April 2, 1900.] THE TilOt>ICAL 
AGElCtJLTURiST. 
656 
COFFEE IN QUEENSLAND. 
REPORT OF THE INSTRUCTION IN COFFEE 
CULTURE. 
PiRi— I have the honour to submit my Report. 
Having reported myself at your office on my 
arrival from India on the 10th of January of this- 
year, I commenced my duties by leaving Bris- 
bane on the 21st, and proceeding, under your 
orders, to Cook own, with the object of working my 
way southward through the coffee-growing districts as 
far as iMackay, and compiling a report on the industry. 
It so happened, through force of circumstances 
that I shall give in detail later, that I was prevented 
from carrying out the programme originally intended, 
and, instead of being aljle to return to Brisbane in 
a position to draw up and submit to you a detailed 
report upon the industry in the whole colony, I only 
got as far as Cairns on my southward journey, and 
have remained here since. 
At Cooktown I was enabled, by the courtesy of 
Mr. Jas. Dick, to go round the district somewhat, 
and to see what land there was under the cultivation 
of coffee, and also to judge of some of the soils and 
lands in their vicinity during the week I spent there. 
I mucn regretted that I could not then spare the 
time to see the Bloomfield district as well as the Mclvor 
lands, which, from what information I could gather, 
and judging by the nature of the land, climate, and 
soil that I was able to see, would seem to be well 
suited to the culti ation of coffee — even more so than 
the vicinity of Cooktown. 
Coming further south, I had to miss Port Douglas, 
including the Mossman and the Daintree districts, 
in both of which places coffee is being cultivated. 
Judging by the letters I have received appealing 
for information and advice from these ports, it 
would seem that a visit there as soon as may be 
would be of advantage to the industry and benefit 
to the growers. 
The rainy season coming on, it was desirable that 
I should push through with the larger centres, and 
visit the rest later on when time allowed. 
I arrived in Cairns on the 4th of February, and 
from that date until my receipt of your telouram of 
the 8th March, requesting me for the time to confine 
my attention to other duties, I was assiduously visit- 
ing the coffee-growers and their estates, giving 
what information was required, demonstrating, to the 
best advantage in the short time I could spare to 
•ach, the necessary works that where due for exe- 
cution at that time of the year, pointing out 
errors and omissions, explaining the theory and 
advantai^es of as well as the practical reasons 
for adopting the csrreet and more modern methods 
of cultivation, and making notes and collecting matter 
for the report to be submitted to yourself. 
It will be seen, therefore, that my work in con- 
nection with coffee culture in this colony since I 
joined the Department has extended over a few days 
in January and but little more than the month of 
February — roughly speaking, for some forty dava 
in all. 
Being the only officer of the Department in the 
North, and on the spot when the last overseer of 
the Kamerunga State Nursery passed away, I was 
asked to take over charge pending the appointment 
of another overseer. Before this could be settled, 
the new regulations respecting the inspection of 
fruit and plants exported from this port came into 
force, and this complicated matters. The work of 
inspecting imported plants and fruit not being heavy, 
tlie appointment of inspector under " The Diseases in 
Plants Act of 189G " had until then been attached to 
that of overseer of the Nursery. The new regulation, 
requiring the examination of all bananas leaving this 
l)ort for Victoria, made the work very much heavier ; 
and there being no one else then available com- 
petent to carry out the examination for the minute 
signs of fruit fly in its initial stages, I was requested 
to do this work also. This necessitated my presence 
in Cairns on nearly every day in the week and on 
the wharf frequently until late at night. These 
matters have now been arranged, however, by the 
transference of the sub-overseer of the Mackay Nursery 
for work on the Kamerunga Nursery, and by 
the appointment of an independent inspector for 
the port of Cairns under the Diseases in Plants 
Act. I hope, therefore, while still making this my 
headquarters and the centre of my operations, to be 
free after this for work in connection with the coffee 
industry, I trust also tuat my headquarters will be 
permitted to remain in the centre of the coffee-growing 
districts and the scene of my operations. 
In the short time I have hitherto been able to 
devote to my industry I have visited the districts of 
Cooktown, and, ia Cairns, of Hauibledon, Kuranda, 
Myola, and Atherton. I have not been able to finish 
the districts of Cairns yet, there being many more 
estates and growers to visit, including among them 
the two largest growers in the colony — the Hon, De 
Molyns and Messrs. Cutten Brothers. 
I have visited 4-^ sepnrate coffee-growers, represent- 
ing some 200 acres of coffee. Many of these have 
onlj' sm ill areas, bat I would submit these are as im- 
portant But the larger growers, for it is on the success 
of the smaller ventures that the larger estates are 
opened and the large and prosperous industries built 
up. 
With regard to statistics, I regret that I cannot 
as yet give any, since I have been able to go over so 
little of the land under the cultivation of coffee. 
As I go round I hope to be able to compile statistics. 
Those given to me, on my asking for them, in the 
Department's offices in Brisbane, showed some 283§ 
acres for 42 growers. This included Cooktown, 
Cairns, Nelson, Cardwell, Port Douglas, Daintree, 
Mackay, Yeppoon, St. Lawrence, and the Buderim 
range. Whereas I have visited more growers re- 
presenting in aggregate two-thirds of the area men- 
tioned, in the districts of Cooktown and Cairns (in 
part only). I therefore am of the opinion that when 
I can give exact statistics both the extent of the in- 
dustry and the number engaged in it will be larger 
than the Department and the public are aware of. 
With respect to soils and climates, I have seen only 
a small portion of the colony as yet, and it would be 
impossible for me to make any but the most general 
statements until I have been able to thoroughly go 
into the whole matter, and have seen and appreciated 
the conditions to be found in all parts. Bearing in 
mind this fact, I can still say that both the soila 
and the climates obtaining in this country are in- 
finitely superior to those in which coffee is grown in 
many— and indeed most — of the coffee-growing centres 
of the world. 
Labour. — This also is a question thit needs careful 
consideration, and, having had to do with the matter of 
labour for coffee culture in other countries, I feel the 
more diffident in making any statement until I have 
been enabled to take up the subject and make myself 
thoroughly conversant with all its details. Without 
losing sight of this fact, I am of opinion, from what I 
have seen, that while undoubtedly a difficulty (of what 
magnitude I cannot yet say) it would seem to be much 
less than many are inclined to think and make it. 
The cultivation of coffee has hitherto practically 
been carried on only in countries where labour ia 
cheap ; consequently it has obtained for itself a 
name as an industry that cannot be successfully 
worked without an unliraite J supply of cheap labour. 
Sufficient consideration has not been given either 
to the reduction of the amount of labour necessary 
for the work or to the choosing of soils and climate 
where the bearing capabilities will be so favourable 
as to counteract a comparatively more expensive 
labour supply. Those intendina to invest capital ia 
coffee cultivation, having little or no practical ex- 
perience of it themselves, rush to conntries where 
lab )ur is cheap, and there put up with conditions 
of climate and soil that are frequently exceedin^lj 
poor. In this country the conditions of climate are 
exceptionally favourable, and of soil such that very 
few coffee-growing countries can in any way competa 
with. I am therefore inclined to think thaf 
