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1 Juny, 1901.] QUEENSLAND aGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 81 
fodder for time of need—are possible and within the reach of all; and the man isa wise 
mat’ who observes these things, and will save himself when the hour of need is 
knocking loudly at the door of the man who refuses to make these provisions. 
The effects of floods can also be to some extent mitigated by a little of foresight, 
industry, and careful management. J know farms which are subject to damage from 
flood waters, where the owners never make any attempt to divert the water and save 
their crops, which could easily be done without injury to others. A carefully planned 
and carried out system of drainage, which any ordinary man is ab!e to supervise when 
once he knows his land, would often save his crops and would be of immense benefit 
in the time of need. And again, many of our farmers—though the number is less 
than formerly—make no provision for protecting their stock, their implements, or 
machinery from our disastrous weather conditions. They give £20 for a mower, and 
eave it standing in the field when not in use; they fix up a chaffcutter or other valuable 
machinery with no protection from the weather; their drays and wagons havea shed as 
large as their paddock ; they never oil their harness; they never paint their implements ; 
and then they blame the blacksmith, the saddler, the business firms, the manufacturers. 
for the class of goods supplied. A piece of machinery. which with proper care would 
last them for fifteen or twenty years, only lasts them four or five years, and then they 
swear farming is unprofitable and will never pay. ‘They are right; ¢his class of 
farming cannot pay I was pleased the other day, when visiting the Queensland 
Agricultural College after a week’s rain, to find that the students had been engaged 
during the week in overhauling plant used on the College farm. The whole of the 
machinery had been painted, ‘every set of harness had been treated to a dressing of 
oil, and everything about the place was all that one could desire to see; teaching this 
lesson—that they not only procure the best but, what is harder to do and more 
important, take the best care of it when they have got it. Sheltering your stock on cold 
wet nights, draining your lands, taking care of your farm implements, machinery, and 
harness, are not expensive measures, are within the reach of ti, and will go along way 
towards lessenir g the evil effects of long spells of wet weather. I am glad, Sir, that 
old, sloppy methods are rapidly going into the past and becoming mutters of history. 
It is well that it is so, and that under improving conditions, our increasing knowledge, 
and our ambition to excel inborn within us, a larger field is opening up, and Queens- 
landers will yet be in the van of agricultural progress. ‘Taking into consideration the 
advantages and disadvantages of our Queenstand climate, I have no hesitation in giving 
my verdict in favour of agriculture as Queensland’s greatest future industry. We are 
progressing, moving on and yet moving on, and where the van guard halt to-day the 
rear guard camp to-morrew. 
The Hon. D. H. Datrympxe: It is sincerely to be regretted that the 
lateness of the hour will not allow us to discuss this paper of Mr. Burgess. I 
think in coming here, I have found a character in that gentleman, and when he 
has attained to eminence I shall perhaps be claiming credit for being his 
discoverer. He seems to me to have a very keen power of obseryation, and a 
very neat turn indeed for the poetical power of making word pictures. I do 
not ask the meeting to pass on to the next paper through any want of 
admiration for Mr. Burgess’ contribution, but as he himself was modest enough 
to suggest to me that his paper be not read at all, in order to allow of more 
time being devoted to Mr. Miscamble’s, I feel sure that he will not quarrel 
with my present decision. 
Mr. W. MiscamBux, of Roma, then read his paper on-— 
THE NEED FOR EXPERIMENTAL WHEAT PLOTS IN THE MARANOA 
DISTRICT. 
In writing a paper to be read at this Conference on the above subject, 1 am 
voicing what is generally admitted to be a long-felt want. In a comparatively new 
wheat-growing district like the Maranoa, the question is often asked: Which is the 
best variety of wheat to plant? and from the many hundreds of varieties of wheat 
that are grown in various parts of the world, the person who is asked the question has 
to give that answer from his experience of three or four varieties that he has grown 
himself. Or, if an observant man, he may have noticed in this district eight, ten, or 
erhaps a dozen different varieties that have come under his observation on the various 
arms that he muy have visited from time to time during the past ten years; and his 
answer may be any one of the following varieties, viz.:—Talavera, White Lammas. 
Steinweidel, Purple Straw, Allora Spring, Ward’s Prolific, Marshall’s No. 3 or No. 8, 
Budd’s Early. or Sullivan’s Karly Prolific. In the early days of wheat-growing in 
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