1 Noy., 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 437 
to very good purpose, as a great deal of valuable work is being carried out there, 
aud much more is in prospect. 
The soil on much of this country is of the very highest quality, and I do 
hot think I ever saw anything that pleased me more. The crops looked splendid, 
and the actual value of these crops, notably the wheat, will shortly be proved 
When harvesting commences. In the neighbourhood of Gindie there is a great 
deal of country that simply made my mouth water, to use a common expression : 
tich rolling country of vast extent, with soil of the best, and carrying feed of 
* quality and variety that is a revelation to anyone only accustomed to the 
commonplace stuff met with in some parts of the colony. Settlement has already 
commenced, and will go on, until some day, under proper methods of work, this 
Place will, or ought to, put up a record that will be hard to beat. And surely 
right here will be seen and felt the enormous benefit of the careful experiment 
work carried out on the State farm. In their midst, as settlers increase in 
number, this work will be continually going on, and they will have the advantage 
of the advice, the example, and the experience of the officers who control and 
work the farm. 
Out at Bogantungan I was delighted to find some of the finest fruit 
land I had seen anywhere ; and not onl y can fruit be grown here of high quality, 
but in the rich pockets and flats along the creek many other farm crops can be 
produced in first-class fashion. Settlers here have a good time ahead of them 
if they will only work on the right lines. I cannot, however, hold these settlers 
at various places along the Western line altogether free from a certain amount 
of blame, for the simple reason that they do not take full advantage of their 
ownmarketin the Western country, For instance, surely a settler has something 
good in front of him when such things as pumpkins and sweet potatoes are worth 
as much as £7 10s. per ton. This may seem a bit of a “ stretch’ to some of 
my readers, but I actually saw bags of these things which were sold at 7s. 6d. 
per cwt. When other things matched these in price, and when some lines could 
hot be obtained without getting them all the way up from the coast, and the 
demand was strong in the West for good stuff under the sore pressure of the 
drought, I think there was good scope for the exercise of a little brains and 
energy, and a good prospect of very satisfactory returns. It is not enough 
to say your land can grow this or that to perfection; it is not enough to 
haye a few fruit trees of one variety or another, and then say how much has 
been made off one tree or more ; it is not enough for settlers to have their land 
available, yet still unproductive, while a market is begging to be supplied. A 
little pluck and go that will dare something in the way of comprehensive work, 
well carried out, is what is needed, and I am glad to know that my friends in 
these Western parts are now inclined to go ahead and try it. » I don’t think 
they will be disappointed either. 
Now for Barcaldine—reached by a long run in the train through desert 
country, with its reddish sand, stunted-looking gidya scrub, and spinifex and 
turkey bush, presenting an appearance to the eye of the uninitiated and inex- 
perienced traveller just abdut calculated to produce a fit of the “blues.” A. 
curious, dry-looking, thirsty, merciless sort of country to some folks; but to a 
man who knows a few things, very apt to start him thinking and wishing to try 
a thing or two. I don’t profess to be a very wise individual, but I got. thinking 
and speculating in my own mind as we went along through it, and I came to 
. . . 5. s 
certain conclusions which I had a good opportunity to test later’ on, very much 
to my satisfaction. 
The town of Barcaldine is built in the sand, and is surrounded -by sand, 
although in certain directions one soon gets out on to fine plain country with 
strong soil. I founda good deal to do about the neighbourhood, and out as 
far as the labour settlement at the Alice; for although fruitgrowing has not 
been gone into to any great extent, a great number had been planting trees, and 
did not exactly know how to get on with them. Just about the town the sand 
is of a paler colour, and purer so to speak ; and, curiously enough, water can be 
got at a few feet in limited quantities, while a little distance further out these 
conditions are entirely lost. 
