1<)6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1884, 



especially when Nature has been so bountiful in supplying 

 her part. 



As already mentioned, the machinery is not particularly 

 large tor such an estate. Double crushing has not been 

 hitherto attempted, but an extra set of rollers is being 

 made by Walker & Co., Maryborough, to be erected for 

 the next crushing. All the latest improvements, snch as 

 triple effet vacuum pan arc in use, and the machinery is 

 worked by steam generated by three boilers of 60-horse 

 power each, and a fourth boiler is now being made by 

 the Maryborough firm already mentioned for the next sea- 

 sun. About 950 acres are under cane for next crushing, 

 and the crop at present is looking as well as could be de- 

 sired, being a mass of impenetrable cane more than 10 ft. 

 high, dense enough to shut out both light and air from 

 anyone attempting to push in among it. Wheu I asked 

 the opinion of one of the firm who showed me round 

 whether he thought white labour could ever answer for 

 field work on a sugar plantation, his immediate answer 

 was, " Go in among the cane a little and judge for your- 

 self." But I needed no such experience, having trie i it 

 years before in a more southern latitude, which convinced 

 me that until the nature of the white man had under- 

 gone a considerable change, or some great pressure of cir- 

 cumstances, sikh as the inducement of high wages or the 

 prospect of an empty purse and starvation, he would never 

 be induced to undertake such work. There is nothing like 

 experience to settle such questions. Those who have no 

 experience, and never attempt to acquire it, should be 

 more moderate in their utterances if they would be accred- 

 ited with wisdom or common sense. I had almost forgotten 

 tu state that a charcoal plant from the Fives Lille Company 

 is tu be added t > the machinery shortly; extra cenl rifxugals 

 from .Mir oes, Tait & Watson; and also a Godillot furnace 

 for burning the megass. 



1 have said that no effort is being made to extend oper- 

 ations; I was informed, however, that 050 acres of rane 

 is to bo crushed the coming season, and it is confidently 

 anticipated that a high average density will be obtained 

 from the crop, should the season continue good. The 

 ratoon crop is expected to average from 8 ft. to 10 ft. of 

 cane for the mill, aud the probability is that should the 

 labour problem be satisfactorily solved, we shall yet hear 

 of great success being realised from the Hambledon plant- 

 ation. While in conversation with the gentleman who 

 showed me round, I was again reminded of a mystery 

 that had greeted my ears several times before. I was 

 told that in the adjoining scrub could be seen specimens 

 of native ginger producing widely dissimilar fruits on the 

 same plant. Feeling certain that a mistake had been made, 

 I decided to take time to try aud solve the mystery. 

 Fortunately we saw the dissimilar fruits, and they were 

 both on specimens of the zingiberacea, but they were 

 distinct varieties of such, and by no means identical. 

 Having solved the mystery we returned, and I took my 

 departure en route for the Pioneer plantation. 



After a lonely ride of some five or six miles on the 

 Cairns road, sugar again came into view, and I turned 

 aside to hurriedly inspect the workings of Hop "Y\'ah & 

 Co. The bulk of the land under crop with caue on this 

 plantation was originally covered with scrub, but the 

 limited time at my disposal would not allow of my going 

 through it, as it lay a good distance back from the road. 

 One feature of the place is that it is worked entirely 

 with Chinese labour, the only Europeans being the sugar- 

 boiler and the engine-driver, Celestials being wanting in 

 the qualifications necessary to superintend these important 

 operations. The number of Chinese employed is about 

 LV0, including the overseers or gangers. As matter of 

 course the labour difficulty is felt little, if at all, by this 

 company, except that there is a general feeling of depres- 

 sion and uneasiness in connection with the industry. The 

 anxiety that was shown only a short time since by Mel- 

 bourne and other capitalists interested in sugar is now 

 a thing of the past ; banks refuse to advance capital 

 to assist industry and enterprise in developing it, and 

 a certain amount of fe»r is entertained that it may 

 llapse. Hundreds of thousands of pounds have 

 thus been shut out of the colony, ami Europeans 

 who wenl. I have been snapped up at good wagi 

 than a year ago are now wandering about unable to 

 pbtaiu work even at greatly reduced wages. There are 



facts which are apparent at every turn all through the 

 northern sugar districts, aud as such they arc immensely 

 instructive. But to return to my Chinamen." This plantation 

 is only some three miles from Cairns, and on riding through 

 the settlement quite a village of thatched dwellings marks 

 the place where the workmen are domiciled. Everywhere 

 in my travels I have found that the Celestial erects his 

 buildings of thatch — not only the roof being of this material, 

 but also the ends and sides. Some of the larger ones are 

 like huge barns, and are partitioned off within to accom- 

 modate a large number. Much of the thatching is done 

 with the trash from the cane, and when anything like 

 care and skill is bestowed upon the work it is almost a 

 marvel of neatness, and is thoroughly wind and water 

 proof. The amount of land owned by this company is 

 1,280 acres, much of it being swampy forest land, and a 

 portion of it rich scrub. Some 400 acres is now uuder 

 cane, and last season 180 acres was cut and crushed, at 

 an average, I was assured, of 2£ tons to the acre. So 

 far as trials made are concerned, scrub lands yield im- 

 mensely, as much as 4 tons to the acre being given as the 

 yield. Forest land, however, will not give much over a ton. 

 The varieties of cane grown by this company are the large 

 yellow, black Java, Hose Bamboo, aud Meera, the two latter 

 being the principal favourites. 



Without unnecessary delay I pressed on for Cairns, where 

 I found that the " Star of Hope " would be ready for 

 starting in an hour or two, so that I had little time to 

 spare. Before leaving I was kindly furnished by the Sub- 

 Collector of Customs, Mr. E. T. Hartley, with some facts 

 and figures relating to this young industry in that port. 

 The total quantity exported last year was 1,307 tons 5 cwt. 

 of sugar, valued at £37,409 ; ami 41 tons 1'.! ewe, valued at 

 £1,246, had been shipped coastwise ; the total for the year 

 ending 31st March being 1,411 tons 17 cwt., valued at 

 £38,655. This does not represent the total output of sugar 

 from the mills in the district, as a year's supply for the 

 place has to be added. 1 lacked opportunity to inspect 

 the rich scrub lands of the Barron River, but, as 1 under- 

 stood nothing more than the preliminaries of clearing had 

 as yet been attended to, my anxiety to push in that direc- 

 tion was not great. Hurrying on board, the captain let 

 go his moorings, and we started for the Johnstone River. — 

 Queenslander. 



TnE following is from the report of the American Con- 

 sular Agent, Lowcnstein, of the province of Gras, Spain, 

 and will be found of some interest to orange growers: — 

 "Trees raised from the seed are more robust and live to 

 much greater age. The oldest orange trees found in this 

 province clearly demonstrate that the primitive trees were 

 rais id from seed. The sweet orange does not thrive well when 

 raised from shoots, and in order to obtain a good result it is 

 necessary to recur to tightly baudaging them so as to fav- 

 our the accumulation of juices, which contribute to the 

 acceleration of the unfolding of the underground shoots. 

 The bitter orange is more easily cultivated. The follow- 

 ing means have been employed and are still being used, 

 as by the same frondose trees bearing a large quantity 

 of fruit, and this of good quality, are obtained. Said means 

 are these: — First a flower-pot is obtained, composed of two 

 pieces, which can easily be fastened together either with 

 wire or strong twine passed round them at the top ami 

 also at the bottom. Then some straight branches of about 

 the thickness of two fiugers must be selected, and if said 

 branches are very long, they should be cut down to the 

 length of 1J metres; then the part that has to be placed 

 in the centre of the flower-pots is barked all round for 

 about H in., and immediately bound up with esparto grass 

 cording. As soon as this is done the flower.pots are put 

 r and filled with earth aud stable manure, well mixed 

 together, and watered; after this they are watered once 

 a week. At the end of a year the roots that have formed 

 nearly fill the inside of the flower-pots, and then the 

 branches at the lower exterior part of these are sawn off 

 and the new orange trees are taken tu the spot where 

 they are to he planted. For planting there is only tx) Cu1 

 the wire or string holding the Bower-pots together, and if 

 they are well looked after they will commence hearing 

 fiuit at the cud of two years." — Queenslander. 



