1 Ava., 1898.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 91 
WHEAT-GROWING. 
[By P. Hacenspacu, Warwick.] 
I arrived in Queensland in 1862, and in February of that year found myself at 
Toowoomba. After a six months’ sojourn there, 1 went on to Warwick, where 
wheat-growing was being prosecuted on a larger scale than in the neighbourhood of 
Toowoomba. Among the pioneers of wheat-growing at the Warwick end of the 
Downs were the late Mr. Thomas Jeffries, of Rose Hill, and the late Mr. James 
Morgan, of Summer Hill. The first flour-mill in Queensland was erected at 
Warwick by Messrs. Charles Clark and Co., a very complete establishment for 
those days, when, of course, the modern roller process of reduction was unknown. 
The pioneer mill, then known as the Ellinthorpe, has in recent years passed into the 
hands of the Dominion Milling Company, who have equipped it with a complete 
installation of steam-roller machinery, and, though the oldest mill in the colony, it is 
to-day quite up-to-datein every respect. During the early days of the wheat-growing 
industry, failures were frequent. Rust, which early made its appearance, was the 
wheat-growers’ worst enemy, as it will probably be found to be in the early days of 
wheat culture in Central Queensland. But the Downs growers were not deterred by 
early failures. They kept on obeying the old injunction to “try, try, try again,’ 
and the result of their sturdy perseverance is seen to-day in the thousands of 
acres cropped annually with wheat on the Downs and the flour-mills at work 
in all the principal towns from Roma and Warwick to Maryborough. Yet 
another mill is in course of erection in Rockhampton, and it should not be 
long before Central Queensland produces sufficient grain to keep it going. Downs 
land intended to be laid down in wheat is ploughed in January or February, if the 
weather permits, so as to have the soil in good condition by seed time. There are two 
methods of sowing—(1) the old style of broadcasting with the hand, and (2) the 
modern method of drilling it in with machinery. Drilling is, in my opinion, altogether 
superior to broadcasting, because the seed is planted more evenly and at a uniform 
depth, and because less is required than when sown by hand. Moreover, the crop 
grows in rows, and this gives free play to the air, which is conducive tohealth. After 
the seed has been sown, if the weather holds dry, the land ought to be rolled, as_by 
this means the soil is compacted, and what moisture there is below is retained. The 
crop ripens in November, and the sca Pee and binder is then put into the field. In fine 
weather one of these machines—worked by two teams of horses in half-day shifts— 
will cut and bind wheat at the rate of ten acres per day. Two good men will “ stook” 
as fast as a machine can cut and bind. The crop shouldbe lett in the stook for at 
least a week, to allow it to get thoroughly dry. When this stage has been reached, 
carting and stacking may begin, and care ought to be taken that the stacks are 
well built and made thoroughly water-tight, as should moisture find entrance 
much of the grain will be ruined. Threshing is done on the Downs with 
steam-power plants, of which there are eight or ten in the Warwick 
district. These perambulate the district, going from farm to farm to treat 
the crops. Four of the plants are drawn and worked by large traction engines, 
which at other times of the year are employed husking and threshing corn, baling 
hay, cutting chaff, threshing lucerne seed, &c. The output of one of these plants 
yaries from 150 to 250 sacks of wheat per day. From twelve to sixteen men are 
employed with each plant, and they are paid at the rate of 6d. per working hour. 
When the grain leaves the threshers itis ready for the markets, and as a rule the 
millers buy freely. It is generally a case of first come first served, and often those 
who are late with their threshing ie to wait some months till the millers work off 
stocks before they can get rid of their grain. A word or two as to the risks which 
attend wheat-growing and the means adopted to avoid some of these may not be out 
of place. First, as to smut. ‘The presence of this renders wheat unfit for milling. 
Smut can, however, be prevented by steeping the seed in a solution of bluestone. 
One pound of bluestone is sufficient to treat four bushels of grain. Some farmers 
sprinkle the bluestone solution over the grain; but I am of opinion that the best 
method is to make a sort of “ bluestone brine” ina cask and steep the grain in this 
for five minutes, then take it out and dry it with lime. Some farmers use too much 
bluestone, with the result that the grain is destroyed before it is sown. The next 
danger arises from a too rank growth of the young plants. In such cases get a mob 
of sheep, turn them into the field, and let them eat the crop down quickly and evenly. 
Red rust is the greatest danger, however, and for this no cure has yet been found. 
The only way to escape this scourge is by judicious selection of seed. Sow 
only those varieties which possess good rust-resisting qualities. Included in 
these are Budd’s Early, Belatourka, Allora Spring, and other hardy varieties. ‘Two 
years ago I planted a small parcel of Budd’s Harly. Itdid well and proved to be a good 
