Febiu/arv a, 1885,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



Hi 



have got frightened at the estimates of expenditure. 

 On the Esmeralda plantation in the sane territory, 

 it will ba seen that tea plants are flourishing, rt'e 

 suspect the two great difficulties in the Northern 

 Territory are want of steady, well-distributed rain- 

 fall and the absence of a plentiful and cheap labour 

 supply. The more we learn of competing countries, 

 the more favored the case of Ceylon seems to be in 

 regard to climate, means of communication and labour 

 supply. 



In my last letter I gave a rough report of Mr. Poett's 

 coffee plantation at Kum Jungle. I visited the estate two 

 months ago, and was pleased to find fifteen acres cleared 

 and planted, near the nursery, with coffee, cinchona, and 

 india-rubber, which were growing well, except the last 

 named, as it was suffering from dry weather. The coffee 

 and cinchona show plenty of wood, considering the dry 

 weather since they were planted — last December. A six- 

 months' drought is very discouraging. The plants doing 

 well in the nursery are the diro-diro, dates, arecauuts, oranges, 

 pumaloes, jak-fruit, mangoes etc. Plantation operations 

 are almost suspended just now, consequent upon the want 

 of success connected with the De Lissaville sugar plantation, 

 [Mr. De Lissa told us personally last month that he is not 

 wholly to blame for selecting the land. It was shameful 

 selection whoever did it. — Ed. T. P.~\ The Adelaide share- 

 holders of Poett's Company are rather afraid of results ; or 

 at least, until some tangible hope is shown. Adelaide 

 capitalists are now cautious in launchiug out money to carry 

 on the coffee estate, which is a serious blow to the manager, 

 Mr. Poett, who has done his share of work with energy 

 and success. The incautious policy of the directors in 

 suddenly stopping supplies at a time when thousands of 

 fine healthy coffee and cinchona plants are ready for trans- 

 planting has caused Mr, Poett to meet the local creditors ; 

 and I learn, with regret, that the property is now for sale. 

 Mr. Poett intends to go South with the view to reorganize 

 the Company and resume planting operations at once. 

 In December last Mr. Stevens, manager for Fisher & Lyons' 

 pastoral properties on the Adelaide River, arranged with 

 Mr. Poett to supply him with coffee and india-rubber plants, 

 and Mr. D. Mackinnou planted them in the roughly pre- 

 pared ground at the experimental garden on the said river. 

 In 2§ months they thoroughly struck, were well shaded in 

 wet weather, and the land kept freeirom weeds, etc. From 

 reliable sources I hear that the coffee and india-rubber plants 

 are thriving well. Upon low, flat and cold soil the rubbers 

 have not grown so well, and many of them were destroyed 

 by a small black beetle ; but this pest has not interfered 

 with coffee planted on good ground naturally drained. 

 Had the coffee been planted in wet soil it would, no doubt 

 have suffered from " wet feet," so called by coffee planters. 

 Mr. Stevens, however, is delighted with the growth of the 

 plants. The Duke of Manchester visited this plantation in 

 company with the Hon. M. Parsons f Government Resident), 

 Messrs. W. H. Gray, Holtze, and others, all of whom spoke 

 in flattering terms about the promising aspect of the plants. 

 There is a large area of land on the Adelaide River suitable 

 for cinchona, tobacco, and sugar-cane. I will report on this 

 experimental plantation now and then as I expect it will 

 prove a complete success especially alter so many mistakes 

 having been made in cane and tropical culture. Mr. Parsons 

 has unlimited faith in cane culture, as thu Chinese 

 have made canes grow well; but his statement made two 

 years ago, that the Northern Territory could grow better 

 canes than Queensland, has yet to be proved. It is 

 necessary for me to be candid 'and give my impressio ns 

 accurate of the truth. After twelve years' experience in 

 the Territory, my opinion is that all the land from Cape 

 Wessell to tho east of Port Darwin and Point Blazes to the 

 west, and a 10U to 200 mile inland, will produce little else 

 but minerals. Stock will thrive only during certain season 

 of -the year and even then a limited quantity must be run 

 upon the land. — D. G. — Tropical Planter. 



ESMERALDA PLANTATION, MOURILYAN. 



(By Ceilric Melton.) 

 This futuro Port Jackson of the North now boasts of 

 a township upon more than paper and property went 



high the other day at the Government sale. Many large 

 steamers visit the port, and next year the exports will 

 be something worthy of special notice. On the Johnstone 

 the plantations have had a fair crushing, cousidering the 

 quantity of cane available for the mills. Tho Innisfail 

 plantation will probably make 500 tons of sugar this 

 season. Mr. Dunal has worked the new French mill very 

 well, despite numerous imperfections in plant. Double 

 crushing on the Mourilyan Sugar Estate has produced 

 from 72 to 75 per cent. But I propose in this letter 

 to write about the " Esmeralda " tropical plantation belong- 

 ing to Messrs. Seymour and Allen, and ably managed by 

 Mr. Waldegrarve J. Thompson. It is situated on tho left 

 slope of the bluff hillside after entering the harbour. 

 The scene is grand and picturesque. The magnificent 

 lake harbour, with its mirror-like smoothness and noble 

 ranges of fustet groves and thick foliage hills, are fit 

 themes for a Macullough or other woodland painter. 

 A few months more and it will have lost its prim- 

 eval grandeur. The American axe and carpenter's skill 

 will denote that Mourilyan Harbour is a place of 

 deep importance. Apart from sugar its exports will bo 

 varied. The " Esmeralda" plantation is well situated for 

 tropical culture, and all the various economic plants now 

 growing there are thiiving in an astonishing manner. 

 The proprietors are only experimenting with plants as 

 yet, and their operations are much controlled by the 

 state of the labour question, upon which the extension 

 of the cultivation much depends. Such plants as coffee, 

 tea, cocoa, indiarubber and pepper, though in their in- 

 fancy, look the very picture of health— a sure proof that 

 they have found a congenial soil and climate. An ex- 

 amination of the soil and a few months' residence here 

 are sufficient indications to anyone versed in tropical 

 agriculture. The tea plants now growing are doing ex- 

 ceedingly well. They are known as the " Assam Hybrid" 

 variety ; that is a cross between the China and Assam 

 varieties, but its cultivation cannot be recommended 

 without abundance of cheap labour. The two varieties of 

 coffee, cocoa, and indiarubber will, I think, form the 

 chief products of the Esmeralda estate, and if grown on 

 the same acreage a large staff of cheap labour can be 

 kept up and be available for each successive crop. 676 

 coffee trees, SO cocoa and 80 indiarubber trees would not be 

 too much for the soils; that is, coffee planted 8 m 8, 

 and cocoa and indiarubber 10 « 16, alternated. This mass 

 of foliage should keep the soil almost in its virgin state 

 if anything like a pro rata amount of manure were re- 

 turned to the soil within a few years. There seems 

 a great want of confidence displayed by capitalists 

 in any industry in the colony but sugar, chiefly 

 owing to the failures in Ceylon and India j but I think 

 tbe apathy of the planters had almost as much to do 

 with their losses as leaf disease In turning to the Sydney 

 prices current, coffee is quoted at Bid per lb. Now it is 

 well-known that you cannot get a pound of roasted coffee fit 

 to drink under Is Gd per lb. Who gets this 9£d ? It 

 does not cost to roast, so it must lay with the whole-sale 

 grocer, while the planter can barely pay expenses. By 

 the following table you may see what could be realized per 

 annum, per acre, if put upon the market direct from the 

 North: — 



£ s. d. 

 Coffee, the 3rd year from planting, 3 cwt. per 



acre, at Is 6d per lb ... ... ,,,18 Q q 



Cocoa, the 3rd year from planting, 5 cwt. per 



acre, at Is per lb ... ... ... ...28 



India-rubber — say 80 lb., 18 mouths from 



planting, at 5s. ... ... ... ...20 6 



Total £6G 



These crops are estimated very low, as, with anything 

 like luck, a crop of li cwt. has been picked off two-year- 

 old trees ; and wth each of these trees, the older, they grow 

 the better they crop. As for instance, one ton per 

 acre was a frequent crop in India seven 5 ears ago. The 

 amount of rubber that can be topped from the tree 

 increases by I lb. every year, so that the third year's nett 

 proceeds should realize £80 per acre. I like to see this 

 estate so promising, as planters should not put all their 

 eggs in one basket. — Tropical Planter, 



