92 INTRODUCTION OF ECONOMIC PLANTS 



varieties then growing at Mauritius, and subsequently 

 distributed various kinds of canes. In 1878, the Society 

 entered into an exchange of canes with the Southern 

 United States of \merica. Several importation^ have 

 .been made by the Department of Agriculture, 

 notably some good varieties from New Guinea and 

 Mauritius in the early nineties. Official returns show 

 that in 1867 the 6 sugar mills then in existence produced 

 168 tons of sugar, and 13,100 gallons of molasses, 

 while in 1907, 48 mills produced 188,307 tons of sugar, 

 and 5,980,433 gallons of molasses were obtained in 

 1908. 



BEVERAGES. 



Arabian Coffee {Coffea arabica). 



Backhouse and Walker record having seen a few 

 strong coffee plants near Brisbane in 1836. In 1862, 

 a plantation was formed in the Brisbane Botanic 

 Gardens, the plants having been raised from seed 

 obtained from plants growing in Captain Wickham's 

 garden, at Newstead, in 1858. In the year 1873, 

 6,400 plants were sent out from the gardens, and in 

 1882, there were 5,000 distributed. The Acclimatisa- 

 tion Society, which, by the way also distributed 

 plants at the same time, introduced the variety 

 "Mocha" in 1880. In 1908, 285 acres under cultiva- 

 tion produced 116,2931bs. of parchment coffee. 



EiBERiAN Coffee (Coffea liber ica). 



This species, which came with a great reputation 

 from other coffee-growing countries, in the year 1882, 

 was distributed from the Brisbane Botanic Gardens 

 and Bowen Park, but has not come up to expectations 

 in this State. 



Tea (Camellia theifera). 



Introduced by the Brisbane Botanic Gardens prior 

 to 1861, and 1,000 plants distributed from there in 

 1862, 2,000 in 1873. Early in 1880, 3,500 plants 

 were ready for distribution, in addition to 200 plants 

 of the Assam variety, and there was a distribution in 

 1888. So far, these efforts have not resulted in any 

 of this commodity being placed on the market. 



Tea, Paraguay, or Mate (Ilex faraijuayensis), 



Introduced by the Brisbane Botanic Gardens prior 



