September i, 1891.] THt TROPICAL AQRIOULTUrtlST. 
185 
TROPICAL CULTIVATION IN THE 
NORTHERN TERRITORY OF 
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
Mr. M. \V, Holtze, who was appoipted to saocesJ 
the late Dr. Schomburgk a.i D.rtctur of tha Adelaide 
Bofcanio Gardens, arrived fcom the Nortbein Territory 
on Friday. Mr, Hol'zo hia beeu in the Territory h>r 
eighteen years, aad has had the direction of tho 
Espoiiaeutalai d Botanical Gardens at Palmerstou, nnd 
his viewi on tropical cultivation, from which liia new 
appointm'-nt practically oats him adrift, are intafosling. 
Mr. Holtze, vvljo by-iho-way ia a cultivated, schohr!y 
representative of the great country which had the 
credit of producing Dr. Schomburgk, gave one of uur 
reporters some idea of the experiments he has carried 
on in the Territory. EsperiLfients have been raide 
with all sorts of tropical plants, and Mr. Hoitzi has 
proved iucioteslibly that under certain oonditioas 
thvse may be profitably cultivated in the Northern 
'J'erritorv. 
Mr. Holtze regards it is ascertain that with Asiatic 
labour rice, tobaoeo, sugar and coffee could be cul- 
tivated in the Northern Territory on a large sctle, 
and profitably too. Tne pablio, however, are chary 
of iiivosting' capital because ovv'ing to various reasons 
60 m.ioh money has been sunk in what has 
tlieretoro beea termed " Oar white e'ophano." 
No.v Mr. Holiz9 thinks the Government might 
carry ou experiments to prove that the tropical 
pliiuos meutioutd can be profitably cultivated, 
and he avers his willingness to go bajk at oucd to 
man igo a plantation if the Govunmienb would e.irry 
out such a acheme. It might, he thinks, bo done 
ou tbiib of loan money, autt not m-TO than ^2.5,000 
or £'30,000 would be requirevl. It would un loub'L'dly 
pay handiomelv, hai beyond that the effect it would 
have in iuflneuoiug capitaheta to lay out their luuuay 
wonkl bo iucalcuhibly gceut. Tho laud laws of the 
Torritjry arc now considered satisfactory— that is, of 
course, ihosa contained in the Act passed last sesaou. 
But lilr. Hdliza has an idea which the GjvernmeuS 
might; cariy out. It is w'ii,h rogird to coconut-palms, 
which could be grown prufita' lyin tho Tc-rritory. If 
a man wero given a flfty years' lease of land on goud 
terms he coukl p'aut those palms to the number of 
seventy au auro. He ought to get the laud at a uoLai 
nalrontil for ten years ou oondiliou thit be plintdu 
a certain iiumbor of acres. At the end of ttn years 
the rent ought to be increased, or the iob£.ae m ght 
P'iy a royally to tho Goverumen!;. Cucouuta could be 
grown very profitably. In Geylon each palm yields 
a profit of two shillings, so that im aero will t;iv6 
a profit of £7. There is an almost unlimited mar- 
ket. Oeylon aunu^Ally bxport.s a milhou pounds' 
worth ot coconuts'* besides consuming quite as m.my. 
The market Iod is ii creasing as excellent o'.eomargaii le 
is now nianufa:tui'ed in Germany from tho nuls. Mr. 
Holtze has planted 600 palms at Palmeis'on, and tley 
are thriving excellently. 
Mr. Holtze believta in the Territory as a field for 
small oapilalists. They could do better than grow 
wheat. Let a married man, either with or wiiiiout 
children, but if he had a couple of boy:-i they would 
bo helpful, and a capital of say £500, as many farmeis 
have, go to the Tecritory. He could plan'; tobaoeo on 
eay ten acres of land, which cau bo taken up on easy 
terms and could make a profit of £400 a jear — that is 
with coolie labour. Then as he went on he might plant 
coffee and more tobacco, aud before long woul J be 
well to dn. Of ouurso some knowledge of tlio cultiva- 
tion of tropical products would be necessary. Now is 
ail espocsiiilly (iood time to push ahead thogrowthof 
these pro lucts there, booiiiso the Queeu-sUnders are 
hiivmg trouble about labour. 
'• Coolie kbuur is absolutely neoessary in the Northern 
Territory," says Mr. Holtze. " White men cau work 
there. 1 Uave done every kiudof work mysolf, aLd am 
i>one the^worso foi^jt.^It would, however, be an 
» Nearly a million pounds worth of various products 
01 the palm,— Ed. T, A. 
' insult to offer any white such wages as would make 
cultivation profatable to work there. No, wu must have 
oojhelabjur. Chinese can work as well as coolies but 
they are too o unui ng and too inoep jrident. As soon as th » y 
get a £-5-not6 together theys an on their owu account 
and we don't want that. Coolies, however, w ,uld suit our 
purposes better, aud tbt)y could be ob aiued, aud wjo'd 
work tor wages that would makd cultivation of tobacco 
sugar, aud colr'eo profitable. The Coilio loiraicrauotj 
Act, which is now on the Statute Book, ia inoporativ,' 
because so much monay is swamp jd iij red tipo' 
There are too many officials provided fo;-, 1 see qJ 
reason why the Goi'Qrum-iijt ligsidant cmld not repre- 
sent tho I'jdiaii Gjverumauti in the Te'ritory, while 
we had a promiuent lawytr or merchant to bo'k after 
our i'ltorests in I:idia. The im uigrat'ou of cooliea 
will never pay if olttdals are tj receive £3,000 or 
£4,000 a year. A id w-j m ist have cjolies. Thoy woiilti 
m,t be any trouble «ifcho.", aid there would be no fear 
of ihem going S ,utii.'' 
Tobacco, coffee, hujar, and rice could bo profitably 
produced in i;ho Tt;r,itjry. Hico, however, only by 
Chineae labour. Tnat valuibla article of diet, Mr. 
Holtze is pjsiiivaii a native of the Territory, where 
it grows wild. He has visi el Suigoa, the gre^t rice- 
producing district of China, and thi soil nnd 
climatic coodiliou of the couutry are exictly similar 
to thee of Saigon. Th3 tob.icco alre^dv' grown by" 
Mr. Holtze is of supt-nor quj-li-.y, and cuUiva'ed 
on a large se^lo would be profitable. Mr. 
Oito Branlt^ has grown some. At first, oviug 
to faulty cu tivation, ho was not succa.isful, but ex- 
perience taught him just as it djes all those who 
settle in a new co iutry, and now the tobacco plants 
are lojkitig excel euh. Tnore ia no doubt coffee and 
sugar can be protitably grown, although sug^ir is at 
BU3h a low price. Be i Jes these four krgaly cons itnod 
articl'js almost innumerdble other tropical produocsi 
not 33 much in dcmanl cju! i be grjwn. What toe 
couutry waiti aro msu witli capital and iutolligeuce. 
Tho new Director La.; had a hurried look through 
thj Cuauic Gaidr;us, aud he quits autioipat'ja having 
to mike alterations. But, though ha daros to tread 
iu the footstep'^ of such au emiaout botanist as his 
predecessor, it will be with oar.:, aud Mr. Holtze will 
not carry out any vitsl changes in the Gardens until 
he h:»3 thorougiil/ s'ndiel the circumstauoe.?. He 
expects some exceedingly bird work. Quo thin." Mr. 
Holtzj intenJs to do. It is 6 3 ia'fe pupils iu gardening 
at the Girdens if Ihj Board of Guvernore will allow 
him. He proposes in his owu time to teach thotn 
enough of the elemeals of Litiu, Gormnn, aud Pretich 
to assist tham in their bo'.anic:il work, aud to instruct 
them in general work about the gardeu. They wuuld 
have to study more or less by night. The Ooys who 
wtjuld be with hiin two or threo years would re- 
ceive a small salary, tuid in iho end would be turuad 
out fit to man ige large private gardens with credit to 
themselves and satisfaction to the a'^anxa.— Adelaide 
Observer. 
[The Northern Territory of South Australia, aad 
Northern Qtieensland ought to be made Ctovva 
Colonies and cultivated by oooly labour, if thoy 
are to advance. Happily, perhaps, for us, tha 
whites will not permit tha presence of blaok labour.— 
Ed. '1\ a.'] 
PLANTING NOTES FROM COORG. 
MS. PRINGLE'S I.ISTTERS. 
OooHG, July I8ih.— Tho mousoon throughout Juno 
was extremely light for the time of year. The amoitnt 
of raiutall for the moiitli ganged at Mercara was 12 
inches 83 cents, against 2-2 iudi-s (j oents durioo the cor- 
respoudiug period of laac year— and la.it year's was a 
light monsoon, The lotal rainfall from the 1-it Jmuary 
to tha 30'h June, 1891, was 25 inches d3 cents, Hg.iiust 
32 inches OS) ccitj. for the same peiio.l of 1890 thus 
showing a doficieuoy of 7 inchee ot! cents, which is 
much under tha average for the past 10 years. Ram 
from the southwest quarter set in for the first time 
on the 2ud Juno in thin epravdike showers, which 
oobtmued ihrougliont tho moiitli at intrrvals lUiriug 
