424, QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Derc., 1897. 
The value of these experiment farms to the settler must soon be apparent. 
Farmers cannot afford to waste time and money in making experiments. The 
Government farm will do this for them. If failures occur in any particular 
product, the farmer can profit by that failure and avoid mistakes. Thus it is 
clear, that although a Government farm may be expensive and never self- 
supporting, still the saving of time, labour, and money to the farmers in the 
district will far more than counterbalance any expenditure by the Agricultural 
Department in this direction. 
Taking advantage of Mr. Ross’s knowledge of the district, we drive to 
Swan Creek, one of the “show” farming districts of Warwick. It would be 
quite beyond the limits of this paper to mention all the farms visited; and 
when nearly all are equally systematically and carefully cultivated, it would 
obviously be unjust to criticise. We will therefore take one or two farms as 
examples, and say with the classical men, “ 2 wno disce omnes’—Judge all by 
one. 
Under the guidance of Mr. Ross, we visited the farm of Mr. George 
Free, cousin of Mr. Addison Free, a name known all over the Downs wheat 
districts and even far beyond as that of men whose success as wheat-growers 
has ever been proverbial. Here the work of harvesting was being pushed for- 
ward at full pressure. The golden crop was falling at the rate of from 10 to 
16 acres per day before that marvellous creation of man’s inventive genius— 
the reaper and binder. Following the machine come the busy “ stookers,” 
and just here we may state that we saw the “stooks” capped. Six sheaves 
being placed in the stook, two other sheaves were laid lengthwise on top, and 
arranged so as completely to protect the bottom sheaves in the event 
of rain. The rust was almost everywhere in evidence, horses, men, and 
machine taking on a golden russet hue. On asking about the effects 
of the rust on the crop, Mr. Free was quite unconcerned about 
it. No doubt the rust affected the crops—some fields worse than 
others, but, taken on the whole, he considered there would be a fair 
average yield. Asked to give some idea of the probable yield, he said it was 
impossible todo so until the wheat was finally bagged. It might possibly 
average 15 bushels, but, again, some fields would certainly give from eight to 
ten bags, and others again only two, so that any statement could only be 
misleading. A nice field of wheat, although rather thin, Mr. Free said was 
growing on Jand which had been cropped for thirty years without manure, but 
this year he proposed to let it lie fallow. Here also we saw a nice little orchard 
and vineyard, whilst the rick yard was typical of those we remember in the old 
country. Leaving Mr. Free’s, we passed several well-cultivated farms, waving 
with ripe wheat and young maize. Here and there a few fields were 
being cut for burning, the rust, combined with want of rain as the heads were 
filling, having destroyed all hope of even halt a crop. In one instance an 
apparently fine field of evenly grown wheat, covering 150 acres, was being 
mown preparatory to being burnt. We remarked to one farmer that it was a 
pity to see such aloss as he was sustaining, but he, like many others, was not 
at all desponding about it. The plough would go to work at once, and a crop 
of maize would take the place of the wheat. The loss was more apparent than 
real. Men of this stamp are not easily daunted by losses. 
At Mr. Cutmore’s farm, we found the state of affairs to be as hopeful as 
elsewhere in the district—the wheat looking well, although somewhat rusty. 
The anticipated average yield here was stated at from 15 to 20 bushels 
per acre, but it was also stated that this was mere guesswork, and was not to 
be looked upon as a certainty. Mr. Cutmore pointed out a field on which the 
crop was still perfectly green and the grain in the milk stage. Alongside this 
was another field quite ready for cutting. Both these fields were sown at the 
same time. It seemed incredible, but such was the fact. The immature field 
was sown with an American variety, and of course is too late to be fit for any- 
thing, unless at once cut for hay. Some 148 acres will be reaped on this farm 
with apparently very fair results. 
