446 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Nov., 1901. 
— 1899-1900. 1900-1901, 
£ os. d. £ esas 
KAMERUNGA. 
Gross Expenditure nn et a £30 stl 700 4 7 743 3 4 
Revenue ... a1; on on ate ey an Nil. 919 6 
Net cost ... ae eh 3 0 £700 4 7 £738 310 
BOTANIC GARDENS AND GOVERNMENT DOMAIN. : 
Gross Expenditure ox ae te — r 2,682 2 0 2,498 2 7 
Revenue... see ae Ha) i at wu @ | 7212 6 
Net cost... ay reg ra an £2,609 14 6 £2,425 10 1 
* * * * * 
In the numerous books and pamphlets on agriculture generally that have 
appeared during the last few years the dominant note is one of admiration for 
the progress of the industry in continental Europe. That progress, apparently, 
is taking place in countries differing widely from each other in area, soil, 
climate, race, government. Yet differ as these countries may in those respects, 
it is agreed that all of them have adopted substantially the same measures to 
advance agricultural interests, and that to those measures this progress should 
be mainly attributed. 
A brief consideration of these measures cannot fail to be of interest to us, 
who inhabit a country which is not inferior in agricultural resources to the most 
favoured portions of Europe, and which will yield easily and abundantly every 
useful plant of Britain and of Ceylon, and of every land between them. I¢ 
might be well, too, to inquire to what extent and with what results these 
measures have been adopted in Queensland. 
The two causes assigned for the satisfactory condition of agriculture in 
the more progressive States of Europe are the extent to which co-operation and 
combination prevail among the farmers, and the extent to which the principles 
of scientific tillage are diffused among them. 
With reference to the former cause it seems safe to assert that in most of 
these countries there is hardly a farmer who is not a member of a district 
agricultural club. The district clubs are organised into provincial associations, ~ 
which in their turn are federated into grand national unions. These societies, 
or other societies arising out of them, generally initiate or encourage 
co-operative undertakings for the production of agricultural manufactures, for 
the purchase and sale of agricultural requirements and produce, for the 
establishment of agricultural banks, for mutual insurance against loss of 
crops by storms and of stock by disease. Asa rule, these co-operative societies 
do not owe their origin to State action; but, where necessary, the State has 
incorporated them by statute, or has appointed an organiser to assist in 
establishing them. 
Queensland, too, has many agricultural societies, which, however, differ in 
their aims and methods from those that have just been described. In two or 
three districts, indeed, some attempt has been made to bring a few of the 
neighbouring societies into union; but in the main the operations of each 
society are confined to its own locality, and there seems to be no machinery by 
which it may be brought to combine readily for any purpose with any kindred 
society. In fact, vicinity is as likely to produce discord as to produce unity ; 
for there have been instances of two societies only a few miles apart being at 
open war. No central body, empowered to speak on behalf of all or eyen a 
majority of the societies, has yet been called into existence. It has to be added 
