March l, i9()0.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 615 
THE COFFEE INDUSTRY IN QUEENS- 
LAND. 
OPENINGS FOR PLANTERS. 
Recent advices from Brisbane point to a 
marked development as a result of Govern- 
ment encouragement in the coffee trade of 
Queensland, and information is being cir- 
culated which should be of particular interest to 
small capitalists and others wlio may be consider- 
ing the advisability of settling in the Colony, or 
of migrating from one part of the Empire to the 
other. The cost of the land would, we understand, 
vary considerably, according to the conditions 
vHnder which it was taken up — as a homestead 
aelection, agricultural, farm, or freehold land pur- 
chased outright. There is land open for selection 
all along the Queensland coast. The Brisbane 
Land Commissioner states that there were 50,000 
acres of scrub land on the Blackall Range, within 
fifty miles" of Brisbane, suitable for cofl'ee or fruit 
wrowing, and open to selection at 2s 6d an acre as 
homestead lease* to the first persons that came 
along. A tew miles back from the coast at Mackay, 
Cairns, and other northern ports, freehold land 
may be purchased from 21 an acre upwards. Ex- 
cellent sites, sheltered from the strong winds 
which prevail at certain periods of the year, can 
be chosen on the slopes of the coa*t hills, which, 
from their irregular conformation, are unsuitable 
for general agriculture, but which are all that 
could be desired for coffee culture. Should the 
site chosen be freehold land, it may be put down 
as a general average that M an acre would be the 
cost of purchase. The cost of cutting and burning 
off the scrub would not exceed 4i an acre. To 
grub out the heaviest stumps might take 3Z or 41 
more an acre, but this operation, to a man of 
limited means, is, to a certain extent, unnecessary, 
as the stumps may be allowed to rot away. Dig- 
ging holes for the plants would increase the outlay 
by another H. The whole cost of preparing the 
plantation would be about 121 an acre. Taking, 
for instance, a plantation of thirty acres, the ex- 
penditure would be approximatley : — Cost of land, 
9()i; clearing (if heavily timbered) and planting, 
360i ; farming appliances, say 30 ; fencing, say 
601; total, 540^. There would be other contingent 
expenses, a dwelling-house, two horses and other 
items, the cost of which would depend largely on 
the settler's taste and disposition; and the expenses 
of living, keeping down weeds, and tending the 
young trees for three years, until they began to 
bear, would also have to be taken into considera- 
tion. Of course if he has been accustomed to 
manual labour, much of the above outlay would 
be avoidable with the help of one or two kanakas, 
or a couple of sons fit for field work. Opinions 
differ as to tiow many trees should be planted to 
the acre ; the estimates range from 700 to 1100. 
Expeiienced planters state that 1,000 are not too 
many where the soil is rich, the land well cleared, 
and economy of space has to be considered. At 
the end of three years the first berries appear, 
yielding approximately oiie fourth of a full crop. 
In the fourth season about a half crop may be ex- 
pected, and in the fifth year the trees are in full 
bearing. Each tree will yield 21b of parchment 
cofifee, which means for 1,000 trees 2,000 lb of parch 
ment. Taking the mean between the various 
estimated costs, it may be set down that the cost 
of picking will amount to ^d per lb of berry from 
the tree, or to 3d per lb of parchment coffee. During 
the past few years the selling price of the cofl'ee 
locally has ranged from 7id to 12d perlb. As im- 
porters pay about 9d per lb for inferior coffee from 
Fiji, it .seems a fair average to estimate 9d as the 
ruling price of the local product, and at that figure 
European merchants have offered to buy Oiiirns 
and Mackay coffee in unlimited quantity. This 
would leave a balance of 6d per lb to the producer, 
which, at a yield of 2000 lb per acre, is 501. Out 
of this return all incidental expenses would have 
to be deducted. Discounting all the estimates, 
disregarding the fact that growers in North 
Queensland have netted from 40/, to 60/ per acre, 
allowing for an increase in the expenditure, a fall 
in the price of coffee, and setting the net gain as 
low as 20/ per ace, then the owner of a thirty aero 
plantation should find himself at the end ot five 
years in receipt of an income of 600? a year. — 
British Trade Journal, Feb. 1. 
MINOR PRODUCTS REPORT, 
Annatto. — At the auctions good bright Ceylon seed 
bronght 2d per lb, and another lot of 18 bags was 
bongbt in at 3Jd. Privately, bnsiuess a includes 
parcel of eight bsgs Ceylon seed at '2d per lb ex 
auctiona ot Jannary 18th. 
Cinchona. — A parcel of 18 bales flat cultivated 
Calisaya bark catalogned for sale bad been sold 
privately. Of Crowned and grey bark 62 packages 
were offered, and all Fold at from GJd to 7d for 
fair brown Haanco quill, and Is to Is Id for good 
Loxa. 
Coca Lbatos, — Fair bright Ceylon lep.vea, the only 
kind offered sold at la 0|d per pound, and broken 
ditto at 7d. 
Eucalyptus Oil. — In auction a parcel of four cases 
Citriodora, which had been previously offered, wars 
held for la 4d per pound. Privately the market is 
somewhat quieter this week, with small sales at Is 
lOd to 2s per pound for B. P. quality. 
Spices. — A good business has been done since 
our last report at steady to rather dearer 
prices. At auction on Wednesday the first arrivals 
of new crop Cochin ginger were offei'ed, and sold 
at 32s per cwt for good boldish washed rough, 
slightly monldy. New crop Calicut brown rough was 
bought in, a bid of 32s being refused ; bold rough 
sold at 35s, and meaium native cut, slightly wormy 
at 51? per cwt. There has been a good demand 
for Japan, and a fair quantity has been sold pri- 
vately at 24s per cwt. Bengal remains unchanged 
at 25a. Chillies are firm, a parcel ot ordinary 
Zanzibar sold at 42s per cwt. A very nice lot of East 
India Capsicums, long red on stalk, sold at 39s 6d 
per cwt ; some dark and mixed being bought in at 35s 
per cwt. Pimento sold at 3jd per pound for ordin- 
ary to fair quality. Cinnamon Chips of good quality 
are scarce, and were held for 4d per pound. 
Pepper is dearer, Singapore black is offering at 
6d per pound on the spot, and 6Jd for forward 
shipment. Tellicherry was bought in at 6|d. Singa- 
pore w^ifce was bought in, but sales have been 
made privately at 8Jd to 9 l-16d on the spot, and 
at 91d to arrive. There has been a good demand 
for Penang white at 8 9-16d, and 8§d is now wanted. 
— Chemist and Druggist, Feb. 3. 
TROUT OVA FOR NUWARA ELIYA. 
Another consignment of 10,000 trout ova of 
the brown species for the Ceylon Fishing Club 
was brought from England last month by the 
German mail steamer " Koenig Albert." The 
consignment was from the firms of Messrs. An- 
drews and Andrews of Guildford. Shortly 
after the vessel's arrival, Mr. Elhart went on board 
and took charge of the ova, proceeding to Nuwara 
Eliya by thesame night mail train. Theovawill be 
placed in the hatcheries and the results will be 
awaited with interest, the more so as the last lot 
got out was not so successful as it thould 
have been. 
