194 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [September i, 1884 



th':y are discovered and attempts made to remove them 

 the better it will be for those who have taken up land 



After visiting almost every patch of cultivation on this 

 1 turned ( 'ooktownwards. My companion and I took 

 dire i id in returning, to visit some other selec- 

 in the Endeavour, and we pulled up first of all at 

 ard Park, owned by a Mr. Williams, and situated about 

 twenty-five miles from Oooktown. In all my rambles I 

 10 recollection of seeing a prettier piece of natural 

 1 y than here burst upon my view. The selection con- 

 of a number of well-grassed plains and considerably 

 , d bald hills, with we.l-wooded heights on every side, 

 permanent streams of pure spring water meandering 

 in various directions through the property. I heard the 

 k made that it was the prettiest place iu Northern 

 laud, and certainly I have no inclination to call this 

 in question. One could not, however, but be struck with 

 treme unfitness of the residence for its surround- 

 ings. A lordly mansion would grace the scene, and would 

 lie in perfect harmony with the choice and attractive spot. 

 But there are other things besides the general appearance 

 which add value to the spot. The soil is of excellent 

 quality, and when I mention that maize crops to the ex- 

 tent of fifty bushels to the acre are frequently taken there- 

 in a fair season, that fact will speak for itself. Bet 

 i iresent proprietor is not a farmer, and has no idea 

 of becoming one. Being engaged in the butchering busi- 

 ness, he selected it in order to have land for cattle, and 

 has farmed a little as a necessity for his horses and stock. 

 Most of his laud is good agricultural, and capable of 

 ing any crop for the maturing of which the climate 

 is suitable, and is equally adapted for the growth of either 

 cane or rice. From what met my eye I should 6ay 

 - he defects in the M'lvor soil are not repeated here. 

 From this beauty spot I was piloted to Mr. Dick's selec- 

 tion, a few miles away ; and there I saw both corn and 

 sugar-cane as thrifty as could be desired, and promising a 

 factory yield. Fruit and cotfee are Mr. Dick's fane;', 

 and for these the soil and climate are admirably adapted, 

 if proper cultivation be carried out. I saw Liberian and 

 Arabian coffee doing fairly well, but not showiug such 

 progress for the time it had been planted as I expected. 

 reasons for these shortcomings were also manifest, but 

 i. could not attribute them to the soil. The want appeared 

 experience in managing the nursling6. I saw 6mall 

 pot-holes being made for young coffee plants in other- 

 unbroken soil under heavy starring timber, and such 

 in lay opinion is next, in the matter of expecting satis- 

 factory results, to putting them into the fire. Growing 

 timber monopolises every particle of moisture and fertility 



1 111 t'ne roach of its roots, and large established 



are certain to starve any young tree which has to struggle 



1 ace in their, vicinity. A short distance further 



I came to a selection owned by Mr. Stitt, a Oooktown 



her. There I saw a standing crop of maize looking 



well for a good crop, and everything to speak for the 



llityof the soil audits suitability for cultivation under 



cotton, maize, cane, or any other tropical plant. From 



Moiut we retraced our steps and worked our way back 



•oktown, arriving there at a late hour on Wednesday, 



live days' wearisome ride over rough boggy country 



strongly-running creeks and rivers. On the following 



rday I went on board the S.S. '•Archer' 1 en route for 



- 



r iching Oairus from the sea, it strikes one that a 



limited area of country can be available for cultiv- 



bween the mountains and highlands. From the 



roadstead one obtains a glimpse of the town, situated 



a land but. little above the level of the sea at high 



. and apparently close at the back rise lofty mountain 



ered with a tropica! scrub. On landing, however 



impressi ins prove deceptive. The town is on a sandy 



1 with timber of various descriptions, and in the 



1 are many huge specimens of figs and magni- 



rees of other kinds which are admirably suited for 



rposi . nid should certainly be preserved iu their 



file admirer of nature visiting the place for the 



■■■■ naturally admires these trees, and in looking 



among the branches espies numerous orchids and epiphytal 



ferns and plants which interest him. All these northern 



scrubs art- immensely rich iu varied and pleasing novelties 



which charm the eye of the horticulturist and botanist, aud 

 tempt him continually onward iu the way of feastiug his 

 eyes and exploring. 



I landed at Cairns from the S.S. " Archer " on Easter 

 Sunday morning. On that day of course travelling was out 

 of the question, and, Monday being a holiday, the charter 

 of a horse was impossible. Before the day closed, how- 

 ever, I found a friend in the staff -surveyor — Mr. Starkey — 

 who kindly volunteered the loan of a horse during my 

 stay, which I very thaukfully accepted. The next morn- 

 ing Mr. Starkey and Mr. Hartley invited me to accompany 

 them by boat by the Trinity Inlet, as in that way I should 

 reach the camp where a horse "for ray wanderings would 

 be obtainable. Unfortunately a soaking rain was falling 

 while we progressed up the inlet, which militated very 

 considerably against our enjoyment, aud also spoilt the 

 view. But I was very much struck with the capacity of 

 this inlet as a safe and commodious harbour for a very 

 large fleet, and it occurred to mo that this fact alone 

 would go a long way to justify the construction of a rail- 

 way from Oairns to Heberton, which, I see, has been finally 

 determined upon. Mangroves fringe the inlet everywhere, 

 and among the branches a great variety of orchids and 

 ferns were conspicuous. On coming to a spot where there 

 was some appearance of open forest country we landed 

 and refreshed ourselves with a substantial lunch, and after 

 reconnoitering went again on board aud pierced the in- 

 tricacies of the stream further upwards towards the source. 

 Soon, however, the banks began to contract so that we 

 could not navigate it, owing to the mangroves shutting it 

 in over head, and we reluctantly turned back and pro- 

 ceeded to the landing at Bedbank, where we saw a large 

 quantity of the machinery landing for the Pyramid Plant- 

 ation on the Mulgrave River, some nine miles distant. 

 After about an hour's delay here horses were brought from 

 Mr. Starkey's camp, aud we mounted to make for the 

 quarters it would afford us for that night. The road was, 

 like many in the North this very wet season, only just 

 traversable. The country is open forest land, timbered 

 with small bloodwood moderately, the top soil being ■ ioor 

 and hungry, with a tenacious yellow clay for a subsoil. 

 After a ride of a mile or two the camp was reai bed, when 

 we dismounted and proceeded to make ourselves as com- 

 fortable as possible under the friendly covering of ca 

 My friaud and host for the time being was extremely kind 

 and attentive, and tho time passed merrily. The next 

 morning I bade adieu to Mr. Starkey, and pushed on for 

 the busy scenes of the Pyramid Plantation, some eight 

 miles distant. But little change was noticeable hi the 

 character of the country for miles, except that the soil 

 materially improved until it appeared to be admirably 

 adapted for cultivation. So far as I could judge on horse- 

 back it was a friable loam of considerable depth, in places 

 fairly strong and adapted for the growth of rice, maize 

 cotton, and tobacco ; and in others more light and sandy. 

 When approachiug the north bauk of the Mulgrave the 

 country altered into : very dense scrub, full of hi ivy timber 

 in great variety, but from which most of the cedar and 

 valuable timber trees hail been taken. Wild bananas, 

 lawyer and other vines iu endless variety, the stinging 

 tree, varieties of the wild ginger, mid ferns and orchids 

 innumerable greeted my eyes everywhere. After a mile or 

 so of this scrub the north bauk of the wide-spreading 

 Mulgrave was reached, and a waste of loose soil aud bould- 

 ers had to bi' traversed before coming to the stream itself. 

 The water was not much above the horse's knees and was 

 as clear as crystal, coursing oxer a pebbly bed, and was a 

 very refreshing sight. On enquiry I found tlia* 'he volume 

 of this stream seldom fell much below what it was then ; 

 an exceedingly satisfactory discovery for a Queenslander 

 accustomed to stagnant pools and dry beds of rivers as an 

 annual occurrence. On crossing the river the works of 

 the Pyramid plantation came under notice. The scrub had 

 been cleared on the south side of the river by kanakas 

 aud Chinese, and a gang of the latter was busy | 

 between the stumps and logs, by contract, as I passed. A 

 little farther on the buildings for the proper working of 

 the plantation appeared, and the scene opened out beauti- 

 fully. 



* * * 



The Pyramid estate eontains7 over 5,0fX> acres of scrub 

 laud of volcanic origin, aud very rich in organic matter in 



