Gympie District Farming – 1878 Lagoon Pocket – Part 1

In recent blog posts, we have featured newspaper reports on some of the different farming areas around Gympie during the early 1900s.  This article from The Gympie Times and Mary River Gazette goes back even further to 1878 and will be published in two parts with this first part covering the farms of James Ogden and Isaac Butler. 

‘Farming in the Gympie District.
The farming cum pastoral industry has become so important in this district, and is increasing so fast, that for the future we purpose devoting more attention to it than we have heretofore. We have engaged the services of a special reporter to visit the different selections in the district. His first visit has been to the Lagoon Pocket, regarding which he sends the following report : —
In the year 1869 the Lagoon Pocket was little more than a “howling wilderness,” but since that period civilisation has changed it into one of the most prosperous centres of agricultural industry. The Pocket is situated in an eastern bend of the River Mary, about seven miles in a southerly direction from Gympie. It is nearly a mile in length and the same in breadth, its surface area comprising altogether about 600 acres, the greater portion of which is of the finest description of arable land. Near the bank of the river the soil is a rich loam, but at a dis-tance from the original line of the scrub this gives place to chocolate and black soils. Form-erly this Pocket was divided into nineteen allot-ments of various sizes, the largest being 45 and the smallest a little over 10 acres in extent ; but these are now absorbed into five homesteads or farms, held respectively by Messrs. Ogden, Butler, Corley, Biggers, and Leary. These men have all had a stiff uphill battle to fight, but, are now, thanks to their indefatigable energy and perseverance, in a position of comfort and prosperity.
Rose Farm, the property of Mr. Ogden, is located on the southern, side of the Pocket Including 200 acres of grazing land at the rear of the cultivation, it contains about 330 acres, 230 of which, divided into eight paddocks, are securely fenced in. Mr. Ogden began occu-pation in 1869, and since then has sustained some severe losses from floods. , In 1870 he was completely washed out of house and home, besides having all his crops destroyed, whilst in 1875 he had a further loss of about 14 acres of maize and 2 acres of potatoes. In addition to the fencing improvements, a barn, hay-shed, and other out-houses have been erected ; also two good substantial cottages in an elevated position, commanding a view of the cultivation paddocks, and at the same time being perfectly secure from the ravages of future floods. One of the cottages is occupied by Mr. Ogden, and the other by Mr. Bath, his son-in-law. About 40 acres of land are at present being cultivated, 28 being pure scrub land. During the past year 800 bushels of maize, 19 tons of potatoes, 30 tons of oaten hay, and about 8 tons of lucerne were taken off the farm, but the season was considered rather more favorable than usual. There are now under crop 25 acres of maize, 2 of lucerne, and 1 of potatoes. In the way of implements Mr. Ogden considers that Lennan’s (Melbourne) two horse plough is the best for general farm work, as it is more effective and far easier in the draught. For hilling-up corn and potatoes he uses one of M’Lean’s double mould-boarded ploughs, and thereby effects a material saving of labor. He has also one of M’Lean’s horse-hoes and corn planters combined which deserves a special notice as a most service-able farming implement. Of harrows there are two varieties, a heavy one in two parts made by Mr. Bainbridge, of Gympie and very useful for gathering up weeds, &c, and a light one in three parts made by Robinson, of Melbourne, admirably suited for breaking down the furrows and working ground. The latter is deemed excellent in all respects, and possesses the advantage of being very cheap, the price being only £6 10s. Mr. Ogden’s chaff-cutter and corn-sheller appear also to be first class machines — the latter has all the wheels on the inside, and by having separate boxes is specially adapted for shelling small as well as big cobs of corn. The Lagoon Pocket farmers are beginning to see the advantage of combining grazing with agri-cultural pursuits, and each is consequently gradually accumulating a few head of stock. Messrs. Ogden and Bath possess 12 head of cattle, 4 good draught horses, and several riding hacks. For some time past they have been employers of labour, and three men besides themselves are now variously engaged on the farm.
Adjoining Rose Farm, on the northern side, is Mr. Butler’s Lagoon Farm, so-called from the fact that the lagoons from which the Pocket derives its name are one of its prominent fea-tures. The agricultural portion of the farm contains 81 acres, and was taken up, like Mr. Ogden’s, in 1869. Until the big flood of 1870, Mr. Butler resided on it, but his experiences at that period induced him to secure another selec-tion of about 80 acres of pastoral land on higher ground, upon which he subsequently built a good roomy dwelling-house suitable for perma-ment settlement. The house is pleasantly situ-ated on the brow of a hill, from which a good view of the Pocket can be obtained. At the back are the barn and the other necessary sheds of a compact homestead. Both the agricultural and pastoral selections are completely fenced, the former being divided into three paddocks. Up to the present 45 acres of land have been brought under cultivation, including about 20 acres of scrub, on which the timber has all been “felled,” and from 10 of which the stumps have also been removed. In addition to the land under cultivation, about 6 acres are now being cleared and made ready for the early corn. Mr. Butler gives the following as the produce re-turns for last year :— Maize, 10 acres, 900 bush-els; lucerne, 3 acres, 3 tons; oaten hay, 11½ acres, 23 tons ; potatoes, 6 acres, 4½ tons. The crops already in the ground for this season are — 16 acres of maize, 4½ of potatoes, and 3 of lucerne. The set of implements possessed by Mr. Butler is a very fair one. He has several ploughs, but considers M’Lean’s “Champion” the best for loam and chocolate soils. His chaff-cutter he thinks one of the strongest and best in the neighborhood. Mr. Butler is the proprietor of 5 fine draught horses and about 80 head of cattle. His operations have of late been so ex-tensive as to necessitate the employment of three or four hands exclusive of those of his own family.’

James Ogden was born in Lancashire, England in 1831 and died in 1895; he is buried at the Gympie Cemetery.  Isaac Butler was born in Staffordshire, England in 1836 and died in 1899 and is also buried at the Gympie Cemetery.

 This story was compiled by Kathy Punter.

Sources:  Trove; GFHS Research Collection; Gympie Cemetery Trust; Google Maps;