188 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Ava., 1901. 
and during very dry weather the whole crop was irrigated. We haye m 
Queensland immense areas of splendid agricultural land, on the vast plains of 
Central and Southern Queensland, which require little or no clearing. 
The rainfall, it is true, is at times uncertain, but underground water there 
is in superabundance, which can be tapped with the certainty of large supplies 
rising above the surface. Some of these artesian waters are certainly not 
suitable for irrigation purposes, owing to the presence of alkalies, but much 
that has been brought up is excellent for all purposes. In addition to these 
advantages, we have a magnificent climate and fair immunity from rust. But 
whilst we may have the man with the money required to put 10,000 acres under 
cereals, such a capitalist has not yet been found to lead the way in big farming. 
The tendency in this State is towards small farms and close settlement, and it 
only needs to point to the enormous wealth of France to show how that 
wealth is mainly the result of intense farming of very small areas of land by 
populous village communities: 500 farmers on 10,000 acres would be of 
infinitely more value to the State than if the whole area were cultivated by one 
man. This ,has clearly been shown in the case of the sugar and coffee 
industries. 
A WATER HYACINTH DESTROYER. 
Whilst the dwellers on the Bremer may rejoice that the fresh three months 
since in the river carried away seaward the most of the water hyacinth which 
threatened to impede navigation, it should be borne in mind that the pest spreads 
with great rapidity, and what has happened is sure to happen again—z.e., the 
blocking of the river at the head of navigation. The Sugar Planters’ Journal 
Says :— 
The great pest of our small bayous and coulées, the water hyacinth, has 
taken such a firm and unyielding stand that drastic measures are now necessary 
for its eradication. Numerous attempts have been made to get rid of this 
rapidly-spreading menace to navigation, but apparently in vain. ‘Terrebonne 
parish in particular has waged a vigorous war against it, a special appropriation 
having being made to dredge out the many bayous there. The dredges, which 
are serving the double purpose of deepening the channel of the bayous, as well 
as cleaning out the hyacinth, move but slowly, and, in consequence, stray bits 
of plant float in behind the boat and multiply so quickly as to impede navigation, 
‘ or stop it altogether, before the bayou has been entirely dredged. 
Major Quinn, of the United States Engineering Corps, when stationed 
here, devised an arrangement, recently perfected by the Johnson Iron Works, 
which bids fair to be put into general operation for clearing our streams of the 
hyacinth, and destroying it at the same time. The machine proper has been 
placed on a flat-bottom boat of light draught, it consisting of an arrangement 
for drawing the hyacinth from the water, which is deposited on a carrier that 
feeds it into three rollers of the sugar-mill type. Each roller is 18 inches in 
diameter by 30 inches in length, and moves at a speed of 3°7 revolutions 
minute. After passing through the mill the plant is burned, thus insuring 
against the possibility of it ever reviving, for simple mutilation only multiplies 
its growth. 
As the trial cruise of this boat is now going on, it being reported as working 
satisfactorily, in all probability the National and State Governments will order 
many duplicates of the machine, and then the extermination of the water 
hyacinth may be expected. 
