Gympie and District Farming and Grazing – 1905- Widgee Crossing and Chatsworth Part 3

This is the third in a three part series featuring the articles published in the The Gympie Times and Mary River Mining Gazette in 1905 and it covers Widgee Crossing and Chatsworth.  The main names mentioned in this story are: Hinds, Thurecht, Tamlyn, Flay, Fraser, Campbell, McCaulley .  You will find Part 1 here and Part 2 here

“Gympie and District Farming & Grazing.
NO. VII. WIDGEE CROSSING AND CHATSWORTH ROADS.
(By Our Special Reporter.)

“Mr. David Hinds has a small farm of 21 acres adjoining the school grounds and another paddock of 60 acres at Chats-worth. Across the road from the last named places is the Delaware Farm, lately pur-chased by Mr. Thurecht. who is carrying
on the business of blacksmith and wheel-right in Monkland-street. He has lately purchased this land of 130 acres, and taken possession of same. Many years ago the place was known as Dr. Benson’s, the doc-tor being the first to improve the property by planting a large area of vines, under the management of Captain Hickson, erecting a good house, digging a wine cellar & Wine making was also carried on to a con-siderable extent, and no expense was spared in procuring the best known varieties of vines.

Later on Mr. William Carter pur-chased from the previous owner, at the time when the Wilmot mine was flourishing and he also carried on general farming. It was during this ownership that the finest hay-shed in the district was erected, and an engine and boiler for generating the neces-sary power for chaff-cutting was installed. Mr. Carter also cleared and drained the flat between the creek and the road. For the last few years Mr. William Tamlyn has been renting the farm, combined farming and dairying, with his agency business in Gym-pie. Mr. Thurecht has already part of the land between the house and the creek plant-ed and intends to reside on the property, farm, and gradually build up a good dairy herd. He will also make use of his Exmore pony stallion “Young Sir Roger” for breeding purposes. 

Certainly the best known property on the Chatsworth road is the “Green Park,” where for very many years past visitors have re sorted to refresh themselves with a plate of the far-famed strawberries or grapes. With regard to the latter fruit Mr. George Flay, the owner, was the first man to grow grapes in the Gympie district, and, in the early days supplied every shop from Commissioner’s Hill to the One Mile. And with regard to the strawberries, he has exhibited in Brisbane. Maryborough, and Gympie, secur-ing the first prize on every occasion. The “Green Park” comprises 45 acres that were originally forest land of good quality for grass, and the soil has proved to be, under capable management, eminently suitable for fruit growing, and as a flower garden.  At the present time there are 2¼ acres of vine-yard, 2 acres of strawberries, besides the plants growing between the vines, and about 2 acres of flower garden. It is impossible in this short sketch to give a full account or to do justice to the place but a few par-ticulars of the varieties of vines, strawber-ries and other plants will be given, with Mr. Flay’s opinions that, I hope, may be of va-lue to your readers.

The vines are all trained on wire trellises, and are kept scrupulously clean of weeds, the same prin-ciple being carried out with regard to the strawberries, and as far as possible in the garden. The grape vines grown are all Ameri-can, with the exception of the White Made-ira, as they have been found to be proof against disease. “The Rolander” is a black grape, very early ripening, generally fit for the market a fortnight before Christmas: the “Concord,” also black, is good for table or wine making : the “Delaware” and “Iona” are first class, bearing pink berries, for table purposes ; the “White Madeira” is a beautiful table variety ; it is from this grape that the Madeira wine is made ; the “Improved Isabella” bears berries nearly twice the size of the old sort of that name: the “Dr. Henley” has beautiful pink bun-ches of grapes for the table ; and the “Catawba” is very much like the “Con-cord” but the grapes must be left to hang for two weeks after they have turned black to ripen ; a peculiarity in them is that if the crop is not all picked the berries will remain on the stalks and dry up to raisins. The heat wave that occurred early in Janu-ary of this year did considerable harm, causing a loss of half the crop. Before the advent of the railway to Gympie grapes used to be sold at 1/6 a pound wholesale, but then gold was plentiful and people had plenty of money.

Of Strawberries, “Flay’s seedling” is the favorite, bearing very large fruit of beautiful flavour, some of the ber-ries have measured 7 inches in circumference; “Pink’s Prolific,” originally raised by the late Dr. Bancroft, of Brisbane, is a good bearer of rather small bright red berries but excellent of flavour ; the “Annette” is only under trial at Green Park : this variety has taken first prize at the last two Brisbane Exhibitions : so far it has shown itself to be a good bearer and of good quality ; of the “Oregon” not much can be said, as the plants have been raised from seed and have as yet not had a thorough trial : the “Fed-aerator” is now a favorite both with growers and consumers : as it is a good bearer of large, even, shapely berries with approved flavour. The climate of Gympie is very suitable for strawberry growing, and to the heavy frosts, general experienced in winter, Mr. Flay attributes the superior flavour of our fruit.

In the garden there are 250 choice varieties of roses, and these are given much more liberty of growth than is usually the case in private gardens. Bulbous and tuberous flowering plants, which are among the most beautiful that can be grown for decoration purposes, are especially looked after, and, in the beds, are a fine collection of gladioli, watsonias, ranunculus, anemones that will later on be a beautiful sight. Instead of confining himself to planting bulbs out once a year, Mr. Flay puts them in at 2 or 3 different times, thereby obtaining a succession of blooms. Ranunculus and ane-mones are very highly recommended for vases as the flowers will last a fortnight in water, if cut just as they are bursting. The bush house is very pretty and the lycopo-diums, ferns, achimencs, begonias, asparagus (of several varieties), and many foliage plants are healthy and free from blight. Very fine loquats are grown, which always take first prize when exhibited at the Shows.

Mr. James Fraser, who has for very many years resided on his farm called “Assyart” on the Chatsworth road, has been associated with the local government bodies since their inception, under the Divisional Boards Act. He was a member of the old Glastonbury Board and after this was amalgamated with the Widgee Board, has sat thereon, repre-senting No. 1 Subdivision. Although he has contested many elections the ratepayers have always returned him at the head of the poll. He has 20 acres of land around the house and another paddock of 120 acres at Edwards’ Pocket, not far from where the Chatsworth cattle dip is situated. One horse and one bullock team are owned by Mr. Fraser, which are engaged pulling log timber from Eel Creek to the Railway Sta-tion. He cultivates about 7 acres of land near the house, on which are grown general farm crops for his own use.

The soil cer-tainly cannot be classed as first-class for cultivation, but by liberally manuring each crop and keeping the land well worked, suc-cess is achieved when nothing but failure would result if the manure and the extra labour were omitted. The manure generally used is from the cow yard but ‘kainit’ or potash salt— the average analysis of which is 24 per cent sulphate of potash— has been used on one crop of potatoes without ob-taining any noticeable improvement in the yield. The light loamy soil in the garden received a dressing of gas lime one year and a very heavy crop of oaten hay was har vested — the lime was scattered over the sur-face of the land to a depth of about a quarter of an inch and well worked in. About three acres of the lowest part of the flat near the road are to be sown with paspalum grass next spring. Pannicum chaff is not liked by Mr. Fraser for horses, but he believes that Cape barley is the best green feed for the cows in winter time. It must be remembered, however, that, as Mr. Fraser says, “barley takes a lot out of the ground.”

On the two properties there are about 40 head of cattle, without counting working bullocks. The redwater caused the deaths of 40, nearly all cows in calf, and it was only the young stock that survived. Ticks are fairly plentiful, though not as numerous as they have been in previous years, and regular dipping every four weeks is still resorted to. The milking stock have been brought up to a good grade Ayrshire standard, but on account of the cows devel-oping short teats— the usual trouble with this breed— a cross with the Shorthorn is being made. About 100 fowls are kept, among which the White Leghorn strain is prominent. Pure bred birds of this variety are about to be obtained. A few bags of gas lime have been emptied near the hen house in a shallow bonn, and the birds are very partial to this. As soon as they come off the roost in the morning they go to the lime. On the ridges back from Mr. Fraser’s and Mr. Hinds’s, reside Mrs. Campbell, who owns some 7 acres, and Mr. Tom. McCaul-ley, who works in one of the mines.“

 This story was compiled by Kathy Punter.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Record Collection; Bing Maps: