December t, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
483 
estate about a hundred horses require stabling, feed- 
ing and attendance. The animals are fed on the tops 
of cane passed through a chaff cutter, maize and 
molasses. It is said the molasses so injure their 
teeth that the horses do not last more than G years. 
It is obvious therefore that machinery, even to steam 
ploughs, is likely largely to supersede horse as well 
as human power on the big estates ranging up to 
15,000 acres. I suspect that Mr. Mackinnon will 
not long delay the experiment of steam ploughing. 
Horse ploughing, itself, is a great saving on hoe 
work. The soil is generally so deep as well as 
80 rich, that I suggested to Mr, Mackuinon the prob- 
ability of a renewal of his soil by means of a steam 
sub.-ioil plough. Fallowing or expensive manuring 
would thus be avoided or delayed. 
Mackay, with its lack of chimneys, looks much like a 
town in Northern Iudin, only the houses are all built of 
wood with galvanized iron roofs. -So all over Australia : 
bark and lo^s, timber and sheet iron come first, and 
brick and mortar, stone and ornamental iron work 
como subsequently, as wealth increases. Selection had 
been stopped here for a while, but is again allowed 
under new rules. Allotments are restricted to 1,2S0 
acres (2 square miles), and the prices per acre, to be 
paid in ten annual instalments, are doubled, 15s. 
per acre and 20s. according to position. Conditions 
as to residence (self or bailiff) are laid down, and 
a certain amount of improvement, by culture, house 
erection, etc. The conditions are still very easy for 
bona-Jidc. settlers. But there is a good deal of eva- 
sion and what is called " dummyism," Mr. Mackin- 
non shewed me a place yesterday belonging to Mr. 
Jaffrey, on which a so-called house of sheets of iron 
was creeled and a paddock enclosed. That was all! 
Coffee in Queensland. 
Monday, Sept. 5th, 1881. 
The following is from Mr. Costello regarding his 
diseased coffee : — 
" The Alexandra, Sept. 5th, 1SS1. 
" Deak Sir,— I send you per favor of Mr. Davidson 
the specimens you asked mo for, viz. — branch of a 
healthy codec trep, branch of a diseased tree, also the 
Btem and roots of a tree that has died out. I would 
take it as a great favor if you give me you opinion 
of same — Believe me to be, faithfully yours, 
I wrote bitn that the leaves had no sign of hemi- 
Ida vastatrix. Noither had a tree which J saw with 
a good few red berri s at Mr. King's. That tree was 
not pruned, but grew native fashion, and as they have 
had nearly three years o drought a good mauy of 
the berr es were shrivelled. 
The stem shewed that his tree had died from the 
miuute fungus, goneratod by damp. I asked him to 
let u» know further about hie experiments, but I sus- 
pect that farther north (towards the equator) and 
higher up tho mountains will be the place for coffee, 
if labour can bo got- 
Oft' the North Coast of Java, between Surabaya and 
Butavia, 28th September, 1881. 
I vote you last from Mackay, or Sugaropolis, as 
it ought to be called, being actually founded on sugar. 
Our voyage from Mackay was a delightful ono. over 
a calm seo, amidst "summer isles of Eden," and 
sheltered by " the great barrier reef," nature's break- 
pVter, the workmen being tho coral insects. "Whit- 
Sunday Passage," through which wo passed beforo 
reaching Port Dennison and Bowon, is supposed by 
Borne to bo more beautiful even than Sydney Cove. 
There arc literally thousands of islots scattered about 
tho shores of tho Pacific along (ho western coast of 
Queensland, but unless thoy contain mineral wealth, 
which probably they do (for minerals, from coal to 
gold and opal, seem to bo everywhere), thoy can sel- 
dom be utilized. There was a good-sized one in 
Keppel Bay, on which a squatter resided, and there 
are others of the larger islands which yield grass for 
eattle. Then in the north there are mountainous 
islands — eminently Hinchinbrook Island, on which 
probably coffee, cinchona and other tropical produce 
can be successfully cultivated. But generally there 
is but little good soil on tho islands or on the mount- 
ain ranges. Granitic porphyry is too common, the 
trees are generally eucalypti whose leaves do not yield 
much humus, and the rains, though heavy enough in 
the north, fall generally in one half of the year, 
drought distinguishing the other half. The compensa- 
tion is in fine elastic elimat" and mineral?. There 
is some fever in the tropical parts, but nothing to 
compare with that of Java, Ceylon and India. People 
ought to guard themselvi s more from exposure to 
the sun than they do, however. 
We landed at Bowen and had a look at this fine town 
with grass-grown streets. It is one of a class pretty com- 
mon in Australia — towns which rise rapidly and then sud- 
denly go down again before a rival which attracts trade, 
or becauso gold or other minerals give out. Bowen 
has a fine port, being so superior to other places on 
the coast, but Townsville is now the great and rising 
town of Northern Queensland. Bowen may recover 
importance when connected with the trans-continental 
railway which is projected to Point Parker on the 
Gulf of Carpentaria. Landing at Townsville I was 
struck with the resemblance of the Bay (Cleveland 
Bay), to that of Naples, Captain Cook's " Magnetic 
Island" standing for Sorrento. Castle ITill too, on 
which villas are built, resembles Malabar Hill at 
Bombay. For its age this is a wonderful place. 
Like most Queensland towns as yet, the houses 
are chiefly built of wood and iron, the quantity 
of galvanized iron used in Australia being enormous. 
Of course, as wealth is accumulated and time ad- 
vances, stone and brick take the place of wood. 
The Queen's Hotel, at which we stayed, is one of the 
nicest in Australia. There are long wide verandahs 
be off and in front of the second etory, the upper 
one being filled with bamboo lounging or smoking 
chairs. Facing the beach and bay, there is a fine breeze 
and a beautiful view of the Bay, Magnetic Island, &o. 
It struck ine that residence here for a time at the 
best season might be good for consumptive and other 
debilitated patients. The climate is a tropical one, 
but more like that of Northern India in the cold 
season than anything else— only superior. Cases of 
fever are not unknown, but they are mild. 
While staying at the hotel, pri 
with Mr. Jolfray to the delta of th 
stined to bo the scene of extensive s 
Mr. Lyall who told me that the Hci 
the very queen ofQueensla 
ratory to starting 
urdekin river, de- 
ir culture, I met a 
•t river district was 
he accounts I have 
heard and read agree as to its beauty and fertility. 
But while my fellow-voyager, Mr. Van de Velde, 
went to the Herbert river, I went in a steamer pro- 
vided by Mr. Jell'ray to the delta of the Burdekin. 
On the beach at Townsville, which is hard eno«gh 
to enable horses aud carriages to drive and ride 00 i<, we 
found the goat-foot ipomea growing, but much more 
sobust in tho stems than ours iu Colombo. A floating 
rubstanco on the sea, co ning from the great barrier reef, 
formed the subject of discussion in the newspapers when 
we were there. It was popularly known by the out- 
rageously absurd name of ■' whale's spawn," but I 
think a writer was correct who identified it as tho 
same vegetable growth which gives its name to the 
" Red Sea." The soil in the immediate neighbour- 
hood of Towusville is not rich, but tho place is tho 
centre of much mineral and pastoral enterprise, and 
grand sugar lauds are within ca y reach. Mr. Jeffraj 
took mo in his steamer, as I have indicated, to soo 
the rich delta of the Bnrdckin, a river which has a 
