1 Jury, 1901.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 17 
Department does conduct it. But if you wish to go further, if you wish to 
have the producers organised, so that they may be a power in the State, then 
that can hardly be done by having an organisation at the head of which is a 
Government department. Such an organisation, for instance, could hardly 
take any action in the securing of seats in Parliament. I agree with what 
Mr. Mcllwraith has said about the South Australian Bureau of Agriculture, 
about the working of which I know a little. By its constitution the South 
Australian Agricultural Bureau has its finger upon the agricultural pulse of 
the State. The branch bureaus arrange monthly meetings, reports of which 
are sent to the central bureau; they answer questions sent by the central 
bureau, and altogether this latter body is able to embody in its monthly journal 
an amount of information of the greatest value to the farming community of 
South Australia. Of course when you come to the question of making the 
farmers a power in the land, as they ought to be, we are brought face to face with 
the fact that in Queensland, although we have a great many organisations, yet 
we have no proper general organisation for the whole of the State. Until we 
get that, we cannot act with power. A lot of scattered associations will never 
be a power in the land until they are properly organised. There is room in a 
chamber of agriculture to do both work of the nature pointed out by Mr. 
Gibson, and also from an educational standpoint such an organisation of our 
societies would result in greater good. 
Mr. W. Ewarr (Brisbane): Being one of the representatives of the 
Queensland Horticultural Society, I may say that I fully agree with the 
suggestion that horticulture could be introduced to relieve much of the dreary 
side of the producer’s life. With reference to monthly shows, I may say that 
I have with me the business-paper of the horticultural society’s meeting which 
is to be held in Brisbane to-night. The chief item is the reading of a paper on 
native wild flowers by the president, the Hon. Albert Norton, M.1.C., but in 
addition there are a number of prize competitions. We have these latter every 
month, and always endeavour to give at each meeting six small prizes—two for 
flowers that will be out at the time, two for vegetables, and two for fruit. The 
competition for to-night will be for six roses, six naréissus, six oranges, six 
mandarins, six dishes of peas, and the prize in each case is half-a-crown. 
These prizes, although perhaps small, still induce a great deal of competition, and 
also induce people to improve their methods of growing vegetables, flowers, &c. 
Mr. Davies made reference to the teaching of horticulture in schools, and I 
may state that our society last year sent round circulars to all the metropolitan 
schools, and offered prizes for garden plots taken care of by the children. 
Judges were appointed by the society, and these went round and awarded the 
prizes. It was not a very extensive competition, the public school grounds of 
the State being not too well adapted to the growing of flowers, but still the 
society was satisfied their action would not be without effect. There is one 
matter that might well be taken up by some leading society or by some 
committee formed for the purpose, and that is, the nomenclature of varieties. 
In Queensland a great many flowers and fruits are brought forward every year, 
but there is no proper authority to see that they are correctly named. This is 
a matter that really should be taken up by some influential association. Our 
society, apparently like all others, suffers chiefly from want of public support. 
If the public would only support them better, it would be more encouraging to 
the few enthusiasts who really carry out the work of the societies. 
Mr. J. W. Ler (Zillmere) : The topics that have been discussed in the three 
Perens read, reduce themselves to one word, and that is—organisation. I have 
ad something to do with organisation among farmers for thirty years in Queens- 
land, and understand the difficulties connected with it. If we can have in our 
country districts, however, a co-operation of societies, such as Mr. Gibson says 
they have in Bundaberg, then I think there would be no question as to the value 
of a chamber of agriculture. But until we have united action amongst the different 
districts, and considering the apathy that is so often shown on the subject at 
3 : 
