April r, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
873 
with little inconvenience. But there is a time, mostly 
in Decomber and January, when the rainy season 
has fairly set in, flaring which the wind occasiona'ly 
veers to the north, and then the combination of in- 
creased warmth with humidity renders the weather 
very oppressive ; it is fortunate, however, that this 
lasts but a brief period, tlio scarcely endurable at- 
mosphero being soon relieved by the south-east 
Mr. J. E. Davidson, one of the early settlors in 
the Mackay district ami a gentleman of scientific 
attainments, has recorded the temperature and rainfall 
at his Alexandra plantation, 11 miles from the sea 
coast, near the banks of the Pioneer lliver, for a 
period extending from 1868 to 1879. The following 
aro the results which he has obtained : — 
Rain 
in 
inches. 
Number 
of 
rainy 
days. 
Tempe 
Mean 
maximum. 
rature. 
Mean 
minimum. 
January 
15-28 
17 
95 2 
68 7 
February 
12 -96' 
15 
90 2 
681 
March 
15 96 
16 
88 0 
60o 
Apiil 
6 75 
8 
86 3 
59 0 
May 
4 72 
9 
78-5 
54 6 
June 
2-82 
7 
773 
4GS 
July 
1-78 
75 5 
476 
August 
0 76 
3 
77 6 
39 5 
Sepi ember ... 
119 
4 
81 0 
47-3 
October 
252 
7 
88 0 
54 6 
November ... 
2-62 
6 
88-8 
56-8 
December 
7.28 
11 
88-9 
63 5 
Mean 
7 1 -CI 
108 
84-6 
55 '6 
This gives the Mackay district a meau annual tem- 
perature of 70 8 degrees Fahrenheit. 
The greatest rainfall occurred in 1870, when the 
rain gauge recorded 10S in. ; and the least in 1872, 
when only Hill in. fell: bu? even this quantity, if 
it fell at the proper time, would probably be suffi- 
cient for the wnnts of the sugar crop in a climate 
so abundantly supplied with moisture from the east- 
ward, and ho guarded by mountains against dry winds 
from the west. 1 do not find that any Iiygrometric.il 
observations have been made at Mackay ; but there 
are n 
never 
any 
. hi. h 
recorie't, a 
was visitoi 
nearly all 
the 
year 1875 was also marked by 
fall of rain, 105 42 in. being 
i year it was that the district 
3evere a sugar-cane disease that 
were destroyed ; but there is 
reason to think that the calamity was the result of 
excessive moisture. 
Tho average annual rainfall in other sugar-pro- 
ducing districts of Queensland from 1871 8 was as 
RjLOWS : — Maryborough 50*13 in., falling on a mean 
of 91 days ; Beenleigh, the centre of the southern 
sugar districts of (.hieendan.l, .VrlWi in., in 8.Y, d iys ; 
Lower Herbert, 96.24 in., in 1*28 days which exceeds 
■hat of any other station in Queensland. 
Great stress is laid, in successful sugar-growing, on 
having tho crushing season comparatively dry. Mac- 
kay is peonliarly fortunate in this respect, having a 
less number of rainy days and less rain during this 
period thau any other sugar district in Queensland — 
that i.H, from Jane to the middle of December. 
The prevailing wind in tho district is from the 
south-east, which hero is tho trade wind. It nearly 
always blows. It is also tho wind that brings nearly 
all tho rain, tho fall being exceedingly heavy in 
January, February, and March, which constitute the 
rainy season. Towards tho end of August tho cold 
land breezes drop oil and northerly winds occasionally 
blow, thunderstorms begin to m.iko their appearance, 
and the weather pa j ses gradually from the dry to 
the wet season, though the change ie not very marked 
before the beginning of December. 
In salubrity, the Mackay district is held to rank 
now with the best in Queensland ; it was not so in 
the early days of settlement, when, in common with 
other fertile localities in the tropics, fever and ague 
were prevalent. The progress of cultivation has had 
a most salutury effect in this respect. Except among 
the Kanakas on their first arrival, whose illness is 
probably due to a sudden change of diet, sickness is 
very rare. Whatever the summer may be at Poit 
Mackay, it would be difficult to conceive of a more 
delightful residence for invalids in winter. 
The new ejector vacuum pan, an adaptation of an 
old invention to sugar-boiling by Messrs. Mackenzie 
and Maelureo, has been introduced « ith success in 
Mr. Donaldson's mill at Cassada, on Baker's Cieek, 
near Walkerston, about 10 miles from the seaside. 
It is claimed that this apparatus is an improvement 
on the ordinary vacuum pan, isasmuch as it enables 
the boiling operation to be conducted with greatly 
diminished expenditure of steam-power; this seems 
to be now admitted, but other alleged a ivartag' s are 
as yet not clearly made out. So confident, however, 
are the patentees of tho superiority of their form ol 
this apparatus that, on certain conditions, they will 
undertake its erection in mills free of cost. A 
vacuum p>n of this description has been manufactured 
by Mr. Robertson, of Mackay, for a firm in the 
Clarence lliver district. 
Judging by tho quality of the sugar produced at 
Cassada mill, one might conclude that the superiority 
of the ejector vacuum pan is demonstrated, if the 
graining of the sugar be any test in the matter, for 
of all the sugar I have hitherto examined, the 
granulation of tbis was the most perfect. It is turned 
out in two shades — yellowish-white, and rich yellow, 
both beautifully crystallised. Cassada estate comprises 
only 400 acres, of which area 300 acres havo been 
brought under cultivation, and from this year's crush- 
ing Mr. Donaldson estimates that he will obtain 200 
tons of unrefined s ign-. It is remarkable that so 
excellent a sugar should be made with such rough 
appliancrs as are to be found in this mill, but I im- 
agine this to be due in large nieasuro to unusual 
care in boiling tho sugar. The gum-tree forest forms 
a close surrounding to the cleared laud, and a belt 
of beautiful palm and other trees adorn the margin 
of the creek, whence is obtained an excellent and 
inexhaustible supply of water for the mill. In former 
years the climate is spoken of as having been un- 
healthy, but the progress of cultivation here, as 
elsowbere in tho district, seems to have had « salutary 
influence. It has been observed at tbis plantation 
that a diminished mortality among the kanakas has 
resulted from allowing them tq inhabit huts of 'heir 
own construction. The;o lie squat on the ground, 
are made principally of thick layers of straw, and 
have tho entrance so low down, that admission is 
gained by creeping on hands and knees. The supe- 
riority of these rude tenements over th ^se made of 
weatherboards consist* in their greater warmth, but 
their wretched ventilation is an objection to their use. 
Beyound this plantation, towards the mountain rauge, 
20 miles from Miekay, lies the Barrio e*t ate. the pro- 
perty of Jack and Son, comprising un area of 1,298 
ocres, acres of which about 300 ncr<s are cultivated. 
Tho open pan system is in use, and there will be 
produced about 400 tons of sugar ia tho present season. 
As jot this is tho most remote mill from the coast. 
About seven miles from port is the Alexandra 
plantation, consisting of 2,606 aerosol »erj fertile 
laud PO tho touth side of the I'ioueer. Tho mill ia 
