January i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



S33 



Chinese labourers, they passed an Act on March 10, 1884, 

 imposing a poll-tax of £30 on every Chinaman entering 

 Queensland, and limiting the number to be carried by any 

 vessel to any port in Queensland lo one Chinaman for every 

 50 tons of tonnage of such vessel. Moreover, they passed 

 a series of cast-iron regulations, which utterly strangled 

 the importation, under Government supervision, of the in- 

 habitants of Polynesia, and all the vessels employed m 

 that business we're consequently withdrawn. 



Against these successive acts of tyranny, the planters 

 being left without any source of coloured labour,«md see- 

 ing themselves brought face to face with absolute rum, 

 have, in conjunction with their army of skilled employes, 

 now rebelled, and demand separation from a Government 

 which has thus broker, faith with them, and by not carry- 

 ing out the promises of previous Governments have ob- 

 tained, under false pretences, their labour, capital, and 

 energies for the last 20 years. It is useless to talk of 

 tropical cultivation without tropical labour ; in no part of 

 the world is such a thing attempted. Those who live in 

 temperate regions do not know what they are talking about 

 when they suggest white labour, irrespective of the cost, 

 which would be absolutely prohibitory. The difficulties of 

 sugar-growers all over the world are bad enough at the 

 present time, owing to bounty-fed beetroot produce ; but 

 when, in addition to the lowest prices known during the 

 present century, also to (in Queensland) three bad seasons 

 in succession, there is superadded legislative interference 

 of a vexatious and persecuting character, you cannot wonder 

 at the desire for separation, which will only enable the 

 residents in tropical Queensland, by importing coolies from 

 India for tropical cultivation along their extensive coast- 

 line, to put themselves on equal terms with the inhabit- 

 ants of the other sugar-producing countries of the world. 

 Trusting, sir, that this letter may explain in some measure 

 the telegram from Queensland which appeared in your 

 Second Edition of today. — I remain, your obedient servant, 

 J. Ewen Davidson, a Queensland Sugar-planter for 20 years, 

 35, Harley-street, Loudon, Dec. 10. 



[Mr. Davidson who, after experience in the- West Indies, 

 became one of the leading sugar planters in the Mackay 

 district, represents the position very fairly. The planters 

 ask for cooly labour in connection with which many Euro- 

 peans would be employed, one white for every seven blacks, 

 probably. But the Griffith Ministry put the ban on cooly 

 immigration, and propose instead to introduce Germans 

 and Scandinavians to compete with English labourers on 

 lower wages generally, a policy which neither the planters 

 nor the workingmen are likely to appreciate. The remedy 

 is undoubtedly separation. — Ed.] 



TREE-PLANTING IN VICTORIA. 



The report of Mr. "William Ferguson on the State Nur- 

 series and the forest regeneration at Mount Macedon, is 

 a very interesting document, not only as showing the work 

 that has been done, but also what may be done in that 

 direction, and the ease with which it may be accomplished, 

 aud proving that the very important work of forest regen- 

 eration rests entirely upon the Government and the Par- 

 liament of the colony providing the necessary funds. Had 

 these been dealt out more liberally, there is no doubt that 

 instead of one or two hundred acres, as many thousands 

 would, by this time, have been progressing. It appears 

 that an area of seventy-five acres on the Mount has been 

 fenced and cleared during the last two years, but only 

 forty acres have been planted, though we know that the 

 trees were ready for being planted in that ground three 

 years ago, but the means were not forthcoming. It is 

 gratifying to find, though not surprising, that the trees 

 first planted, eight years ago, on the Mount are doing well, 

 thousands of California^ Piues having attained an altitude 

 of twenty feet; while hard-wooded European trees have 

 done equally well according to their kinds. Though a 

 growth of twenty feet in eight years is not excessive, the 

 bleakness of the situation must be taken into account, for 

 that is most unfavourable to the progress of young, and 

 especially of transplanted, tiers. 



The most effective mode of reafforesting is that tried in 

 the Majorca State forest reserve, where about 200 acres 

 were sown this year with Acacia pyenantha, and about 

 twenty acres of Blue Gum, which have done well, and 



promise to become a valuable plantation. Altogether there 

 are about 400acr.es of wattle plantations formed in the district. 



As a proof of the efficiency of sowing the seeds where 

 they are to remain, it is stated that— ' The plantations of 

 Blue Gum (thirty acres) sown broadcast about four years 

 since in the State forest reserve, have now attained the 

 height of about twenty feet ami twenty-five feet six inches 

 in diameter, and promise soon to become of considerable 

 value for mining and other purposes.' Also at Longere- 

 nong a paddock of sixty acres, adjoining the nursery, was 

 set apart for wattle cultivation, aud thirty acres have been 

 sown with black wattle (Acac . ,..,, an( j are grow- 



in,- very well. And Sir. Ferguson recommends the remain- 

 ing thirty acres to be sown with Golden Wattle (Acacia 

 I. n, which, he believes, will prove the most remu- 

 nerative for cultivation. • In the nursery department during 

 the past year a great amount of the available labour was 

 employed in taking up and packing trees for public bodies, 

 water supply, and State schools in all parts of the colony. 

 From Macedon Nursery during 1882-83 upwards of 85,000 

 trees were distributed gratis to 550 public bodies, State 

 schools, and Government institutions and works; and from 

 the Wimmera Nursery at Lougerenoug 1,115 trees were 

 supplied to shire councils and public institutions. This 

 work employed one-half of the nursery staff, and some- 

 times more.' The portion of the report relating to the 

 ill-chosen Longerenong Nursery is not at all unfavourable, 

 and considering the arid nature of the climate, many 

 European aud other trees have succeeded well, even includ- 

 ing the sycamore. Among those transplanted in that nurs- 

 ery the catalpa, which produces very valuable timber, is 

 worthy of every encouragement; but we fail to see the 

 use of propagating such things as laburnums or Amorplut 

 fruticosa. The wattles on the railway reserves are alluded 

 to, aud Mr. Ferguson considers they have made rapid growth. 



From the appearance of the wattles along the Geelong 

 line of railway, it would seem that they are not likely to 

 prove a profitable speculation, as they are making a com- 

 paratively poor growth, although the soil, for the most 

 part, is of good quality. We think the variety used is of 

 the wrong kind to yield a profitable return, for though 

 the bark of the golden wattle (Acacia pycrianiha) is more 

 valuable than that of the black wattle (J. mollisima), the 

 tree is much slower growing, and requires double the time 

 to yield a given quantity of bark than the black wattle, 

 which has been known to attain a height of fourteen feet 

 the first year, whereas those on the railway will require 

 five or six years to reach that height. We are not aware 

 in what manner the ploughing of the ground was per- 

 formed; we only know that it cost an immense amount 

 of money. However that may be, it has certainly not been 

 properly treated since, so that the wattles have not had 

 a fair chance. The seed ought to have been sown in rows 

 rather thickly, so that the ground might have been ploughed 

 once a year, so long as requisite, to loosen it and keep 

 the weeds down ; these would have acted as manure, the 

 roots would have had a better run, the trees would have 

 drawn each other up, and less pruning would have been 

 required. Then the plants could have been gradually 

 thinned out as they attained sufficient size for barking. 

 There is another obstacle to the well-being of wattles on 

 such a situation ; they are sociable trees, thriving best in 

 company, and therefore succeed better in a large group 

 then in a narrow strip ; they also love shelter, but here 

 they are exposed to winds both cold and cutting. So 

 that, taking all circumstances into account, the probability 

 is that the money expended will never be returned. — Leader. 



Blue Mountain Tea.— Large numbers of articles have 

 been tried as substitutes for Chinese tea. but they snon 

 fall iu to disuse. This is not the case with the sweet-scented 

 golden rod — Solidago odora. Its use commenced among the 

 Germans in the inferior of Pennsylvania, probably fifty 

 years ago. and has continued to grow in popular estimation 

 until it has become the exclusive drink in many sections, 

 and has actually become an article of considerable com- 

 merce. Large quantities are now sold in Chicago at ,S1 per 

 pound. Unlike many virtues it has not been palmed 

 "Chinese tea. native of Pennsylvania," but is sold for just 

 what it is, audit has worked its own way without trade 

 tricks. — Gardeners' Monthly. 



