1 Jury, 1902.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. 35 
is to have the first service. With respect to the Paspalum dilatatum, we all 
know that it is acknowledged to be a superior grass. It has existed at the 
Agricultural College for a number of years, and Mr. Mahon is distributing roots 
of it on very reasonable terms—that is, a small sum is charged to defray the cost 
of packing. In these matters, at any rate, I do not think the Department has 
been neglectful of its duties. 
THE NECESSITY FOR A STATISTICAL BRANCH IN CONNECTION 
WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Mr. W. Deacon (Allora): There is no body of men upon which such a 
quantity of good and bad advice is thrown away as farmers, but what: is really 
wanted is knowledge. Knowledge is powér. When we have got our crops 
grown and go into the market with them, as a rule we know nothing of their 
value. We are in the hands of rings and speculators. These men use their 
knowledge to buy crops that they know they can make a good profit on when it 
comes to reselling or using them. The present good price for wheat has been 
put down to the auction sales inducing keener competition and to the Courier 
newspaper, but, after all, I fancy the superior knowledge of the millers was at 
the bottom of it. I am informed one miller bought enough wheat for two 
ears. In one State, it is said that the Government over-estimated their crop 
y 4,000,000 bushels, and we know that many farmers, in the early part of 
the season, sold their wheat at 2s. 4d.a bushel. I know myself one farmer 
who sold his 2,000 bags at 2s. 4d. per bushel. ‘That is a loss of £800 to that 
farmer, and it has all gone into one man’s or firm’s pocket. Prices do not vary 
in America like they do here. They may advance, but not to the extent that 
they do in Queensland. When maize-growers go into the market, they do not 
know whether they are going to get 2s. or 4s.a bushel. We sometimes see 
maize at 2s.; then itis up in a few days to 8s. or 4s.; but it would not vary like 
that if there were definite knowledge of what crops there were in the country. 
There is one industry which the country does know something about, and that 
is sugar, but it is an industry that is organised on a much better scale than any- 
thing else in the country. With respect to such articles as hay, perhaps we 
would not be able to do much in the way of getting reliable estimates of 
probable quantities available, but we ought to be able to do so with wheat and 
maize. In England you can get information every month as to the state of the 
crops, and we know that in Europe they can tell almost to a few thousand tons 
what the sugar crop is going to be. TI believe the Agricultural Department did 
have this matter under consideration some years ago, but I still think infor- 
mation could be gathered and published as to how the wheat crop was coming 
in, what maize was in the country, what maize was wanted, and so on; so that 
we would not have a farmer selling his grain one week in the market for 2s., 
and his neighbour getting 4s. the week after. 
Mr. P. McLuan (Agricultural Department): Some seven or eight years 
ago the Agricultural Department was que alive to the necessity of being able 
to supply the kind of information which I think Mr. Deacon is aiming at. 
What we tried to find out was, not the quantity of the crop that had been 
grown, but the probable quantity of the crop that would be grown. The idea 
was to supply information that would regulate the market. At that time, for 
instance, a large quantity of maize was grown in the Bundaberg district, but 
the lack of definite information concerning it had a disquieting effect on the 
markets SUP EAce by the Darling Downs and Moreton districts. The adminis- 
trators of the various local divisions-are generally pretty well acquainted with 
the condition and prospects of their respective divisions ; and I naturally 
thought that, with their co-operation, the Department would be able to obtain 
and publish the desired information. Circulars were accordingly sent out to 
all the local authorities asking their assistance. Some of them point-blank 
refused ; others ignored the application ; and one or two said, in a half-hearted 
manner, that they would be willing to do what they could. We saw the 
