722 
TMP. TROPICAL AORlOULtURIST, 
[Aprii, I, i8g2. 
to give me my price for it. We have to start 
the Agriculturist College and put settlers in the 
way to understand everything for themselves.” 
He regretted it was such a beastly day. Such 
days were very rare, and it was exceedingly 
unfortunate. I remarked that the settlers looked 
healthy. "Yes, our death rate is the lowest in 
the world, but we have a large number of healthy 
young men.'' I said I noticed there were no 
liquor-shops. “ No, they are not allowed. The 
boys have a little now and again, but the absence 
of public-houses removes the temptation from 
those wlio would drink if drink were handy. 
Of course anyone can bring and keep liquor, 
and have their liquor, but there are no licences 
to sell liquor on the settlement.” 
I said I had examined the soil wliore it was 
wet, and Mr. Chaffoy said : “ The wonderful thing 
in the soil here is that however wet it may bo 
it is always i» a perfect mechanical condition. 
It does not, and will not for a very long time, 
require nianure. Now I '11 take you down to the 
brick-works if yoii haven’t anything better to 
do.” The trap luwl driven up to the “Office,” 
and the manager, an American, jumped in and 
wo drove away down past saw mills busy sawing 
up huge logs, and so on along the flat by the 
river. At the brick-works a huge kiln was being 
emptied into a huge dray drawn hy a pair of 
horses, and another kiln was in full blast. 
Tjarge quantities of hand-made bricks were being 
dried, but a “paig” or brick machine driven by 
an engine was being put up which would turn 
out 10,000 to 15,000 bricks a day. I said: “1 
suppose you have a ready sale for bricks among 
the settlers.” “Well, not much as yet because 
we have lost a good deal of money trusting to 
men who pretended they knew brickmaking on a 
large scale — and we eventually had to learn the 
thing ourselves.” A little sawdust was mixed 
among the clay. I suggested that Mangalore 
tiles would make a good roof. “I have heard 
of something of the sort but I have never seen 
a sample.” 
I returned to tlio “Tearl,” and as I looked 
at the workshops and Coffee Palace, A’c., d-c. 
I began to realize the wonders of the place. 1 
passed an uncomfortable evening and turned in 
early. But I took a stroll to look more minutely 
at “ the crib.” Mr. Chaffey’s villa was worth a 
close inspection. The grounds are beautifully 
laid out, and a fountain is placed in the centre 
in front of the steps. The white balconies relievo 
the red brick walls, while the rich green of the 
buffalo-grass and the varied flowers in the beds 
and neat iron railings round about altogether 
formed a very pretty picture. 
Next morning after some time I was able to 
find Mr. Cluvffey disengaged, and he immediately 
arranged with his manager to let me see some- 
thing more of the place. The steamer had to 
leave at noon so I had not much time. The 
manager took me down to the stables, and there 
“Fred” got ready a trap and pair and away 
we went spanking behind a pair of young gray 
mares that were being broken in for Mr. George 
Chaffey. This was a delightful day in strong and 
pleasant contrast to yesterday. The cool crisp 
ness and bright sunshine presented everytliiug 
in a better aspect, and one’s feelings rose in 
harmony with the happy surroundings. Away 
we went along the wide streets rapidly filling 
with shops and houses; past unoccupied blocks 
lying waste; past the nurseries of the firm; and 
then wo rapidly got into more open country 
saltbush p)laiuH, across which a long aqueduct 
vomposed y£ corrugated iron sheets bout into a 
trough supported by heavy wooden trestles was 
made to take the water across these low-lying 
plains to higher ground beyond. At last on the 
river bank we arrive at Lord Ranfurly’s property 
which consists of 220 acres all in cultivation. 
After passing through the gates we drove along 
having the jfurray on our right, and on our left 
were fine apricots, the biggest, I think, I had 
seen : and the ground splendidly kept. Wo came 
to the engine-house, for this property has its 
own pumping plant which will be taken over by 
Lord Ranfurly. The ifiace used to bo worked by 
Lord Ranfurly’s own manager, but he eventually 
put it in the care of the Company. Ho has 
picked about a ton an acre of fruit. We came 
to the gate opposite the house or bungalow, and 
when we got through the gate I inquired of a 
“planter” coming along with his coat over his 
shoulder whether wo could drive in for a bit. 
“Oh yes, just across the next channel you can 
turn up through the plants and you can see the 
big lemon trees and see over the place.” We 
started along the beautiful avenue lined on both 
sides by lovely popper trees with their light 
feathery foliage and red olusters shewing prettily 
here and there. We turned aud drove along 
between the wide rows, and had now on our 
right a fine billabong or lake while the river 
was on the other side of the plantation to our 
loft. We drove right up and turned back, the 
heavy going taking the “grease out of the grays” 
as the driver put it. We were soon spanking 
along back again to catch the steamer. The 
driver very kindly took me round a bit, and wo 
might have made a much longer round ns the 
steanior did not leave till 2. I stopiied on 
boarrl the steamer ready to turn back to Mel- 
bourne. 
One old gentleman with whom I had a long 
conversation that morning gave me a lot of 
useful information. He is a wine-grower himself, 
and he has been nji at Mildura for a fortnight 
seeing things for himself. He said:' “Don’t you 
make any mistake. There ’s no mystery at all. 
The chief thing is cominonsonse. That goes a 
long way. Of course money, brains, and experi- 
ence are needed to work the thing,” I told him 
I had been a planter for 18 years. “Ah well 
you ’re an expert and you ’ll find little difficulty. 
Look about you a lot before you select. There ’s 
no hurry, as you don’t plant till .Tune. That 
block of Isard’s is a good thing to start with 
to show yon the stylo of land. That ’s fine soil. 
In fact the whole of the place is full of manurial 
property. It is as rich as it can be. Down 
with us we have a good deal of rain compared 
to this, and that often brings mildew and causes 
the grapes to burst, but hero with this grand 
dry climate you ought to succeed. You don’t 
want to flood the land. 'The sulphur fumes keep 
the fine bright colour. Find out the proper 
method and then dry and pack into cotton bags, 
and there you are. Avoid the lowlying parts aud 
watch if the soil bakes. For fruit you want a 
light sandy chocolate soil, and for grapes a 
marly limy soil. You can get what you want. 
It is all good. I haven’t been at the office, 
I ’vo been poking about, and some of these ‘ touts’ 
and ‘land agents’ find me a hard nut to crack. 
They find I know more about them than they 
do of mo. I arn going in for a good bit, and 
I ’ll bring my men aud horses and work myself. 
I coidd put yon on to a good thing if you are 
going in. It will bo all right when your hands 
are hard. See mine. I ’ve done my share of that, 
but wo ’re not slaves. I take a trip to Tasmania 
or anywhere for a holiday. There ’s Col 7 
