'^'^1' ;^' ] Provincial Visits. ^77 



We were then shown how the cane was propagated from cuttings, 

 also how the trash or dead leaves were disposed of, watched the 

 cane being cut and stripped ready for crushing, and being loaded 

 into small trucks running into the mill. The whole process was 

 most interesting, especially to those who had not seen the sugar 

 industry before. We were then taken to the Millaquin refinery, 

 where the various processes of refining the yellow sugar into the 

 white article of commerce were fully explained and shown to us. 

 It was a little bewildering, going through the large mill, with all 

 the machinery working, for those unaccustomed to it. The 

 manager, Mr. Johnston, and his wife, kindly served afternoon 

 tea to the company at the residence, and in their garden tropical 

 fruits were growing well, such as mangoes, pineapples, bananas, 

 i*^c. In the evening Mr. D. Le Souef gave an illustrated lecture 

 on Australian bird-life to a large and appreciative audience at the 

 Town Council Chambers, the mayor presiding. 



Next morning Messrs. A. H. and E. Young kindly took us out 

 by motor to their Fairymead sugar plantation and mill. It was 

 a delightful drive in the fresh morning air. A thorough inspec- 

 tion of the mill was made, from seeing the cane pass under the 

 great crushers, to the white sugar being bagged ready for market, 

 and also watching the manufacture of " molascuit," a preparation 

 of molasses and fibre of the cane, a well-known fodder for stock. 

 Light refreshments were partaken of at Mr. H. A. Young's charming 

 residence, and all too soon we had to leave to catch the southern 

 train : but the visit was delightful, and full of interest, and one 

 which we will long look back on with pleasure. We left the same 

 afternoon, after bidding farewell to our kind hosts and hostesses, 

 not forgetting Major Johnston, who had been so indefatigable 

 in looking after our welfare. 



TOOWOOMBA. 



We passed through Brisbane next morning at an early hour, 

 Mr. Tryon meeting us there, and reached Toowoomba at mid- 

 day. We were here again kindly welcomed to the city at the 

 Council Chambers by Mr. H. K. Alford, on behalf of the mayor, 

 and by Mr. H. A. Longman, the president of the Field Naturalists' 

 Club. In the afternoon a reception by the Field Naturalists" Club 

 was held at the Botanical Gardens, in which we were interested, 

 also in some enclosures where were a few kangaroos, wallabies, 

 and Emus. The stock looked well, and enjoyed plenty of room. 

 We also inspected the Museum, in which are many very inter- 

 esting exhibits. 



Next morning we were taken to a most striking basalt quarry, 

 in the face of which the centres of two cones were visible, where 

 they had in ages gone by belched out their molten lava. We 

 were glad to hear that the council intended to leave these intact. 

 They are well worth preserving. During the afternoon an ex- 

 cursion was made to the neighbouring hills, where some dense 

 scrub was examined, both as to its bird and insect life. The 



