Queenslander News Budget (Brisbane, Qld. : 1908 – 1918; 1920), Saturday, 28 August 1909, page 16

AMONG SOUTH QUEENSLAND FARMERS,
(By Our West Moreton Correspondent.)

(Photos by Taylor)

Any one travelling through West Moreton today, and comparing it with some 11 years ago, is astonished at the wonderful improvement which has been made in the settlers’ homes—the up-to-date residences, built with all the necessary conveniences. Farmers’ wives must feel it is pleasant to live now; formerly, the washing was done in the rain, and they had to walk half a mile for a bucket of water. Now the water is laid on into the kitchen; also a wash house with a tank, so that the washing now is a pleasure instead of a drudgery. 

JOHN SIPPEL’S RESIDENCE, HILLSIDE

Mr. John Sippel, of Hillside, has one of those houses, as the photo shows. His home is the best known in the Minden district; he is 45 years, is a native of the district, and is the father of twelve healthy children. Mr. Sippel. senior, is still alive, and has carried on a storekeeping business for over 20 odd years, and it is only of late that he has retired, as the sons are all on good farms and prefer farming to storekeeping. The five girls are married. Mr. John Sippel carries on butchering besides the farm ; he gets through four bullocks a week, and works two farms : and- he and his family do not look as if they were overworked.

Will hand-feeding throughout the whole year pay? Well, not 20 miles from Ipswich, a new chum (practically speaking) who rents 42 acres of land at the enormous rent of £60 a year, and, who keeps a young lad about 15 years of age, is coining money by hand-feeding 21 cows. The owner maintains that to stable the cows through the winter will pay better still, and this he hopes to do next year. I stayed with the owner of these 21 cows, and saw the amount of feed he gave them—five waggon loads of green stuff. I also saw the cream book—801b. to 901b. of cream, each time the cream gatherer came round, which is three times a week. That ought to speak for itself, besides the pig turnover. It is wonderful what can be taken out of 42 acres.

TWENTY COWS ON FORTY-TWO ACRES.

All work and no play is not good for any man, and some people think there is no pleasure in the bush for the young people ; but this is a mistaken idea, for after work there is nothing more enjoyable than a ride on a smart active horse. Most of the rising generation have their up-to-date riding hack. Mr. Kragenbrink senior, is a very old identity of this part of West Moreton, being over thirty years in the Prenzlau district. John, the son practically speaking, manages the homestead for the family.

THE HOME OF A WEST END NATIVE—W. KUHN

A West End (Brisbane) native at Kirchheim. The photo of W. Kuhn’s homestead ought to open some of the West End boys’ eyes to the fact that it is not all gold by remaining at West End, and to become comfortable in the prime of life is by going upon the land. Mr. Kuhn’s parents came cut in 1866 in the ship Wondrum, with 400 other immigrants. They lived at West End for two years, and then went to Kirchheim, and secured a homestead. W. Kuhn has a homestead of 140 acres, where he carries on the dairying and farming in an up-to-date manner. When the Kuhn family first came to the Kirchheim district land was worth about 30/- an acre; today the same land is worth from £15 to £20 an acre. When the Kuhns started Mr. Hoenke and Mr. A. Lamprick were the only two farmers who had horses and drays, and they did the carting for the other settlers, who grew mostly cotton in those days and sold it to J. and G. Harris. What a change in such a short space of time.

In and around West Moreton, wherever there is a blacksmith’s shop, there is always close at hand a wheelwright’s also, especially in the German settlements; that is on account of the numerous German waggons being turned out every year. Tarampa has two of the oldest pioneers of Lowood in this business—that is, Rudolph Kamp, blacksmith ; and G. Klatt, wheelwright; and many a German waggon is running throughout this district which was made by these young men’s fathers.

JOHANN CRYSTOWISKI PLANTING MAIZE.

On August 4, I made a call on Johann Crystowiski (sic), and a photo shows how some settlers make hay while the sun shines—the father ploughing the furrows, while the mother is dropping the maize, and the son following up behind scuffling the furrows. All I hope is that Johann is not planting too early; if so, all the labour is for nought. The writer saw onlylast week one farmer in Tarampa replanting his crop, as  the last rain had rotted all the first planting. As the season is very cold, the frost may destroy a good  many more plantings. Johann’s parents came to the Tarampa district about thirty-two years ago, and he and his youngest son are still on the old homestead.

JOHN CRYSTOWISKI, BEE FARMER.

The youngest son (John) has a great fancy for bees; he has twenty-four hives, and was very successful last year, each hive .giving him a return of 601b. of honey, besides having enough to ‘eed themselves throughout the winter. 

C. MANTHEY PLANTING MAIZE.

Another old pioneer family is the Mantheys. C. Manthey’s father worked upon the railway, got good colonial experience, and then took to the land. C. Manthey is at pressent on the old homestead, and the photo shows that the son has taken up the business where the old man left off. The land he is now planting is worth £20 an acre.