Through the Mary Valley in 1911 – Part 3

This Blog post is part 3 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: Roots, Butler, Childs and Tweed, Heeney, Gilligan and Norrie.  

Gympie Times and Mary River Gazette – 19 August 1911, Pages 7

“The Farms and Industries – No 2.
(By Our Special Representative.)

BALMORAL FARM.
Mr. W. Roots has steadily added to his original holding on the east-ern, side of Long Flat until at the present time he has 167 acres in this locality, as well as a selection at Imbil. His latest purchase was the Wendore vineyard, which he bought from Mr. W. C. Andersen. In this vineyard there are six acres of grapes, mostly Isabella, which Mr. Roots is putting in order. Dairying, however, will receive the main atten-tion. At present about 15 acres have been put under paspalum grass, and in the coming season the area will be increased to 40 acres. About 20 head will be milked this season, mostly Shorthorns, but it is intend-ed to cross them with the Jersey. Mr. Roots cultivates the usual crops for his own use. In common with other farmers, Mr. Roots has suffer-ed from rust in his oat crop, and would welcome any means by which the trouble could be got over. Between Mr. Root’s properties is a 20-acre homestead owned by Mr. Jas. Butler, but this is only used for grazing purposes.

IMBIL ROAD VALE.
On the opposite side of the road is Mr. Wm. Childs’s farm. Imbil Road Vale. Mr. Childs is the oldest settler on Long Flat, having taken up his farm of 60 acres 33 years ago. Of this area 45 acres were originally scrub, but it has long since been felled and nothing now re-mains to indicate which was the scrub and which the forest land. At the time of my visit, Mr. Childs was ploughing land from which, he said, 55 crops had been taken, truly a big record for this locality. The land is situated on the bank of Calico Creek and gets the benefit of deposits of alluvial silt from the flooding of the creek. Maize had recently been taken off this field, and Mr. Childs was getting ready for the same crop again. Contrary to the usual custom, Mr. Childs does not engage in dairying, devoting all his attention to farming. About 35 acres of his farm have been ploughed, some on both sides of Calico creek, and he keeps about 20 acres under cultivation. As soon as cultivation ceases, couch grass makes its appear ance, and soon takes possession of the ground. Lucerne is very successfully grown, one field having given profitable returns for a period of 17 years.

‘MODEL FARM.
Perhaps no farm in the district can be seen from so many localities or from such a distance as. Mr. W. Tweed’s Model -Farm. The felled scrub at the back of his farm on the divide between Calico and Pie creeks is a conspicuous landmark from Gympie, and it was on the slopes of this high land that Mr. Tweed was found busily engaged in improving his property. Model Farm comprises 114 acres, extending from the Imbil road across Calico creek and back to the divide as stated. All except four acres was originally scrub, and it is now practically all down. About seven acres have been felled this year, and are drying, but will be fired in the summer. The soil on the alluvial flats under cultivation is a chocolate loam changing to red and this class of soil continues on the rising ridges, but the high land at the back is stony in character, but deep and of volcanic formation, brown to gray in color. Several acres, on both sides of the creek are put under cultivation, maize, oats and lucerne being the principal crops, but all are fed to the animals on the farm, Mr. Tweed finding this the most profitable way of disposing of them.

A portion containing paspalum sod was being ploughed at the time of my visit but no difficulty was being experienced in turning the ground over, and no apprehension was felt as to dealing with it in the future. Three horses and a disc plough were used which seems to be the favorite team all along the Mary valley. Dairying was the profitable factor on the firm, and., as Mr. Tweed remarked, it pays, to give the cows all the cultivation produces. He puts this principle into practice. In the barn he has an overground or tub silo which holds about 35 tons when filled. It is built on the stave principle of hardwood, bound together by iron hoops, and is filled and emptied from the top. To fill the silo takes not more than four acres of maize, which is chaffed by machine power. The maize is allowed to come into full cob before being cut. At the time of inspection the silo was. getting low, but that was not to be wondered at for Mr. Tweed, was in the seventh week of feeding from it, and each member of his herd was getting two kerosene tins, of ensilage a day. Horses, cows, and calves all relish the succulent fodder preserved in this, form, and cows when, not milking fatten on it. Seventeen cows were being milked, but the number, would be increased in the summer. The herd consists mainly of grades, but a red Shorthorn bull, of New South Wales lineage is now being used.

Mr. Tweed, gained a good knowledge of this value of machinery in his work as mine manager , and this know ledge he has made use of on the farm. Oil engines do all the work connected with the barn, and a power pump also lifts water from Calico Creek to irrigate the vegetable garden, and occasionally the lucerne patch. The method of dipping the cattle is different from that in vogue on other farms. Over a crush is a framework extending to a height of 20 feet, to which is holsted by windlass a 10-gallon keg of dip. From the keg a hose runs down and gives a spray with a 20 feet head. The cattle can be treated by the spray at the rate of 14 an hour, and Mr Tweed finds the method both efficacious and easy in application. All the scrubland back from the creek has been put under paspalum. Some pieces have come up very strongly in undergrowth, with the result that the paspalum has had a bad time, but this is now being cleared, and the grass will then get a chance. Wire netting has been used to keep the wallabies back, but a falling tree occasionally breaks the barrier, and the wallabies are quick to take advantage of the opportunity. One effect of the wire netting is to make the wallabies an easier prey for the dingoes, as they chase the marsupials up to the netting and then have them at their mercy.”

LINCOLN LODGE.
Next to Mr. Tweed’s is Mr. John Wm Heeney’s farm, Lincoln Lodge, which consists of 70 acres on both sides of Imbil Road. The block on which the main farming operations are carried on is situated on the western side, and extends back across Calico Creek. His son is responsible for the farm work. Mr. Heeney himself being engaged in mining. The cultivation is worked to supply the needs of the farm. At present there are about 20 head of cattle and five horses on the farm.

LAGOOON POCKET
Turning to the left at this point, the road leading to Lagoon Pocket was followed, and one passes through big areas, of unimproved property owned by Mrs. Gilligan, whose holdings in this neighbourhood extend to 1300 acres. Lagoon Pocket school was passed on the left hand side, and a chain or two further on the surveyed route of the Mary Valley line was crossed . The first farmstead met with was one of Mrs. Gilligan’s extending to the Mary River, and which had been wor ked by Mr. Chas. Norrie until recently, but the attractions of timber getting in connection with the railway line had claimed him, and he had for the time abandoned farming.”

Update on Mr William Childs.  William was born in Essex, UK and came to Australia on the St James in 1874 disembarking in Maryborough as a 21 year old.  In 1877, he married Elizabeth Horner and according to the above article, he took up the land at Long Flat in about 1878.  According to Electoral Roll records he was on the farm until at least 1919, however, by 1925 he was living at Pine St in Gympie and his occupation was still listed as Farmer.  William died on the 19th of July 1941 having reached the age of 92.  He is buried in an unmarked grave at the Gympie Cemetery. 

This post was compiled by Kathy Punter

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