Through the Mary Valley in 1911 – Part 5

This Blog post is part 5 in this series of articles which were published in the newspapers in 1911 and which gave a fairly detailed insight into what was happening on our farms in different areas around our district. Surnames of farmers mentioned in this article are: Bull, Trout, Hutchins, Fitzpatrick and Everett.  

Gympie Times and Mary River Gazette – 26 August 1911, Page 7

“Through the Mary Valley,
The Farms and Industries. N0. 3.
(By Our Special Representative.)

HAYSTACK FLAT.
Retracing my steps once again, I proceeded along the Imbil Road to Mr. F. Bull’s farm, which he has called after the flat, Haystack Flat Farm. This holding comprises 400 acres alto-gether, of which 105 acres are included in the homestead, the residence of which is situated on a steep rise on the right hand side of the road. About 12 acres of land on the river side of the road is used for cultivation, the principal crops grown being maize, and oats and millet for hay. Last year Japanese millet was tried for hay, and did very well. Nearly all the pro-duce of the cultivation paddocks is consumed on the farm. An average of about 20 head of cattle are milked the year round, the Jersey strain being preferred as more hardy, and giving the best return.

FAIRVIEW FARM.
On the further end of Haystack- Flat is Mrs. Trout’s Fairview Farm of upwards of 600 acres, extending across the road. Additions have recently been made to the residence, situated on the river side of the road, which now presents quite a smart appearance. The property consists of black soil flats and red soil ridges, and has a large area of standing scrub going back in the ridgy country. A small area is kept under cultivation, but the produce is fed to the dairy cattle. Oats, maize, and lucerne, are grown. It is found that the Ayrshire and Jersey strains of cattle give the best returns at the pail, and about 30 head are usually milked. A number of mixed cattle are also run on the farm. Fruit trees have been tried on Fair-view. – A half-acre was planted- and started well, but as the trees were not looked after they have gone to ruin. The borers did a lot of damage to the trees. Lemons and oranges both bear well, and so do mangoes if the winters do not prove too severe.

Adjoining the previous property is Mr. Henry Hutchins’s Rosehill Farm of 302 acres, extending from the river back -across Imbil Road, and embracing an area of standing scrub. The railway, as surveyed, will go through the back of this property, and Mr. Hutchins is not pleased at the prospect, as he says it is bound to injure his farm, and adequate compensation is never paid for the damage done. This is not the first occasion Mr. Hutchins has had a railway put through his property, as when he was farming at Miva a railway was built through the land, he then held there. Seldom indeed has a man cause for such complaint. The level piece of cultivation on top of the ridge near his house has doubtless been more admired than any other on the Imbil Road, and Mr. Hutchins is again turning it over with a view to cropping it. He has some cultiva-tion on the river on rather low land, but as he completely lost his last two crops of corn on this portion of his farm owing to early floods, he is this year going to take the precaution to plant on high land.

Formerly Mr. Hutchins had from 40 to 50 acres under cultivation every year, but his sons have now all struck out on their own, and as labor is too expensive and unreliable for general farm work, he now confines his cultivation to the supply of his own requirements. Maize, potatoes, and oats are grown, and in a good season the. surplus is sold. No dairying is carried on in connection with the property. Experiments made by Mr. Hutchins with paspalum show that it developed the same faults as were apparent elsewhere on; heavy black soils. Five of Mr. Hutchins’s sons have acquired properties in the neighbourhood.

MR-H. HUTCHINS, JUNR.’S PROPERTIES.
Adjoining Rosehill Farm is a property owned by Mr. Henry Hutchins, Junr., of .200 acres, which he uses in connection with the Timber .trade, which now claims all his attention. He also purchased portion of the Tra-veston estate, near the mouth of Amamoor Creek, but the only use to which it is put is grazing for his bullocks.

BENTLE FARM.
Mr. Simon Fitzpatrick claims a goodly portion of the frontage to Amamoor Creek. Parenthetically it may be as well stated that Amamoor Creek is not pronounced as spelt but Umahmah. Bentle Farm, as Mr. Fitz-patrick’s property was named \when he purchased it 22 years ago, contains 540 acres, and Amamoor Creek runs through it and round it. Mixed farming is carried on, and the property is admirably suited to it. The low land along Amamoor Creek is well adapted for cultivation, whilst the ridges, provide good grazing for dairy cattle. The land on the creek was originally scrub, but this portion, which, consists of about 79 acres, is now all down and being put to profitable uses. Mr. Fitzpatrick finds that paspalum does well in the black soil scrub flats.

The principal crops grown are maize, potatoes, and oats and lucerne for chaff. This year Mr. Fitzpatrick is going to try Japanese millet for hay. Previous to the. appearance of the blight, extensive plantings of potatoes were made and good yields obtained of high quality tubers, but the blight has changed all this, and this staple crop is now looked upon as a very hazardous one. Mr. Fitzpatrick was planting a couple of bags of potatoes. Dairying is a prominent feature, about 28 or 30 cows being milked in the season. Mr. Fitzpatrick favors the South Coast Shorthorn or Illawarra strain for dairying, the cows being persistent milkers and good sized cattle. He is using Illawarra bull imported for Cumbra, and used on that farm for three years. Mr. Fitzpatrick has experienced some difficulty in getting labour, and the high wages asked are causing him to curtail operations. With the building of the railway line, he does not see much hope of relief in this direction for a year or two. The raliway line goes through two of his paddocks, and it was in one of them that the historic ceremony of the turning of the first sod was performed by Mr. Paget Minister for Railways.

 TRAVESTON ESTATE.
When the Traveston Estate was sub divided and offered at auction a few months ago, a number of blocks in that portion between Amamoor Creek and the Mary River were disposed of all being purchased by local residents, who thus showed their belief in the future of the district. The various lots have been fenced, but so far no one is living on any of the portions. Those who made purchases were Messrs. Thos. Fitzpatrick, Henry Hutchins, junr, Wm. Hutchins, and Nobbs. A few blocks still remain in the possession of the estate.

FLORAVALE
The turn-off to Traveston Crossing is passed and then on the right is the Bunya Creek co-operative cattle dip. On the river side on top of the ridge is Mr. Jas. Everett’s Floravale farm of 216 acres. Mr. Everett also has a l00-acre paddock at Bollier and another, paddock at Kandanga Creek, The homestead extends from the river back to Imbil road, and contains much land fit for the plough. Formerly Mr, Everett had a fair area under the plough, but now his cultivation is confined to growing maize and oaten hay for his own use. He also previously engaged in dairying and timbergetting but at present he uses all his land for grazing purposes and finds the raising and fattening of cattle sufficient to occupy his time. The Hereford breed is considered the best for beef purposes, being hardy and suitable to the dis-trict. Paspalum grass was sown on the river flats, but the results are considered only fair. “

This post was compiled by Kathy Punter

Sources: Trove; Gympie Family History Society Collection; Qld BDM; Ancestry; Gympie Cemetery Trust; Bing Maps.