September i, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURI8T. 
185 
TROPICAL CULTIVATION IN THE 
NORTHEim TERRITORY OF 
SOUTH AUSTRALIA. 
Mr. M. \V. Hullze, who wtw appoiotei! to suoceoJ 
tUa late Dr. Schoiaburgk »j D.r. ot..r ef tha AdaUide 
Botanic Gardeus, arrived from iho Northern Territory 
on Friday. Mr, Iloltzj lus baou in tUo Territory fur 
eighteen years, and has had tha direction of tliu 
Esptri noutal ai d BoUnieai Gardena at Palmerston, and 
Ilia view! on tropical cultivation, from which hie new 
appointm>-iit practioa'ly outs him adrih, are inlutusting, 
Air. UulUe, wl|0 by-ihe-,vay is a cultivated, schul iriy 
rapreBentntive of the great country whioh had llm 
credit of produoiog Dr, Sohomhnrgk, gave uuo of our 
reporters some idea of the experiments he has carried 
on in the Territory. Experiments have been msdo 
with all sorts of tropical plants, and Mr. Holtzs has 
proved inoouteaubly that under certain conditions 
these may bo pruUtahly cultivated in the Northern 
I'uiritoi V. 
Alt', ilollze regards it is ag certain that with Asiatic 
labour rice, tobacco, sugar and outfee conld be oul- 
livaied in the Northern Territory on a largo scvle, 
and protitably loo. I'ue public, however, arc chary 
u( investing capital because owing to various reasons 
BO mnoh money has been souk in what has 
the.-eloro been termed “ O.ir white o'ophani.” 
No.v Mr. Holizs Ibiuks the Govarninent might 
carry on experiments to prove that the Icupioal 
plants . moutiourd can he pruOtably onhivated, 
and ho avers his willingness to go back at ouoe to 
man igo a plantation if the Ijovnrmiieut would carry 
cut such a schema. It might, ho thinks, be done 
on that of loan money, and not nr ’ro than -t‘2u,U00 
or dl30,(ifi0 would b,i requiro.i. It would un loubtodly 
pay liaudsouielv, bur beyond that tho effocl it w.uli 
have in indueiieitig capitiilislB to lay out lliair muuay 
woriiil bo iucaicnl'tbly groat. The laud laws of iho 
Turrit .ry aro now considered 8.attHtaotory — that is, of 
eoursu, ihns.i cuntsinod in tho Act passed last sos iuu. 
Jfub Mr. tfuhifi.j has an idea whioli the Gjvrrniuont 
might cariy out. It is w'ttli r -gard to coocuot-paims, 
which could be grown pr^lita'.ly in tho IViritury. If 
a ntiiu were given a fifty years’ tease of land un good 
terms he unnid p'aut those palms to the number of 
Seventy an ncru. Uo ought to get the laud at a nomi 
balreutil for ton years on ounditiou that l.o pl.uted 
a coriaiu nnmliur of acres. -Vt tho end of ton years 
the rent ought to he iiioroased, or the laisoa ru ght 
pay a royally to the Goverumunt. Cuoai.uts Could ho 
grown vary prolitably. In Ceylon each palm vields 
a profit of two shillings, so that an aero will' giro 
a pr.ilit of ill. Thoro is an almost unlimited uiai' 
kot. Oeylon anua.lly exports a miliiun pounds' 
Worth o I oooonnts* besides oousuming quite asmmy. 
Ihe market loo is ii creasing as oxcelleut oleomargai i la 
ts now manul'acluiud in Germany from tho unts. Air. 
bloltzQ has planted liOO palms at I’almorstou, and they 
aro thriving excolloiitly. 
Mr. UoltzQ believes in the Territory as a field for 
Biuall capitalists. They could du better than grow 
wheat. Ijoi a m.arried man, either with or without 
chudreu, but if ho had a eoupio of boys Ihov would 
>0 helpful, and a capital of say iCAOO, as many farmuts 
nve, go to tho lerritory. Uo could plan', tobacco on 
Eayteiiaeres ot laud, which can bn takoii up on easy 
terms and could make a profit of £400 a year— that is 
With oooho labour. I hen as ho went on ho might plant 
coffee and more tobaooo, and before long woiil 1 bo 
we to do. Or course some knowledge of tho ouTiva- 
tioii of tropical prodnets would be necessary. Now is 
mr espoorslly pood ti.no to push ahead tho growl hot 
havln.ff'’ ‘i’tnensloi.ders are 
naving trouble about labour. 
in the Northern 
there ■’ 7 ’. ‘Vliito nion can work 
cone’ tl7 done every kind of work myself, act am 
^oue the woMO for it. It would, however, bo an 
Of* ihrpaiin'!^Ki,°“/‘'^“‘*'* WwoiTiM'va.-ions prodneU 
24 
insult to offer any white such wages as would make 
cultivation profitable to work there. No, wa must have 
ooolio laUjur. Chinese can work as well as coolies, but 
they are too cunning and too iudep .iidenf. As soon as they 
get a £5'Oote together they s ari rm thoir own account, 
and we don’t want that. Coolies, however, w aid suit our 
purposes belter, and they coubl be ob aiiiad, aud waulti 
work for wages that would make cultivatiau of tobacco, 
sugar, and coffee profitable. The Coolie lairaigraiioii 
Act, which is now on the Statute Book, is inoporativ, 
because so much money is s.vampid in r^d tipe. 
There are too many orticials providad to.-, I seo mi 
reiaon why tha tfoverom tut llsBidsiit conld not repre- 
seut tho ladiaii Oovatumsut iu the To-ritory, while 
wo had a prominonc lawy.-r or metobatu to look afier 
uur latorosts in ludia. The iui uigratlou of coolies 
will naver pay if udldals are tj teoeivo £8,Uufl or 
£4,000 a year. A id w.i m ist have o.iollas. They would 
m.t be any trouble eitimr, a id them would be uo fear 
ol ihom going K .iitu.' 
T.ibaoa,), outfee, Ml {.ir, and rice could bs profitably 
prodnoed in tho I’or.itory. Itioo, however, only by 
Chinese Labour. Tuai valuablo article of diet Mr, 
Iloltza is pjsilivoii a native ot the Territo'y, where 
It grows wild. Uo has vUi oi Saigon, the great rice, 
producing district of China, and thr suil and 
olimatio uoaditiou of the ooiiotry are ex telly similar 
to tho 'e of Saigon. Th i tobacco alreidv grown by 
Mr. Uoltze is of superior quali'y, and cultivated 
ou a largo scale wuu'J ho pcofltahlo. Air. 
Otto IlraniB has gvowu aumo. At first, owing 
to faulty cu tivation, ho was not sncoeasfnl, but e.x. 
periouce taiigot lirn just as it daos all those who 
settle in a now coiutry, and now the tobaooo plants 
are lojkiug excel eat. Tuero is no doubt oolfoo ami 
sugar can be profitably grown, although sugar is at 
suih a low price. Bo ides these four largely oons.imad 
artiolos almost iumnuerable other tropical products 
not S3 mnoh in deman 1 03u! 1 he grrwr. What tie 
country wa its are men with o-rpi'al and iutolligeuoB. 
Tho now Director bai had a hurriisl look throrgh 
thj Bilan. c Card !UH, aud ho qu.to anticipatos having 
to mike alterations. But, thongU ho tiaros totieal 
iu tho footsteps of viucir an eminent botaiiist as his 
prodeu -ssor, it will be with oars, un i Mr. Uoltze will 
not carry ont any vitil changes in the Uardons until 
ho has thovouguly s udiel the oiremnatauous. Uo 
expects some exceedingly bird work. One thing Air. 
Iloltzi loteii Is to do. It is tJ la'xo pupils iu gardoniug 
at the Grr.lons if llij Board ot Qovornors will allo.v 
him. He proposer iu his own tiiiio t.i loach tlioui 
enough of tiic tiiouiouU of J.<ktiuy utuf J<'roauli 
to asaifit tbeui ia th' ir ba‘anic.Yl woib, mi' 1 to iuntruot 
them in j^eiieral work abiiut the Th'*y would 
have to stutiy nioco or loss by nitjht. Tlio boy« who 
would bo With him two or tlivoo yearn would ru* 
ooivi* a «miiU s.'iUry, and iu tho ond would bo turaod 
out fil ti maiiigo Urge private gifdonit with credit to 
tlieuisolve.i aud eiitiifactioii to the owuerH.— 
0(>^ervfr, 
[The Northern Territory ot South Austraiii nud 
Northern (iaeenslaud ought to bo made Crown 
Colonies and cultivated by oooly labour, if they 
aro to aivanoo. Uapp.ly, perhaps, for ua, tha 
whites will not permit tha prosenoe of black labour.— 
lira. J.] 
I'LANTINH NUTE.S FROJI OOORG. 
Mil. I’BINGLli’S BETXKltS. 
OoOBO, July Igrh. — Tho muiisoou tliroiigh'’iit .rnuo 
was extremely li^ht for the titue of y»*ai'. Tiio amotjui 
of raiulull for the luouiii gauge. I at ftlGroara waa 12 
inchoabil cents, agaiiisi 22 iuul»«b doeuts during tho cor- 
respoiidiug period of laat yuar— aud ynar’H was a 
liglit moafiion, Thu fatal ra.iifall from tho Ist January 
to tho HlJr-h Juuo, IHiU, was 25 iiiches -IH cents, again/j, 
HiJ iiiohuB 'Jil coutj. for the saiue pcrio ) of iSM ihua 
showing H dolicienoy of 7 lucUua f»t> couls. which is 
much uudor tho average lor the puab 10 years Jtam 
from the southwest quarter si^t in for tho 
01 . the Uml Juno in thin spray-l.ko shower "which 
ccLtiniioJ throuKhout tho month at intervals dunug 
