Rosewood History

First step after clearing. Planting corn. 1890s

 

INDUSTRY

The production and supply of goods.


AGRICULTURE

APIARIST – William Perrem, Walter Bunney, J. W. Evans

COTTON GROWING – F. Moore, Alexander Grant, J. A Geiger, H. Jacobs, M. Ratz, J. Armstrong, John Grant, Thomas Hates, J. A. Neder, J. Platz, Werner, Sorhl, Shoefelot, B. Williams, Deringer, Samuel Dickens, W. Kraatz, C.Ballin, Geo Steele, J. P. Walsh, Samuel Waight, W. R. V. Leeson, John Yates, Henry Jacobs, John Henry Jacobs, Walter Power, August Linman, Ernest Weiland, Francis McKeon, John Hughes, James Madden, Patrick Moore, Patrick Hogan, Matthew Toohey, Martin Carmody, Michael, Kelly, J. Mullis, Patrick O’Keefe, John Cook, Denis Dwyer, Dennis Creedy, Robert Johnstone, James McAuliffe, Richard Andrew, Edward Pender. W. H. Schimke, F. A. Kingston, William Yarrow, G. Rackley, W. G. Hornick, C. Singleton, Collins, Martin Beavis, T. Harding , J. C. Johnston, L. Littman,  J. Logan, H. Hannant, A. Schmidt, J. North, A. Waters, W. Greet, Walter Bunney, Farrelly, P. Cannon, August Miller, Paul Fischer

CROP FARMING

SMALL CROP FARMING

DAIRY FARMING

As the valuable timber was cut out of the scrub, the land had to be put to some productive purpose. So the scrub was felled, and the period of the farmer and the dairyman was ushered in. At first the dairyman milked a few non-descript cows obtained probably from a cattle station and put hand made butter on the market. But in the course of time it was found that if dairying was to pay there must be specialisation in the industry. The Rosewood district was the first to introduce co-operative methods in the butter industry. Cream separators, milk depots, and butter factories gradually became established institutions. The beef-cow of the cattle station gave place to a type more suitable for dairying purposes. In these processes of evolution towards scientific farming and dairying Rosewood has taken a worthy place. [Queensland Times, Monday 5 January 1914, page 4]

  • BUTTER FACTORY – Messrs. F. C. Emmott and Co., Lanefield. (F. C. Emmott & M. Bensley), Rosewood Farmers’ Butter Factory (Rosewood Co-op)
  • CHEESE FACTORY – W. Ruhno; Rosevale Cheese Factory
  • CREAMERY – Lanefield Dairy Co., Rosewood Co-op Dairy Co., Mt Walker Co-op Dairy Co., Rosewood Farmers’ Butter Factory, Pommer Bros, Ben Meissner; Patrick Ahearn;  Edward Collins
  • DAIRY COMPANY – Rosewood Co-op Dairy Co., Lanefield Farmers’ Co-operative Dairy Co., Silverwood Dairy Co., Mt Walker Co-op Dairy Co.

FLOWER GROWING – Mrs Bunney

FRUIT GROWING –  C. Dutney, James Jacobs, John Freeman, G. Harding, F. G. Fuchs

Queensland Times, Ipswich Herald and General Advertiser, Saturday 10 May 1902, page 2
VISIT OF FRUIT EXPERT.
ON Thursday last Mr. A. H. Benson, fruit expert, paid a visit to this district. He arrived on the previous evening from Marburg, and was met next morning by Mr. P. H. Adams, secretary of the Farmers’ Club, and afterwards by Mr. F. G. Fuchs, of the Grange Farm. Mr. Benson, in company with the first-named, visited the garden of Mr. C. Dutney, sen., in the township. Among the fruit trees Mr. Dutney has several orange trees and mandarins. Mr. Benson expressed surprise at the healthy condition of the trees under the present circumstances, though some of them were suffering from white scale: Mr. Benson gave a remedy for this, and then pruned one of the trees as an example. He advised the removal of all cross branches to prevent rubbing, and pruning of middle of trees to admit light freely. In the afternoon Mr. Benson visited the Grange Farm, where he also pruned a tree and gave Mr. Fuchs some advice respecting some other trees in the orchard which have not been in a healthy condition for some time. On Friday Mr. Benson and Mr. Adams called to see Mr. James Jacobs’s garden, where a tree was also pruned and advice tendered respecting pruning and training grape vines. Mr. John Freeman, Ashwell, was next on the list, and a very hospitable welcome was accorded them. Mr. Freeman has a large area under fruit trees, principally apples, plume, oranges, and grape. The whole of the trees were found to be in a flourishing condition, and Mr. Freeman has had big returns during the season. A large quantity of wine is made, but the owner has not yet found a satisfactory market for this product, and has, in consequence, a considerable stock on hand in fact, the supply of wine at present is greater than water. Red and white scale were both found, in very small quantity, on some of the citrus trees. The mode in which Mr. Freeman’s grape vines are trellised met with Mr. Benson’s unqualified approval. The next place of call was Mr. G. Harding’s. The orange trees here were found to be exceedingly healthy, though the two pests, red and while scale, were slightly in evidence. Several of the lemon trees after attaining a good size had died out, and Mr. Benson ascribed this to the trees having been grafted on the wrong stocks. A tree was also pruned here and an inspection made of the large and varied assortment of vegetables, etc, of which Mr. Harding is justly famous. Mr. Benson’s visit. has been well spoken of, and his dexterous manipulation of the pruning-shears shows that his practical skill is quite equal to his theoretical knowledge. He also gave some valuable hints respecting the most suitable kind of trees for this district and the proper method of budding trees and pruning vines. Mr. Benson kindly supplied the following formulas for the treatment of the red and white scale, which seem to be the most common pest of the citrus fruits in this district: For red scale: A wash composed of 201b. of resin, 61b. caustic soda (70 per cent.), three pints of fish oil, and water to make 80 gallons. Place the resin, caustic soda, and fish oil in a large boiler with 20 gallons of water and boil three hours, then add hot water slowly and stir well until there are at least 40 gallons of solution; add cold water to make 80 gallons. Never add cold water when cooking or the resin will be precipitated and make difficult to get in solution. For white scale: Paint the trunks and main branches with the following mixture :- Boil 21b. sulphur and 1lb. stone lime in two gallons of water for an hour and a half ; then add 31b. more stone lime and boil half an hour ; make up with boiling water to two gallons and add enough fine flour or fine clay to the mixture to make it of the consistency of thin paint.

GRAPE GROWING – John Freeman,  Geo S. Lambert (Mt Walker Vineyard), Henry McGeary

MARKET GARDENER – William Mathew, Oscar Bensley

POULTRY FARM – John Heiner, Harold Fraser, Ernest James Blake (Sunnyville Poultry Farm)

SUGAR GROWING
  • SUGAR MILL – Woodlands Sugar Mill, Marburg

MINING

COAL MINING

SAWMILLING

In the early days the Rosewood Scrub was a large area, thickly covered with pine, cedar, and other valuable timbers. Around the scrub were fertile forest lands suitable for agricultural and grazing purposes. The timber-getters and the small selectors who reared a few cattle and did odd jobs were the pioneers of the localitys. The Rosewood Scrub timber supplied material for many of the buildings in lpswich, Brisbane, and farther afield. It secured an excellent reputation, because the trees were large and matured, and the quality of the timber, therefore was very durable. The early timber-getters and small selectors led a strenuous life. In many instances they had to put up with considerable privations. Their work was to subdue the wilderness in lonely places. But in many ways it was a life of glorious freedom. [Queensland Times, Monday 5 January 1914, page 4]

ROSEWOOD MILLS
First Mill

  • Collett Bros. (Proprietor)
  • H. Woodford (Proprietor)

Second Mill

  • Richmond River Timber Co. (Proprietor) – C. Runge, Wohlgemuth & Spann, James O’Shea, E. A. Maher, Boyle & Atkinson
  • Rosewood Colliery (Proprietor)
  • Allan Joynson (Proprietor)

 

Boy milking a cow at the Convent, Rosewood, 1920s

© Jane Schy, 2024