28 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jouny, 1898. 
out in the Western country they would be lost. This year they expected a 
comparatively large area under wheat in Central Queensland, as several 
farmers from Victoria had put in a big acreage, and were very hopeful of the 
result. There was out West an abundance of the finest land in the world for 
wheatgrowing—land which could be had at a very low rental, land ready for 
the plough, and un which there was no such thing as grubbing and stumping. 
Considering the attention that was now being drawn to it, and to the 
encouragement that was being given to agriculture by the Government, he had 
every hope in the great benefits that the growth of wheat would bring to 
Central Queensland. ; 
Mr. T. A. Bromrrry (Pialba) asked if wheat could be grown all over the 
Western Downs? Could artesian water be obtained all over it? Hehad been 
parkieu’arly pleased with Mr. Campbell’s paper, as he knew Queensland was 
ardly on the fringe of her resources. ‘The starting of wheatgrowing 
experiments out West was a step in the right direction. An important point 
in wheatgrowing was the getting of the product to market, and low railway 
freights were essential. Personally, he would like to see the railroads like any 
other roads, and that was—free. 
Mr. W. H. Camppern said on the Peak Downs surface water was 
available. At Emerald there was no artesian water, but west of the Dividing 
Range all was artesian country. About Barcaldine water could be obtained at 
shallow depths, but further west deeper borings had to be made. Boring, 
however, was much cheaper now than when the first bores were put down. 
Generally, there were two supplies from artesian bores. ‘he first, obtained at 
comparatively shallow depths, was strongly charged with soda, and this was 
fatal to plant life. The second supply, on the other hand, was perfectly pure 
and free from all traces of mineral matter.* 
Mr. W. Deacon (Allora) was glad to hear that a start had been made in 
the cultivation of wheat in Central Queensland. The more wheat was grown 
in a country, the more would the science of growing it be understood, and all 
appliances for dealing with it would also be better understood. hey had 
been told Queensland would soon be a wheat-exporting country, and the sooner 
the better. He really did not know whether it should be necessary to have to 
irrigate for wheat. Wheat, as they all knew, did not require much rain, and, 
as long as it could be got to ripen, perhaps the less rain the better. This last 
season at Allora, their wheat had not been so good as hitherto, largely owing 
to the fact that they had had too much rain. He had seen wheat sown on 
land that was in good tilth, had got a good wet subsoil, and was fairly moist 
on the top, give a good crop without any rain at all. Of course on heavier 
lands more rain was required than on friable soils, but he understood the 
Western lands were of this latter description. The soils on the Darling Downs 
were generally very heavy, on the contrary, and once they get thoroughly dry 
they required a good deal of rain to render them fit for successful wheat 
culture. 
Mr. P. McLran remarked that if forty years ago a man had said wheat 
would grow in the districts referred to by Mr. Campbell, he would have been 
looked upon as a madman, but after travelling all over South Australia, 
Victoria, New South Wales, as well as the district under discussion, he (Mr. 
McLean) had not the slightest hesitation in saying that this latter, in the not 
far distant future, would be the great wheat-producing part of Queensland, if 
not of Australia. fe 
_ Mr. W. D. Lame (Yangan) stated that if wheat was produced suecess- 
fully in the land around Barcaldine, &c., low railway freights would be essential 
for its profitable transit to port. He had heard and read a lot about the land in 
the West, and had no doubt it would become a great wheat district. He was 
_ * The Lower Cretaceous or water-bearing strata nearly reach the surface at Pine Hill, 100 
miles east of Barcaldine, and there are at a depth of 1,000 feet. Further west, at Muttaburra, 
the water-bearing rocks are found to extend to 4,000 feet.—Ed, Q..4,J. 
