84 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. {1 Ave., 1902. 
chamber is filled with straw, and on the application of heat the straw collects the 
camphor in crystals, and the oil drips down and collects on the surtace of the water. 
It takes about twelve hours to distil a tubful by this method. About from 20 to 40 1b. . 
of chips are required to form 1 lb. of camphor. 
he essential principles involved are that the heat used must be uniform and not 
too great, and the steam, after liberating the camphor, must not come into contact 
with metal—that is, the tub and condensing apparatus must be of wood; the above 
Ser ee seem very primitive, and could probably be improved on scientific lines. 
nether camphor can be produced at a profit, [ am not prepared to say, but I think 
there is sufficient evidence for a trial, and the first effort should be to get an analysis 
of some of our trees about Brisbane. Possibly the Minister for Agriculture might 
allow the Agricultural Chemist to make an analysis. 
Before quitting this subject, I might point out that Mr. J. F. Bailey, Assistant 
Government Botanist, wrote an article in January, 1896, advocating the growth and 
manufacture of camphor froma plant named Blumea balsamifera, or Ai camphor, 
an evergreen shrub of the Aster family, sometimes reaching the dimensions of a small 
tree. In this case it is only the twigs that are used, and the shrub is not cut down. 
The process of distillation is much the same as in the case of the camphor laurel. 
Lt will be understood that I am not advocating that camphor should be taken up 
as a crop until further trial. 
The concluding business of the session was the advocacy, by Mr. D. Sarr, 
of Roma, of the desirability of the establishment by the Government of 
Faberimgnt farms on a large scale. Mr. Smith confined himself to the following 
eads:— ¢ 
1. Choose 20,000 acres of land containing all the different varieties of soil. 
2. Cultivate 10,000 acres or whatever quantity is required, and grow what 
kind of crops the soil will produce for future requirements. 
3. Store up every kind of produce for future requirements. 
4. Breed cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and poultry from the very best herds 
and stock procurable. 
5. The people then would have a good valuable stock for the district 
instead. of continually breeding for inferior stock. 
; 6. To stand these disastrous droughts, we must look to the growing of 
crops and the laying-up of a large supply of food for man and beast. 
7. The present system of depending too much on next year’s crops is 
defective, as we leave ourselves open to a fearful calamity if it happens to keep 
dry and no crops are harvested for two seasons. 
Government Crrartne Lanp to ENCOURAGE SETTLEMENT. 
Owing to the extreme depression now existing in the land from these bad 
times, we must adopt some method of creatinu more circulation of capital and 
closer settlement of the people on the land. We wish to suggest what we 
consider would prove a productive outlay— , 
1. Choose spots suitable for agriculture. 
2. The Government to have the land cleared, and then to throw it open for 
selections on easy terms. 
3. The benefits, we consider, are as follow :— , 
4, Giving employment to people. 
5. Encouragement to village settlement. 
6. Distributing capital on a productive outlay. 
7. Assisting and inducing people to go on the land by giving them the 
means to do so. k 
8. Land is now lying idle and is rapidly deteriorating by the growth of 
timber and prickly pear. 
9. We consider the land when cleared would be selected at once and be 
eagerly inquired for. 
10. This scheme would do away with the heavy burden that rests on the 
poor man, and the people would have the land under crops a good many years 
sooner. 
