IMPRESSIONS OF QUEENSLAND

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 9140, 8 May 1908, Page 8

IMPRESSIONS OF QUEENSLAND

(By Mr H. J. Booth.) “M?’H."J. Booth, President of the Feilding A. & P. Association, returned from Sydney yesterday,;where he had been to attend the Royal Agricultural & Pastoral Show. He took a trip to Brisbane hy rail, a distance of 723 miles. Giving some of his impressions of what he saw on the route to our representative yesterday. he stated that a considerable part of the journey was over the Darling Downs. There had been a good season and the country was looking well. What struck him as remarkable was that over the whole distance they only crossed two rivers, though water was seen at other places. He was told,|however, that water could he obtained by boring. He saw no English grasses, the pasture being native grasses, most of it like the conch grass here. The English grasses apparently did not recover from a drought, while the native grass would spring up after a burn without 'being sown. In fact, generally it was unnecessary to sow after burning [bush. Much lucerne was grown and as many as ten cuts had been taken off the land in one year. Paspalnm dilitatum was also grown. Despite the fruitfulness of the soil lie saw comparatively few cattle. Possibly this was explained hy the remark ofja railway traffic manager that “It was alfnnny country. One end seemed to be suffering from a drought while at the other ehd feed was plentiful and there were not trucks sufficient to move the‘Stock to where they could be fed. Naturally Mr Booth was struck by the immensity of Australia, the Downs alone having an area of 300 square miles and it was possible to travel straight ahead thousands of miles.