Through the Mary Valley in 1911 – Part 2

This Blog post is part 2 in this series of articles which were published in the newspapers in 1911 and which gave a fairly detailed description of farms in different areas around our district.     Surnames mentioned in this article are: Burkhardt, Corbett and Young 

Gympie Times and Mary River Gazette – 12 August 1911, Pages 7 & 8

“Through the Mary Valley.
The Farms and Industries.
(By Our Special Representative.)

FAIRVIEW ORCHARD.
Passing on, the next place visited was Mr. Jacob Burkhardt’s well-known orchard, which the owner has christened Fairview. The name is cer tainly appropriate, for from the high points of the farm excellent panoramic views of the surrounding coun-try, north, south, east and west, may be obtained. The railway line passes through the northern end of the property, and then, going to the back or river side, traverses from end to end, the homestead owned by Mrs. Kenneth McDougal, whose husband was unfortunately drowned at Traveston whilst swimming the river in the early part of the present year.

The area of Fairview is 50 acres, and in the eleven years which Mr. Burkhardt has had possession he has transformed the original scrub into a profitable orchard, leading the way in the commercial growing of bananas on the ‘high lands around Gympie. About 13 acres are devoted to banana cultivation, only the kind known as sugar being grown.  When Mr. Burkhardt started he planted both the sugar and Cavendish varieties, but a few year’s trial of the latter convinced him that the Caven-dish was not suitable to his locality, “in fact he never got a ‘bunch of fruit’. The winters are so severe that the Cavendish is cut down and, although making good growth during the summer, the cold season arrives again before they come into bearing. The Cavendish variety was consequently discarded, and attention concentrated on the sugar, with the result that from Christmas to April Mr. Burkhardt sends 1200 dozen sugar bananas a week to Gympie, experiencing no difficulty in disposing of the fruit. After that date the quantity gradually declines till the summer comes again.

A word as to the cultivation of the banana will not be out of place. The stools are 12 to 13 feet apart from centre to centre, and cultivation is solely by the hoe, all weeds being chipped and allowed to die on the surface, forming a mulch and eventually passing into a vegetable mould to feed the bananas. Five to seven suckers are allowed in a clump. Each sucker as it fulfils its destiny— the production of a bunch of bananas— is cut down. Formerly these suckers containing a euantity of vegetable matter were fed to cattle, which appreciate them as fodder, but Mr. Burkhardt found, that this method impoverished the soil to such an extent that he had to purchase artificial manures to restore fertility. Now the suckers are left on the ground, and gradually decaying maintain the fertility of the plantation, the only thing removed being the bunches of bananas as they attain the right stage of development for cutting.

Horse cultivation is not favored as it was found that the roots were broken and torn, thus weakening the banana plants and reducing the output of fruit. On the approach of cold weather, the bunches of bananas are covered over with refuse leaves from the bananas as a protection, and to induce them to develop.  It is not only bananas that Fair-view grows, for the citrus fruits and grapes are also held in favour by the proprietor. Seedling orange trees are bearing good crops, but the lemons have proved a failure owing to a little white worm “boring into the hark of the trees and destroying them”. Mr. Burkhardt intends to replace the lemons with the Tahiti lime, a fruit almost as large as the lemon and more hardy. Citrons have been practically destroyed by the red scale, a pest to which it quickly succumbs. Where the citron can be grown, Mr. Burkhardt considers it would be most profitable as the wholesale candy peel consumers are giving a good price tor them, higher than for lemons.

Spraying keeps diseases of the citrus fruits in check, but it has been found that fumigation by cyanide is the best in the long run though expensive and slow work. Mr. Burkhardt cyanided his orange trees for red scale and stamped out the disease. Care must be exercised for there is danger both to the operator and the trees if the proper precautions are not taken. In grapes the principal kinds grown are Isabella, Sweetwater, and Black Hamburg. Binds have been found very destructure, developing an epicure’s taste and eating only the best sorts. A quantity of wine is made each year, for which a ready sale is found. Formerly peas and beans were grown on the high land during win ter when good prices were obtained. The cultivation of these vegetables proved very profitable, but when Mr. Burkbardt’s family grew up and formed homes of their own, he was compelled to discontinue their growth as he could not obtain the labour to pick them. From Fairview to Lagoon Pocket is but a stone’s throw, but as many properties on Long Flat have been passed at a distance but come within the benefited area it would be well to turn back a little.

MR. A. CORBETT’S PROPERTIES.
Going up Long Flat, the first blocks to come within the benefited area are- those of Mr. A. Corbett, situated on both sides of the road. Mr. Corbett has long been the owner of the homestead on the eastern side of the road, but his purchase of the place better known as Wersalli’s vineyard is comparatively recent, and he had only just taken possession of it. The area of the two properties is about 200 acres, find it is intended to work them as a dairy farm. Wersalli’s is nicely situated on both sides of Calico Creek, on the banks of which are good alluvial flats, part of these have been under cultivation. As may be imagined there are large numbers of grape vines on the farm, and these will receive the necessary attention to enable them to produce crops of fruit. Dairying will, however, be the principal branch and new cow bails and yards, with the necessary dairy, have been erected. It is also intended to build a silo to conserve fodder for winter feeding. The herd is a mixed one, comprising .Jersey, Shorthorn, and Ayrshire grades. Eleven cows were being milked at the time of my visit, but the number will be increased.

A LARGE MARKET GARDEN.
One of the market gardens which produces a quantity of the vegetables required by the City of Gympie day by day is that of Mr. Ah Young, next to Mr. Corbett’s. His area of 33 acres is principally devoted to vegetable cul-ture and melon growing. He grows maize for his own use, and also pays attention to the culture of the peanut, last season selling 22 bags. Water is carried into the gardens on a slide during a dry spell. At the back of his father’s place Mr. Lin Young is working on his 80 acre homestead. His principal crops will be ground nuts and fruit.. Another brother also has a homestead near him, but is at present working with the Shire road party. (To be continued.)

This post was compiled by Kathy Punter

Sources: Trove; Wikipedia; Bing Maps.