Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article1328614

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2 corrections, most recently by johnkenyonbrowning - Show corrections

THE LOGAN AND ALBERT.

(PBOit Omi SPECIAL BEPOBTEB )

VII.

HrrtriiNiha- down tho Albort, and a couple of milos bolow tho bridge, we como to a proporty belonging to Mr Graham, of South Brisbane, and of which Mr Strachan has chargo It con toinB 370 acres fenoed in, and nenrly nu equal area unfencod Thoro wero two nnd a half ueres undor cotton last season, the yield from which was bettor than at many other places, being at tho rate of twolro hundred pounds to tho aero. At tho boundary of this land tho old bed of tho river makes a dolour of soma distance Tho present channel is moro direot, and has a rocky bottom, over which the water fulls, m a BUCCOS

sion of threo cascades, from a total height of twonty nine foot Muoh of tho ground IB naturally well dioincd, und would grow any oropa except augar cane, for which tlio winter

Booms to bo too oold

Noxt thero is o farm of 430 acres belonging to Mr Steele, of Brisbane, and on whioh hie brother in law, Mi Wuldron, and family resido lho last cotton crop hero was only half of what a fair one should bo Mr Waldron mtonds to oultirato twenty or thirty acres of land this your, ono half of whioh will bo undor ootton Eor two years i unmng ho tried to grow sugar cano, of whioh ho hud twolvo varieties, but the plants wero killed by tho frost

Tho next placo of any importance is tho junc- tion of Cedar Creek with the Albert, whero thero is a Wosloyan Obapol, aud a school is about to bo erocted, tho nooessarv funds having boen sub- scribed Tho principal cultivator boro is Mi Bowser, who has 320 acres Aftor having per soveiod for six years in growing cotton at a loss, ho says ho has now dono with it for over Ile had throo ucies of it last season and tho crop turnod out a failuro Ho now gives his attention to tobacco und arrowroot Of the former ho intends to giow firo acres this year and two acreB of tho latter. Bo has a horse machino for mnnufuotuiiog tho anoirroot, but proposes in futuro to HBO water power Besides the liver and the creek, thero aro fino springs of watei on tho p-operty The other orops cul tivatod aio sffeot potatoos for feeding horses and pigs, oats for hoy, and n considorablo variety of vegetables I suw tho seed beds for tho tobacco, in which tho young plants woro just beginning to show thomsolvcs The Virginian variety is grown from seod obtained from Mr J W. Bar nott Tho soil is first well burnod and sifted, and thon mado into raisod beds so as to onsuro thorough draining. Tbo ground can thou bo watered as frequently IIB doBiroblo in warm woather, for tho burning proTonts it fiom becoin ing orusted On the beds thoro wero soToral Binoll patchoe of a curious fungoid growth, whioh forms first in tho ehapo of a sort of greyish mould, and then becomes a minute orauge colored fuuguB not unliko in uppearanco, although much less in size, to thoso which aro found upon dead trees It does not look well to bo growing amongst tho young plants, but I was told thut experience went to prove that it did them no harm The tobacco houso and other buildings woro festooned with last year's crop, which, from tho smoll and touch, pro miscd well, but much additional accommoda lion will bo provided for curing and inauufacturo should the forthcoming orop turn out woll Mr Bowser, who has a fine family of children, complained of tho difficulty of getting thom voooinatcd, whioh could be dono only by taking thom to Brisbano Considering tho not impro bable risk of small pox making its way from one of tho seaports, it would seem only right that a Government vaocinator should visit oach of the eottled districts cuco a year.

On Cedar Creek ia also the property of Mr Daniels, who has about a thousand acres, and somo moro higher up the Albert, which is chiefly used for cattlo breeding He seems to havo made a good speculation in lately buying fiom tho cedar cuttora the logs they abandoned, somo nenrly ten years ogo, owing to the price given then being very low During the last fow yoars the market has been risiug, and cedar become moro valuable Owing to tho dur oblo character of this wood it has Buffered vory httlo from its long exposure to the woather Whon thore is a "fresh " or flood in the rivers, the logs aro floated down and gathered ot tho " rofting places " The rafts aro then carried by tho current and ebb tides to tho Boy, whero thoy aro tokon in tow by a steamer and brought to Brisbano Thore is no standing codar in tho district now, oxcopting high up the rivers or in places difficult to get at

A milo or two from Cedar Creek I crossed the Albert by a good ford, and mado my woy to Beenleigh, passing the sugar plantations already described I am sorry that time did uot allow mo to coll at ono or two more of the properties, owing to tho delay that would bo occasioned by frequently crossing the riTor, aud thoro being only one" punt on tho IJowor Albort From what I have since hoard, I regret to hare missed Tauranga, the plantation of tho Messrs Boss, which is stated to bo well managed and where good cane is to bo Been.

Two miks from Beenleigh, and on the left bank of the Logon, is Mr Wilson's sugar-null. I loft my horse at a farm home, and crossed orcr m a boat The farm ia question is situated in a " pocket," having a rich, friable, alluvial soil, and, hko most of the holdings in this im- mediate neighborhood, is owned by a German, lho settlers of that nationality do not, as a

rulo, take up much ground, forty aoroB or so satisfying the majority of them ; but they cul« tivate it well, the womou appearing to do at muoh of the field work OB tbo men, and even tho small strength of young children is utilised Be- tween the homestoad buildings there is a dividing fence, but there are no such dirigions between tho Holds back from tho rood. Standing on the opposite side of tho rivor, this pockot of some fivo hundred aores, together with the banks of tho distant reaches on cithor hand, appear like one largo farm, and tho viow afforded is a vory pleasing one. Tho crops aro principally maize and cotton, tho Germans being too cautiouB to enter upon tho cultivation of sugar cano to any extent until euro of thero being a mill in the neighborhood.

Tho sugar boiling works of Mr Wilson aro situated upon a comparatively small aroa of ground, the proprietor growing no cuno of his own, and being content with enough timbor land to supply fuel for the furnaces Tho mills which Mr Sohwabo has erected in this district aro very compact, the object being that every operation con at tho Bamo time bo undor tho observation of the person in charge, but this mill excels in that reBpoot, and when finished will probably bo tho most oompleto on tho river. Tho rollers aro thirty sir inches in length by twonty inches in diameter, and aro capable of crushing suffi- cient cano to make three tons of sugar per day. Thoy will be driven, as well as the Bour pan, by tbo main engine, whilst a pair of centrifugals aro to bo worked by independent engines-tho wholo suppliod by steam from a multitubular boiler. Tho three olanfiors are of a construction nowhere else seen in this district. They aro hoatod by copper pipes, supplied with tho ex- haust stoam, up to a certain temperature, when direct Btoam is admitted by o smaller pipe witt u

the oxhaust one. Tho pipes work on trunniW wa and can bo íuised whon the clanfiers a«, being cleaned. The battory ia a composite one, divided into three round and three flat pans, with a total capacity of two thousand gallona. The method of sugar making to bo employed is as follows -The cano juice as expressed from tho mill passes through strainers to the olan- fiors, where it is tempered with lime ; thence it is conduotod through straiuers, or blonkot filters, to tho battery, whoro it is evaporated until it roachoB a density of 28 degs Boaumo ; thonco by means of n crane and dipper the wholo contonts of tho last pan aro run into rcccivois, subsequently it passes into the Bour pan, whoro it is evaporated to a proper degroo of deniity for running into coolers Aftor granulation the crystalued sugar is dried m the centrifugals, tho molasses falling into tanks underneath. The machinery is by Messrs. Hanna, Dougald, and Wilson, of Paisley. Arrangements had been mado for the orushing of seventy acies of cane, notwithstanding that tho works had not boon finished. As most of the cane will be received by water, a tramway leads up from the wharf to the mill, where the truck passes on to a weighing machine.

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