August i, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
179 
capitalist to invest? and have tropical products been 
tried with success ? and are the laws relating to the 
purchate of land liberal ? and are there means of 
getting produce to the seaboard? and is cheap and 
suitable labor available ? and, finally, where are the 
marl&ts for the produce? To the first question, I reply 
that, as the result of my own observation, and that 
of far more competent judges than I could pretend to be, 
there are immense tracts of rich soil on the banks of 
the Adelaide and Duly— far more than could possibly 
be used for many years. There are other great tracts 
of rich soil aleo, but I only refer to that to which 
water carriage is available now. Tlic price of that land 
is seven shillings and six pence per acre ; but the 
Government arc now showing their liberality to bond 
fide planters by giving a free gift of 20,000 acres to 
three Melbourne gentlemen on easy conditions of cultiva- 
tion. Should other capitalists mean work, they have 
only to apply to the South Australian Government, 
give fair proof of their bond fides, and they will 
have no cause to complain of want of liberality on 
the part of the Government. To those who would try 
planting on a smaller scale, I may state that the 
most liberal inducements arc held out to people of 
small capital, and who are not afraid to work. Any 
person applying for land for the purpose of cultivating 
any merchantable tropical or semi-tropical production 
will be allowed to select a block of country lands of 
not less than 320, nor more than 1,280 acres, at an 
annual rental of sixpence, per acre ; and should such 
selector prove, to the satisfaction of the Government 
Resident, within thirty days after tbe expiration of 
live years from the date of his application, that he 
had, at the expiration of two years from the date of 
his application, cultivated in a husbandlike manner 
one-fifth of the entire area of land selected by him 
with any production as aforesaid, and that after such 
second year he has annually cultivated an additional 
one tenth of the entire area, and that at the expira- 
tion of the five years he had one-half under culti- 
vation as aforesaid, and that the whole of such land 
is enclosed with a fence, lie shall then receivo a grant 
of such land free of all charge. In fact, by paying 
a rent of sixpence per acre for five years he receives a 
free grant of the land, and he has full power to 
select his own block. Land may also be purchased 
on credit to the extent of 1,2S0 acres, ten years being 
giyen to pay the purchase-money of seven shillings 
id sixpence per acre, during which ten years a rent 
of sixpence per acre per annum will be charged, but, 
the purchase-money can be paid at any time during 
the ten years. A new Act was passed in 1879 in 
reference to renting small areas of land at the reel's 
for the purpose of cultivating garden produce. Every 
hold' r of a miner's right, the cost of which is only 
ten shillings a year, shall be entitled to occupy, for 
the purpose of cultivation, an area not exceeding ten 
acres, at an annual rent of one pound, such land not 
being auriferous. For pastoral purposes the rent is 
ence per square mile per annum fur seven years, 
r that a rental of ten shillings ; but I believe that 
will be reduced to about one-fourth." 
The land appears from trials made to be valuable for 
pastoral purposes, and as to tropical agriculture, an 
experimental garden was begun in 1870, "O acres being 
cleared, and wells for irrigation being sunk. Eighteen 
BBuiese were engaged us gardeners at los a week. 
"During November and December the planting went 
on, consisting of cotton, sugarcane of twelve kinds, 
arrowroot, tobacco, tea, coffee, peanut, indigo, Chinese 
oil plant, broom corn, rice, Chinese grass cloth, sor- 
ghum, maize, and a number of spice trees, and others 
that are in>t yet sufficiently advanced to judge of their 
success. Of those I have enumerated, only ono has 
not been a success, and (hut is tea ; but owing to the 
waut of high land thai was to bo expected. It may 
mccccd up country, but 1 don't think it can on tho 
plain near Palmers! on. The thirty acres contained 
in the nursery vary — all the soil is rich, but some 
shallow land. On a portion of that, the cotton was 
planted, and is now bursting out into bloom, but it 
will do better on deeper soil ; but it is clearly proved 
that cotton will be a great success, as the sample 
which took a first prize at the New South Wales Ex- 
hibition was grown on much poorer soil than any 
in the experimental nursery. The sample of which 
will be exhibited at the Melbourne Exhibition, and is 
that to which I referred above as having been grown 
on fairly rich but shallow soil. Samples of cotton 
growing will have beeu sent to Manchester, and there 
obtained great praise from experts; but such samples 
will be very inferior to that properly cultivated now 
in the nursery. The coffee plants having been only a 
year planted, arc not sufficiently advanced to judge of 
their success. The plants are growing well, and look 
healthy; but I don't think tho land in the Territory 
is sufficiently elevated to grow any species of coffee, 
except the Liberian, of which I have not yet been 
able to obtain any plants. The twelve different species 
of sugarcane, planted between the middle of Novem- 
ber and the end of December last 3'ear, are all doing 
very well, especially the early planted, which, in six 
months, has grown an average of ten feet, and where 
a sufficient space was left between, have as many as 
forty canes in one plant. These pdants were reared 
under great disadvantage, as the canes, through having 
been sent from Brisbane to Sydney, to wait the mail 
steamer, arrived here nearly dead. They then had to 
be immediately planted in mattresses, and when the 
ground at the nursery was ready, had to be again 
removed. In spite of that, and the unusually late 
wet season, they are now in splendid condition, and 
will probably be matured aud fit for cutting in 
November ; and already the saccharine matter is 
rising in the cane. As yet the cane has not been 
irrigated." As to the carriage of produce to the sea- 
board, there are the Adelaide, Daly, Victoria, and Roper 
rivers, all more or less navigable. As to cheap labor the 
G overnmeut is doing its best to introduce Indian coolies, 
and the Chinese are sure to come there in large 
number. 
As to payable markets, Mr. Price says: — "Can 
North Australia produce as cheaply as the other 
countries from whence Southern Australia draws her 
supplies of tropical produce? The latter is already 
answered by Queensland producing sugar at a payable 
price. If North Australia can grow tropical produce 
as cheaply as other countries, it must command the 
market, as the carriage would be so much less. Taking 
Victoria as the centre of the Southern Colonies, the 
passage from Port Darwin by steam would be four- 
teen days. At the rate which manufactures are pro- 
gressing in the south, it is evident that ere long cotton 
goods will be manufactured as well as woollen ; that 
is, provided that the raw material can be obtained 
cheaply and speedily." Mr. Price sums up the ques- 
tion of the soil of the Territory as follows : — " I think 
that, while nearly every tropical produce will grow, 
cotton, sugar, arrowroot, tobacco, and rice will bo in 
the future the staple commodities exported. They are 
certainties, and can be cheaply produced. I hope to 
see the nursery carry off the first prize for arrowroot 
at tho Melbourne Exhibition, as the small sample pro- 
duced last year was far superior to the imported 
article. In concluding this account > f the soil of 
the Territory, I wish to montion that samples of 
of the various soils sent to Adelaide lia»e met the 
entire approval of Dr. Schomburgk. To that gentle- 
man is .also duo the first movement in reference to 
tho experimental nursery— he always warmly advocated 
such an institution." He also adds :— "In looking 
forward, as I have always done, to a great agricult- 
ural future for the Northern Territory, I must not 
omit to speak of the chances of supplementing that 
