Sep i THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



all stages if decomposition. When the plantation was 

 started tho intention was to extend operations upon it as 

 fast as practicable, but since thi u] p ; of labour has been 

 interfered with the proprietors have been compelled to 



limit thiii e i xpri i for fear of its ending in failure. So 

 far as I could learn they regret having gone 60 far as tbey 

 1 . . for ; ospects are but assuring, and hut for 



bh fad that a start had been made and orden .iven in 

 n old country for machinery, a i m] ppage would 



have taken place. The main port on croj of sugar- 



cane on this plantation consists oi Rose Bamboo and Meera. 

 is growing there, but not in large quantity; and 

 the general opinion there and elsewhere is that the Creole 

 a hi si :ue identical. Cheribou and some other 



vt rieties, ; iclading Beveral ribbons, are also under trial. 

 Experienced planters say that canes are variable, and are 

 ail Liable at any time to failure, so that it is always wise 

 to have other varieties at Iwid and available in case of 

 emergency. The labour now employed on tho plantation 

 cousi'ts of 35 Europeans, 81 kanakas, and 100 Chinese; 

 ami about 40 more kanakas are expected to arrive shortly. 

 The kanakas are everywhere happy and contented, ami 

 appear to di their work as cheerfully as -if not more so 

 than any other people. The Chinese are anything but re- 

 liable, and unless very sharply overlooked they will skulk 

 and loaf frightfully, and try in every way to take advant- 

 age of their employers. The same is the experience with 

 Europeans in any field labour. Much of the contract work 

 in clearing, burning off, and first planting is undertaken 

 by the celestials, and only when thus dealt with can they 

 be employed advantageously. The machinery for the plant- 

 ation is all either lauded or on the way, a vessel having 

 been chartered to deliver it on the spot for a lump sum 

 aud to carry nothing besides. Three hundred tons of machin- 

 ery is already landed, and an equal quantity is yet to 

 arrive, which includes tramwa}' appliances for doing the 

 work of the plantation. The machinery is to be conveyed 

 to its destination by means of the tramway imported, and 

 this work alone will necessitate a large amount of labour. 

 Ma I ive, AUiott, Fryer & Co., of Nottingham, are the 

 makers of the machinery, which is equal to the manu- 

 facture of 10 tons of sugar every twelve hours. It con- 

 sists of double crushing rollers, French double-bottom 

 clarifier, filter press, triple effot, and vacuum-pan, three 

 multitubular boilers 8 ft. in diameter by 14 ft. long, with 

 136 tubes each, and separately up to 115-horse power. A 

 Godillot furnace is to he used to burn the megass as it 

 green from the rollers— an appliance whien is vari- 

 ously spoken of, but which has not been thoroughly tested 

 in Northcn Queensland. At the present time a sawmill 

 is worked by steam, the engine being of 14-horse power 

 il'\ .obey), and which works a vertical as well as several 

 en All the timber required is cut on the ground, 



and th, sawmill enploys a considerable number of hands 

 in many ways to keep it going. The buildings erected 

 for labourers are all that could be desired for the purpose, 

 being roomy, well ventillated, and evidently constructed 

 with tine consideration for the health, comfort, and well- 

 being of those who are to occupy them. The European 

 quarters are nearly a quarter of a mile from the kanaka 

 house, and form quite a comfortable block of buildings. 

 The kanaka house is built to accommodate 160 hands, and, 

 as the "boys" will not he content without fire to sit by 

 during evenings, provision is made to :, I low them to make 

 a fire in the centre of the building upon the floor, where 

 they can squat all round it. the smoke having a good get- 

 away iu tho root abovi inda I ir the mill are in 

 course of excavation, ami concrete walls for molasses tank 

 and nth. i , are now being made. The gravel and sand 

 for the work is being brought across the river by means 

 of a wire-rope and bucket, aud preparations for the coming 

 mac! '■'< i.. ■ re well forward. It is early as yet to fix a 

 date for the erection of the machinery, but should no 

 unforeseen delay take place, crushing is expected before 

 thi ' is through. Another oi i ine is to 

 be put in read; for the foil All things 

 considered, there appears to be i p f good 

 returns . >i ■■ a ltlay on thi ; plant atio 

 taut date, and workis being pushed on under the mi 

 in n it Mr. .T. B. I.ourirlan with all the expedition and 

 forethought, no bli ioying the hospitality of 

 the host aud hosstess, i made a start early the following 



morning for the Hambledon plantation, particulaa 

 cerning which will he furnished in my next. 



Between the Pyramid and the Hambledon planta 



'<'"' '■ ,s nearly level, and in dry weathei i- a 



good easy road to travel, the distance being about . 

 miles. .V large portion of tho hind aiong the tn 

 very indifferent, fit for nothing bu1 pastoral purp.,s, 

 not very good at that. The remainder is tolerably I 

 » i I ■ •■ 'kahl i, im. bei ig open fores! countj ,- ill b 

 in I mpting cultivators to try it, as such land is , 

 costly to prepare and uncertain as to results, even 

 in texture and appearance exactly resembling scrub 

 The proprietors oi the Hambledon plantation are 

 3wallo 1 .' Derham, and a visit to the spot is sm. 

 to satisfy anyone as to the energy and enterprise of this 

 weil-known Melbourne firm. The exact amount of 1 

 li lid by this company I did not ascertain, but it ; 

 siderably ever 5,000 acres, mostly first-class scrub soii- ■ 



I for working and also for attractiveness, i. 

 i - : ately behind it is a lofty range of scrub-cl 

 hills, or rather mountains, known as Lamb's Range, 

 tower up to the height of between 2,000 ft. and 3,1 » 

 The land under crop was formerly called the "Bla 

 Snare," as the immediately adjoining patch had 

 utili i by the aboriginals as a trap to run cattle 

 ho ses into for use as they wanted them. A lofty 

 towers high above the cultivated portion of the estate 'to , 

 the west and north, and anyone enjoying leisure, and well 

 armed against the persecutions of that minute insect which 

 causes the "scrub itch," may, in the ravines which show 

 among these heights and in the wealth of tropical vegetation 

 everywhere appearing, fairly revel in many of the richest, oi 

 nat ure's botanical adornments. But I lacked the needed leis- 

 ure, as on arriving at the mililwas introduced to the ea ' 

 of a small steamer— the "Star of Hope" — trading he 

 Cairns, the Johnstone and Herbert rivers, &o., andTi 

 ville; and as my next port of call was the Johnstone, I 

 hini edly determined to take a passage southward in 

 littie craft. Ascertaining that she would leave that evening 

 I saw I had no time to lose, so I gathered the information 

 I required, partook of an excellent lunch, and was soon 

 afterwards in the saddle en route for the Hop AVah 

 plantation, and thence to Cairns. 



Although Messrs. Swallow & Derham have only been 

 in possession of the land a little over two years. I 

 is about S00 acres under cane, all looking well; machinery 

 erected capable of making 10 tons of sugar in twelve 

 hours; all the necessary buildings for the accommor 

 of the hands employed on the estate; and last season cane 

 from nearly 800 acres was crushed, which result 

 yield of sugar nearly up to 1,300 tons. Evidently no tim 

 had been lost in any way, and, in addition to the a 

 work, a substantial tram line,' four miles in length 

 been constructed, leading from the mill to deep wal 

 the Trinity Inlet, and a good wharf erected, where \ 

 of considerable tonnage can come up alongside and loi 

 or discharge. Labour and capital combined w> rl wi n 1 

 and the transformation thus effected is notonl. 

 to the enterprise of the proprietary, but is equallj 

 the colony in which it is displayed. As mention d i 

 wheu all this was planned and in course of [ . 

 the capitalists who were making such ventures di I 

 the strength of a plentiful supply of coolie 

 the promise held forth by th.it Fully justifii ' tl 

 taking and the outlay. Now, however, the pro pi is 1 

 encouraging, and then- is no d isire ai present to 

 ahead as before, but simply to hold on iu hopes of ai 

 aud a more desirable change. The labour em] 03 

 as elsewhere, is various. Chinese h been I 



are found more or less wanting, and onlysixan 

 engaged. There are. besides, 175 kanakas, and 

 thirtyaudfortyEuropeans. Alltheemployi 

 housed and cared for, butthe arrangement of th 

 is not so complete and symmi trical 1 

 and is somewhat out, of joint with the gran ' 

 surroundings. The impi yed to thi ■ 



risito .on surveyingthe scene, isthal 



ore thought of when doing all this than , 

 of making it an attractive aud pleasing picture. Certainly 

 to the planter's eye the luxuriant fields of cane stretching 

 out before him would he an ,, 



but it is always a pity to overlook the picturesque, more 



