tion the country continues to be mostly good but very 

 variable, sometimes light and sandy, but still fertile, and 

 at others strong and loamy, fit for any crop the climate 

 could perfect. But a gnat drawback to the profitable set- 

 tlement of this portion of the country is its inaccessibility 

 to market. It is any or all of it eminently adapted for 

 carrying stock, but very much of it would be thrown 

 away if put to such a purpose exclusively. 



