Off to Rosewood from Lanefield in a German wagon..
Rosewood History
Marburg History
Queenslander (Brisbane, Qld.), Saturday 27 October 1900, page 885
AGRICULTURE
ROUND ABOUT ROSEWOOD AND MARBURG.
AMONG THE FARMERS.
By “Berserker.”
During the past few years rural settlement has made good progress in those districts in Queensland where climatic conditions are more favourable to agricultural pursuits. This is especially noticeable in the Rosewood district, whose centre is about thirty-six miles from Brisbane on the Southwestern railway line. Passing along the Railway skirting the open forest bordering the Rosewood settlement on the south, a full view of the fine agricultural lands lying in close proximity is obscured to a great extent by the timber, but about a mile from the railway the timber has been cleared away revealing a charming rural view. The locality was formerly known as the Rosewood scrub, owing to the dense mass of undergrowth intermingling with the stouter timber, characteristics which denote rich arable soil.
To learn something of the which has come so prominently under notice as a producing centre during the past few years, especially as regards the dairying industry, the writer paid a visit to Rosewood. Seeking out Mr. J. Hanlon, of the Royal Hotel, that gentleman soon had a horse and buggy ready, and we set out for a tour of the settlement lying in a westerly direction from the township, towards Lanefield. The landscape comprises a continuous series of undulations, rising in some instances to fairly high ridges, which in turn slope into fertile valleys. Dotted over the slopes and on the crests of the ridges are numerous pretty homesteads, surrounded with neat gardens, telling of prosperity and comfort. From the summit of one of the many rises around which the road twists and turns in a vain endeavour to maintain a semblance of equilibrium for its traffic the whole settlement for a considerable distance comes under view, showing a diversity of contour and variegation of colour, rendered more significant by the newly-cultivated soil, and green of the fodder crops. The settlement is comprised of farms each with an area, on an average, of about 80 acres. The principal use the land is put to is dairying but quantities of maize, lucerne, and oats are grown for feeding the cows, and for sale elsewhere.
At two miles from Rosewood we come to the farm owned by Mr. J. (Sic) Bunney. Having heard that Mr. Bunney was the pioneer of, the settlement, we decide to give him a call. He is found at work in his vineyard, and we take a seat under the vines. Mr. Bunney secured his holding about thirty years ago, under the Land Act of 1868. He had not any capital at the time, but set to work with a determination born of a belief in agricultural pursuits to make a home, and to bring up his family in comfort. No better evidence of his success is needed than the affluent position he holds today. Prosperity followed in the wake of industry. He began in a very small way, growing vegetables, which he disposed of in Ipswich, “but after a few years he started dairying, and was successful in obtaining a few good cows of the Ayrshire-Shorthorn cross, from which he got good results. When the creamery system was introduced Mr. Bunney with his neighbours soon realised that the principle of co-operation in dairying was the first step towards an extended sphere for the dairying industry, opening up markets practically impossible to individual effort. His farm contains 80 acres of rich alluvium, in which, excellent crops of lucerne, oats, and maize are grown. He is now milking about thirty cows, the milk from which is sent to the Lanefield Farmers’ Co-operative Dairy Company’s creamery, situated about a mile from the farm. The flourishing vineyard fronting the house is evidence that the soil is well adapted for growing grapes.
LANEFIELD FARMERS’ CO-OPERATIVE DAIRY COMPANY.
Leaving Mr. Bunney’s farm we proceed along the road for half-a-mile to the Lanefield creamery. We here meet Mr. F. P. White, manager of the creamery, and Mr. F. M. O’Donnell, secretary for the company. The creamery is located about three quarters of a mile from the Lanefleld Railway Station, or siding, and has a separating capacity of 665 gallons of milk per hour. According to the books of the company, shown by the secretary, the output for the month of September was 3553 gallons of cream from milk supplied by sixty dairymen. The quantity of butter manufactured from this, by a Brisbane butter factory, was 20,0401b., valued at £888, giving a net return to the suppliers of £677. Among the suppliers there are a few who only milk a small number of cows, being engaged in pursuits other than dairying. Some of these had a return for the month as low as 14s., while others had as much as £22. When questioned as to the home separator, the manager said that the difficulty lies not only in getting suppliers to attend to the proper preservation of the cream from the time it was separated until it reached the butter factory, but in impressing them with the necessity of having the cream separated in regular grade. Although the separator works automatically, attention is necessary in the adjustment of the machine to regulate the density of the cream. A screw serves the purpose for adjustment, and a certain amount of care should be observed so as not to permit the milk to overflow with the cream. The reason for this precaution is obvious, for cream containing milk undergoes an undesirable chemical change. If the milk is run into the separator too fast some of the skim-milk goes over with the cream. On the other hand, should the milk be run too slowly the cream will have a tendency to pass away with the milk and be wasted. The farmer, therefore, to be on the safe side sees that no cream is permitted to go out with the milk, but on the contrary has apparently little concern about some of the milk going out with the cream, especially when the product is paid for at cream rates without test. All the cream sent from the Lanefield creamery is separated on the premises, and in consequence is properly graded. The suppliers bring the milk to the creamery twice a day, and this helps to insure, uniformity of ripeness and exemption from that contamination usually associated with the surroundings of a dairy yard when the milk is separated at home, and the cream kept for a few days before being brought to the factory.
The Dairy Company have their own store in conjunction with the creamery.
Any shareholder can purchase goods at cost price, with cost of freight and distribution added, but business is not permitted with anyone not a shareholder. By this method, it is contended, the shareholders can obtain their goods at wholesale rates.
On our return journey to the township of Rosewood we pass the Ashwell creamery, a contributory skimming station to the main depot at Lanefleld. The country round about the creamery is admirably adapted for dairying or general agricultural purposes. The many homesteads in the locality bear token that the land has all been acquired. Even up to the top of the precipitous slopes cultivation has been pursued. Perhaps the casual observer would marvel why so many people should crowd on such small areas, but the seductive element of such localities is in their proximity to the large centres of population; equable climate, richness of soil, and facilities for getting the product to market. At one time, as before stated, the country hereabout was a dense scrub, but it has been almost completely denuded of that growth. Here and there, however, some of the indigenous trees have been left as shade trees. These stand out conspicuously on the sides of the hills, and are remarkable for the nicely rounded contour of their foliage, imparting a park-like appearance to the low-lying portions forming the environment of the town.
THE PRODUCING CAPACITY OF THE DISTRICT.
As an evidence of what the dairying industry has done for the Rosewood district it is only perhaps necessary to refer to the output of cream as received at the local railway station. The station-master, Mr. J. K. Burns, courteously furnished statistics which showed that the monthly average of cream sent from Rosewood, divided between Toowoomba and Brisbane, amounted to 10,000 gallons; while the agricultural products, consisting of maize, lucerne, and oaten chaff, totalled 300 tons. The Rosewood district may be considered the cradle of the dairying industry in Queensland. About eight years ago it attained what may be termed a sound footing in the neighbourhood, and since then it has made such progress that the whole settlement, metaphorically speaking, is impregnated with creameries. Every acre of land that is suitable to run a cow is being used. To find the practical result of the industry, no better indication could be had than the local Government Savings Bank. Prior to the advent of dairying on the co-operative principle the deposits in the Savings Bank were but small, but as the industry expanded the amount of cash that gradually found its way to the coffers of the bank gradually increased until it now reaches over £1000 per month. In addition to the dairy product, about 700 pigs are raised monthly. These range from 901b. to 1301b., dressed weight, with a value to the farmer on an average of about 28s. 6d. each.
The Rosewood district, or rather that portion embraced by the Rosewood Divisional Board, contains seventy square miles, with a population estimated at 2000. The capital value of the properties is set down for rating purposes at £75,000. It is practically a waterless region as regards rivers or permanent creeks, but sufficient water can be conserved in dams and tanks in ordinary seasons. Subterranean springs exist, which when tapped at reasonable depths give a never-failing supply of pure water. Taken altogether the district under notice is not the least interesting of our rural localities. It provides an object lesson of what can be attained by closely settling people on the land under suitable conditions.
On some of the holdings the dairy cows seem to he of no defined breed, various strains being discernible in the individual animal. While some of these have proved to be good milkers, the advantage of having purebred cows of first-class milking quality is being recognised by the farmers in the neighbourhood. On Mr. D. Elder’s farm, near the township, is the purebred Ayrshire cow Lady Lamington, which took the prize at the recent Rosewood show. This cow has given 6 gallons of. milk daily. Cows of this class, with good bulls, should improve the milking capacity of the herds in the district to an appreciable extent.
MARBURG.
Taking the road which runs in a northerly, direction from Rosewood to Marburg we pass over the boundary between the Rosewood and Walloon Divisional Boards’ areas when about five miles from Rosewood. Another mile or so brings us to the township of Marburg. The country about here retains its undulating characteristics, being in fact more precipitous than that encountered in the neighbourhood of Rosewood. The township lies in a kind of valley surrounded with ridges, in most instances under cultivation for sugarcane. The township to the casual visitor suggests the usual somnolency of country towns, only enlivened when some important event occurs. The population is comprised of nearly all German settlers, in fact it is estimated that 90 per cent belong to that nationality. The dairying industry is pursued with the same vigour here as in the Rosewood district. Within a radius of two miles from Marburg there are five creameries receiving 1600 gallons of milk daily. The home separator is being used here to a great extent, about fifteen being obtained by the farmers recently. They contend that separating the milk at home saves considerable wear and tear in carting to the creamery, while they have the skim milk for immediate use. The cream is taken to the Walloon Railway Station three times weekly for despatch to the Brisbane butter factories.
The average area of the farms is between 50 and 60 acres, the soil being chiefly a dark chocolate loam. The cows are fed on sugarcane, sorghum, imphee, and oaten green stuff. A number of farmers were under an agreement to raise sugarcane for the local mill, but since dairying has become so profitable they have devoted their energies to that industry. They considered the price, 6s. 9d. per ton, offered by the sugar-mill too low for cane, but, in anticipation of an improvement in the price of cane, they are of opinion that a combined method of cane farming and dairying should pay very well. The low-lying portions could be used for grazing, and the higher parts of the holdings for cane-growing. Although frost does not affect the cane toons in the Marburg district to any serious extent at any time, the cane on the higher parts and on the slopes of the ridges is rarely if ever touched with it. The cane in the, valleys is invariably affected when a severe frost occurs. The cane tops are excellent fodder for milking cows, and since six or seven tons are obtained from an acre, ample provision might be made for feed during dry periods by malting the cane tops into ensilage. Such a plan of saving the fodder has not been tried as yet in the locality, and in consequence nearly all the valuable product from the cane crop is permitted to- go to waste. There are about 600 acres under cane in the district.
THE SUGAR-MILL
Near the township of Marburg the sugar mill owned by Mr. T. L. Smith is situated. This is the only mill in the district, and it has been established many years. This season the mill turned out 460 tons of sugar, but Mr. Smith states that the district has a capacity of 20,000 tons if the farmers could be prevailed upon to more vigorously pursue the industry conjointly with dairying.
The land is admirably adapted for cane growing, some good crops resulting. With regard to the labour question Mr. Smith says that his experience convinces him that the industry could not be carried on with any chance of success without coloured labour. Even situated as he is near the labour centres he has found it extremely difficult to obtain white labour to do the work, although good wages were offered. In the year 1898 many tons of cane were lost because the farmers could not get labour to take it off. Twenty-five Kanaka boys are kept on the plantation owned by Mr. Smith. Some of the contract farmers had to borrow the blackboys to cut the crop, as it was found impossible to get white men to do it. As to the difference in the cost of black labour and that of the white, Mr. Smith said that the white labourer would be cheaper to employ than the black when the conditions under which the latter are engaged are considered. The Kanakas are paid 8s. per week as wages, and have to be found in medical attendance, food, and accommodation all the year round. Under the regulations the Kanakas can only be used for tropical agriculture, therefore they cannot be employed profitably all the year. If white labour could be obtained when it was required it would far cheaper for the planter to pay twice the amount for it.
Mr. Smith tells of an interesting experiment in ratooning cane. A stony ridge which had been under cane for some time was thrown out of the ordinary cultivation as being not worth the labour of working it. For thirteen years the cane flourished on this particular patch without any attention, every year returning a fair crop, which was cut, and the cane permitted to shoot up again. Mr. Smith is of opinion, however, that the best returns are insured when the ratooning does not exceed, four or, perhaps, five years. In connection with the sugar mill there is a rum distillery which turns out about 8000 gallons annually. The Government receive £4800 per annum duty from this industry in the neighbourhood, and yet, the people exclaim, “they will not make us a branch line of railway for a distance of about six or seven, miles to enable us to enter into other industries of a similar profitable character.” This district is apparently like many other districts similarly situated where railway communication is needed, and there is no doubt that the Government will eventually recognise the urgency of constructing light lines to serve agricultural settlement, not only here but in other parts of the State. It is noticeable that nearly all the German settlers have acquired the scrub land, while the British have taken up the open forest country. Evidently the density of the scrub was repugnant to the Britisher, but the more pertinacious German saw good value in the scrub land once he got it cleared. The condition of the holdings today that were in a manner of speaking hewn out of the scrub, shows the wisdom of the German. The soil differs but little round about Marburg from that found in the Rosewood district. It is chiefly a chocolate loam overlying the clay to a depth of 3ft. or 4ft.
Marburg is in the Walloon division, which contains an area of fifty square miles, with a population of 2500 in the whole division.