742 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Aprit, i , 1885, 



plant thick aud to thin early is a sound one to follow 

 as a general rule, unless in some easily understood and 

 exceptional cases. 



In pruning for fruit the case is quite different, and 

 greatly depends on the nature of the tree, whether it 

 produce fruit-spurs or not, whether it bear on the ■ old or 

 on the young wood. The main object is, first of all, to 

 get a tree, to secure a framework and a sufficient supply 

 of reserve matter in the bark or young wood to ensure 

 the formation of fruit-spurs or to concentrate the reserve 

 matter in particular parts of the tree where it is most 

 likely to be useful. 



The object here is first to secure a due amount of 

 vegetative growth, and, this dune, to direct the energies 

 of the tree, as far as may be, to the production of fruit- 

 spurs. To this end auy excessive or unnecessary wood may 

 safely be cutaway, as well as any that may interfere with 

 the form wished to be given to the tree to adapt it to 

 its growth as a pyramid or against a wall. The numerous 

 methods of effecting this are known and generally pract- 

 ised. The result of these procedures is seen in the uni- 

 form proportion and balance of the vegetative and of the 

 reproductive organs, which skilful primers, especially those 

 of the old school, were so successful in obtaining. 



In the case of pruning for flowers — as, for instance, in 

 Hoses — the object is to secure perfection in the flower. 

 Here perhaps more than in any other case th? horror of 

 the theorist is excited ; here perhaps the procedures of 

 the pruner are most radical. Here, therefore, is it mure 

 particularly desirable to remember that the object is not 

 timber — not even fruit or seed — but simply brilliant flower. 

 There is comparatively less necessity for the accumulation 

 of reserve stores, as the flowers form rapidly ou the wood 

 of the year, quickly assimilate the food they obtain, and 

 utilise it at once. The cutting away of the old reserve 

 organs is, therefore, of the less consequence, and, more- 

 over, even where the hardest pruning is practised there 

 is the reserve in the stock still available, and the roots 

 are ready to come to the aid of the newly-formed leaves 

 at once. Then again hard pruning for Roses finds a justific- 

 ation in the fact that the Hfltee is " spring tender," starts 

 early into growth, and thus is liable to have its shoots 

 killed by frost. The delay occasioned by hard pruning 

 obviates this loss. Nevertheless, Roses do die, and no doubt 

 they would not die so soon were the extension system 

 more generally practised, but the results to the Hose lover 

 would assuredly not be so satisfactory. In the case of 

 the Vine the general principles are the same as in the 

 Rose, but the Vine is less often grafted, and contains in 

 the old rods a hu'ge relative amount of reserve nutriment. 

 Here again the gardener has to consider whether it will 

 pay him best to have a perpetuity of small bunches or 

 a number of larger ones of better quality for a shorter 

 period — whether the extension system will suit his require- 

 ments better than the rod and spur system usually adopted. 

 No doubt if the production of matured seed and robust 

 seedlings were the object, the extension system would practic- 

 ally and theoretically be the best in the long run, but 

 for general purposes we require the fruit and not the seed 

 — the requirements, as was stated in a previous article, 

 being different in the two cases, at least in degree. 



The same general principles apply in the case of root 

 pruning, a procedure utterly at variance with the benefit 

 of the individual plant; but which, when judiciously man- 

 aged, is of great benefit to the cultivator, and of no ap- 

 preciable harm (under the circumstances) to the plant. 

 With pruning is necessarily associated training, the 

 objects of which are identical, and which ensures an equal 

 amount of leaf action by a smaller number of leaves, lie- 

 cause each leaf and each bud is, by skilful pruning and 

 training, so plaeed as to get the most advantage from 

 the light and heat. Each leaf here is placed under the 

 most favourable circumstances possible, and has not to fear 

 the injurious competition of its fellows. In fact, each leaf 

 is in a degree placed under the same favourable conditions 

 that a plant in a pot in a greenhouse is, as compared 

 with one planted out, and having to take its chance 

 among a host of competitors. In spite, therefore, of the 

 now wholly untenable explanations afforded by the gardener 

 aud forester, and to which we alluded in a previous article, 

 their practice* is abundantly justified both by results and 

 y modern theory when the objects of the operation are 



duly considered, and the mode of growth and habit of 

 life of the plants duly weighed.— Gardens' Chronicle. 



THE MACKAY (NORTHERN QUEENSLAND) 



PLANTERS' AND FARMERS' ASSOCIATION 



have completed their arrangements for indenting European 

 labourers under the conditions suggested by the present 

 Government. The trial shipment will number about 600, 

 and it is intended, if possible, that these shall be Swedes, 

 Norwegians, or Danes. In order that these immigrants 

 may fully understand the work they will have to do, the 

 rate of wages prevalent in Queensland, the feeling of the 

 labouring classes to their introduction, and the inducements 

 there are in the colony for the immigrant to seek it as 

 his home, the Mackay association have published a pamphlet, 

 setting forth fully and plainly all these particulars, and 

 a copy of this will be given ( translated into his own language 1 

 to every immigrant before signing his agreement, so that 

 there can be no possibility of any after-statement that he 

 was brought out under false pretences and with ut full 

 knowledge of what he was going to do. The separation 

 movement is rapidly gaining strength. The Southern 

 opponents would pass it off as entirely a planter ' idea, 

 so as to get coolie labour. I am in a good pos s tion to 

 know that this is not the case. The planters may have 

 had something to do in initiating the idea, by their cionstant 

 assertions that separation was the only remedy against 

 political oppression ; but as far as organising or even smarting 

 the present movement they had nothing to do with it. 

 Their sympathies are, of course, entirely with it, and by 

 funds, and in every way possible, they will back it up. but 

 the movement is entirely under the control and in the 

 hands of the townspeople. Not one of the leaders of the 

 movement but are in favour of federation of the colonies, 

 but climatic or geographical separation must precede feder- 

 ation. The colonies must be divided to a greater extent 

 than they are now before unity will be possible in one general 

 council. In other words, complete local government in land, 

 law, and taxes, must be given to each district, then one 

 representative of Royalty and one capital town would be 

 sufficient for the whole of the Australians, and one general 

 council could decide upon national and foreign matters. 

 That is the planters' view of the movement, whether it 

 results in coloured labour for them or not. 



It is my pleasing duty to have to write of as grandly 

 favourable weather as the sugar planter could possibly desire. 

 Your southern farmers of non-tropical Victoria can simply 

 form no idea of the rank and amazingly rapid growth of weeds 

 in this climate during (he wet season, and cane is not able 

 to hold its own in its struggle for existence with fhese 

 robber plants, unless man comes to its aid until the leaf 

 growth is so dense as to smother everything below it. 

 Here is where the black — and cheap — labour comes in, for 

 a multitude of hands and feet, each pair animated with 

 individual intelligence, although not necessarily endowed 

 with much strength, are required so as to get over the 

 fields quickly, or the cane suffers correspondingly. Upon 

 the extensive, stony scrub soil hills which are so fertile, 

 no machine labour can ever be employed — the hand-hoe 

 and the pick will ever be supreme; but on the open fields 

 machinery and horse labour can be used to assist the hand 

 labourer; but until machines are invented which have some 

 intelligence — a very small amount would do — the planter 

 will have to depend upon cheap, and that means coloured, 

 humanity. However, to those planters who have abundant 

 labour at command, very heavy crops are certain to be 

 harvested next year, and this remark applies not only to 

 this Mackay neighbourhood, but to the whole of the sugar- 

 growing centres of Queensland. 



The planters have had another snub from our statesman- 

 like Premier over the matter of cheap European immigration, 

 although they score one against him in exposing the hollow- 

 ness and insincerity of his statements. You may perhaps 

 remember that in one of my previous letters I mentioned 

 that where the coloured labour question was before the 

 House, Mr. Griffith, when, he set his foot down against 

 coolies, said that the. Government were quite willing to 

 introduce emigrants from Europe, who could be got for 10s. 

 per week, and an act was passed to this effect, the planter 

 having to pay £2 towards the passage and to hunt out and 



