O S T R IC H -FA R M IN G .

(F ro m Spoil’s “ Encyclopcediae.”)

T he roaring of ostriches has assum ed consider­able im portance, no tab ly in our 8 . A frican colonies. T he n a tu ra l hom e of th e b ird is th e re found in th e “ karroo ” p lains an d sw cct-grass flats of th e in terio r, an d though i t som etim es reso rts to th e long sour-grass of th e coast, i t w ill n o t th riv e on th e “ s tran d v e ld t” o r sour-grass of th e sandstone ridges. T his is exp lained by th e fac t th a t alkalies a re essential to th e h ea lth of th e b ird an d th e p roper developm ent of i ts fe a th e rs ; and w here care is tak en to supply th is deficiency, ill th e shape of food, less d ifficu lty w ill be found in selecting a site for th e farm . The coun try m ust be open, and th e soil shou ld be sandy in places. Opinions vary as to w hether th e b irds should be confined in a narrow area , and fed by hand; or be allow ed to ru n free over a large space, an d p ick up th e ir own living. T h e la t te r p lan seems to p roduce fea thers of th e best appearance. T he paddocks m ust be well fenced w ith loose stone w alls, o r p o st an d wire fencing, about 4 ft. h igh . T he num ber of b ird s allow ed on an acre m ay vary from 30 b irds on 8 acres, to 2 i b ird s on 50 I acres, according to the n a tu re of th e land, and th e am ount of food artific ia lly supplied. Shed accom. m odation m ust be provideil for th e b irds to seek sh e lte r in by n ig h t o r du ring storm s, an d over-crow d­in g m ust be car' fu lly avoided. T he b ird s requ ire w ater, and a re fond of b a th in g du ring th e h o tte s t season. In th e m atte r of food, considerable la titu d e is observed. F o r young birds, lucerne, th is tles , herbs, an d indigenous grasses suffice ; as th e season advances, these m ay be supplem ented by f ru it and gra in (bar­ley , maiz-1, &c.). A m atu re b ird w ill requ ire 20 lb. of lucerne, o r 3 lb. of grain , daily. If necessary, lim e m u st be supplied in th e form of bones, besides w hich, » l i t t le su lp h u r and sa lt should be provided.

j he b irds are pa ired a t th e age of five years, one m ale being coupled w ith one o r tw o fem ales. S epar­a te pens are p rovided for th is purpose. N idifieation begins in Ju ly . Laying commences in A ugust, and la s ts for abou t six weeks, th e eggs num bering 15 20 from each hen. I f n o t rem oved for artific ial incuba­tion , th e b irds ta k e tu rn s in s i t t 'n g on th em , till th e y are hatched , in O ctober. On tak in g aw ay th e young brood, the hen will lay again abo u t Dvce nber, b u t is th en n o t n early so p ro liS -. I t is se dom th a t th e b irds are allow ed to h a tch o u t th e ir brood, m uch b e tte r resu lts being ob tained by th e use of artificial incubators. T he form of in cu b a‘nr m ost com m only em ployed is th a t devised by A. Douglass, of H ilton . I t consists of a deal box, about 3 f t . square, open above, an d resting upon a copper or zinc pan 3 in. deep, and of th e sam e area as th e box. T h is pan con ta in s h o t w ater, th e vapour of w hich ascends th ro u g h su itab le openings in to th e box above. T he tem p era tu re of th e w ater is m ain ta ined by an oil lam p burning beneath a portion of th e pan, separ­a te d bv a wall from th e incubating room, to avoid th e ill effects of th e fum es upon th e young clocks. T h e h ea t is constan tly regu la ted by m ans of th e rm o ­m e te r” : th e tem p era tu re of th e box shou ld be 39° ( 0 2 ° F .) w hen i t receives th e e g g s ; a f te r 2 weeks i t is reduced to 37f° (100° F .); and, in 2 w eeks m ore, to 36}° (98° F .) In cu b a ti m l i s t s for 42 days. T h e eggs are tu rned an d aired by opening the box a n d rem oving th e b lanket covering once o r tw ice daily . A fo rtn ig h t before the incubation is finished, th e eggs are exam ined against th e lig h t, to ascerta in l.ow soon th e ha. tilin g m ay ta k e p a c e ; and a week la te r , those contain ing w eak chicks are carefully punc tu red near th e sm all end, to assist th e occupants in effecting t l ic :r escape. T h e proportion of fu ilu .es shou ld not exceed 1 in 1 2 ; in n a tu ra l ha tch ing i t am ounts to 4 in 20. A no ther good reason fo r adop ting artificial

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incubators is t h a t th e b ird s’ fea thers are in p rim est condition a t th e tim e of incubation, and th a t m any of their, g e t spo ilt d u rin g th e tim e w hen th e b ird s are s ittin g . A s soon as h a tched , th e chicks shou ld be k e p t in a w arm b u t w ell-ven tila ted coop, w h ich m ay be const! ne ed of a box, con ta in ing a lo t of chen ille or o th e r w arm m ate ria l hang ing from th e roof. T hey are fed a t firs t on b read crum bs, b ran , and w a te r ; on th e fo u rth d ay th e y m ay he le t o u t during th e day iu to a l i t t le enclosure m ade a ro u n d th e incubator, and m ay th en have g ra in , bread, an d green vegetables. T hey are tak en in a t n ight. U n ti l 3 m ouths old m o rta lity is g re a t am ong th em , a n d even a fte r th a t age m any break th e ir lugs a n d have to be killed .

The b ird y ields its firs t plum es a t the age of 8 m onths, and con tinues to do so a t in te rv a ls of 8 m onths th roughout- i ts life, w hich varies, accord ing to d ifferent au th o rities , from 8 to 100 years , b u t m ay probably average 25-35 years. T he firs t fea th ers are sm all an d of l i t t le value. T he g a th e r in g of th e plum es is a d e lica te opera tion , p erfo rm ed e ith e r by p luck ing th em o u t bodily , or b y severing them near th e base by m eans of a sh a rp kn ife . T he fo rm er p lan was long th e only one, and gives th e g rea te r w eigh t of fea th e r ; b u t i t is now generally superseded by th e la tte r , as i t often produces a k in d of ir r ita tio n fever in th e b irds. W hen cu ttin g is adop ted , th e stum ps requ ire pulling! o u t abou t a m onth o r 6 weeks la te r , unless th ey have a lready been shed n a tu ra lly . N e ith er m ethod appears to cause th e b ird an y ap p rec i­able pain. T he operation is perform ed while th e b irds are placed singly in a padded crib , o r a re so densely packed as to leave no room for kicking.

O strich-farm ing is being experim en ta lly u n d e r ta k e n by th e A cchm itiz itioii Soci' ty of V ictoria, on t h e W im m era an d on the M urray D ow ns, and has q u ite recen tly been in s titu te d in S ou th A u s tra lia . M any circum stances have h ad au unfavourable influence upon th e re su lts a tta in e d , so th a t these have n o t h ith e r to been e n co u rag in g ; nevertheless, th e in d u s try is being persevered in , an d a parcel of th e fea thers sen t to th e London m ark e t were pronounced b e lte r th a n an y from th e Cape. S till more recen tly i t is s ta te d th a t A frican ostriches have been in troduced in to th e B anda O riental and th e A rgen tine R e p u b lic ; i t is in tended to keep th e b reed q u ite d is tin c t from th e n a tiv e R hea, as crossing them produces a ste rile race w ith in ferio r plum es.

Classification, Value., and Uses o f Ostrich P lum es — A s th e fea thers are ga th ered , th e y are so rted acco rd ­ing to Iheir quality , the opera tion being genera lly e n tru sted to negroes. T he bes t w h ite p lum es know n as “ bloods,” are only th e ta il and p rim a ry wring fea thers ; th e black p lum es are secondary w ing fea th ers . The classification of Cape ostrich fea thers for London m arkets a re as follow s :—(1) W h i t e ; w i l d . bloods, fiue ; P rim s, b e s t ; P rim 1, long u s u a l ; I. an d I I . m ixed ; seconds ; seconds am i th ird s m ixed ; th ird s ; tam e: finest quality , c u t q u i l l ; P rim a, u s u a l ; P iim a , o rd in ary defective tops ; seconds ; seconds and th ird s mixed. (2 j K em ixa lig h t color, good q u a lity ; u su a l; ha f-da k ; d a rk . (3) By o k s w hite, w ith black spo ts . (4) Boos : —ta il feathers, w hite u s u a l , lig h t I cm. ; d a rk ftm . (5) B lv ck long an d m edium g od ; m e­dium and s h o r t ; sho rt, (fi) D r a b : —g r y, long an d medium ; m edium and sh o rt ; sho rt. (7 ) S p a d u x e s :— w h ite an d lig h t fem ; fern ; drab . T he re la tiv e q u a li­ties of th e feathers from d ifferent coun tries a e in th e fo llo w in ' order, beginning wi h th e b e s t :—( 1) “ 41 p - po,” from S y r ia ; th e finest in plum age, b read th , grace, and c o lo u r ; very r a r e ; (2 ) “ B a rb .iry ” from T r ip o l i ; (3) “ St. Louis ” from S en eg a l; (4) “ E g y p t ” do n o t blench tho roughly w h ite : (0 ) “ M o g a d o r” fiom M orocco ; (6 ) “ C a p e ” as good in colour as “ A leppo,” b u t o f in ferio r q u a lity ; (7) “ Y em en ,” o r (erroneously) “ S enegal,” from A ra b ia ; p lum age th in

a n d poor. P rices fluc tuate som ew hat, an d range from o v e r £00 a lb. dow n to a m erely nom inal figure. In sp ite of enorm ously increased production , th e dem and seem s to k<-ep pace w ith th e supply , th o u g h th e price h as fallen som ew hat. W ild w eathers alw ays s*dl m ore readily th an tam e ones, th e reason being th a t th e la t te r are m uch stiffer and less graceful, have “ g a lle r ie s” in th e quill, and resum e th e ir stiffness even a fte r dressing and curling . T he p rincipal app lica­tio n of th e plum es is for th e deco ra tion of co u rt an d m ilita ry dresses, lad ies’ bonnets, hearses, &c.

Before use, th e plum es are e ith e r bleached or dyed. T h ey are firs t washed in soap la th er, rubbed well w ith th e hands, and passed th rough c h a n scalding w a te r . T he b leaching of w hite fea thers is perform ed in th e follow ing w ay :—T he fea thers a re firs t exposed to th e action of sun and dew fur abo u t a fo rtn igh t, a re w ashed in a h o t b a th contain ing Spanish w h ite— th e so ftes t and p u res t white cha lk — and are th en passed th ro u g h th ree clean waters : n ex t, th e y a re b lued by a rap id passage th rough a cold ba th con tain ing indigo ; a f te r th is , th ey are su lphured , by being suspended in a su lp h u rin g s to v e ; an d are finally hung upon cords to d ry , being occasionally shaken to open th e fibres. A m ore recen t process, inven ted by V iol and D uplot, is to im m erse th e fea th ers in resinous essences, such a s tu rp e n tin e o r in essen tia l oils a t ab o u t 30° (86° F .), an d to sub ject them to th e action of lig h t for a longer o r sh o rte r period, according to th e degree of decolora­t io n desired . A fte r th is , th e y a re finished in th e u su a l way by scraping th e barbs w ith a b lu n t edge, so as to produce th e m uch-adm ired curl. D ark-hued fea th e rs , a fte r being b leached by th e last-nam ed pro­cess, m ay be dyed alm ost an y shade. A no ther m ethod o f bleaching is by a batli con tain ing 4 5 p a r ts p e r­m an g an a te of potash in 1,000 p a rts w ater ; a sim ilar so lu tion of su lp h a te of m agneda is added, and heated to 60° (140° F . ) m ax. T he previously w ashed fea thers a re p u t iu to th e b a th , taken ou t, rin sed , and passed th ro u g h su lphuric acid a t l^°-3° I V .

Artificial Ostrich Feathers.—T he A m ericans are said to be m anufactu ring larg e q u an titie s of artificial o strich plum es, th e qu ill being com posed of celluloid, o r ra tta n cane, an d th e barbs of silk w aste.

Other P lum es.—Besides th e ostrich th e re are m any g ia n t hirds belonging to th e fam ilies Struthionidae and Apterygidae , possessing plum es of m ore or less value. O ne of th e m ost im p o rtan t of these is th e R hea or S o u th A m erican ostrich (R hea americana), w hose range ex ten d s from Bolivia, P araguay , an d S B razil, as fa r as th e S tra its of M a g ellan ; w hile tw o o th e r spe­cies, D arw in’s R h ea (R. D arw ini), and th e long-billed R h e a (i2. m acrorhynca)9 share w ith i t po rtions of th e sam e te rr ito ry . T h e b ird s are a t p re sen t ru th le ss ly h u n ted , and, a few years since, were being k illed a t th e ra te of 300,000-500,000 p er annum . T hough, from th e i r h ardy n a tu re an d om nivorous hab its, th e b irds a re easily k e p t in confinem ent, l i t t le has y e t been do n e in th is d irec tion T he feathers a re collected ch iefly in th e B anda O riental, Bahia, Blanca, E n tre R ios, as well as Patagon ia, an d are shipped from M onte V ideo and Buenos Ayres. The exports from A rgen tine P o rts in 1874 w e re :— To th e U n ited S ta tes, 19 to n s ; F rance , 18 to n s ; E ngland , 2 t o n s ; o th er coun tries, 21 tons. Th< ir value is p u t a t abou t 4s a lb ., th e m ale feathers bring ing th e h igher prices. T h e y en ter E uropean commerce as “ v u ltu re fea th e rs ,” a n d th e m ajority of th em , th e dark-greys, are m ade in to feather-broom s.

Im ports o j Ornamental Feathers.—O ur im ports of o rn am en ta l feathers, includ ing ostrich plum es, in 1878 w ere as follows :— From F rance , 120,928 lb .; B ritish Possessions in S. Africa, 78 94 7 ; B ritish E . Indies, 2 5 ,3 1 3 ; E g yp t, 12,394; A den, 4,946 ; M alta , 4 ,4 8 5 ; H o llan d , 4 .3 4 6 ; M orocco, 3 ,0 8 3 ; Bel.dum , 1 ,551 ; o th e r countries, 8 ,8 0 6 ; to ta l, 264,799 l b , ; value <£1,002,902.

E N E M IE S O F O S T R IC H E S .A serious plague am ong young ostriches has been

spr ad ing over S outh A frica d u rin g recen t years. A post-m ortem exam ination m ade by M r. A r th u r Douglass discovered th e tro u b 'e to arise from th e presence of m yriads of sm all th in w orm s adhering to th e coats of th e o strich 's stom ach. Specim ens w ere sen t to D r, Spencer Cobold, of London, w ho pronounced th e m unknow n to science, and nam ed th em Strongylus douglassii. T he im portance of th e discovery m ay be es tim ated from th e fac t th a t ostriches are w orth from 750 dol. to 900 dol. a pair, w hile th e o strich in d u s try is a source of g re a t revenue to S outh A frica. T he cause of the plague being know n, some m eans of destroy ing th e p arasite m ay be looked for.— A ustra lasian .

T H E U S E O F T H E F E E T IN SO W IN G A N D P L A N T IN G .

(From th e F iji T im es, 28 th M ay 1881.)[R ead before th e A m erican Association of N u rse ry ­

m en a t C leveland , O., by P e te r H enderson, of Je rs e y C ity , N. J .]

I t m ay seem useless to th ro w o u t suggestions re la t­ive to h o r tic u ltu ra l operations to such a body of p rac tica l m en as is now before me. Y e t I can d id ly ad m it th a t a lthough I have been ex tensively engaged in garden ing operations fo r over a q u a rte r of a cen t­ury , I d id n o t fu lly realize, u n til a few years ago, th e fu ll im portance of how’ indispensab le i t was to use th e fee t iu th e operations of sow ing a n d p lan tin g . P a rtic u la rly in th e sow ing of seeds I consider th e m a tte r of su h vas t im portance, th a t i t canno t be too often o r too strong ly to ld , for th e loss to th e ag ricu ltu ra l an d h o rtic u ltu ra l com m unity by th e neg ­lec t of th e sim ple operations of form ing th e soil a round seed m u st am oun t to many m illions an n u a lly . From th e m idd le of A p ril to nearly th e end of M ay of th is year, in m any sections of th e cou n try , th e re w as li t t le or no ra in ; such w as p articu la rly th e case in th e v ic in ity of N ew Y o rk C i t y ; w here w e have h undreds of m a rk e t gardeners who cu ltiv a te thousands of acres of cabbage, cauliflower, an d c e le ry ; b u t th e dry sp ring has p la j’ed sad havoc w ith th e ir seed beds. C elery is n o t one-fourth of a crop, and cab ­bage and cauliflow er h a rd ly h a l f ; an d th is failu re is due to no o th er cause th a n th a t th ey p ersis t in sow ­ing th e ir seeds w ith o u t ever ta k in g th e p recau tio n to firm th e soil b y rolling.

W e eow annually abo u t four acres of celery, cab ­bage, and cauliflow er p lan ts, w hich produce p robab ly five m illions in num ber, and which w e never fa .l to sell, m ostly in our im m ediate neighbourhood to th e m ark e t gardeners, w ho have, m any of them , even b e tte r facilities th a n we have fo r raising these p lan ts if th e y w ould only do as we d o —firm th e seed a f te r sowing, w h ich is done th u s :— A fte r ploughing, h a r ­row ing, an d levelling th e lan d sm oothly, lines are d raw n by th e “ m ark e r,” w hich m akes a fu rrow abo u t tw o inches deep and a foot ap art. A fte r th e m an who sows th e seed follows ano ther, who, w ith w ith th e b a ll of th e r ig h t foot presses dow n his fu ll w eigh t on every inch of soil in th e d r ill w here th e seed has been sown ; the row s are th en lig h tly levelled long itud inally w ith th e rake, a l ig h t ro lle r is th e n passed over i t , an d th e operation is done.

By th is m ethod our crop has never once failed, an d w h a t is tru e of cabbage an d celery seed, is n ea rly t ru e of a ll o th e r seeds req u irin g to be sow n d u rin g th e la te spring o r sum m er m ouths.

On Ju ly 2nd, 1874, as an experim ent I sow ed tw elve row s of sw eet corn and tw elve row s of beets, tre a d ­ing in a fte r sow ing every a lte rn a te row of each. I n bo th cases those tro d in cam e u p in fo u r days, w hile those unfirm ed rem ained tw elve days before s ta rtin g , a n d w ould no t th e n have germ inated h ad ra in nou

fallen, for th e soil w as d ry as d u s t w hen p lan ted .T he re su lt was th a t th e seeds th a t had been tro d d en

in grew freely from th e s ta r t , an d m atu red th e ir crops to a m arketab le cond ition by fall, while th e row s unfirm ed d id n o t m ature, as th e y were n o t only e ig h t days la te r in germ inating , b u t th e p lan ts w eic also to some e x ten t enfeebled by being p a r tia lly d ried in th e loose d ry soil.

T h is experim ent was a m ost usefu l one, for i t proved th a t a corn-crop sow n in th e v ic in ity of N ew Y o rk , as la te as Ju ly 2nd, could be m ade to produce “ roasting ears ” in O ctober, when th e y never fail to sell freely a t h igh r a t e s ; b u t th e crop w ould no t m a tu re unless th e seed germ inated a t once, and w hich w ould never be ce rta in a t th a t d ry an d h o t season, unless by th is m ethod.

T he sam e season in A ugust I t re a te d seeds of tu r ­n ips and spinach in th e sam e w a y ; those tro d in g erm inated a t once and m ade an excellen t crop, w hile those unfirm ed germ inated b u t feebly, an d w ere even tu ­a lly nearly all b u rned out by a continuance of d ry h o t a ir p en e tra tin g th rough th e loose soil to the te n d e r roo tle ts .

Of cour-e th is ru le of tread in g in o r firm ing seeds a f te r sowing m u st n o t be b lind ly follow ed. V ery ea rly in spring or la te in fall, w hen th e soil is dam p, an d no danger from heated d ry a ir, there is no necessi­t y to do so ; or even a t o th e r seasons th e soil m ay b e in a su itab le condition to sow, an d y e t be too d am p to be trodden upon or ro lled . In such cases th ese operations m ay n o t be necessary a t a ll, fo r if r a in y w eather ensues, th e seeds w ill germ inate of c o u rse ; b u t if th e re is an y likelihood of continued d ro u g h t, th e tread in g or ro lling m ay be done a week o r so a fte r sowing, if i t is a t such a season, as th ere is reason to believe th a t i t m ay suffer from th e d ry h o t air.

Now, if firming th e soil around seed to p ro tec t i t from th e influence of a d ry an d h o t a tm osphere is a necessity , i t is obvious th a t i t is even m ore so in th e case of p lan ts, whose roo tle ts are even more sensitive to such influence th a n th e do rm an t seed.

Experienced professional h o rtic u ltu ris ts , how ever, a re less likely to neg lect th is th a n to neg lec t in the case of seeds, for th e dam age from such neg lect is easier to be seen, an d hence b e tte r understood by the prac tica l nurserym an. B ut w ith th e inexperienced am ateur, th e case is different. W hen he receives his package of trees o r p lan ts from th e nurserym an, he hand les th em as if th ey were glass. E v e ry broken tw ig o r ro o t calls fo rth a com plaint, an d he proceeds to p la n t th em gingerly, s tra ig h ten in g o u t each roo t a n d sifting th e soil a ro en d th em . B ut he would no m ore stam p dow n th a t soil th a n he w ould stam p th e soil of his m other’s grave. So th e plan t, in n ine cases o u t of ten , is le f t loose an d waggling, th e d ry a ir p enetra tes th rough th e soil to its roots, th e w inds shake i t , i t sh rivels u p and fails to grow . Then comes th e anathem as on th e head of th e u n fo rtu n a te nurserym an, w ho is charged w ith se lling h im dead leaves or p lan ts.

A b o u t a m onth ago I sen t a package of a dozen roses b y m ail to a lad y in Savannah. She w rote me a w oful sto ry la s t w eek, saying th a t though th e roses had a rrived seem ingly a ll r ig h t, th e y h ad a ll d ied b u t one, an d w hat w as very singular, she said, th e one that, lived w as th e one th a t Mr. Jones stepped ' on , an d w hich she h ad th o u g h t sure w as crushed to d ea th , for M r. Jon es weighs 200 lb . Now, though w e do n o t advise any gentlem an of 200 lb. p u ttin g h is brogan ou th e to p of a tender rose p la n t as a p rac tice conducive to its health , y e t if M rs. Jon es could have allow ed h er weighty lo rd to press th e soil against th e ro o t of each of h er dozen roses, I m uch d o u b t if she w ould now have to m ourn th e ir loss.

I t has often been a wonder to m any of ns w ho have been w orkers in th e soil for a generation how som e of the sim plest m ethods of cu ltu re have n o t been p ra c tise d u n til w e w ere n early done w ith life’s work.

T here are few of us b u t have had such experience ; personally , I m u st say th a t I n ever pass th ro u g h a y ea r b u t I am confounded to find th a t som e opera­tio n can n o t on ly be m ore q u ick ly done, bu t b e tte r done, th a n w e have been in th e h a b it of doing it ,

T h ' im provem ents loom up from various causes, b u t m ain ly from suggestions th ro w n o u t by o u r em ­ployees in charge of special d epartm en ts, a system w hich we do a ll in our pow er to encourage.

A s a proof of th e value of such im provem ents w hich have led to sim plify ing our operations, I w ill s ta te the fact th a t though m y a rea of green hous». surface is now m ore th a n double t h a t which w as in . 1870, and th e lan d used in our flo ris t’s business o n e - th i rd m ore, y e t th e num ber of han d s em ployed is less th an in 1870, an d y e t a t th e same tim e thee q u a lity of our sto ck is infinitely b e tte r now lhan th e n .

W h e th e r i t is th e h igher p rice of labour in th i s co u n try th a t forces us in to labour-sav ing expedients, o r th e in terchange of opinions from th e g re a te r o f n a tionalities cen tre ing here th a t gives us broader view s of cu ltu re , I am n o t p rep ared to s ta te ; b u t t h a t A m erica is now selling nearly all th e p roducts o f th e green-house, garden, n u rse ry and farm low er th a n ., is done in E urope adm its of no question , an d if m y hom ely suggestions in th is m a tte r of firm ing th e so il a ro u n d new ly-p lan ted seeds o r p la n ts w ill in an y degree a ssis t us in s til l ho ld ing to th e fro n t, 1 w ill be gratified .

U S E F U L G A R D E N R E C IP E S .To M a k e B l a c k V a k n is h .— One gallon of coal ta r ,

ha lf a p in t of sp ir its of tu rp en tin e , 2 oz. of oil o f v itrio l, s tirred , and la id on like pain t. M ix w ith a piece of wood o r s tick th e t a r and v itrio l, an d th e n a d d th e tu rp en tin e , and app ly i t w ith a b rush . Mix no m ore th a n you can use a t once, and th en app ly i t as i t becomes th ick .

B o n e -M ria l.—T he value of bones (says th e Journa l o f H orticulture) in various form s as a m anure is ad ­m itted , and bone-m eal has been freq u e n tly recom ­m ended in o u r colum ns as a good and safe m a n u re for p la n ts and crops. W e e x tra c t th e follow ing from our sm all m anual M anures fo r the M a n y :—A ll bones co n ta in m ore th a n ha lf th e ir w eigh t of phospha te o f lim e, an d are beneficial as a m anure, because th a t chief c o n s titu e n t phospha te of lim e is also a c o n s titu ­e n t of a ll p la n ts ; an d th e g e la tin e w hich is also in bones is of itse lf a source of food to them . T he bones m u st be app lied to th e crops in very sm all pieces, o r in p o w d e r ; and 10 lb ., a t th e tim e of in ­se rtin g th e seed, are enough fo r 30 square yards, i f sow n b ro a d c a s t; an d a m uch sm Her q u a n tity is. sufficient if sp rin k led along th e d rills in w hich the, see I is sown. T here is no d o u b t th a t bone-dust m ay be em ployed w ith advan tage in all gardens an d to a ll garden c ro p s ; b u t i t has been experim en ted on m o st ex tensively w ith th e tu rn ip an d po ta to , and w ith un fa iling benefit. M ixed w ith su lphur, au d d rilled -in w ith th e tu rn ip seed, i t has been found to preserve th e young p lan ts from th e fly. M r, K n ig h t found i t beneficial w hen app lied largely to stone f ru it a t th e tim e of p lan ting ; an d i t is q u ite as good for th e vine. To law ns th e d u st has been applied w ith g rea t a d ­van tage w hen th e g rass w as becom ing th in . As a m anure for th e sh rubbery , p a rte rre , an d green-house i t is also m ost v a lu a b le ; and crushed as well as ground , is em ployed generally to m ix w ith th e soil of p o tted p la n ts .” T he value of bone-meal has been rendered in th e follow ing expressive an d suggestive verse, w hich s tu d e n ts in schools of ag ricu ltu re m ig h t w ell com m it to m em ory :—

“ N o bone-dust, no tu rn ip s ; no tu rn ip s , no w h ea t ;N o w heat an d no tu rn ip s , no ca ttle , no m e a t ;N o tu rn ip s , no ca ttle , nor m anure in th e y a rd ,Make bills for the doctors, and farming go hard.’*

T H E JA P A N P E A .T h ere is n o th in g in th e lis t of forage p lan ts th a t

excels th e Ja p an pea fo r our soil and clim ate. T. E . M a rtin and JR. T . R utledge, bo th progressive farm ers of o u r co u n try , te ll m e th a t th e Ja p a n pea is th e m o st p roductive as w ell as good food th a t th ey have ev er grow n, for a ll k in d of stock ; horses, ca ttle , sheep, an d hogs w ill e a t th e peas, stem s, an d leaves, if h a rv es ted before fu lly m atu red and cured lik e o th e r hay , w ith as m uch relish as th e y do corn. T hen th e re is no pea fo r th e tab le , if s -aked in w ater th e n ig h t before cooking, th a t has a m ore exquisite flavor. T hey grow on a s to u t bushy s ta lk from tw o to th ree feet high, som ew hat re-c iub ling th e co tton p lan t. T he m ain sta lk , as w ell as th e branches of lim bs, a re lite ra lly leaded w ith sm all pea pods filled w ith l i t t le yellow peas, sim ilar in color, size an d flavor to th e E nglish garden pea. T hey can be grow n w ith th e corn crop very successfully, by p lan tin g o h ill or peas betw e n each h ill of corn a t th e second ploughing, sam e as th e o rd inary stock or field peas. B u t th e way to get th e greatest y ie ld is to p lan t in h ills tw o and-a-half feet each way, a llow ing b u t one s ta lk to th e h ill to rem ain a f te r th e firs t w orking. T h a t w ill give you 6,9 10 sta lk s to th e acre, an d on o rd in ary land , cu ltiv a ted th e sam e as corn, w 11 average a t th e low est estim ate, a p in t of s elled peas to the sta lk , o r a frac tion over 108$ bushels per acre. 1 d o u b t n o t th a t w ith h igh cu ltiv a tio n an d good soil i t w ould be an easy m a tte r to double th a t yield, besides, th e re is no o ther crop t h i t w ill y ie ld move h ay to th e acre. In fact, 1 know of no crop so rem unera tive as th e J ipan pea . I t is a su re cropper, a s clearly d em onstra ted by m y experience w ith th is season’s crop. N e ith e r w et nor d ry w ea th er m ateria lly in terferes w ith th e q u a n tity o r q u a lity of th e y ie ld . — M ississippi P a tron .

A R T IF IC IA L SE A SO N IN G O F T IM B E R .M r. C. Rend, pa in '/fo rte m anufactu rer, of S te ttin ,

G erm any, as repo rted in Engineering, has devised a p lan by w hich he u tilises th e p ro p e rty of oxygen, p a rticu la rly of th a t ozonised by the elec tric cu rren t, to a rtitic .a lly season th e tim b er u s jd for th e sounding- boards of m usical in stru m en ts . T he firs t im pulse to experim ents being carried o u t in th is d irection was g iv en by th e w ell-know n fac t th a t wood, w hich has been seasoned for years, is m uch m ore e ir tab le for th e m anufactu re of m usical in stru m en ts th a n if used soon a f te r i t is tho ro u g h ly d ried only. M r. Rend claim s th a t in stru m en ts m ade of wood w hich has been tre a te d by h is oxygen process possess a rem ark­ab ly fine tone, w hich n o t only does n o t decrease w ith age, b u t as fa r as experience teaches, im proves w ith agn as does th e tone of some fam ous o ld violins b y I ta lian m asters. W e are fu rth e r to ld th a t th e sounding-boards m ade of wood p rep ared in th is m an­n er have th e quality of r. tam ing th e sound longer a n d m ore pow erfully . A num ber of pain os m anu­fac tu re d a t M r. Bend’s work*, au d exp o rted to the trop ic s severa l years ago, have stood exceedingly w ell, and seem in no w ay affecied by th e clim atic d angers th e y a re exposed to . W hile o th e r m e th ds o f im pregnate g woods w ith chem icals generally h av e a d e te rio ra tin g influence on th e woud fibres, t im ­b e r p re p m td by ib is m ethod , which is really an a rtific ia l ageing, becomes h ard er and etronger. The p ro e .ss is i-aid to be regul r ly carried on a t Mr. ilttud s w orks, and th e ap p a ra tu s consists of a h e r­m etica lly closed bo iler o r tan k , in w hich th e wo *d to be trea ted by tiie process is p ;aced on iron g ra tings; in a re to rt, p laced by th e side of th e bo iler and connected to i t by a p ipe w ith stop-valve, oxygen is developed an d ad m itted in to th e boiler th ro u g h th e v a lv e . P rovision is m ade in th e boiler to ozonise

th e oxygen by m eans of an elec tric cu rren t, a n d th e bo iler is th e n g en tly fired an d k*-pt h o t fo r fo rty -e ig h t o r fifty hours, a f te r w hich tim e th,e process of p reservation of w ood is com plete.

T H E W O O D A P P L E .

W ood app le [Ferowa elephantum). H in d i, K y a th o r Cavittex Velugu, Y a la g -h i i ; an d T am il, V el/am . T his tree is consider d by n o t a few to be useless perhaps, because i t grow s w ild, an d is to be fo u n d in a lm o-t every place, especially in th e jung les. H ence , 1 surm ise, ic has m et w ith only a curs u y n o tice in our G arden M anuals, an d is said to be— ‘’n o t e n ti t le d to a place in th e g a rd en .” To d isabuse th e m in d sof some folks I shull h e te no te some of th e m an ypurposes to w hich th is tre e ( th a t is p r e t t i ly c lu s te red w ith fru it) is app lied to . I sha ll com m ence w ith i t s —

(a). F r u i t y w hen ripe, a n d a f te r th e g lobu lar sh e ll is broken, i t has a very s trong odour. T h e ta r t is h pu lp is farinaceous an d g ra n u la r w hich is eaten w ith su g a r ; som e m ake a h o t w eather beverage of i t lik e th e “ m ango fo o l .” A m ost delicious and p a la tab le je lly is m ade from th e ju ice of th e pulp , and w hich, if pro-jerly m ade, w ill g ra tify a ll connoisseurs. T h e colour of th e je lly is of a lovely rub y , an d a b e lte r k in d could h a rd ly be m ade from auy o th e r In d ian f ru it . C ertain ly i t canno t be excelled. (W ood Apple an d G uava m ixed also make a good je lly ). A lthough “ F irm inger ” pronounces th e je lly “ to bo such as i t is n o t lik e ly w ould be approved o f b ym any ,” b u t I beg to differ from th is opinion. T h eunripe f r u i t is m ade in to p ick le an d “ c h u t n e y T ho n e x t is th e —

(b). Shell from w hich hum m ing to p s are m ade. R ockets are ab o m anufactured from i t fo r m ak in g Mr. S trip es uncom fortable in his den. N ow I com e to th e —

(c). Foliage.— T he ten d er leaves w hich have a sw eet arom a are m uch prized by n a tiv e s ; th e y use i t ex ­tensively for curing flatulency.

(d). T im ber contain ing saccharine m a tte r is m uch relished by “ b o rers ,” and r rn d tr s i t useless ; bub i t finds a ready place in th e k itchen.

(e). T he viscous ju ice p roduced from th is u se fu l tree is equal to th e gum obtained from th e Babool (Acacia arabica) com m only know n as “ G um Arabic,** L ast, though n u t least, I conclude w ith i t s —

i f ) . M edicinal properties. —T he unripe f ru it whet* m ade in to decoction ac ts like an astringent T he ripe f ru it is an antiscorbutic, its effect being m uch s im ila r to th e B a d (jEgle m annelos.)

A fte r enum erating the above uses of th is genera lly despised Wo<d A pp le tree , I fa il to see w hy i t shou ld n o t . e en titled to a place in th e In d ian G arden M anuals.

* * * * * *T he Feronia belongs to th e A urantiacae o r orange

tribe , as a b o does the JEyle M arm elos o r B ael of th e P u n jab . T he young f ru i t of th e wood apple is a lm ost a perfect substitu ie for th e Bael, aud u n iversa lly p ro ­curab le th ro u g h o u t In d ia w hile th e B ael is n o t.—A sia n .

A g r ic u l t u r a l C o m p a n y o f Ma u r i t i u s . — T he e ig h th annual general m eeting of th e A gricu ltu ral Com pany of M anritu? (L im ited) was held on Ju n e 29th , a t th e offices. Change Alley. Air. J . A . LonguUge presided, a n d in m oving th e adoption of the repo rt, expiessed th e sa tis­faction of th e d irec to rs a t being enabled to lay before them such a g ra tify in g rep o rt. T hey recom m ended a d iv idend of Is. Od. per share, m aking, w ith th e interim d iv idend 15 p er cent, for th e y ea r ; and th e y fu rth e r proposed a bonus d istr ib u tio n of Is. p e r sh a re , being a t th e rate of 5 p er cent. T he rep o rt w as. ad o p ted .— Overland M ail.

BAM BOO IN CEY LO N .(From th e Journa l o f the Society o f A r t i . )

I n th e discussion th a t took place a f te r th e read ing of S ir A rth u r P h a y re ’s pap er on B ritish B urm a, on th e 13th M ay, I see th a t a quo ta tion I read , bearing on th e grow th of bam boo, from th e Gardener's Chronicle, of th e 30 th of April, is (inadverten tly ) o m itted referring to th e R oyal B otanical G ardens a t P eraden iya , Ceylon. H . ,T. E . , a keen observer, w rites

“ P erh ap s th e m ost s tr ik in g ob jec ts in these gardens a re th e ex trao rd in ary clum ps of g ia n t bam boo, w hich exceed an y th in g I have ever seen or heard of. In some of them n o t less, an d p robab ly m any more, than 200 culm s of over 100 feet h igh are grow ing, as t ig h tly packed to g e th er as possible. Some of th e stem s m ust be very nearly , if n o t quite , a foot in d iam eter, and th e average, e igh t o r n ine inches. T h is sp lend id bam boo is, I believe, a n a tive of th e M alay Peninsula, a n d is th e m ost rem arkab le instance of rap id g row th I know of, each of these im m ense stem s being form ed in a few m o n th s.”

To lovers of bo tany , a fine specim en of th is bamboo m ay be seen a t th e D uke of N o rth u m b erlan d ’s garden , a t Sion-house, C hisw ick. I have a stem here from th a t clum p, n early 70 feet high, th e to p of which pushed its head th ro u g h th e roof of th e conservatory.

T h o m a s R o u t l e d g e . C laxheugh, S underland, 30th May, 1881.

T E A K IN CEY LO N .T eak is th e nam e of tw o k in d s of tim ber, valuable

for sh ipbu ild ing and o th e r purposes, one of which is know n as In d ian T eak , and th e o th e r as A frican. T he trees w hich produce th em belong to very different orders. Ind ian T eak (Tectona grandis) is a tree of the n a tu ra l o rd er Verbenacese. I t is found in th e m oun­ta inous p a rts of M alabar, an d elsewhere in H in d u sta n , a n d in th e E astern Peninsula , Jav a , &c. I t has been in tro d u ced in some p a r ts of In d ia , in which i t is no t indigenous. Dr. R oxburgh in troduced i t in th e low g rounds of th e C ircars in 1790. I t is a beau tifu l tree , a tta in in g a h e ig h t som etim es even of 200 feet, and ris in g above a ll th e o th e r trees of th e E a s t In d ian forests. I t has deciduous oval leaves of 12 to 24 inches long, covered w ith rough points, large panicles of w h ite flowers, w ith 5 to G-cleft corolla, and 4-celled drupes abou t th e size of a H azel-nu t. I t s flowers are used m edicinally in cases of re ten tio n of u rine , and i ts leaves by th e M alays in cholera. S ilk an d co tton stuffs are dyed purp le by th e leaves. T he tim b er is th e m ost valuable produced in th e E ast Ind ies ; i t is l ig h t an d easily w orked, strong , durab le , an d n o t liab le to th e a tta c k s of insects. I t abounds in silex, and resem bles coarse M ahogany. I t is ex tensively used for shipbuild ing , for w hich purpose i t is im ­ported in to B rita in . A ll th e finest sh ips b u ilt in Ind ia, an d m auy bu ilt in E ngland , are of Teak. T he m ost ex tensive T eak fo rests of th e p resen t day are in Pegu. I t has been p lan ted in Ceylon in a few places, b u t n o t y e t with m uch resu lt, as i t tak es s ix ty to e igh ty years to grow a large size. Some of th e la rg e -t trees in th e island are grow ing a t K a lu tu ra , on th e sea coast, ab o u t th i r ty m iles from Colombo. In In d ia , ow ing to th e able and sy stem atic ‘ F o re st D ep a rtm en t,” th e p lan tin g of T eak and o th e r valuab le tim ber trees is receiv ing g rea t a tten tio n . In Ceylon we are fa r behind, do n o t possess such an in s titu tio n , b u t have a few foresters th a t know as m uch abou t tim b er trees .is a c ity clerk. A g reat w an t w ould be easily rem edied b y ex tend ing th e Ind ian F o rest D ep a rtm en t to Ceylon, an d p lacing i t und er .our able bo tan ica l head. I t iu s t th e d ay is n o t fa r d is ta n t w hen such w ill be fu l­filled. A frican T eak , som etim es called A frican Oak, is a tim b er sim ilar to th e E ast In d ia n T eak. I t is now believed to be th e produce of O ldtieldia afrieana, a tre e of th e n a tu ra l o rder Euphorbiacese. F. (? J .) Alexander, M ay 25.— Gardener’s Chronicle.

62

H A P U T A L E L IM E S T O N E .W e have been favoured w ith th e follow ing for

p u b lica tion :—Colombo, 11th J u ly 1881.

M essrs. Carson & Co., C olom bo.D e a r S i r s , — H erew ith I send you analyses of th e

B roughton lim e received from you on th e 5 th in s t., and ad d itio n a l sam ples on th e 8 th .

T he firs t sam ples se n t appeared m uch of th e sam e charac te r, an d i t w as m y in ten tio n to analyse one only7. T h e sam ples se n t on th e 8 th seem ed to differ m uch, an d I have therefo re done both .

T hey con ta in m uch silica and silicious m a tte r , an d th e unslak ed has becom e p a r t ly air-slaked, T he value of th e lim e, if fu lly b u rn t, is ab o u t th re e fifths th a t of Colombo coral, b u t on a d is tr ic t so rem ote from rail, i t w ould be h igher th a n th is , as lim e sen t from h ere w ould lose m uch of its cau s tic ity before i t reached H a p u ta le .—I am , d ea r sirs, yours sincerely .

A l e x a n d e r C. D i x o n .

A nalyses of sam ple of unslak ed lim e (B roughtonesta te) received from M essrs. Carson & Co., on 5 th an d 8th Ju ly .

M oistu re ............................................. 4" 74L im e (oxide) ... ... ... ... 5 '75

,, h y d ra te ... ... 7 "81,, carbonate ... ... ... 27"67

M agnesia (oxide) ... "84,, carbonate ... ... ... 10"83

Iro n an d a lum ina ... "98Silica an d sdic ious m a tte r ... 41 "37

A l e x a n d e r C. D ix o n , F .C .S ,, & c.Colombo, 11th J u ly 1881.

A s a co m p ariso n :Colombo Coral L im e : Unslahed.

A v erag e : P e r cent.In so lu b le m a tte r ... ... 4Calcic oxide ... ... 90O ther substances ......... ... 6

A nalyses of sam ple of s laked lim e (B roughton e s ta te ) received from M essrs. C arson & Co., on 5 th a n d 8 th Ju ly :

M oistu re ................ ... ... 2 "96L im e (h y d ra te ) ... ... ... 25"83

„ carbonate 19 "95M agnesia carbonate ... ... ... 7"31

,, h y d ra te ... ... ... 4 63Iro n an d a lum ina ... ... ... "84Silica and silicious m a t te r 38 "47

A l e x a n d e r C. D ix o n , F. C .S ., &c.Colombo, 11th J u ly 1881.

Freshly S la h e d : Colombo Coral L im e. In so lub le ... ... ... ... 3Calcic h y d ra te ... 92O ther substances ... ... .. 5

A l e x a n d e r C . D ix o n .Colombo, 15th July7 1881.

L IB E R IA N C O F F E E .T he species of coffee w hich is indigenous to

L iberia , in W est A frica, seem s d estined to have an im p o rtan t influence on t i n in d u s try of those coun tries in w hich th e coffee-blight has alm ost ex tingu ished th e A rab ian coffee p lan t. A little pam ­ph le t by D r. H . A . A . N icholls, ju s t published by Messrs. S ilver an d Co., gives some in te re s tin g in for­m ation on th e cu ltiv a tio n of L iberian coffee in th e W est Ind ies, an d especially in D om inica. T he p la n t was firs t grown in E n g lrn d in th e R oyal G ardens a t K ew d u rin g th e y ea r 1872, and from th ence seedlings w ere fo rw arded in 1874 to Dom inica an d to several of th e colonies in th e W est Ind ies. F ifty years ago

D om inica w as essentially a coffee c o u n try ; a t one tim e , indeed, over th re e m illion pounds of th is stap le w ere exported annually , an d th e coffee was of so fine a q u a lity th a t th e D om inica produce usua lly ob ta ined th e h ighest price in th e E nglish m ark e t. U nfo rtunate ly , how ever early in th e p resen t cen tu ry a b lig h t a ttack ed t h e . tree and w ith in a few years i t com m itted such ravage th a t th e cu ltiva tion of coffee becam e alm ost ex tin c t. N a tu ra lly , on th e in troduc tion in to D om inica of a new species of coffee, m ore vigorous th an th a t of A rabia, hopes w ere en te rta in ed th a t th e leaves w ould be im pervious to th e ravages of th e b lig h t, an d these hopes, happ ily , w ere fully realized, fo r th e young p lan ts soon shot up in to vigorous large sh rubs free from b ligh t, and lo ad ed -w ith iiowers an d rip e a n d un ripe berries. T h is im m u n ity from b lig h t enjoyed b y L iberian coffee is, fas D r. |N icho lls says, of th e u tm o st im portance to th e w elfare o f D om inica and th e neighbouring coloni-s, b o th E nglish an d F rench , fo r th e re is now no th ing to p rev en t th e islands of the Lesser A ntilles from being once m ore large coffee-supply­ing countries. In D om inica th e cu ltiva tion of coffee m ay be said to be re-estab lished , a lthough i t is only y e t in its infancy, an d th e productiveness of th e L iberian tre e s is a m a tte r of aston ishm en t to those of th e o lder residen ts , w ho rem em ber th e coffee estates of 40 years ago. T he L iberian coffee p la n t is m uch larger th a n th a t of Arabia, being, indeed , in its n a tiv e s ta te , a sm all tree. I t has several o th er characteristics w hich ren d er its cu ltiva tion d ifferent from th a t of its A rab ian congener, an d gives i t several advan tages all in favour of th e p lan te r . Its leaves are m uch larger; i t ffewers for severa l m onths, so th a t flowers and berries may be found on th e same p lan t, an d th e berrit s are tw ice th e size of th e ord inary coffee bean. T he ripe berries do n o t fall from th e tree, like th e o rd inary coffee p lan t, b u t rem ain on th e tree, w ith ­o u t d e trim en t to th e ir q u a lity , fo r weeks; an im p o rtan t fea tu re w here i t m ay be difficult to p rocu re th e labour necessary for speedy gathering . D r. N icholls gives m any useful d e ta ils as to th e mode of cu ltiv a tio n and preparation . The flavour of th e coffee, he m ain ta ins, is excellent, and he adduces evidence to show th a t i t is qu ite as good as J a v a coffee. T he success of th e L iberian coffee in D om inica has been so g re a t th a t a lready large supplies of berries are exported to several neighbouring islands. T he h isto ry of th e estab lishm ent of the new cu ltivation , D r. N icho lls te lls us, is full of prom ise to th e fu tu re of th e island . T he p la n t is thorough ly acclim atized, th e young trees a re u n ­affected by b ligh t, i’an d th e ir fru itfu lness surpasses all expectations. In th e island th e re are m any abandoned e s ta tes , and large tr a c ts of v irg in soil, w ell w atered w ith fine stream s em inen tly adap ted fo r th e cu ltiva­tio n of coffee and lim es and o th er tro p ica l p lan ts. T he p la n t has also been in troduced in to Ceylon, and L iberian coffee from th a t island has la te ly ob tained 93s. p e r cw t. in N ew Y ork m ark e t— th a t is, 12s. above th e quo tation a t th e tim e for m idd ling p lan ta tio n Ceylon (A rabian) coffee to the London m arkets. — London 'Times.

T H E P R O F IT O F C A SU A R IA N A C U L T IV A T IO N .I sha ll suppose th a t five o r six acres of g round are

available in th e neighbourhood of th e read er— it m atte rs n o t where he may b e —perhaps in T ripasore, perhaps in M adras, or i t m ay be in Salem . T he lau d need n o t be very good, com m on w aste lan d w ill do very well. I shall also presum e th a t th e read er does n o t care of risk m uch. T hen le t ten neighbours club together. I f you read th is a r tic le th ro u g h you will see how , for a very trifling ou tlay , a large re tu rn m ay be ob ta ined in th re e o r four years. To begin from th e very beginning. P urchase 12 lb . of Casuarina seed from M adras. T he cost w ill be R 0. Sow i t in 24 sm all beds 10 fee t long and 5 wide. Sow on th e surface and cover s lig h tly w ith th e fine soil and

w ell-ro tted m anure, som e c u t straw being spread over th e beds to p ro te c t th e seedlings from the sun. E ach bed w ill produce abo u t 1,000 p lan ts. I t is ca lcu la ted th a t the 24,000 p lan ts w ill cost a t th e ou tside R48. To save th e tro u b le an d u n c e rta in ity of ra ising th e m from seed th e y can be pu rch ased fo r R 5 a thou san d , i. e ., R 120 for 24,000. H av ing go t th e p la n ts t r a n s ­p lan t th em on c loudy days. T h e lan d should be p repared to receive th em in th e follow ing m anner. Plough tw ice, harrbw an d ridge . L e t the ridges be 2 fee t ap a rt. P la n t th e seedlings on alternate ridges and le t each be 3 feet in f ro n t of th e o ther. T hus each p la n t w ill have 12 square feet. W a te r im m edi­a te ly a f te r tran sp lan tin g . T he cost of tran sp lan tin g w ill n o t be m ore th a n 12 annas per thou san d p lan ts. T he ridges betw een th e lines of casuarinaa should be sow n w ith casto r oil beans. T hese w ill soon germ inate , and as th e y grow u p will afford shade fo r th e young casuarinas, an d th e sale of beans oug h t to cover th e expense of w ate rin g for th e first year. Casuarinas shou ld bo p lan ted from each o th e r a t th e d istances specified an d th e n only w ill th e y grow u p rig h t, if too fa r a p a r t th e m ain stem is liab le to fork an d produce m any side b ranches, th u s considerably red u c ­in g th e value of th e tree . T he tre e s w ill need to be w atered only for th e firs t year. I t is e s tim ated th a t u n d e r v e ry unfavourab le circum stances as m uch as 100 R upees per acre w ill be req u ired fo r th e firs t year. I n p reparing th e follow ing estim ate , tw o ru les have been observed, firs t to calculate all o u tlay a t th e h ig h est possible ra te , an d all incom e a t th e low est. L an d fo r casuarina cu ltiv a tio n m ay be h ad a t 10 R upees a n acre. I shall p u t i t dow n a t 20 R upees to be on th e safe side.

A casuarina tre e four years o ld w ill fe tch as i t s tan d s, n o t less th a n one rupee, I sha ll value i t a t 8 Annas. T he profits from th e casto r oil-beans are le f t o u t a lto ­g e th er. H ere th en is th e cost of raising a p la n ta tio n 0 acres in ex ten t for four years.

R . a . p .24,000 p lan ts a t R 5 p er 1,000 .............. 120 0 0P loughing 6 acres a t R 3 p er acre . . . 18 0 0P la n tin g an d first w ate rin g a t As. 12

p er 1,000 18 0 0400 c a r t loads of m anure a t 8 A s. per

c a r t ........................................................ ... 200 0 0W ate rin g fo r firs t y ea r ... GOO 0 OCost of w atch ing a n d 'a ll sundries say 444 0 0

T o ta l R l,4 0 0 0 0 E ach acre w ill con tain 3,G30 p la n ts— allow ing 12

square fee t for each. Supposing one s ix th dies aw ay w e have left 3,000 p er acre.

R . A. p .Sale of 3,000 x G = I 8,000 p la n ts a t

8 A s. e a c h .................................. ... 9,000 0 0D ed u c t gross ex p en d itu re ... 1,400 0 0

N e t profit ... 7,600 0 0or a return o f 550 per cent. 1

N ow if te n persons sh a red expenses th e risk of each w ould be R140 a t th e u tm o st, an d th e p rofit 760. I f R140 be p u t by in a B ank th e m ost one will g e t in 4 years w ill be 20 or 25R.— The E urasian a n d A nglo- In d ia n Advocate.

T E A C U L T IV A T IO N A N D P R E P A R A T IO N : Q U A N T IT Y W IT H Q U A L IT Y .

(F rom th e In d ia n T e a Gazette, 2nd J u ly 1881.)I u n d e rs tan d th a t a c e rta in p la n ta tio n m ade 81,930

lb . of te a on a gross o u tlay of R36,70G, equal, as y o u r co rre sp o n d en t says, to an average of 7 annas 2 p ie p er l b . ; an d th a t 63,046 lb . of th is was so ld in C a lc u tta for 1127,247, or, say, 7 annas a pound , being a l i t t le u n d er th e cost of p roduction a n d deliv ery . W h a t th e balance of 18,884 lb , so ld for is n o t s ta te d ,

b u t w e a re to ld th a t 32,440 lb ., t h a t is th e b iggest h a lf of th e 03,046, only fe tched 5 f annas gross, and th e question is p u t fo rw ard as to w h e th e r i t was adv isable th a t th is 51 annas te a should o r shou ld n o t have been m ade an d se n t to m ark e t. Y o u r co rre­spondent m ain tains th a t in a financial p o in t of view i t was decidedly to th e in te re s t of th e g arden to m ake it, since i t could on ly have ‘1 cost 114,211 to p lace in th e m a rk e t,” w h ilst i t “ sold for 1110,732.” I f th ese figures are reliable, of course i t is a ll r ig h t enough ,—th e profit on th e tran sac tio n is obvious, and th e re is no necessity to w aste a w ord or a m om ent in arguing about i t . B u t I beg th e lib e rty to doubt th e possib ility of m aking an d p lacing in th e m a rk e t now -a-days an y th in g lik e sa leab le tea a t 9 pice a lb .. AVe m ay t r y to figure i t o u t an d say,

Cost of g a th erin g leaf sufficient to m ake1 lb . of tea , say ... ... .. 3 pice

Cost of m anufacturing , inc lud ing charcoal, an d som ething fo r w ear and te a r of m achinery ... ... ... 2 ,,

C leaning, so rting , an d p ack ing ... 2 ,,Box and lin ing . . . ... . . . 2 ,,

T o ta l .. 9 piceB u t th e re is no provision fo r carriage or A gency charges, and cu ltiva tion and p run ing are le f t o u t altogether. T hese las t a re n e ith e r of th em lig h t charges, unless th e o u t tu rn p er acre is very large. A n d th e re is a p roportion of such m atte rs as m anage­m ent, buildings, tools an d baskets, F acto ry -fittings, tea-house, stores, carriage, m edicines, d iscount, re n t and taxes, stam ps and sta tio n e ry , an d o thers, w hich, ignore th em as you m ay, w ill n o t be p u t a lto g e th er o u t of th e count, b u t w ill m ake them selves felt in th e long run , o r say “ in due course,” to those who look p ro p erly in to th e s ta te of th e ir affairs. I don’t th in k any concern in In d ia can tu rn o u t tea and send i t to m a rk e t a t 9 pice a pound. E ven n in e annas a p o und m igh t n o t be fu rth e r from th e m ark I th in k , b u t if th e “ Chiel, ” from am ongst th e notes he has ta k e n , th in k s he is able to p rove th a t h is figure is th e r ig h t one, I sha ll be g lad to be convinced upon sufficient proof.—H e g z n B a y k n .

1 stly .— W ould “ T he C hiel ” k in d ly in form us w h e th e r i t costs m ore to place a p o und of fine tea in th e m ark e t o r a pound of coarse ? B y m y ow n cal­cu lations I m ake o u t th e re w ould be l i t t le or no difference in th e cost.— Vide tab le .I lb . of fine te a requ ires—

P luck ing . Charcoal. R olling. Sorting , siev­

ing.F irin g . P ack ing

1 lb . of coarse tea req u ire s— P luck ing . C harcoal.

Sorting , siev- R olling. ing.F irin g . P ack ing .

th e day . B y going in for quality, I u n d e rs ta n d fine p luck ing an d fine teas, an d in a rgu ing th e question i t w ould n o t be fa ir to p u t fine tea s as on ly rea liz ­in g th e sam e as coarse ones.

I f a p lan te r , going in fo r fine p luck in g , reduced h is o u ttu rn b y half, b u t doubled h is fo rm er prices, i t w ould pay him . H e w ould o b ta in th e sam e am o u n t as before for h is teas, b u t h is expenses w ould be d e ­creased to half th e fo rm er cost of p luck ing , ro lling , m anufactu ring , packing, boxes, fre igh t, e tc. B u t i t is v e ry u n lik e ly th a t fine p luck ing should m ean such a decrease : even J is p u ttin g i t r a th e r above th e am oun t i t w’ould be. I m yself am no advocate fo r extrem es one w ay or th e o ther, an d I th in k , besides th e tw o leaves an d hud , a p o rtion of th e th ird m igh t be ta k e n w henever i t is soft. I s th e re an y reason w h y one ■who plucks so, shou ld n o t tu rn o u t as fine a P ekoe or B. Pekoe as one w ho on ly takes tw o leaves and th e bud , labour being am ple ?— D a l a n g .

W hile agreeing w ith your co rresponden t a t to th ein ad v isa b ility of p lu ck in g too fine, y e t I th in k h ehas a rgued th e case un fa irly fo r th e o th e r side, as, in th e esse he m entions, i t can h a rd ly be d o u b ted t h a t if th e o u ttu rn w ere reduced b y 32,000 lb . coarse tea, o u t of a to ta l of 03,000, th e fine te a m ade w ould n o t on ly fetch a h ig h er p rice (in th is case I shou ld say 10 annas a t least), b u t th e re would hav e been m ore of i t m ade. T he sam e m ay be said th e o th e r w ay. A ccording to y o u r correspondent i t cost R 4 ,21 I to m ake th e ru b b ish and tra sh (ra th er a fine d is tin c tio n ) w hich sold fo r R 1 0 ,7 3 2 ; b u t a t w hat figure does he es tim ate th e d e te rio ra tio n of th e fine te a ? In m y opinion th e only w ay to o b ta in bo th q u a n tity a n d q u a lity is to p lu ck separately', i e., to p luck tw o leaves an d a tip , and th e n ta k e separa te ly th e fresh Souchong leaves ; b u t to do th is a good labor force is requ ired . I w ould lik e to see th e question d iscussed in y o u r co lum ns.— J . A. H . .T. Upper A ssam , 14th Ju n e 18S1.

F re igh tage of C a lcu tta charges being th e sam e on both .Y o u r correspondent gives us, from th e re p o rt on

w hich h e goes, to ta l te a sold in C a lcu tta , v iz., 63,046 l b . : dedu c tin g from th is w h a t he te rm s v e ry low te a o r tra sh 32,440 lb ., leaves 30,606 lb. of w h a t he te rm s good teas. I t costs, h e says, R4,211 to place th is 32,440 lb. of te a or tra sh in th e m arket, an d i t sold for R 10,732, w hich gives a profit of R 6,510. A s I m ain ta in i t costs as m uch to place a pound of coarse tea in th e m ark e t as one of fine (open to correction), i t follow s th a t th e 30,606 lb . of good tea th a t rem ained w ould cost a l i t t le less. G oing by th e above figures, say R4,000, th e to ta l cost of p lacing 63,046 lb . in th e C a lc u tta m a rk e t is th e n only R8,211, w hich is im possible. I therefore challenge th e s ta tem en t, 32,440 lb . of tea, or tra sh th a t only cost R4,211 to place in th e m arket, an d there fo re th e conclusions d raw n from th is s ta te m e n t favourable to h is argum en t of a q u a n tity are n o t tru s tw o rth y . T he q uestion a t issue is Q uality vs. Q u an tity . I s i t fa ir to p u t dow n quality a t 8 as . 7 pie. I f one only g o t th e same for coarse and fine tea s per lb ., th e n th e q u es tio n is solved a t once, an d q u a n tity w ould ru le

R U B B E R A N D CACAO IN B R A ZIL .In Seribner’s M onthly for Ju n e 1879 appeared an

in te re s tin g paper on “ T he M ed ite rran ean of A m erica ,” in w hich th e w rite r described a t r ip up th e m ou th of th e A m azons. A t th e beginning of th e pap er th e to w n of B reves, s itu a te d in th e m id st of dead ly sw am ps, b u t prosperous from its ru b b er in d u stry , is refe rred to , an d th e follow ing account is given of th e m ethod of collecting an d tre a tin g th e m ilk of th e rubber tree s :—

I n th e early m orning, m en an d women com e w ith baskets of c lay cups on th e ir b acks , an d l i t t le h a t ­chets to gash th e t re e s . W h ere th e w h ite m ilk d rip s dow n from th e gash th e y stick th e ir cups on th e t r u n k w ith daubs of clay, m olded so as to catch th e w hole flow. I f th e tre e is a large one, four o r five gashes m ay be c u t in a circle a round th e tru n k . On th e n e x t day o th e r gashes are m ade a li t t le below these, an d bo on u n til th e row s reach th e ground . By eleven o’clock th e flow of m ilk has ceased, an d th e seringueiros come to collect th e co n ten ts of th e cups in calabash jugs. A g ill o r so is th e u tm o st y ie ld from each tree , and a sing le g a th e re r m ay a tte n d to a h u n d red an d tw e n ty trees or more, w ading alw ays th ro u g h these d a rk m arshes, an d p ay ing d early fo r h is p rofit in fever an d w eakness. O ur mameluca hostess h as b ro u g h t in h er day’s g a thering—a calabash fu ll of th e w hite liqu id , in appearance precisely like m ilk . I f le f t in th is condition i t coagulates a f te r a w hile an d form s an in ferio r w h itish gum. To m ake th e b lack ru b b e r of com m erce th e m ilk m u st go th ro u g h a pecu ­lia r process of m anufacture , fo r w h ich our guide has been preparing . O ver a sm oldering fire, fed w ith th e h a rd n u ts of th e tucum d palm , he places a k in d of clay chim ney, lik e a w ide-m outhed, bo ttom less j u g ; th ro u g h th is boiao th e th ic k sm oke pours in a co n s tan t stream . How he ta k e s h is m o ld ,—in th is case a

w ooden one, lik e a ro uud-b laaed p add le ,— w ashes i t w ith th e m ilk , an d holds i t over th e sm oke u n til th e liqu id coagulates. T hen an o th e r coat is added , only now , as th e wood is h eated , th e m ilk coagulates faster. I t m ay ta k e th e gatherings of tw o or th re e days to cover the m old th ic k ly enough. T hen th e ru b b e r is s t i l l du ll w hite , b u t in a sh o rt tim e i t tu rn s brow n a n d finally a lm ost b lack , as i t is sen t to th e m arket. T h e m ass is c u t from th e padd le an d sold to tra d e rs in th e village. B o ttles a re som etim es m ade by m old­in g th e ru b b e r over a clay ball, w hich is th en broken u p aud rem oved. O ur old-fashioned ru b b e r shoes used to be m ade in th is way. T w en ty m illion pounds of ru b b er, valued a t 86,000,000, are annually exported from P a r i i ; in th e d ry season m any tho u san d people a re engaged in gath erin g i t . B u t th e business is a lto ­g e th e r a ru inous one for th e province, as B razilians them selves are fu lly aware. T h e seringueiro, w ho gains tw o or th re e dollars from a single d ay ’s g a thering , h as enough, as life goes here, to keep h im in id le ­ness for a w e e k ; and when h is m oney is spen t, he can draw again on h is ever-ready bank.

T he p resen t w astefu l system is spoken of as followsT he half-w ild seringueiros w ill go on su b m ittin g to

im positions an d dy ing here in th e sw am ps, u n til B razilians learn t h a t by purchasing th is lan d from th e governm ent and p lan ting i t in ru bber-trees, th ey can in su re vastly la rger profits, an d do aw ay w ith the evils of th e p resen t system . I t is w hat m u st e v en tu ­a lly be done. T he ru b b er ga therers, in th e ir eager­ness to secure large harv ests , have a lready k illed an im m ense n um ber of trees abo u t th e Bard e s tu a ry ; th e y have been obliged to p en e tra te fa rth e r and fa rth e r in to th e forest, to th e T ocantins, M adeira, P urus, B io N egro, and eventually even these regions m u st be exhausted , unless th e y are p ro tec ted in some way, T he trees, properly p lan ted an d cared for, w ill y ield w ell in fifteen years, and , of course, th e cost of g a th e r­ing w ould be v as tly reduced in a com pact p lan ta tion ; h a lf th e p resen t labor of th e ru b b e r collector consists in h is long tram p s th ro u g h th e sw am py forest.

F u r th e r on th e w rite r refers to th e Cacao ind u stry . H e says :—

B etw een th e R io N egro an d th e X ingu, th e m ost im p o rtan t low land crop is cicdo. I t is true, th e trees w ill grow q u ite as well or b e tte r on th e terra J irm a * b u t B raz lians p refe r th e varzea« for th e ir p lan ta tions because th e g round is easily p rep ared and tak es care of i t s e l f ; besides, th e o rchard arrives a t m atu rity m uch sooner. W e h a rd ly notice these cacdo p la n ta ­tions from th e riv e r ; th e d a rk green of th e foliageis so like th e forest, and generally th e re are o th ertrees near the shore. B u t fo r m iles th e banks arelin ed w ith th em , m ostly th e o rchards of sm all p ro ­p rie to rs , who own a few hundred p6s of cacdo, though some of th e e s ta tes have tw e n ty o r th i r ty thousand trees. In our w andeiings abo u t th e low land w e often pass through these cacoaes. They have a rich b eau ty of th e ir ow n,— ‘he dense foliage, th e tw ilig h t shade b eneath , an d th e d a rk stems, four o r five to g e th er w ith th e f ru i t grow ing, n o t am ong th e leaves, b u t d irec tly from th e tru n k an d m ain branches, a ttach ed only liy a sh o rt stem . T he g round is qu ite c lear and free from u u d e ib ru sh , and in th e sum m er w hen th e f ru it is ga th ered is for th e m ost p a r t d ry . T h e h arvest m onllis a re Ju ly and A ugust w hen th e gatherers go every day to p ick th e ripe f ru it from each tree an d bring i t in baskets to th e house. T here th e oval, r ibbed o u te r shell is c u t open and th e seeds are washed from th e w hite p u lp ; th en they are spread over m ats au d placed on raised stag ings to d ry 111 th e sun, care being ta k e n to tu rn them a t in tervals. Most of the seed is exported in th is fo rm ; a l i t t le is roasted , pounded, an d m ade in to cakes w ith m elted sugar for

* On th e Am azons th is term is app lied to a ll lan d th a t is n o t a lluv ia l o r sw am py. Varseos or vargens, a re th e flood-plains.

th e delicious chocolate of th e coun try . U n fo rtu n a te ly on th e A m azons th e sun is a very uncerta in d ry in g ag en t ; frequen tly th e re are heav y show ers, an d th e sk y is clouded for days to g e th e r ; so i t o ften happens th a t th e im perfectly p repared seed g e ts m usty and half ro tte n before i t reaches th e m arket. M uch of th e ParS cacdo therefore, does n o t ra te very high w ith th e m anufactu re rs . A ll th is m ig h t be avoided b y th e in ­tro d u c tio n of a sim ple drying-m achine, such as is used a t R io fo r coffee. S topping a t th e fazendas, w e freq u en tly g e t a refresh ing drink , m ade from th e w h ite pu lp w hich su rrounds th e cacSo-seeds. E n te rp ris in g p lan te rs p repare from th is pu lp a delicious am ber je lly , w hich if i t were p laced in th e m ark e t w ould be -much m ore popu lar th a n guava-jelly . E ven th e shells are v a lu a b le ; th e y are d ried an d bu rned , an d from th e ash is prepared a very s tro n g brow n soap—a necessity to every A m azonian w asherw om an.

W e could call th e a tte n tio n of cacao p lan te rs in Ceylon to these la s t sentences, from w hich i t w ill be seen th a t th e cacao pod is of value in m ore th a n one w ay.

B a m bo o s a n d M a n g o e s . — A correspondent w rites to th e Times o f Ind ia :— “ Bamboos w ill flower and m ango trees bear p len tifu lly only u n d e r favourable c ircum ­stances, viz , a m oist a tm osphere for m angoes and h o t sun for bam boos to p u t fo rth th e ir ine legan t blossoms. A m ango fam ine fo rte lls a g rain fam ine, l ig h t ra ins, b u t h ea lth y w eather ; flow ering bam boos a re a sign of lig h t m onsoon, fam ine an d pestilence. M angoes in excess fo retell heavy ra in s an d plagues ; th e re fo re if w ith th is excess, bam boos flower, na tiv es a re in dread suspense of a com ing om inous calam ity . I f m angoes ripen before ra in falls, i t is considered dangerous to p a rtak e of them . T here is a say ing am ong natives, * E a t a m ango before i t ra ins an d d ig y o u r g rav e .’ Bamboos blossom every fifteen years, b u t natives im agine th e y flower but, to p rophesy .”

Mr. T o m H u g h e s says in reference to th e recen t unfavourab le rep o rts of th e colony of R ugby :— “ T here is no t one of our E nglish lads w ho cam e here w ith th e in ten tion to w ork w ho is n o t a t work. W e have p robab ly tw o or th ree who have no love for w o rk th ey can avoid, b u t I believe you w ill find such in any com m unity. W e have tr ie d to have no young m en se n t o u t here whose p aren ts are n o ta b le o r w illing to offer a p rem ium for th e ir in s tru c tio n in w o rk d u rin g th e firs t year, b u t we have som e whose w ork und er in stru c tio n is a lready w o rth th e ir board. I th in k i t ve ry u n ju s t to critic ise our colony as one fu lly estab ­lished m igh t be c ritic ised . W e are here b u t e ig h t m on ths as y e t, h a rd ly o u t of our packing-boxes—you m igh t say—every th in g is new to us ; b u t I feel assu red we sha ll succeed very well, an d th a t before long too .”— Times o f Ind ia

T h e U s e f u l S u n f l o w e r .—In S ou th -w estern R ussia, betw een th e B altic and th e Black Seas, th e sunflow er is u n iversa lly cu ltiva ted in fields, gardens, and borders, and every p a r t of th e p la n t is tu rn e d to prac tica l account. A h u n d red pounds of th e seeds y ield fo rty pounds of oil, an d th e pressed residue form s a wholesome food for ca ttle , as also do th e leaves an d th e green s ta lk s c u t u p sm all, a ll being eagerly eaten . T he fresh flowers, w hen a l i t t le sh o rt of fu ll bloom, fu rn ish a d ish fo r th e tab le w hich bears favorable com parison w ith th e a rtichoke. T hey con tain a large q u m ti ty of honey and so p rove an a ttra c tio n to bees. The seeds are valuab le food fo r p o u ltr , ; g round in to flour, p as try an d cakes can be m ade from them ; and boiled in alum -w ater, th e y yield a b lue coloring m a tte r . T he seed recep tacles are m ade in to b lo tting -paper; th e woody portions are consum ed as fuel, and from th e re su ltin g ash valuab le potash is obtained. L arge p lan ta tio n s of them in sw am py places are a p ro tec tio n agains t in te rm itte n t fever.

T H E A U ST R A L IA N ' TEA -SEA SO N 1SS0-81.T he review of th e A ustra lian tea-season for the

y ea r ending 30 th Ju n e last, w hich appears below, is deserving of th e a tte n tio n of our tea- p lan ting com m unity. T hree facts a rre s t a tte n tio n a t o n c e : th e Colonies w hich m ake up A u stra lasia received in th e p as t tw elve m onths nearly 50 per cen t m ore C hina tea th a n th e average im ports for th e previous th re e seasons ; In d ia m ade h er firs t good appearance and sen t one m illion pounds of te a ; w hile Ceylon te a was, for th e firs t tim e, in troduced to th e notice of A u stra lian dealers and received a special m easure of apprecia tion . H ow largely M el­bourne is the sea t of tra d e fo r th e Colonies is shew n from th e fac t th a t she received n early one-half (102 m illion lb. o u t of 21 m illion lb .) of a ll th e tea im ported , although th e population of V icto ria is on ly 860,000 o u t of 2 f m illions belonging to A us­tra lasia . T he rem aining 12J m illions of pounds w ere im ported d irec t b y Sydney, B risbane and N ew Zealand ports. The ra te of consum ption in V ictoria for 1879-80 w as more th a n 7 lb . per head p e r annum against only 4 'SO lb . in th e U n ited K ingdom . The consum ption p er head fo r all A us­tra la s ia canno t be m uch u nder—indeed , th e im ports fo r 1880-81 w ould show i t is ra th e r over—th e V ic­to ria n rate . I t is ev iden t, therefore, th a t th e A u s­tra lasian people tak e th e lead as th e g rea test tea- d rinkers in th e w orld n e x t to th e Chinese th e m ­selves, who a re said to d r in k tea m orning, noon and n igh t.

T he rem arks of th e A ge rev iew er on In d ia n and C eylon teas w ill be read w ith general in te rest. “ Pekoe-Souchong ” is recom m ended to th e A u s­tra lia n s as th e best In d ian te a for general d rink ing , w hile th e average q u a lity of th e Ceylon te a s is w idely appreciated , an d th e produce of Loolecondera, W indso r Forest, Rookw ood, an d Calsay, specially com m ended.

R E V IE W O F T H E A U S T R A L IA N T EA SEA SO N 1880-81 :

1st J u l y , 1880 , t o 3 0 t h J u n e , 1881 .(From th e M elbourne Age, J u ly 2nd.)

T he tea season (1880-81) ju s t closed is probab ly one of th e m ost rem arkable in th e annals of th e colonies, show ing, as i t does, th e largest q u a n tity of te a ever received in one year by A ustra lasia , say in th e aggregate—

lb.F rom all C hina ............................................. 22.982,085A gainst season 187 9 -8 0 ................................... 1 5 ,0 8 1 ,7 7 6A gainst season 1878-79 .............................. 17,250,151A gainst season 1877-78 .............................. 16,399,029

In addition to th is q u an tity w e have In d ia m akingh e r firs t good appearance on th e list, w ith an exportto all th e colonies of nearly 1,000,009 lb . w eight.

C'-ylon also appears, fo r th e first lime, as a te a pro­d ucing country , and though th e q u a n tity fo rw arded to th is m arket was sm all in am ount, y e t I,ho q u a lity has been h ighly appreciated on th is side of th e w ater.

T h e to ta l im port of teas in to M elbourne from all q u a rte rs is as follows :—

lb.F ro m 1st Ju ly , 1SS0, to 30th Jun e , 1881 ... 10,754,724F ro m 1st Ju ly , 1879, to 30th Ju n e , 1880 ... 8,093,720F ro m 1st Ju ly , 1878, to 30th Ju n e , 1879 ... 8,666,065

63

A m ount of te a delivered fo r ex porta tion from V ic ­to r ia —

lb.F rom 1st Ju ly , 1880, to 30th Ju n e , 1881 ... 3,751,50(1F rom 1st Ju ly , 1879, to 30th Ju n e , 1880 . .. 3,604,921F rom 1st Ju ly , 1878, to 30th Ju n e , 1879 ... 3,237,1881

A m ount of te a delivered fo r hom e consum ption in V ic to ria—

lb .F rom 1st Ju ly , lSSOj to 30th Ju n e , 1881 .. 6 ,168,486F rom 1st Ju ly , 1879, to 30th Jun e , 1880 ... 5,422,721From 1st Ju ly , 1878, to 30th Ju n e , 1879 ... 5,611,37®

T he above re tu rn s a re fu rn ished by th e C ustom H ouse authorities.

Season 1879-80 was a red le t te r one in the h is to ry o f th e te a trad e , for ow ing to speculation and a h e av y rise in prices in th e London m a rk e t a b riskness w a s com m unicated to the M elbourne trad e , w hich re su lte d in a large business and u nusua lly good profits be ing ob tained a t th e la t te r p a r t of the season. A few p arcels of tea w ere shipped from M elbourne to London, a n d o ur new season, opening on th e 1s t Ju ly , 1880, com ­m enced w ith a very sm all stock , both in bond and duty- paid, in th e hands of d istribu to rs .

W ith o u t th is low stock, such a large im p o rt as we received du ring season 18S0-1 w ould have com pletely- g lu tted th e m a r k e t ; as a fact, how ever, p a r tly ow ing no doubt to th e tra d e being bare of stock, and p a r t ly to th e heavy operations of tw o or th ree house?, p rices w ere well m ain ta in ed for th e firs t six m onth?, a n d th o u g h the la t te r p a r t of th e season show ed fa ir de­m and for good to fine sorts, w hich w ere scarce, y e t t h e prices obtained for common lo good leafy sorts ru led in favor of buyers, an d la t te r ly have show n considerab le loss to the im porters, and heavy stocks of these d e ­scrip tions w ill be carried over to si ason 1881-2.

T he presen t stock in bond of a ll k in d s a t th e com ­m encem ent of th e season as com pared w ith th e tw o previous years :— ' l b .1st Ju ly , 18S1 ..................................................... 2 ,178,3281st Ju ly , 1880... ... 1,336,0761st Ju ly , 1879... ...................................... 2 ,177,775

In estim ating th e stocks in bond, chests have been tak en a t 80 lb ., half-chests a t 40 lb ., an d boxes a t 12 lb. A ctual on 28th Ju n e , 18,945 chests, 39,220 h a lf- cheets, an d 44,494 boxes,

N o t only are th e stocks^ heavy in bond, b u t t b e tra d e as a ru le are a ll w ell supp lied w ith tea. T h is fact, tak en in conjunction w ith th e eagerness of A us­tra lia n buyers (vide telegram s to hand) in pu rch asin g heav ily in Foo Chow, resu ltin g in an export w ith in n ine days of 3.000,000 lb . to a ll th e colonies, sh o u ld induce g rea t caution in buying on th is side.

T he follow ing e x tra c t from th e N o rth China Heraldic ju s t to hand, illu s tra te s th e pecu lia rity of th e la te season from an exp o rte r’s stand po in t :— “ T he m ost rem arkab le fea tu re of th e season (1880-81) now clos­ing is the enorm ous increase in th e ex p o rt from a l l C hina and Ja p a n to foreign countries. I n 1868-6® th e to ta l export from all C hina and Ja p an to all fo re ign coun tries w as ab o u t 205,000,000 lb. E leven y ea rs a fterw ards, in 1879 80, i t w as nearly 245.000,000 l b . ; th e increase in eleven years being 40,000,000, ha lf o f th is increase being in Ja p an teas. T his show s a w onder-

j fu l expansion, considering th a t in those sam e eleven j years In d ian te a assum ed enorm ous p roportions. B u t i th is la s t year (1880-81) has seen an increase as la rg e ! as in th e w hole previous eleven years. T he to ta l ex - ' p o rt la s t year w as 285,000,000 lb ., o r 40,000,000 above j th a t of the previous season. Ja p an is only responsib le ! for 5,000,000 lb . of th is increase, th e export of C h in a : te a alone being 35,000,000 lb . above th a t of th e season

end ing in 1880. H alf of th is increase w ent to L o n d o n , j A m erica, A u s tra lia and th e co n tin en t d iv ided am ong I th em th e o th e r half. I t is easy to u n d erstan d th e | p resen t depression of th e L ondon m arket, an d to a p ­

precia te w ith w h a t caution buyers shou ld approach the cam paign now opening.”

F or M elbourne d irec t th e “ K illa rn ey ” an d “ L o m e ,” eteamvrs, are advised as sailing on th e 9 th Ju n e , and the form er has already arrived , and a considerable portion of h e r cargo is announced for public sale.

T he follow ing review applies to th e M elbourne m ark e t only :—

C h i n a T e a s . — Season 1880-1881 was fa irly opened b y th e a rriva l of th e “ K illarney ” on th e 26 th Ju ly , 1880, and th e first public sale by auction took place on th e 27th Ju ly , wheu 8214 packages w ere offered, and the bu lk sold. Since th a t d a te sales by auction have been freq u en t and heavy, am ounting in th e aggregate to 4,395,5201b. w eight, d isposed of through th is m edium , details of w hich we give below :—

19,240 lb. sold at 32,520 lb. sold a t

lou,480 lb. sold at224,700 lb. sold at250.560 lb. sold a t481,640 lb. sold a t493.000 lb. s.ild a t376,040 lb. sold at284,720 lb. sold a t233.560 lb. sold at247.560 lb. sold at293,440 Jb, sold at Is Ofd to Is Ogd.I t9 600 lb. sold a t Is 0|d to Is Id .189,960 lb. sold at Is l£d to Is l id .156,600 lb. sold a t Is l f d to Is 2d.198,320 lb. sold a t Is 2£d to Is 2£d.152.000 lb. sold a t I s 2 |d to Is 3d.132.000 lb, sold a t Is 3^d to Is 4d.46.000 lb. sold at Is 4-}d to Is 5d.59,440 lb, sold at Is 5 |d to Is Gd.52 610 lb. sold a t Is to Is 7d.52,840 lb. sold a t Is 7£d to Is 8a,38.000 lb. sold a t Is S^d to Is 9d-6,000 lb. sold a t Is 9£d to Is Hid.

3Jd to 4Jd,7(1 to 7£d.7i<l to 8<i.81<1 to Sid .8fd to 9 1Old t, 1 9Jd.Ofd to lOd.

10i<l to 10Jd.lOfd to l id .l l f d to H id .l l f d to Is.

4,395,620 lb. Total a t auction.Or say,

2,829,680 lb. sold a t 3Jd to Is per lb. in bond.1,565,840 lb. sold a t Is to Is lOd per lb. in bond.

I t is n o t so easy to a rriv e a t th e sales m ade p rivate ly , b u t th e re is no dou b t as to th e ir being very heavy, from th e fact th a t a t th e close of th e season th e im porters hold very l i t t le stock , th e bu lk being in th e hands of th e trad e , therefore we are u n d er th e m ark w hen we fix 5,000,000 lb. w eigh t as abou t th e q u a n tity of C hina tea sold p rivately . j

T he qualities of th e teas im ported were on th e whole | m uch low er th a n any previous season w ith in th e last te n years, and th is is borne o u t by th e large q u a n tity so ld a t auction under Is. p e r lb ., say nearly 3 ,000,000lb.A reduced q u a n tity of tine tea reached th is m arket, w ith a heavy supp ly of common to low teas, of which a large p roportion were boxes, and th is la t te r q u a lity co n s titu te s th e b u lk of th e sto ck we carry to season 1SSI-1S82.

M usters of th e fine teas offering w ere rea lly s few as to call fo r l i t t le rem ark . P ack lum s w ere d e ­cidedly th e best, an d show ed b e tte r m ake an d more t ip th a n previous seasons. P anyongs, Seumoos, S euyku ts, S aryunes aud Kaisows come n e x t ; o th er descrip tions tu rn ed o u t irregu lar, an d are no t w orthy of rem ark.

T he q u a lity of th e second and th ird crop teas was decidedly low in th e cup, w ith li t t le appearance to help th e im porter in saving a loss. Foochow scen ted pekoes w ere decidedly inferior to la s t season’s being deficient in leaf and scent. Some S. capers cam e to hand, of fa ir q u a lity , b u t th e tra d e d id n o t apprecia te them .

C anton congous, green an d S. O. pekoes m uch in ­ferio r to previous season’s, some im ports b y th e Chinese being unfit for u s e ; b u t th e low est po in t was reached when a pub lic sale took place, on th e

8th Ju n e , of 250 half-chests aud 750 boxes a t 3 Jd an d 4Jd . p er lb ., in bond. T he im porta tion of such tra sh canno t be too stro n g ly condem ned, and show s th e im m ediate necessity th a t ex ists of an A d u lte ra ­tio n A ct in V icto ria .

I n d i a n T e a s .

T he in troduc tion of these tea s to th e V ic to rian , people has been one of the fea tu res of season 1880-81, and we w arm ly w elcom ed th e a rriv a l of th is im port, n o t onl(y because th e coun try in w hich i t is grow n form s a part of th e B ritish E m pire, an d is th e outcom e of th e en te rp rise of B ritish sub jec ts b u t because In d ia in re tu rn is lik e ly to become a large consum er in th e im m ediate fu tu re of A u s tra ­lian products.

The form ation of th e C a lc u tta Tea S yndicate w as a happy tho u g h t, and th e m ode in w hich th e y b ro u g h t Ind ian tea p rom inen tly before th e public by m eans of our g rea t In te rn a tio n a l E xh ib ition no d o u b t con­siderab ly helped th e Syndicate to th e success th a t has crow ned th e ir efforts during th e p as t season.

W e ta k e c red it to ourselves fo r firs t bring ing an d con tinually u rging th e necessity of recip rocity be­tw een In d ia and A u stra lia on th e public ; a n d i t is sa tisfac to ry to be able to s ta te th a t th e founda­tions of a good tra d e have been laid , w ith prospects of h ighly rem unera tive re tu rn s to a ll p a rties concerned.

The firs t sale u n d er th e auspices of th e Syndicate , an d of any im portance, took place on th e 13th O ctober 1880, w hen 783 packages w ere sold a t h igh prices ow ing to the rush of buyers to purchase. Several public sales have been stead ily held th ro u g h o u t th e season, th a t on th e 18th M arch 1881, calling for p a r tic u ­la r a tten tio n , as being th e largest q u a n tity of In d ia n teas ever sold in M elbourne in one day, am ounting to 3,046 packages.

The to ta l sales by public auction of In d ia and Ceylon teas am ount to 561,000 lb w eight, an d p r iv a te ly about 110,000 lb have been sold, giving*a to ta l q u a n ti­ty of 671,000 lb. D arjeeling teas, w ith th e ir fine sw eet, flavory an d fru ity liquor, speedily established them selves as firs t favorites. Some choice K angra V alleys realised h igh prices, b u t th e bu lk of consum p­tio n has ru n on A ssam , C achar an d S y lhet teas, w hich are lik ed for th e ir pungency and fu ll body an d flavor. T hey m eet w ith read y sale, and are used largely fo r m ixing w ith C hina teas . O ther sorts are used b u t too sm all a q u a n tity has reached th is m a rk e t to critic ise fairly .

L a tte rly eome b roken leaf and d u s t have come to hand , w hich, th o u g h rich and heavy liquoring , are no! su itab le from th e ir appearance for A u s tra lian tra d e .

T he te rm s given by our In d ian and Ceylon cousins to th e ir teas , viz.,

PekoePekoe souchongSouchongCongou

a re ra th e r m isleading to C hina te a drinkers. T h e pekoe is a ferm ented tea , su itab le for d rin k in g by itself, an d no t as th e C hina pekoe, w hich is u n d e r­ferm ented and used only for m ixing purposes.

All th e In d ian teas, as above, are ferm ented , an d very few greens o r u nderfe rm eu ted teas are m ade. Such es ta tes as do tu rn o u t these generally style th em M am una or sam ple pekoe, an d so on.

Pekoe Souchong is u sua lly th e b es t In d ia te a fo r general d rin k in g . Souchong and congou are very good, b u t th e leaf is often very large an d unsig h tly . T he liquor, how ever, is good.

H igh prices w ere ob ta ined a t th e com m encem ent of th e season, as m uch as 2s 7 jd per lb in bond, be ing realised for a D arjeeling , b u t la t te r ly prices have fallen considerably , placing In d ian teas w ith in th e reach of a ll a t very m odera te ra tes .

C e y l o n T e a s .

Ceylon teas have come in to th e m a rk e t fo r th e first tim e th is season, and abo u t 54,000 lb have been sold. T h is q u an tity is inc luded in our sales of In d ia n teas already given.

T he parcels to han d have been readily ta k e n by th e trad e , and th e public seem to apprecia te th e quality thoroughly '—some teas from Loolecondera, W indso r F orest, Rookwood and C alsay es ta tes d e ­serv ing special m ention.

Sm all lo ts of Jap an te a w ere sold d u rin g th e season ; th e leaf in some cases perfec t and liquor very good, b u t th e bu lk of th em seem too h igh ly fired to su it A ustralian tastes.

In conclusion we would d raw a tten tio n to th e show of teas la te ly held in th e M elbourne In te rn a tio n a l E x h ib ition , w hich was ce rta in ly th e g ran d est d isp lay of such products ever w itnessed in th e w orld before, some 507 d ifferent sam ples being constan tly on view.

The ju ry , all sk illed an d tr ie d men, deserve cred it for th e care and a tte n tio n th ey devoted to th e w ork of exam ining and classifying th e various sam ples, a m a tte r of long tim e and patience, an d th e fairness of th e ir aw ards m ust be endorsed by every te a exnert w ho exam ined th e sam ples in th e E xhib ition .

Some fine m usters w ere show n by China, an d i t is a m a tte r of regret th a t th rough some Vule of th e com m issioners, w hereby exh ib ito rs n o t being producers w ere debarred from tak ing an y aw ards, th e whole ofth e Chinese ex h ib its could n o t be placed b y th e ju ry .

T he follow ing is a l is t of th e aw ards :—In d ia tak es 35 first o rder of m erit.Ceylon 11 ,, ,,Ja p a n 1 ,, ,,M elbourne 1 ,, ,, (blending and

packing).In d ia takes 77 second order of m erit.C eylon 3 ,, „J a p a n 2 ,, ,,M elbourne 1 ,, ,, (blending and

packing).In d ia tak es 104 th ird o rder of m erit.Ceylon 22 ,, ,,J a p a n 14 ,, ,,In d ia exh ib its 339 samples.Ceylon 78 ,,S tra its S e ttlem en ts 1 ,,J a p a n 35 ,,M elbourne and China 54 ,,

JoHO RE T e a . —A n old Singapore m erchan t w rites from London regard ing tea raised in th e M ahara jah’s experim ental garden as follows : —“ E verybody is as­tonished a t th e T ea w hich arriv ed in sam ples here hav ing been gathered from p lan ts raised from seed only a year o ld .”— Straits Times.

C in c h o n a i n M a u r i t i u s — A n in terestin g annual rep o rt from our energetic S uperin tenden t of B otanical G ardens has ju s t been su b m itted to G overnm ent for la s t year, from w hich i t seems th a t 287,000 useful trees, sh rubs and p lan ts h ad been p ropagated in th e G ardens during la s t year, th e g rea te r p o rtion of w hich w ere e ith e r p lan ted on public lands o r on th e road sides, or else sold. I n o th er respects, th e gardens appear to have been sa tisfactorily conducted. T he L ieut.-G overnor, in p lacing th e report before his Council, s ta te d th a t th e E ucaly p tu s and Cinchona p lan tations had been successful, b u t th a t, in regard to th e la tte r , i t w as under consideration to t r y an a d d i­tio n a l p lan ta tion a t 2,000 fee t above sea level, th is being th e low est a t t i tu d e a t w hich i t is believed th e cinchona p la n t th riv es m ost in these la titu d e s .— Stra its Tim es Cor.

To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer.A U ST R A L IA N W A T T L E O R A C A C IA ,

D ikoya, J u ly 21st.D e a r M r. E d i t o r ,— As I have heard divers opinions

as to th e m erits and dem erits of th e w a ttle or b lack acacia (by th e bye are th ey sam e th in g ?), I shall feel m uch obliged, if you, or your num erous correspondents, w ill en ligh ten me on th e sub ject, and I should lik e all th e inform ation I can get. Does i t p ropagate from th e roo t ? Does i t m ake a b e tte r break-w ind th a n th e gum ? Does i t g row faster or as fa s t, and does i t requ ire con stan t topping to m ake i t a s trong tree? Is i t possible to keep its roo t w ith in bounds by cu ttin g a trench on e ith er side of i t , as I hear its roo ts k ill every th ing th a t i t comes in co n tac t w ith ? I send by to -day ’s tap a l m y subscrip tion fo r th e Tropical A griculturist. I t w ill be a g re a t boon to all of u s .—I am, yours fa ith fu lly ,

D IK O Y A P L A N T E R .[A ll th e w attles are acacias : th e b lack w a ttle is

A , ajjius or moltissima. I t p ropagates only too read ilv from th e roots, sp reading a ll around , and being diffi­cu lt to keep w ith in bounds : a very deep tre n c h m u st be c u t for th e purpose. I t does n o t need topp ing ; b u t grow s very fa s t and sh rubby , m uch m ore so th a n th e gum. I t is an excellent break w in d .—E d .]

M A K IN G T EA : P R U N IN G .L em asto ta , Ju ly 25th, 1881.

D e a r S i r , — W ould some one of y our readers k in d ly te ll m e w h at to do w ith m y te a bushes ? T hey are tw o years old, have been p ru n ed from seven feet to th re e feet, and a flush has been p icked. I w an t to know w h a t to do to get m y bushes in to shape fo r th e n ex t year. Should I p ick th e flushes o r shou ld I prune? Tea m aking is a loss a t so early a stage (though I am gain ing experience), and I w an t to a c t to th e benefit of n ex t y e a r.— Y ours obediently , Y O U N G T E A .

[The w rite r of “ T eaC u ltiv a tio n in Southern In d ia and Ceylon ” (a copy of w hich our correspondent should have) says :— “ N o harm w ill be done th e second year by p ick ing th e tops of a ll shoots exceeding th ree fee t o r th re e fee t an d a half in h e ig h t, an d m anu­fac tu rin g the leaf so obtained. B u t, a t th e end of th e second year, I recom m end th a t th e bushes should be c u t across w ith th e prun ing knife , a t abo u t th re e fee t o r th re e and a ha lf fee t and be le f t alone for a t lea s t th re e m onths from th a t da te . P ick ing m ay th en be recom m enced, b u t care m u st be ta k e n th a t only th e cen tra l shoots th a t grow upw ards are p icked : th e sides should be le f t to expand, an d from a strong la te ra l grow th. I sha ll leave a ll fu rth e r discussions of th is su b jec t alone, u n ti l I come to consider th e question of prun ing . My p artin g an d earnest advice to th e p lan te r is, do n o t overpick yo u r bushes w hen th e y are too young to bear i t . Some of our b es t Bengal p lan te rs p refe r to leave th e bushes alone, as reg ard s p icking, u n til they are four years old, m ere ly m o d era t­ing th e upw ard growth w ith th e knife. T hey th e n guaran tee a y ie ld of 400 lb. per acre. T his system is,I th in k , carry ing th e m a tte r a l i t t le too f a r ; an d th row ing aw ay w h a t is of some im portance to sm all capitalists, viz., a l i t t le re tu rn in th e th ird year a f te r p lan ting . A t th e sam e'tim e, i t w ould be fa r b e tte r to leave th e trees alone for five years, th a n to overpick th em w hen young .”— E d. 0 . O.]

C A LISA Y A L E D G E R IA N A ON A N N F IE L D .

A nnfield, Dilioya, 26 th J u ly 1881.D e a r S i r , —T he enclosed is D r. T rim en’s rep ly to

m y le t te r sending h im specim ens of one v arie ty of th e Annfield C a lisayas— Calisaya Ledgeriana .—Y ours tru ly , T . C. A N D ERSO N .

P eraden iya, 25 th J u ly 1881.D e a r S i r ,—I th in k you are correc t in calling th is

chinchona C. Ledgeriana. Y ou w ill see th a t th e form of th e buds is qu ite th a t of the tru e p la n t.—In haste, yours fa ith fu lly , (Signed) H e n r y T r i m e n .

T. C. Anderson, Esq.

A W in g e d S e e d . —A correspondent w rites from Le- m asto ta :— “ I send you a seed w ith ‘ w in g ’ a ttached . The w ing m easures five inches across, and th e leng th of each th read is ra th e r m ore th a n 2J inches. T he th reads, are w hat th e silk tra d e would know as six-deniers an d in color and q u a lity and fineness i t su r­passes white novi silk , w hich is w o rth 35s per lb.I f you ho ld i t in th e su n lig h t th e b rilliancy of th ew ing is surprising. T hrow i t up, an d you w ill see i t m ay have come from far. T he coolies say i t does n o t ex ist near here. W h a t is i t ? A ny use as a n e w product ? ” “ W . F .” repo rts on th is as fo llo w s:—“ I he single f ru it w ith i*s pappus-like appendage is no d oub t one o u t of a follicle of one of th e Dogbanes (Apocynaceas) an d is likely from the Gaerandi-dool Sin. — Anodendron paniculatum A .D .C . or a m em ber or th a t order, or of the A sclepiads, from th e la t te r of w hich th e floss of th e Calatropis gigantea has been collected b u t i t has no stap le to enable i t to be m ixed w ith cotton , &c. I do n o t th in k your correspondent could collect a lb . of th is stu ff in a d istric t, and if he d id i t w ould be of no value th a t I know of.”

T h e A b s o r p t io n a n d S c a t t e r in g o f H e a t by L e a v e s . — In order to r ig h tly u n d erstan d th e role of h ea t in th e grow th of p lants, i t is im portan t to know w h a t p a r t of th e h ea t ray s w hich s tr ik e th e leaves is absorbed b y th em ,w hat p a r t is th row n back and sca ttered , and w h a t p a r t passes th rough them to low er organs. A n in q u iry of th is n a tu re h as been recen tly m ade by M. M aquenne. Of h is m ethod we w ill m erely say th a t he used, as constan t hrat-source, a Bourbouze lam p (in w hich a p la tinum w ire is kept glow ing by a reg u la ted m ix ture of coal gas and a i r ) ; an d for some experim ents w ith low tem peratures he em ployed L eslie’s cubes. T he re su lts of th e research are briefly as follow s:— 1. A ll leaves sca tte r a p a r t of th e h ea t th e y receive v e rtica lly to th e ir surface ; w ith th e Bourbouze lam p th is diffusion is about 0.55 of th e w hole heat, w ith a Leslie cube a sm all percentage. 2 . G enerally the u nder side sca tte rs m ore th a n th e upper, b u t th e reverse som e­tim es occurs. 3. Leaves absorb a good deal of th e h ea t from th e Bourbouze lam p, the absorption being d u e to th e presence of absorbing substances, especi­a lly chlorophyll and w ater, in th e tissue , and to th e diffusion tak ing place in te rn a lly a t th e surface of each cell ; i t is generally g rea ter a t th e upp er side th an a t th e lower. 4. T hick leaves abso ib m ore th an th in leaves. 6. T he absoprtive pow er of leaves for th e heat of boiling w a te r is very nearly equal to t h a t of lam p-black. 6. Leaves le t h ea t pass th rough b e tte r th e th in n e r or younger th ey are. 7. T he rad i­a tin g power of leaves w ith a g rea t excess of tem ­p e ra tu re is p re t ty n ear th a t of lam p-black; i t d e ­creases a li t t le w hen th e inclination increases. 8. The absorp tive pow er of chlorophyll is, on an average, equal to th a t of w a te r for ray s of th e Bourbouze lam p, and increases p roportionately to w ithdraw al in one d irection or th e o ther, from th e b ea t m axim ­u m .— London Times.

| C E Y L O N E X PO R T S O F T E A A N D C IN C H O N A .W e have been asked b y a m erchan t to afford

some idea of th e p robable exports of c inchona b a rk and tea from Ceylon during th e n e x t four o r five years. I t is n o t an easy m a tte r m aking such an estim ate, and we have need ra th e r to s i t a t the feet of v is itin g agents an d m erchan ts th a n to place before th em our opinions on th e sub jec t w ith ­o u t previous consulta tion . H ow ever, if our figures only p ro v o k e ' critic ism and correction, th e ir pub lica­tion will do good ra th e r th a n harm , an d for th is reason w e venture to give th e follow ing:—

I n respect of tea , th e Custom s re tu rn s shew th a t la s t y ear (18S0) Ceylon exported 162,000 lb ., and we find th a t a lready th is year th e export has exceeded th is q u a n t i ty : for th e seven m onths p rob­ab ly 170,000 lb. have been shipped. T he to ta l exports for 1881, therefore , o u g h t to be betw een250,000 an d 300,000 lb ., b u t, even if th e la t te r figures be reached, th e q u a n tity is com parative ly a m ere trifle. I t is only w hen C eylon can send several m illions of pounds per annum th a t In d ia n p lan te rs an d hom e tea-dealers w ill care to tak e m uch notice of h e r as a tea-producing coun try . O ur e s tim ate is

• th a t in 1885 Ceylon should ship abo u t 3,500,000 lb. of tea , and for th e five ca len d ar years end ing w ith 1886 our to ta l exports m ay approx im ate to 11 m illions of lb.

As regards cinchona b a rk , i t is fa r m ore d ifficult to es tim ate th e fu tu re exports. L ast year we sen t aw ay 1,162,000 lb ., an d du ring th e seven m onths of 1881 about 900,000 lb. have been shipped. I t is im possible to keep up th is r a te of increase stead ily , w e believe; b u t so m uch depends on th e s ta te of the home m arket, th e financial difficulties of p la n t­ers, and th e e x ten t to w hich th e new system of shaving m ay be adopted, t h a t no th ing b u t th e m erest guess can be given of our exports d u rin g th e n ex t th re e or four years. W e have in our H andbook ven tu red to an tic ipate th a t a f te r 1884 Ceylon should be able to send aw ay every year be­tw een 34 and 4 J m illion lb. of bark , and. u n d er due encouragenent, to keep up th is ra te of export s tead ily fo r an indefin ite period. L e t us suppose th a t 1881 w ill close w ith a to ta l export of 1,350,000 lb ., and we can scarcely hope to see th e m illion lb . m uch exceeded e ith e r in 1882 or 1883, b u t 1884 should p robably see i t nearly doubled, w hile during th e follow ing year a s till large q u a n tity of b a rk shou ld be fit fo r s trip p in g or cu ttin g if th e p rop rie to rs so req u ired or desired, and th e estim ate of 3 J m illion lb . m igh t th e n be atta ined .

N e w C o m m e r c ia l P l a n t s a n d D r u g s , No. 4 .— By Thomas C hristy . London : C h ris ty & Co. 1881. A m ong th e com m ercial p lan ts described b y M r. C hristy are th e Ceara, th e M augabeira, and th e Apocynaceous rubbers, L andolphias, from W este rn Africa, and Chinese an d Japanese pepperm in t p lants. C haulm ugra oil, as a su b titu te for cod liver oil, varieties of bark , caroba leaves, Chian tu rpen tine , and some p lan ts already- noticed in th is Journal, are inc luded und er th e head of new drugs. The descrip tions of eleven new- d rugs from Ja p an , used for rheum atism , congestion, an d m any o th er diseases, conclude th is p a rt. One of th em —m ahng dah-rah-gay (D atura alba) is used by th e natives of In d ia for poisoning, and professional poisoners are often called dlia tureas, on account of th e use m ade of th is d ru g ,— Jorunal o f the Society o f A rts .

C O F F E E P R O SPE C T S.N o tw ith stan d in g th e unexpected ly large exports

w hich th e season end ing 30th Ju n e la s t shew ed from B razil, there is good reason for a n tic ip a tin g a g radual rise in th e p rice of our stap le . I n th e ir c ircu lar of 8 th Ja n u a ry 1881, so em inen t a firm as Messrs. Fred. H u tii & Co. estim ated th e exports of coffee from B ra­zil for the follow ing six m on ths a t 103,583 tons, or50,000 to n s below th e ac tu a l re su lt w hich is 154,724 tons ! T alk of estim ates w ide of th e m ark : w e in Ceyb n have never done so b ad ly as th a t. I t is no w onder, however, a fte r th is though firm s should fight sh y of forecasting th e fu tu re of B razil exports, b u t M essrs. R obe rt von G lehu & Sons (to whose m onth ly rep o rt w e are indeb ted fo r th e foregoing inform ation) rem ark

T h a t advices received from reliab le R io firm s res­p ecting th e sm allness of th e bean and th e poorness of th e new crop, w a rra n t th e belief th a t th e e s tim ­a te of 3£ m illion bags w ill r o t be reached. A s re ­gards business in general, bo th in E urope and America, th e im proved w eather and im proved crop prospects have crea ted a m ore cheerful and hopeful feeling , aud business men look fo rw ard to a b risk an d prosperous A u tum n season. F o r coff ee in p articu la r I he u n d e r­cu rren t of feeling is fu ll of confidence aud hope, even though th e re is an absence of th e ex h ila ra tin g but delusive boom of th e Y ankees.

T h e la te s t sta tis tic s of M e-srs. Rouse & Co. for th e th re e g rea t coffee-growing countries are as follows

B r a z i l .E x p o rted du ring th e crop y ear end ing 30tli Jun e .

1SS0-SI. 1879-80.R io to E u ro p e.................118,300 tons 54,200 tons

,, th e S tates, &C...140,700 ,, 118,800 ,,

T o ta l from R io ...254,000 tons 173,000 tons

Santos to Europe ... 5G,300 ,, 48,800,, th e S ta tes ... 14,000 ,, 11,500

T ota l from Santos 70,300 tons 60,300 tons T he new R io crop is estim ated a t 31 m illion bags

( = 208,000 tons), an d th e o ld coffee in th e in terio r a t J to j m illion bags ( = 30,000 to 45,000 tons) T he m w Santos crop is expected to y ield 1 i to l j ' m illion bags ( = 90,000 to 105,000 tons).

C e y l o n .E xported 1st O ctober to 30th June .

1880 81. 1879 SO.P lan ta tio n ....... 16,000 tons 26,200 tonsN ativ e 1,300 ,, 1,900 ,,

T o ta l .................. 17,300 tons 28,100 tonsA bout 3,000 tons are expected to be sh ipped in th e

r.ext th ree m onths, against a sim ilar q u a n tity in th e corresponding period of 1880. T he general im pression is th a t the n ex t crop w ill be about 35,000 tons ; b u t a la rger ou t-tu rn is by som e considered probable.

J a v a .The G overnm ent Crop.

1881. 1SS0. 1879.815.300 bags* 558,800 bags 1,260,000 bags

or o r or43,400 tons 33,200 tons 74,800 tons

* L a te s t estim ate.

D IV I-D IV I ; L IB I - D IV I ; L IB I-D IB I.A correspondent asks : “ W h a t is th e S inhalese

nam e for d iv i-d iv i ? ” W e do n o t know th a t th e re is an y S inhalese nam e, th e natives n o t being acquain ted w ith th e d ivi-divi, w hich nre th e a s trin g en t pods of Catsalpinia coriaria, a tree which is described as follows in th e Treasury o f Botany coriaria is a sm alltree tw en ty o r th i r ty feet high, na tive of several of th e

64

W est In d ian Islands, M exico, V enezuela, and N o r th Brazil. T he p rim ary div isions of i ts leav-s vary fro m nine to fifteen, each bearing from six teen to tw e n ty -fo u r narrow ' oblong b lu n t leaflets, m arked w'ith black d o ts on th e u n d e r surface. I t has branched racem es ol" w h ite flowers, w hich produce curiously flattened po<t»» abo u t tw o inches long by th ree-fou rths broad, an d c u r ­ved so as to bear some resem blance to th e le t te r S. T h e large per-centage of ta n n in in these pods renders th e m exceedingly valuable for tann ing purposes: th e y a r e know n iu com m erce u n d e r th e nam es of D iv i-d iv i, L ib i-d iv i, o r L ib i-d ib i, and are chiefly im ported from . M aracaibo, P araiba, and St. D om ingo.”

A * ‘ k in d e r sa rcastic” correspondent has se n t u s & long review of “ A nother New P roduct” re fe rred tor iu th e issue of our m orn ing cotem porary of y e s te r­day, b u t in stead of pub lish ing i t in extenso w e m a k e th e follow ing ex trac ts w hich we believe give t h e essen tia l fac ts respecting th is supposed new p ro d u c t :— In D ay’s G ardener’s D ictionary, v. 2, p. 432, th e 4 th section of Caesalpinia is given as Libidibin, fro m L ibid ib i, th e nam e of th e pod of th is p la n t in C u raco a , th e Ciesalpinia coriaria of IV ill denow, w hich is * n a tiv e of Curacoa, C arthagena, and St. Domingo, in sa lt m arshes by th e sea-side. T he legum es of th i s p la n t are called L ib id ib i ar.d a re used in ta n n in g lea th e r w hen ripe by th e S pan iards an d natives. T h e tree grow s 15 to 20 feet.

From th e Bombay Flora of D alzell and G ibson p u b ­lished in 1861 th is p la n t is noticed as follows :—

“ Cieaalpinia coriaria. L ib i-D ibi. N a tiv e of S o u th Am erica. A spreading, um brageous tree n o t h igh j leaflets m in u te ; legum es very num erous, variously c o n to r te d ; has been raised ex tensively a t I te w ra a n d D apoorie from seed received th rough th e la te R r -W allich. T h is tree is lik e ly to be of g re a t im p o rt­ance, on account of th e excellen t tan n in g m a te r ia l w hich i t affords. ”

W e m ay m ention th e fac t th a t the Messrs. Leech m an in troduced th e seed of th e p la n t to C eylon so m eyears ago, and th e re su lt was th a t severa l of th e mg erm inated b u t died dow n im m ediately a f te rw ard s .

On o th er hand, th is is w h a t D r. T rim en w rites :—R. B o t . G arden , P eraden iya , 3 rd Aug. 1881.

S i r , — I t m ay, perhaps, be instanced a s a good ex ­am ple of th e h a b it of passing by w h a t is close t o us w ith o u t notice, th a t n e ith e r you nor your m o rn ­ing contem porary , in your rem arks on “ D ivi-D ivi” h a v e seem ingly been aw are th a t th e seeds of ceesalpnut. coriaria are regu larly advertized in yo u r co lum ns, along w ith o th er usefu l p lan ts on sale a t th e s e G ardens. T he fine old tre e of th is species near t h e en trance to P erad en iy a affords an ab u n d an t cro p o f pods every year, aud th e re can be no d o u b h th a t t h e p la n t w ould flourish generally at. th e low er e le v a tio n s in Ceylon.— 1 am , yours fa ith fu lly ,

H E N R Y T R IM E N .

F O R E S T R Y A N D T IM B E R IN T H E S T R A IT S . Mr. I I . J . M urton of th e S ingapore B otanical G a rd ­

en , iu concluding a series of papers on th e “ T im b e r Trees of th e S tra its ” pub lished by th e Stra its Times, m akes th e follow ing observations, w hich th e C e y lo n G overnm ent and th e ir adv isers m ay well ta k e in to , consideration :—

As regards fu tu re supplies of tim ber, th e S tra its have li t t le need of th e in troduc tion of exotic species of tim b er trees, if th e indigenous k in d s are p ro p e rly a tte n d e d t o ; as in addition to those described in m y form er con tribu tions, th e re are num erous in d ig en o u s tim b er p roducing Dipterocarpece, Latirinew, and Leg*~ minotuB, e tc ., e tc ., w hich as y e t are b u t s l ig h t ly know n to th e sy s tem atis t, although n ative w oodm en are perfectly fam iliar w ith th em , an d th e ir distant-

guish ing characteristics . T he G overnm ent m igh t w ell consider th e ad v isab ility of a ttem p tin g to im p art some ru d im e n ta ry know ledge of fo res try and th e distingu ish ing characteristics of our indigenous trees to th e G overnm ent F o rest B angers.

F o r th is purpose no scientific bo tanical tra in in g is necessary, as th e w ry few techn ica lities th a t are req u isite shou ld be easily m astered, and if th ey had free access to such w orks as B row n’s The Forester, B rand is’s Forest F lora o f In d ia , and Ivurz’s Forest F lora o f B ritish B urm ah, e tc ., e tc ., th ey w ould soon been to feel an in te re s t in th e sub ject, an d th e stu d y w ould be tak en up m ore for the sake of th e p leasure and gratification it w ould afford th a n fo r th e increased pay such know ledge— when acqu ired—m ight secure.

V isitors to Singapore w ould n o t th e n be shocked b y th e s ig h t of th e g rotesque objects on th e ro ad ­sides, now designated trees, w hich are periodically c u t an d hacked to su it the ta s te and fancy of some K ling coolie, u n til they have lo st all trace of N a tu re ’s h and iw ork beyond a few sh rivelled leaves a t th e ends of skeletonis d, moss an d liclieu-covered branch- le ts, w hich forcib ly rem ind th e m ost casual observer th a t if i t be tru e th a t “ a th in g of b eau ty is a joy fo r ev e r ,” there is also a reverse of th e quo ta tion .

N o th ing would advance th e knowledge of our tim ber trees or create an in te re s t in fo res try so m uch as th e estab lishm en t of a W ood M useum a t th e B o tan ­ical G ardens, aftvr th e s ty le of th e W ood M useum a t Kew.

T he nucleus of such a collection has long since been form ed—and if a ty p ic a l collection of our indigenous tim bers could be go t to g e th er th e re , where th e ir vertica l a n d transverse sections, th e ir ad ap tab ility to polishing, th e characteristics of th e ir barks, etc., could be s tu d ied and com pared w ith th e grow ing trees in the grounds, a useful school of fo re s try w ould be established, and an in te re stin g add ition be m ade to th e G ardens.

B y *uck a typ ica l collection, in ten d in g exhibitors a t In te rn a tio n a l an d In terco lon ia l E xh ib itions would be able to system atically nam e th e ir collections, and th e m ost casual observer w ould alw ays find som e­th in g in i t to in terest him .

A C E Y L O N P L A N T E R ’S COLONY IN T H E F A R W E S T .

W e call special a tten tion to the in te restin g com m uni­cation from an ex-coffee p la n te r in M innesota ad­dressed to a friend in Ceylon. I t describes, graphically an d in structive ly , an e n tire ly novel phase of life, in th e experience of our w andering colonists a t least, a n d ib also shew s how widely Ceylon m en have got sc a tte red since th e depression in coffee com m enced in 1878. W e hear of them , from tim e to tim e , in th e S tra its , Jav a , Borneo, F i j i , N ew Zealand, th e differ­en t A u stra lian Colonies, S ou th Africa, B razil, W est Ind ies, and now in th e W este rn S ta te s of N o rth A m erica. C ertain ly , th e M innesota p ic tu re of an in ­d ustrious b u t cheerful and hea lth fu l life* is n o t th e least a ttrac tiv e to men n o t afraid of w ork, and we should no t be su rp rised to find several in our m idst, now on th e lookout for “ new fields of en te rp rise ,” ta k in g th e ir dep artu re for th e F a r W est. W h a t a lesson th e re is here for th e m any in Ceylon w ho are afra id o r asham ed to d ir ty th e ir hands w ith good honest h a rd w ork ! Such have, in th is M innesota le tte r , evidence of how co n ten ted ly E nglishm en, who,

* News has since come of a te rrib le to rnado sw eep­in g over M innesota, destroy ing life and property .

one day, m ay be called to lo rd i t over and d irec t h undreds of se rvan ts , coolies an d o thers, doing th e ir bidding,-—are found th e nex t, han d lin g th e plough for them selves an d w ork ing as h a rd w ith th e ir hands as if th ey never had a se rvan t in th e ir lives. Ceylonese young m en who are d irec ting th e ir th o u g h ts to w ard s ag ricu ltu re as th e one lik e ly m eans of livelihood in th e fu tu re o u g h t to ponder th is lesson an d lay i t w ell to h e a r t :

H onour an d sham e from no condition rise ;A ct w ell y our p a r t—there all th e honour lies.

| W H A T C E Y L O N P L A N T E R S CA N DO IN T H E I F A R W E S T .| A LITTLE CEYLON COLONY IN MINNESOTA.

[M atale, Ju ly 29 tli.— I enclose you a le t te r I have ju s t received from m y la te su p e rin ten d en t, portions of w hich m ay be of in te re s t to y o u r num erous readers and especially to th o se w ho w ould fain seek p as tu res new .]

M ay 29fch, 1881, M innesota , U . S. A.I hope th in g s are n o t such a dazzling b lue as th e y

w ere w hen I le f t Ceylon. I was only a t hom e for four m onths an d got very tire d of doing no th ing , so c u t m y stick and se t o u t for th is “ g rea t and en ligh tened c o u n try ,” w hich , on th e whole, I like very w ell, th o u g h of course in a new coun try you don’t find every­th in g read y c u t and d ried for you, like you do in Ceylon, b u t m u st m ake up your m ind to m ake th e b es t of and laugh a t every th in g th a t happens. W e are r ig h t on th e p ra irie , and H eron L ake, a sm all village and our post tow n, is ab o u t 4 m iles d is ta n t ; th e re is also a ra ilw ay sta tion th e re , w hich m akes t r s m p o r t easy. W e are g e ttin g q u ite an E ng lish colony around , an d Ceylon is w ell represen ted . T here are A. B. K ier, of H aloya, N ilam be; B lenkiron, M oraw ak K«-rale; Peto , R akw ana ; Thom son, H ap u ta le ; (expected 20th Ju n e ), and m yself besides abou t 8 o th er Englishm en. T he balance is com posed of Y ankees, G erm ans, D u tch , an d N orw egians. I consider i t a p a r tic u la rly good opening for any young fellow w ith a sm all capital, w ho is n o t afra id or asham ed to w ork w ith his own hands. Of course, la te r on we sha ll m anage to em ­ploy m ore men an d so do less ourselves, bu t labour is exceedingly expensive, an d so we ju s t ‘* buck le to ” an d share all w ork equally w ith th e farm labourers. U p a t 5 ; w a te r horses, m ilk cows, and harness teams. T hen b re a k fa s t ; w hen finished “ h itch u p ,” an d each goes off w ith h is plough an d w orks aw ay u n til 12, a t w hich tim e dinner. T hen plough on til l 6.30, w ater horses, &c., an d hom e to su p p e r abo u t 7-30. W e only p u t in £ 1,000 each, b u t if one has cap ita l you need only do th e “ boss.” L iving here com paratively no ­th ing , as you ra ise ev e ry th in g you consum e, w ith th e exception of tea , tobacco, and oil, w hich you tra d e for y ou r b u tte r an d eggs. W e are going in chiefly for stock raising (as th is line of farm ing pays b e tte r an d is less r isk y th a n grain ), on ly raising enough gra in to feed our stock and ourselves. Y ou can p ro ­cure Tailroad land a t $5 p er acre in th e s ta te i t w as m ade, but th e b e tte r w ay is to purchase im proved farm s from th e p resen t se ttle rs a t ajbout SS to $10 per acre. T hese m en are poor. T hey have p rev iously h ad lan d (160 acres) g ran ted them , b u t having no c ap ita l to com m ence w ith , and hav ing gone in for expensive m achinery for w hich th e y never can pay, are hopelessly in d e b t. They are such fools—every p e tty farm er going in for hie ow n m achinery in stead of jo in ing together an d g e ttin g i t . T he h e a t here in sum m er is in tense , th e th e rm o m ete r often show ing 90 degrees in th e shade ; w hile in w in te r th e cold is equally unbearable, th e th erm o m ete r som etim es being 25 to 30 degrees below zero. H ow ever, th e Ceylon m en have n o t suffered an d say th a t th e y w ould “ never have know n i t excep t for th e th e rm o m e te r.” T h e re are s till heaps of snow u n d er th e m anure heaps an d

a shee t of ice abou t 3 inches th ickness in th e cistern . I have never fe lt so fit in m y life. T here is no liquoring “ Ceylon m adiri ” here. You can g e t beer sub rosd in th e lake, b u t we never keep it . K ier cam e up from St. P a u l’s th e o th e r day , an d b rough t up a bo ttle an d unexpected ly b ro u g h t me o u t a glass w hile I was ploughing, and I can te ll te ll you i t was nectar. W h a t would n o t I give for a gang of coolies a d ­vanced ad libitum ! I came w ith th e H on. G eorge H am il­to n w ho came o u t to see w h at so rt of an in v es t­m en t i t w ould be. H e ’s th e son of Lord Some-one, and on arriv ing in N ew Y ork he sen t h is v a le t back. On arriv ing a t th e hotel up here, he ea.v a lo t of com m on-looking men hanging about (and d id n o t un­d erstan d you h ad to live w ith livery stablem en, &c.), and w ent up to one an d said : “ W ho is th e m an w ho has to clean boo ts,” an d w as answ ered : “ W ell, s tranger, if you w an t y ou r boots cleaned, I guess you ’d b e tte r do i t y o u r s e l f w h i c h th e hon. g en tle ­m an d id aud m ade me laugh by rem ark ing : “ W ell, th is is th e first tim e I ’ ve ever c leaned m y ow n boots, and hanged if th ey ’re n o t m uch b e tte r done th a n y o u rs.” T h a t ’s th e sty le here. E v e ry m a n is your equal, an d though i t ’s rough w ork, you m u st n o t mind Bill S m ith, th e ploughboy, addressing you th u s : “ I say, C aptain, give us a sm oke,” a t w hich you ’re expected to hand over your pipe for B. S .'s use ! A t th is , how ­ever, I d raw a line, an d pt lile ly b u t firm ly decline to accom m odate th e said Bill. A t th e hotels, th e en­ligh tened A m erican uses h is one kn ife to help h im self to b u tte r an d also to ea t w ith , w hereas th e unen ligh tened B ritish er s til l m ain tains th e use of th e fork for ea tin g purposes, an d does no t consider i t necessary to w h et h is knife in his m outh before making a “ sw o o p ” on th e b u tte r . T h is is try in g , b u t th e r e ’s money to he m ade. T he firs t year you can w ith ordinary luck m ake 10 p er cen t on your capital, an d of course th e firs t y ea r is m ostly pay ing out.

I liked th e life in Ceylon, b u t consider it n o t w orth th e candle. T a k e for exam ple suchm en as -------------. H e gets h is screw an d spendsit . W h a t w ill he do in h is o ld age, o r w h a t would h is w ife do in th e even t of his d e a th ? W ere he down here, w ith £ 1,000 he could secure him self a perm anent hom e, and probab ly in a few years have enough to re tire on. L and is cheap a t p resent, b u t is going up every day, and ere long m y lan d w ill rea l­ize 50 per cent m ore th a n I gave for it. I have only £ 1,000 in a t p resen t, b u t d irec tly th in g s are “ fixed u p ,” I am going to p u t in an o th er £1,500. O nly any fellows th in k in g of com ing dow n here should be w arned to avoid all land-agen ts and advertizers, Shearm an, Close Bros., and a ll others. I have been offered 5 per cen t on a ll lands I can sell for th e ra ilw ay , b u t have declined, as I have an agen t in London who sends me o u t fellows to “ lea rn th e ro p e s” w ho pay me a prem ium , b u t if I was in any way connected w ith th e ra ilroad lan d i t w ould look fishy and I can m ake m ore th e o th er way. I have tw o coming o u t to me sho rtly , an d th e ra ilroad com pany still th in k th e y w ill ge t over m y prejud ices an d have p re ­sen ted me w ith a th rough t ic k e t and I am quite a “ big boss ” when clown a t S t. P a u l’s. So I calcu late I have scored one off th e bloom ing Y ankee already. The society here is very fearful. W e have an ancien t flame w ho keeps house for us, w ho is a very nice person— fo r a Yankee, W e also have a farm help, a N orw egian, a very decen t fellow, b u t th e general ru e are really ghastly . I t is common to give “ sociale ” w here th e neighbours a ll congregate and honour you b y sp ittin g tobacco over y our carpets an d m aking them selves gener­ally agreeable. I polite ly b u t firm ly declined to have m y bouse tu rn e d in to a pig-sty , and received a lectu re from my neighbour, w ho to ld me we ought to do our u tm o st to civilize th e people a round us. I to ld h e r I was n o t a m issionary and d id n o t in ten d to m ake a m arty r of m yself for a ll th e Y ankees in crea­

tio n , b u t w ould be g lad to subscribe to th e school, w ould a tte n d church or do an y th in g reasonable, b u t I d rew a line a t m ak ing m y dining-room a p u b lic sp ittoon . T his w ill a ll change as w e tak e deeper root. I have an agen t in London canvassing fo r me, and I board gentlem en (for a prem ium ) “ on very a d ­vantageous te rm s .” I don’t reg re t leaving Ceylon now. 1 d id a t first, as I liked th e o ld place, b u t th e re , unless you go in to coffee, w hich is generally a p re tty p e rm a n ­e n t in vestm en t, you have no se ttle d home.

T H E P R E S E N T T E A SEA SO N .A lthough th e T ea season has only ju s t fa irly com­

m enced, s til l th e view s we expressed on th e su b jec t of specia lity are borne o u t b y th e prices w hich have a lread y been ob ta ined on th e m ark e t. A t th e pub lic sales New Season’s Teas w ere sold a t ra te s w hich canno t be deem ed sa tisfacto ry to im porters, considering th a t i t w as th e first steam er, an d a clear w eek is given to sell th e teas in . In m an y instances a ra th e r gloom y view is tak en of the fu tu re . W e do n o t share m the ex trem e pessim ists’ opinions, because according to advices from In d ia th e p resen t crop in th a t co u n try is also m uch below la s t year, and as a consequence th e im ports to th is co u n try w ill for some tim e fa ll sh o rt of expectations, and th ere will therefore be an opening fo r th e C hina produce. B u t, on th e o th e r hand , the experiences even th u s early in th e season are once m ore such as to force on th e im porters th e necessity for g rea te r caution in cheir purchases. In d ia is u n doub ted ly m aking g rea t in roads on th e m ark e t, an d th e care bestowed on th e m anufactu re in th e E u ro ­pean superv ised e s ta tes is producing an a rtic le w hich is m ain ta in ing th e position i t has tak en up. W e t r u s t as th e season advances a b e tte r tone w ill p rev a il for C hina Teas, and th e losses now in cu rred m ay be m ade up by subsequent gains ; b u t th a t an y th in g like a d ­equate profits w ill be realised is m uch open to question . The sub jec t is rea lly a serious one for im porters, an d i t is tim e th e y took some steps to do aw ay w ith th e abnorm al com petition which ex ists am ongst them . W e shall w a it and w atch events before a llud ing to th e su b jec t again , an d if th e w orst is realised, perhaps th is la s t d isappo in tm ent m ay b rin g about th e desired resu lt. — London and China Express.

R O B E R T V O N G L E H N & SO N ’S M O N T H L Y C O F F E E C IR C U LA R .

L o n d o n , Ju ly 5 th , 1881 .D uring th e firs t tw o w eeks of la s t m onth th e re was

a sudden rush to b u y Coffee. In H avre th e purchases fo r th e firs t week exceeded 50,000 bags ; th e te legram from Rio of th e 6 th Ju n e adv ised purchases for E urope am ounting to 107,000 bags ; an d a t the D utch Sale on the lo th Ju n e th e com petition fo r th e 92,000 bags offered was so g rea t, th a t good o rd inary Ja v a sold a t 38 cen ts— cents above v a luation , and 15 per cent, above th e price a t th e M ay sale. T h is w as one of those feverish and excited m ovem ents to w hich w e a re alw ays exposed when th e price of an artic le is on a rea lly low level, as is th e case w ith Coffee a t presen t. I t m ay be ta k e n as a sam ple of how rap id and how im p o rtan t w ill be th e advance w hen som ething rea lly tu rn s up favourable to th e position of th e artic le . W e believe th a t th e ru sh was g rea tly s tim u la ted by th e fact th a t th e bu lk of th e E uropean stocks are held by persons outside th e Coffee trad e , and no t by th e usual m idd le­m en of th e Coffee trad e , who hold l i t t le stock , b u t are extrem ely desirous of g e ttin g in to stock w henever th e y th in k th e lowest po in t reached.

T he ru sh to buy was p rem atu re , because abso lu te ly w ith o u t reason, and consequently th e advance in price has since been lost.

T h e position how ever, rem ains th e sam e, a large p a r t of th e stocks a re held by o u tsiders , an d th e in s ta n t th e tra d e see o r th in k th e y see a reason fo r an advance, th ey w ill m ake ano ther ru sh to get in to sto ck a t low

prices, and th e y will find th e stock very strong ly held.In th e “ pink c irc u la r” of 1st Ju ly , Messrs. J . 0.

& Co. rem ark th a t on th e s tren g th of th e holders of th e H av re stock th e fu tu re course of prices w ill g rea tly depend. A s regards the s tren g th of these holders we a re in a position to speak w ith some certa in ty , and w e believe i t to be undoubted , and th a t th ey com ­prise in th e ir num ber one b ranch of th e biggest b a n k ­ing firm of the w orld.

A perusal of th e follow ing com parative T able of P rices w ill, we th in k , show to how safe a level prices have now fallen -

L o n d o n .

Low Middling Plant. Ceylon.

Good AveragejGood Channel Santos Afloat. Rio Cargoes.

s. d. s. d. s. a. s. (1. s. a. s. d.31st Jan . 1880... 97 0 to 98 0 70 0 to 71 0 68 0 to 69 038th Feb. 95 0 to 96 0 68 0 to 68 6 08 Oto 68 631st March „ ... 91 0 to 92 0 04 0 to 65 0 62 0 to 63 030th April 89 0 to 89 6 61 6 to 62 6 59 6 to 60 G31st May 86 0 t<*87 0 00 0 to 60 6 59 0 to 01) 030th June 88 0 to 89 0 (12 0 to 62 6 62 0 to 64 031st July 87 0 to 88 6 02 0 to t-2 6 61 0 to 62 031st Aug. 87 6 to 88 0 62 0 to 62 6 G1 0 to 02 r>30th Sep. 83 0 to 85 0 60 0 to 61 0 57 Ota 59 031st Oct. 80 0 to 81 0 58 0 to 59 0 55 6 to 56 030tlr Nov. 75 0 to 70 0 59 0 to 60 0 53 0 to 55 031st Dee. 75 0 to 77 0 58 0 to 58 6 52 0 to 54 0

New Crop.31st Jan . 1881... 82 6 to 85 0 57 0 to 58 0 52 0 to 52 c28tli Feb. 83 0 to 85 0 54 0 to 54 6 50 0 to 50 031st Mar. „ ...j 83 Oto 84 0 52 0 to 53 0 47 0 to 49 080th April „ - I 79 0 to 81 0 50 0 to 51 0 46 Oto 48 031st. May ..J 78 0 to 80 0 47 0 to 47 0 43 0 to 45 030th J uno „ ...j 83 Oto 85 0 52 6 to 53 6 45 6 to 46 0

H o l l a n d . I H a m b u r g . N e w Y o b k .

Good ordinaryR eal ordinary; P ara ! Rio. !

Good Rio Cargoes.

31st Jan . 1S80... 28th Feb. „ ... 31st March „ ... 30th April ., ... 31st May ,, ... ,30th June „ ... 31st Ju ly „ ... 31st Aug. „ ... 30th Sep. „ ... 31st Oct. „ ... 30th Nov. „ ... 31st Dec. „ ...

31st Jan . 1881... 28th Feb. ,, ... 31st March ,, ... 30th April „ ... 31st May „ ... 30th June „ ...

A t th e com m encem ent of a new B razil Season when th e a ir is rife w ith rum ours abo u t th e com ing crop, i t m ay n o t be o u t of place to go back and see w h at w as th e opinion en terta in ed six m onths ago of th e crop jn s t finished.

In th e ir c ircu lar of 8 th Ja n u a ry , M essrs. F red . H u th & Co. estim ated th e exports of B razil from 1st J a n u a ry to 30th Ju n e , 1881 —

F rom R io ... ... 77.800 tons, , Santos ... ... 25,783 ,,

T ak ing th e exports for th e 5 m onths from 1st Ja n u a ry to 30 th M ay according to M essrs. K ern H a y n ’s c ircu lar of 1st Jun e , 1881, and th e exports fo r Ju n e as p er R e u te r’s te legram s, w e find th a t th e exports for th e above period have been

From R io ... ... 119,430 tons,, Santos ... .. 35,294 ,,

T o ta l 154,724 tonsM essrs. H u th ’s estim ates have therefo re been exceeded

by 50,000 tons.Now th is is no trifling m istak e especially w hen we

rem em ber th a t th e English tvio firm s rep o rt th a t th e q u a n tity of 1880/81 crop now rem aining u p country', am ounts to betw een 500,000 an d 1,000,000 bags. I t w as therefo re possible th a t h igh prices in E urope m igh t have d raw n o u t a fu rth e r 50,000 tons, an d it comes to th is , th a t half w ay th rough th e crop—th a t is in Ja n u a ry —M essrs. F red . H u th & Co. d id n o t know w ith in 100,000 tons w h a t th e Brazil crop was. K eep­ing th is fac t in m ind, we recom m end our frien d s to accept w ith ex trem e cau tion a ll estim ates of th e Brazil crop 1881/82.

So fa r th e m ost favourite estim ate of th is R io crop is 3 J m illion bags, h u t w ith in th e la s t w eek sm aller es tim ates have been received an d though g re a t reluctance is show n to ad o p t th em by those w ho u n d e r e s tim ated th e la s t crop, w e canno t help rem ark in g th a t advices received from reliable R io firm s respecting th e sm allness of th e beau and th e poorness of th e new crop, w arra n t th e belief th a t th e es tim ate of 3 J m illion hags w ill n o t be reached.

A s regards business in general, b o th in E urope and Am erica, th e im proved crop prospects have c rea ted a m ore cheerfu l an d hopeful feeling, an d business m en look fo rw ard to a b r isk and prosperous A u tum n season. F o r coffee in p a rtic u la r the u n d e rcu rren t of feeling is fu ll of confidence and hope, even though th e re is an absence of th e ex h ila ra tin g b u t delusive boom of th e Y ankees.

R o b e k t V o n G l e i i n & S o n s ,7, Id o l Lane, London, B.C.

E stim a ted S tocks of Coffee E urope, 1s t Ju ly

th e chief (in tons.)

P o rts of

1881. 133,400 136,245 143,190 P o rts of

T o ta l Ju ly 1T o ta l Ju n e 1T ota l M ay 1

S tocks of B razil Coffee inJu n e 18th.

1881.F irs t hands . . . 105,120 bagsSecond han d s ... 169,124 ,,

18S0. 122,700 124,486 121,263

U n ited S ta tes,

1880.243 659 bags 169,039 „

T ota l exports from B razil for six m on ths end ing 30th Ju n e , 18S1 ... 103,583 tons

T ota l 334,244 412,698

P L A N T IN G IN D E L I, SU M A TRA .M ay 2 7 th .— Some rem arks on D eli, w hich I see you

have given som e a tte n tio n to la te ly , w ill probab ly be of in te re s t to y ou r readers. The soil of D eli being of an exceedingly rich kind, e.very trop ica l produce could w ith success be grow n ; w hy, the re fo re , is th e cultv ia- tio n lim ited to tobacco only. T he follow ing w ill give some ex p lan a tio n s:—T he D utch in annex ing q u ie tly th e E a s t coasts of Sum atra have ta k e n over only th e revenues of th e coun try , leaving th e land to th e S u ltan an d h is c h ie f s ; b u t th e S u ltan is n o t allow ed to give o u t co n trac ts as he m igh t like, th e conditions are prescribed to h im by th e D u tch G overn­m ent. T he co n trac t g ran tin g th e use of th e lan d fo r a certain n u m b er of years requ ires th e confirm ation of th e R esident, as also does th e tra n sfe r to ano ther nam e, therefore th e p lan te r cannot freely'

dispose of his p lan ta tio n . B y th is m easure G overn­m ent can p reven t giving ou t co n trac t o r sale of con­trac ts to obnoxious p e o p le ; b u t a t the sam e tim e th e S u ltan au d his chiefs being left ow ners of th e land, he and h is chiefs are responsible for th e co n trac t : for any revolts or d istu rbances th a t m igh t occur by th e natives of th e d istric t, &c., &c, T he dodge is clear, th e D utch G overnm ent have th e ir han d over the country w ith o u t having e ith er th e responsib ility or ex ­pense for police. A second reason, is th e u n sa tis ­facto ry re la tions betw een em ployer and labourer.

A s Mr. Cram er w rites in h is brochure, th e p lan te r •does n o t require any especial pro tection , b u t le t p lan ter and w orkm an have equal law . E n te rin g a con­trac t, th e p lan te r on one side advances th e w ork man a certain am ount of money, and gives certa in p ro ­m ises. The coolie, on th e o th e r side, prom ises to do a certain am ount of w ork. N ow th e p lan te r is sure to be m ade to adhere to th e c o n t r a c t ; b u t th e coolie, if he likes to d ese rt from th e es ta te , and by so doing break his con trac t, ge ts for desertion one to th ree m on ths’ im p riso n m en t; th a t does n o t do h im a g rea t harm , as he rem ains in prison only as long as i t su its him . B u t suppose th e coolie is good enough to w ait in prison u n til h is tim e of punishm ent expires, he cannot be forced to adhere to h is p a r t of th e con trac t. T he p la n te r can lodge a civil com plain t against th e coolie for deb t, b u t w h at one can g e t out of a coolie is soon to l d ; th e p lan te r n o t only loses hU money, b u t also th e w ork.

Speaking of th e prison, I m ay ju s t m ention w h a t a D eli friend gave me as a fact. In th e course of th e la s t tw elve m onths tw en ty of h is coolies were im ­prisoned. O ut of th e tw e n ty only tw o m en re tu rn ed to th e p lan ta tio n on th e expiration of th e ir te rm s, th e o thers having e ither escaped from, or died in prison, causing to th e esta te a dead loss of $900.

R ecently a new law has come out, try in g to im ­prove th e relations betw een p lan te r an d coolie. The in ten tio n of th e legislator is good, b u t th e law being n ly p a rtly applied, in d efau lt of a sufficient sta ff to

w o rk it, i t has tu rn ed o u t only ano ther vexation to th e p lan ter, and a new lax of ff. 1 per coolie a year. M oreover, th e native population n o t living und er D utch rule, an efficacious execution of th e law w ill depend g reatly on th e goodwill of th e S u ltan and liis chiefs.

eno ther w ant bad ly fe lt is th a t of good roads to op n a country ; to secure a high lasting cu ltivation good roads are of first necessity. B u t up to to-day th e re is in th e w hole of Deli not one single road m ade by G overnm ent. To b ring a l i t t le heavy m achinery up* country would be perfec tly im possible du ring nine m onths of th e year, a good show er rendering th e roads im practicable. A sugar, tap ioca, or o th e r estate producing articles th a t cannot stan d m uch transport expenses would certain ly come to grief, only on account of th e roads ; th e roads being bad th e carts cannot be properly loaded, and w ear and tea r on c a ttle carts w ould rise up to th e end of a season to a ruinous am ount.

A nother g rea t draw back is th e costly labour, th e G overnm ent no t having succeeded or tr ie d to g e t th e perm ission of free em igration to Deli, e ith e r from M adras or China, th e p lan ter has to pay high advances an d commissions for procuring labourers. W ith a l i t t le goodwill and persverance th e G overnm ent m ight y e t succeed in getting perm ission of free em igration from th e above-named countries, and would by th a t con­fer a boon upon a ll concerned in th e country.

A t p resen t th e coun try y ields to G overnm ent a n e t profit of abou t fl.500,000 against which no th ing has been done y e t fo r th e benefit of th e country , and very like ly noth ing w ill be done u n til i t is too late. The tobacco p lan tations have land left to p la n t only for a few years more. P lan tin g for a second tim e on the sam e land does n o t pay, tr ia ls m ade w ith tobacco sou th and n o rth of D eli have tu rn e d o u t failures. So

65

the n e x t question is, w hat w ill be th e fu tu re of D eli ? I t is p re tty soon said ; if th e G overnm ent does uo t t r y to rem edy th e ex isting evils, in a few years more th e p lan ters will have to leave a ru ined country, being very like ly ru ined them selves — L . and C. Express.

C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N IN C E Y L O N .(From th e Pharmaceutical Journal.)

By th e courtesy of D r. T rim en, w ho ab o u t eigh teen m onths since succeeded D r. T hw aites in th e charge of th e R oyal B otanic G ardens in Ceylon, w e have been fu rn ished w ith a copy of his rep o rt for th e year 1880. T h is m em orandum show s m any ind ica tions of th e energy of th e new' D irector, an d contains m uch inform ation respecting experim ents m ane in th e cu l­tivation of various economic p lan ts. B u t th e portion m ost in terestin g to readers of th is Jo u rn a l is th a t w hich relates to the cu ltivation of cinchona, an d from w hich therefore a few defails m ay be selected.

D uring th e year 1880, th e cu ltivation of cinchona in Ceylon underw ent a developm ent unparalle lled in any previous year, an d i t has now become general on all esta tes in su itable situations. T he species p rinc ipally grown are C, officinalis and C. succirubra, and of these m any p lan te rs have now ex tensive nurseries, so th a t th e dem and a t th e R oyal gardens for seed has alm ost ceased, and i t is n o t though t necessary f>-r th e G overn­m ent to continue longer th e propagation of those species to any g rea t ex ten t. A t e lev a tio n s above 4,510 feet, th e clim ate is found to be very su itable to C. officinalis, b u t low er dow n th e o ther species do better. The C. officinalis exh ib its considerable variation in th e form of th e leaf, w hich ranges from narrow lanceolate to b road oval. A quick-grow ing broad-leaved form , m uch in favour in Ceylon an d incorrec tly called C. Con- daminea, is th o u g h t to be possibly th e re su lt of cross­ing w ith C. succirvbra. A sam ple of th e bark of th e narrow est-leaved varie ty {C. crispa) has been su b m it­ted for exam ination to M r. J . E. H ow ard, F . R . S ., who has repo rted th a t i t corresponded to th e bark fo r­m erly know n as “ cresp illa bark ” (the Q uina fina de Loja), and th a t i t contained 5*2 p er cent, of to ta l alkaloids, of w hiclj 4 '1 p e rc e n t, was quinine, o r equal to 5*45 per cen t, of quin ine su lphate . Some of th is bark, ob ta ined by coppicing, was in F eb ru ary la s t sold iu M incing Lane a t 7s. 6d. p e r lb.

Of th e s t i l l m ore valuable C. Ledgeriana th e re w ere only abou t 3,000 p lan ts in th e G overnm ent garden a t H akgala , m ost of th em raised from seed obtained from Ja v a in 1878. Only about 1,250 p lan ts have th e re ­fore been d istribu ted , b u t th e re is reason to believe th a t m any p lan ters are in possession of p lan ts raised from seed obtained by them selves from Jav a . T he im p o rtan t observation has also been m ade th a t a lthough C. Ledgeriana is difficult to propagate by cu ttings i t m ay read ily be grafted on C. succirulyra.

A note of w arning is ra ised as to th e clanger of allow ing opportun ities for hybrid ization , such as have no dou b t in juriously affected m any cinchona cu ltiva­tion experim ents. I t is u rged th a t if any of th e in ­ferior k inds of cinchona are grow ing in the neighbour­hood of th e C. Ledgeriana trees they should be a t once destroyed. F u rth e r, i t is recom m ended th a t th e bark from selected trees should be analysed by a com pet­e n t chem ist, an d th e resu lts com pared w ith th e charac­te rs of th e trees, and th a t only those varieties yielding a good b a rk analysis should be p reserved as seed trees and all o thers ru th lessly ex term inated .

A few p lan ts of C. officinalis, var. pubescens, a fast- grow ing variety , w hich some tim e since was spoken of very favourably b y D r. de V rij and M r. J , E. H ow ard (see P harm . Journ .y vol. viii (1871), p .p . 805 and 825), have surv ived th e journey from th e N ilgiria., and are doing well. T hey are, however, reported as having a t p resen t m uch th e appearance of C. succirubra.

C e y l o n T e a i n A u s t r a l ia . — A n ex-Ceylon p lan te r w ho has established a T ea-re ta il S to re in M elbourne, m aking up packets in a n ea t fashion a t 2s., 2s. 6d., an d 3s. per lb ., has sen t o u t a num ber of travelling A gents to sell in th e country a t a profitable com ­mission. In th is w ay, Ceylon te a mu*t rapid ly m ake i ts w ay and M elbourne m erchants say th a t our tea in tim e, w ill be largely used in the .Colonies.

W e s t I n d ia n P i n e -a p p l e s .—T he Grocer says th a t the firs t cargo of new season’s pineapples from A ntigua arrived in London yesterday week. T he first portion of th e cargo was im m ediately placed on th e m arket, an d w as readily sold a t fu ll prices, a few fetching as m uch as 21s. to 26a. p er dozen. Some of th e pines were bought for export to F rance th e sam e day. The pines generally were in fa irly good condition, though ra th e r green.

C in c h o n a P l a n t e r s ’ M a n u a l . —W e have to acknow­ledge w ith th an k s a copy of M r. O w en’s Cinchona M anual published a t th e Observer Office for th e use of p lanters. I t is n o t in our pow er to do m ore than own receip t of it in our p resen t issue, b u t w e shall ta k e an early o p portun ity of giving th e w ork a notice such as its contents appear to deserve.. As a M anual i t deals en tirely in th e propagation, cu ltiva tion and harvesting of Cinchona, and th is in a very fu ll and exhaustive m anner.—0 . Times.

C r o p s i n K e l e b o k k a , 29th J u ly .—Y ou have evid­en tly m isunderstood w h at I said th e o th er day. I d id not say th a t th e district in 1879-80 and 1880-81 gave an average of 2 J cw t. per acre, b u t th a t m any o f the estates in it have done so. T his year m any places have 4 cwt. an acre on them . I enclose you a memo of th e crops on th is esta te fo r th e p a s t 10 years, w hich gives an average of 4 cw t. per acre for th a t

od :— 1871-72

Crops 560 cwt.

on ---------1876-77 2 , 120*

1872-73 1,690 1877-78 4501873-74 690 1878-79 1,5501S74-75 1,560

8501879-80 355

1875-76 » 1880-81 040

5,350 cw t. 5,115 'A verage of 5 years 1,070 cw t. ; next 5 years 1,023 cw t. 2b0 acres coifce. W eath er continues very d ry and leaf disease, I am so rry to say, is ra th er bad.

T h e C i n c h o n a P l a n t e r ’s M a n u a l .— T he local Messenger of A ugust 2 has an appreciative notice of th is w ork, fr-m w hich w e quote th e fo llo w in g :— “ M r. T . O. Owen is a lready favourably know n to th e public in connection w ith coffee p lan ting lite ra tu re , and he has now prepared a book of 218 pages on cinchona cultivation which, i t is no fla tte ry to say, is a w ork of high scientific m erit. T he book se ms to be exhaustive of all th a t is a t p resen t know n on th e sub jec t of cinchona, as Laborie’s w ork was of a ll th a t was knO'vn of coffee cu ltiva tion in h is tim e, and we do n o t th in k th e re is any exaggeration in saying th a t M r. Owen’s book w ill have th e sam e relation to all fu tu re trea tises on cinchona cu ltivation th a t Laborie’s has had to all subsequent m anuals of cofiee planting. C inchona is, however, a much more scientific sub ject th a n coffee, and requires a m an of more scientific knowledge to w rite a book on i t th an coffee does. . . . T he boo'x is neatly bound aud p rin ted , th e paper of good quality , and th e whole is very cred itab le to the Observer press. The only typograpical e rro r we have noticed is in th e following passage on page 5 4 :— ‘Java, w hich is s itu a ted as m any degrees south of th e line as Ceylon is north , has a t 500 fee t a tem pera tu re of 63° F uhr., &c.’ H ere 500 m ust be a m isprin t for 5000, bu t we know from experience how liable mis­tak es are to occur in th e p rin tin g of num erals, so th a t is a very excusable fa u lt.”

# Besides about 60 cw k sold of inferior coffee.

S o c o t r a ,— D r. Schw einfurtli w rites from A den :— “ J u s t back, a f te r an absence of th re e m onths, of w hich tw o w ere spen t on th e sea. T he island (Sokotra) is w ondrously beau tifu l, re la tiv e ly cool, healthy , and th e in h ab itan ts are p a tte rn s of harm lessness. I had to g a th e r up all I could find d ay or n igh t, so as n o t to be beh ind Balfour, w ho h ad sen t m e his catalogue. Very m uch satisfied w ith my booty . D id no cartograph ic work. A regular su rvey of th e island is, however, much w an ted , for th e ex isting m aps leave m uch to be desired .”— London Athenaeum.

J a l a p T u b e r s . —In a le t te r da ted th e 8th u ltim o, th e A cting Com m issioner of th e N ilg iris , req u ested th e sanction of G overnm ent to sell th e ja lap tu b e rs grow n a t O ot.icam und a t a m oderate price, to be determ ined in com m unication w ith th e S u p erin ten d en t of th e G ardens. “ T here is a large dem and for th e ,p la n t an d up to th e end of M arch la s t 4,201 tu b e rs w ere supplied to app lican ts from various parts. I n one case M r, Jam ieson in ad v e rten tly charged for 1.000 tubers a t R 5 p er 100, and received th e am oun t R. 50. I t is im possible to m eet th e large dem and ou t of th e very lim ited cu ltiv a tio n of ja lap now carried on in th e G ardens, ' w hile to ex tend i t for g ra tu ito u s supply would p a rtly absorb th e sm all revenue derived from o th e r sources.” T he G overnm ent have approved of th e sale of th e tu b e rs a t a very m oderate p rice .— M adras M ail.

B o n e -d u s t M a n u r e . —T he Officiating S ecre tary to th e Governm ent of In d ia in a le tte r to th e Secret­a ry to th e G overnm ent M. W . P rovinces says in re­spect to bone m anure :— “ Mr. F u lle r is of opinion th a t bone-m anure could only come in to an y general use in In d ian cu ltiva tion in th e form of bone-dust, u n trea ted w ith su lphuric acid, as th e cost of con­verting i t in to superphosphate of lim e w ould bo pro­hib itive to th e ord inary cu ltiva to r. l i e adds th a t th e so lubility of th e bone-dust is m uch less th a n th a t of the superphosphate s.ml hence th a t th e full effect of i ts use w ould n o t be know n til l th e second y ear a f te r i ts application. N o d oub t he w ill no te th e character of the n ex t crop w hich is tak en off th e p lo t experim ented upon .—M adras S tandard.

M u s h r o o m s . —W h ile agriculture , as a t p resen t ex­ercised in E ngland, is th rea ten ed w ith ru in from A m erican riva lry , and hard-headed farm ers are being assured th e y m ust tak e to grow ing straw berries in sum m er and cabbages in w inter, it is consolatory to find th a t som ething m ay be m ade of m ushroom s. S traw berries w ould scarcely find consum ers if ex ten ­sively grow n, even _ though produced a t a penny a pound. A t all events, th ey shou ld be le f t to g en ­tlem en farm ers, since th ey would scarcely answ er for rough cattle-feeding. W ith cabbages i t m igh t be o th e rw ise : nor could even th a t cu ltu re be looked dow n upon. D iocletian declared p la in tiv e ly th a t if h is friends could only see th e charm ing cabbages he had p lan ted a t Salona, th ey would never advise him to qu it h is re tre a t for th e im perial d ign ity . B ut of th e respec tab ility of m ushroom s there can be no question. U nfo rtunate ly , however, if English agricul­tu ris ts took largely to th e ir production, A m erican r iv a lry is here again likely to he an obstacle to profit. W e learn th a t the immense M am m oth caves of K en­tu ck y are being now utilized for th is C ryptogam ic and savoury p lan t. A F renchm an o rig ina ted th e happy idea, and h s been g ran ted th e privilege of try in g th e experim ent in one of th e passages of the Cave, a m ile and a h a lf in length , w hich heretofore was rem arkab le for l i ttle save th e v as t flights of b a ts provoked by th e steps of hum an visitors. D eposits of guano have existed in the avenue for ages, an d i t is believed th a t the finest m ushroom s in th e w orld w ill be produced th e re .—Pioneer.

C in c h o n a . — A p la n te r w rites :— “ At firs t glance, O w en’s book seems ju s t th e th in g I have long w an ted an d could n o t get. I t gives descrip tions of the m any varie ties w hich w ill be some guide, though n o t so good as an ac tual inspection of specim ens would be. Can these be found a t P eraden iya or elsew here ? I m ean, of course, all varieties nam ed.” [W e tru s t one of th e firs t im provem ents a t th e H akgala G ardens w ill be to provide specim ens of every know n v arie ty of cinchona for th e purpose of aid ing p lan te rs in identify ing , a p a r t from o th e r uses.— En.]

S p o n g e C u l t u r e . —There is every reason to be­lieve th a t the new ly developed a r t of sponge-culture w ill se ttle dow n in to a profitable ind u stry . The process em ployed is an extrem ely sim ple one. A living sponge is cu t in to sm all-sized pieces, and each portion is fastened by a sm all stake to th e sea bottom . These detached sponges a t once begin to grow, an d in a period varying, according to different au tho rities from th ree to seven years, are large enough for th e m arket. Professor Oscar Schm id t has succeeded so w ell w ith experim ental cu ltu re conducted in th is w ay th a t he has been commissioned by th e A ustrian G overnm ent to continue th e w ork on a la rg er scale on th e Coast of D alm atia. F u ll inform ation re lating to th is in te re s t­ing subject w ill be found in th e rep o rt of Professor B aird, th e F ish Com m issioner to th e U n ited S tates, an d also in a rep o rt recen tly prepared by Prof ssor R ay L ankester a t th e request of- th e Secre tary of S ta te for th e Colonies. —Graphic.

D e e r , C in c h o n a a n d F e n c e s . —Com plaints are fre ­q u en t of th e ravages of Sam bur am ong young cinchonas. I n a week one p lan te r inform ed us th a t he had a th irty - acre field of flourishing p lan ts ea ten dow n to a d is­heartening ex ten t. Indeed , as he could n o t afford th e necessary appliances for an efficient fence, and d id n o t possess on his ow n ground th e m aterial to cheapen th e erection of a w ire fence, he th o u g h t of abandoning th e cultivation. If anybody wishes to inspect a w ork of m agnitude in th is way, he has b u t to go over to D eva Shola and see w h a t has been done in enclosing a thousand acres of cinchona. T he p roprie to r is w isely p lan ting blue-gum ju s t out-ide th e fence, th e p lan ts being p u t dow n about a foot ap a rt. T he rap id ity of th e grow th of th e blue-gum w hich in th is locality a tta in s a ■ height of five or six feet in a year, makes i t qu ite reasonable to expect th a t before th e decay of th e posts I ha t now hold th e wires, a fine and im ­penetrab le n a tu ra l hedge of blue-gum w ill have grown up, which w ith th e wire tran sfe rred to live supports w ill com pletely fru s tra te a ll th e efforts of th e enem y to get un to th e cinchona. In connection w ith the subject, yve have heard i t suggested th a t all th e ex­pense of wire fencing m ight be saved, if cinchona grow ers would take to keeping a few dogs of a proper breed, nam ely, a cross betw een a fox bound and a g rey hound. A gentlem an a t K odauaad has a few dogs of th is breed, and neighbours com plain th a t th e dogs so thoroughly h u n t th e sam bur, th a t a sho t within m iles of their es’a tes cannot be had of these anim als. We have ourselves know n an o rd inary pariah dog tra in ed by a N ative Shikaree seize th e leg of a sam ­bur, b u t th e dog was too sligh t to m ake an y im ­pression on the m ovem ents of th e sam bur, an d was shaken of.—South o f Ind ia Observer.

T h e T a l l o w T r e e . — A p lan te r writes :— “ Can you give me any inform ation about th e Chiuese ta llow -tree :i. e. its value o r the price th e seeds fetch in th e home m ark e t ?” F rom th e Treasury o f Botany we tak e : — “ S tilling ia .—T he T allow -tree of C hina is th e best- know n represen tative of th is genus of Euphorbiacceae; b u t the re are tw o or th ree o th er Chinese an d Japanese species, and as m any m ore natives of th e Southern S ta tes of America. W ith th e exception of the tallow - tree and one herbaceous species, th ey are sh rub s; and a ll have a lte rn a te en tire leaves, and term ina l ca tk in ­like spikes of flowers. T he f ru it is a capsule composed

of th ree one-seeded opening pieces, an d is g irded a t th e base b y an enlarged b rac t. S. sebifera th e Tallow- tree, is a na tiv e of China an d th e ad jacen t islands, b u t i t has been in troduced in to and p a r tly na tu ra lised in In d ia and th e warm parts of America. I t has rhom b­oid-shaped sharp ly taper-po in ted leaves abo u t tw o inches broad, on slender s ta lk s w ith tw o p rom inen t g lands a t th e po in t of a ttach m en t betw een th e s ta lk an d leaf ; and its flow er-catkins are from two to four inches long. I ts fru its are abou t half an inch in d ia ­m eter and contain th re e seeds th ick ly coated w ith a fa t ty substance w hich y ields the tallow . T his is ob­ta in ed by steam ing th e seeds in large cauldrons th e n brush ing them sufficiently to loosen th e fac t w ithout breakiflg ‘ seeds, w hich a re rem oved by sifting - and th e fa t is a fterw ards m ade in to fla t c ircu lar cakes an d pressed in a wedgepress, w hen th e pure ta llow exudes in a liqu id s ta te , an d soon hardens in to a w hite b r i tt le mass. T h is ta llow is very extensively used for candle- m aking in C hina ; b u t as th ey g e t so ft in h o t w eather th e candles generally receive a coating of insect-w ax. A liquid oil is obtained from th e seeds by pressing. T he tree y ields a h a rd wood, used by th e Chinese for p rin tin g blocks, an d its leaves are em ployed for d y e ­ing b lack.”

P l a n t in g N o t e s .—The co n tra st betw een coffee pro­perties cared for and cu ltiva ted an d o thers neg lec ted :— You will n o t be surp rised th a t n o th in g has y e t, virtu­ally, been done f o r ------------ . I t is now a waste ofweeds, and is a s tand ing proof of w h at can be done by good cultivation , and w h a t an es ta te suffers from th e w ant of it. This place and i t lie alongside, and th e contrast, to a spectator, from th e opposite side of th e ravine, is m ost strik in g . One side of th e boundary line, th e colour is a beautifu l dark healthy green ; on th e o th er a m ost sick ly m ix tu re of pale green andyellow . Then go in to the coffee, and t h e --------------treesare covered w ith l6a f disease, and are succum bing to i t , b u t those on th is place, n o t excepted from th e pest, seem very l i t t le p u t about by it, an d if th ey should begin to give, I can m anure them a t once I note your lead ing artic le and your G reat W estern correspond­e n t’s rem arks. H e and 1 differ on one poin t, viz., pruning. H e th in k s I ru in m y trees b y “ slashing” them , as y o u r correspondent on p run ing th e o th e r day would call i t (very sensible le tte r th a t) . B u t I w ould go fu rth e r in p run ing th an even he. L ast year when p run ing a piece ot th is place which had alw ays lo tsof wood b u t no crop, ------------- passed th rough and to l dinew h a t a m istake I w as m aking. T h a t very piece has th is year a heavy crop ! In some places, I would have bigger crops if I p runed less. B ut p u t two crops of a well p runed estate against tw o of an o th er bad ly p runed , an d th e form er is sure to have th e advan tage in q u a n tity an d th e better quality of coffee, which causes a g rea t difference in th e proceeds of th e sales in London. Thus, an estate w hich nets 90/ per cw t. and has only 780 cw t., is as good as—aye b e tte r th a n — one th a t has 1,000 cw t. an d only nets 70/ p er cw t. ; f e r ­tile expenses are less. If ever I see t h e — ques-.tion se ttled , I shall t r y to give you an ou tline of it, fo r i t touches th e in te re s ts of a ll in te rested i n coffee, and our members in Council should be pressed to ta k e notice of i t , for the re is m uch w anting in th e law re la tin g to m ortgages, w hen th e m ortgagee m ay have to w a it t i l l th e es ta te has literally returned to jungle, before he can ta k e possession of th e p ro p erty w hich he accepted a s secu rity for th e money he len t upon i t ! T h a t is good news for some people th a t G overnm ent w ill reserve a ll forest above 5,000 elevation :—you should see cinchona a t 0,000 feet and over.

R ainfall th is J u ly — 3'82 1880 „ — 14-391879 „ — 15-121878 ,, — 16-38

W hile I w rite i t is h o tte r th a n ever, ;W oa to th ecoffee tre ss th a t have too m uch c ro p !

S P R IN G V A L L E Y C O FFE E CO M PA N Y , LTD .T he D irectors have pleasure in p resen ting th e ir an­

nu a l sta tem ent of accounts, w ith th e com pleted re tu rn s of crop 1879-80.

I t w ill be seen th a t th e to ta l sum realized from sales of coffee, w ith the proceeds of a sm all sh ipm ent of cinchona bark , was £31,823 8s 8d , and th a t a fte r charging th e en tire expend itu re in Ceylon and London fo r th e 12 m onths, a profit has been ob ta ined of £10,199 7s 3d o r 12£ p er cent on th e cap ita l of th e Com pany. This, in these days of leaf disease and sm all crops, m ust be looked upon as a h igh ly sa tisfacto ry result.

W ith th e balance carried forw ard la s t year of £1,243 17s 4d, there appears a to ta l revenue of £11,443 4s 7d, ou t of w hich an in terim dividend has been paid of 4 per cent, or £3,200. I t is now recom ­m ended th a t a fu rth e r d iv idend be paid of 4 per cent, m aking 8 per cen t for th e year, o r £6.400 free of income ta x ; and from th e balance rem aining, th e D irectors propose th a t £3,498 8s (id, be em ployed in w riting dow n th e cost of th e es ta tes to th e level of Share C apital £80,000. leaving a balance of revenue unappropria ted of £1544 16s Id .

I t m ay, perhaps, be as well to rem ind you a t th is p o in t th a t th e to ta l sum applied from th e revenues of th e Com pany in paym ent for extensions and im ­provem ents o ther th an th e o rd inary costs of cu ltiva­tion has been no less th a n £27; 119 os 5d ; and th a t th e area und er coffee w ill now stand , in the books a t a cost of less th a n £52 per acre, leaving o u t of account forest, grass land , and fields p lan ted w ith cinchona.

I t is hoped th a t during th e next few years, surp lus profits m ay be availed of to make considerable a d d i­tions to the Reserve F und , and so your Com pany w ill hold a position second ce rta in ly to none connected w ith th e island of Ceylon.

A t th e tim e of paying th e in te rim d iv idend in Ja n u ary , i t was hoped th a t th e crop, now being gathered on Spring V alley, w ould be n o t less th an th a t of 1879-80; b u t th e au tu m n blossom upon th e low er and o lder fields failed in a large m easure in consequence of th e d ry season, and th e o u ttu rn of the two properties w ill probab ly n o t exceed 6,700 cw t.

Spring V alley is rep o rted to be in m ost respects in a satisfactory condition, though leaf disease has again ravaged p a r ts of th e esta te an d affected th e p roduction of crop m aterially . E nergetic m easures are taken , and appliances are being brought to bear to increase th e m anured area y ear by year, b u t, unfor­tu n a te ly th e cost of those portable artificial m anures, w hich by careful application w ould im m ensely benefit th e property , is alm ost p roh ib ito ry so long as ca rt tran sp o rt only is av a ila b le ; and i t is w ith m uch re ­g re t th a t th e D irectors have to announce th a t th e au th o rities a t th e Colonial Office are, w ith a ll th e inform ation a t th e ir disposal, n o t alive to th e fact th a t th e revenues of th e Colony, w hich are said to be falling off, would, no less th a n th e in terests of a ll connected w ith th e Island , be b e tte r served by an extension to U va o r H ap u ta le of th e line now in course of construction, th an b y any proposition w hich has been before them for m any years.

N ot only do th ey decline to en te rta in th is ex ten ­sion, which would cost b u t £600,000, and be im m edi­a te ly a handsom e source of revenue, b u t th e y refuse to allow i t to be constructed by p riv a te enterprise , w h ich would be a t once forthcom ing.

T he extension of Cinchona p lan tin g on Spring V alley, and of Cocoa and o th er p roducts on O olanakande, has been actively prosecuted du ring th e year, and th u s re tu rn s for th e fu tu re , independently of coffee, a re being secured w ith o u t ou tlay of capital.

If prices be m aintained, th e re seems no reason to look for o th er th a n good and su bstan tia l re tu rn s from yo u r p roperty in years to come.

U V A C O F F E E C O M PA N Y , L IM IT E D . P resen ted herew ith is a s ta te m e n t of th e C om pany’s

Accounts, inc lud ing th e closed re tu rn of crop 1879-80.T he sales in London com prised 9,837 cw t. of coffee,

and th e n e t profit realised, a f te r paym en t of a ll charges fo r th e year in C eylon an d London has been £15,334 Is ., a re su lt w hich canno t be considered o th e r th a n h ighly sa tisfacto ry .

The balance unappropriated la s t year was £1 ,750 15s., so th a t th e to ta l revenue now to be dea lt w ith is £17,084 16s.

In Ja n u a ry la s t a d iv idend was pa id of 8s. p e r share, aud i t is now proposed to d iv ide an equal am ount for th e sec m d half year, m aking 8 p er cent, for th e year, payab le as usual free of incom e tax .

F rom th e balance rem aining th e D irectors recom m end th a t £1,000 be added to th e W orking E xpense F u n d , and th a t £8,084 16s. lie held in reserve.

T he crop of 1880-81, w hich is now in course of sh ipm ent, is to be sm aller even th a n was th o u g h t probable w hen th e C ircular of Ja n u a ry la s t w as issued: hence th e necessity for carry ing forw ard so large a balance from th e previous y ea r’s revenue. I t is n o t like ly th a t sh ipm ents will aggregate m ore th a n 4.000 cw t . of coffee, b u t th e re tu rn s w ill be supplem ented by th e proceeds of a considerable q u an tity of bark peeled from th e cinchona trees first p lan ted on some of th e p roperties, and now b rought to m arket.

T he prim e cause of so g re a t a reduction in th e q u an tity of crop secured has been no d o u b t th e failu re of blossom s, th rough prolonged d ro u g h t; b u t i t is none th e less d ishearten ing to confess th a t th e hope expressed in la s t year’s rep o rt on th e subject of th e leaf disease has been ru th le ss ly u p se t by one of th e sm artest a tta c k s of th e pest y e t experienced in U va. A nd so long as th e es ta tes are sub jec t to these periodical v isita tions, i t is no easy m a tte r to calculate on resu lts from even th e m ost carefu lly liberal cu ltivation .

I t is, however, sa tisfac to ry to be assured , as th e D irectors are, by those in charge of th e p roperties, th a t th e trees are in a prom ising condition for y ield­ing rem unera tive crops, in 1*81-82. A nd th e y con­sider th a t th e ir proposal to equalise d iv idends by re ­serving th e excess ob tained in a prosperous year is one w hich should com m end itse lf to shareholders.

E x p en d itu re du ring th e cu rre n t year has been, as m uch as possible kep t w ith in th e value of th e crop expected to be p icked ; b u t th e im portance of ex ten d ­ing th e application of fertilising agents has no t been lo st sig h t of, and a t th e p resen t tim e appliances are in course of being perfected, by m eans of w hich large deposits of m anure rem oved from th e tow n of B adulla to a central depo t are to be d istrib u ted over th re e of your esta tes. A considerable area of grass lan d adjo in ing B allagalla is also b y th is m eans to be cul- ti vated in coffee.

T w enty-five acres of forest la te ly cleared ad jo in ing G len A lpin e s ta te are th is season to be p lan ted , w ith cinchona, for w hich an abundan t supply of fine p lan ts is available.

On R ockhill an d Ballagalla, i t is th o u g h t th a t cocoa can be cu ltiv a ted successfully, and nurseries have ac­cordingly been prepared.

T he D irectors cannot close th e ir rep o rt w ith o u t ex­pressing th e d isappoin tm ent w hich th ey in common w ith o th ers have fe lt on read ing th e despatch la te ly sen t by L ord K im berley to th e Ceylon G overnm ent on th e sub ject of th e railw ay. The Secretary of S ta te does no t see h is w ay to m eet th e dem and for railw ay ex tension from N anuoya to H aputa le , and i t appears doubtfu l w hether th e line a lready sanctioned and now in course of construction to th e form er po in t, w iil prove rem unera tive.

Proofs are n o t w an ting th a t only by tapp ing th e rich and fertile d istric ts of U va, H apu ta le , an d M adulsim a, can traffic be expected in q u a n tity on th e line now

beinv marie, and looking to th e readiness w ith w hich p riv a te en terprise w ould, if p erm itted , u n d ertak e th e construction of th e extension so u rg en tly needed, an d w hich w ould so certa in ly conduce to th e w elfare of th e en tire Colony, i t is m uch to be reg re tted th a t those who are in pow er are not endowed w ith a clearer perception of th e financial resources a t th e ir disposal.

T EA .A u s t r a l ia n T e a S e a s o n , 1881-18S2.— 11 L ittle C ol­

lin s S tre e t W est, M elbourne, 1st Ju ly , 1881. Messrs. J a s . H enty & Co.. repo rt as follow s:—By the S team er “ K illarney ,” from Foo-Chow, we have fu ll supplies of Ifew Season’s Teas, of finest qu a lity , consisting of Pak lum s, Soomoos. and S ueykuts, in lialf-chests and boxes, also some Kaisow B uds in quarter-chests and boxes. These are all line Teas and carefully selected. T h e Steam er “ H u n g arian ,” advised as hav ing le ft Foo-Chow on th e 28th u ltim o, b rings us fu rth e r supplies and a fu ll assortm ent of Tea, W e also have advices of full supplies of In d ia Teas, being shipped to us, consisting of A ssam , Cacliar, D arjeeling, K angra V al­ley , Sylhet, Dooars. &c., an d our le tte rs inform us th a t th e quality of the N ew Ind ian Crop is unusua lly fine. M usters of th e “ K illarney ’s” sh ipm ent are now on view a t our Office.

“ T h e T r o p ic a l A g r ic u l t u r is t . ’’—A p lan ting correspondent w rites :— “ I t w ould surely n o t be m uch add itional trou b le to you to group all le tte rs Referring to each separa te cu ltiv a tio n in each n um ber of th e T ropica l A griculturist. A s a t p resen t published, one has to search each num ber for w h a t one w a n ts .” [W e have a lready announced th a t grouping is be adopted, so soon as w e g e t o u t new' ty p e . The arrangem ent en ta ils m ore troub le and expense th an ou tsiders can u n d erstan d , as i t p rev en ts th e use of th e same ty p e over again so o ften as is u su a l.— E d.] I s th e Tropical A griculturist a separa te paper, or m u st each com m unication firs t pass th e ordeal of the Ceylon Observer o r o th er papers ? I ask, for some m en m igh t only be able to afford the fo rm er paper, an d i t m igh t be some tim e before you re p rin te d th e rep ly to a le t te r to th e Observer, w hile, if w ritte n d irec t to th e Tropical A gricu tuirst, th e answ er should be available in th e follow ing issue. [W hatever ap ­pears in th e Observer bearing on trop ical agricu ltu re w ill be republished in th e m onth ly , b u t th e la tte r w ill also contain a good deal th a t m ay be considered too long, d ry and techn ica l for a daily paper. A t th e sam e tim e, we do n o t m ean to m ake th e T . A . a rival to th e daily, or to encourage correspondence to th e form er only. W e shall alw ays t r y to give bo th enquiry and reply published in successive nu m ­b er of the Observer in one and th e sam e m onth ly is-ue of th e T ropical Agriculturist. W h a t m ay be ex e lu d -d from th e Observer w ill be long G overnm ent repo rts , or essays from A gricu ltu ra l Jo u rn a ls published in India , E urope or A m erica, from such publications as The Field, Gardener's Chronicle, Grocer, P h a rm a ­ceutical Journal, Am erican Agriculturist, and F rench and German periodicals. T h is will, we suppose,

save th e necessity of p lan ters and o thers looking up such p uk lica’ions f . r them selves, as th ey may bo sure th a t no th ing of any im portance w ill be left ou t of th e Tropical Agriculturist,. N otice of an y th in g rea lly u se fu l ' w ill, as usual, be ta k e n in th e Observer. But. to bring our m onth ly u p to th e p roper s ta n d ard w ill requ ire a l i t t le tim e : “ Borne w as n o t built in a d a v .”—E d.]

C6‘

B E N G A L C IN C H O N A P L A N T A T IO N S :.LARGE NUMBER OF VERITABLE LEDGERIANAS IN THE

SIKIIIM GARDENS.

T he m ost im p o rta n t sta tem en t in D r. K in g ’s R e p o rt for th e y ear end ing 31st M arch last, w hich has du ly reached us w ith a ll connected docum ents, is u n ­d oub ted ly th a t in w hich he confirm s the belief th a t a large num ber of calieaya trees iu S ikh im are v e ritab le Ledgerianas. “ D uring th e y e a r ,” he adds, “ 99,415 p lan ts of th a t v a rie ty of calisaya w ere added to th e p erm anent p la n ta tio n ,” and w e read elsew here th a t as m uch as 113,269 was realized th rough th e sale of L edgeriana seed au d p lan ts chiefly to Ceylon p lan te rs . B u t w hen we rem em ber how free ly calisaya seed from S ikhim w as ob ta ined from D r. K ing some years ago for Ceylon, our belief is stren g th en ed th a t as Dr. T rim en has found one an d an o th e r of th e E m elina and Annfield trees tu rn in g o u t to be pu re L edgeriana , so i t m ay be found th a t a considerable nu m b er of th e trees there , an d on o th e r e s ta tes ra ised from th e ir seed, o r from seed g o t some tim e ago from C alcu tta , m ay prove to be of th e v a r ie ty w hich is surpassingly rich in quin ine. I t is qu ite ev id en t a t leas t th a t D r. K ing and M r. G am m ie are d e te rm in ed n o t to be behind M r. Moens in th e ir p ropagation and cu ltiv a tio n of th is species, and if success a tte n d th e ir efforts in N o rth ern In d ia , how m uch m ore m ay w e expect to see th e L edgeriana en terprise flourish in th e genial c lim ate of our C entra l P rovince. T he to ta l n um ber of calisaya trees now in the S ikhim p lan ta tio n s is 412,000, bu t th e re is a n u rse ry stock of an equal num ber ready to p la n t out, M r. G am m ie an d his assis tan ts have been busy up roo ting a ll the b ad k in d s in th e perm anen t p lan ta tio n , M r. W ood’s analysis having enabled th em to d istingu ish th e L edgerianas by th e ir leaves. Of inferior an d do u b tfu l so rts of calisaya w hich w ere uprooted , th e crop has m ade u p no less th an 81,225 of yellow ag a in s t 296,000 of red b a rk h arvested du ring th e year, and th is policy of uproo ting in ferio r calisayas is to be con tinued u n til th e yellow bark p lan ta tio n is one of pu re L edgeriana. A t th e sam e tim e th a t th e in fe rio r yellow bark w as sen t to the E nglish m a rk e t—being th e firs t consignm ent of th is k in d from In d ia — Dr. K in g inc luded a sm all q u a n tity of rea lly good L edgeriana bark so as to g e t some idea of its com m ercial value. The re su lt w as m ost sa tisfac to ry : 625 lb. fetch ing a t auction 10s lOd p er lb . Of th e in ferio r C alisaya, one lo t of 2,655 lb. sold for 7s 6d, an d o thers b ro u g h t from 5s Id to 2s 9d per lb. T here is, how ever, no in ­ten tio n of con tinu ing to sell ba rk from N o rth e rn In d ia : all th e crop is to be re ta in ed an d used for th e p ro ­duction of febrifuge or of qu in ine for th e use of th e people of Ind ia . T he febrifuge is m ade from red bark , of w hich there are now over four m illions of tree s on th e two p lan ta tio n s—M ungpoo and S itto n g —and these are capable of producing a m uch larger q u a n tity of th is p repara tio n , th an has been issued so far, th e dem and in 1879-80 having been 8,164 lb. T here is s till how ever a p re jud ice ag a in -t th e cheaper febrifuge in some quarters, and accordingly a good deal of quin ine is henceforw ard to he locally m anufactu red and supplied- T he to ta l saving to th e In d ia n G overnm ent so far th ro u g h th e local m anufactu re of th e febrifuge is

estim ated a t 16J lak h s of rupees: th e saving la s t year alone being equal to half th e to ta l expenditu re bn tn e p lan ta tio n s inc lud ing com pound in te re s t a t four per c e n t ! R egard ing Mr. G am m ie’s experim ents so often refe rred to in our colum ns, w e read :—

“ N ot only has M r. G am m ie conducted th e rou tine of febrifuge m anufactu re w ith precision and skill, b u t he has spen t m uch tim e on a tte m p ts to increase th e percentage of i t ex trac ted front th e hark . These a tte m p ts , I am g lad to say, prom ise to end in success. M r. Gam m ie has also succeeded in tu rn in g o u t a c ry sta llin e p repara tio n of th e febrifuge w hich, being free fr-'m th e am orphous alkaloid, m ay prove p leas­a n te r nv d ie in e th a n th e febrifuge in its p re -c n t form, M r. G am m ie’s c rysta lline febrifuge is a very p re tty p repara tion , being nearly as w hite as quin ine itself. I t is now und er tr ia l in various G overnm ent h o s­p ita ls , and if i t is reported well of, a rrangem ents can be m ade for its production on a la rg e svale. Mr. G am m ie has con tinued to d irec t h is a tten tio n to th e economical m anufacture of su lp h a te of quin ine. D ecided progress has been m ade in th is m a tte r since la s t year, b u t fu rth e r experim ents w ill be necessary before 1 can advan tageously subm it a fu ll rep o rt on th e re su lts .”

J)r. King does nob afford m uch in form ation th is tim ? us to th e average y ield of bark , b u t he m entions th a t th e crop of red b a rk h arvested w as go t hy up- n o t in g th e tre s (11 years old) over 75 acres, th e resu lt being an o u ttu rn of 1,510 lb . of dry b a rk per acre . T his resu lt is a very poor one, since 2 o r 3 lb, of d ry bark per tre e has been a com m on experience in Southern In d ia an d Ceylon from trees of less age ; b u t D r. K ing confesses th a t h is pa tch was n o t a good one, and we suppose th e re w ere m any blanks. A new unnam ed varie ty—a h y b rid yellow b a rk tre e —of w hich th e re are *200,000 trees on th e p lan ta tio n s is referred to . T he b a rk has been found to be rich in quin ine, b u t D r. K in g does n o t give analyses nor inform us who: h er its g ro w th or su itab leness for c lim ate an d soil is m ore m arked th a n th a t of Ledg­eriana. R especting th e C artliagena b a rk trees recen tly im ported , D r. K ing rep o rts a hard stru g g le in p ro ­pagating, the original 6 p lan ts having only increased to 60 rooted and 90 p a r tia lly roo ted cu ttin g a t th e end of the year. E very effort w ill be m ade to increase th e stock of th is in te re s tin g species w hich y ields th e C olum bian bark of commerce.

In regard to M r. M oens’ m ethod of shaving th e b a rk and g ra ftin g th e L edgeriana on suceiru b ra stocks, th e follow ing has been th e S ikhim experi­ence:—

“ T he m ethod cousists in shaving off th e g rea ter p a r t of th e bark of a liv ing tree to th e h e ig h t of from eig h t to te n fee t from th e ground, care being ta k e n to leave everyw here a sufficiently th ic k layer of bark to cover th e wood. T h is m ethod has now h ad m ore th a n a year’s tr ia l on th e Sikhim P la n ta ­tio n , a certain num ber of trees per m onth having been shaved since th e beginning of th e y ear 1880. T h e re su lts have been favourable . E very m o n th ’s trees have renew ed th e ir b a rk w ell, those shaved d u rin g A p ril having done so (Y r. G am m ie tells me) ra th e r b e tte r th a n any of th e rest. T he bark of th e trees earliest sh a v td is now abo u t as th ic k as was th e original bark , and i t is clean, h ea lth y an d u n i­form . There is no doubt, therefore, th a t u n d er th is p lan b a rk renew s perfec tly . W h a t now rem ains to be seen is w hether th e renew ed bark is equally rich j in m edicinal a lkalo ids w ith th e original. In o rder to |

te s t th is, I in ten d to have some analyses m ade of sam ples of renew ed b a rk an d th e re su lts of these analyses I hope to give in m y n ex t an nual repo rt.

“ The D utch p lan of g ra ftin g Ledgeriana on su ed ' rubra stocks has also been tr ie d d u rin g th e year, b u t I reg re t to say w ith l i t t le success. T he ex ­perim ent w ill, how ever, be pereserved in. I 11 th e m a tte r of propagation of Ledgeriana we are now very well o il; for th e bad varitie s of Calisaya, having been nearly a ll up roo ted from the p la n ta tio n , th e seed y ielded is now m uch m ore reliable th a n i t has been heretofore. O ur stock p lan ts are, m oreover, now in fa irly good condition, an d y ie ld a consider­able num ber of c u ttin g s .”

A gain, regard ing the cu ltivation of L edgeriana, we read :—

“ C o n tra ry to all expectation , Ledgeriana an d our quin ine-producing h y b rid are found to th r iv e b e tte r 011 land w ith a sou thern exposure th an on lan d th a t slopes to th e n o rth . M r. G am m ie has th e re ­fore p repared for p lan ting a considerable area of lan d w hich had h ith e r to been regarded as u n su it­able for any k in d of cinchona. In p lan tin g Ledgeri­ana la s t year, M r. G am m ie took th e p recau tion of p u ttin g tw o p lan ts to each stake, w ith th e view of cu ttin g th e second of them out. should i t tu rn o u t to be of a bad so rt, o r of tra n sp la n tin g one, shou ld b o th p lan ts tu rn o u t t ru e Ijedgeriana. T he m ajori-

j ty of these recen tly p u t o u t p lan ts are. how ever, j tu rn in g ou t pure L ed g eria n a ; th e re w ill, therefore,| be a considerable num ber of tran sp lan ts available i from th is source du ring th e approaching p lan tin g 1 season .”

I t w ill be seen, from th e foregoing su m m a rj, th a t D r. K in g ’s R ep o rt on th e p resen t occasion is bo th in te restin g and in stru c tiv e . W e sha ll p ub lish i t in fu ll, w ith th e appended papers, in th e T ropical A griculturist w here i t w ill be available for ready reference to all engaged in cinchona cu ltiv a tio n .

P R O S P E C T IN G F O R GOLD.(Sum m ary of H in t s from a Colombo A g en t to

an E sta te M anager in s tru c te d to p ro sp ec t.)Sam ples to be n o t less th a n 14 lb . of q u a rtz from

each reef, o r supposed reef, to he packed separa te ly in sm all g u nny bags m ade for th e purpose and nu m ­bered. U n lik e ly looking q u a rtz to th e eye has som e­tim es proved richer th a n o thers ap p a ren tly of A -l q u a lity ; for instance, stone w ith five to six ounces of gold to th e to n does n o t a lw ays shew an y signs to th e eye ! "White sugary crystallized q u artz is no good : i t m u st have some colour in i t —look m eta lly in fac t— q u artz w ith a red or yellow tin g e is pre- erab le to a p e rfe c tly w h ite quartz , a lthough th e la t te r may be valuable if in te rsp ersed w ith colour. R eefs w hich are lik e ly to prove valuable are th o se w hich in a seem ing u pheaval s ta n d up ab ru p tly , leaving solid w alls d is ta n t from each obiter from one to th ree feet, hav ing betw een these w alls a fo rm a­tio n of loose c rum bly q u a rtz of a good m eta lly colour. W h en such reef is found to d ig aw ay th e ea rth a t th e sides, say 6 or 7 feet dow n, so as to g e t some d istance below th e q u a rtz as i t lies in its p robab ly u n d is tu rb ed s ta te , an d th en to ta k e sam ples. Such reefs as these genera lly d e ­scend fo r hun d red s of feet, th e q u a rtz being loose an d cru m b ly —if tapped a t some d istance dow n th e h ill­side, th e q uartz is easily secured, as i t drops w ith very l i t t le effort from th e reefs, an d th e rocky w alls on e ith e r side hold i t w ell to g e th er u n t i l rem oved.

(F ro m our pam phlet “ A ll about Gold, Gems, and Pearls in Ceylon.”)

A b o ttle of n itric ac id is a su re te s t. I f th e m inera

found be gold, i t will no t touch i t ; if a baser m etal, w ith th e exception of one or tw o n o t com m only found in A ustralia , v io len t action tak es place and gaseous fum es arise. B y th is m eans spurious gold d u st m ay be detec ted : if i t be pure, no action w h a t­ever w ill t»ke place, an d th e liquor w ill n o t be d is­coloured ; if im pure, v io len t action w ill ta k e place, red vapour w ill arise, and th e acid w ill be discoloured.

T he weight of a lum p of q u a rtz as estim ated by poising i t in th e han d is generally sufficient to d e te rm ­ine w hether i t contain gold o r not, q u artz having a specific g rav ity of about 2b, w h ilst th e specific g rav i'y of gold is from IS to 19. T his accounts for gold being found in grains and n u g g e ts—th e w a te r hav ing had sufficient pow er ■ to b reak up and w ash aw ay th e ligh ter rock, h u t n o t th e gold itself. Hence i t m ay be in ferred th a t w hen large lum ps of gold are found, th e m atrix itself canno t be far off—from th e im ­possib ility of the cu rre n t w ash ing these to an y grea t distance. On th e o ther han d if th e gold be in dust o r scales, ic may be, and is frequen tly d is trib u ted over a large space of ground.

T he unpractised m iner is a p t to ta k e several sub ­stances for gold w hich have no alliance w ith th a t m etal. T he firs t of these is yellow m ica : th is m ay, how ever, be read ily d istinguished by its lightness. T he n ex t is iron py rite s . T h is is as easily d istinguished. S tick th e po in t of a penknife in to a scale of gold, and i t will p en e tra te it, b u t th e py rite s w ould be found too hard for this, P lace a li t t le of th e substance on a shovel, and p u t i t on th e fire. I f i t be py rites, a strong sm ell of su lphur w ill be perceived, an d th e residuum a f te r th e su lphur is driven off will become red iron ru s t. D issolve th e m ineral in m uria tic acid, an d add a few drops of n itric acid. A d d to th e solution a li t t le h a rtsh o rn , an d , if iron pyrites, ru s t ia p rec ip ita ted . W ith a solution of n u t galls common ink is produced. W ith p russia te of potash P russian b lue is form ed. A ny of these testa will decide be­tw een iron and gold.

Should a lum p of q uartz be suspected to con ­tain gold, th e fact may easily be established as follows : —P o und th e q u artz finely—the finer th e better. Boil th is for a considerable timn in an equal m ix ture of n itric and m u ria tic acid, filte r th e solution through lin en or cotton . I t will d es troy these, bu t th a t is no m a tte r ; th e experim enter m u st also be careful n o t to g e t any of th e acid on h is clothes, o r i t w ill destroy them . I f lie burn his fingers w ith th e acid, he w ill n o t do so a second tim e. N ow ad d carbonate of soda to th e solution w hen cool, and th is w ill p rec ip ita 'c a ll baser m etals. F ilte r again, and add a so lu tion of oxalic acid t i l l it ceases to effervesce. T he gold w ill now be th row n down in th e form of a black powder, w hich m ay be converted in to th e usua l form by m elting.

T E A IN A U ST R A L IA .{From the Ceylon Commissioner.)

M elbourne, 15th J u ly 1881.M r. M oody’s le tte r on th e te a question , in

rep ly to M r. E v e ra rd ’s effusion, appeared in th e Argus of the 5 th , w hich I w ill post to th e Observer, w ith th e num ber of th e same new spaper for th e Gth. The issue of th e 5 th contains the le t te r from M r. M oody w hich I m entioned in m y la s t com m unication to you. M r. M oody, who, besides his qualifications as a tea- ta s te r, is very com petent chem ist, easily disposes of the “ sc ien tis t” inven ted b y M r. E v era rd who could n o t distinguish betw een tea and w a ttle leaves. M r. D unn is m aking sa tisfac to ry progress w ith his analyses of teas from Ind ia , Ceylon, Jav a , C hina, Jap an , &c. H e believes th a t th e rep o rt he will u ltim ate ly give to th e w orld w ill revolutionize the sta n d ard fo r tea s in favour of those of In d ia and Ceylon. H e unhesita tin g ly said to m e th a t th e v as t b u lk of th e C hina teas,

w hich b y tra d itio n and in consequence of th e ir cheap ­ness hold, o r have u n til la te ly held , possession of th e A ustra lian m arkets, are e ith e r ad u lte ra ted , ex­hau sted , o r in ferio r in a ll th e q u a lities w hich con­s t i tu te good te a . M r. M oody, in p u rsuance of h is d e term ined efforts to give In d ian an d C eylon teas th e ir proper position here, is p reparing a p am ph le t, "of w hich 5,000 copies a t lea s t are to be circu lated . In th is brochure, of which 1 have seen th e first p o r­tio n , th e h is to ry of th e Syndicate m ovem ent, th e re su lts of th e E xh ib ition , of ord inary ta s tin g and scienti­fic analyses, w ill be sum m ed up. Slowly, i t m ay be, a t firs t b u t in th e end su re ly and com pletely , th e pu re , genuine teas of In d ia and C eylon w ill supersede th e ad u lte ra ted , exhausted and w orth less stu ff so largely en te rin g in to th e sh ipm ents which are now , by th e ir a rriva l as “ F irs t of th e Season’s T eas,” creating such ex citem en t am ongst “ th e tra d e ” here. Sales of con­siderably over 20,000 packages ta k e place to -day .

Do B a t s e a t B e e t l e s ?— Mr. H aldano in h is E ssay on “ G r u b ” (shortly to tee th e ligh t) ra ises th is question . An au th o r ity answ ers i t in th e affirm ative, as follow s :— “ B a ts do ea t beetles. I have often found in th e early m orning large q u an titie s of th e e ly tra of beetles u n d e r th e verandah of our house, p u n c ­tu re d by b a ts ’ te e th . T he b a ts suspend them selves on a bell-w ire a f te r cap tu rin g th e beetles, and devour them a t th e ir le isu re .” P lan te rs m ust therefo re look upou b a ts as th e ir friends an d allies Yin th e d e s tru c ­tio n of coclichafers.

C a w n p o r e E x p e r im e n t a l F a r m . —T he G overnm ent of In d ia have review ed th e report on the operations ot las t au tum n a t th e experim ental F arm , C aw npore, la s t A ugust, i t was no ticed by them th a t th e supe ri­o rity of the E uropean over th e N ative system of p loughing h ad n o t been dem onstrated , an d i t was requested th a t the re su lts of th e tw o m ethods n ig h t be fu rth e r com pared. T he p resen t rep o rt of M r. F u lle r contains a good deal of in te restin g evidence w hich bears upon th is po in t. T he conclusions suggested b y h is carefu lly recorded experim ents, an d by th e accounts received from th e C ourt of W a rd s’ E sta te s an d else­w here, seem to th e G overnm ent to be th a t in th e case of shallow -feeding p lan ts, such as m aize and o th er cereal grasses, inversion of th e soil may be unserv ice­able o r even in jurious, unless th e freshy tu rn e d clod is given tim e to m a tu re ; b u t th a t fo r crops, like co tton and th e pulses, w hich s tr ik e fa r in to th e ground by a ta p root, deep cu ltiv a tio n is lik e ly to be beneficial, p a rticu larly in seasons of scan ty rain fall. Mr. F u lle r is of opinion th a t bone-m anure could only come in to any general use in In d ian cu ltiva tion in th e form of bone-dust, u n trea ted w ith su lphuric acid, as th e cost of converting i t in to superphosphate of lim e would be prohibitive to th e o rd in ary cu ltiva to r. H e adds th a t th e so lub ility of th e bone-dust is m uch less th a n th a t of the superphosphate , and hence th a t th e fu ll effect of i ts use w ould n o t be know n til l th e second year a fte r i ‘s application . N o d oub t he w ill no te th e ch arac te r of th e n ex t crop w hich is ta k e n off th e p lo t experim ented upon. To judge from th e re su lts of th e com parative cu ltiv a tio n of exotic an d indigenous fod­der crops, th e common c o u n try jv a r is p rac tica lly equal in value to th e black-seeded sorgho, an d g rea tly supe ri­or to R eana luxurians, G uinea grass seem s to be a m ore prom ising crop th a n th e o th e r exotics tes ted , an d its fu rth e r cu ltiv a tio n w ill be w atched w ith in te r ­es t. T he experim ents in foreign cottons m ay possibly, as is poin ted o u t in th e rep o rt lead to th e in tro d u c ­tion of su itab le co tto n p lan ts in d is tr ic ts w here th e n a tiv e v arie ty is n o t grow n. T he “ K a isa r” plough appears to be now w ell estab lished in th e m arket, an d some im provem ents have been effected in th e experim ental w ate r- lif t.— M adras M ail.

$ o t | i ] 6 s p o n d i 3 n o e -

To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer.C A SU A R IN A C U L T IV A T IO N

M a tu ra ta , A ugust 1st, 1881.D e a r S i r , — In y our issue of th e 3 0 th o f Ju ly , 1

notice a p arag raph on th e cu ltiv a tio n of casuarina and th e profits to be gained th ereb y . C ould you k in d ly inform me : firs tly , w here th e seed could be p ro c u re d ; secondly, w h a t m akes th e casuarina give such a good re tu rn ? In fact, in w h a t does its value consist ?

T h e above-m entioned p arag raph sta te s th a t common w aste lan d is good enough for th e purpose. W ould a paddy field su it ? I shou ld be g lad to hear your opinion, as I am in te re s ted in th e cu ltiv a tio n of all new p ro d u c ts .—Y ours, IN Q U IR E R .

T E A C U L T IV A T IO N .1st A ugust.

D e a r S i r , — “ Y oung T ea” (if h is p lan ts are Assam hybrids) would do w ell to tak e off every th ing g row ­in g close to th e ground , to a t leas t six inches above th e surface ; rem ove a ll suckers ; to p th e p lan ts dow n to 2' 6" or 2 ' 9 ' ; and clear o u t th e cen tre round th e stem som ething in th e sam e w ay as in coffee. T h is w ill insure a s trong grow th la te ra lly , b u t 110 p ick ing of flushes should be a ttem p ted u n ti l th e re are from six to seven buds on each shoot, i.e. th a t each shoot would be p-bout 7 o r 8 inches in leng th . I am n o t certa in w h a t m onth the cold season is due a t L em asto ta, b u t p ru n in g should only ta k e place in th e cold w eather when l i t t le o r no wood is being form ed. —Y ours fa ith fu lly , SW A D D Y .

P L A N T IN G A N D C O F F E E P R O S P E C T S IN JA M A IC A .

B otanical D epartm en t, G ordon Tow u, Jam aica,21st Ju n e 1881.

D e a r S i r , —I beg to send you by th is m ail a copy of our recen tly issued H andbook of Jam aica , w hich I send your w orthy co ad ju to r and yourself as a m em ento from th e F a r W est.

Since m y a rriv a l here I have been n early overw helm ed w ith w ork, in a g rea t m easure a rre a rs of form er tim es when th e d ep artm en t had no chief.

I nevertheless follow events in Ceylon w ith g rea t in ­te rest, an d read th e Observer as a record of efforts of in ­d u s try and energy w hich , perhaps, no o th e r p a r t of th e world can shew . I sincerely w ish you every success.

In rep ly to a question received a sh o rt tim e ago, I am happy to say w e have no p rev a len t an d wide­spread disease affecting our coffee e s ta tes , w hich in sp ite of th e lafe hurricane , a re prom ising m ost ab und­a n t crops. D r. Cooke’s rem arks could n o t possibly app ly to Jam aica, and he w as ev iden tly m isinform ed as to th e ex-stvnco of disease on our e s ta te s .— I am, very fa ith fu lly yours, D. M O RR IS.

[W e copy M r. M orris’s suggestions for th e im ­provem ent of th e coffee in d u s 'ry in Jam aica in to th e Tropical A gricu lturist.— E d. ]

“ C. U R IT U S IN G A ” IN U P P E R H E W A H E T A .Mooloya, D elto ta , A ugust 1st, 1881.

D ear S ir.— I have ju s t received from m y b ro th e r, M r. J . F . D eane-D rake, w ho is a t p resen t a t home, th e enclosed, which is a copy of a le t te r he received from Messrs. H ow ard & Sons. T he bark here re ­fe rred to w as a email sam ple tak en from four trees (8£ years old) w hich are grow ing on th is esta te . T here arc, I should say, from 20 to 30 trees of the same species and age a t p resen t grow ing here, and I have been lucky enough to secure over tw o pounds of ripe

seed from th em in th e la s t th ree m onths. Should you care for th e analysis, I sha ll be g lad to fo rw ard i t to you on its a rriv a l from E ngland . I m ay add th a t these trees are grow ing in a ra th e r poor d ry sub-soil, and w ere la s t year m anured w ith c a ttle m anure.

One tree w hich I m easured was 1' 10"in circum fer­ence a t th e surface of th e ground : four feet from th e surface i t was 1-1J in circum ference, an d i ts h e ig h t w ould be abou t 22 fee t.—Y o u rs faith fu llv ,

C. F. D E A N E -D R A K E .

{Copy.) S tra tfo rd , London F ., 28th Ju n e , 1881.D ear S ir,— W ith reference to our in te rv iew y e s te r­

day , o u r M r. J . E . H ow ard, F .R .S ., called here th is m orning, and th e sam ple you left us has been identified by him as C. U ritusinga, p robab ly g row n in ra th e r a d ry soil for th is varie ty . W e propose su b m ittin g a p o rtion of y o u r sam ple to a chem ical analysis and on com pletion of th e same w e sha ll have th e p leasu re of com ­m u nicating w ith you again. T h ink ing th e y will p rob­ab ly be of in te rest, w e have sen t you by th is post sam ples of th e D utch G overnm ent barks ju s t a rriv ed from Ja v a viz., C. officinalis, v a rie ty U ritusinga , &c. Calisaya, Ledgeriana. Y ou w ill a t once notice in th e form er th e s ingu larly close resem blance to your sam ple. — W e are, d ear sir, yours tru ly ,

To Deane D rake, Esq. (Sd.) H o w a rd & Sons.[The C. U ritu singa of H ow ard, original Loxa bark , is

now m ore generally spoken of as th e Condam inea v a rie ty of crow n bark s : renew ed bark of th is k in d has sold as h igh as 10s per lb ., so th a t th e M ooloya seed from trees eigh t years old oug h t to be valuab le .—E d .]

SH O R T CR O PS D U E TO P O O R C U L T IV A T IO N .Ju ly 31st, 1881.

S i r , —I agree w ith yo u r correspondents w ho hold th a t crops w hich are sh o rt th is year are due, n o t so m uch to season or elevation , since th e re a re so m any instances w’here a line of coffee separa tes, on th e one, 10 cw7t. p e r acre from no th in g p er acre, on th e o ther.

I t w ould, su rely , be a very ex trao rd in ary th in g if a line w hich was n o t a m ounta in ridge could so in ­fluence as to separa te th e season on its e ither side ! rl he fac t is, th a t w herever coffee -was cheaply w orked la s t year, th e re th e crop is bad : le t th is cheap course be repeated , an d n ex t y ear th e crop w ill be worse.

In m ost instances, wherever coffee w as h igh ly cu l­tiv a ted , especially in m anuring , th e re th e crop is very good. W here m anure failed, th e w’ood wras too la te and unm atured . T his wood is now ready, b u t u n fo rtu n a te ly th is is n o t th e blossom ing season.

No im provem ent, b u t th e reverse, unless th e y change hands, can be hoped for from es ta tes too involved to afford m anure.

V ery m uch prom inence is given to th e K elebokka valley th is year, w here some places w hich have alw ays been highly k e p t up are doing ju s t to lerab ly w ell.

B u t th e crops there cannot hold a candle to some in D im bula, and, a f te r twTo such very sh o rt seasons, w ould have, three years ago, caused m ore grum blings th an congratulations.

Is th e re n o t an e rro r in th e s ta te m e n t “ th a t th e crops from average es ta tes th e re am ounted to as much during th e la s t five as du ring th e five p revious years ” ?

There w as, i t is tru e , a very heavy crop from every es­ta te in th e d ry season of 1876-77, th e surp lus of w hich, by spread ing i t over succeeding seasons, helped to uphold th e average, b u t i ts influence fur such a purpose was expended some tim e ago, an d if th e average fo r five years, end ing w ith th e com ing crop, w ere placed beside th a t of th e five previous years, i t w ould com pa-e m ost unfavorably . W ith a generous ex p en d itu re upon m anure, K elebokka w ill, how ever, hold its ow n be?ide m ost o th er d istric ts in th e coun try .

T R A M P .

C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N .Nineteenth A nnua l Report o f the Government Cinchona

Plantations in B ritish S ikk im by S u r g e o n -M a j o r G e o r g e K i n g , m . b ., f . l . s . , Superintendent o f

the R oyal Botanical Garden, Calcutta, and o f Cinchona Cultivation in Bengal.

T he avow ed ob jec t of G overnm ent in m ain ta in ing ita C inchona P lan ta tio n in S ikkim is n o t to grow bark fo r sale in E ngland or elsew here, b u t to produce raw m ateria l fo r th e m anufacture of c inchona febrifuge for th e use of th e people of th is coun try , an d in s tr ic t accordance w ith th is p rinc ip le i t has been conducted from th e first. W e have now h ad about four years’ experience of th e m anufactu re of febrifuge on a large scale, an d for ab o u t th e same period th e m edicine has been in general use iu th is co u n try . W e have therefo re some in form ation to guide us, b o th as to th e am oun t of febrifuge w hich th e p lan ta tio n can p ro ­duce, an d as to to th e am oun t w hich is lik e ly to be consum ed annually . T he issues of febrifuge for th e y ea r 1879-80 am ounted to 8,164 pounds, while th e p lan ta tio n is capable of p roducing a considerably larger q u a n tity th an th a t . Febrifuge being prepared from red bark, I do n o t consider i t necessary or advisable to increase th e stock of red b a rk tree s for th e p resen t, and accordingly d u rin g the y ea r w hich h as ju s t ended none w ere p lan ted o u t. T he num ber j of red bark s on th e tw o p lan ta tio n s of M ungpoo an d S ittong s ta n d s a t m ore th a n four m illions, an d m any of th e trees are q u ite young. T hese are sufficient to prov ide raw m ateria l fo r a considerably ex tended consum ption of febrifuge. N o tw ith stan d in g th e good estim ation in w hich febrifuge is now held by th e m edical profession in In d ia , th e re s til l exists, an d p robab ly alw ays w ill ex is t, th e necessity of supp ly ing G overnm ent hosp itals an d d ispensaries w ith a certa in am oun t of su lp h a te of quinine. I t is therefo re of im portance to stock th e p la n ta tio n w ith a sufficient num ber of qu in ine-producing b a rk trees to m eet th e G overnm ent dem and for quin ine. Of such trees we have tw o sorts on th e p la n ta tio n —nam ely Calisaya, and a supposed h y b rid v arie ty w hich appeared on the p lan ta tio n some years ago. M r. W ood’s analysis show ed th a t th is new v a rie ty y ie lds a bark rich in quin ine, and steady efforts have therefore fo r years been m ade to increase it . D uring th e y ea r 85,000 p lan ts of th is hybrid w ere p u t o u t a t M ungpoo and5,000 a t S ittoug , b ring ing up th e fu ll n um ber now on th e p lan ta tio n to close 011 tw o h u n d red thousand . A s has been frequen tly explained in previous reports, C alisaya is a specific nam e w hich covers a large num ber of varie ties, m any of w hich produce bark s w hich are essentially d rugg ists’ b arks, being well su ited for p repara tions such as decoctions a n d t in c t­u res, bu t being nn su ited fo r th e m anufactu re of febrifuge, a ’d con tain ing too li t t le quin ine to be w orked profitab ly as sources of th e pu re su lp h a te of th a t a lkaloid. O ne of th e varieties of C alisaya is surpassingly rich in quin ine, an d th is , in com plim ent to th e Collector w ho b ro u g h t th e seed of i t from South A m erica, has been nam ed L edgeriana. Mr. W ood’s analysis of .th e various form s of C alisaya enabled us to d istingu ish th e bad ones by th e ir leaves, and m y recen t v is it to th e D u tch P lan ta tio n s in Ja v a

67

confirm ed th e belief th a t our b es t tree s of C alisaya are veritab le L edgerianas. E very effort has th ere fo re been m ade to increase our stock of L edgeriana , an d d u rin g th e y ea r 99,415 p lan ts of th a t v a rie ty of C a li­saya w ere added to th e p erm an en t p la n ta tio n . T h e difficulties of p ropagating th is so rt m ake progress r a th e r slow , an d th e to ta l nu m b er of C alisaya trees on th e p lan ta tio n s ti l l reaches only 412,000. T here was, how ever, a t th e end of th e year, a considerable n ursery stock of young p lan ts (nam ely 380,000), an d d uring th e y ea r w e have now en tered upon, th e L edgeriana p lan ta tio n (saving b lig h t and b ad w eather) shou ld be considerably increased. T he to ta l num ber of trees p lan ted o u t on th e tw o p lan ta tio n s is g iven in th e follow ing tab le :—

T o ta l Trees in perm anent P lantation.R ed. Yellow. N ew un-

(C. Succi- (C. Cali- n am ed O ther ru b ra ) sa y a .) v arie ty , k inds.

M ungpoo D ivision 2.902,335 393,915 146,020 30,592S ittoug d itto 1,132,200 18,780 53,878

T o ta l...4,034,535 412,695 199,898 30,592G ran d to ta l of a ll k in d s } M ungpoo .. . 3,472,862

on b o th p lan ta tio n s ... > S itto n g ... 1,204,858

4,677,720

2. D etails o f the year’s crop.— T he crop fo r th e y ea r consisted of 377,525 pounds of d ry b a rk , of w hich348,560 pounds were taken from th e o ld an d 28,965 pounds w ere g o t b y th in n in g th e new p lan ta tion . Of th e y ie ld of th e o ld p la n ta tio n 267,335 p o unds w ere re d bark, an d 81,225 were C alisaya ; th e nc-w p la n ta ­tion b a rk (28,965 pounds) w as a ll red . T h is crop exceeds th a t of th e previous year b y abou t 16,000 pounds, an d is th e la rg est w hich has y e t been g a th ­ered. T he increase is due to th e large q u a n tity of C alisaya—a bark w h ich has form ed b u t a sm all p ro ­p o rtion of any form er crop, w hile th is y ea r i t form s nearly a fifth of th e whole. A nd th e largeness of the am oun t of Calisaya bark is due to th e fact th a t d u rin g th e year a g re a t n um ber of trees of in ferio r an d doubtfu l so rts were uprooted . This w as done as p a r t of th e policy of reducing th e yellow bark p la n ta ­tio n as qu ick ly as possible to one of pure L edgeriana . W hen th is ob jec t has been com pletely effected, good tru s tw o rth y seed of a p u re quin ine y ield ing b a rk tree m ay be hoped for, an d propagation of th e best species shou ld thencefo rw ard be m ade easier. T he C ali­saya b a rk go t from these uproo ted trees being, as already sta ted , u n su ited for th e m anufactu re e ith e r of febrifuge or of quin ine, th e re w as no way of d isposing of i t b u t b y se in in g i t to London for sale, and , w ith th e sanction of G overnm ent, a sm all consignm ent of i t was sh ipped to E ng lan d iu th e ea rly p a r t of th e year. Yellow b a rk of any k in d from In d ia has never before been offered in th e London m ark e t, an d in ­deed, excep t a t M ungpoo, i t is not grow n anyw here in B ritish Ind ia . O p p o rtu n ity w as therefore ta k e n to add to th e consignm ent of in fe rio r bark s a sm all q u a n tity of our rea lly good L edgeriana bark , so as to ge t some idea of its com m ercial value. T h e re su lt was m ost sa tisfacto ry . T he 625 pounds of L edgeriana b a rk w hich were b rought to auction in London sold for 10s lOd p er pound. T he inferio r bark s also b rought

excellen t prices, one ba tch of 2,655 pounds hav ing been sold for 7s 6d p er lb . O ther bark s b ro u g h t 5s Id , 3s lOd, 3s 9d, 3s 8d, 3s 7d, 2s 10<l, an d 2s 9d p e r pound, an d th e average price ob ta ined fo r th e 12,519 pounds th a t w ere sold w as 4s ( i p e r pound. S tep s have been taken , w ith th e sanction of G overn­m ent, for th e clearing ou t, in a sim ilar m anner, of a fu rth e r q u an tity of th e in fe rio r yellow b a rk now sto red a t th e facto ry , and th e re su lts of th e sale of th is second lo t w ill appear in th e accounts of th e p resen t year. T here is, how ever, no in ten tio n of send ing to m a rk e t any b a rk w hich cau be used in th e fac to ry e ith e r for th e p roduction of febrifuge or of quinine. T he red bark crop was taken by u p ro o t­ing seven ty five acres of eleven years old trees, th e re su lt being an o u ttu rn of 1,510 pounds of d ry b a rk p e r acre. T h is is a poor yield, b u t th e p a tch was n o t a good one. T he rem ainder of th e red bark crop w as ob tained by th inn ing o u t trees w here th ey stood too closely together. T he ex ac t figures w ill be found as an appendix to th is repo rt.

3. Expenditure f o r the yea r .—T he ex p en d itu re for th e year am ounted to R71,705-10-4, and th u s fell sh o rt of th e b udget es tim ate an d a llo tm en t by 111,783 5-8. Of th is expend itu re th e re w as in cu rred on th e young p lan ta tio n a t S ittong th e sum of R l l , 424-3-1, and th a t sum is chargeable to th e S itto n g cap ita l account. T he w hole of th e rem aining ex p en d itu re , nam ely R 60 ,281-7-3, w as incu rred on th e o ld p lan ta tio n and is chargeable as working expenses, an d against i t there is to be se t th e crop fo r th e year. T he figures stand th u s—

R . A. r . R. A . r .T o ta l expenditu re for th e

y ear ... ... . . . 71,705 10 4

C apita l expenditure.E x p en d itu re on S itto n g

P lan ta tio n ................ 9,132 5 0P ropo rtio n of E uropean,

N ative, and office estab ­lishm ent .................................. 2,291 14 1

---------- 11,424 3 1Working expenses.

U pkeep and w orking of R ungbee, R ishap audM ungpoo 48,187 15 3

P roportion of E uropean an d office estab lish m en t ... 12,093 8 0

--------- 60,281 7 3

71,705 10 4

A gainst th e w o rk ing ex p en d itu re on th e old p lan ta tio n th e re has to be se t a bark crop of 348,560 pounds of d ry bark , th e cost price per pound of which is th e re fo re annas 2 pies 9 2053, o r equal to som ething less th an four pence ste rling . T he whole of th is bark , as w ell as the b a rk from S itto n g (w hich for conveni­ence of account I have valu d a t th e sam e ra te), h as been m ade over to th e factory , and th e value of i t (a t cost price) has b. en d eb ited to th e factory. T h e value of th e S ittong bark w ill be c red ited to th e S ittong P lan ta tio n , and th is prac tice w ill continue an n u a lly to be follow ed u n til th e S itto n g P lan ta tio n comes in to fu ll bearing . T he accounts of th is S i t ­tong P lan ta tio n ought, w hen i t is com pleted, to be of m uch in te rest to cinchona p lan te rs , as th ey w ill show a t bow cheap a ra te a p lan ta tio n can be p u t o u t w hen th e price of experience does not. form , as i t so o ften does in new enterprises, a very heavy item in th e cap ita l expend itu re .

4. Carthagena bark .— In la s t y ear's rep o rt I gave an account of th e in troduc tion , th ro u g h Mr. Cross an d th e R oyal G arden of Kew , of a new species of cinchona, nam ely th e species (as y e t n o t bo tan ically iden tified) w hich y ie ld s th e C arthagena or C olum bian

I b a rk so largely im ported to London from th e n o rth - j e rn p a r t of S ou th A m erica. F o u r p la n ts of th is w ere i b ro u g h t o u t to In d ia by th e la te M r. B ierm anu in : J a n u a ry 1880. T hey a rriv ed in good condition , an d 1 during th e year, th ey w ere increased largely by c u t­

tin g s. P ropagation w e n t on m ost favourab ly for som e tim e ; b u t la te r on in th e y ea r th e young p lan ts w ere severe ly a tta c k e d by th e pes t only too w ell know n to g ardeners as “ th r ip .” T he usual t re a tm e n t w as app lied w ith vigour, b u t in sp ite of th is , w hen th e y ear ended th e six orig inal p lan ts had been increased on ly to 60 roo ted p la n ts an d 90 p a r tia lly roo ted c u t ­tin g s. E very effort will con tinue to be m ade to i n ­crease th e sto ck of th is in te re s tin g species.

5. D istribution o f P lan ts and Seed.— T he h igh prices g o t by th e D utch G overnm ent for th e ir L edg erian a bark has c rea ted a b risk enqu iry for th e seed of th is varie ty , chiefly am ongst Ceylon p lan te rs S uccirub ra seed has also been in some dem and. D uring th e y ea r th e sum of R 3 ,269-10 realised chiefly fo r th e sale of L edgeriana seed an d p la n ts w as paid in to th e T re a ­sury as G overnm ent revenue. T h is sum will be found en te red in th e general cash accoun t g iven as an a p ­p end ix to th e Q uinologist’s report.

6. L and rent.-— T he sum of R l ,430-10 raised from se ttle rs w ith in th e cinchona reserve was paid in to th e D arjee ling T reasury as lan d revenue. T his does n o t appear am ongst th e p lan ta tio n receipts.

7. Survey o f Sittong.—-The survey of the ou tly in g p a r ts of th e reserve w hich are su itab le fo r c inchona p lan tin g has now been com pleted, an d by th e cou rtesy of G eneral W alker, c.B ., Surveyor-G eneral of In d ia ,I have been supp lied w ith copies of th e m ap. T he m ap appears to be an excellen t one, an d i t w ill be of g re a t use in w ork ing th e p la n ta tio n accu ra te ly .

8 . E stim ated Crop o f 1881-82.—In accordance w ith th e princip le of w ork ing th e p lan ta tio n so lely as a source of supp ly of raw m ateria l for th e facto ry , th e b ark crop of 1882 m ust have reference to the d em and for fe b rifu g e ; an d to m eet th a t dem and I es tim ate th a t i t w ill like ly be necessary to ta k e a crop of from 300,000 1,0 350,000 pounds, an am oun t w hich is considerably w ith in th e producing pow er of th e p lan ta tio n .

9. I n m y rep o rt on m y v is it m ade d u rin g 1879 to th e C inchona P lan ta tio n s of th e D utch G overnm ent in Ja v a , I described a mode of tak in g th e b a rk crop w hich h ad recen tly been proposed by M r. M oens, th e D irecto r of those p lan ta tions. I h is m ethod con­sis ts in shaving off th e g rea te r part of th e b a rk of a living tre e to th e h e ig h t of from e ig h t to ten fee t from th e ground, care being tak en to leave ev e ry ­w here a sufficiently th ic k la y e r of b a rk to cover th e wood. T h is m ethod has now h ad m ore th a n a y e a r’s tr ia l on th e S ikk im p lan ta tio n , a certa in num ber of trees p er m onth hav ing been shaved since th e beg in­n in g of th e year 1880. T he re su lts have been favour­able. E v ery m o n th ’s tree s have renew ed th e ir b a rk w ell, those shaved d u rin g A pril hav ing done so (M r. Gam m ie te lls me) ra th e r b e tie r th a n any of th e rest. T he bark of th e trees ea rliest shaved is now ab o u t as th ick as w as th e o rig inal bark, aud i t is clean,hea lth y , aud uniform . T here is no doubt, therefo re ,th a t u n d e r th is plan b a rk renew s perfectly-. W h a t now rem ains to be seen is w h e th er the renew ed bark is equally rich in m edicinal alkalo ids w ith th e original. I n o rder to te s t th is, I in ten d to have some analyses m ade of sa m p h s of renew ed bark , an d th e re su ltsof these analyses I hope to give in my n ex t an n u a lreport.

10. T he D utch p lan of g ra ftin g L edgeriana on Succi­ru b ra stocks has also been tr ie d d u rin g th e year, b u t I re g re t to say w ith l i t t le success. T h e ex perim en t w ill, how ever, be persevered in . In th e m a tte r of propagation of L edgeriana w e are now very w ell o ff; fo r th e bad varie ties of C alisaya having been n early a ll up roo ted from th e p lan ta tio n , th e seed y ie lded is

now m uch m ore reliable th a n i t has been heretofore. O ur stock p lan ts are, m oreover, now in fa irly good condition an d y ie ld a considerable n um ber of cuttings.

1J. T he general condition of th e p la n ta tio n is sa tisfacto ry . T he o lder trees look q u ite as w ell as ever I recollect to have seen them , and some of th e younger p lan tin g is very fine indeed. T he g row th of succirubra on th e new p lan ta tio n a t S itto n g is not, how ever, so sa tis fac to ry as could be w ished. C o n tra ry to all expectation , L edgeriana an d our qu in ine-pro­ducing h y b rid are found to th r iv e b e tte r on land w ith a sou thern exposure th a n on lan d th a t slopes to th e no rth . M r. G am m ie has therefore p repared for p lan tin g a considerable a rea of laud w h ich h ad h ith e r ­to been regarded as unsu itab le for an y k in d of c in ­chona. T h is sa tisfac to ry re su lt will postpone fo r a few years th e necessity fo r p lan ting in th e recen tly acqu ired cinchona reserves in B hu tan . In p lan tin g L edgeriana la s t year, M r. G am m ie took th e precau tion of p u ttin g tw o p lan ts to each stake , w ith th e view of cu ttin g th e second of them o u t should i t tu rn o u t to be of a bad sort, or of tran sp lan tin g one, shou ld both p lau ts tu rn o u t tru e Ledgeriana. T he m ajo rity of these recen tly p u t o u t p lan ts are, how ever, tu rn ing o u t pure L edgerianas ; th e re w ill therefo re be a consider­able num ber of tran sp lan ts available from th is source d u ring th e approaching p lan tin g season.

12. The financial aspect of th e w hole cinchona en te rp rise will be found tre a te d of in d e ta il in p a ra ­graph 8 of tb e Q uinologist’s repo rt. I t is only necess­a ry for m e to s ta te here t h a t th e re su lt of th e w ork ing of th e o ld p lan ta tio n fo r th e year has been a n ac tu a l profit of 1180,000, w hich is equal to e igh t p er cen t on th e cap ita l, and th a t (valued a t cost price) th e stock in han d in th e godowns a t th e end of th e y ea r was w orth K94,924. The.^e are th e ac tu a l cash resu lts , b u t th e y by no m eans rep resen t th e w hole of th e advan tage w hich G overnm ent has derived from its cinchona p ro p erty . D uring th e y ear 5,500 pounds of febrifuge were used in G overnm ent hosp ita ls and d ispensaiies iu su b s titu tio n of quinine. Q uinine during th e w hole y ear ru led a t a h igh ra te , an d in a t r u s t ­w o rth y London T rad e (Jircular, th e average w hole­sale p rice fo r th e year is g iven a t 12 shillings per ounce. C alcu la ted a t a ra te of exchange equal to Is S£d p er rupee (and includ ing no th ing for th e cost of t r a n s it to Ind ia), th is is equal to R l 12 per pound. B u t even tak in g R100 as th e price w hich G overnm ent w ould have had to pay fo r quinine, th e cost of 5,500 pounds of i t would have been R 5 ,50,000, w hereas an equal q u a n tity of febrifuge was u eed a t a nom inal cost of R90,880. T here w as th u s effected a clear saving of m ore th a n four and a ha lf lakhs of rupees, a sum p re tty n early equal to ha lf th e to ta l e x p en d itu re on th e p lan ta tio n s (including com pound in te re s t a t 4 per cen.0 sin^e th e ir com m encem ent. T h e savings effected by sim ilar su b s titu tio n s of feb ri­fuge for quin ine in form er years am ounted to eleven a n d th re e q u a r te r lakhs, th e t )ta l saving now th e re ­fore s ta n d s a t six teen and a q u a r te r lakhs of rupees.A s the object of tio v ern m en t is n o t to m ake money b y its p lan tation , b u t to p rov ide th e m asses of the people w ith a good rem edy for fever, cheap enough to be w ith in reach even of th e poorest, i t m ay soon become a question w hether th e se lling price of the febrifuge m ight n o t be reduced.

13. D uring th e y ea r two add itions w ere m ade to th e p lan ta tio n sta ff by th e a rriva l from th e R oyal G ardens. Kew, of M essrs. K ennedy an d Pavkes. M r. P an tling , w ho was form erly sec m d assistan t, w as transfe rred early in th e ye r to th e cu ra to r- sh ip of th e B otanical G arden, C a lcu tta , an d Mr. H. C rofton w as appoin ted to officiate lo r him . M r. L ister, th e firs t assis tan t, h as w orked w ell d u rin g th e year, a n d in h im M r. G am m ie has h ad a m ost efficient and tru s tw o rth y helper. M r. G am m ie’s ow n m erits are

a lread y w ell k n ow n to G overnm ent, an d d u rin g th e past, as d u rin g form er years, [lie has done adm irab le service.

14. T h e usua l j are appended.

a n n u a l re tu rn s (five in num ber)

t i .o

i f

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’1881 Is!uo uorv&8‘Bdojd j o j

sjmqd-qoojs jo jequm x

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o o o o o o oTable showing the number and distribution of Cinchona

Plants in the Government Plantation, Sittong Division, on the 1st April 1881.

N a m e s o f s p e c ie s of C in c h o n a .

Num

ber

in p

er­

man

ent

pla

nta

tio

n

on

1st

Apr

il

1881

.

fc£_i to t-goo !- 8 1 . § 8 00 ,~ r-1s ^ ^c ,© 5 ©

Ph - Num

ber

in p

er­

man

ent

pla

nta

tio

n

on 1s

t A

pril

18

81.

C . N ew v a r i e t y .............C . S u c c i ru b ra .............C . C a l i s a y a ......................

48.8781,132,200

12,780

5.000

6.000

53,8781,132,200

18,780

T o ta l . . , 1,193,858 11,000 1,204,858

S c3tt)

'Se

© ® © ><5 © X 3 S 5 H S H O

^cot-Cirfco r ccT

1 0 0 0 1 5 0 1 3© #M "t* IQ © 1-400 © <MjO ©

I iO >0 © »o ® © NO>00«O-hO . C5 rHOI I-J i *£ eo cT rr © ©MW I-H f*

•6910'e Cl 139X1}e;i?mixojdy j

C O O K3 O O i- r— © io ic .- . r - 1>. i5 |25 «j} ©T -r*

Table showing the produce o f the Government Cinchona P lantations in B ritish S ik k im since

their beginning.M u n g p o o D i v i s i o n .

D ry bark co llected by p ru n in g an d

•s)umd jo .Toquinu t ' e u i S i J f )

jT5 qjBdn e o n ' B i s i ( J

•Suijtrejd jo JT59J

© Q) ,-H © © O O h S O c0 0 CO CO 0 0 © 0 0

D §

| f c.

I "S -o J “a. |p §

^ p - ...rae-iKco

th in n in g du ring D itto D itto D itto D itto D itto

C rop of 1575-'

D ittoD ittoD ittoD ittoD itto

Do. of Do. of Do. of Do. of Do. of

161876-771877-781878-79 1879 80 1880-81

1869-70...1870-71...1871-7-2...1872-73...1873-74...1874-75...

T o ta l

n>2 ,400

12,50039.000 N il

16.000 39,405

211,931 207,781 344,225 261,659 345,740 348,560

1,829,201

S it t o n g D i v i s i o n .D ry b a rk collected by p ru n in g and

th in n in g d u rin g 1879-80...D itto D itto 1880-81...

T o ta l

15,85028,965

44,815

G e o r g e K in g , 11.11., Surgeon-M ajor, S uper­in te n d e n t, R oyal B otan ic G arden , C a lcu tta .

Q u i n o l o g is t ’s D e p o r t f o r 1880-81.T he opera tions a t th e fac to ry du ring th e year m ay

be sum m arised as follow s :—F o r a fac to ry e x p en d itu re of R 85,921-6-3 (includ ing th e cost of th e b a rk used), 9,296 lb. of cinchona febrifuge were produced , of w hich 8,653 lb . 13 oz. w ere disposed of to th e G overnm ent M edical D epdts an d to th e public.

2. T he b u d g e t a llo tm en t of th e fac to ry for th e year was R35 700, b u t of th is sum on ly R 27 ,784-10-9 w ere spen t, so th a t th e re w as a saving of 117,915-5-3. T h e d e ta ils of th e fac to ry ex p en d itu re are given in th e follow ing tab le :—

P a id fo r acid, 29,007 lb ...............................packages fo r d itto carriage of d itto

,, of em pty j a r s ................soda, carriage & sto rage of d itto charcoal ...casks an d o th e r p la n t... carriage of d itto su n d ry expend itu relabour in fac to ry .................Q uinologist trav e llin g expenses carriage of febrifuge ... t in s for d ittoad v ertisem en t charges .. labour in packing , &c.

R . A.5,424 8

222 8 3,026 12 1,552 11 5,950 5

202 13 472 14 201 13

1,075 0 2,596 6 3,912 14

206 4 731 10

1,192 5 557 4 458 6

Stock o f B a rk on \s t A p r i l 1881.

S uccirub ra ................C alisaya ................O n th e w ay to London

Officinalis ................M ic ran th a ................P ah u d ian a ................

T o ta l

lb

64,90044,600

lb159,825

109,5003,9003,977

600

277,802

Cost of b a rk , 218,005 lb. (crop of 1879-80), a t a n ­n as 2-6 4147 per lb.

Cost of bark, 136,475 lb. (crop of 1880-81), a t an ­nas 2-9 2053 p er lb . ...

R .T o ta l... 2 7 ,784 '10 9

34,534 2 3

23,602 9 358,136 11 6

85,921 6 3

B y febrifuge produced, R9-3-10-625 p e r lb .

9,296 lb ., a t85,9-21 6 3

3. T hese figures shew th a t th e n e t cost per lb. of th e febrifuge was R9-3-10-625, w hich is ab o u t (14L

fourteen an d a q u a r te r ann as less th a n th e cost of th e produce of 1879-80. T h ey also show th a t th e p roportions deb itab le to raw m ateria l an d to cost of m anufactu re are as follow s :—

R . A. p.P rice of bark used in m aking 1 lb. of

febrifuge ... ... 6 4 0 '760Cost of m anufacture , th in n in g , a d v e r t­

ising, an d sale ... .. ... • •• 2 15 9'8G5

T o ta l ..9 3 10 625 T h is decrease in n e t cost p e r lb . is due to th e low

price of th e b a rk w hich was p rinc ip a lly th a t of 1879 80, w hich stood a t only annas 2 pies 6 4 147 p er lb .

4. D uring th e year, 8,653 lb. 13 oz. of febrifuge w ere disposed of as follow s :— lb. oz.

To M edical D epot, C a lc u tta ... 3,000 0D itto , Bom bay ... 2,000 0D itto , M adras ... 500 0

Sold to the pub lic ... ... . . . 3,150 11G iven as sam ples, &c 3 2

T o ta l... 8,653 13 T h is re su lt is b e tte r by 489 lb. th a n th a t of th e

previous year, during which only 8 ,164 1b. w ere d is­posed of. T he m ost g ra tify in g fea tu re about i t is, however, th a t th e im provem ent is m ain ly due to th e increase of 393 lb. in th e sa les to th e general public, w ith whom th e febrifuge is daily increasing in re p u ta ­tion as a th o ro u g h ly good cure fo r fever.

5. W h en th e o u ttu rn of th e pas t year is add ed to th a t of form er years, th e to ta l p roduction of feb ri­fuge a t th e facto ry since its com m encem ent is b rought up to nearly 37,000 lb . The subjoined tab le show s th e exact resu lt.Febrifuge produced fro m commencement to 31st ,1/arc/d 881.

lb. oz. lb. oz.M anufactured in Supplied to M edical1874-75 .. 48 10 D epot, C a lc u tta ... 15,454 31875-76 .. 1,940 6 S upplied to M edical

D epot, Bom bay ... 5 ,200 01876-77 .. 3,750 12 S upplied to M edical

D epot, M adras ... 1,100 01877-78 .. 5,162 0 Supplied to S tra its

S e ttlem en ts 30 01878-79 .. 7,007 0 Sold for cash 10,393 81879-80 .. 9,434 13 Sam ples, &e. 93 11880-81 .. 9,296 0 S tock in h an d on 31st

M arch 1881 4,368 13

T o ta l...36,639 9 T o ta l.. 36,639 9T he stock on han d a t th e end of the- year (4,368 lb .)

m ay appear large. I t is however, equal to on ly about six m onths’ consum ption, and in m y opinion th is is n o t a t a ll too large a reserve to have in h an d to m eet any possible sudden dem and w hich m ay arise.

6 . A s has been explained in form er repo rts , th e p lan ta tio n an d facto ry are w orked financially as one concern. I t is necessary fo r m e therefo re here to re fe r to th e re su lts of th e w orking of th e p lan ta tio n . A s w ill be seen by th e p lan ta tio n report, th e to ta l ex p en d itu re on th e p i r t of i t w hich is in bearing was 1160,281-7-3, and in re tu rn for th is th e re was h a rv ested a crop of 3,48,560 lb. of bnrk. T h is b a rk was ta k e n over b y th e Q uinologist a t cost price, nam ely annas 2 pies 9 2053 per lb . Besides th is b a rk from th e o ld p lan ta tio n , the re was go t b y th in n in g th e trees on p a r t of th e young or S ittong p lan ta tio n 28,965 lb . of baric. The S ittong p lan tation is n o t y e t in bearing, an d its produce and accounts a re k e p t separa te from (hose of th e old p la n ta tio n . As a m a tte r of convenience, how ever, these 28,965 lb . have been brought in to th e accounts a t th e sam e ra te as th e produce of th e o lder p lan ta tion . T he to ta l p ro ­duce of bo th p lan ta tions, nam ely 3,77,525 lb ., w as th u s m ade over to th e facto ry a t a uniform ra te of

68

annas 2 p ies 9"2053 p e r lb. P a r t of th is b a rk w as used in th e fac to ry d u rin g th e year, a sm all p a r t (unsuitable for m anufactu re o r febrifuge) was sold in London in Ju n e , and of th e balance p a r t rem ained in sto re a t th e end of th e year, w hile p a r t was on i ts w ay to London for sale there . T he sm all con­signm en t se n t to E ngland in Ju n e w as b ro u g h t to auction in London, an d £ 2 ,825 19s l i d w ere realized fo r i t . T he A ccountant-G eneral has n o t as y e t g iven th e p lan ta tio n c red it for th is sum. A ccount sa les have, how ever, been d u ly supp lied to m e, a n d from these I am able to com pile th e follow ing a c c o u n t :—

B . A. r .Proceeds of sale of 12,519 lb . of yellow

cinchona bark , net £2 ,825 19s l i d . ,a t Is 8 Jd p er r u p e e .............................. 33,034 13 3

Less fre ig h t and o th er sh ipp ing charges 744 5 1(1

T o ta l... 32,340 7 57. T he stock account show s l i t t le change since

la s t y e a r . T h e exac t s ta te of it is as fo llow s:— Stock a t 31s< M arch 1880.

Chem icals and stores ............................. 5,848 0 0Febrifuge 3 ,7 2 6 1 lb. a t B10-2 0'845

p er lb ................................................ 37,732 0 0B ark ... ... ... ... ... 55,125 13 5

T o ta l... 98,715 33 5Stock a t 31 st M arch 1881.

C hem icals and sto res .............................. 6,500 0 0F e b r ifu g e 4,368 lb . 13 oz. a t I19-3-10'625

p er lb 40,380 0 0B ark 277,802 lb . overhead a t A 2-9'2053

p er lb ................................................................. 48,044 0 0

D ecrease in value94,924 0 0

3,781 13 5

T o ta l... 98 715 13 58. C ollecting these fignres, th e financial re su lt of

th e w ork ing of th e p lan ta tio n an d fac to ry may be tab u la ted as follow s :—

D r . E . a . p .To value o f stock a t 31st M arch 1880 98,705 13 5 To value of bark y ie ld ed by th e new

(S ittong) p lan ta tio n d u rin g 1879-80, viz. 15,850 1b. a t As. 2-6-6147 p e r il) .(om itted in la s t y ea r’s accounts) ... 2,510 13 0

To value of b a rk y ie lded b y th e new (S ittong) p lan ta tion d u rin g 1880-81, viz. 28,965 1b. a t As. 2-9-2053 p e r il) . 5,008 5 0

To cash received from T reasu ry du ring 1880-81 for ex p end itu re on o ld p la n ta ­tion ... ... 60,281 7 3

To cash received from T reasu ry d u rin g1880-81 for fac to ry 27,784 10 9

P ro fit on th e y e a r’s w ork ing ... .,. 80,290 1 6

C r .T o ta l... 2,74,581 2 11

B y value of stock a t 31st M arch 1881 94,924 0 0 B y cash receip ts for sale of febrifuge,

seed and p lan ts ... ... ... 56,436 11 6By cred its from M edical D epots for

febrifuge, viz. :— I I . A. r .C alcu tta ................... 49,545 0 0B om bay ................... 33,030 0 0M adras ... ... 8,305 0 0

90,880 0 0B y sale of b a rk in London 32,340 7 5

T o ta l. ..2 ,74 ,581 2 11 T he p rofit of R80.290 shown in th is s ta te m e n t is

equal to a d iv idend of e igh t p er cen t 011 the cap ita l ot' th e p lan ta tio n , an d of th is d iv idend 5 p er cent are derived from th e sale of febrifuge and th re e p er cen t from th e sale of a sm all q u an tity of yellow b a rk .

This, how ever, does n o t rep resen t a ll th e advantage w hich G overnm en t derived from its c inchona p ro­p e r ty d u rin g 1880-81* F or, as is show n in m y rep o rt on th e p lan ta tio n , th e saving effected by su b s titu tin g febrifuge for qu in ine in G overnm ent hosp ita ls and d ispensaries du ring th e y ear s lig h tly exceeds four and- a -half lakhs of rupees, or iu o th e r w ords is n early equal to ha lf th e en tire cap ita l expend itu re on th e p lan ta tio n .

In ad d itio n to his du ties as m anager of th e p la n ta ­tio n , Mr. Gam m ie has been in executive charge of th e facto ry du ring th e year, an d I have again to b ring to th e notice of G overnm ent th e adm irable efficiency w ith w hich he has d ischarged h is onerous du ties. N o t only has been G am m ie conducted the ro u tin e of febrifuge m anufactu re w ith precision an d skill, b u t he has sp e n t m uch tim e on a ttem p ts to increase th e percentage of i t ex trac ted from th e bark . T hese a t ­tem pts, I am g lad to say, promise to end iu success. M r. G am m ie has also succeeded in tu rn in g o u t a c ry sta llin e p repara tion of th e febrifuge w hich, being free from th e am orphous alkalo id , m ay prove a p leasan te r medicine th a n the febrifuge in its p resen t form . M r. G am m ie’s crysta lline febrifuge is a very p re t ty p repara tion , being n early as w h ite as quin ine itself. I t is now u n d er tr ia l in various G overnm ent hospitals, an d if i t is repo rted w ell of, a rrangem ents can be m ade for i ts p roduction on a large scale. M r. G am m ie has con tinued to d irec t his a tte n tio n to th e econom ical m anufacture of su lp h a te of quinine. D ecided progress has been m ade in th is m a tte r since las t year, b u t fu rth e r experim ents w ill be necessary before I can advan tageously subm it a fu ll rep o rt 011 th e resu lts . T h e head w rite r in th e cinchona office, Baboo G opal C handra D atta , has w orked exceedingly w ell d u rin g the year, and to h im m y acknow ledg­m ents a re due,

10. A s an appendix to th is repo rt, I give a ta b u la r s ta te m e n t of th e d e ta ils of th e cash rece ip ts for febrifuge, &c., for th e year.

Cash Income f o r 1880-81.R , A. p.

C ash received for sale of febrifuge and paid in to th e B ank of Bengal and o ilier G overnm ent T reasuries ... 52,673 0 0

C red it for cash paid for febrifuge in to D iuagepore T reasury by C ivil S u r­geon of R inagepore du ring 1880-81 74 9 6

C re d it for cash for febrifuge paid in to H ooghly, B urdw an, Jessore, R ungpore an d D inagepore Treasuries by C ivil Surgeons of these d is tric ts du ring 1879-80, b u t c re d it n o t previously given to th is office ... ... ... 295 8 0

C re d it fo r cash paid in to B ank of B en­gal du ring 1880-81 by S u p erin ten d en t of Lock an d Police H osp ita ls, C al­c u tta , fo r febrifuge in d en ted for d u r ­in g 1880-81, b u t supplied a f te r th ey ea r h ad closed ............................. 124 0 0

Cash paid in to B ank of Bengal, Cal­cu tta , an d in to D arjeeling T reasu ry on account of sales of seeds, p lan ts, an d bark ... ... ... ... 3,269 10 0

C re d it for febrifuge supp lied to M edical D epots, v iz .:—

R . A. p .C alcu tta ... 49,545 0 0B om bay ... .. 33,030 0 0M adras ... ... 8,305 0 0

90,880 0 0

T ota l c red ited by A ccoun tan t-G enera l... 1,47,316 11 6 N et proceeds of sale of bark iu London

(not cred ited by A ccountant-G eneral) 32,340 7 5

T o ta l... 1,79,657 2 11

N O T E S ON G U M S, R E SIN S, A N D W A X E S, B y C. G. W a r n f o r d L o c k .

(From th e Jo u rn a l o f the Society o f A r ts .)T he follow ing econom ic notes, from th e jo u rn a ls of

recen t travellers , seem w o rth y of rep ro d u c tio n in a collective form :—

Senegal Gum .— T he p ro d u c t of acacias w hich grow in th e neighbourhood of th e Sahara. D u rin g th e h a rm a ttan w inds, th e gum exudes from th e bark of th e trees in tea rs , an d solidities in th e open a ir, th e am oun t of exudation depending upon th e force au d d u ra tio n of th e w ind. 'The p roduction in 1871 w as 3,161,906 k ilo , (of 2*2 lb .).

M p a fu . — A large tree y ie ld ing a sw eet-scen ted gum - resin, m uch valued by th e natives on th e V ic to ria N yanza.

G um Arabic is produced by A cacia gum m ifera (M im osa gum m ifera , Acacia, coronillaf'olio , M im osa coronillcefolia, Sassa g u m m ifera ), a scarcely know n p la n t of Morocco, occurring a b u n d a n tly as a th o rn y bush in th e low er region of sou th an d w est Morocco, according to th e te s tim o n y of th e natives, w ho call th e p la n t alk tlah. T he gum does n o t seem to be collected iu th e w estern p o rtio n of its range in S ou th Morocco, b u t in Demnefc, w hence i t is carried to M oga- dor. Possib ly ib is only iu th e h o tte r an d d rie r r e ­gions of th e in te rio r th a t th e gum is p roduced in q u an titie s to be w orth gath erin g . A t any ra te , i ts gum is y ie lded only du ring th e h o t, p arch ing m onths of J u ly an d A ugust, an d increases accord ing to th e h o tness of the w* afcher an d th e sick ly appearance of th e tree , being leas t a f te r a w et w in te r au d iu a m ild sum m er.

Some accounts suppose th e M oroccan gum A rab ic to be derived from Acacia arabica, w hich is found in S en eg a l: b u t a il th e inqu iries m ade by Consul R . D rum m ond H ay , for H ooker an d Ball, agree th a t th is p lan t, th e a lk awarwhal of th e Arabs, is nob found in Sus, no such tree ex is ting e ith e r n o r th o r so u th of th e A tla s M ountains, its gum being hi o u g h t from Soudan, an d of inferio r quality to th a t of A . gum m ifera. I t is fu rth e r s ta te d th a t th is la t te r species grow s chiefly iu th e provinces of Blad H am ar, ltaham m a, and Sus.

E lem i.—T his used to be brought in large cakes to Bembe (W est A frica), an d is said to be very ab u n d a n t a t n o t m any days’ journey.

Jutahy-seca .— A resin o r gum w hich exudes from th e b a rk of th e ju ta h y tree of Brazil {H ym m & a mirabil'ts); un iversa lly em ployed for varnishing n ative p o tte ry .

C opal.—R ed gum copal is alm ost en tire ly th e p ro ­d u c t of th e Mossnlo coun try (A ngola), though i t ex ists f a rth e r no rth , as a t M augue G rande. U n til 1858, i t was a p rincipal ex p o rt from A m briz to Am erica, b u t th e w ar stopped i t . A ccording to nativ e accounts, ib is found below th e surface of a h igh ly ferruginous h a rd clay, a t a d ep th of a few inches to tw o feet. I t p robab ly ex tends m uch deeper, b u t th e n atives a re too L zy to look for it. I t occurs in irreg u la r fla t m asses up to severa l lbs. T he natives only d ig for i t d u rin g an d a fte r th e la s t an d heav iest ra in s in M arch-M ay, an d re s tr ic t th e export to m ain ta in th e price. N o trees and b u t l i t t le grass grow s over th e spots. T he tree is said to be abu n d an t in th e woods adjoining the inn er side of th e w ilderness in U sam bara (E ast A frica), b u t does n o t ex tend fa rth e r in land.

A great stap le of th e d is tr ic t tra v e rse d by th e new ly- made ro ad from Dar-es Salaam , th ro u g h th e W aza- m aro country , is gum copal, w hich is found in m any p a rts . T h is fossil resin seems to ex ist, even iti th e r ich est diggings, only in patches, as tnough i t w ere produced by iso lated trees. T he natives appear to w ork th e country now here system atically ; th e y sink test-ho les, and, on finding traces of th e resin, w ork th a t p a r t thoroughly . In m any places, test-ho les have been m ade and th e place abandoned as useless,

a lthough n o t fa r off a pa tch has been w ell worked. T he fossil resin , now found underg round u sua lly in red sandy soil, is undoubted ly th e p roduce of th e sam e species of tre e as s ti l l ex ists in these jungles, and w hich now y ields an in ferio r so rt of resin . T he difference betw een th e two products seem s to arise from chem ical o r m olecular change effected by tim e. T he copal tree grow s th ro u g h o u t th e U z im aro country , and is b y no means confined to th e sea coast, b u t is even m ore ab u n d an t in land beyond th e firs t coast- rid 'e . I t is n o t seen, how ever, w here th e o ld lim e­stone form ation of th e in te rio r m akes its appearance.

Chian M astic.—T he m astic co u n try of Chios is usually fla t an d stony , w ith l i t t le h ills in terven ing , and w ith rare stream s. R a in is d es tru c tiv e of the h a rv e s t ; frost is rare , b u t m uch to be feared. T he resin is a p roduct of Pbitachia lentiscus. T he principal villages engaged in th e in d u stry are Calim assia, S ain t Georges (south of A nabato), N 6nita, M esta, and Kala- m oti, besides which th e re are about a dozen of m inor im portance. T he m astic occurs in w h ite grains, va ry ­ing in size from a p in ’s head to a pea. T he shrubs y ield ing i t a re ab o u t th e h eigh t of a m an. I t occurs also in A frica and A rabia, b u t alw ays of inferior qu a lity , though no sa tisfac to ry reason has y e t been adduced for th e fact. In Ju ly -A u g u s t, a g re a t nu m ­b er of incisions are m ade in the stem s of th e shrubs, and renew ed th re e o r four tim es. R epeated v isits are th en m ade to collect th e resin w hich exudes. A show er of ra in du ring th is period produces d isastrous resu lts , by w ashing aw ay th e resin . T here are four qualities of m astic :— (1.) C ake m astic is composed of large pieces, an d is considered th e best by connoiss­eu rs ; i t is sold chiefly for use in th e seraglios, all T u rk ish women chewing m astic ; its price is 120 to 130 piastres, and even more, per oke of 1,300 grm .(2.) M astic in large tea rs is w orth 90 to 100 p iastresord inarily . (3.) M astic in sm all tea rs o r pearls is worth 70 to 85 p iastres , and is used in d u str ia lly . (4.) M astic m ixed w ith fragm ents of leaves and sand is used to m ake so-called “ m astic b ra n d y ,” th e well- know n T urk ish liqueur, called rahi. I t is m ade by d igesting m astic in th e b ran d y obtained from d ry grapes, re -d istilling .the p ro d u c t, and flavouring w ith aniseed and sugar. T he best qualities of m astic are used 111th e L e v a n t ; E urope im ports th e in ferio r g rades fo rm aking varnish.

Chian T u p e n tin e .— Afforded b y Pisiach ia terebinthus. T h a t w hich exudes from th e sh ru b is very w h ite and arom atic, b u t th e q u a n tity is very lim ited .

India-rubber (from Ficus elasiica).—T he collection of th e rubber in Assam is conducted u n d er rig id re ­stric tions 111 th e case of all tree s growing in th e tim b er reserves, b u t cannot be enforced on sc a tte red trees. T he Chard w ar rubber p lan ta tio n has an area of 80 square miles. T he e: po rts from L akh itn p u r in 1871 were 2G0§ tons, value £8,340. Im m ense fo rests of these trees existed on b o th banks of th e Subansiri river, and on o th e r stream s, b u t th e reckless t r e a t ­m en t they received from n ative lessees of th e forests caused th e ir ru in . I 11 1870, th e leasing of these forests ceased, b u t the re is now li t t le or no rubber le ft in th e p lains of the L akh im pur d is tr ic t. T he tree grow s 10 h eigh ts of 15 to 35 feet, and its g ir th , when fit to be tapped , is 18 inches to 6 ,feet. A h igh y ie ld for th e firs t tapp ing of a tree is 35 to 40 lb. of rubber. I t is th en allowed to rem ain un touched for th re e or four years, when an o th e r collection is m ade, b u t th e y ield is th en m uch less. I t is estim ated th a t th e forests of Cachar could y ie ld upw ards of 2,000 cw t. of rubber annually . I t is s ta te d th a t th e trees y ield m ost during th e rains.

Of Ind ia-rubber, 20,000,000 lb. are annually exported from PanX (Brazil), chiefly derived from Sipkorda elastica, b u t a few o th er species a rc ad m itted . T he u tm o st y ie ld from each tre e is one gill. Iu th e w et season, from F eb ru ary to Ju ly , the gum is weak,

an d th e tap p in g is stopped . T he trees w ill grow on th e terra Jirm e w hen p lan ted , b u t th e ir seeds n a tu ra lly lodge in low land sw am ps. T rees p roperly p lan ted a n d caved-for y ield well in fifteen years. B razil is being g rad u a lly cleared of i ts ru b b er ; ga th ere rs now go to th e T ocan tins, M adeira, P u ru s , an d R io N egro, an d w ill soon clear there also. S tra u s’s m ethod of p re p a r­ing rubber, instead of sm oking, is to d ro p th e m ilk in to a lu m so lu tio n ; i t is s ta te d to be superio r, b u t is n o t adopted .

In d ia-rubber p lan ts grow on th e slopes of th e C uneroons m ountains (W est Africa), b u t th e people do n o t y e t know th e ir value. In d ia -ru b b e r trees abound on th e R iver D jour, in th e province of B ahr el Ghazal. T he natives of th e M arn tse-M abunda em pire, on th e U pper Zam besi, tra d e in In d ia -ru b b e r w ith th e tr ib e s to th e west.

T he L andolphia v ine is know n from P an g an i in land all th e way to H andei (in U sam bara, E ast A frica), an d a t M agila th e ru b b e r is m ade in to balls fo r export.

T he g ian t creeper, L andolphia , grow s chiefly on tree s near rivers and stream s in A ngola and th e Congo. E very p a r t exudes a m ilky ju ice w hen c u t o r w ounded, b u t th is w ill n o t ru n in to a vessel p laced to ca tch i t , as i t d ries so quickly as to form a ridge 011 th e w ound, w hich stops its fu rth e r flow. T he b lacks collect i t by m aking long cu ts in th e b a rk w ith a knife, and as th e m ilky ju ice gushes o u t, i t is w iped off co n tinually w ith th e fingers, an d sm eared on th e ir arm s, shoulders, And breast, t i l l a th ick covering is form ed. T h is is peeled off th e ir bodies an d c u t in to sm all squares, w hich a re th e n sa id to be boiled in w ater. F rom A m briz th e tra d e in th is ru b b e r q u ick ly spread sou th to th e R iver Quunza, w here considerab le q u an titie s are exported .

W ith in 20 m iles of th e coast from L iaw a an d th e L indi es tu a ry (M asasi an d Kovum a, E a s t A frica) th e fo rest becomes alm ost en tire ly form ed of In d ia -ru b b e r vines, affording an ab u n d an t supp ly of tine Ind ia -ru b b er, a t presen t g a th ered only in a very desu lto ry m anner by th e natives, w ho gash th e p lan ts, and collect th e ru b b e r as i t issues in a liqu id form, an d dries h a rd afte r sh o rt exposure to th e air. R olled in to orange-like balls, i t is tak en to L indi, w here w hat is w o rth 7 to 8 dol. fetches 2 dol. T he w id th of th e b e lt is 15 to 20 miles. On th e V icto ria Lake (C entral A frica) are one o r tw o kinds of tre e which produce caoutchouc of good q u a lity .

D r. K irk has ju s t determ ined, w ith accuracy, th e p la n t w hich y ields th e best E a s t A frican Ind ia-rubber, and has ob ta ined seeds of th e species for in tro d u c tio n in to Ind ia . I t occurs in g rea t abundance along th e new ly-m ade road from D ar-es-Salaam , in a w est-sou th ­w esterly d irec tion , for ab o u t 100 m iles tow ards th e in te rio r of E a s t Africa, th ro u g h th e W azam aro c o u n try ; i t is apparen tly b u t l i t t le affected, excep t in th e im m edi­a te neighbourhood of the villages, b y the reckless m ode <rf tap p in g employed. In m any p a rts , a n a tiv e can s til l co llect 3 lb . of ru b b e r daily . T here are five species, b u t only one is considered w orth tapp ing .

Rubbers and Guttas o f Borneo and S u lu .— T he K adyans an d th e ir M u ru t neighbours collected a q u a n tity of g u tta percha and Ind ia -ru b b er in th e surrounding forests. T he gum s are a fte rw ard s m anu fac tu red in to lum ps or b ills , an d conveyed to L abuan for sale. T he g u tta is ob ta ined from four o r five species of th e genus Tsonandra, a ll la rg e forest trees. T he trees are felled and th e ir b a rk is g ird led or ringed a t in tervals of tw o feet, th e m ilk y ju ice o r sap b e in ' cau g h t in vessels form ed of leaves or coconut shells. T he crude ju ice is hardened in to slabs or bricks by boiling, and is generally a d u lte ra ted w ith 20 per cent of scraped bark . In d eed , i t is said th a t th e Chinese trad e rs , w h > buy up th e g u t ta from th e g a therers, w ould refuse th e pure artic le in preference for th a t con tain ing b a rk , to w hich th e red colour is m ain ly due .

In d ia -ru b b er in th e n o rth -w es t d is tr ic ts of Borneo is th e produce of th ree species of clim bers, know n to

th e natives as manoongan , vianoongan putih,nadL manoon - gan m anga. T h e ir stem s have a len g th of from 52 to 100 iee t, and a diam eter ra re ly exceeding (j i n . ; th e bark is corrugated , and coloured grey o r reddish-brow n. T he leaves are oblong, green, an d g lo ssy ; th e flowers are borne in ax illa ry c lu ste rs , and a re succeeded by yellow fru its , of th e size of orange?, and con ta in ing seeds as large as beans, each enclosed in a section of apricot-coloured f ru it. T hese f ru its have a delicious flavour, an d are m uch prized by th e natives. T he stem s of th e In d ia -ru b b er creepers are also c u t dow n to fac ilita te th e collection of th e cream y sap, which is a fte rw ard s coagulated in to rough balls by the add ition of n ipa sa lt.

T he fallen g u tta trees lie ab o u t in a ll d irections in th e forest, an d th e rubber-y ie ld ing Willughbeias are also gradually , b u t none th e less su re ly , being ex ­term ina ted by th e collectors in Borneo, as th ro u g h o u t th e o th er islands, and on th e P en insu la , w here th ey likew ise abound.

I t was form erly th o u g h t th » t gu tta -p erch a wa< th e produce of only one species of tree (Isonandra Gutta), b u t th a t ob ta ined from th e Law as d is tr ic t is form ed of th e m ingled saps of a t leas t live species, the juices of a Ficus, and of one o r tw o species of Artocarpece, be ing n o t unfrcquen tly add ed as ad u lte ran ts . T ne B ornean gutta soosoo, or In d ia rubber, a g a in , is th e m ixed saps of th re e species of Willughbeia, w ith th e m ilk s of tw o or th re e o th er p lan ts su rrep titio u sly in troduced to increase th e q u an tity .

T he g u tta trees are slow to a t ta in m a tu rity , and a re difficult to propagate, excep t from seed. T he Willughbeias, on th e o th e r hand , grow rap id ly , and

read ily lend them selves to bo th vegetative and sem inal m ethods of p ro p a g a tio n ; hence these are especially deserv ing of th e a tte n tio n of th e G overnm ent of Ind ia , w here th ey m ay reasonably be expected to th rive .

T here are, doubtless, y e t m any th o u sa n d to n s of ru b b e r and g u tta in th e Bornean woods, b u t as th e tre e s are k illed by th e collectors w ith o u t any th o u g h t of replacing th em , th e source of supp ly m u st recede co nstan tly fa rth er from th e m arkets, au d prices will r ise in consequence. T he dem and for In d ia -ru b b er from Borneo is of qu ite recen t grow th , y e t in m any d is tr ic ts the supp ly is a lready p rac ticd ly exhausted .

In Assam , Ja v a , and A ustra lia , rubber is afforded by Ficus elastica, w hich is cu ltiv a ted for th e purpose. T here are m any m ilk-yielding sp 'c ies of Ficus in th e B ornean forests w hich, w ith careful experim ent, m ay possioly be m ade to co n trib u te renum era ive quan tities . The M alayan represen tatives of th e b read -fru it fam ily also deserve exam ination, as an excellen t Ind ia -ru b b er is derived from Castilloa elastica, a S ou th Am erican p la n t of th is order.

L a c .—Secreted by an insect (Coccus lacca), on the b ranches and tw igs of ce rta in jung le trees, p rinc ipally Ichusum (Schlcichera trijuga), p la s {Butea frondosa), and bier (Zizgphus jujuba). T he lac from th e firs t is more esteem ed th an th a t from th e o thers. To som^ ex ten t, th e lac is found occurring, so to speak, spontaneously, and is collected b y fo rest tribes, an d b ro u g h t b y th em to th e fairs aud bazaars for sale. W here, how ever, th e re is a regu lar tra d e in stick-lac, propagation of th e insect is s tead ily carried on by ttiose who w ish for a certain and ab u n d an t crop. T h is p ropagation is effected by ty in g sm all tw igs, 011 w hich are crow ded th e eggs or larvm of th e insect, to th e b ranches of th e above-nam ed species of trees. Those larvae are techn ica lly culled seed. T he la rv a , shortly a f te r sowing, sp read themselves over th e branches, and, tak in g u p position, secrete a round them selves a h a rd crust of lac, w hich g radually spreads ti l l i t n early com pletes th e circle round th e tw ig. A t th e p roper season, th e tw igs are broken off, and on a rriva l a t th e fac to ry , are passed betw een ro llers, w hich adm it of any degree of approxim ation . T he lac is th u s crusl ed off, and is separa ted from th e woody po rtion by screening.

| I t is n e x t placed in large tu b s ha lf full of w ater, an d 1 is w ashed by coolies, who, s ta n d in g in th e tu b s , an d

hold ing on to a b a r above by th e ir hands, stam p an d p iv o t abou t on th e heels an d toes, u n til, a f te r a succession of changes, th e resu lting liquo r comes off clear. T h e lac having been dried , is p laced in long cy lin d rica l bags of cotton clo th of m edium tex tu re , and abo u t 10 ft. long and 2 in. in d iam eter. T hese bags, w hen filled, are ta k e n to an ap a rtm en t w here th e re a re a num ber of open charcoal furnaces. An op era to r g rasps one end of th e bag in liis le f t hand , an d slow ly re ­volves i t in fro n t of th e fire ; a t th e sam e tim e, an assis tan t, sea ted a t th e o th e r end of th e bag, tw is ts i t in th e opposite d irection . T he ro astin g soon m elts th e lac in th e bag, an d th e tw is tin g causes i t to exude, and d rop iu to tro u g h s p laced below, w hich

1 are often only th e leaves of A gave am ericana. W h en I a sufficient q u a n tity in a m olten condition is read y I in th e tro u g h , th e o pera to r tak es i t u p in a w ooden

spoon, and places i t on a w ooden cylinder, some 8 to 10 inches in d iam eter, th e u p per-ha lf of w hich is covered w ith b ra ss—in som e places th e fresh ly -cu t, sm ooth, cy lindrical sbein of th e p lan ta in is u sed fo r th is purpose. T he sta n d w hich supports th e cy linder gives i t a sloping d irec tion aw ay from th e opera to r. A no ther assis tan t, genera lly a wom an, now* step s fo r­w ard w ith a s tr ip of agave in her hands, and w ith a rap id an d dex terous d raw of th is , th e lac is spread a t once in to a sheet of uniform th ickness, w hich covers th e u pper p o rtion of th e cylinder. T he opera to r now cu ts off th e u p p er edge w ith a p a ir of scissors, an d th e shee t is lifted u p by th e assis tan t, w ho w aves i t abo u t for a m om ent o r tw o in th e air, t i l l i t becomes qu ite crisp. I t is th en held up to th e lig h t, an d any im purities, technically “ g r i t / ’ are sim ply punched o u t of th e b r itt le sheet by th e finger. T he sheets are laid one upon ano ther, and , a t th e end of th e day, th e ta le is tak en , and th e chief operato r is pa id accordingly, th e a ssis ta n ts receiv ing fixed wages. T he sheets are placed in packing-cases, an d w hen sub jec ted to p ressure , b reak iu to num erous fragm ents. In th e fresh sta te , th e finest q u a lity has a rich golden lu s tre .

T he d ark -red liquor before re fe rred to , as re su ltin g from the w ashing, is stra ined , in o rder to rem ove a ll p o r io n s of w oody fibre an d o th e r foreign m aterials. I t is th e n passed in to large vats, w here i t is allow ed to s e t t l e ; th e sediment is sub jec ted to various w ashings, an d a t las t allow ed to se ttle finally, th e su p e rn a ta n t liquor being draw n off. T h e sed im ent, w hen of th e p roper consistency, is placed in presses, from w hich i t is taken o u t in th e form of hard, d ark -p u rp le cakes, w ith th e m m u fa c tu re r’s trad e -m ark im pressed upon them . T h is constitu tes w h a t is know n as lac-dye. T he dye w hich is th u s separa ted from th e lac by w ashing is sa id to be th e body of th e in se c t—n o t a sspara te secretion.

I t m ight appear th a t some m echanical a rrangem en t w ould be m ore elficicious aud econom ical for w ash ing an d separa tin g th e lac from th e dye, b u t hum an labour is so cheap, th a t th is is n o t th e case. The da ily pay of th e w om en is Id . to l | d , ; of th e m en, l j d to 2d. No evil effect on th e feet of th e stam pers is to be observed. T he g rea t and sudden oscillations of price in th e London m a rk e t ren d er th is tra d e very risk y , aud th e an iline dyes have well-nigh rung th e k n e ll of lac-dye in European in d u stry .

In Assam, a sm all qu an tity is produced in th e d is tr ic t of D arrang. In some d is tr ic ts , th e insect is a rtific ia lly rea red on th e jhu^i tree ( Ficus c o r d fh a ) .

In d ia n White W ax . —T his is produced by th e fem ale of th e Ceroplastes ceriferus, an in sect allied to th e Pela of th e Chinese, whose p ro d u c t is so largely used for m aking candles for th e B u d d h b t t-m ples. T he In d ian insect deposits i ts wax in sm all m asses upon th e tw igs and branches of several trees, b u t m ore p a rticu la rly on th e arjan (Term ina’ia A r ju n a ) ; it does no appear to have ever been p ropaga’ed, n o r has th e wild p roduct

been collected, in quan tity . Though an a rtic le of un. doub ted value, i t would perhaps scarcely repay ex­p en d itu re of European tim e aud c a p ita l ; bu t th e natives m ight su re ly render its cu ltiv a tio n a very p rofit­able undertaking. The wax is soluble, o r nearly so, in boiling alcohol, also in benzine and ether, b u t only very s lig h tly in tu rpen ine and carbonic d isu lph ide (C S 9). I ts com position is C 13 H 26 0 . I t is found a t m any w idely-d istan t poin ts th ro u g h o u t S irguja, and is abundan t, and su itab ly s itu a ted for experim ental cultivation , on th e arjun trees grow ing upon the em bankm ent of th e Puru lia lake.

The Gum Trade o f Somali L an d (E ast A frica ).—T he gum , or habak, alw ays sold in grades, bears th e nam e of ankohib. On sifting , i t is alw ays found m ixed w ith a sm all qu an tity of o th er so rts w hich m ake w eigh t in th e balance ; these are th e habak euddi and th e habak fo lla la , T he incense, o r luban, sold in grades, ta k e s th e nam e of beiho. T he saphi, or “ tr ia g e ,” is d iv ided in to th ree qualities. T he 1st, fa so u s ; th e 2nd, nagoua ; th e 3rd, medjigel. The saphi, or “ tiia g e ,” is made in to doukans, w hen th e a rriva ls are n o t too g rea t, by women and children , who are paid abou t 6d. a day.

T he m yrrh has b u t one quality , b u t i t is necessary to be on th e g u ard against th e ad m ix tu re of false m yrrh , of th e sam e colour, b u t more pow erful odour, w hich th e A rabs call addi. I t is easy to recognise th is la tte r , which alw ays appears oily.

T he m aidi, called in Europe “ gum elem i,” is a k in d of iucense iu large bleached tears. I t p resen ts th e same grades as incense, and buyers aim especially a t p reserv­ing th e tea rs unbroken to heigh ten th e value.

T he alet, or mourcoud, is a gr»-y gum , w ith an exquisite odour recalling t a t of am bergris.

T he addi, or false m yrrh , w hose odoriferous wood is m ixed w ith th e wood of djirm eh , has an odour when b u rn t closely resem bling th a t of “ seraglio pastilles .”

The faV ah-fcd lah is a resinous bark , w hich is b u rn t to give off a pecu liar odour, u u d e r th e nam e of habak droun.

S ta tis tics of th e annual receip ts of gum s a n d incenses a t th e ports of the M edjourtine coast :—

B ohars.B ender Ziyfida .................................. 250B ender G asem ...................................... 1,200Abou RtSgabtS ) onfiB ender B aad j ....... *..................Borah ..................................................... 300G andala ................................................ 500B e n d e r K h o r ............................................... 1 ,0 0 0E ds O rb 6 ............................................... 250M er& ya................................................... 1,500G u e rs a ................................................... 200Guesli .................................................. 400Bender F e lik ...................................... 700A tlo f tla ................................................... 1,000

T o ta l...................... 8,200T he bohar is equal to 136 kilo ., or, say 8,200 bohars

are about 1,200 to n s ; th is increases to 2,0u0 tons in a good year.

M yrrh reaches tw o places only—B ender Gdsem ........................ 30 Bohars.B o ra h ........................... 3 „

Haffotin, in 1877, received 25 bohars.M agniiicent incense-trees, tw o to th re e fee t in d ia ­

m eter, are found on th e lo fty m ountains to w ard s th e n o r th coast of Somali Land. M areyeh, an im p o rtan t village, ly ing over 30 miles w est of Cape G ardafui, has a large e x p o n of m yrrh and incense.

O beidh, th e cap ital of Kordofan, is th e cen tre of a large tra d e in gum , w hich is collected in th e woods b y th e women and children , and tak en to th e ir villages, w here it is disposed of to p e tty it in e ra n t trad ers , for u ltim ate d ispatch to Europe.

Moroccan Gum A m m oniacum (which m u st n o t be confounded w ith th e P ersian p roduct of D orema A m m o -

60

I niacum or ushak), is an ob jec t of com m erce w ith E g y p t ; an d A rabia, w here i t is em ployed, as of old, in fum i- ! gating . T he p la n t affording i t is called fa sh o o k in I A rabic, and has been h ith e r to referred to Freula | orientalis, or F. tingitana ; b u t B all and H o o k e r con j side r i t decidedly an Elaloselinvm , p robab ly E. humile. j L eared w as to ld th a t th is p lan t grows a t a place tw o ! days from M ogador, on th e M orocco road ; b u t H onker ! an d B all w ere assured th a t i t is found now here along

th a t route, nor nearer to i t th a n E l A raiche, a place ! ly in g no rth of Morocco c ity , w hich is confirm ed by 1 inform ation gathered by E . D rum m ond H ay, to th e I effect th a t i t occurs near Morocco, au d chiefly a round

Tedla.Glim Sandarach is a p ro d u c t of Callitrls quadrivalvh

( T huja articulata, Frenela Fontanenii), a tre e indigenous to th e m ountains of N o rth A frica, from th e A tlan tic to E ast A lgeria, i ts eastern lim it being u ndeterm ined . T he resin, once a repu ted m edicine, is co llected by th e Moors, and exported from M ogador to E urope, w here i t is used iu varnish-m aking.

Euphorbium gum is p roduced by Euphorbia resi^i/era, a tree confined to the in te rio r of Morocco. T he ju ice flows from incisions m ade w ith a knife, and hardens a n d d iops off in Septem ber, th e produce being abu n d an t only once in four y e a rs . T he people who collect th e gum tie clo ths over th e ir m ouths an d nostrils, to exclude th e sm all d u sty particles, w hich provoke intense sneezing. T he gum once had a w ide m edicinal use, b u t th e tra d e iu i t is now rap id ly declining, and i ts consum ption is re s tr ic te d to vete rin ary practice, and as an ingred ien t in a m arine pain t.

SU G G E STIO N S FOR T H E IM P R O V E M E N T OF T H E C O F F E E IN D U S T R Y IN

JA M A IC A .(Extracts fro m Mr. D . M orris's Lecture on “ Some

objects o f Productive In d u stry ” delivered at the Toicn H all, Kingston , M a y 17, 1881.)

W h en speaking of th e h igh prices ob ta ined for B lue M ounta in Coffee exported from Jam aica, i t is well, how ever, to bear in m ind th a t, re latively , i t bears b u t a sm all proportion to th e w hole q u an tity exported from th is Is lan d . I have been unable to p rocure exact re tu rns, b u t, I believe, I am n o tfar w rong w hen I assum e th a t m ost of th e high-grow n and bes t qualities of Jam aica Coffee areshipped to th e L iverpool m arket. I f th is assum p­tion be correct, th en we m ay set down th e proportion of th e best Coffee ab about one-n in th or a t th e m ost a t onc-eighth of th e to ta l q u a n tity exported . F o r in ­stance, during the year 1879, th e to ta l exports reached 69,715 cwts. ; of th is 10,109 owts. ot less th a n one-n in th are given as having been shipped to th e L iverpool m arket. I t is ow ing to th is fact, no doubt, th a t we find. Jam aica Coffee quo ted a t such low figures in th e London and New Y ork m ark e ts— its m erits the re being ev iden tly based on th e produce grown byse ttle rs and sm all p roprieto rs w ho possess n e ith er th e m eans, n o r th e requisite skill, for curing th e coffee properly.

In th e Parish of M anchester, for instance, coffee of very good q u a lity is g ro w n ; and, I am g lad to find several very energetic and successful p lan ters are devoting increased a tte n tio n to th e subject. As M anchester coffee, grow n ab elevations from 1,809 to 2,800 feet, ob ta ins from 90s. to 100s., aud som etim es 120s. p er cw t., i t m ay reasonably bo supposed th a t nearly , if n o t qu ite , a d th e se ttle rs’ produce, form ­ing th e vast bulk of our exports, would ob ta in m uch h igher prices if i t were carefu lly cured and sen t to th e m ark e t in a sound condition. T he g re a t draw ­back to im provem ent und er th is head arises from the w an t of cen tra l curing estab lishm ents, e ith er in

close proxim ity to th e d is tr ic ts w here se ttle rs’ coffee is m ostly grown or in th e neighbourhood of thesh ipp ing p o rts .................and I conceive th a t no g rea terservice could be rendered to coffee in d u stry in Jam aica —in view' of th e g rea t and increasing q u an tity grown by se ttle rs—th an th e estab lishm ent of such central curing mills w here th e g rea te r po rtion of th e coffee m ight be carefully cured and sh ipped in a sound conditio?). [I am w ell aw are th a t a t p resen t each large coffee p roperty in th e Blue M ounta in an d M an­chester d is tric ts ac ts in a m easure as a cen tra l curing estab lishm ent, and by buying up s e t t le r s ’ produce w ith in its reach and curing i t in a sa tisfacto ry m anner assists in bringing up th e proportion of good coffee, b u t th ey ev iden tly fail to m eet the difficulty, for in sp ite of th e ir influence, th e fact rem ains th a t s e t t le r s ’ produce, form ing the bu lk of our exports, 1-avvd th e Island in a m ost u nsa tis fac to ry s ta te .] As ta r as th e coffee itself is concerned, th a t grow n bv m any se ttle rs is equal to th e bes t P lan ta tio n Coffee, bub, owing to bad curing and th e w an t of p roper selection of th e different qualities, th e prices realized are o ften only oue-half of w h a t they ought to be. The loss th u s entailed m u st am oun t to thousands of pounds annually , and th is loss is th e m ore reg re ttab le th a t i t is capable of being saved 1 w ith only a li t t le of th e energy and in d u stry w hich ! has been expended upon th e cu ltiva tion itself. j

Assuming th a t only tw o-th irds of th e coffee raised in Jam aica is se ttle rs’ coffee, and tak in g th e loss , on account of head curing and careless sn ipping a t even 20* per cw t., we have here an ac tual annual loss to th e Is lan d of n early £5 0 ,0 0 0 in th is one in d u stry . [ A t th e p resen t tim e when Jam aica ( se t t le rs ’) coffee in th e London m ark e t is quoted a t only 45s. per cw t., one p roperty th a t had bought se ttle rs ’ Coffee in the cherry and cured i t thoroughly obtained 110*. for i t in th e L iverpool m arket. This is a difference of nearly Cos. p ar cwt! ]

T urn ing again to th e question of curing coffee in th e plains a>d estab lish ing m ills n ear th e shipping ports, I am qu ite aw are th a t many experienced coffee p lan ters believe th a t coffee cured on th e hills, where th e h ea t is less in tense and th e process of d ry ing th e beau is more g radual, tends to develops good tone and colour, an d con tribu tes to th e p rodu tiou of h igh class coffee. As long as th e m oistu re in the bean is gradually dissipated, and, as long as there is sufficient care and a tte n tio n devoted to th e curing to develope good tone and colour, w ith o u t undue o r prolonged exposure to sun ligh t, th e re can, how ­ever, be no dou b t th a t th e p lains are m uch more convenient and m ore su itab le for curing coffee th an th e h ills.

# # * * * * # * *If th e re w ere cen tral curing establishm ents, w ith

good w ater pow er, say a t G ordon Tow n or near K ingston for th e St. A ndrew , B ed H ills, and Castle- to n D is tr ic ts ; a t P orus, near the B ailw ay term inus, for th e M anchester D is tr ic ts ; a t D ry H arbour, or S t. A nn’s Bay for th e S t. A nn D is tr ic t; and a t Buff Bay or P o r t A ntonio for th e P o rtlan d D istric ts, these estab lishm ents would buy or receive the coffee e ith e r in b e rry or in parchm ent, according to th e d istance i t lias to travel. Coffee in parchm ent would only need to be d ry enough to bear th e journey w ith o u t in ju ry , and w hen once i t had been placed u nder th e influences of a d rier and w arm er clim ate, assisted by m achinery of the best and new est d e ­scrip tion , th e coffee m igh t be cured and finally p re ­pared for th e m a rk e t a t fu lly onc-half th e p re ­sen t cost.* * * * * * *

As another im p o rtan t an d decided step tow ards securing th e b e tte r p repara tion and im provem ent of se ttle rs’ coffee, th e re m igh t be established a t each of th e p rincipal ports, an d especially in K ingston,

a careful system of inspection u n d er G overnm ent contro l, w hereby no coffee, w hatever, could be sh ip ­ped unless i t was pronounced by a com peten t officer to be tho ro u g h ly sound. W ith curing estab lishm ents a t w ork, th e re w ould be less reason th a n ex ists a t p resent for sh ipp ing bad coffee; b u t, I fear, unless som ething is done b y coffee p lan ters and coffee m erchants, to im prove and m a in ta in th e general charac te r of Jam aica coffee, i t s nam e an d position in th e m arkets of th e w orld w ill, before long, be seriously compromised.

I t is im possible w ith in th e lim its of th is lectu re to give m ore th an a bare ou tline of th e schem e now a d v o c a te d ; bu t, if we tak e a lesson from our e n te r­prising neighbours and ado p t some elem ents of th e ir efforts t<> foster im p o rtan t industries, and m ain tain by

I jud ic ious system s of inspections th e good nam e and j value of th e ir exports, we would soon place our coffee I in d u s try on such su bstan tia l an d perm anen t lines th a t ! i t would become in the fu tu re , as i t was in th e

past, th e p rid e and g lory of th e Island. Sum m ing up th e substance of th e preceding rem arks, w h a t we ev id en tly requ ire a re :—

F irs t ly —a judicious « x tensiou of coffee cu ltiva tion , w ith only such necessary build ings and barbecues as are requ ired for pulp ing th e produce and d e ­spa tch ing i t to th e p lains as parchm en t coffee.[ U nder th is arrangem ent p roperties of f>0, 100 or 150 acres of coffee could be established for sum s, vary ing from £500 to £ 1 ,8 0 0 ; w hereas if w orks and barbecues are b u ilt sufficiently com plete to cure and despatch coffee tit fo r th e m arket, n early double these sum s w ould be required, and fu lly one-half th e m oney w ould lie idle in unproductive bu ild ings.]

Secondly—th e es tab lishm ent of cen tral curing mills, und er tru s tw o rth y and efficient superintendence, w here coffee received in parchm ent [ o r bought in cherry] m igh t be cured , sized, an d shipped in a tho rough ly sound condition. [T h e ac tual cost of curing coffee a lready received in parchm ent an d despatch ing i t read y for th e m ark e t would, under these circum ­stances, be less th a n 24s. p er tierce. T he regu lar charge by w ell-know n firms in Sou thern In d ia and Ceylon is only 3s. per cw t., b u t as pursued a t p resen t in Jam aica, by hav ing th e w ork done in dependen tly on each p ro p erty , and by m ain tain ing people th a t are often only p a rtia lly em ployed an d using ind ifferen t m achinery, curing and preparing coffee costs fu lly tw ice as m uch as i t would cost if done by skilled labour continuously em ployed in a la rge mill. ]

T h ird ly —th e organization of a system of inspection u n d er governm ent control w hereby coffee, and indeed alt other ayr& ultural produce, m ight be care­fu lly exam ined a t the p o rt of sh ipm ent and parsed w ith an official m ark , declaring i t to be sound and in good order. [ On th is po in t a careful perusal of th e C onsular R eports of th e U n ited S tates will show how g rea tly th e ch a rac te r of th e ir p roduce is m ain ta ined by a s tr ic t system of S ta te In spec­tio n a t th e p o r t of sh ipm ent. By m eans of a well o rganised C ham ber of Commerce o r b y d iree t legis­la tion on th e stb jee t, due inspection of our a g r i­c u ltu ra l produce, p rio r to exportation , offers a m ost sa tis fac to ry m eans of checking evils w hich a t p resen t th re a te n to th w a r t and counterac t all efforts to im prove th e ag ricu ltu ra l in te rests of th e Island .

S O IL -E X H A U S T IO N T E S T E D B Y M R . L A W ES.(From th e Field , 2nd Ju ly , ISS l.)

M r. Law es, in his pam phlet e n title d “ F e r t il i ty ,’* inculcates q u ite a new theory , which he claim s to be fu lly estab lished by those im p o rtan t experim ents he is ca rry ing on a t B ytham stead—one, how ever, so th o ­roughly an tagonistic to m any o ld-established, long- se ttled conclusions an d convictions, th a t i t w ill have

to be tr ie d over and over again by o th er experi­m enters, and in a g rea t m any differen t soils an d places, e re i t is likely to be generally accepted as “ p roven .” P robab ly th e g rand scope of th e issue la id open by M r. Lawes w ill be best understood by quo ting a reply w hich he m akes to M. Yille, th e celebrated F rench a g ricu ltu ris t chem ist, w hich is to be found in th e concluding p a r t of th e pam phlet. V . V ille, in his work on artific ial m anures, w hich has been tran sla ted in to E nglish by Mr. Crookes, m aintains th a t crops alw ays y ield m ore nitrogen th a n is sup ­p lied in th e m anure, and th a t th is excess is derived n o t from th e soil, b u t th e a tm o sp h e re ; th a t legum inous p lan ts, an d p articu larly such as peas, beaus, clover, and lucerne, ta k e p rac tica lly nearly th e whole of th e ir n itrogen from th e a ir ; w hile others, such as beetroo t and colza, requ ire a certa in am ount to be supplied by m anure in o rder to establish active grow th, b u t th a t a f te r th is th ey draw th e ir supplies from th e atm osphere. In rep ly Mr. Lawes sta te s :—

The facts 1 have adduced and th e conclusions I have draw n from them are qu ite inconsistent w ith those p u t forw ard by M. Yille, an d more especially those relating to th e sources of th e n itrogen of th e legum inous aud roo t crops. I m ain tain th a t th e am ount of nitrogen supplied to our crops from th e atm osphere — w hether as com bined n itrogen brought dow n by rain, or th a t absorbed by th e soil or the p la n t—constitu tes b u t a very sm all proportion of the to ta l am ount they a s s im ila te ; and th a t the soil itse lf (or m anure) is p ractically the m ain source of th e ir supply . Indeed, i t is a question w hether, on arable laud, as m uch or more may no t be lost b y d rainage or o therw ise th an is supplied by th e atm osphere.

T his is ra th er a s ta rtlin g d ictum , n o t only for those w ho all th e ir lives have en te rta in ed a ferven t belief in the possib ility of transferring immense q u an tities of n itrogen from th e a ir to th e soil by m eans of broad- leaved p lan ts, b u t also to th e thorough cultivators, w ho fondly im agine th a t , by continuous steam tillage, au tum n ploughings, scarifyings and stirrings, together w ith those rough furrow exposures in w inter so well know n to be sa lu tary , a g re a t deal of n itrogen m ay be a ttra c te d and retained by th e soil itself. E v ery ­body knows th a t a ll these influences effect a vast am ount of good, and th a t lands become capable of y ield ing much b e tte r crops a fte r th e y have been su b ­jected to them th an th ey were before ; b u t M r. Lawes asserts th a t th is is no t because of any fresh-inherited w ealth from atm ospheric sources, b u t owing to a lib e ra ­tion of n itrogen w hich was a lready in th e soil beforehand, th e treasu res of w hich only requ ire to be unlocked by a sk ilfu l hand to be rendered up very freely. T he theo ry w hich Mr. Lawes incu lcates is sim ply th is : th a t a ll soils have been furnished m ore o r less w ith la te n t n itrogen, owing to th e ages they rem ained in a s ta te of p rim eval wildness, bearing vegetation of some k in d w hich, a f te r coming to m a tu ri­ty , decayed on th e ir surfaces, to form m ould and be incorporated as legacies for th e fu tu re . T he popular idea, no doubt, is th a t except in vales, alluv ial soils, and those of w ell-know n n a tu ra l fe rtility , a large p roportion of th is original endow m ent of n itrogen has long since been exhausted ; b u t M r. Lawes says th is is n o t so, and he offers facts to prove his case. A d ­jo in ing th e E otham sted tr ia l fields is a p b ee of permanem, pasture, w hich he has analysed, and finds th a t, a fte r rem oving a ll vegetable m atte r, th e first nine inches of th e finely sifted m ould contain 5,700 lb. of nitrogen per acre, while th e second n ine inches contain 2,500 lb more.

The adjo in ing arab le field, w hich has never been rem em bem l in pastu re , has been experim ented on since 1S40, and Mr. Lawes believi-s th a t i t possessed a t th a t tim e abo u t 3,000 1b. of n itro g n in th e fiisti n ine inches, and betw een 2, 1001b. and 2,2001b. in th e second nine inches. Since th a t period th is field

has grow n th irty -e ig h t successive crops of wheat, and certain portions of i t have been to ta lly u nm anured du ring th e w hole fo rty years. U nder th e la t te r c ir ­cum stance M r. Lawes estim ates th e Ices of n itrogen from the soil a t from 1, 0001b. to 1, 2001b. p er a c re ; so th a t, all hough he has been draw ing con tinually on th e stock of n itrogen on th e soil for fo r ty years, w ith o u t adding any to it, th e re is s till a considerab le residuum to d raw upon rem aining.

I f th e re are no loopholes for e rro r in these deduc­tions, or a possib ility th a t m uch m ore n itrogen m ay come from th e atm ospheie , even to th e R o tham sted unm anured w heat p lots, th a n M r. Lawes supposes, he certa in ly advances evidence in th e above th a t th e re is n itrogen rem aining la ten t, even in com paratively poor soils, in ra th e r large quantities. N e ith e r is i t very difficult to understan d by th is theo ry w h y steam tillage, au tu m n cu ltiva tion , w in te r and sum m er fa l­lows, lining, &e,, alw ays occasion such heavy crops. The soil, by being aerified an d atom ised, y ields up its la te n t n itrogen, which is converted in to n itric acid by th e ferm enting influences w hich are occasioned. Even th e fact of th e Rev. S. S m ith having grow n his splendid crops of w heat th ir ty - th re e years in succes­sion w ith o u t m anure, b u t by spade-dug, w ell-s tirred in tervals, becomes explicable w ith o u t en te rta in in g th e idea th a t a single partic le of th e m anure cam e from th e atm osphere. B u t w h a t a s ta r tlin g conclusion are wc com pelled to come to afte r a ll th is ; for, if Mrv Lawes be in th e r ig h t, grea ter inroads m ust have been m ade iu to th e p re-ex is ten t stock of n itrogen in th e soil th e m ore these forces and influences have been app lied ; aud i t am ounts to th is , th a t th e best and m ost assiduous cu ltivato rs m u st be th e w orst for la n d ­lo rds’ in terests, because th e y exhaust in g rea test degree th e stores of land fe rtility , w hich, as alleged, are of so m uch consequence ; and, reasoning th u s, we m u st also accept the logical outcom e th a t bad farm ing ex ­h austs land far less th a n good.

T he conclusions of Mr. Lawes seem also to fix us 011 th e horns of a dilem m a in ano ther m atte r. H e alludes, in th e concluding p a r t of th e sentence quoted above, to th e losses of n itrogen arable soils susta in by drainage an d o th e r influences, an d says i t is as m uch or m ore com pared w ith th e quan tities th e y re ­ceive from th e atm osphere. B u t if the n itrogen com ­ing from atm ospheric sources is w ashed ou t again to th is ex ten t, so also m u st be th e free n itrogen, w hich is supplied d irec t in th e shape of m anure, or b y feeding stock with artific ial food ; and if such a factor in th e account be du ly en terta ined , i t m u st lessen very m ateria lly th e v a lid ity of te n a n t farm ers’ claim s fo r com pensation w hen th e y have em ployed largely e ith er artific ia l m anures or artificial foods for stock, in a ll cases in w hich n itrogen is supposed to be th e chief legacy im parted . M r. Lawes, in th e early p a r t of h is pam phle t has th e follow ing p assag e :— “ As th e claim s of ten an ts for unexhausted fe rtility are becom ­ing m ore an d m ore recognised, th e tim e seems to have come w hen some effort should be m ade to d raw th e line betw een th e n a tu ra l fe rtility in h eren t in our soils, w hich is given in exchange for re n t, *md th e ad d itional fe rtility w hich th e ten an t brings upon th e lan d a t h is option, b u t cannot a lto g e th er rem ove.” T his is, perhaps, a som ew hat unhappy p re te x t to m ake fo r th e inqu iry , inasm uch as the whole of th e logic and facts adduced by Mr. Lawes ten d to th e conclu­sion th a t th e g rand source of fertility lies la te n t in th e s o i l ; and, judg ing solely by w h a t th e pam ph le t contains, one w ould scarcely suppose i t possible th a t th e m ost in d u strio u s an d en terpris ing occupiers could co n tr ib u te to i t to any very valuable ex ten t. In one place he s a y s :— “ Large as th e am ount of im ­ported ca ttle food may appear, i t w ill be found th a t i ts consum ption is confined to a com paratively lim ited area, an d th a t i t has b u t l i ttle influence on the g en e r­a l fe rtil i ty of th e coun try at* large. A s a proof of

th is fact, I m ay say th a t th e add ition of only 1 lb. of nitrogen per acre to th e 31,000,000 acres of c u lti­va ted land in G rea t B rita in would requ ire an im port of about 500,000 tons of corn and cake, and th e con­sum ption of th e country does n o t reach th is am ount.” W h a t of th a t ? Does n o t Mr. Lawes know , b e tte r th a n any one can te ll him , th a t a fa r h igher man* u ria l legacy for th e soil is le f t a f te r th e consum ption of cake and corn in phosphates th a n in n itrogen ? T he la t te r m ay no d oub t be w ashed ou t again, or evaporate, ju s t as he assumes th e nitrogen is w hich comes from th e atm osphere, b u t th e form er becomes a fix ture un til th e roots of p lan ts appropriate it. So fa r as th e book bears on th e tenants* com pensation question, a k in d of special p leading for land lo rds’ in te rests will be found runn ing th rough alm ost every page. F o r instance, th e princip le is la id down th a t “ in m ost cases profitable ag ricu ltu re involves a slow b u t continuous exhaustion of th e s o i l ; ” th a t “ practic­a lly th e source of th e w hole of th e n itrogen in our crops is th e sto re w ith in th e soil itse lf ; ” th a t “ re n t is paid for th e r ig h t to rem ove w ith o u t resto ration a certa in am oun t of th e stock of fe rtility in th e soil an d th a t “ th e various restric tions in troduced in to leases, covenants, and custom s were designed fo r th e purpose of lim iting as m uch as possible th e rem oval of th is stock of f e r ti l i ty .” M r. Lawes, however, adm its th a t , “ in the face of th e increasing com­pe titio n with th e agricu ltu re of th e w orld, i t is hopeless to b in d th e te n a n t’s han d s or cripple h is energies by th e restric tiv e covenants of a bygone a g e b u t , he adds, “ if a t th e com m encem ent of occupancy a b rief agreem ent could be d raw n up betw een land lord and tenan t, to define th e am ount of fe rtility w hich th e la tte r was en titled to rem ove in exchange for h is ren t, th e task of any a rb itra to r or judge called in to decide betw een conflicting claim s would be m ade lig h te r .”

T h is can only m ean th a t w henever an outgoing te n a n t p resents a claim for th e legacy of im ported fe rtility he had left beh ind in th e soil, th e land lord should be em powered to call in an an aly tica l chem ist to ascertain w h eth er he has not exhausted the orig in ­a l stock of fe rtility m ore th an o rd inary farm ing w ould do it, or beyond th e lim it agreed upon by th e respective p arties in th e firs t instance. A p art from th e fact th a t th is w ould ren d er confusion worse confounded by in troduc ing a new m a tte r of d isp u ta ­tio n , i t lands us on th e very unsa tisfac to ry ground th a t , according to M r. Law cs’s view s and conclu­sions, the bes t farm ers, who had grow n heav iest crops, an d k ep t th e land m ore tho rough ly u nder aerify ing , abrad ing , and fructify ing influences, w ould be punished m ost, and, although leaving th e ir farm s in m uch b e tte r condition, according to o rd inary pow ers of observation, th a n th ey were in w hen th ey took th em in hand, m igh t be m ulcted in heavy lines for hav ing draw n too heavily on th e p re-A dam ite stock of fe rtility which is th e land lo rd ’s p roperty .

B u t a tru ce to all vain speculations of th is na tu re . E very in te llig en t, experienced farm er thoroughly believes th a t when he p u ts land in to w h a t is te rm ed a good s ta te of cultivation , th e lan d lo rd ’s in te re s t is advanced qu ite as m uch as h is own, how ever p er­s is ten tly he m ay apply th e high pressure of in tensive tillage. In fact, m ost m en have become accustomed, as th e re su lt of th e ir own observations and researches, to conclude th a t the sam e ru le m ay be applied to soil fe rtility as to cap ita l—th e larger th e am ount ob ta ined and available for use, th e easier i t becomes to g e t more. T he in te restin g b u t revolutionary theo ry w h ich M r. Law es has b u ilt up w ould do aw ay w ith th is thesis a ltogether, b u t there m u st su re ly be a woof in th e form er som ewhere or o ther, if we only take th e pains to seek an d discover it. P robab ly i t lies in h is ignoring too m uch an active principle, w hich m u st exist in m ost soils, of fixing n itrogen afte r being o b ta ined e ith e r from th e atm osphere o r in th e shape

of m anure, and of afterw ards re tain ing i t to ad d to th e sto ck of fe r til i ty w hich previously ex isted . In h is pam phle t we find allusions to a p rinc ip le capable of converting n itrogen in to n itr ic ac id , an d also fre ­q uen t rem inders th a t a rab le lan d is in danger of losing a g rea t deal of th e la tte r w hen th e re are no roots of grow ing p lan ts to take i t up as rap id ly as i t is fo rm ed ; b u t, on th e o th er han d , ano ther process, w hich P rofessor W ay ta u g h t us to believe to be con­tin u a lly going on when fallow ing is conducted on r ig h t princip les, receives no a tte n tio n w hatever. Does n o t th e la tte r , however, m ore th a n com pensate, add ing to th e stock of nitrogen w hich can be re ta ined , for a ll th a t is tak en aw ay ? T his po in t w ill have to be se ttled ere th e conclusions of M r. Law es can be accepted in good faith , for i t seems reasonable to suppose th a t th e original stock of fe r t i l i ty accum ulated in p rim eval tim es become re ta ined b y th e same process, M he laws of n a tu re are eternal, th e sam e forces opera ting to ­day as h ad existence long before m an becam e a tille r of th e ground. M r. Lawes believes th a t th e action of m an as a c u ltiv a to r alw ays has been, an d will be, exhaustive of th e soil fe r til i ty prev iously la id up in sto re for him ; b u t m ost scientific m en, as well as p rac tica l ag ricu ltu ris ts , have alw ays deemed it possible by ad o p tin g th e best system s of m anagem ent, n o t m erely to r e ta rd soil exhaustion , b u t ad d g rea tly to th e f e rtility p re-ex isten t, even w hen ta k in g con tinually heavy produce. Of th e h ighest im portance is i t to have facts and experim ents to give in form ation on such a v ita l p o in t ; ■ consequently, everybody o ugh t to feel deeply indeb ted to M r. Law es for his researches ; b u t h is d ic tum ought n o t to be accepted w ithou t m any o th er soils being tes ted , and th e application of a ve ry crucial exam ination to every po in t of th e in q u iry . A g r ic o l a .

C o f f e e a n d it s M e d ic a l P r o p e r t ie s .—From an ex tended w ork published by Dr. H en ry Segur on coffee and its m edical properties, we tak e th e follow­ing p a rag rap h s: I t is an error, he says, to believe th a t th e iv e of coffee affects th e nerves and brings about ill hum our as th e re su lt of i ts h u rtfu l action on th e digestive organs. O ther causes of a d ifferen t n a tu re produce the ill hum our and general d iscon ten t characterising m odern society. T he causes a re w holly moral. A m bition , and th e desire for riches bound­less and untram m elled by conditions, are th e causes of th e evil, and n o t the delicious and beneficial coffee bean, as is wrongly and he ld by many ot th e faculty. On th e con trary , coffee ta k e n in m oderation com forts th e system , enlivens th e m ental faculties, and stim u la tes p leasan tly w ith o u t an y of th e d isagree­able a lte r effects inseparable from narcotics or s tim u l­an ts . I t gives s tren g th for m ental or bodily labour, clears th e im agination, cheers th e m ind, streng thens the body and predisposes i t to bear fatigue and sleepless­ness T he m ental pleasure, sleeplessness, and ac tiv ity w hich i t prom otes have in sp ir ited m ore then one poet, w ise m an, and d istingu ished au th o r by noble and lo fty ideas. N o t ‘inappropria te ly is i t called “ in te llec tual d r in k ” or th e “ nec ta r of th e w ise .” I t canno t be den ied th a t th e d irect action of coffeo is on th e nerves, b u t its effects are n o t in jurious as some believe, b u t are in fac t wholesome. The nervous excitem ent produced by i t is n o t w eakening like th a t from narcotics. In fine, i t ac ts as a cordial, enlivens th e b rain , s treng thens th e im agination, and b rig h te n s th e understand ing . I t contains, besides, pecu liar n u ­tr itiv e and m edicinal p roperties. In in te rm itte n t fevers its effects are w onderful, as is also th e case w ith m alignan t ones. Spasmodic asthm a, hyste rica l affec­tions, inflam m ation of the k idnevs, chronic diarrhoea, an d even croup an d d iph theria , are alleviated b y coffee. I t is also rem edial in cases of opium poisoning.— S tra its T im e s.

C H IN A M A T T IN G .

(From th e Gardeners' Chronicle, 16th Ju ly 1S81.)In a recen t num ber of th e Journal o f the Society o f

A r ts is a rep o rt by th e U n ited S ta tes Consul a t C an­to n on th e m anufactu re of m a ttin g in C hina. T he substance of th is repo rt was contained in a paper by D r. H ance in th e Journal o f Botany, vol. v iii., p. 9 9 ; b u t as th e sub jec t is one of m uch in te rest, an d th e p ap er of th e A m erican Consul is fu lle r in m any of i ts details, we m ake th e follow ing a b s tra c t :—

I t is w ell know n th a t enorm ous q u an 'itie s of m a t­tin g are now m ade both for use in C hina as w ell as for export. I t is used largely fo r sails on th e nativ e sailing craft, as i t is m uch cheaper, if no t m ore durable, th a n th e o rd inary sail-cloth. I t is also used for coverings for boxes and packages, in w hich tea, sugar, cassia, &c., a re exported ; besides w hich , m oney­bags are m ade from it, being a very convenient mode of hand ling dollars, especially w hen b roken up in to sm all pieces by th e ir co n stan t stam ping o r “ chop* p in g ,’’ as is th e custom in China.

T he p la n t from w hich th e m ats are m ade is com ­m only know n as “ aquatic g rass ,” or “ ru sh .” i t is cu ltiva ted in th e S huih ing d ep artm en t on th e W est R iver, abo u t 75 m iles in th e in te rio r from Canton. I t is grow n in a sim ilar w ay to rice, in fields flooded w ith w ater. I t require s very l i t t le care in its c u lti­vation , as i t propagates itse lf by shoots from th e root, and a tta in s a h e igh t of from 6 to 8 feet. I t is b rought to m ark e t in bundles of about 1*2 inches in d iam eter, and if of p roper leng th and good q u a lity sells a t about lOd p er bundle, each bundle being sufficient to m ake four bed m ats, or six such as are us- d for m aking sad s.

T he d is tr ic t of T ung-K uan produces large quan tities of th is m aterial, b u t of a k in d used alm ost en tire ly in th e m anufactu re of floor-m atting. I t is said to g row b e tte r in th e v icin ity of sa lt w ater, when th e w ate r flooding i t is som etim es b rackish . I t is p lan ted usua lly in th e m outh of Ju n e , from slips. These are allow ed to grow for abo u t tw o m onth*, w hen th ey are rep lan ted in rows, th e soil being p len tifu lly m anured w ith b ean ca k e ; i t requires nearly a year to m ature. W hen i t is c u t th e stem s are sp lit in tw o w ith a knife, an d w hen p a rtia lly d ried in th e suu packed in bundles, and m anufactured in to m attin g a t th e c ity of T ung-K uan , or b ro u g h t to Canton, w here th e re are several ex tensive m anufactories. W hen b rough t to th e facto ry , th e grass, as i t is called, is carefu lly sorted ; i t is th e n m ade in to bundles of 2 o r 3 inches in d iam eter, an d placed in large ea rth en ­w are ja rs holding about 10 gallons of wat*r. I t is th en allow ed to rem ain in soak for th re e days, when i t is ta k e n o u t aud d ried in th e sun for a day. If i t is to be dyed the o rd inary red colour w hich has been for years m uch in vogue, i t is placed in ja rs contain ing a liqu id dye m ade by soaking sapan-wood chips in w ater. I t rem ains in these ja rs for five days, th en d ried for a day aft- rw ards, again im ­m ersed in th e dye fo r th re e days, when i t is usually ready for use.

I t is only wdthin th e la s t tw o or th re e years th a t o th e r co l-u rs , such as green , yellow, an d blue, have been used to any ex ten t. T he solution for colouring yellow is produced from th e seeds and flowers of a p la n t common to China, th e “ T ru ifa .” A yellow colouring m a tte r is also m ade by boiling for several hours 25 lb. of flowers of Sopbora japonica in 100 gallons of w ate r, and add ing when cooled 1 lb. of a lum to each 10 gallons of the so lution. G reen and b lue are produced from th e tw igs and leaves of th e “ L ainy ip ,” o r “ b lue p la n t,” w hich grow s in ab und­ance near C anton. To the so lu tion thus produced a sm all q u an tity of chem ical dye is now ad ded . In dyeing these colours, the culm s or “ s t r a w ” as i t is technically called, are soaked in w ate r for seven

70

days, and th en im m ersed in th e colouring m a tte r fo r a few hours only, th e dye being hot.

In re la tin g a v isit to one of th e largest of th ese m a ttin g factories, fifty looms are described as being in fu ll w ork, e ghfc of which w ere large and fo rty -tw o sm all. The large ones are iden tica l w ith th e o rd in ary s ilk looms, an d are used in m akit g th e very wide, an d also th e dam ask o r ca rp e t p a tte rn s T hree m en are requ ired to w ork each of the large looms, th e ir wages being from Is 3d to Is 8d per day. E ig h t yards of m a ttin g from each loom is considered an average re su lt of a day’s w ork . T he sm all loom s are ru d e and tim ple, each being w orked by tw o sm all boys, who are paid from 7d to lOd p er day each, an<l w ho daily w eave 5 yard s of th e m ost p e r­fect m a ttin g of th e m ore o rd in ary p a tte rn s . T he loom is com posed of tw o u p rig h ts d riven in to th e ground, about 5 feet apart, au d about 4 feet in h e ig h t ; tw o cross-bars fit in to sockets in th e u p rig h ts , one a t th e top , th e o th e r abou t 8 inches from th e g round .

T he w arps, which are strings of Chinese hem p 2 - ya rd s in leng th , are th e n passed over th e upp< r an d round beneath th e low er cross-bar, an d being d raw n tauc are fastened by bo th ends to a long, th in piece of bamboo, p laced paralle l w ith an d ju s t below th e low er cross-bar. T h e w eaving-bar and th e m ost im ­p o rtan t p a r t of th e loom consists of a piece of wood vary ing in len g th according to th e w id th of th e m a t­tin g requ ired , and about *2 inches square ; th rough th is sm all holes are p ierced a t d ifferent in tervals, in to w hich th e w arps are parsed ; th e b ar can th u s be w orked u p and dow n in th e w arps by m eans of handles near th e extrem ities. T hese holes v a ty in d istance from each o ther, accoid ing to th e p a tte rn desired , a lte rn a te ly on to p and bottom . T he holes are enlarged c r form ed in to slots, converging a t th e cen tre of th e stick . XVh> n th e w arps have been th u s arranged , and bundles of d ifferent coloured straw , sufficiently dam p, deposited near th e loom, one of th e boys raises th e w eaving-bar to th e to p of th e w arps, tipp ing i t fo rw ard , th e slits in th e bar allow ­ing th e a lte rn a te warps to rem ain perpendicular, th e holes carry ing th e o thers forw ard, th u s separa ting them sufficiently to ad m it of a single s traw being passed betw een them . T h is is done by a long fla t piece of bamboo, a notch being cu t near th e end, in to w hich one end of th e s traw is placed and then used as a sh u ttle .

W hen th e bamboo is w ith d raw n th e w eaving-bar descends, carry ing th e straw to th e bottom ; th e b ar is th en raised again and tipped dow n, th u s carry ing th e w arps backw ard w hich had ju s t before been passed forward, th e w ork of th e sh u ttle being repeated . As th e w eaving bar presses th e s traw dow n, th e w eaver gives th e end of th e s traw a half tu rn round the ou tside w arps, th e operation being repeat*d u n til th e warps are full, th e edges trim m ed, th e w arps un ­tied , th e m atting , now 2 yard s in leng th , rem oved, and a new se t of w arps p u t on. T he m a ttin g th u s woven is th en dried in th e sun and over a slow five. T he shrinkage consequent on th is d ry ing is n ea rlj 4 yards in forty .

W hen dried, th e m a ttin g is s tre tc h e d on a fram e and w oiked down tigh t by th e hand, th e n se n t to th e packing-house, w here m en are engaged in fasten ­ing th e 2 y a rd s’ leng ths together, i t requ iring tw en ty leng ths to m ake th e o rd inary roll. T he fa tten in g together is done by tak in g th e pro jecting ends of the w arps of one piece, and by m eans of a large bamboo needle p as ting th em backw ards an d forw ards th rough th e ends of ano ther piece, in fact binding them to ­g e th er ; each ro ll of 40 y ard s is th e n carefully co­vered w ith a coarse, p la in s traw m at, m ark ed an d num bered ready for sh ipm ent.

I t would seem from D r. H ance’s paper 1 e?ore alluded to, th a t tw o d is tin c t p lan ts are u sed iu th e m anufacture of th e above-m entioned m attings, th e

culm s of Lepironia m ucronata being used for sails, a n d those of Cyperus tegetiform is for floor m atting . The “ L a m y ip ” or “ blue p lan t ” used in dyeing th e culm s, is considered to belong to th e n a tu ra l o rder A canthacea;. Polygonum tin c to riu m is a w ell-know n Chinese blue dye p lan t, and it m igh t be supposed th a t th is would be som etim es used. B y fa r th e la rg est q u an tity of these m ats go to th e U n ite d S ta ies of Am erica, w here i t seems th ey are universally used in sum m er iustead of carpets. The consum ption in th is coun try is ab o very g rea t, th e ir chief use w ith us being for bed-rooms.

C O F F E E C U L T IV A T IO N A T BA N G A LO R E IN 1828.

(From th e M adras M ail.)B a n g a l o r e , ------ 182S.— T he cu ltivation of coffee

a t th is place has never been carried to any ex ten t. N o ind iv idual paid a tten tio n to i t u n til M ajor G. W augh, an officer of th e Coast arm y, p lan ted i t in h is garden, in th e N ative cavalry lines here, in 1814 and 1815, w hile he held th e s itu a tio n of m ilita ry p ay ­m as te r in M ysore, an office w hich h e h ad tilled for m any years w ith g rea t c red it to him self and benefit to the public. I he shrubs p lan ted by him are now of considerable size, au d bear lu x u ria n tly ; g rea t care w as tak en of them w hen young, reg u la rly w atering an d m anuring them . The situa tion of th e p lan ts in th is garden is also very good, being near to a good ta n k , and she lte red by large trees of o ther descriptions.

A few coffee p lan ts are to be found in o ther g a rd ­en s in th e C an tonm ent, b u t, for w an t of care and a tte n tio n th ey G eld little . There a re also a few very large trees in th e fo rt, in a garden ad jo in in g th e o ld palace, occupied by th e general officers com m and­ing th e M ysore division of th e arm y. T hese have, in some sea-ons, y ielded very abu n d an t crops, an d have a tta in e d a g re a te r size th a n an y coffee p lan ts to be found here, being abo u t tw e n ty feet high an d fa ll of branches. I u nderstand th ey were p lan ted in 1806 an d 1807 by a D r. H ayene, a t th a t tim e b o tan ist a n d n a tu ra lis t in th is estab lishm ent. T hey were o ri­g inally raised here from th e seed b ro u g h t by D r. H ayene , he having been th e firs t w ho in troduced coffee in to th is place. H e had also as fine p lan ts in th e L aul-B mg garden, b u t these, having been n e ­g lected u n til la te ly , have come to no perfection. There a re some trifling p lan ta tions of coffee in villages a d ­ja c e n t to th is , bu t th e natives pay l i t t le a tte n tio n to i t , in con equence of th e len g th of tim e th a t elapses, ere i t begins to repay th e cu ltiv a to r, an d th e trou b le a tten d in g i t w hen young.

F rom different n a tiv e g ardeners an d o th ers con­v e rsan t w ith th e subject, I have collected th e fo l­lowing inform ation :—The p la n t is propagated by seeds w hich should be sow n a f te r th e y are gathered from th e tree, for if kep t any considerable tim e o u t of the g round after being gathered , th ey will become too d ry to vegetate. A d a rk rich soil, ra th e r d a rk w ith a s ligh t adm ix ture of sand, or th e rich rod earth common in M ysore is th e f itte s t for th e cultivation of coffee : on wet cold g round or on clayey soils th e p lan ts p ine away or vegeta te slow ly, and y ield fru it o f an in ferio r q u a lity . A sh e lte red situa tion is found best for raising th e p lan ts from th e seed. T he ground o ugh t to be w ell m anured and tu rn e d up from tw elve to fourteen inches deep, th e m ould b roke and pu l­verised ; and, previously to th e seed being p lan ted , i t o ugh t to be form ed in to beds of four fee t square. T he berries in ten d ed for seed m ust be allow ed to become as fu lly ripe on th e tre e as w hen th ey are gathered for use, then to be rubbed out of th e husk s an d m ixed up w ith a sm all q u a n tity of wood ashes, a n d a fte r being exposed for a few hours in th e sun, th e y a re p u t in to th e g ro u n d abo u t tw o inches as deep and six inches as under. I t has been found b e tte r to p la n t th e bean whole th an to separa te it,

th e seed v egeta ting b e tte r an d p roducing m uch stro n g er and h ea lth ie r p lan ts. The beds on w hich th e seed is p lan ted m u st be regu larly w atered every tw elve hours, if practicab le ; no t deluged, b u t g eu tly w ate red , so as alw ays to keep th em m oist. The p lan ts w ill appear in fo rty or forty-five days, if th e w atering has been re g u 'a r ly a tten d ed to ; b u t if th is is neglected , from th ree to four m onths often elapse ere th e p la n t appears, and th en i t is n o t a s trong shoot. On th e p la n t appearing , a tten tio n m u st be paid to keep th e beds free from w eeds of every descrip tion ; these w ill som etim es spring up two p lan ts together, one of w hich should be destroyed . U n rem ittin g care is req u ired du ring th e tw o firs t m onths to rea r th e p lan ts w ith a tten tio n , she lte rin g them f om heavy falls of ra in o r scorching heats , bo th of w h ich are a lik e in jurious.

W hen abo u t two m ouths o r ten w eeks old, th e y will be from six to n in e inches h igh , and a re th e n tran sp lan ted to a second nursery , w hich m u st have been previously w ell tu rn e d up and rich ly m anured . T he nurseries ought to be in she lte red situ a tio n s if am ongst peach trees, o r o th ers n o t of so large a size as to preclude the air. T he p lan ts w ill come on qu ick ly in th e second n u r s e ry ; th ey ought to be se t from nine to tw elve inches asunder, an d con tinue here from tw elve to eighteen m onths, a tte n tio n being paid to w ate r them daily , an d every m onth slig h tly tu rn in g up th e ground, ad d ing some good m anure, and keeping dow n all weeds. T he p lan ts are rem oved from th is to th e ground in ten d ed for th e coffee p la n ta ­tion , which should be p repared in a sim ilar m anner to th e nurseries ; th e y are here p lan ted a t a d istance of from six to n ine fee t according to th e soils, holes being dug abo u t tw o and-a-half le t deep, and filled up on p u ttin g in th e p lan t, w ith good e a rth an d dung. A fte r th is th e p la n t becomes very h a rd y an d requires b u t l i t t le a tten tio n , excep t in d ry seasons, w hen i t m u st be w ate red . W hen th e p lan t is rem oved, g rea t care m u st be ta k e n n o t to in ju re th e roots nor shou ld th ey be k e p t any tim e o u t of th e g ro u n d for, if th e fibres be suffered to d ry , they are a p t to m au ld and perish soon afte r. A t th re e years of age th e p la n t begins to bear f ru it , an d a t six years is in fu ll bearing , and w ill con tinue in vigour- from tw elve to fifteen years, a f te r w hich i t fails ; trees of five or six years’ stan d in g will y ield y early from four to six pounds, some of these large trees in th e F o r t form erly m entioned b ear from te n to tw e lv e pounds. T he coffee p la n t is an evergreen, and y ields a crop y e a r ly ; i t has a beau tifu l appearance a t every season of th e year, p a rticu la rly w hen in blossom, th e flower being a pure delicate w hite from th e tim e of budding, an d flow ering u n til th e f ru it is gathered , includes a period of six m onths, an d in w et seasons ra th e r m ore. T he f ru it , w hen ripening, changes colour from green to a pale p ink , an d g rad u a lly becom es b rig h te r as i t r ip e n s ; w hen fu lly ripe, th e husks are of a b rig h t red lik e a cherry , an d p erfec tly d ry on th e s ta lk s ; the mode of separa ting th e f ru i t from th e husks is perform ed by b ea tin g them slig h tly in a wooden m o r ta r ; th e y very read ily separate , if n o t ga thered before being fu lly ripe. A n acre of g round p lan ted w ith good coffee trees, a t th e d istance of 9 feet, w ill con ta in 1,613 p la n ts ; an d if these are p ro ­p e rly a tten d ed to , carefu lly w atered an d m anured , th ey w ill, a f te r th e th ird year, y ie ld an average of four pounds each, o r nearly 6,500 pounds from th e acre, and con tinue to y ield a t th is ra te from ten to fifteen years. There seems to be b u t one species ofcoffee known here , a lthough th e appearance of i tdiffers considerably, ow ing to th e soil and m ode ofcu ltivation ; some of i t is a pale yellow, an d an o th e r k in d a d a rk yellow nearly green.

T he price of coffee varies m uch in M ysore : a ttim es i t is as low as four rupees, a t o th e rs as h ig h as ten rupees a m aund of tw en ty -five pounds.— Oriental H era ld , A ugust 28. W . T . L .

C IN C H O N A P L A N T E R ’S M A N U A L.* (C o m m u n ic a t e d ) .

T his book w ill be found to be very usefu l to all engaged in the cu ltiv a tio n of th is valuable tree . I t is a handy volum e of over 200 pages dem y octavo con tain ing th e cream of inform ation know n regard ing cinchona.

As in m ost w orks so in th is a few erro rs have crep t in. On p. 1 i t is said “ a ll a lkaloids consist of carbon, hydrogen , oxygen, n itrogen alone.” T h is is n o t th e case, for th e re are a large num ber of alkalo ids w hich con ta in no oxygen, e.g. n icotine from tobacco, conine from hem lock, &c. On p. 4 “ T he stem (endogenous) is en larged .” T his m u st refe r to the h e ig h t an d no t d iam eter. A l it t le fu rth e r on w e are to ld “ rep ro ­duction does n o t com m ence til l th e p la n t is p rovided w ith a sto re of accum ulated food” ; th is is som ew hat a t variance w ith th e sta te m e n t on p. 78, for, when a tree has reached a sufficient size and becomes im poverished, i t generally m akes an a t te m p t to reproduce i ts k ind . In th e second chap ter, on p. 11, i t s a y s :— “ w arm th of clim ate accelerates changes an d hence b a rk grow n a t low elevations contains less qu in in e ,” b u t th e n ex t s ta tem en t “ i t follows th a t th e quicker th e p lan t grows, ” &c. is som ew hat aw kw ard , for w arm thgenerally accelerates g row th and cinchona th rives very well a t sea level. A very fine specim en was growing a very sh o rt tim e ago in th e C innam on G ardens, of no g rea t age, about five or six years, w as over 20 feet high, w ith a g ir th of more th a n th re e feet. A lthough th is tree was qu ick ly grown, th e quin ine was sligh t. I t is to lerab ly rich in alkalo ids b u t th ey are in an uncrystallizable condition. N evertheless i t w ould m ake fine d ru g g ist’s bark .

On th e same page th e value of qu in id ine ought to be placed 1 efore cinchonidine.

A li t t le fu rth e r on “ th e a c t of flowering does no t appear to have any d irec t influence on th e am ount of alkalo id in th e b a rk ” requ ires verification. In several p lan ts e.g. tobacco, th e flowering has an effect on the alkalo ids secreted.

T he form ula for quin ine on p. 15 is a m isprint. T h e erro r is c leared up in th e exp lanation following on p. 28. “ I t (Ledgeriana) is g rea tly given to sporting b u t alw ays w ith in certa in lim its ” rem inds one of the w onderfu l sporting on a M askeliya es ta te , so m uch so th a t fhe p lan ts have been pushed o u t of th e category Ledgeriana. T hey are, how ever, good percentage quin ine yielders, w hich is th e g re a t po in t to look after,

C hapte r H I . deals w ith soil, &c. On p. 45-51, 61. certa in sta tem en ts are m ade regard ing th e su itab ility of soil w hich generally hold good, b u t i t m ight be no ted th a t in some p a rts of Ceylon cinchona trees th r iv e in stiff clay soil n ear a sw am p and give a good proportion of quinine.

T he analyses on p. 47 need n o t have con tained th e item “ S u lphuric acid, carbonic acid, an d chlorine n o t de term ined ,” for th e y m ust have been absen t, as th e o ther constituen ts m ake up th e 100 parts.

On p. 50, reference is m ade to “ phosphoric acid n o t being so h igh as in soil form ed from sed im enta ry geological form ations.” I t m u st be rem em bered th a t o u r chief form ation is b u t a m etam orphosed sedim en­ta ry oue, and m etam orphic action would n o t destroy phosphoric acid.

W ith regard to th e chap ters on weeding, roads, drain ing , p lan ting , nurseries, th ey are based on experience, and w ill hold good generally. P a r t IV . deals w ith manuring. On th is th e re is m uch to be lea rn t, as very few experim ents have been tr ie d and th e bark tes ted by analysis. M ore inform ation on th is is very ddsirable.

Messrs. R ucker an d B encraft’s u n it value of 1/9 or

* The C inchona P la n te r’s M anual, by T . C. Owen, Colombo : A. M, & J . Ferguson. 1881.

1 /9.J is too h igh excep t for high percentages. A llow ance mu>t be m ade fo r m an u fac tu re r’s charges.

I t w ould be in te re s tin g to know w hy th e ou te r cells of th e bark , as s ta te d on p. 28, an d 112, are rich er in quin ine, w hich is correct, b u t th is does n o t agree w ith th e o rder of th e fo rm ation of th e alkaloids given on p. 11. F i r s t uncrysta llizab le q u in in e ; n ex t crystallizab le qu in ine to cinchonidine to cinchonine.

Mr. Ka relake’s process w ill no d o u b t be* found to be exceedingly good. I t is a cap ita l w ay of p un ish ­ing a tree and a t th e sam e sub jec tin g i t to a m in i­m um of harm . Q uinine an d its p a r tn e rs a re s to red up in the b a rk , a n d by pun ish in g a tree in th is w ay its energy is th e n d iv e rted to m ak ing good th e loss of th a t which has been or is about to be (in M r. K ars- lak e ’s process) ta k e n aw ay.

T he g rea t changes to w hich bark is sub jec ted , po in ted ou t on p. 141, shou ld be a sufficient induce­m en t to estab lish a local m anufactory here, an d ship hom e e ith e r th e crude a lkalo ids o r th e pure, w hich could be done for a m oderate o u tlay and w ould p rove rem unera tive . T he la t te r p a r t of th e firs t p arag raph (p. 1U5) is som ew nat com plex. A re we to g a th e r fiom th is th a t, w hen a tree is dy ing from ring ing or o th er causes, th e alkalo ids are ac tu a lly draw n up to the leaves, an d th a t d isorganization of tissue below p reven ts i ts re tu rn ? A lthough i t m ay be regarded as a fa l la c y th a t checking a tre e increases th e lichness of th e b a rk , y e t th e re is every reason to believe th a t, checking, b y stripp ing , shaving, or M r. K arslak e’s process does m ake i t richer, and th e re is also evidence to show th a t o th er m odes of reasonable in ju ry serve th e sam e purpose.

Dr. T rim en’s chap ter on th e characters of th e d if­fe ren t species w ill be a g re a t guide to tho se w ho w ish to follow up the outw ard characters of the various kinds. A li t t le inform ation m igh t have been given on th e d ry bark ch aracters, as fa r as is know n. On p. 188 appendix , regard ing th e analyses A . and B ., th e sa lts of th e alkaloids shou ld n o t be added to th e cinchonine alkalo id an d th en called to ta l. T he to ta l alkalo ids in A . and B. w ould be m uch less th a n th e q u an tity s ta ted .

Mr. Owen deserves g re a t c red it fo r th is w ork, and we t ru s t th a t a second ed ition w ill soon be requ ired . I t is a book w hich o ugh t to be in th e hands of every p lan ter, of cinchona as w ell as of those in te re s ted in quinine.

M r. Owen w rites, w ith reference to th e above critic ism of th e M anual, as follow s :—

‘ ‘I have to thank your correspondent for h is notice of th e ‘ Cinchona P la n te rs ’ M anual, ’ b u t hope I m ay be allow ed to rep ly to one o r two of h is rem arks. I am sorry th e . parag rap h on th e form ation of th e alkalo ids is n o t clear to your correspondent, b u t I canno t help th in k ­ing th e m eaning is plain. T he effect of th e w arm th a t low elevations is to cause th e h igher alkalo ids to change in to the low er ; i t also causes th e tree to grow quicker and secre te th e m ore valuable a lkalo ids (which are ju s t form ed) m ore rap id ly : hence th e form er effect is m odified by th e la t te r . A llusion is dis: in c tly m ade to ‘ th e acce le ra ted g row th a t low e levations,' A s to th e influence of flowering on th e alkaloids in th e bark, th e only au th o r ity on th e sub jec t is Mr. B roughton whose w ords I quote, and he adds iu h is rep o rt of D ecem ber 9 th , 1869, th a t th is is ‘ a po in t on which I have m ade a careful en q u iry .’

“ In the form ula for qu in ine on page 15, tw o num erals have dropped , b u t th e p rin te r’s e rro r is m ade p la in in th e n e x t few lines.

“ I canno t u n d erstan d cinchona ‘ th riv ing in a stiff c lay soil near a swamp. ’ As far as our knowledge and

experience go th e trees invariab ly d ie off a t an early age in such s itu a tio n s .— T he analyses and rem arks on pages 47-50 are by M r. H ughes. H is item ‘ su lphuric acid, carboinc acid, and chlorine n o t determ ined ’ m u st have h ad some m eaning, though on th e face of i t , it seem s superfluous.

“ M essrs. K ucker & B encraft’s u n it value of 1/9 a n d 1/9 J was correct a t th e tim e i t w as w ritte n and quoted , and is borne o u t b y th e sale lis t im m ediately preceding.

“ T he o rder of fo rm ation of th e a lkalo ids as decided by M r. B roughton is n o t necessarily a t variance w ith th e fac t of th e o u te r cells of th e bark being th e r ic h e st in quin ine, for in th is p a r t such changes as ta k e place are slow and p robab ly consist m erely of a sto rage of a lkalo id , th e younger tissues being th e scene of th e changes described by M r. B roughton (vide pages 45 and 46 of th e previously m entioned report).

“ T he disappearance of th e alkalo ids from th e bark of a dying tree is a fac t difficult of explanation , and ap p aren tly an tagon istic to the th eo ry th a t checking th e g row th of th e tre e increases th e secretion of the alkalo ids, in support of w hich th eo ry th ere does no t appear to be an y evidence w hich is n o t capable of ex p lanation on o th e r grounds. ”

A G R IC U L T U R E IX SCO TLA N D .(F ro m a Correspondent.)

T h e rep o rts by a ssis ta n t com m issioners of th e R oyal Com m ission on A gricu ltu ra l d istress are now published in a P a rliam en ta ry Blue-book. F rom one of th em I tak e th e follow ing figures th a t show a t a glance how m atte rs s ta n d w ith farm ers here, as i t is of im portance th a t th e p lan ter having farm ing p redilections, w ho m anages to “ get o u t” w ith a thousand or tw o , be posted u p in la te s t facts and figures, th a t h is change m ay not be to a fire from a fry ing-pan :—

A. B.R ent £600, farm occupied by

tenant.Rent £350, farm occupied by

proprietor.Caithness. Ross.

Profit. Loss. I Profit. Loss.

Y ear end­ Y ear end-1ing Oct. 31 £ s. d. £ s. d. ingNov. 22: £ s. d. £ s. d.

1875 847 4 31 — 1875 97 6 5 —„ 1876 577 11 10 — „ 1870391 4 3 —„ 1877 72 7 11 — ,. 1877206 7 7 —„ 1878 - 61 17 4 „ 1878140 16 7 —„ 1879 — 29 0 10 „ 1579| — 200 9 10

C. D.Bent, £800, farm

occupied by tenant. Caithness.

Rent £230, farm occupied ’ y tenant.

Aberdeenshire.

Year ending Nov. 22, 1877

do 1878 do 1879

Year end­ing Dec. 31 £ s, d,

1874157 5 0s. d.

187'

18761877 187* 1879

5111 3 380 5 2 j l

377 4 1— 507 11 9— 1407 13 8

B e tte r b y fa r tb a t he bu ild h is “ L anka V illa ,” invest h is m oney in house p ro p erty th a t y ields a certa in incom e of 5 to 10% , anil live a t home a t ease. A gri­cu ltu re w ill r ig h t itself w hen G overnm ent gets tim e to enact law s to fac ilita te th e sale and transfer of land. Good seasons alone w ill n o t suffice in th e a ltered sta te

of th e produce m ark e t to restore p rosperity to th e farm er. T he axe m u st s tr ik e a t th e roo t of th e evil • land m ust be m arketable . T ill th en th e ex C. P . w ill keep h is funds “ in b e tte r h ea rt” b y lay ing th em o u t a t in te re st. A leading a rtic le in las t w eek’s TV. B . A griculturist concludes w ith :— “ A fter w h a t has h appened —afte r a few very bad years, and a full crop such as las t y ea r’s in Scotland failing in m any cases to square accounts for th e y e a r—th e confidence of th e m ost san ­guine farm ers in th e s ta b ility of th e ir profession is being ra th e r rudely shaken . V ery m ate ria l changes on th e conditions u n d er w hich land is ren ted in th is co u n try cannot be fa r off One o th e r unfavourable year, such as in some respects th e p resen t th rea ten s to be, w ill unquestionab ly p lay sad havoc in farm ing circles, th e resu lts of which are m elancholy to con tem p la te .” M ore figures, th is tim e from th e Aberdeen Free Press, show th a t th e “ sad havoc” has begun in our im m ediate

I neighbourhood .

P L A N T IN G IN M A D A G A SCA R .(From our M auritius Correspondent.)

I tra n s la te th e follow ing from a le tte r of th e F ren ch correspondent a t M adagascar to one of our lead ing papers. T he w rite r is a n a tive of th is colony, an d has trav e lled in A ustra lia and elsew here. H e has also h ad a good deal of experience here in p lan tin g m a tte rs:

“ In Q ueensland and th e o th e r A u stra lian Colonies th e land is low and sandy and labor is dear. A t F iji th e p lan ta tio n s succeed perfectly ; b u t th e re are te rrib le hu rrican es there. T he coun try is u n h ea lth y : d y sen te ry ex ists th e re perm anently , and S ir A. G o r­don has u p se t th e system form erly follow ed in re ­gard to th e em ploym ent of laborers by forcing th e p lan te rs to feed th em on bread and m eat. A t Zan- zibar, th e cane grow s well ; b u t th e co u n try is too d ry . At M ayo tte and N ossibe (F rench se ttlem en ts on th e eas t coast of A frica) canes th riv e w onderfully ; bu t th e c lim ate is unhealthy and labor is very scarce. Several m ills have been abandoned for w an t of hands. A t Jo h a n n a (Comora Islands) the sugarcane also su cceeds ; b u t E uropeans are sub jec t to m alignan t a tta c k s of fever and th e Is lan d is too sm all to afford space for m ore th a n four o r five p lan ta tions, th re e a l ­ready existing .

“ M adagascar rem ains to be spoken of. F o r every com peten t an d reflecting m an i t w ill he found th e m ost su itab le for th e cu ltiv a tio n of th e cane. T he land is s till v irg in , and p lan ta tions can be had a t an any elevation and a t a nom inal price, while the vegetation is sp lendid w ith o u t e ith er guano or m anure. Labor is abundan t, costing only R 4 to R 6 per m onth , including th e cost of rations, an d th e re are no vexa­tious police regu la tions.”

I he question of irrig a tio n app lied to our cane fields continues to occupy the public m ind here to a g rea t d e g re e ; and, a t th e la s t m eeting of th e CounciJ of G overnm ent, tw o extensive schemes fo r irrig a tio n in th e w indw ard an d leew ard d istr ic ts of th e Is lan d w ere discussed, th e Colonial S ecre tary read ing a r e ­p o r t thereon to th e m em bers of th e board.

T here can be li t t le doubt, from th e a t t i tu d e of Go­vernm en t in reference to th e proposed enterprises, th a t th e question of irriga tion on a la rge scale, a p ­p lied to th e cu ltu re of sugarcane, w ill soon be practically solved here. I t has been rem arked , an d probab ly co rrec tly , I h a t how ever unsuccessful irrig a ­tion schemes have been in o th e r countries, w here th e ag ricu ltu ra l produce w as of less value th an our staple , our colo is ts should n o t tak e such re su lts as conclusive for th e non-adoption of sim ilar en terprises here. In proof of th is, i t m ay be m entioned th a t irriga tion to a by no m eans un im p o rtan t ex ten t, has a lready been carried o u t w ith considerable financial success on some of our m ost prosperous estates.

M a u r i t i u s . —T he sub jec t of ostrich farm ing is causing som e in te rest here, th is species of in d u s try having been in troduced by one of our w ealthy landed proprieto rs, M r. ChtSry L ignard, who im ported severa l pa irs of b in 's from A rab ia and th e Cape. These ostriches have already h a tch ed broods ; and, as th e re is p len ty of b arren lan d on th e coast of th e island, i t is p rob ­able th a t , befoie m any years pass over our heads, o s tr ’ch farm ing w ill be one of th e “ th ings th a t be” in M auritiu s. T he Cape papers are eagerly searched b y our Creole and French colonists fo r item s in r e ­gard to the rearin g and sale of ostriches &c., and a tran sla tio n in French , from a N a ta l paper, has ju s t been published in th e Cemten, our leading F rench journal, reporting th e sale of some pairs of these b ird s a t from 50 to 87£ guineas per p a ir .—Cor.

P L A N T IN G IN F I J I .A correspondent ( “ P ioneer ” ) favours us w ith th e

follow ing :—“ I heai d from a friend in F iji th e o th er day, who

w rites :— ‘ T he prospects of coffee do n o t seem very b r illia n t in F iji a t presen t. I have heard noth ing of th e re su lt of th e experim ent on G rea t Amalgam, b u t am afra id i t has n o t been successful, as one w ould have heard if th e disease had been checked.

“ S tephens has gone to ano ther coffee p lan ta tion on th e island of T aviuni. The ow ner of G reat A m algam la te ly se n t in a claim of £20,000 to th e G overnm ent for dam age done to h is e s ta te du ring the t re a tm e n t by th e G overnm ent. The m a tte r has been refe rred to a rb itra tio n , an d has n o t been se ttled yet.

“ T here was a m an of the nam e of L anyon down here , th ree w eeks ago, engaging nativ es to w ork on a cocoa p lan ta tion , w hich he is opening on th e island of V anua Lovu. H e has been in F ij i for n ine years and was one of th e firs t to grow coffee here. H e was in Ceylon before th a t. H e is very despondent abou t th e prospects of coffee in F iji.

“ Cinchona is being p lan ted by tw o or th re e men. Copperah, co tton and su g a r are th e m ain p roducts of F iji, and th e export of th e fh s t and la s t w ill very largely increase w hen th e w ide acreage of coconuts p lan ted w ith in th e preceding five years comes in to bearing , and w hen the th ree large new sugar mills now being p u t on V iti L eva are crush ing to th e ir fu ll pow er."’

CEYLON 'TEA IN M E L B O U R N E.Mr. H ector M ackenzie advises having sold th e

K andaloya es ta te “ pekoes ” in M elbourne a t Is lOd p er lb ., th e pekoe souchong a t Is 3d, and d u st a t l<Hd per lb . in bond. H e was sending on a lo t of pekoe souchong to D unedin, w here he expects to ge t Is 5d to Is 6d per lb. M r. M ackenzie has been offered from D unedin, N ew Zealand, per lb . for Ceylon coffee, b u t is holding o u t for 10^-1, as he th in k s prices are sure to go up. H e also asks if Ceylon p lan ters have done an y th in g about th e “ S yndicate ” business, add ing : — “ I am n o t afraid of tak in g up m ost of th e w ork ­ing here. I agree w ith you th a t i t is a, m istake to force th e m arket. I th in k if you can’t w ork a Syndicate, if I w ere appointed agen t for one o r two good estates, 1 am sure I coul i alw ays g e t p re tty good prices. I am w ork ing a ll m y sales privately , and w on’t go to auction as loug as 1 can sell to th e grocers p rivati I3V ’

TH E ADULTERATION OF TEA.TO THE EDITOR OF THE MELBOURNE ARGUS.

S ir,— My le tte r to th e B oaid of H ea lth , copy of which was published in The A rg u s of 25th Ju n e , was called forth by th a confu-ion th en ex isting regard ing th e character of green tea versus b lack tea. In th a t

71

le tte r I m ain tained and proved successfully b y docu­m en ta ry evidence th a t a ll green tea is a rtific ia lly coloured.

“ The four samples of green te a in th e office” m ay be passed over. T hey are p robab ly pu re u n d e rfe r­m ented teas. O ther s ta tem en ts and assertions in M r. E v e rtrd ’s le tte r are sim ply u n supported , and can n o t re s t for a m om ent against th e positive docum en tary evidence I adduce to th e co n tra ry . F u rth e r, he m u st show b e tte r au th o rity th a n h is ow n for d o u b tin g scientific investigation , an d I see a t once th a t to Mr. E v erard ’s scepticism on th is poin t is due th e lam en tab le ignorance he d isp lays in d iscussing th is te a question. I f he had any know ledge of th e m anu­fac tu re of te a —and th e re are p len ty of works on th e su b jec t—he would n o t have asserted th a t “ w ithered, te a leaves were se n t hom e,’" because all tea is w ith ered in th e first process of m anufactu re , and i t is a m o st unlikely fac t th a t any te a p lan te r w ould have exported his produce a t th is htage.

VVanklyn on te a analyses clearly an d scientifically proves how easy i t is to te ll th e tru e tea leaf by i ts bo tanical character, from all o th e r leaves. Again, th e tru e tea-leaf is noted b y its ex trao rd inary richness in n itrogen over a ll o th er leaves.

The ash of tea, rem aining a fte r inc inera tion of th e leaf, is an o th er good te s t, an d tables given by lead ­ing analysts are a p re tty certa in guide to the detec tion of adul eration.

Perhaps th e e x tra c t of tea, or th a t p a r t d ru n k in th e infusion or cup of tea, is th e m ost im portant* and no te a should fall below 30 (the s tan d ard a t hom e). Some of th e In d ia n and Ceylon teas go io 52. T h is ex tra c t con tains th o easen tia l oil or flavour w hich pleases th e p a la te ; and th e ac tive princip le , the ine (tasteless), w hich m ostly invigorates th e d iiu k e r.

I th in k i t will now be perfectly clear to th e in te l­ligen t reader th a t th e analy tica l chem ist should be th e best judge of w hat is wholsom e to th e te a -d rin k e r and th a t “ w a ttle b a rk '’ would be in s ta n tly d e te c te d by such a judge, how ever m uch Mr. E vevard m ig h t disguise th e sam e in his sam ples of tea.

T he te a -‘as ter is probab ly th e bes t au th o r ity on th e flavour of tea , and in a ready w ay can give an opinion on th e leaf and stren g th , b u t beym d. th is ho cannot go.

Messrs. Cosmo N ew bery and D unn m u st have aualysed some 500 sam ples of tea, and th e y may be considered first-class analysts of th is p roduct, and th e ir efforts to raV e th e s ta n d a rd of tea used by th e com m unity should have th e support of a ll te a m er­chan ts and o thers connected w ith th e trade. T h e Chinese are m asters of th e situa tion W e can on ly tak e w h at th e y w ill give us, and th e y are perfec t adep ts in th e m anipulation of th e leaf. T hey d y e and face th e ir teas so well th a t we have th e sp e c tac le of M r. E v e ra rd filling your colum us w itn pseans of praise in favour of his bloom ing green te a s of th e n o rth , th e same te a in th e hands of th e e x p e r t a n d analyst show ing facing and dye m aterial. - I am , &c.*

J u ly 1st. J . O. M o o d y .

Sir, —In th e A ssem bly la s t T hursday , th e A tto rn ey - G eneral ad m itted his inab ility to de; 1 thorough ly w ith th is quest on. H e s ta te d th a t 10 years ago he w as Com m issioner of Custom s, and now, as th e h ighest law officer of th e M inistry , he w as n e ith e r th e exponent of th e custom s or th e law in such cases. H e also s ta te d t iat he h id the agen t-genera l in his front. I w ill rem ind him th a t he had th e Cham ber of Commerce in his i ear, b ir all, all are silent.

W ill you please allow me to s ta te th a t up to th e tim e of th e exp iry of the E ast In d ia C om pany’s tta d in g ch arte rs in 1834—or ra th e r th e suspension of of th e charters, vide th e s ta tu te W illiam I V .—i t was th e custom in E ngland to deal w ith tea tea - dam aged or otherw ise unfit for consum ption, to p lace

i t on board a h u lk or a hoy sent dow n th e Tham es to sea reach, and th e re , u nder th e supervision of revenue officers, i t w as s ta rte d in to th e sea. A bout 10 years a f te r th is period tw o vessels, tea-laden, were w recked near th e m outh of the Tham es. One vessel was th e “ W estm in ste r," th e o ther, I th in k , th e “ Lady F lo ra .” T he tea was im m ediately recovered and sen t u p to th e E ast In d ia D ocks in steam ers. On petition , th e sound was allow ed to be separa ted , and the sea- dam aged washed in bags an d d ried in th e open air. One condition was th a t th e sea-dam aged w as to be offered for sale as “ sea-dam aged an d w ashed ,” b u t th e te a never reached th e consum er w ith th is ch a r­ac ter. T he process was n e ith e r sa tis fac to ry to th e m erchan t nor to th e G overnm ent. I believe th a t th e operation was never repeated. N o t very long before th is , some spurious tea , n o t im p o rted b u t m anufac­tu re d in E ngland , w as seized, sen t to th e Excise office, Old B road s tree t, and condem ned to be bu rn t. I f w e go very m uch fu rth e r back, we find on record th a t in th e year 1427 Rain well, th e m ayor of London, seized 150 casks of w ine for being ad u lte ra ted . The casks w ere staved, and th e con ten ts s ta r te d in to th e g u tte rs— 6 H enry V I .

S ure ly th e law officers, w ith th e Im peria l s ta tu te s a t large a t th e ir hands, m igh t find some rem edy for such­like in iq u itie s .—Y ours, &c. J ohn E l ia .

C ollins-stregt w est, J u ly 2.

S i r ,—In your issue of to -day is a le t te r in answ er to m ine of 28 th June , on tea , from M r. M oody, in which I am accused of a “ tira d e of abuse .” I f th a t gentlem an w ill show me w here the abuse comes in I shall be deligh ted to w ith d raw it, bu t I suppose in m y ignorance I m ay have abused w hen I though t I w as closely following u p an argum ent, show ing Mr. M oody’s a ttem p t to gloss over an im porta tion of th e v ilest rubb ish im aginable, by com paring i t w ith some of th e finest green teas in th e w orld (not “ P ing Sueys” as q uo ted by Mr. Moody), because th e re m ay be some s lig h t colouring on th e finest k inds. W h a t I w ished to show w as th a t tea s lik e th o se per ‘ 1 O cean” were a sim ple sw indle on th e g u llib ility of th e p u b ­lic, and th a t th e colouring was n o t so bad, as com­pared w ith the artic le itself. T h is correspondence has, however, done some good, as i t has m oved off th is abom inable rubb ish , I am sorry to say, to ano ther colony, w hen its last resting place ought to have been e ith e r in th e m iddle of H obson’s Bay or “ in c in era ted ” b y th e Custom s au thorities .

M r. M oody accuses me of a w ant of know ledge of th e m anufacture of tea, I th in k “ lam entable ignor­ance” is th e t e r m ; and I sha ll le t th a t question pass for w h a t i t is w orth . B u t perhaps he w ill allow me to te ll h im th a t th e re is a d istinction betw een “ w ith ­ered tea-leaves” and “ tea-leaves w ith ered ” for com m er­cia l purposes. B u t as on th is sub ject I m erely w ished to dispose of th e assertion of an o th er correspondent in regard to te a shipped from Ind ia , I sha ll decline follow ing a gentlem an who condescends to answ er a person who ac tu a lly know s a tea leaf w hen he sees i t as well as th e scientific W anklyn, b u t w ho certain ly cannot te ll w hat k in d of “ vegetable ” e x tra c t comes from a gunpow der m ade of th e d u s t of o th e r leaves, n o t tea, w ith a com bination of o th e r rubb ish .

I have no th ing fu rth e r to say in regard to M r. M oody’s le tte r . I f M essrs. D unn & Co. like to en te r th e field i t is open to them , bu t I th ink , sir, you w ill agree w ith me th a t I d id n o t sing th e praises of colouring tea. S till. I am certa in there is no m ore harm in bloom ing th e finest green teas (w hich are never used here) th a n in th e use of su lp h u r for hops or bu rn t sugar for b randy . F a r b e tte r w ith o u t, if th e gentle public would p refe r a d a rk olive colour, alm ost black, to th e s lig h t facing, w hich really m uch im proves th e appearance of fine green teas , a k in d of I te a I alm ost question if M r. Moody has ever seen. I

III th e whole of th is discussion on tea , from m y firs t le tte r of Ja n u a ry 16th, 1880, I have avoided as m uch as possible saying an y th in g th a t m igh t be construed as e ith e r offensive against ind iv iduals, o r ag a in st th e •growth of te a of any p articu la r na tio n a lity .* I have used m y pen only agains t w holesale d enuncia tions of th e Chinese artic le , as u n ju s t and unw orthy . D uring the season ju s t ended w e have im ported ab o u t 10,000,GOO lb. of te a from China, nearly every sh ip m en t of w hich I have seen ta s te d , and u n d e r th e m ost s tr in g en t a c t (sim ilar to th e E nglish) no t above 50,0001b. w eight could have been e ith e r d estroyed or confiscated, inc lud ing th e “ Ocean’s ” sh ipm ent and th e “ G lam is C astle ” ; and fo r th is 50,000 lb . w e ig h t le tte rs a re w ritte n wholesale about th e poisonous Chinese artic le , as if th e w hole produce w as one mass of ad u lte ra tio n .

I m ay add, iu conclusion, th a t du ring th e la s t few days fu lly one m illion of pounds w eight of te a (season 1881-2) have been sold o u t of th e s. s. “ K illarney, ” in every instance from very' fine to nice sw eet-flavoured teas, n o t one parcel of w hich w ould show a low e x tra c t, or be re jec ted b y dealers on account of in fe rio rity of quality .

As I have frequen tly seen Mr. D u n n ’s nam e q uo ted as an analyst, 1 sh a ll be p leased to give h im sm a ll sam ples of th e teas I have nam ed if i t w ill be an y advan tage to h im to o b ta in th em for analy tica l p u r ­poses ; indeed, I th in k i t w ould be advisable for h im to know bo th sides of th e question , and n o t re s t sa tis­fied w ith th in k in g th a t th e te a s (green especially ) h e has analysed are th e bes t p roducts of China. I w ill also ad d th a t th e finest an d m ost valuab le teas do n o t necessarily con ta in (I m ean pu re tea) th e h ighest percen tage of ex trac t, an y m ore th a n silen t sp ir it 60 per cen t, over proof is b e tte r th a n th e finest o ld cognac 8 to 10 und er p roof.—I am , &c.,

J . E vera k d .32 O ollins-street west, J u ly 5.

Sir,— I am much surprised to see the following state­m ent in Mr. M oody’s letter in th is morning’s A rg u s .— “ In that letter I maintained and proved successfully, by documentary evidence, that all green tea is arti­ficially coloured, ”

Such a statem ent coming from a man of Mr. M oody’s high standing in the trade, m ust have weight, and should not have been so rashly made. The documentary evidence only referred to China tea. I am prepared to show actual fact. The Indian green teas consigned to me have been analysed and found to be perfectly pure. Fact surely is before theory, especially if the theory is a little sta le .—Yours, &c.. Chas. W . H ughes.

87 Chancery-lane, Ju ly 5.

CINCH O NA P L A N T IN G ON T H E P U L N E Y S.T he n a tu re of th e p lan tin g advice ten d ered to th e

hom e public is i llu s tra te d b y an e x tra c t from a le t te r in th e Field of J u ly 2n d , on “ The K annan D evan M ounta ins in S outh In d ia .” W e quote as fo llow s:—

F o r a p lan te r, and for a m an w ith a sm all incom e w ho w ished to se t u p house on th e Pu lneys, these hills p resen t undeniable a ttrac tio n s . I t is easy to g e t across from Koriek&nal. Some th ree m onths ago, a gentlem an le f t th e la t te r s ta tion w ith h is wife and h er m aid, an d travelled across to D evikolum , stayed th e re some weeks, and re tu rned th e sam e w ay. T he p a th connecting th e tw o places is in process of con­struction , an d one or tw o residen ts of Kodekitnal have a lready tak en up lan d s on th e K annan D evans, and are opening cinchona es ta tes. T he labour m ark ­e t is close a t hand, and th e supp ly of coolies p re ­sen ts no difficulties. T he ad ap tab ility of th e clim ate an d soil for grow ing tea and th e best so rts of cin-

* Oh!—E d . ‘

chona (such as Coudam inia, pubescens, p ita jen sis ) has been tho roughly estab lished by th e success of th e soc ie ty ’s own operations, and a coffee p L n t ttion is now being form ed u n d er th e m anagem ent of a sk illed p la n te r from Ceylon. B u t above all is th is great fact, w h 'ch places th is co u n try beyond a ll o ther dis- tr ic s in S ou th India, th a t these lands are en tire ly free from m alaria—unless, of course, lands are selected a t th e bottom of one of th e valleys ru n n in g in to th e p lains. B u t on th e p la teau th e re are some thousands of acres of fo rest and grass as en tire ly free from fever influences as Coonoor and O otacam und, or th e Pulneys them selves. R a in falls in every m onth of th e y e ir , excep t Feb ruary , and som etim es Ja n u a ry . E nglish vegetables grow excellently . E ng lish stores and liquor are easily procurable from th e ne ighbour­ing tow n of M adura, where there is a good club. C arpen ers come up from Cochin, th e ir pay being one rupee a day ; b u t lim e m ust be b rought up from th e low country , w hich is one of th e . d raw backs of th e place.

T he scope and profits of cinchona grow ing are now being recognized. I t is an en te rp rise p articu la rly su ited to a m an w ho has a sm all incom e to enable h im to keep going til l h is trees are b ig enough to produce th e chem ists’ bark , w ho likes le isure for shooting, and is n o t to be w orried by th e ceaseless and m inu te superin tendence th a t a coffee o r te a garden requires.

There is no place in S ou th In d ia where a m arried m an of sm all means, w ith a l i t t le capital, would do b e tte r th an by tak ing a house a t K odekanal, on th e Pulneys, and by purchasing a hu n d red acres of forest lan d and a hu n d red acres of grass lan d on th e K annan D evans, w herew ith to form a farm stead an d a cin­chona p lan tation .

A t th e presen t m om ent th e prices of c inchona b a rk are so high th a t i t has been calcu la ted by good au tho rities th a t an acre of land w ith a thousand trees on it, te n years old, can be w orked to give a re tu rn of £100 p er annum . These authorici* s also say th a t th e value of th e best barks, which are b rough t to m ark e t for th e m anufactu re of th e alkalo ids, will never m ateria lly decrease.

I t is no t necessary to w ait te n years for a re tu rn , because from four to seven years old trees (according to grow th), yield a bark th a t is know n as d rugg ists’ bark , used for decoctions. T he prices of th e best k in d of cinchona bark th a t is d iv erted to th is p u r ­pose is now very high, and th e th in n in g ou t of th e p lan ta tio n in its early years would qu ite certain ly repay all ou tlay , an d leave a large m arg in of profit. B u t there is a consensus of opinion th a t th e p roduc­tio n of th is d rugg ists’ b a rk m ay be overdone, and th e p lan te r m u st be p repared for th is contingency. The cost of purchasing such a block of fo res t and gra-s w ould, we u nderstand , be now in th e early days of th e society, abo u t £3 p er acre for forest, an d £1 an acre for grass land.

T he cost of opening 50 acres of th e forest lan d will be approx im ately as follows fo r th e first y e a r :—

£ s. d., Felling a t £1 5s. th e acre ... ... 02 10 0

P ittin g , lin ing , p lan ting , &c., a t £ 2 per1,000 p its—3,000 p its to th e acre ... 300 0 0

P rice of p lan ts , a t £1 per 1,000 ... 150 0 0T em porary build ings, p a th s , drains,

tools, &c., s a y ... ... ... ... 150 0 0N ative superin tenden t, a t £ 5 p er m onth 60 0 0

722 10 0A dd price of 100 acres forest land , £300;

100 acres of grass land , £100 ... 400 0 0

T o ta l. . .£1,112 10 0 T he upkeep and g radual extension of th e cu ltiv a ­

tio n w ould be effected for £200 a year, so th a t th e

e s ta te w ould cost abou t £ 2,000 before a re tu rn could be expected . I t is difficult to say w hat am ount of d ry b a rk w ould be h a rv ested from th e first th in n in g o u t in , say, five years ; b u t i t is n o t unreasonable to estim ate th a t 5,000 lb , of d ry bark , p resen ting a net profit of 2s. a pound, w ould be th e resu lt of th e first cropping. B u t if th e p la n te r does n o t w a n t to open him self, he can buy a young plan tation from th e society, th is being p a r t of th e ir business. A y ea r o r a year* and-a-lialf old cinchona p lan tation , w ith a po rtion opened, w ould be possibly sold for cost of opening an d value of land, p lus a good in te rest on th e m oney sunk.

W e are n o t w ell inform ed on th is m a tte r , b u t we should th in k th a t such a p lan ta tio n could be p u r ­chased for £20 an acre th e opened block, an d £ 5 an acre unopened forest. T h u s, a block of 100 acres forest and 100 acres grass, w ith 40 acres opened in cinchona a year old, w ould be priced a t abo u t £ 1,200 to £1,500. A p la n te r w ith an available cap ita l of £ 2,000 w ould th u s find a p ro p erty su ited to his pooket, and subsequent extension of opening w ould be deferred til l crop tim e.

T he objections to Kodek&nal as a place of residence are, th a t th e society is lim ited in e x te n t, th a t th e c a r t road from th e p lains is n o t y e t finished, and consequently every th ing has to be carried u p by coolies); th a t th e re are no schools ; an d th a t bungalow s are few, and h a rd to g e t for a term . B u t tiie clim ate is exquisite, and, w ith an occupation as is suggested in th is le tte r , th e re w ould be 110 ted ium , o r diffi­cu lty in finding am ple em ploym ent on one’s ow n p ro p erty or in looking a f te r estates for o thers. F u r ­th e r , the re is th e shooting, w hich is very ind ifferen t on th e Pulneys, b u t im proves every m ile tow ards th e w est u n til th e K annan D evans are reached, w hence ex tensive and unexplored w ilds, teem ing w ith elephants, bison, ibex, and deer, s tre tc h aw ay south fo rty miles to Peerm aad, and n o r th in to th e B ritish A naim allais,

S t a p l e g r o v e .

W e w ould strong ly advise in ten d in g p lan te rs to v is it th e P u lneys and spend a y ea r on th e spot (learn ­ing to p lan t) before investing th e ir cap ita l e ith e r in forest-land or a cu ltiv a ted p roperty .

SO R G H U M C U L T IV A T IO N IN IN D IA .A paper pub lished by th e M adras G overnm ent

contains a le t te r from th e officiating U nder-S ecre t­a ry to th e G overnm ent of In d ia , H om e, Revenue an d A gricu ltu ra l D ep artm en t (A gricu ltu re and H o r ti­cu ltu re), to th e Secre tary to th e G overnm ent of M adras, R evenue D epartm ent, forw arding f-«r ex p eri­m en ta l cu ltiv a tio n in th e M adras P residency a sm all q u a n tity of th e seed of th e “ M innesota E a rly A m ber Cane,” a varie ty of th e Sorghum Saccharatum, and requesting th a t carefu l experim ents m ay be m ade to te s t th e value of th is v arie ty of Sorghum as a sugar-producer ; an d also th a t the seed produced m ay be preserved for fu rth e r experim ents. In th is le t te r w ere enclosed copies of tw o m em oranda on (he su b ­je c t by Surgeon-G eneral B alfour, d a ted 28 th S ep tem ­b er 1880, and 8th F eb ruary 1881. In th e firs t of these D r. B alfour refers to th e in troduc tion by him in. 1859 in to In d ia of im phee from th e Cape of Good Hope* an d of sorgho from the U nited S ta tes of A m erica, an d th e subsequent resu lts . T hat the ju ice of th e sorgho has no t h ith e r to been crystalized in to sugar is due n o t to an y in ferio rity of th e cane b u t to a m ethod n o t having been discovered to overcom e th e difficulties in th e w ay of crystalization . These have now been rem oved. D r. B alfour therefore p o in ts o u t th e des ir­ab ility of once m ore try in g the cu ltivation . H e says :— “ I t s tre a tm e n t should be precisely th a t of th e Sorghum vulgare, th e ju a ri, cholum or jon n a of th e H in d u stan ,

T am il and T iling countries, an d th e seeds m igh t be carefully collected for fu tu re experim ents. T he A gri­cu ltu ra l D epartm ent of th e U nited S ta tes has 32 varie­ties of sugar-producing sorghum s and m illets, b u t th e M innesota E a rly A m ber Cane is considered th e best*, a f te r i t come th e Chinese Sorgho Cane, th e W hite L iberian Cane, and the H onduras Cane. I in troduced th e Chinese Sorgho in to M adras in 1859 (VroC'edinge, Revenue Board, 18th Ja n u a ry 1863), b u t i t was seem ­ing ly neglected. 1 w ill obtain and forw ard sam ples of a ll th e v a rie ties .” I n th e second m em orandum D r. Balfour gives fu rth e r inform ation on th e subject, quoting th e opinions of D r. Roxburgh, M r. W ig le t, and a w riter in th e M adras M ail, who says :— “ To sum up th e advantages of Sorgho, it produces a good grain about equal in value to o rd inary eholum {Sorghum vulgare); i t should p roduce sugar w orth a t leas t tw o or th ree tim es th e value of th e g rain ; th e crushed canes are s til l useful as fodder o r as m anure, if no t used in boiling th e juice ; th e produce of ‘ cerosie ; should more than pay a ll th e expenses of cu ltiv a tio n ’ a n d a valuable dye (note paragraph 12) can be ex trac ted from the seeds. A nd if th e cu ltiv a to r does n o t choose to m anufactu re sugar, he can sell the s ta lk as a pleas­a n t succulent, o r he may sell th e sy ru p as molas-es o r m anufacture v inegar o r b randy . P ap er can al>o he made fr< m the sta lk , and it is possible th a t if th e cane refuse wej e collected an d m ade o u t here in to 6 half- s to c k ,’ a large dem and m igh t arise from i t in E u rope.” D r. B alfour a d d s :— “ In conclusion the efforts made in In d ia to in troduce th e ‘ so rg h o / g rea t as th ey m ay seem, are s lig h t com pared w ith those of th e U n ited S tates A gricu ltu ra l D epartm ent w hen th ey have a new p la n t to establish ; and as th e farm ers of the S ta tes have found it a profitable crop, i t is reason­able to suppose th a t th e ryo ts of B ritish In d ia should also be able to cu ltiva te w ith even larger profits .”

N E W PR O D U C TS IN C E Y L O N : L O W -C O U N T R Y R E PO R T .

DROUGHT—CRICKETS AND LEAF DISEASE— USE OF BASKETS IN PLANTING OUT— TIIE GIGANTIC VAIilETY OP LIBE­RIAN CoFFVK THE LEAST SATISFACTORY OF ALL— DISTRIBUTION OF RAINFALL.

W e s t e r n P r o v in c e , 31st J u l y 1SS1.I n m y la s t report, I professed to have had suffici­

e n t ra in for my purposes up to th a t da te . B u t since th e n th e re has been none, and for th e la s t ten days th e nsual cloudy Ju ly w eather has given place to b r ig h t sunshine, »nd in tense heat, a lte rnated w ith pass­ing clouds, carried forw ard on th e wings of a ck illiug breeze th a t feels as if i t w ent to th e very m arrow of th e bones. In consequence of thos>* sudden cbnnges o f tem pera tu re , there has been a good deal of sem i-sick­ness am ong t- e coolies. N o th ing very serious, b u t enough to m ake a ll b u t th e o ld well-seasoned hands sh irk th e aft-rnonn sun, and the chitling b la d < The w ind blows stiffly for e-ght hours daily , an d is of an extrem ely d r y . searching quality th a t finds its w ay it.to th e m ost sheltered nooks, and wheels rvuud th e m ost in tru sive corners.

H ith e rto , the coffee p lan ts p u t o u t in the early p a r t of the m onth have suffered nothing, b u t th ey w ill have to bo looked to in the w ay of add itio n a l shadi-, if th is w«ia th t r continues for a few days more. T he o ld e r coffee p lants seem to grow even b e tte r for the d ry w e .th er, bowing th e ir heads a t th e bidding of th e w ind bu assum ing the ir n a tu ra l position when i t ceases. A t th is stage of g row th , th«-y are v ry m uch given to th row o u t num erous suckers near th-* ground, w hich require a good deal 01 trim m ing , h u t th is hab it ciases w hen th ey begin to branch, w hich is generally a t from fifteen inches to tw o feet. T h e p lan ts c u t by th e la s t ha tch ing of crickets are com ing 011 ( th a t is to say those c u t above th e buds), b u t th ey a re a long w ay behind those th a t escaped,

and w ill only ran k w ith th e supplies p u t o r to b e p u t dow n from eig h t to tw elve m onths la te r , an d th e y w ill be again liable to a tta c k , when th e enem y again appears. On th e la s t occasion, m any p la n ts th a t had stem s too h a rd to cu t had th e ir leaves p runed off for six inches or so, an d a large p ro­portion of those so trim m ed have been a ttack ed by- leaf disease in a very v iru le n t form , w hile h a rd ly one of those th a t have th row n o u t shoots from th e c u t stem are so affected. I am stum ping all th a t have caugh t th e disease, so as to give th em an o th e r chance, for, as I have fo rm erly s ta te d , th e pest seems, never to leave th e p la n t i t has once fastened on.

T he d ry w eather has been m ore troublesom e in th e n u rse ry th an elsew here. I am obliged to use baskets for tw o reasons :— 1s t .—I f I tran sp lan ted th e seedlings from th e sheds in to th e open ground , a m onth a f te r th e c rick e t season opened I w ould n o t have a p lan t left, b u t th ey do n o t touch th em in th e baskets, p laced on th e ir bo ttom s 011 th e surface. 2n d .—P lan ts in baskets m ay be p u t o u t a t any tim e a fte r th e th ird pa ir of leaves are ou t, w henth e re have been a few show ers, and a fair p rospectof m ore w ith in fifteen days. O ur clim ate i* too u ncerta in to p ru d en tly p u t o u t p lan ts w ith n ak ed roots a t any tim e <>f th e year, an d in b ask e ts th ey are safe a t alm ost an y tim e, if subsequen t shading be properly a tten d ed to . P lan ts in b ask e ts , how ever, have th e d isadvan tage of requ irit g an am ount of care an d labour in shad ing and w a te r­ing a ltog e th er unnecessary in th e case of p la n tsin th e ground. A few hours of h o t sun a»»d d ry w ind parches th e ea rth con tained in th e b ask e ts , and in d ry w ea th e r w ate rin g m u st go on eon- tin u a ll) ', an d shad ing m u st be done in th e la s t resort, though n o t to be prescribed excep t w hen th e well goes d ry —an event w hich has taken place h e re , tow ards every evening, for th e la s t week.

A fte r th e L iberian coffee p la n t has tw > pair of leaves, i t en joys all th e sun i t can catch , so long as i t can draw on th e soil its roots occupy for th e necessary supply of m oistu re ; th e m om ent th e m oisture fails i t begins to droop and if n o t quickly a ttended to w ill die. T he blo-eom on th e o lder trees due a m onth ago s ingg led o u t on several occasions, b u t th e g re a te r p a r t of th e prom ise rem ains unfulfilled, an d w ill con­tinue to be till ra in conies. I n th e case of alm ost every one of th e rem aining tw o year trees,du ring th e la s t few m onths, th e stem has ru n up, tw o, three, and even s x pa ir of leaves w ith o u t a branch. T h is is th e tru e h ab it of th e tre e varie ty , b u t even th e b es t behaved h ith e r to have run up from nine inches to tw o fee t of stem w ithou t a b ranch . and th is has h.-ppened a t a ll th e various heigh ts a tta in ed , from th ree to six feet. Since th e rapid g row th has in some m e isu re ceased, th e y are again g e ttin g in to regu lar h ab its .

One of th e correspondents of th e Obsei'ver com plained la te ly th a t he had been deceiv d in th e seed supplied to his order, because th e w hole d id n o t tu rn o u t of th e g igan tic variety . So far as m y presen t experience carries me, I am inclined to th in k th e g igan tic variety th e L a s t sa tisfac to ry of all. I t r m s vapidly up to four o r five feet and produces one p a ir of b ranches up th e stem ; ru n s ano ther foot and produces a single one ; and so i t goes on. t i l l a t seven feet i t has n o t seven branches. I t w as n o t th e size of th e L iberian coffie th a t first called my a tte n tio n to it, b u t th e tac t th a t i t would flourish and be p roductive in a t m pera tu re ten degree-* h igher th an suited th e A rab ian k 'a d . I do n o t care for th e size of th e tree . A g ia n t or a d w arf v a rie ty are a ll th e same to me, if on ly th ey can be p rofitably cu ltiv a ted , w here th e k now n and tes ted v arie ty fails. I have devoted th e fag etid of th e longest consecutive p lan tin g career in Ceylon to th e developem eut of th is p lan t, in a sm all section of country , w ith a peculiar clim ate, an d so far, th ro u g h

m any disappointm ents, I am satisfied w ith th e resu lts . To naturalize an exotic, tin soil an d clim ate closely resem bling those of its h a b ita t, shou ld be a com­p a ra tiv e ly easy ta sk ; b u t w hen w e carry i t in to a region w here i t "would be im possible fo r i t to m ain tain a p erm anen t footing w ith o u t hum an aid , w e requ ire to w atch its hab its, and s tu d y its wants, w ith unw inking vigilance, an d every one for h im se lf : for, in th is land of Ceylon, th e ex p eri­ence acqu ired in one q u a r te r m ay be of l i t t le use in an o th er n o t very rem ote. T he d is trib u tio n of rainfall, w hich varies from 31 inches a t M annar to 250 a t Padupola, show s too rem ote extrem es fo r any one species of p la n t to flourish in b o th places. Indeed, i t is questionable w hether any profitab le cu ltiv a tio n can be conducted in th e neighbourhood of either. M y own experience in th e cu ltivation of A rabian coffee, w ith in a m ile of th e Ceylon w aterpo t, was no t by an y m eans sa tisfacto ry , b u t i t is said te a is succeed­ing in th a t v icin ity . T here is sufficient choice of locality betw een th e tw o ex trem es, an d in th e P asdun K orale, w ith its 150 inches of rainfall, L iberian coffee seem s to have found a congenial home, b u t th e chief question now to be se ttled is how fa r th e cu ltivation can be pushed in to th e d rie r d istric ts , w ith a fa ir chance of success. A t w h a t m easure of ra in fa ll w ill w e be forced to d raw th e lin e? N or is th is th e sole question to be se ttled . T here are tr a c ts of good land, in d is tr ic ts w here th e annual ra in fa ll w ould be am ple, if well d is trib u ted over th e year. I t th e n is an im p o rtan t fac t s till to be te s te d : how long can th e L iberian coffee p la n t endure, w ith o u t perm anen t in ju ry , dep rivation of ra in ? I canno t from m y own experience th row m uch ligh t on th is po in t, as I have no t been tried w ith m ore th a n th ir ty days, since I h ad to deal w ith w ell grounded p lan ts, b u t in th e land I have to w ork a p la n t of six m onths can stand a m onth n o t only w ith o u t in ju ry b u t w ith ad v an tag e . A t th e sam e tim e, I m u st ad m it th a t I have seen a w ell b ranched p lan t, five feet h igh , w ith a heavy crop, droop in a b rig h t afternoon, w ith on ly fou rteen d ry d ay s behind it.

A ugust 3rd.On th e 31st we had a few lig h t show ers, and th e

lik e on th e 1st, b u t i t w as a t 4 a. m. on th e 2nd w e began to g e t real ra in . W e have a r ig h t to expect more o r less ra in la te in Ju ly o r early in A ugust, an d on th is occasion we are not d isappointed .

T he firs t c ricket work of th e season appeared on th e m orning of th e 1s t iu th e cu ttin g of tw o coffee seedlings in th e nursery . I t is a m onth earlie r th a n I expected them , b u t i t is to be hoped th a t an early e n try w ill p recede an early exit. I do n o t m uch lik e th e ir firs t appearance am ong th e p la n ts in baskets, w here th e p lan ts have been com paratively safe on form er occasions. C urious th a t th e breed shou ld have such a hold on th is place, an d now here else w ith in m y bounds of ken.

9th A ugust.More o r less ra in daily ; ra ined a ll day on S unday;

p lan tin g o u t w ith fea r an d trem bling .

COFFEE A D ULTER ATIO N A ND T H E PL A N TE R S’ ASSOCIATION.

A C eylon esta te p rop rie to r now a t hom e w rites :— “ London, 15th Ju ly 1881.— I m u st send you a few lines to express th e d isgust I feel a t th e reception accorded to th e proposed m em orial against coffee ad u lte ra tio n a t th e m eeting of th e P lan ters’ A ssociation la s t m onth.

“ L uke warmness o r fa in t-heartedness in such a cause, i t is, perhaps, possible to u nderstand . B u t, opposition from th e p lan te rs to th e ir best in te rests , and w ith o u t th e sligh test show of rhym e or reason ! ! N o wonder, th a t M r. W all lo st h e a r t and w ould fain have th row n u p th e th in g in despair.

“ T he su b jec t of ad u lte ra tio n has been m uch before th e pub lic a t hom e d u rin g th e p as t few m o n th s ; p a rtly , no doubt, ow ing to th e boldness w ith w hich th e p rom oters of th e D ate Coffee C om pany have a d ­vertized th e ir schem e ; an d as you are d oub tless aw are, m ore th a n one jo u rn a l has been th re a te n e d w ith p ro ­ceedings fo r bo ld ly expressing opinions affecting th e character of th e above in iqu itous concern.

“ I s a y , therefore, th a t a more f ittin g tim e th a n ju s t now for th e p resen ta tio n of such a m em orial, i t would have been im possible to select.

“ T he C hairm an of th e P . A. has done h is d u ly : the Observer has done its d u ty . To th em bo th , as a u n it of th e p lan tin g com m unity and a m em ber of th a t A s ­sociation to w hich I used to consider i t an honour to belong, I desire to ten d e r m y th a n k s , an d to th e fo rm er m y sy m p a th y th a t h is labour sh ou ld be so li t t le ap p recia ted . I fear th a t th e opposition to th e m em orial has been p rom pted by the sam e p e tty j 'alous spirit, w hich caused th e P. A to re je c t th e m edical aid scheme d ra fted by th e C ham ber of Com m erce la s t year.

“ T he enclosed c u ttin g from a London paper of to -d a y ’s d a te w ill show you that, th e D ate Coffee C om pany a t ar.y ra te is looking a f te r Us in te re s ts w ith some energy how ever base those in te re s ts m ay be

‘T h e D a t e C o f f e e C o m p a n y R e po p .t .

T he Second O rd inary G eneral M eeting of th e D ate Coffee C om pany w as held y es te rd ay in th e G rea t H a ll of th e C anuon-stree t H o te l, H en ry H aym en , E sq ., in the C hair.

T he C h a i r m a n , —G entlem en, th e S ecre ta ry w ill read th e notice convening th e m eeting.

M r. T. F ortescue H aym en (S ecre ta ry ) read the notice.

T he C h a ir m a n . — W il l y o u ta k e the R eport a s read, or h a v e i t read ?

T he R eport W'as tak en as read.T he C h a i r m a n :—G entlem en, I w ill commence th e p ro ­

ceedings to -day (and I w ill d e ta in you b u t a very few m om ents) w ith the form ation of th e C om pany. W e have so m any new shareho lders come in to th e Com ­pan y w ith in th e p a s t few m onths w ho are co n s tan tly ask ing questions ; and I th in k therefo re w e shall tak e th is o p p o rtu n ity of endeavouring to place before you a sh o rt resumiS of th e C om pany’s affairs from th e firs t d ay i t s ta rte d u n ti l now , T hom w ho rem em ber th e firs t p rospectus of th e C om pany, and th e figures w hich were th en p u t before th e public, w ill recollect th a t w e s ta te d to you upon a m ake of 40 tons p e r w eek, we could re tu rn a profit of 100 p er cent. W orks have since th a t d a te been estab lished a t K urrachee, in In d ia . W e have been enabled to show yon by th e ac tual m aking of th e Coffee th e price a t w hich i t can be m an u ­factured, an d we know also th e price a t w hich i t can be sold. D uring th e la s t few m onths you w ill have n o ticed th a t w e have been enabled to considerably in ­crease the q u an tity , and by th e la s t le tte r from the m anager in K urrach ee we are inform ed th a t th e firs t of th e se ts of ovens, d ispa tched to increase th e q u a n tity , w ill be e rec ted w ith in th e week, and I th in k I am justified in saying th a t by th e end of A u g u st we sha ll be iu a position to p u t o u t close upon 40 to n s p er week, (cheers). So m uch for th e question of m an u ­fac tu re . T he accounts before you show m ost clearly th a t w e can m anufactu re a t th e price w e orig inally an tic ipated , an d there can be no q uestion cf dou b t about i t se lling a t th e price we th o u g h t, an d if so we sha ll realise th e p rofit also we an tic ip a ted . W e will now ta k e you a step fu r th e r w ith resp ec t to w h at has tak en place since we had th e p leasure of m eeting in Ja n u a ry of th is year. A ll sorts of rum ours and sta tem en ts have been m ade, m ost of w hich I have m et w ith s ta tem en ts from the chair a t th e various m eetings of th e Com pany w hich have been called d u rin g th a t tim e. You have also been inform ed an a t te m p t was

marie to g e t an in junction against th is Com pany, anil thereby sto p its proceedings. Those who have w atched th e papers w ill have noticed th a t th e case w as se t dow n fur hearing to d a y . T he case came on before th e Vic -Chancell ir to-day, an d w ith th e follow ing, which I th in k w ill be a m ost g ra tify ing , re su lt to tire sh a re ­holders. I t bears o u t on th e face of i t , I m ay say, all you have been led to suppose, and i t p u ts an end once and for all to all questions of litig a tio n , and p laces th e Com pany in th e position i t w as in —in fac t in a b e tte r position th a n i t was in before these p ro­ceedings com m enced (hear, hear). I w ill read you w h a t took p la c e :— “ T he P lain tiffs hav ing since the com­m encem ent of th e action m ade inqu iries an d had an o pportun ity of investiga ting the D efendan ts’ p a te n t and th e ir m ode of m anufacture , an I, being satisfied th a t i t is n o t an in fringem ent, desire to w ithd raw from th e proceedings, each p a rty paying th e ir own costs. To p n t an end to th e possib ility of fu rth e r litig a tio n and com petition, th e P lain tiffs have agreed to dispose of th e ir P a te n t to th e D efendant Com pany for a sm all sum w hich scarcely covers th e am ount paid by th e P lain tiffs, in th e belief th a t M ontoison’s P a te n t was th e sole one capable of being upheld fo r th is m anufacture , and bo th parties now ask th e C o u rt to d irec t an O rder in th e term s of th is a rrangem en t, w hich is em bodied in an agreem ent dated th e 6th day' of Ju n e , I S S I.” T hat, gentlem en, has passed b y an O rder of th e C ourt ; we are now once m ore perfectly free from litigation , and we s ta r t on th e com m encem ent of w hat we term a new iinancial year, free from a ll d istu rbances of a legal n a tu re (c h c r s ) . I th in k , as m any of you arc in ­te rested , an d u< th e P a re n t Com pany is in te re s ted in th e F ren ch Com pany, I should s ta te to you th a t we are proceeding now rap id ly to th e com pletion of th e F rench w orks. W e had ail in terv iew w ith our com m ercial m anager in P a ris yesterday . I do n o t th in k i t w ould be wise to go in to figures w ith you a t th is m eeting, b u t 1 m ay te ll you th a t th e re is n o t th e sligh test shadow of a doubt th a t th e prices w hich have been arranged a t w hich the coffee can be sold in P aris , and th e price a t w hich it can be m anufactured , w ill lead to such profits to the F rench D a te Coffee Com pany th a t th e prospectus, as orig inally i-ued to th e shareholders w ill be m ore th a n fu lly ca rried o u t (cheers). W ith respec t to the G erm an D ate Coffee Company, th e position of affairs is sim ply t h i s : By th e com m encem ent of A ugustwe shall be in a position to sell our Coffee. W e have en te red in to a provisional a rrangem en t w ith a very large m erch an t in G erm any to u n d ertak e the sole sale of th e m anufactured Coffee th e re a t a price considerably in excess of th e price w hich we th o u g h t satisfactory in th is coun try , and a t a price w hich w ill leave very large profits to t h a t C om pany. Now, gentlem n, as we are m ore free, w e shall be able in a very sh o rt tim e to b ring before you our A m erican and Spanish and our o th er P a ten ts (hear, hear). F rom Spain w e have m ost sa tis fac to ry in telligence, a f te r ta s tin g th e Coffee, th a t the re w ill be a very, very large tra d e indeed. T he docum ents are all being tra n s ­la ted in to Spanish. A certa in am ount of tim e m u st take place before w e can b rin g these m a tte rs before you in th e shape of a prospectus, b u t a t a very early d a te w e sha ll do so. T he U n ite d S ta tes Com­pany is also progressing very sa tisfacto rily . A r ­rangem ents, or, ra th er, com m unications, have tak en place w ith very em inent firms abroad, and I have no doubt th a t wTe sha ll be speedily enab led to place th a t before yon (cheers). W ith regard to Belgium and o th e r places we are in a sim ilar position. A nd now, as I said before, w e are once m ore free, and all litig a tio n is a t an end; and I feel certa in every day m ore an d more, th a t ev ery th ing w hich has been said to you from th e C ha ir from th e tim e we s ta rte d u p to th e p resen t tim e will be m ore th a n fu lly realised, and th e P a re n t Com pany w ill tak e th a t position w hich in th e m onth of Ja n u a ry i t w as po in ted o u t t h a t it

w ould take , an d w hich I feel certain w ill be as s a ­tisfac to ry to you as i t w ill be to th e B oard of D i­recto rs (cheers). Before I s i t dow n I sh ou ld lik e to say' th a t if, in defending th e C om pany against these pecu liar a tta c k s w hich have been m ade upon it , I have personally in an y way g iven offence to an y one in connection w ith it, i t w as sim ply done as a m a tte r of d u ty in defending y our in te re s t. C ourtesy is th e s ty le w hich I shou ld alw ays lik e to d ea l in , an d if in an y way I have tro d d en upon any one in connection w ith i t , I t ru s t, as litig a tio n has ceased, a ll ill-feeling has ceased, an d th a t we sha ll go on carry in g o u t th e program m e w hich w e have la id dow n, an d th a t we sh a ll see by th e balance sheets of th is an d th e o ther Companies, th a t th e D ate Coffee Com pany an d th e su b sid ia ry C om panies w ill all pay very large d iv idends, an d be of th a t com ­m ercial value w hich, from th e first, I have p red ic ted (cheers). W ith these few rem arks I fo rm ally m ove th e adoption of th e re p o rt an d accounts ; m y frien d L o rd P o u le tt w ill second th a t , a n d I will s i t dow n to give an y shareho lder an opportun ity ' to p u t any question w hich he m ay be inclined to ask .

T he R ig h t H onourab le E a rl P o u le tt.— I beg to second M r. H ay m en ’s s ta te m e n t.

T he Chairm an (after a pause), sa id ,— As no sh a re ­ho lder has any question to p u t, I w ill p u t th e q u es­tio n —th a t th e rep o rt an d accoun ts be received and adop ted . Those in favour of t h a t w ill s ign ify th e sam e in th e usual m anner.

T he reso lu tion w as ca rried unanim ously'.T he C hairm an .— T he n e x t question is th e re-e lection

of A uditors, which I w ill propose, and w hich I w ill ask some shareho lder to se c o n d ; i t is as m uch a S hareho lder’s q uestion as a D irecto r’s, in fact, m ore so. I therefore beg to propose th a t M essrs. F re d . M aynard & Co. be re-e lected A u d ito rs, an d perhaps some shareholder w ill k in d ly second th a t .

M r. B a rto n .— I w ill second th a t.T he reso lu tion w as carried .T he C hairm an .—T h at, gentlem en, concludes th e b u si­

ness of th e m e e tin g ; b u t p erhaps you w ill allow m e to s ta te once again m y entire confidence in th e success of th e C om pany, an d I am confident th a t before th e close of th is y ear we shall be calling you to g e th er for th a t happy so rt of m eeting in o rder th a t w e sh a ll propose a d iv idend to you (cheers).

A i-hareho lder.—I f I am in o rder, I shou ld like to ask one question .

T he C ha irm an .—I w ill answ er any question.T he S h areho lder.— [ do n o t know w h y th e G overn­

m en t charge us 2d. a lb . , an d w hy coffee an d chicory are ad m itted a t l jcl. per lb . I have m ade a calcu la tion on th e basis of 40 tons p er w eek, an d I find i t m akes a difference in th e year of 10,0006 in th e profits of th e Com pany.

The C hairm an .— I t is im possible to ask th e G overn­m en t w hy th e y charge it. T hey charge i t to us on g ro u n d coffee and th e berry . I f g round coffee is b rought to th is co u n try i t is charged 2d per lb.

M r. F ro s t .— W h at is th e n a tu re of th e opposition to th e G erm an P a te n t ?

The C h a irm an .—I th in k i t w ould be unw ise to say. W e are n o t a G erm an m eeting.

T h e S hareho lder.—T he re su lt is, th a t we have no t h ad any bonus from th e G erm an P a te n t .

T he C h a irm an .— I do n o t th in k i t w ould be w ise to make th e sta tem en t.

The A udito r. —I am m uch obliged to you, gentlem en, for re-e lecting m e au d ito r , and I co n g ra tu la te you on being shareho lders in so prosperous a Com pany.

T h e C ha irm an .—T h a t concludes th e business of th e m eeting .

M r. M a itlan d .— I th in k , gentlem en, before w e se p a ra te w e shou ld propose a vote of th an k s to th e C ha irm an .

M r. P ittm a n . — I beg to second th a t.T h e m otion was carried,

T h e C ha irm an ,—W ell, gentlem en, on behalf of m y colleagues and m yself, and m y w o rth y frien d th e so li­c ito r— I m u st inelmde h im ; he gets th e b lam e if th e re is an y blam e, and he should have some of th e p raise— w e are very m uch obliged to you. W e have tr ie d to d eserve yo u r confidence. I th in k we have show n we hav e m anaged y our affairs a t a ll even ts w ith zeal, an d if th e re have been erro rs, they a re erro rs w hich an y one m igh t have com m itted . I f you are firm in h o ld ­in g to yo u r p roperly as we w ill ho ld th e re in s of m anagem ent, I feel m ore an d m ore convinced, as I to ld y o u before, there is n o t a single shareho lder in th is A ssociation w ho w ill n o t have reason as years go by, w h e th er I am in the cha ir or anyw here else, to feel th a t he has go t an investm en t w hich he can cou n t u p o n as a safe investm en t from tim e to tim e to those w ho m ay follow him . I hope an d t r u s t we sh a ll be epared m any, m any years, in o rd er to m eet you from tim e to tim e, an d to prove by th e d istr ib u tio n of d iv idends th a t th e fa ith you have had iu th e D irectors o f th is Com pany has n o t been m isplaced (cheers). I th a n k you cord ially for th e vote of th an k s and for y o u r confidence to day.

T h e m eeting th e n broke up. ’

F ro m t h e L o n d o n “ T i m e s ” o f J u l y 13.H i g h C o u r t o f J u s t i c e : C h a n c e r y D i v i s i o n .

( B e f o r e V ic e C h a n c e l l o r H a l l . )C a r d e w v . T h e D a t e C o f f e e C o m pa n y ( L i m i t e d .)Iu th is action, w hich w as for a supposed in fringe­

m en t of M ontoison’s P a te n t for D ate Coffee, counsel th is m orning s ta te d on behalf of th e p lain tiffs th a t, having since th e com m encem ent of th e ac tion had an o p p o rtu n ity of in vestiga ting th e defen d an ts’ P a te n t and th e ir mode of m anufactu re , th e p lain tiffs h ad satisfied them selves th a t th e re had been no in fringem en t, an d accord ing ly an arrangem ent h ad been en te red in to t h a t th e plaintiffs should sell th e ir P a te n t to th e d efen d an ts for a sum w hich w ould cover th e am oun t th e y h ad pa id fo r it, in th e belief th a t i t w as th e sole one w hich could be upheld , an d th a t a ll p ro­ceedings iu th e ac tion should bo stayed, each p a r ty p ay in g th e ir ow n costs.

M r. Northm ove Law rence appeared fo r th e p lain tiffs; M r. P o llard an d M r. B uck ley for th e defendants.

Specimen o f A dvertising ■T he D ate Coffee m ay be ob ta ined th ro u g h any

G rocer or Chem ist. A sk fo r D ate Coffee, an d see th a t you g e t i t . T he D ate Coffee, m ixed ready for u se , in 1-lb. tins, Is. an d Is. 6d. per lb.

F u re D ate Coffee, Is. per lb ., in L ie . t in s .—This w ill bo im proved by add ing one teaspoonful of coffee to th ree of pure D ate Coffee, four teaspooufuls of th e m ix tu re being sufficient to m ake a p in t of coffee.

T he D ate Coffee Com pany (L im ited ).—Jo h n M 'T ag . garo and Co., W holesale A gents, 2, D enm an-street, Borough, London, S. E . , to w hom a ll com m uni s- tio n s w ith reference to selling coffee should be addressed .

T he Date Coffee C om pany (L im ited ).— M edical an d P re ss Opinions can be ob ta ined of th e S ecretary , 125 to 131, Palm erston-bu ild ings, O ld B road-street, L on­don, ti. 0 .

T he D ate Coffee.— One pound of D ate Coffee w ill m ake as m uch coffee as tw o pounds of o rd in ary coffee. Consequently, D ate Coffee a t Is. p e r lb . is on ly equal to tid. p e r lb.

O u r correspondent a d d s :—“ W e are having a trem endously h o t sum m er. T he

fceat, I th in k , is g rea ter th a n 1 ever rem em ber to hav e experienced i t in E n g la n d . N ow -a-days i t is not considered in fra dig. o r effem inate for a m an to use a n um brella as a p ro tec tion from th e sun. T h e exam ple i s no d o u b t se t by A nglo-Indians, w ho have long con­q u ered any squeam ishness on th e sub jec t, an d o thers a r e often only too g lad to follow s u i t .”

“ C H IC K C O F F E E ” A N D P L A N T IN G P R O ­SPEC TS IN COORG.

S o u t h C o o r g , 1st A u g u s t.—In th e Ju n e num ber of th e 'Tropical A griculturi. t a t page 15, you recom m end th e t r ia l of new seed coffee an d m ention th a t of Coorg as “ C hick Coffee,” w hich , if n o t a “ goak ” a t o u r expense, I sha ll be g lad if you w ill correct,

j T he Coorg tree is very d ifferent from th e C hick , w hich j is an im p o rted one from M ysore a n d v e ry lik e w h a t

Ceylon p lan ters call th e “ m ale t r e e .” T o i t w e owe j m uch of th e loss b y borer an d I m ay safely say leaf j an d o th e r diseases in h e re n t to coffee. I t only g ives j a crop once in th re e y ea rs an d th e n ripens a t a ll j so rts of tim es, so th a t m uch is lo s t on th e g ro u n d

an d to th is fact I a t t r ib u te th e large num bers of these tre e s to be found on every o ld esia te , w hich were invariab ly p lan ted from seedling p lan ts from u n d e r th e tree s in s tea d of from p lan ts ra ised from carefu lly p icked seed of th e Coorg tree, w hich cam e from W est Coorg an d is know n am ongst o ld p lan te rs to th is day as th e N alkenaad tree . I f you recom m end th is to y o u r readers, they w ill benefit, b y th e change.

T h e monsoon is s till ve ry lig h t here. I have only had 8 ’13 inches of rain fo r J u ly ag a in s t 10'84, th e average fo r p as t five years, an d 21 T 4 ag a in s t 34 002 fo r th e seven m onths.

P la n ts are drooping in old coffee an d clearings, a n d enquiries a re be ing m ade on every side for p lan ts .

L abor supply , w hich th re e years ago w as sho rt, has y early been increasing and now th e c ry is “ W h a t am I to do w ith m y coolies ?” T h is (w here fun d s a re av a il­able) is easily se ttled as S outh C oorg is in te rse c te d w ith sw am ps w hich are m ines of m an u ria l w ea lth in them selves (w hen p roperly tre a te d ) and lim e an d bones a re read ily p rocu rab le a t reasonable ra te s to m ix w ith th is ; an d I d o u b t n o t th a t y o u r Ceylon m en can te s tily to th e benefits derivab le from b u lk y m anures w hen th e bu lk is on th e spot, a n d m erely w ants to be ca rried a few yard s to th e trees.

T he g re a t w a n t in th is d is tr ic t is field surveys an d a reg u la r system of recorded m anuring . A t p resen t, I could p o in t to dozens of esta tes w here th e sam e fields are m anured y ea r a f te r year, w ith re su lta n t loss to th e p rop rie to rs. N early a ll of th em spend la rg e sum s fo r m anures, y e t very few can be induced to spend th e sum of one rupee an acre fo r a de ta iled m ap of th e ir esta tes, which, on an average, w ould n o t am oun t to m ore th a n R150 each, and w hich w ould, in one year, save m ore th a n th e cost of th e map, b y enab ling V. A .’s to check th e various works in progress a n d save m any a C h ick D horie from a “ s t in k e r ” as welL T h u s w e swallowr w hales and s tra in a t g n a ts i n ‘‘ th e B am boo.”

E f f e c t s o f M a n u r e s u p o n F o l i a g e . — A v ery in ­te re s tin g exam ple of th e d iverse re su lts ob ta in ed in d en s ity of colour in th e foliage of th e P o ta to p la n t th rough th e use of d iverse m anures m ay now be seen a t th e B edfout seed g round , w here M r. D ean is c a r ry ­ing o u t some sim ple tria ls . P liosphatic m anures, designed specially to assist in th e prom otion of tu b ers , n o t only do so, b u t also excite o r s tim u la te earlie r and m ore robust g row th , w h ilst th e norm al t i n t of th e foliage rem ains. N itrogenous m anures p repared fo r cereal and bulbous roo t crops, on th e o th e r hand , produce stem s of a stou ter k in d , an d foliage so d a rk in hue th a t b u t for assured ce rta in ty on th e p a r t of th e p la n te r i t w ould scarcely be c red ited t h a t th e row s of P o ta to s w ere of one and th e sam e k ind . E ven m ore in te re s t w ill perhaps a tta c h to th e appearance o f those rows, th e g ro u n d being poor, to w hich n o m anure w as applied . Com pared w ith these, th e m an ­ured row s, even now , in d ica te th a t m ore th a n double th e produce w ill re su lt ,— Gardeners' Chronicle.

T h e S a r r a c e n ia s o r side-saddle flowers, b e tte r know n as p itch e r p lan ts, an d th a t have long been grow n in h o t houses fo r th e sake of th e ir p itchers, a re now found t o be well w orth cu ltiv a tin g on accoun t of th e size and b eau ty of th e ir flowers, Messrs, B ull, W illiam s, V eitch , an d o thers have fu rn ished th e'fiardencrs’ Chron­icle w ith specim ens of flowers, some of w hich have been figured an d described in th a t journal. T he)' are sa id to be m agnificent flowers, an d th e use of th is superlative is, no doubt, fu lly ju stified so fa r as size an d singu larity of form are concerned. T h e colours, how ever, appear to be d u ll.—Australasian.

T h e “ T . A . ”— W e have received a copy of th e Tropical Agriculturist, a m onthly record of in form ation fo r p lan ters of coffee, tea , cocoa, sugar, palm s an d o th e r products su ited for cu ltiv a tio n iu the trop ics. T he con ten ts of th e num ber before us, w hich is issued from th e Ceylon Observer Press, show th a t g rea t pains have been bestow ed upon th e com pilation of th e pub lication , and w e have no d oub t th a t i t w ill secure a large consti­tu en cy n o t only in Ceylon b u t in th e large p lan tin g d istr ic ts of Coorg, Mysore, &c. M uch of th e inform a­tio n published in th e Tropical A griculturist appears in th e daily issue of the Ceylon O b s in e r .— M adras Standard.

T h e “ T . A .”—A new m onth ly pub lication has been s ta r te d in Ceylon, called The Tropical A yricid turist. I t is pub lished a t th e office of th e Ceylon Observer and consists chiefly of e x tra c ts jud iciously se lected from th a t paper an d from th e In d ian , H om e, an d Colonial, journals. The p resen t p re lim inary issue, th e conductors say, canno t be taken as a fa ir specimen of w h a t w ill follow', and i t w ill be th e ir endeavour to find a place in th e pages of The Trop ica l Agriculturist fo r every th in g bearing on th e p rac tica l work of a trop ica l p lan ter. W e hope th e p resen t a tte m p t to supp ly a w an t w hich has long been fe lt in Ceylon w ill m eet w ith success .— M adras Athenaeum.

R a p i d C u r e f o r F o o t-a n d -M o u t h D is e a s e i n C a t t l e .-—A very rap id cure of th e foo t-and-m outh disease in ca ttle is sa id to have been d iscovered by th e D uke of B runsw ick. H e uses a so lu tion of salicylic acid, prepared by pouring some h o t w ate r on abou t th re e tablespoonfuls of th e ac id in an earthen vessel, add ing lukew orm w ate r to m ake u p a gallon. T h e m o u th an d feet of th e diseased anim al shou ld be carefu lly w ashed th re e tim es a d ay w ith th is liquid , and th e tops of th e hoofs well pow dered w ith th e d ry acid a l te r each washing. To th e d rin k in g -w ate r shou ld be added tw o tablespoonfuls of th e acid d is­so lved in h o t w ater. —F am ily Herald.

I I e d g f , P l a n t s . — One p rom inen t nam e is th a t of R . H ornsby & Son (L im ited) whose liedgecu tting m achine I saw a t K yneton trim m in g a furze fence b eau tifu lly . One horse pulled th e m achine on one side of th e hedge, and by m erely ad ju s tin g th e guillo tine- lik e shears bo th sides au d th e to p w ere trim m ed . T he use of th is m achine rem oves th e one objection to w hat in Scotland w e call “ w liins.” T he p lan t, if le f t to itse lf, blossoms so as to com pete w ith ih e m ost b rillian t of th e A u stra lian acacias,— indeed it is difficult a t a sh o rt d istance to d istingu ish th e in tro d u ced gorse from th e n a tiv e “ w attles .” T he seed is in p roportion to th e blossom. I t is far m ore las ting as a hedge th a n th e K angaroo acacia, an d its only riva ls are th e E nglish “ M a y ” th o rn , o r haw thorn , an d th e Cape box thorn . T he la tte r , w ith its form idable spikes, is g e ttin g in to favour. I f on ly th e fu rze can be k e p t w ell- rim m ed, i t m akes a perfect hedge an d a good breakw ind, a fac t which I recom m end to th e a tte n tio n o f p lan te rs in th e neighbourhood of N u w ara E liya, w here “ w hins” an d “ th e lang yellow broom ” flourish aide by side w ith rich flowered fuschias and b rillian t sc a rle t rhododendrons. T he trim m ings of a furze hedge th o ro u g h ly qruized, could be u tilized as fodder for horses o r ca ttle .

N il g t r i s . —U p to d a te i t m ay be considered th a t th e m onsoon ra in s have d isastrously failed th ro u g h o u t th e p la teau ; th e Ju ly ra in fa ll has been exceedingly scan ty com pared w ith th e fall of the sam e m o n th in p revious o rd in ary years. T he sca rc ity of ra in gives th e coun try a p arch ed appearance, au d e s ta te o p era tions a re re ta rd e d . N a tiv e cu ltiv a tio n in p a r ts is considered even a t p resen t to be a fa ilu re pas t recovery , w hile in o th e r p a r ts ra in w ith in th e n e x t w eek m ay save som e of th e s tand ing crops, an d produce a scan ty yield. M any of th e coffee and tea es ta tes have suffered from th e season, an d crops, w hich looked favorable a fo r t­n ig h t ago, are jeopardized , by th e ra in holding off. On te a estates th e flush is n o t com ing o u t w ith th e desired rap id ity . A ppearances are in favor of a change for th e b e tte r , an d th e know ing ones p re d ic t copious show ers w ith in a week. T he S ou th -W est w in d has alm ost cleared w ith in th e p a s t w eek or te n days, and th is au gurs a fresh b u rs t .— South o f In d ia Observer.

M e r c a r a , 23rd J u ly .—F o r rice cu ltiv a tio n in Coorg th is year has been v e ry favourable , an d th e ry o ts have availed them selves of i t to th e u tm o st b y p loughing up d isused rice fields, an d using th em for th e com ing crop. W ith th e im ­m ense n a tu ra l reservoirs of w ate r, alw ays on han d , m ore lan d could be u tilised fo r rice th a n is th e case, for th e fields in m ost cases are con tinuations of step s a t th e bottom of decliv ities, w ith ever flowing stream s from above, w hich could be tu rn ed on th e lan d a t w ill : th e re is rice grow ing here a t an elevation of 4 ,100 feet. T here is also a good prospect of a rich crop of cardam om s, th e re hav ing been a very fa ir flow ering, an d a genial season a f te rw a rd s ; th e cardam om pods now half-grow n an d well fo rw ard . T he prices s til l con tinue h igh , fe tch ing five sh illings and sixpence for some parcels sh ipped to E n g lan d in M arch. A parcel of cinchona b a rk (succirubra) se n t hom e a m onth p reviously , and s tr ip p e d from trees th ir te e n years old, grow n a t 3,700 fee t elevation , only sold a t th e average p rice of one sh illing and five pence h a lf­p enny . th e h ighest fe tch ing 2s. 2d .—th e low est ra te 9d. a p o und .— M adras Standard.

T h e “ T r o p ic a l A g r ic u l t u r is t . ” — The above is th e t i t le of a new m o n th ly issued from th e Observer office. I t is ed ited b y th e en te rp ris in g Messrs. Ferguson , of th e Ceylon Observer an d th e ob jec t of th e p ub lica tion is to fu rn ish p lan ters, fo r easy reference w ith in fo rm a­tio n of coffee, tea , cocoa, cinchona, sugar, palm s au d o th e r p ro d u c ts su ited fo r cu ltiv a tio n in th e tropics. T he co n ten ts consist of ed ito ria l correspondence ex ­tra c ts an d m iscellaneous notes. T h e artic les a re w ritte n iu a clear business lik e s ty le an d con ta in very useful inform ation . R eple te as th ey are w ith figures, w e have le a rn t m any new th in g s from them . T he correspondence is very p roperly confined to m a tte rs of p lan tin g im portance such as coffee leaf disease, tobacco cu ltiv a tio n , &e. T he ex trac ts com prise v e ry useful selections from hom e, In d ia n an d Ceylon papers, b ea r­ing am ple evidence to th e facts th a t th e E d ito rs kuow w h at p lan te rs of th e trop ics w an t. E v ery page affords p leasing proofs of th e ab ility , an d th e e x te n ­sive know ledge b ro u g h t to b e ir upon th e new ven ture. W e have read i t w itli g re a t in te re s t and have no hesita tion in say ing th a t every p lan te r w ho m on th ly invests a rupee in i t w ill u ltim ate ly find th e m oney not m is-applied and th a t th e p u b lica tion itse lf is a m ine of useful inform ation ev iden tly w o rth m ore th a n its present p rice . S atisfac to ry as is th e Agriculturist, th e re is s ti l l a w ant, w hich w e feel sure requires only to be po in ted o u t to be rem edied . N ative ag ricu ltu re docs n o t se in to receive sufficient a tte n tio n in its pages. T h a t na tiv es are m ore largely in te re s ted in p lan tin g th a n a q u a r te r cen tu ry ago is undeniable. T he p ro d u c ts cu ltiva ted by them are tobacco, coconut vanilla, pine-npple, grapes, mango, p ad d y cereals, &c. — Jaffna Patriot.

gloiitiespondenoe.To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer.

C IN C H O N A STU M PS vs. P L A N T S IN D R Y W E A T H E R .

A ugust 4 th , 1881.D ea r S ir ,—I t has been a m a tte r of su rp rise to

m e, especially afte r th is unusual spell of fine w eather, w ith newly p lan ted cinchonas dying r ig h t and left, th a t notice has not been m ade by any one in your colum ns h ith erto , as to th e very g rea t superio rity of c in ­chona stum ps to p lan ts, especially th e sm all fry so nam ed ! I speak from experience. W hen p lan ts were dying a ll round, th e stum ps p u t o u t th rove w ith o u t exception, grow ing m ore v igorously th a n th e p lan ts th a t survived, g iving to th e clearing, I believe, in grow th , th e fu ll benefit of th e ir add itional age. T hey are less liab le to th e a ttack s of g rub and o th er insects, and in su re an even clearing, and save m uch loss in p lan ts and supplying. L e t any of your readers who have n o t done so try , an d th ey w ill n o t be d isappoin ted in th e re ­su lts , b u t some e x tra care in rem oval and p lan tin g is necessary to p reven t the bigger roots from being b roken and dam aged.—Y ours tru ly , STU M PS.

C A SU A R IN A S A T A H IG H E L E V A T IO N NO GOOD;C. U R IT U S IN G A (OR CON DA M IN E A) IN

D IM B U LA .Langdale, 6th A ug. 1881,

D e a r S ir , —C asuarinas are no good a t th is elevation, 4,600 feet. I grew one certain lv fur 10 years, and p robably longer, and i t m easured, when c u t down, about 13 iuches d iam eter a t g round and only 9" a t 3' 3" high. Y ou w ould no t g e t m uch tim ber if th is .is a fa ir grow th , for th is includes b irk , w hich is th ick , and you would have to w ait longer th a n m ost men could afford, to get even th is .

Then as to M r. D eane-D rake’s c in ch o n as: is th e m easurem ent given correct ? To me it seems th e re is some erro r, for I have a tree , I th in k , of the same k in d , bu t 2 years older, and i t only m easures l ‘7 J in circum ference a t ground, b u t i t is 1-5 J a t 5 feet high, w hile th e heigh t is about th e sam e as Mr. D rak e’s tree , 22 feet.—Y ours fa ith fu lly , E . H.

“ H IB IS C U S C A N N A B IN U S. ”D e a r S i r , — I s e n d b y t h i s p o s t a b o x , c o n t a in i n g

t h e f lo w e r , s e e d -v e s s e l , a n d s te m o f a p l a n t , f ro m w h ic h t h e c o o lie s s a y tw in e a n d s a c k s a r e m a n u f a c t ­u r e d o n t h e c o a s t . I t i s c o m m o n ly g r o w n in t h e l i n e g a r d e n s , as t h e le a v e s a r e u s e d f o r c u r r i e s . C a n y o u t e l l m e i f i t is j u t e ’— Y o u r s f a i t h f u l l y , W. B. H .

[O ur corresponden t \V . F . repo rts as fo llo w s:— “ By a singu lar coincidence y our packet of specim ens, and a notice of con tribu tions to th e Colombo Museum in yo u r issue of th e 9 th A ugust, have reached me a t th e sam e tim e. T he specim ens from yo u r co rre­sponden t ‘ W . B. H .’ and th e donation of cord from th e fibre pulac i keri (? pwchcy keery, Tam il) from M r. P. N . B raine have reached me a t th e same tim e, an d I have no d o u b t th e y refe r to th e fibre of th e same p lan t, viz., th a t of th e Hibiscus cannabinus, o r H em p-leaved H ibiscus. T he stem s of th is p la n t fu rn ish abundan t fibre in various p a r ts of Ind ia , and i ts eaves are m general u -e as an excellent vegetable (Tam il, keeri), and ta s te som ething like sorrel. The p la n t is very commonly p lan ted in th e gardens near coolv lines in Ceylon, an d i t is n o t ;an uncommon roadside p la n t in th e island, b u t i t is n o t a native of Gey Ion, though th e F lora o j B ritish Ind ia , I, p. 339, refers to T hw aites’ Enum . 26 erroneously w here i t does n o t occur. In rep ly to y o u r corre-

'73

spondent’s question as to w hether th is is ju te , I m ay rep ly th a t though a very com m on In d ian fibre i t is n o t ju te , which is th e produce of Corchorus capsularis and C. o litorius."—E d .]

R A T T A N S F O R M A T T IN G .R a tn a p u ra , A ugust 6th , 1881.

D e a r S i r , — Can you inform me w h eth er th e sam e description of ra tta n cane as is used by th e M alays in th e m anufacture of m atting , chairs e tc ., is to be found in Ceylon, and if so w here p lan ts can be p rocured ? R a tta n cane of a ve ry in ferio r k in d is found in th e jung les of th is d i s t r i c t ; so th a t cane of th e b e tte r description o ugh t to be easily grown. —Y ours, N E W PR O D U C TS.

[W . F . repo rts :— “ T here are seven species of ra t ta n s indigenous to Ceylon : some very stout, and long, and o thers very like th e common ra ttan s used for m atting , chairs, couches &c., some of w hich w ere extensively sen t from th e Southern Province some years ago, and are no dou b t s till used b y Sum ps fo r th e various uses to which ra tta n s are p u t. These p lan ts, Calam us, are n o t uncom m on in various p a rts of Ceylon, and are no d o u b t collected for local use, b u t yo u r co rre­spondent’s tr ite rem ark th a t “ ra t ta n cane of a very in ferio r k ind is found in th e jungles of th is d is tr ic t, so th a t cane of th e b e tte r descrip tions ought to be easily g row n,” rem inds me of P a t’s rem ark , “ N o w onder th a t th is place is called Stoney B a tte r, fo r for I was never so b itte n w ith fleas in m y life .”]

T H E E D U C A T IO N O F T H E C O F F E E T R E E — P R U N IN G .

Coppa K a u u r D istric t, M ysore Provinces,20th J u ly 1881.

D e a r S i r , —In th e in te re s t of a large an d in fluen tia l com m unity busily engaged in “ coffee p la n tin g ,” I so licit space, in yo u r m ost invaluable jo u rn a l fo r “ coffee p la n te r s ,” to place one sub jec t above a ll o thers m ost p rom inen tly for th e best consideration of one and all.

I t is n o t w ith in m y province to say a n y th in g — beyond th is— of th e p resen t in d u stry an d how i t has been executed . I t is enough fo r me to know an d say th a t from “ Laborie” to “ H in ts and W rin k les,” every inform ation, as far as th e ir researches a n d experiences w arran ted , have been du ly p laced before us, and th ey are a ll en titled to a un iversa l acknow ­ledgm ent, and a t least th e w arm est and m ost h e a r ty th an k s .

T here can be no d o u b t th a t “ coffee p lan tin g ” has had a ll th e advan tages of superio r in te llec ts and in ­telligences, and deep s tu d y also from th e m ost d ifferen t poin ts of view by m en of know n ta le n t an d a b ility : add to w hich th e exercises of th e m any w ith th e tw o m ost valuable and necessary ingred ien ts “ capi­ta l ” an d “ se lf-in teres t.” These tw o, one can easily conceive passible, w ould only go in for “ resu lts . ” B u t, no tw ith stan d in g all th is , I believe —an d I am sure o thers w ill be found to agree w ith me in th is belief—th a t th e education of th e coffee p la n t is n o t p-rfection , and i t w ill be found th a t th e re are m any m atters requ iring very , very serious consideration. Surely, yo u r k indest of jo u rn a ls is open to have every one’s view m ost openly placed, fa irly to be exam ined, du ly critic ised , an d u ltim a te ly “ a d m itte d ” o r “ re ­jec ted ” of course, by a com petent body, capable of u n d ertak in g th e responsibiliiies of a close exam ination of th e different sub jects au d scientifically deciding thereon .

I w rite scientifically , because I believe in science and m y know ledge is th a t she re jec ts an y th in g th a t canno t be proved. H ow ever, igno ran t a m an th e re ­fore m ay be, i t is qu ite possible th a t he m ay have

practica lly stum bled on perhaps th e m ost in trica te 1 “ Can neither be perplexed nor intricatetheoretical sub ject and by placing h is views for a “ I f such happen to be th e u n in ten tio n a l effects of scientific u n derstand ing thereof he m ay even assist | A rt, a r t m ust redress th e m .” Surely , our doings of those g igantic m inded bodies, the “ h e m ” of whose rem ovals of upw ards, dow nw ards, backw ards, an d m antle he m ay n o t deem him self w o rth y to touch-, suckers is n o t redressing th e in trod u c tio n of our evil.bu t, w ho in th e in te re s t of t .e w orld an d th e only too hum ble opinion of them selves come forw ard m ost m anfu lly to assist m ank ind and solve t h i r problems. I have b u t one fear : th a t a t th e very firs t glance a t th e sim ple head ing of m y subject w eary-tired aud worried, heads and h earts will only be too read y to rush to an exclam ation a t once :

“ Oh, we have had enough of a ll th is ! W e know all about i t ! T his no use, i t won’t phiz ! B u t in your lan d of ‘ bide-a-wee ’ !” I only ask to be h ea rd o u t and i t will be th a t you yourselves will be able h ereafter to prove th e re su lts of your <( sho rt crops ” and “ leaf d isease.” M y heading is i l p ru n in g .” I only ask you to follow me in w hat you do and I propose to show you only th is m uch : th a t the “ one” im portan t m a tte r has n o t received th a t due consideration to w hich i t is m ost assuredly en titled for th e best resu lts .

L e t me get a fa ir position for m y sub jec t. So I sha ll s ta r t w ith th e en te rin g of th e seed in to th e soil, t i l l by half evolu tion of “ crosses,” th e coffee plan! w ith its prim aries answ er to th a t h e ig h t (say 3 feet) a t w hich you in ten d i t to stand . H ere m ;ii p ro ­poses to dispose of G od’s w rk s con trary to his ru ling and he does a process c d ied “ to p p in g .” W h a t are m an ’s hopes ? T h a t th e w ind w ill n<>t blow th e p lan t dow n—and th a t th e cu ttin g of th e “ sap ” w ill force in to o th er channels, and so s tren g th en h is p lan t. Oh ! erring m orta l ! W h a t are your resu lts ? P rojections th e m ost u n n a tu ra l ; suckers, upw ard shoots a-.d dow n­w ard shoots, backw a d 'shoots, gorm andizers, and oth.-r confusions. You have bleeded th e head - f your stream of sap too close to your r o o ts ; aud you have lost s ig h t of a m ost im p o rian t po in t th a t while you have reduced th e n a tu ra l h e igh t of y our p lan t, yon have done no th ing to th e roo t itself, th e energetic w orker an d th e supplier of th* necessities of th e p lan t above th e soil, according to th e ir natu re. How have you proposed to rem edy yo u r evil of “ topping ? By rem oving a ll fcbes > u n n a tu ra l now try in g proj ctions. A nd w hat do you effect ? Sicken your roots for they sen t up these different saps for different executions. B ranches, p ith , leaves, etc ., to b ring back to them ligh t, h ea t and carbonic acid gas. B u t alas ! t h e n has been no re tu rn , for m an in his superior know ledge has been m ost ru th le ss ly rem oving all th a t n a tu re was issuing fo rth from the roots to the very leaves for a re tu rn of strengT i ; b u t is now exhausted as all love’s labour has been lost, and m other ea rth unable to stand th is so rt of s tra in begins to call for s trong stim u lan ts know n as “ m anures ” a d unless th is is fu lly supplied “ cvup fails ” and “ leaf d ise ase” results.

J u s t read a t th is po in t “ babories’s ” deep resea ches. H e tells you d is tin c t!}7 “ N atu re m akes no b lunders th a t th e p lan t in its growing, grow s up with a stem p u ttin g o u t p rim aries. Tuese ex tending them selves horizontally th ro w o u t “ secondaries.” These in th e ir tu rn “ T ertia r ie s .’ H e says and le t us have it in his ow n words : —“ they are placed by pairs on bo th sides, a ll spread o u t horizontally and w ith a direction in some m easure tow ards th e circum ference. I f any should grow upw ard or downward, th ey w ould become in t r i ­ca te aud th e tree em barrassed .” B a t n a tu re “ can n e ith e r be perp;exed nor in tr ic a te ,” because “ the boughs from the ground w ill ex tend w ider as th ey a re nearer th e source of vegetation so th a t th e shape of th e tree is pyram idal. A ll those b ranches of three orders or more garnish it richly , hut as all are hori­zontal from he’ow upwards, a ll diverging from the centre more 0 " less , a ll p la c 'd e ith e r a t th e four faces of th e tru n k or bo th sides of th e m a tted branches (p ri­m aries) the profusion o f nature ,

— I t is m ak ing i t more grievous to the p la n t and hence to all those who are try in g to grow it.

L e t each of us exam ine th is m a tte r for ourselves. Do we n o t w an t a ll th e f ru it w e can g e t ? C an w e get i t by rem oval of all th e very grow ing m ateria l t h a t is se n t up from th e roots to produce i t ? T h is exc jss energy of man an d p la n t is w asted fo r an “ ideal ” in my hum ble epinion of a good look ing p lan t. N ot th a t I do n o t th in k th a t good looks are also desirable, and can be w orked out.

M y suggestion, therefore, is th a t since you do to p th e p la n t a t th ree , four, o r five feet h e ig h t ; so you should in lik e m anuer n ip th e prim aries, secondaries, &c., w hen overflow by suckers appear. I canno t do b e tte r th a n give you a figure by w hich to convey my view of th is subject. Supposing I h ad a s tream a t head so g re a t th a t i t m ust overflow its banks. T he only w ay I c mid reduce i ts s tren g th and s till have th e w hole of th e w ater would he by gu id ing and d ire c t ing i t below in to d ifferent chanu Is an d th u s force i t a g rea t deal, so as n o t to lose a d rop of th e w ater, and so we oug h t to t r e a t th e coffee p la n t w hen i t is overflowing w ith its sap. L e t i t ge t to its e x tre m it:es, and if i t offeis to overflow, you have th e n to d iv ert i t ; th a t is give a t its extrem ities space to flow onw ard.

In concluding th is a li t t le has tily , I have to ad d th a t I sha ll send you a se t of rules, g iv ing m y view s of pruning, which will c lear up m y w ritin g , if th e re be an y m isunderstand ing abo u t i t .—Y ours,

G. H . K .

C IN C H O N A STU M PS.D ikoya, 11th Aug. 1:?8L

D e a r S i r , —Y our correspondent “ S tum ps” is qu ite r ig h t in recom m ending p lan ters to p lan t c inchona stum ps in preference to plants. I have been in favor of th e form er for th e la s t two season*, an d o u t of th e thou -an d s I have p u t ou t, scarcely one has failed or b*en d ried up w ith th e drought. The diffi­c u lty is w h‘-re to get them ! P la n ts even are n o t to be had , excep t a t a h igh p ric e .—Y ours tru ly ,

A P L A N T E R .

C IN C H O N A STU M PS.S i r , —W ill some one k in d ly en ligh ten m e on th e

follow ing points ? :—1. Is the m ethod of p a n t in g equally successful

w ith succirubra and offic nalis ?2. ShouM th e p lan ts be stum ped in th e n u rse ry

some tim e previous to p u ttin g out, [f so how long? an d a t w h a t h e ig h t above the g round ?

3. Is th e re any objection to th is mode of p lan tin g ? I t s advan tages are obvious in a m onsoon like th e p resen t, especially w hen \ la n ts are no t A 1.— Y ours, e tc ., IG N O R A M U S.

“ I l a n g - i l a n g .—T he M anila m anufactu re rs of e sence of Ilan g ilang are going abo u t excitedly, and are actively a t work p roducing th is essence for exp irta tio n to Paris, w ith every prospect of a profitable resu lt. I t is said th e essence of Ilang-ilang of good q u a lity is q uo ted the re a t 400 to 425 francs p er kilogram m e. T rade is benefitted , b u t i t sh- u ld n o t be fo rgo tten th a t w hen th e perfum ers of P a n s have ouce b o u g h t each a couple of bottle* of Ilang-ilang th ey b u y no m ore fo r a long tim e, and th e price of th e a r tic le m ay fa l l ,- S tra its T m e s , 9 th Ju ly .

IN D IA -R U B B E R .A local advertisem en t announces th a t “ M ozambique

p in k ru b b er seedlings ” are locally available, an d i t is a d d e d th a t th e rubber is iu h igh favour w ith E nglish m anufactu re rs . In respect of th e Landolphiae species generally , th e follow ing inform ation m ay be of in ­terest, taken from Collins’ an d B rand is’ R ep o rt on th e Caoutchouc of Commerce ” :—

Landolphia Owariensis, P al. de Beauv. FI. Chvar e t B enin , I ., p. 54. t . 34., B .C . P rod. v iii., p. 320.

Synonym .— Pcediria Owariensis, Spreug ., Say. i., p. -Stiff

V ernacu lar N am e .— Licongue o r Licomrjuc (sing.). Macomgue (p lural form) (P la te 4).

Geographic D istribution . —D r. W elw itsch rem arks (;n M S to Co lins) th a t th is species “ first discovered by P al iso t de Beauvais in Ow ar and Benin, and afterw ards b y Don in S ierra Leone, I have encountered ra th e r frequen tly iu several of the h igh land d is tr ic ts of Angola, an d c onsequently th e h a b ita t of th is p la n t m ay be s ta te d as ex tend ing from 10° la t. N . to 10° la t . S. on th e trop ical coasts of W est A frica .”

R em arks D r. W elw itsch (1. c.) describes i t as a“ large clim bing p lan t, four to six inches iu diam eter, a t a height of tw o or th ree fee t from th e ground. F rom th is poin t i t is div ided into several long th in branches w h ich are again and again d iv ided , clim bing along th e stem s and larger branches of neighbouring tree-, to w h ich th ey fix them selves by m eans of m ost ten ac i­ous sp irally -tw isted tend rils form ed o u t of th e indu ra ted flow er s ta lk s a f te r the ripe f ru it has fallen off. The f ru i t is about th e shape of a m iddle-sized orange, con- tr in in g under a hard , nearly woody, redd ish brow n shell, a sw'eet, ra th e r acidulous pulp , w hich is eaten by th e n a tiv es .”

L . Heudelotii. D .C . P rod. 1. c.G eographic D istribu tion . —Senegal.L . florida , B enth in FI. N igritiana . p. 444. V ernacular N am e.— “ aboli" or “ abo ” (F ru its). G eographic D istribu tion .— Dr. W elw itsch rem arks

(1. c ) th is species is found “ ra th e r frequen t in m ost o f th e prim eval forests of inner Angola, w here, a t an elevation of 1,500 to 2,500 feet, I often m et w ith th is beau tifu l clim ber, and gratified m yself w ith its sweet, acidu lous fru it, though not less so w ith th e beauty a n d m arvellous abundance of i ts large snow -w hite and ja s tm in-scented flowers.”

Lmnlolphim species incerta, In th e Kew H erbarium an d M useum are th e follow ing :—

L . species.G eographic D istribu tion .— Tropical A frica, la t. 1° N. R em arks.— ‘The leaf of th e A frican R ubber p la n t.” Coll. G. Mann.A. sp°cies. P rov. Zanzibar Coll. D r. K irk.L . f lo r id a t H’ru ts and .C aoutchouc from th e d is tr ic t

on th e Congo River. Coll. D r. H illiard.Car'tssa species. W ood and ru b b er collected by Dr,

-Kirk (Livingstone exp d it on).L . ? Shupanga, In d ia R ubber sh ru b .” Coll. Dr.

J . K irk.L. near Owariensis, Shupanga, In d ia R ubber liana,

wO‘ d , f ru it, &c. D ar Salam, ISO'S. Coll. Dr. K irk , G eneral R em arks. —Of these unascerta ined species of

Landolphioe which yield Caoutchouc, th e C aoutchouc s e n t bv D r. H illia rd is iden tica l with our W est const “ b a l l” Caoutchouc. T he la s t tw o specim ens se n t by D r. K irk are iden tical, and a portion of th e stem of th e “ Ind ia R ubber p lan t of Zanzibar and E ast tro p i­cal Africa,” as he calls it, also se n t by him , is, a t le a s t as fa r as com parison of woods w ill adm it, id en ­tica l w ith th e firs t specim en sen t under th e nam e of Carissa, and both agree w ith a piece sen t by Dr. A fricanus H o rto n from Cave Coast Castle. D r. K irk , in a le tte r addressed to D r. H ooker, C. B. (and which th e la tte r has k indly allowed m e to copy), says ;—

“ T his p la n t (re fe rrin g to th e las t sent) is a w oody clim ber, common along th e m aritim e region, and ab und­a n t a t th e m outh of th e Zambesi, being found largely a t Shupanga on th a t riv e r a t 100 m iles from the coast. T he produce of th is has been sh ipped from Q uillim ane for A m erica. T he fau lt has been th a t th e rough b a rk has often been im bedded in th e gum m y mass th ro u g h careless collection. I t is not an artic le of tra d e a t Zanzibar, b u t I have been endeavouring to induce th e natives to collect it. Jo h n Kirk. D ecem ber 25th ,1868."

To D r. W elw itsch how ever (whose valuable ad d i­tions to our know ledge of the F lo ra of trop ical A frica are so w ell k n o w n ) belongs th e c red it of fir-t id e n ti­fy ing th e p lan ts y ield ing A frican Caoutchouc, l ie says (1. c .) i t was principally from th e L . Owariensis, Beau., th a t he saw th e Caoutchouc collected by th e n atives of G olungo-A lto and of Cazengo. Du C hailln speaks of th e C aoutchouc vine, doubtless a Landolphia, know n by th e nam e of Dam bo, as being common abo u t th e R iv er B enito Also m ore p len tifu lly in th e valleys, b o tto m ­lands, and high g rounds abou t th e R ivers M oondah and Iko i, th e produce of those grow ing on h igh grounds being considered th e best.

Collection and Preparation.The collection and preparation of A frican C aoutchouc

is conducted in a very slovenly and w retched m anner. The natives cu t off a piece of b a rk and th e m ilky juice is allow ed to ru n in to holes m ade in th e ground or on leaves. I n A ngola Dr. W elw itsch describes th e m ethod th e re reported to as even if possible w orse. A n ative having c u t a tree places th e palm of h is hand against th e stem and allows th e m ilk to tr ic k le dow n his arm . H e s nes from tree to tree , an d when h is arm is covered, beginning a t h is elbow he ro lls th e Ca m tchouc back tow ards his hand, t i l l i t comes off in th e form of a ring. I t is also by some collected an d allow ed to coalesce in woodeu vessels. T he wood of th e 1)1 a n t contains a gum . i-o th -t if th e cu t p en e tra tes i t th is becomes m ixed w ith i t and spoils th e Caoutchouc. A frican 1 aoutehouc has how ever im proved in some d is tr ic ts recently , and th e price has been h igher for th e im proved k inds M r. Lee N orris, lam M anager of the N o rth B ritish R ubber Com pany, w rote me th a t he believed th e b e tte r k inds w ere p repared w ith th e a id of strong liquor ammonias added in th e proportion of 3 p er cent. T he chief d istr ic ts from w hich African Caoutchouc is expoited are th e Gaboon, Congo, A ngola, Benguela, and Zambesi.

A frican Caoutchouc is received in th e form of flakes, round balls, and tongues, has a disagreeable odour, possibly the re su lt of decom position, is viscous, a n d generally leas t elastic of all th e varieties.

JU T E C U L T U R E IN E G Y P T .Le Cultwaleur, of Cairo, of J u n e 1st, says W e

have on several occasions m entioned to our readers th e ju te cu ltu re w hich Mr. G ran t has been try in g to in troduce in to E gyp t. Since our la s t advices several bales of th is tex tile have been sen t to Engl nd. These have been m uch appreciated , recognised as of ex­cellen t quality , an d sold a t a very rem unera tive price. T ltia cu ltu re , i t seems, th en , should give good re m its . D aira Sanieh aud th e A dm in istration of th e D om ains have resolved to ap p rop ria te a certa in e x ten t of te r r i ­to ry . I h e te have been 200 acres sowed. D aira Sauieh has ordered from In d ia a q u a n tity of seed, and i t is announced in th e journals th a t th ey are w illing to sell some of i t to th e public a t cost price. W e stro n g ly recom m end our readers to profit by th is c ircum stance, and m ake a tr ia l w ith a sm all piece of ground. T he price of gra n comes to P, T. 27 p er feddan. T h e sowung should be accom plished 15 days a t la te s t from th is date. Le Culticatenr < Iso gives “ Ins ru e 1 i - 1 s on th e C ultivation of J u te iu th e F irs t P eriod .”

U n d er th e head of Soil i t says :—T he J u te grow s p ro ­v id ed th a t i t gets th e necessary m oisture, and in all k inds of ea rth except sandy and gravelly . B u t th e cu ltu re has m uch b e tte r re su lts in rich a llu ­vial soil, such as th a t on w hich co tton is cultivated in E gyp t. I t grows very well also in lig h t sandy soil, and, as in Bengal, in soils im pregnated w ith salt, or those which can be inundated by salt w ater a t high tides.

Preparation o f the Soil.—T he p rep ara to ry work ought to be done m ore or less often according to th e n a tu re o f th e s o i l ; th u s a h a rd and com pact soil requires to be more w orked th a n a lig h t an d pow dery soil. T he principal th in g is th a t th e ea rth be exposed to th e sun at in tervals, and th a t i t be w ell pulverised .

Grain and Sowing.—T he day chosen for th e sow ing o ught to be b rig h t, w 'ith good sun ligh t, an d afte r a show er o r a fte r irrig a tio n has rendered th e earth dam p. T he g rain is sow n w ith th e hands, and th en w ith th e h arrow or wooden plank. The seed should be covered w ith a lig h t lay er of soil.

Quantity o f Seed to the Feddan.—T he q u an tity of g rain per feddan is n early 12 pounds (English). A fte r th a t, d u rin g germ ination , th e p lan ts m ay be found a t a d istance of 6 inches th e one from th e other. T his d istance p irm its th e rays of th e su n to pene­t r a te to th e roots, an d th e dam p atm osphere to c ir­cu la te freely on th e earth and in th e in te rio r of th e p la n t i> self.

Tim e o f Sowing.—T he period du ring w hich th e sow ing of th e seed tak es places depends, as in Bengal, on th e soil, th e situa tion , and th e season. I t commences in M arch and finishes about th e m iddle of June .

Germination.—Supposing the e a r th has been ir r i­gated th e evening preceding the sowing, the p lan ts should appear on th e surface of the, e a r th a t th e end of th ree o r seven days.

Irrigation .—T he clim ate of Bengal, w here th e rains are a lte rn a ted by sunshine, is best fo r th e cu ltu re of ju te . In E g y p t th e irriga tion should be regu lated by th e progress and th e vigour acqu ired b y th e p lan ts. T he critical period for th e grow th is during th e shooting. W hen th e p lan ts have a tta in ed th e h e ig h t of tw o o r th re e fee t th e ground ought to be irrig a ted a t least once every m onth , o r m ore if requ ired . A fte r th is period of grow th, o r u n til th e p lan ts have a tta in ed from 6 to 10 feet, the irriga tion is n o t of m uch consequence, for they have acquired enough force to support them selves. H ow ever, ju te certa in ly prospers b e tte r from th e beginning to th e end of i ts grow th in a hum id clim ate, well exposed b o th to sun and m oisture. In E g y p t th is is a question th e solution of w hich can only be ob tained by prac tica l experience.

The pulling up o f B a d P la n t and Weeding.— W hen th e p lan ts a tta in th e heigh t of 2 o r 3 inches th e b a d p lan ts ought to be pu lled up , and w hen thep lan ts have a tta in ed a t least one foot in heightth e th in n in g of th e p lan ts shou ld be proceeded w ith , as crow ding h inders th e ir developm ent, and in th in n in g i t is necessary in th e firs t place to pu ll up those p lan ts th a t are m ost behind, o r those h in d e r ­ing th e grow th of o thers. A s has been a lready in ­d ica ted , th e m ost favourable distance fo r th e grow th and p rosperity of p lan ts is 6 inches th e one from th e other.

P iriod in which the P la n t has A tta ined a Certain D e­gree o f Development.—W h en th e p lan ts have a tta in ed ab o u t 3 feet there is no need to do an y th in g ex ­cep t to irrig a te from tim e to tim e, and to pu ll upth e bad p lan ts w hich rem ain , especially in places w here they are crow ded together.

H eight o f P lan ts .— T he ju te grow s to th e heigh t of 6 or 10 feet, according to th e natu re of th e soil, th e h ea t and th e reg u la rity of th e irriga tion ; under favourable conditions i t has been seen to grow to 15 feet.

Best Time fo r H arvest.—H arvest shou ld be m ade w hen th e p la n t is in fu ll flower, w hich is th re e o r four m onths a f te r th e sow ing. W hen th e h a rv e st tak es place a t th is tim e th e p lan t gives th e m ost supple fibre, an d th a t of th e m ost b r illia n t colour, w hich is m ost app recia ted by m anu fac tu re rs and m ost easily p repared . W h en th e p la n t is le f t to ripen m ore in o rder to procure seed th a t g ives a g rea te r q u a n ti­ty of fibre, b u t th is fibre is h a rd an d th ick , an d v e ry l i t t le liked by m an u fac tu re rs .

O l e a n d e r P o is o n .-—W e h ad la te ly occasion to m en­tion th e danger to stock arising from placing oleanders in positions to w hich anim als m igh t obtain access. T he N ew Yorh Tribune n a rra te s a fa ta lity th a t recen tly occurred :— “ A fine h ea lth y m are a te a sing le tu f t of leaves from a branch of an oleander tem porarily se t b y th e door, th e n w en t on a journey of six miles, appearing p layful and well, bu t on re tu rn in g refused her feed. N e x t m orning she s till refused to eat, looked d u ll and haggard, an d h ad p a r tia lly lost con tro l of h e r h ind lim bs. T he m are died before assistance could be obtained , and on opening th e body th e d a rk red congested stom ach showed th e ac tion of an acrid poison, and in q u iry b ro u g h t o u t th e account of th e cropping of th e oleander, of th e in ju rious qu a lities of w hich th e ow ner w as en tire ly ignoran t. A s th is ignorance is very w idespread, i t m ay be well to say th a t all p a rts of th is p la n t a re dead ly . A very sm all q u a n tity of th e leaves are fa ta l to th e horse, as w e have ju s t seen. T he flowers have p roduced d ea th in those who carelessly p icked an d a te th em . T he branches, d ivested of th e ir bark an d used as skewers, have poisoned th e m ea t roasted on them , and k illed seven of tw elve people who partook of i t .—A ustralasian .

T e a —M r. Inglis, Ind ian Com m issioner to th e la te E x ­hib ition , gave an in te re stin g lec tu re in th e P resby terian C hurch, a t E lsternw ick, on T h u rsd ay evening, to a large audience, w ho eviden tly apprecia ted the lec tu re r’s efforts to in te re s t and in s tru c t them . T he sub jec t chosen w as en titled “ A Cup of T ea ,” an d consisted of a series of graph ic w ord pain tings, descrip tive of p la n te r life on an In d ia n te a garden. M r Ing lis took h is audience w ith h im from th e p lains and fo rests of Assam to th e valleys of N orth ern In d ia and t 1 e h ills of D arjeeling. H e explained th e m ethod of cu ltu re , th e g row th of th e p lan t, th e mode of p ick ing th e young leaves o r “ flushes,” th e ferm entation stage, th e dry ing , so rting and packing, and the differences betw een th e various so rts of tea . W h ile fu lly a d m it­tin g the excellence of m uch of th e Chinese p roduct, he conclusively show ed th e superio rity of In d ia n over Chinese teas, on th e grounds of th e ir absolu te p u r ity , and because th ey are m ade u nder th e supe r­vision of m en of our ow n race, w ith th e bes t of m achinery , backed by cap ital, in te llig en t organisation and w ith a m inim um of handling . T he value of the in terchange of p roducts between A ustra lia and Ind ia , and th e p robability of i ts u n lim ited application, w as also pow erfully dw elt upon. T he more s tirr in g phases of p la n te r life, th e superstitions, am usem ents, m anners and curious customs of th e natives w ere fu lly illu s­tra te d , and the anecdotes and stories of hun ting , forest scenes, an d wild jun g l life fully su.-tained th e in te re s t of th e audience to th e close of th e lec tu re . M r. Ing lis , we believe, leaves fo r Sydney to-day, and w e can safely say th a t both he and h is colleague, M r. Buck, have fu lly realised th e ir functions as r e ­presen tatives of a foreign country a t th e E xhibition . They have u«ed th e ir u tm o st endeavors to place th e resources of th e g re a t coun try , India , wh’cli they re ­presen ted , ever before th e people of V ic to ria ; and w e are justified in p red icting th a t th e f ru i t of th e ir wise an d sp ir it ' d efforts w ill be y e t seen in an ex tended in terchange of com m odities betw een th e tw o countries.— Melbourne Age.

CEY LO N F IS H E R IE S .F rom th e rep o rt of M r. S teele on th e H am ban to ta

d is tr ic t for 1868, we m ake some fu rth e r quo tations in connection w ith th e fisheries off th e Southern coast of Ceylon :—

73. T he sea which bounds th e d is tr ic t to th e sou th abounds in fish. M ore advan tage m igh t be tak en th an is a t p resen t th e case, in tu rn in g th is valuable sto re ­house of food to account, especially in th e curing of fish which, as sa lt of th e bes t q u a lity is obtainable here, m ight be p repared an d sent, inland in very large q u a n titie s . A g rea t dem and for cured sea-fish alw ays exists inland, as i t is a prim e requisite in th e m aking of cu rry , th e un iversal d ish of the country . R iv e r fish is, as a general rule, reckoned unw holesom e in Ceylon. Canoes, each holding four men, come all th e way from D odanduw a, D ew undara and G andara, to fish off H am banto ta and Tangalla, and th e in te r­m ediate coast. D uring th e N orth -E ast m onsoon, m any boats also go to P atnangala ,* a rocky' headland, a few m iles to th e w est of Y ala (not far from w here th e M enikganga, th e Jewel R i"cr, em pties itse lf in to th e sea.) There th ey bu ild hu ts to sh e lte r them selves, and continue fishing for m any w eeks together, sa lt­ing w hat th ey catch , or d ry ing i t in the sun, u n til a goodly supply has been secured. T hey then set sail fo r H am ban to ta and elsew here, to sell th e ir stock. T he buyers here hand over th e ir purchases, a f te r m aking a very libera l profit, to th e tavalam -inen, w ho ca rry th e fish to U va d is tr ic t. W elipatanw ila , a village in Giruvva P a ttu , abou t tw o m iles w est of th e m outh of th e W aiaw e river, is inh ab ited exclusively by fishers, a ro b u st and h ea lth y race of m en, and is no ted for th e abundance an d excellence of th e fish cap tu red in its w aters.

[Para. 74 has been already quo ted in our a r tic le .—E d .]75. In connection w ith H am ban to ta , th e re are a t

p resen t six boats used w ith d ragnets, and about tw elve w ith th e sm all nets. Of th e sm all nets, besides th e four sorts enum erated above th e P a tab en d i A rachehi of th is place, th e chief F ish er H eadm an here, inform s me four o th er descrip tions are in use, nam ely laeju del, ihi, ban:, and wara del. T he la s t nam ed is m ade of th e fibre of th e hem p bush, wdiich grow s p len ti­fu lly 011 th e sea shore. T he th read is ex trem ely tough, and m akes adm irable pack-th read . D uring the m onth of M arch, 1869, i t is w orthy of note, no fewer th a n seventeen sw ord-fish— one, eleven and a half feet long and five and a half in g irth , have been caught and b rought iu to H am ban to ta B a y ; an d of sharks of all sizes about two hundred . T h e ham m er-headed sha rk is also caught, an d so is th e spo tted species, b u t ne ither is very common. Close in shore sharks have never been know n, so th e fishermen here assert, to do any harm to hum an b e ings. W hen fresh fish are b rought ashore here, th e P a tab en d i A rachchi con­ducts th e sale im m ediately held on behalf of th e

* This bold and conspicuous rock, called L ittle E lep h an t Rock in th e A dm ira lty C harts, is believed to owe its Sinhalese nam e, P atnangala . o r (by perali or transposition), N am patgala, “The Rock o f the Be­stowal o f T itles," to th e cerem ony < f th e in v estitu re of n a tive chieftains by th e ancien t kings, having taken place a t or n ra r th e spot. A ll round, the sca ttered piles of rock, now, by th e w ay, th e chosen h au n t of bears, are very rom antic looking. Two rem arkab le leemas, o r caverns for hold ing fresh w ater, are to be found on one of them . N ot far away is AkAsechaitya, “The Temple, in th- Sly/” a very strik in g o b jec t in the landscape. The m agnificent park-like p lain of B utaw a stretches betw een th e two. A gil, a beautifu l tree much resem bling m yrtle , which, w hen b u rn t, yields a sw eet perfum e, is p len tifu l hereabouts. In A pril, th e jungles abound w ith s ta r jasm ine, w ith profusion of snow -w hite blossoms of th e delicatest perfum e.

74

shareholders, th e four canoemen, an d receives one tw en tie th of th e proceeds for selling and co llecting th e m oney. Long ago, before th e abolition of th e tax , i t appears, th e share apportioned to th e F ish e r H eadm en was one-tw entie th . T he four canoemen share and share alike. In th e case of th e d rag -ne ts , th e ow ner of th e n e t (which is a costly affair, w orth , w ith th e boat, £15 to £20) takes th e whole, giving th e canoe­m en, and th e people w ho drag , such share as he pleases. T he people w ho drag th e n e t are of a ll ages an d siz es ; and i t is am using to see l i t t le boys, w ith ­o u t a rag of c lothing, rush ing hom e w ell p leased w ith tw o or th re e sm all fish, th e rew ard of th e ir valuab le assistance 1 A g rea t deal of shou ting alw ays goes on as th e n e t is dragged ashore ; and tow ards th is p a r t of th e en te rta in m en t th e th ro a ts of th e young people no d oub t con trib u te largely.

76. A m aduw a (w hich m eans Turtle Island, though th e first h a lf of th e w ord is Tam il, and th e la t te r S inhalese—perhaps a token of th e in te rm ix tu re of races here in ancien t tim es) is abou t tw o miles from P ala tu - pana, and ab o u t tw enty-seven from H am ban to ta , an d is no ted fo r th e abundance of tu r tle frequen ting th e place. I t is no longer an island, sand having d rifted up an d connected i t w ith th e shore. M uch of the torto ise-shell, w rought up so largely in Ceylon in to various artic les, was form erly, I u n d erstand , ob ­ta in ed from th is place. T u rtles come a t regu lar seasons and in g rea t num bers to th e sea shore near H am ban to ta to deposit th e ir eggs in the sand. It. is considered highly irreligious to k ill th em by th e Sinhalese.

C A SU A R IN A C U L T IV A T IO N .

W e learn th a t some of th e m em bers of th e E urasian A ssociation and th e ir friends have tak en steps to s ta r t a casuarina p lan ta tio n Com pany, and th a t i t is to be w orked on th e jo in t stock principle . The Com ­pany is n o t a large one and i t is in tended to w ork th e lan d w hich th e E urasian Association has la te ly bought a t K ollady , th e value of th e lan d being paid iu fu ll o r taken on ren t. T he cu ltiva tion of casuarina in p a rts of M adras an d C hingleput d is tr ic t has tu rn e d o u t p re tty w ell, bu t in a ll cases w here these u n d e r­tak in g s were m anaged by jo in t stock Com panies th ey w ent to th e wall. W e m ay a llude to one or two u n ­dertak in g s to show th a t casuarina p lan ta tions, though m anaged w ith some economy by H in d u projectors, d id n o t pay. Tw o Com panies w ere some years ago s ta r te d in M adras for th e purpose of grow ing casua­rina. T hey w ere s ta rte d w ith fair success, b u t in a few years w hen th e trees w ere com ing on and th ey needed a l i t t le care, funds w ere n o t availab le and the labor of tw o or three years w ent for nough t. T h is is one of th e rocks th a t th e proposed Company m u st avoid. The undertak ing , if carefu lly m anaged, w ill give good re tu rns. T he h undreds of acres of land in M adras, P u lica t, Corom andel, C uttew ak, S adras, and along th e ra ilw ay lines p lan ted w ith casuarina arc am ple proofs th a t its cu ltivation ought to be en ­couraged and th a t a w ell m anaged business w ill pay fa irly well. T here is no doubt th a t th e failures we have alluded to w ere th e resu lt of defective w orking. T he Company w hich is to be s ta r te d m ay have m any difficulties to contend w ith : the re m ay be failu res a t the ou tse t, b u t w ith perseverance, success w ill come. C ertain persons w ho profess to know a good deal of casuarina p lan ting have supplied th e p ro jec to rs of th e undertak ing w ith inform ation w hich show s th a t a p lan ta tio n w'ell m anaged will produce resu lts th a t ough t to sa tisfy th e m ost speculative am bition. B u t th e p ro jecto rs of th is Com pany are n o t like ly to be deluded in to th e belief th a t a casuarina p lan ta tio n , though a good speculation, w ill be a source of u n ­failing w ealth . — M adras Standard.

L IF E A N D W O R K IN JA M A IC A .(From th e Field, 25 th Ju n e 1881.)

S i r , — I shall be g lad if you can afford me room to say a few w ords in rep ly to “ In q u ire r” {Field, Feb . 26) and “ C a p ta in ” {Field, Feb. 12) as to th e advantages offered by Jam aica to m en of sm all capital. I n p re ­vious le tte rs (No. 1,416 an d 1,427 of The F ield) I have given details regarding the cu ltivation of fru it, chocolate, a n d coffee; and I shou ld now like to say som ething abo u t cinchona.

In 186) the Jam aica G overnm ent established an ex ­perim enta l cinchona p lan ta tion in th e B lue M ountains, abo u t tw enty-five m iles from K ingston , and la s t year th e bark sold from th is p lan ta tio n fe tched h igher prices in th e London m arkets th a n e ith e r Ind ia or

C eylon b a rk of th e same class. I have recen tly v isited th e p lan ta tio n , and can say in su p p o rt of M r. M orris, th e d irecto r of th e botanical departm ent, form erly assist­a n t bo tan ist in Ceylon, th a t Jam aica p resen ts a splendid field to cap italists w illing to em bark in cinchona.

There are num erous advan tages w hich Jam aica possesses over o th er places for E uropean se ttle rs , and I m ay m ention a few. In regard to m ail com m unica­tio n and steam lines b e -ween E ngland and th e U nited S tates, th e island is singularly fo rtunate . In th e harbonr of K ingston a day does n o t pass w ithou t a steam er arriv ing or sailing. W e have also a w eekly coastal steam er of th e A tlas Com pany und er con trac t w ith th e local G overnm ent for conveying passengers a u d goods round th e island, calling a t all th e chief outposts.

In th e m ountains of Jam aica—from tw o thousand fee t to nearly eight thousand feet—th e re is th e finest c lim ate in the w orld, and abundance of tine lan d to be had cheap. W ith the aid of coolies (E ast Indians) to augm ent the fitful labour of th e natives, t h e 'c u l t iv a ­tio n of coffee, cinchona, ja lap , ginger, &c., affords certa in profit and p leasan t occupation. F o r th e cu ltiva­tio n of sugar, L iberian coffee, Ind iarubber, cotton, cocoa (chocolate), bananas, an d o th er fru it, th e low er lands a re best adap ted . On th e no rth coast th e clim ate is cooler and m ore h ea lth y th a n on th e south s id e ; bu t th e island of Jam aica has ever been m ost w ickedly m aligned w hen described as unhea lth y . Our dea th ra te is vt-ry low as com pared w ith m any places supposed to be m ore healthy . T he tem p era tu re is m uch cooler th a n m ost people suppose, in th e hills especially. L ast y ear there was n o t a death from yellow fever in th e N aval H ospital a t P o rt R oyal among the m ilita ry o r in th e general p o p u la tio n ; and y e t there a te per­sons who suppose—even say—th a t yellow fever is a Jam aica disease. Since th e estab lishm ent of quaran tine , th e d eaths from th is disease are so few as n o t to be w o rth m entioning. T here are no diseases pecu liar to Ja m aica , th e m ost fa ta l being th a t of sp ir it drink ing , to w hich new coiners are liable if th ey accept th e in ­evitable inv ita tion , “ H ave som ething to d rin k ? ” w hich u n fo rtu n a te ly is as common in Jam aica as in m any o th e r places. I f a m an w ill m ake up h is m ind to d rin k no th ing , except a t meals, an d to be only m oderately careful during th e tirs t few m onths of his residence in th e m a tte r of not over-heating him self—needless exposure to the sun in the m iddle of th e day, changing h is clothes if he gets w et in th e ra in , wearing flannels an d avoiding linen clo thes—I am sure h is chance of lo n g life is as good in Jam aica as any w here on earth .

T he island being so large and th e population so sparse, I th e re is n o t m uch so c ie ty ; b u t w ith frequen t le tte rs | a n d new spapers from E ngland, books, an d one’s occupa­tion , tim e goes all too quickly w ithou t any necessity to y earn for society. T here are nice people in Jam aica, as th e re are in most places ; and everyw here there is real hearty hospitality , aud a desire to welcome new blood, energy , and capital.

In stead of burying them selves a t th e A ntipodes, th e G ape, Ind ia , and o th er d is ta n t lands, persons w ith

sm all cap ital and income could go fa r before th e y would find a m ore healthy and p leasan t residence th a n Jam aica . I know no place th a t offers such in ­ducem ent to th e sm all cap ita lis t w ho is w illing to occupy him self in superin tend ing personally th e in v est­m en t of h is capital.

A ll k inds of English flowers, vegetables, an d f ru it a re cu ltiv a ted and do well in th e h i l l s ; and our beef an d m utton , pou ltry , tu rkeys, ducks, fish, an d f ru its are excellent, and m oderate in price. Beef, fid per lb ., a ll cu ts ; m u tton , 9d. to Is. ; pork fid, to 7M . ; tu rk ey s, 9d. to Is., live w e ig h t; ducks, 5s. to 6s. per p a i r ; fowls, 6d. per lb ,; fish, 6d. per lb ., all k in d s ; tu rtle , 3d. to 6d. per lb .; eggs, 9d. t ) Is. per dozen.

S ervants are cheap, b u t n o t good. M en cooks an d bu tlers, from 10s. to 14s. per week ; house g irls , from 4s. to 6s. per w e e k ; w ashing, 2s. to 3s. p e r dozen p ieces; groom s an d coachmen, from S< to 12s. per w eek ; w ater boys and grass cu tte rs , from 4s. to 6‘s. per week. A ll servants in Jam aica feed them selves o u t of these ra te s of wages.

H orses are good and n o t costly . A good cob for m ountain rid ing from £14 to £ 2 0 ; a buggy horse, from £25 to £ 4 0 ; a good m ilch cow and calf, from £10 to £12. Taxes are lig h t—on nouses, le. 6d. in th e pound r e n ta l ; l;m d, cu ltiv a ted , 4d. p er a c re ; n o t cu ltiv a ted , from l jd . to 3d. per a c r e ; horses, 1 Is. a y e a r ; wheels, 15s. for road purposes. T he im port d u ty is heavy, being 2s. 6d, in th e pound on clo th ing a n d m ost artic les of necessity from abroad . H ouses a re to be had on short or long leases, som etim es fu r ­nished, b u t generally unfurn ished , a t n o t costly ren ta ls. T here are m any properties to be purchased now for less th an th e value of th e build ings in m any cases, from m en w ho have n o t cap ita l to develope th e ir resources. M oney fetches from 7 to 8 per cen t on firs t m ortgages and perfec tly good secu rity .

I shall be p leased to afford m y ind iv idval read er of The Field fu rth e r inform ation regard ing Jam aica if he w ill app ly to me.

W . B . B a n c r o f t E s p e u t .Jam aica, A pril 26.P . S .— I w ould strong ly advise all w ho contem plate

seeking a home abroad to v is it Jam aica before deciding upon any th ing . I t only takes tw o m onths to go and re tu rn , and need n o t cost m ore than £ 6 0 or £70, a ll told .

A N A G R IC U L T U R IS T ’S T O U R IN BELLA RY ,

T h e G overnm ent have published a valuable rep o rt by M r. C. Benson, la te Acting S uperin tenden t of G o­v ernm en t Farm s, on a to u r th a t he m ade on th e B ellary D is tr ic t la s t au tum n. H e says:— “ The to u r w as a sho rt one, b u t afforded me an u p p o rtu n ity of ex tend ing m y experience of S outh Ind ian farm ing to a set of conditions of w hich I h ad prev iously b u t l i t t le know ledge. T h is is, however, only th e th ird in th e P residency w hich I have as y e t been allowed to visit, a lthough I have been in th e service of G o­vernm ent for nearly seven years, M y firs t opportun i­ty of personally gaining an insigh t in to n ative farm ing w as n o t afforded m e un til I h ad been nearly five years in Ind ia , and th u s m y know ledge of th e coun try w as u n til recen tly v e ry sm all. T his to u r is fu rth e r only th e fou rth th a t any officer of th e d epartm en t has up to th e p resen t tim e been allow ed to m ake in th e plains, and y e t blam e is often cast on th em for n o t appreciating th e good poin ts of na tive farm ing, although th e ir opportunities of becom ­ing acquain ted w ith these poin ts have been few. H e a r­ing and read ing chiefly of th e defects of th e native system , and w orking o u t th e conclusions to w hich official s ta tis tics poin t ag ricu ltu ra lly , m y opinion of South Ind ian husbandry was n o t a fla tte ring one, as I

show ed in a paper I laid before the Famine Commis- eion. Further experience does not lead me to modify in any important particulars m y previously expressed opinions, although I can now better appreciate the difficulties w ith which the ryot has to contend, and also the good points of his practices as far as I have become acquainted w ith them. W ith every extension | o f m y experience, the conviction also grows upon me j o f the great difficulties of bringing home to the ryot in- j

formation regarding the manner in which his practices i

can and should be altered. The tw o most important points on which reform is urgently required—the use o f a better plough and the manufacture and use of manure,—are of such a nature as to render demon­stration of the necessity for change of the greatest difficulty. Everything, as far as I can see, points to th e advisability of energetic action on the lines men­tioned in m y Cuddapah tour rep ort; but even w ith th e greatest possible efiort progress can only be slow. U nless Government are prepared to act energetically and on a far reaching system in the matter the hope o f doing any good to the country at large m ust be very small, and it is scarcely worth while to carry on our work in a ‘ half-hearted and experimental ’ manner.”

The Board of Revenue observe that “Mr. Benson’s tour was confined to the month of August, when crops were on the ground, and it is therefore difficult to understand how he arrived at the conclusion that the agricultural operations of the district are carried on in a ‘lazy and perfunctory manner,’ or on what -ground he basis h is assertion that the system in Bel- iary ‘is the m ost inefficient cultivation he has ever •come across.’ Subsequently, however, when describing th e mode of cultivation more particularly, he prac­tica lly retracts this charge, and shows that the opera­tions are conducted in an intelligent and skilful manner. M r. Benson appears to be puzzled to ac­count for cholum and korra being the staple crops and sa y s : ‘I am unable to suggest any reason why they should so exclusively occupy this position.’ ” The Board says that the “reason why these cereals are m ore largely cultivated than other grains is that, being th e staple food of the people, there is a large demand for them, and its pays the ryot to grow them just as in England it pays the farmer to grow wheat and barley. In regard to deep ploughing and the alleged prejudices of the ryots against this and other approved modes of farming, it is observed by the Board that the only way to overcome prej udice is to demonstrate practically that scientific farming p a y s ; and a few model (not experimental) farms conducted on com- merical principles established in the m idst of the ly o ts ’ holdings would produce a greater effect than a long series of lectures at the school of Agriculture. T he Board consider that th is practical test is what m ust be insisted upon as the first and most important step towards the improvement of agriculture in India.” T h e Government says that they have perused the report w ith interest, and that it is a valuable contri­bution to the literature on the subject. They concur w ith the Board in desiring that tours be undertaken as frequently as possible, and would be glad of any sug­gestions the Board may offer to that end. — M adras Mail.

L o c a l I n d u s t r y . —In pursuance of their policy that i t is expedient to encourage Indian industries, tha Government of India have directed that the following shall in future be procured of Indian manufacture wherever possible, and when they can be supplied a t rates no higher than those for which imported articles of the same quality can he obtained : namely “ Sundials, the Government Workshop at Roorkee m akes sundials, and no doubt they can be made at other establish 111 ents of a similar kind ; Sulphuric acid, made in Calcutta by Dr. W aldie, and probably else­w here ; and Alcohol, made at all large distilleries and sugar factories.”—M adras Mail.

C o o r g .—W e learn from Mercara that there is some prbability of the planters securing a fair average crop of coffee this season in Coorg. I t is hoped that the plant­ers will not be disappointed as they were on a previous occasion. Coffee is not likely to turn out w ell in some of the producing tracts of the presidency ow ing to unsea­sonable rains.-—M adras Standard.

F o o c h o w T e a . —Bad news from home has produced quietness here, (Foochow) and the w eek’s settlem ents of Congou are less than half the total of the previous seven days. Teamen so far remain firm holders. I t is understood that two fine “chops” of American Oolong have been sold, but the purchase has not yet been declared. Scented Orange Pekoes have sold on easier term s.— N . 0 . H erald.

C o f f e e i n B u r m a h .— The Govrnment of British Burmah is making a laudable effort to put new life in lo th e southern districts of the Province by offering liberal terms to intending coffee planters. The coffee industry would be certain to pay in these parts, if private efforts were w isely fostered by the adminis­tration, the chief necessity being a supply of labour, for lack of which m auy a fair enterprise in India has gone astray ; as, for instance, the tobacco industry in the northern Aracan H ill Tracts. Labour is exported, w ith the sanction and by the favour of Government, in large quantities to Trinidad and Guiana ; while all the tim e wide fields are ly ing vacant w ithin the boundaries of British India.—Pioneer.

A R e s o l u t i o n of the Bengal Government deals w ith the subject of the manufacture of paper from the fibre of the wild plantain stem. The D eputy Conservator of Forests, Sunderbunds Division, drew attention to the subject, which was referred to Dr. K ing for report. Dr. King, though he thought tha t the estim ate of profit was too sanguine, expressed the opinion that the proposed industry had a good deal of promise about it, and recommended Government to send a trial shipment to London, to make the fibre known to English manufacturers. The Lieutenant-Governor, however, considers the suitability of the w ild plantain for paper manufacture so well established that it is not necessary for Government to in itiate experiments. Private enterprise w ill, however, be liberally encouraged; and Government will, at the outset, and for a reason­able time, supply plantain stem s free of cost to “ any mercantile firm or individual wishing to try such ex ­periments in the Chittagong H ill Tracts or elsewhere in Bengal.”—M adras M ail.

OOTY,,8th A ugt.—Although we are having rain every day, the climate is milder than usual at this tim e of the year, which may be the reason that the Acacia Healbata is coming into flower before its usual time. W hat a fortune m ight be made out of the trees if they could be transported to London ; all the w ants and necessities of Ooty could be paid for without stint or limit, for one litt le spray of th is yellow blossom sells for one shilling in the great metropolis, or did do so a few years ago. The trees or shrubs, for I believe they are 110 more than shrubs, grow at M entone and the South of France, and the blossom is carefully packed and sent to the London markets, where the feathery yellow blossoms and perfumes are thought much of as a green hom e plant in Eng­land. I t does not exceed the size of a Fuschia or Geranium ; it would be impossible to count the num­ber of shilling sprays Ooty could send to market, but it seems that all things become possible in course of tim e ; woh would have thought some years ago that m eat could be sent from America and Australia to London w ithout being tinned, and y et we have lived to hear that frozen meat answers so w ell that the importation of it to London is lik ely to become gen era l; perhaps w e shall be able to pterify the acacia blossom some day, and send it to London without being withered in the transport,— M adras Times.

T he U nited S tates w heat crop th is y ear is estim ated a t 400,000,000 bushels, against 480,000,000 bushels lu s t year. T he stock on hand is now 41,000,000 bushels above th is tim e la s t year, so th e export su r ­p lus w ill n o t fall off to th e fu ll e x te n t of th e decline in th e crop aggregate .—Ib id .

D e a r t h o p P o t a t o e s i n C o l o m b o . —P o ta to es have been a t fourpence and sixpence a pound for th e la s t fo rtn igh t. W hen will a fresh sh ipm en t a rriv e ? T heir proper p rice here is from five to e ig h t cen ts p er lb . according to th e supply . W h a t are up-coun try cu l­tiv a to rs about ?

G a m m ie ’s S u l p h a t e o f Q u i n i n e .— T he C alcu tta “ Englishm an” having inspected sam ples of th e su lphate of quin ine p repared in In d ia by a new process by M r. Gam m ie, an d the c ry sta lline febrifuge w hich th e same gentlem an has succeeded in producing, says :— “ The su lpha te of quin ine appears in every respec t equal to th e b es t su lpha te of quin ine of commerce. A p ro ­fessional analysis show s i t to contain , in every hundred p a rts , quinine 70"88 ; su lphuric acid 1 1 '6 2 ; w ate r Il'oO . T he crystalline febrifuge is a su lp h a te of th e w hole of the a lkalo ids of th e red bark , excep t the uncrystalliaable am orphous alkaloid, w hich is believed to be th e sole cause of th e nausea produced in some constitu tions by th e uncrystallised febrifuge h ith e rto m anufactu red by th e G overnm ent. I t is m ore g ran u la r in tex ture, and only s ligh tly less w hite in colour, than su lpha te of qu in ine , and, if i t can be sold a t a p ro ­po rtiona te price, w ill probably supersede the cinchona febrifuge. A rrangem ents are now being m ade to m anu­facture th e su lpha te ofAquinine on a large scale, and i t is hoped th a t i t w ill tie possible in a few years, to m eet a ll th e dem ands of th e G overnm ent for th is d ru g .” — M adras Mail.

P l a n t a t io n s o p c a s u a r in a s have been largely cu l­tiv a te d in th e neighbourhood of M adras for supplies of firewood to th e railw ay , as w ell as to th e c ity . A n old Ceylon p lan te r, M r. M acIn ty re , one of th e tr i- | um v ira te ( S tew art, B row n an d M a c In ty re ), w ho opened G lenapine and o th er U va esta tes in th e early days, w as in te re s ted in th is casuarina cultivation in th e M adras d is tr ic t. T he finest casuarina trees in Ceylon are probably those in fro n t of th e D a lle Face Boarding-house, w hich new com ers from th e “ N o rth C ountree ” have very freq u en tly ta k e n for Scotch firs. T he tim b er of w ell-grow n trees ohght to be useful for o th e r purposes th a n firewood, b u t the la tte r ensures a speedy re tu rn from quick-grow ing trees. To ensure success, how ever, i t is needful th a t th e p la n ta ­tio n shou ld be w ith in easy reach of th e railw ay or city. M r P . O'B. H orsford,' w ho is S uperin tenden t of th e R ailw ay F irew ood Supplies in th e W estern Province, is very confident th a t p la n te r s ' cu ltiv a tin g a regu lar p lan ta tion of quick-grow ing trees for fire­wood purposes a t any spo t no t fa r from th e line betw een P eraden iya and N aw alap itiya ought to find i t a very rem unera tive speculation, the dem and for firewood being g rea tly increased w hen tra in s begin to ru n up to N anuoya. W e are n o t sure, though , th a t the casuarina would be th e best tree for up-country ' c u lti­vation : i t is certa in ly n o t like ly to succeed in a p addy field, an d apparen tly p refers d ry sandy soil. Our M a tu ra ta correspondent w ill find th a t casuarina seed is procurable from th e D irec to r of B otanic G a rd ­ens a t R 5 per ounce.

G l y c e r i n e . —W e learn from th e Pharm aceutical Journal th a t th e price of refined glycerine has du ring th e la s t tw o years advanced from about £31 to £103 per ton . T h is enorm ous advance is due p a r tly to in ­creased consum ption, dim inished production, and th e influence of speculation w orking on a m arket devoid o f stocks. In view of th e p resen t position of th e artic le an d th e prospect of a continuance of h igh p rices for a considerable tim e to come, the a tten tion

of soapm alters is now being tu rn e d to th e u tilization of th e ir waste “ leys,” and various new processes for recovering th e g lycerine con tained in these liquors have la te ly been tr ie d w ith m ore or less successful resu lts A p a r t from m inor im purities, w aste soap ‘ley s ,’ a re generally found to contain g lycerine, ca r­bonate of soda or caustic soda, ch loride of sodium , gelatin , an d album en. One of th e processes fo r re ­covering th e g lycerine w hich prom ise to be th e m ost econom ical an d th e m ost successful begins w ith con­cen tra tin g th e liquor u n til th e sa lts contained th ere in begin to crystalize. T he liqu id is th e n cooled and filtered to r id i t of ge la tin an d album en. I t is a f te r­w ards m ade to absorb carbonic acid, w hich p rec ip i­ta te s b icarbonate of soda, and firs t is separa ted from th e liquor in th e usual way. A fter undergoing th is process th e liquor is th en m ade to absorb gaseous h y d ­rochloric acid u n til w hat rem ains of carbonate of soda has been converted in to chloride, an d fu rth e r , u n til all, o r a lm ost a ll th e chlorid of sodium has been p rec ip ita ted an d separa ted from th e liquor in th e usual m anner. A rrived a t th is stage, th e liquor contains w ater, g ly ­cerine, an d hydroch loric acid. T h e acid is then ev a­p o ra ted en tire ly and absorbed in w ate r for using afresh. T he d ilu te glycerine rem ain ing can be p u r i­fied by filte ring i t th ro u g h anim al charcoal or by concen trating an d d istilling i t in th e usual way. M essrs. P ric e & Co., th e w ell-know n candle m anu­fac tu re rs , w ere, we believe, th e firs t to u tilize th is fo rm erly w asted p roduct, th e value of w hich has in ­creased so enorm ously.

C in c h o n a . — The follow ing appears in th e J u ly num ber of th e Chemist and D ru g g is t :— “ C inchona is accum ulating to a very large ex ten t, th e slock in the p o rt of London am ounting to over 37,000 packages. T he p o in t seems to have been reached when th e supp ly can m ore th a n m eet th e dem and, unless und er very exceptional circum stances, and i t is lik e ly th a t a period of low price fo r quinine w ill now se t in . A t presen t, as w ill be seen, th e prices for English an d F rench m anufactu re are abnorm ally high in com ­parison w ith those for G erm an m ake, in consequence of special con tracts. I t is qu ite certa in th a t, for some tim e to come, th e a rriva ls of th e b a rk w ill continue to increase, and i t is p robable th a t th e p roportion of th e im ports rich enough in alkalo id to be w orth w ork ing w ill also become larger. T h a t a fu rth e r reduction w ill re su lt in th e p rice of quinine, if no exceptional dem and, occur, is alm ost certa in , and i t m ay be considerable. H olders of S outh A m erican b arks, w ho have tr ie d to m ain ta in prices for some tim e and have refused to le t th e ir stocks go, have show n m ore inclination to m eet th e m arket, a n d th e consequence has been m ore ex tensive transac tio n s a t declin ing p ices. I t m u st be noted th a t buyers a t th e la s t sales seemed m ore w illing to do business, and th e dem and is ev iden tly strong. A s th e re is often a large m arket fo r quinine in th e sum m er, a tem porary im provem ent w ould n o t be suprising. One of th e chief influences affecting th e cinchona m a rk e t has been th e in troduc tion of th e so called cuprea barks, w hich seem to be w ell su ited for m anufacturing p u r- poses. These bark s come from th e S ta te of S an tander, in Colum bia, and i t is ye t unknow n, w e believe, to w h a t ext'-nt a supp ly from th a t source m ay be expected. T he bark is nam ed “ c u p r e a ” from its copper-look­ing appearance. P re sen t prices fo r th is b a rk vary from Is. 10d. to 2s. fid." U nder Ihe head “ Cinchona in Africa ” w e are inform ed th a t a very in teresting experim ent is to be tr ie d in W e s t C en tra l A frica by th e m em bers of th e L ivingstone (Congo) In lan d M is­sion and th a t seeds of th e d ifferen t species of cinchona, which have been ob ta ined from th e G overnm ent p lan ta tions in Ind ia , are to be sen t o u t to th em w ith a view to ascerta in ing w hether i t could be success­fu lly cu ltiv a ted in th e m ountain valleys of th e Congo. ”

P L A N T A IN t r e e .( F rom th e Journal o f the Society o f A rts , J u ly 15, 1881.)

M r. L . L io ta rd has p rep ared an e labo ra te m em or­a n d u m oil th e p lan ta in tre e (dated C a lcu tta , J a n u a ry 2 2 , 1881), of w hich th e follow ing is an a b s tra c t :—

D r. Balfour,* in a no te dat^d th e 15th O ctober, 1880, has n o ticed th e A g ric u ltu ra l D ep a rtm en t d e ­p a rtm en ta l m em orandum on fibrous m ate ria ls in In d ia su itab le fo r th e m anufactu re of paper, an d he specially d irec ts a tte n tio n to th e c h ap te r on th e p la n ta in tree . M any species of th is tree , o r ra th e r p lan t, have been g row n in In d ia from th e m ost rem ote t im e s ; b u t as a p ro d u cer of m arketab le fibre, th e only species w h ich has y e t come to no te is th e M usa textilis of th e P h ilipp ine Is lan d s : th is y ie ld s th e fibre know n in com m erce as M anila hem p.

T he in tro d u c tio n of th e M usa textilis, in 1858, d irec t from th e P h ilip p in e Is lan d s in to th e M adras P residency , is described in th e p r in te d m em orandum , w here i t is show n th a t a tte m p ts m ade to e x tra c t th e fibre in th is co u n try for com m ercial purposes p roved fru itless, a lth o u g h thou san d s of to n s of i t w ere being e x trac ted every y ear in th e Philippines.

T here is no d o u b t th a t th e M anila hem p p la n t (M usa textilis) grow s as w ell in B ritish In d ia as o th e r species of the p lan ta in genus ; an d D r. B a lfour ju s t ly says, th a t B ritish In d ia could in a couple of years supply th e London m a rk e t w ith all th a t i t could tak e of M anila hem p fibre. l i e therefo re observes th a t th e prospect of benefiting B ritish In d ia b y crea tin g an ex p o rt trad e from i t of th e e x te n t an d value above ind ica ted m ig h t w ell in c ite to considerable efforts to a t ta in success ; an d he suggests th a t tiie a tte n tio n of th e B oards an d C om m issioners of R evenue and of th e Agri- H o rtic u ltu ra l Societies m ig h t be re ­d irec ted to th is p lan t.

I t is know n th a t th e M usa textilis was reared w ith success in C a lcu tta as an ex perim en t in 1822, 1836, and 1840 ; th a t fibre was ex trac ted from th e p lan ts and m%tle in to a n e a t cord no way inferio r to E n g ­lish w liip-cord ; an d th a t a p ro jec t was th e n p u t fo r ­w ard for th e e s tab lish m en t of th e m an ufactu re of p ap e r from th e fibre ; b u t w e do n o t know how or w h y th e p ro jec t was n o t carried out. T he p ro jec to r, w e learned, w eu t to one of th e B ritish colonies in S outh A m erica.

W e know also, th a t in th e M adras P resid en cy th e efforts to in troduce th e M usa textilis w ere of a m ore ex ten d ed n a tu re , beginning from 1858 ; th a t th e tr ia l p lan tin g p roved very su c cess fu l; th a t num bers of th e p la n t w ere in tro d u ced au d r e a r e d ; th a t th e fibres e x trac ted therefrom w ere cleaned an d experim ented upon, and w ere found to possess considerable s tre n g th an d gloss ; to be very clean, an d fit for ta k in g dyes ; also th a t success in th e rea rin g of th e p la n t was especially a tta in ed in . th e W ynaad , w here i t grew rem ark ab ly well and w as m u ltip lied in large num bers in several of th e coffee es ta te s bo th easily an d cheap ly ; and th a t th e re w as no doubt as to th e value of th e fibre, b u t th a t th e efficient an d cheap p rep a ra tio n of th e fibre rem ained an uneurm ountab le difficu lty .

In th e A ndam an Is lan d also th e p la n t w as success­fu lly reared and p ropagated , an d fibre was e x tra c te d ; b u t th e process of ex trac tio n , w hich consisted in steep ­in g th e stem u n ti l decom position se t in , was p ro b ­ab ly a very bad one, and consequen tly th e fibre, w hich was repo rted to be c red itab le in o th e r respects, w as found harsh and w anting in stren g th .

T he experience gathered th u s seem s to p o in t to th e d iscovery of some sa tisfac to ry process for e x trac tin g th e fibre cheap ly an d efficiently as the essen tia l p re ­lim inary to an y ex tensive In d ia n tra d e in th e p ro ­d uct. T h e mode of tre a tm e n t follow ed in th e P h ilip ­pines m ay firs t be n o ted ; th e B ritish Consul a t M anila exp lained i t as fo llo w s: —

* See p . 10 o f t h e T ropical A yricu ltu ris t.—E d .75

“ W hen th e tre e s have m atu red , o r a re read y fo r cu ttin g , th e y are c u t down ab o u t a foot from th e g round , a n d th e lab o u rer th e n proceeds to s tr ip off th e layers from th e t ru n k , w hich are c u t in to s tr ip s of ab o u t 3 inches w ide, or say , th re e s tr ip s to ea ffi layer. T hese s tr ip s a re th e n each d raw n th ro u g h betw een a b lu n t knife an d a board to rem ove th e pu lp y vegetab le m a tte r from th e fibre, w hich is th e n spread in th e sun to d ry . A s soon as i t has been th o ro u g h ly d ried , i t is read y for th e m ark e t. T h e appearance of th e fibre depends en tire ly on th e care bestow ed in d ry in g i t , as, shou ld i t be exposed to rain , o r n o t th o ro u g h ly d ried , i t becom es d iscoloured , o r assum es a brow nish tinge, an d loses th e s tre n g th to som e ex ten t.

* * * * *“ A s regards m achinery , several a tte m p ts have been

m ade, b u t have p roved unsuccessfu l, to in v e n t a s u i t ­ab le m ach inery fo r c leaning to supersede .th e p rim itiv e m ethod s til l in use, w hich consists of a few cross an d u p r ig h t b ars of bam boos, to w hich are fastened th e board au d cleaning knife, th e fibre, o r ra th e r th e la y e r of s tr ip s be ing in tro d u ced betw een th e board and th e knife , w hich la tte r is th en held dow n by a s tr in g a ttach ed to a cross bam boo, on w hich th e foot of th e w orkm an is p laced , an d th e slip is p u lled th rough , th u s rem oving all th e vegetable m a t te r .”

T he an nual q u a n tity of M anila hem p w hich is e x ­tra c te d b y th is m eans in th e P h ilipp ines i* rep o rted to be abo u t 40,000 tons, of w hich the U n ite d K in g ­dom ta k e s ab o u t half.

W h e th e r an y im proved m eth o d of e x tra c tin g th e fibre be o r be n o t d iscoverab le , th e re does n o t appear to be any reason w hy th e m ethod of ex trac tio n fo l­lowed in th e P h ilip p in e Is lan d s should n o t be adop ted in B ritish In d ia , w ith an y m odifications w h ich ex ­perience m ay suggest.

I have m yself tr ie d an exp erim en ta l process, in dev ising which, I was g u ided by th e co nsidera tions below explained.

T h e first of these w as th e s tru c tu re of th e p lan t. I t is com posed of lay ers of fibre u n ited t 'g e th e r longi­tu d in a lly b y ce llu la r tissues w hich con ta in a very large percen tage of m ucilaginous an d p u lpy m a tte r in w hich a s tro n g colouring m a tte r is p resen t. T h e re a re in th e lay ers of th e tru n k th re e d is tin c t q u a lities of fibre—it is coarse and s tro n g in th e o u te r layers, fine an d s ilk y *in th e in te rio r, and of a m idd ling q u a lity in th e in te rm e d ia te layers, w hile th e c e n tra l foo t-s ta lk con tains no fibre a t all. T he m id-rib of th e leaves also con tain s tro n g fibre.

Secondly, th e p roper tim e for ex trac tin g th e fibre. T his is of im portance if th e fibre is u ltim a te ly to be used for cordage o r te x tile m anufactu res, b u t o f less consequence, perhaps, if th e fibre be des tin ed fo r paper-m aking . T he p roper tim e is w hen th e p u rp le fru it-s ta lk is ab o u t to rise, b u t has n o t qu ite appeared y e t ; i t is th en th a t th e fibres are in th e ir best con ­d itio n : before th a t , th e fibres w ill be im m ature, a f te r th a t , th e y w ill have lo st th e ir s tre n g th .

T h ird ly , th e appearance of th e fibre. A ll fibre is valued accord ing to th e deg ree of i ts cleanness, i t s ten ac ity , and iis un ifo rm s tru c tu re ; an d if, in a d d itio n (o these th re e qu a lities , th e fibre is of fine te x tu re , i t w ill com m and a h igh price. I t is th u s necessary to classify th e fibres. T he easiest w ay to do th is is, a f te r th e p la n t is c u t dow n, to s tr ip lay e r a f te r layer* from th e tru n k , each s tr ip being ab o u t tw o inches wide, an d to g roup th e layers accord ing to th e fibres th ey con ta in , w hich w ill be found to p resen t th e fea tu res above noticed. T he str ip p in g is very easily effected b y th e h an d w ith th e h e lp of a knife, an d has th e advan tages of both securing u lifo rm ity in th e fibres b y classification an d of fac ilita tin g th e ir e x ­trac tio n , as w ill p re sen tly be expla n e i . T h e m id -rib of th e leaves should be s l i t in to fc u r p a r ts to fac ili­

ta te th e crush ing , an d shou ld be k e p t a p a r t from th e p roduce of th e tru n k .

Fourth ly , th e tim e ta k e n in th e operations. T he cu ttin g s sh ou ld be u tilised on th e day 011 w hich th e y a re m ade, an d th e y shou ld be m an ipu la ted iu th e shade. T he reasons fire th a t if th e fibre be n o t fo r th ­w ith ex trac ted , th e fleshy or sappy com pounds, if sub jec t to w et, w ill decom pose ; w hilst if th e y are exposed to th e ac tion of th e su n ’s ray s, th e fibre w ill be discoloured. F u r th e r , th e im m ediate rem oval of a ll ex traneous m a tte r reduces the bu lk of th e p ro ­duct, au d th u s decreases th e cost of tran sp o rt" fo storage centres.

L ooking to th e benefit th a t w ill re su lt to th e co u n try , should success be a tta in e d , and" th e very sm all expense th a t will iu any case be requ ired , th e G ivernm en t of In d ia m ay p erhaps be disposed to give th is process some effective tr ia l iu some Con­ven ien t localities. I f so , i t m igh t be w ell to m ake a beginning in th e W ynaad, w here th e tru e M usa textil'is has been successfully in troduced an d p ropag­a ted , an d where, I believe, large num bers of th e p lan ts exist.

A fu rth e r suggestion w hich I w ould v en tu re to m ake is, th a t experim ents shou ld be m ade w ith some of th e n ative varie ties of th e p lan ta in tie e , those varie ties being prefe rred w hich grow on h illy land, as these con tain m ore fibre th a n th e varieties on low- ly in g fla t ground which arc valuable in o th er respects. T hus, in the U overnm en‘3 of th e N o rth -W e ste rn P ro ­vinces au d the P un jab , t r ia l m igh t be m ade w ith the species of th e p lan ta in _ tre es th a t g row on th e low er ranges of the H im alayas, th a t is, b lo w M ussoorie, in th e low er tra c ts of th e N aln in S ta te , in th e U m - ba lla d is tr ic t, an d in K angra. I t is ju s t th e species th a t p roduces insip id f ru it, som etim es w ith seed in ­side, th a t w ill be found to y ie ld a la rger percen tage of fibre.

In Bengal, Bom bay, B ritish B urm ah an d th e C en tra l P rovinces th e indigenous species grow ing on th e h igh lands m igh t u se fu lly be experim en ted w ith , th e above rem arks g iving gn idea of th e k in d of p la n ts to be s elected.

T he real obstacle, how ever, to th e successful in tro ­duction of new fibre m ate rie ls in to our ex p o rt tra d e is th e coss of railw ay fare. Oil th is po in t I w ill r e ­p roduce here th e rem ark s w hich 1 m a le in th e m em orandum I refe rred to a t the. begiifiiiug of th is n o t e :—

“ T he cost of th e carriage not on ly of fibres b u t of all raw an d m ate ria l p ro d u c ts of In d ia , from th e in te rn a l d is tr ic ts to large cen tres of p opu la tion an d to ex p o rt m arts , p rev en ts such p roducts from being u tilised , an d a large source of incom e to th e co u n try is th u s neglected. W e fiud th a t M r. R&idell, in his evidence before a P a rlia m e n ta ry V om m ittee, s ta te d th a t th e cost of ca rry in g a to n of goods for a m ile is, on th e E ast In d ia n R ailw ay line, "218d., and the average cost on n ine lines "376d., o r f t l i s of a penny. Before long, he says, th e cost on th e E a s t In d ian R ailw ay of ca rry in g a passenger o r a to n of goods for a m ile w ill n o t exceed one-ten th of a penny or one-six th of a penny re sp e c tiv e ly ; an d though th a t ra te m ay n o t be a tta in ab le on lines less favourab ly s itu a ted as to fuel, g rad ien ts, an d q u a n tity of traffic, th e cost of tra n sp o r t oug h t n o t in an y case to ex ­ceed R l. per ton p er mile, au d Jpl. per passenger per mile. 1 E x p ir ieu ce ,’ Mr. IV ndell said, 1 show s th a t a reduction of rates, especially for passengers and cereal", is a lw ays accom panied b y a large increase of traffic.’ H e added th a t , as consu lting engineer of th e E a - t In d ian R ailw ay and S ta te Railw ays, he w ould stro n g ly advocate a reduction of ra 'es , an d lie was certa in t h a t such a policy w ould u ltim a te ly prove rem unera tive . T here can be l i t t le d o u b t th a t , as regards fibres also, th e sam e beneficial re su lts w ill be p roduced by a reduction in th e ra te s . ”

T h e Bom bay C ham ber of Com m erce, in a le t te r add ressed on th e 9 th M ay, 1879, to th e F am ine C om ­m ission, sa id : -

“ T he h igh ra te s charged for th e .conveyance of goods have p rev en ted W e s te rn In d ia from reap ing a ll th e benefits w hich were reasonab ly expected to flow from th e in tro d u c tio n of th e G rea t In d ia n P en in su la system in to th is P re sidency . T h is s ta te m e n t is borne ou t b y th e fac t, th a t on a recen t occasion, when a red u c ­tio n of th e ir g ra in r a te s w as m ade, a ver la rge developm ent of traffic im m ed ia te ly occurred ay d has s te ad ily p rogressed . In S eptem ber, 1875, th e n G re a t In d ian P en in su la R a ilw ay reduced th e ir g ra in ra te s from th e p roducing d is tr ic ts in th e C en tra l P rov inces of 5 J pies p er ton p er m ile, be ing a red u c tio n of 30 p er cen t on th e ir prev ious ra te s . T h is red u c tio n le f t th e ra te s s till considerab ly h ig h er th a n th e E a s t In d ia n R ailw ay C om pany’s ra te s , b u t i t led a t once to a very g re a t increase in th e traffic .”

T he Bom bay C ham ber of Com m erce th en w en t on to quote figures of exports in illu s tra tio n of th e ra p id increase in th e traffic, and added : —

“ B u t these illu s tra tio n s of th e effect of reduced ra te s prove th a t even ra ilw ays in In d ia m ay be of l i t t le av a il in fu lly developing th e resources of th e c o u n try if th e ra te s for th e carriage of produce are n o t reduced to th e low scale necessary to a t t r a c t th e produce of th e d is tr ic ts th ro u g h w hich th e y pass.

T here c m, therefo re , be 110 d o u b t th a t a red u c tio n in th e ra te s of r a ilw a y carriage fo r th e fibrous as w ell as o ilie r p ro d u c ts of In d ia w ould have a bene­ficial re su b .

I v en tu re now to suggest th a t th e question be r e ­ferred to th e Public W orks D e p artm en t for early consideration . I f a redu c tio n of ra te s for a ll fibrous m a te ria ls is n o t feasible a t p resen t, 1 w ould ea rn es tly suggest th a t such m aterials, w hen d estined fo r paper m an u fac tu re a t leas t, be allow ed to be ca rr ie d over tlie ra ilw ays a t ra te s low er th a n th o se now im posed. A g en tlem an w ho is engaged in th e businee in Low er B engal w rites to me on th is su b je c t as fo llo w s: —

“ A g re a t deal of raw m ateria l, w hich cou ld be u tilised fo r paper-m aking , canno t be b rough t dow n by ra il 011 account of th e h igh f re ig h t payab le acco rd ­ing to th e p re sen t goods ta r iff of a ll ra ilw ays in In d ia .

“ A m ongst th e w ell-know n m ateria ls used for paper- m aking, tak e , for exam ple , aloe-tibre, ju te , hem p, flax, rag s , and w a d e papers ; a ll tlics», w hen lodsely packed, are a t p re sen t p u t in Class 2, th e ra te of w hich is 50 pies p e r 100 m aunds p e r m ile. M ounj or an y o th e r g rass or p la n ta in leaves, w hen loosely packed , belong t > Class 3, an d are charged 6Gjj pie p er 100 m aunds p er m ile. P lan ta in leaves and grass have an ad d itio n a l obstacle in being sub jec ted ■ to a m inim um w eigh t of 81 m aunds.

“ N ow , you are w ell aw are th a t aloe-fibre, ju te , liem p, flax, w hen destined fo r tw in e o r te x tile m an u ­fac tu res, m igh t bo able to bear a second-class ra te on account of th e ir h igher m a rk e t va lue ; b u t, seeing th a t i t is on ly th e c u ttin g s o r w aste of tliese m ate­ria ls t h a t a re used for p aper m anufactu re , th e y can ­n o t possibly be of so high a value, an d cannot, th e re fo re , bear th e sam e charge. T he c u ttin g s o r w aste should consequently bo tre a te d specially an d charged a m uch low er r a te .”

T his can, I v en tu re to th in k , be done by p lacing a ll m ateria ls destined fo r pap er m an u fac tu re u n d e r a d is tin c t liaad of “ paper-m ak ing m ateria ls ” in th e goods tariff, an d classing th e head u n d e r Glass I (i.e., 33J pie per 100 m aunds p er m ile) when th e m ate ria l is looseiy packed, a n d u n d e r special class w hen d e ­spa tched , pressed or screw ed in bales. In n e ith e r case need th e re be an y re s tr ic tio n as to m in im um w eigh t, an d th e usua l red u c tio n m ig h t be allow ed w hen ca rried over 150 and 300 miles respectively .

H O W TO STA R T A T E A G A R D E N A N D M A K E IT P A Y . — (Continued fr o m p . 164.)

(From th e In d ia n T ea Gazette, J u ly 16th, 1881.)S e v e n t h Y e a r .

It. A. P.Im p o rta tio n of 32 coolies, a t R100 per

head landed on th e G arden ... 3,200 0 0Bonuses to 66 coolies for a tw o y ea rs’ re­

agreem ent, say ... ... ... 1,416 0 0E ngagem ent of 10 local labourers u n d er

a tw o y ea rs’ agreem ent, a t say R25 per head ... ... ... 250 0 0

W ages of 224 labourers, sa y ... .1 4 ,1 2 4 0 0E stab lish m en t ... ... ... 4,464 0 0Loss on 2,000 m aunds Rice, say ... 1,650 0 0G overnm ent revenue, fees, law e x ­

penses, ha. ... 500 0 0S ta tio n or S team er A gen t’s sa lary ... 240 0 0C a lc u tta charges, say ..- ... 1,200 0 0D iscount, F eed of live stock, S ta tionery ,

Postages, an d o th er contingencies, say 1,456 0 0

M r. Law es him self, iu th e com m encem ent of h is ! book, assum es th a t th e stock of n itrogen now in h e re n t | in o u r soil was o rig ina lly derived from th e elem ents ,1 L e t i t once bo es tab lish ed th a t n itro g en can be , in tro d u ced to th e soil b y th e g ro w th of c e rta in crops, ; an d th e farm er need have no d read of th is g rad u a l

exhau stio n of th e soil w hich M r. L aw es foreshadow s fo r h im . R . W . M.

T o ta l R28,500 0 0R e s u l t s a t e n d o f S e v e n t h Y e a r .

T o ta l R eceip ts... ... ... R 1,04,300Tot%l E x p en d itu re . . . .. ,, 1,95,500

Government Revenue.—T he revenue p ayab le to G overn­m en t increases th is year from th re e to six anna" per acre p er annum , for a period of four years : th a t is, from th e seven th to th e te n th year, th e revenue payab le to G overnm en t is a t th e ra te of six ann as p e r acre,

{To be continued■ )

MR. L A W E S ’ W O R K ON F E R T IL IT Y .TO THE EDITOR OF “ THE F IELD .”

S i r , —M r. L aw es’s deductions froth h is experim en ts a re so s ta rtlin g , an d so a t variance w ith th e experience of p rac tica l m en, th a t th e y canno t be accepted by th e m w i'h o u t fu r 'h e r proof.

Scientific m en are a p t to rid e th e ir hobby to death . I t is for prac tica l m en to deduce th e ir ow n conclusions, by com paring th e researches of th e fo rm er w ith the" resu lts of th e ir ow n experience.

N o one, probab ly , w ill d o u b t th a t if w h ea t be grow n continuously on th e sam e g round w ith o u t th e ad d itio n of n itrogen , i t will g rad u a lly reduce th e orig inal an d in h e ren t stock of n itrogen in th e soil.

So fa r farm ers a re a g re e d ; b u t th e m ain question , th e crucial po in t in fact, of M r. Law es’s w ork on “ F e r t il i ty ,” is w h e th e r cer a in crops are, o r are not, capable of resto rin g n itro g en to th e s o i l ; and on th is po in t M r. Law es appears to have too hastily deduced his theo ries from ex perim en ts w hich he h im self adm its to be unsatisfactory .

A farm er looks on h is clover crop as th e one above a ll o thers w hich will supp ly him w ith n itro g en for h is succeeding corn crops, an d i t is w ith asto n ish m en t an d fear fo r th e fu tu re t h a t he learns th a t th is crop is no longer to be regarded as th e renov a tin g one of h is system , b u t as no less ex h au stin g th a n th e succeeding corn crops.

T he v ita l p o in t as to th e source from w hich clover derives its n itrogen is one w hich bo tan ists o ugh t, by th e a id of chem istry , to be able to decide for farm ers, a n d th e g ra titu d e of a la rge com m unity w ould be due to anyone who would se t th a t question a t re s t fo r ever.

W e know th a t p lan ts have th e pow er of resp ira tion , by w hich th e oxygen of th e a ir is absorbed, and of assim ilation , by w hich th e carbon is assim ila ted . I t is surely b u t n a tu ra l to assum e th a t in a lesser degree, according as n itrogen bears a sm all p roportion to oxygen an d carbonic ac id in th e a tm osphere , th e y have th e pow er of absorbing n itrogen also.

C O F F E E L A N D S IN M Y SO R E ,(F rom th e M adras T im es.)

Proposed T erm s fo r th e se ttle m e n t of Coffee L an d s in M ysore, on an A creage A ssessm ent.

1. A n assessm ent on a ll p lan tab le lan d of one rupee p er acre, w ith a g u a ran tee fo r 30 years on th e te rm s of th e S u rv ey se ttlem en t.

2. S u b jec t to th e app roval of th e G overnm ent of In d ia , p e rm an en t assessm ent a t E l-8 -0 per acre to those w ho m ay desire i t , on th e te rm s of th e M adras Coffee L an d R ules, b u t w ith a reservation of th e G overnm ent claim to ro y a lty on valuab le m in e ra l p ro d u c ts , viz. m etals an d precious stones.

3. A n assessm ent of 8 annas p er acre only fo r v e ry poor lands, or for lan d s w hich have g rea tly d e te r io r­a te d in th e ir condition .

4. G rass lands, in clearly defined com pact b locks, to bear an assessm ent of 4 annas p e r acre if re ta in ed for p as tu re o r g ro w th of firewood.

5. L au d new ly g ran ted to be held free fo r 3 years. To be charged w ith ha lf assessm ent fo r th e n e x t tw o years, 4 th an d 5 th , an d to bear fu ll assessm ent th e re ­a fte r. Lands g ran ted w ith in th e la s t five years to have th e benefit of th is ra te ; reckon ing fiom th e d a te of th e g ra n t;

6 . L ands to ta lly abandoned , o r th ro w n o u t of cu ltiv a tio n owing to th e ravages of th e borer o r o th e r auscc," m ay be ta k e n u p agaiu on te rm s p ro v id ed fo r new g ran ts of land.

7. T h e assessm ent prov ided in R u le 1 to come in to force a t once in reg ard to old es ta tes . B u t th e se ttlin g officer m ay prov ide fo r th e levy of h a lf assess­m e n t only fo r any' period n o t exceeding five years, w h en

: such consideration appears to be req u ired in con- ' sequence eh h er of th e in fe rio r p rodu c tiv en ess of th e

e s ta te as in th e case of N ativ e hold ings, o r ow ing to i p o rtio n s of th e e s ta te rem ain ing u n p lan ted .! S. T h e area of g rass land in an es ta te to be as- ! sessed u n d e r R u le 4, to be ta k e n in th e firs t in stan ce I on th e es tim ate of th e p a tta d a r , su b je c t to co rrec tion ' and th e levy of th e p roper assessm ent re tro sp ec tiv e ly . upon survey .

9. E s ta te s n o t exceed ing 59 acres in e x te n t m u st bo re linqu ished w holly and n o t in p a rt. I n th e case of esta tes exceeding fifty acres in e x te n t, re lin q u ish ­m e n t w ill be perm itted of a po rtion n o t less than one h a lf of th e w hole es ta te , o r less th a n one h u n d red acres.

P ro v id ed th a f th e lan d re linqu ished sha ll form a com pact block on th e m argin of an e s ta te an d d iv is­ib le from it b y a reasonably s tra ig h t line *of boun d ary , a n d p rov ided fu r th e r t i ia t the cost of re-su rv ey in g th e la n d an d of e rec tin g th e boun d ary m arks req u ired be borne b y th e app lican t.

O r d e r t h e r e o n .

H is H ighness th e M aha R a ja ’s G overnm ent has h ad u nder its considera tion th e te rm s p roposed an d sanc­tio n ed b y th e G overnm en t of In d ia for th e se ttle m e n t of coffee lan d s in M ysore on an acreage, assessm ent, an d th e correspondence connected th e re w ith . H i* H ighness th e M aha R aja en tire ly concurs in th e view s h eld b y S ir Jam es G ordon, th a t th e in te re s ts of th e S ta te as well as of th e p lan te rs a rc b es t consu lted in acco rd ing to th em a p erm an en t assessm ent, and he is p leased to accep t an d sanction th e above te rm s in ­clusive of R ule 2 p rov id ing fo r a p erm an en t assess­

m e n t a t E l - 8-0 p er acre to such of th e p lan te rs as m ay a t once offer fo r it. A s i t is understo o d th a t th e above te rm s generally m eet th e w an ts an d w ishes of th e p lan te rs , H is H ighness th e M aha E a ja d irec ts th a t th e S urvey S u p e rin ten d en t, in com m unication w ith th e D ep u ty C om m issioners of th e respective d is tr ic ts , w ill a t once ta k e step s to ca rry in to effect a se ttlem en t of th e coffee lan d s on th e above te rm s in th e c u rre n t year. T he S urvey S u p e rin te n d en t shou ld , in com m unication w ith th e P la n te rs ’ A ssociation an d th e D epu ty C om m issioners of H assan an d K ad u r, su b m it a d ra f t form of th e title -d ee d to be issued to the p lan ters.

2. I t w ill be seen th a t th e G overnm ent r ig h t to a ro y a lty on m eta ls an d precious stones, to sandal, a n d to an excise d u ty on arecan u ts is reserved, and- t h a t th e lands w ill con tinue to pay th e estab lished local cesses.

3. T he h a la t d u ty on coffee as w ell as on c a rd ­am om s will, on th e in tro d u c tio n of th is se ttlem en t, be abolished. I n regard to cardam om s on G overnm ent fo res t lan d s w hich are n o t held on cu ltiv a tio n p a tta s , a rran g em en ts should be m ade for th e ir be ing given o u t 011 re n t an n u a lly or fo r longer te rm s.

4. W h ere th e low er ra te s of assessm ent prov ided fo r tem porarily by E u le s 3 and 7 are fixed, p la n te is w ill be allow ed a p erm an en t assessm ent a t E l-8 -0 per acre to tak e effect a f te r th e exp ira tion of th e te m ­p o ra ry assessm ent, b u t th e ir app lica tions fo r th e sam e should , as in o th e r cases, be su b m itted a t once.

5. I f I iu le 9 requ iring th a t e s ta te s n o t exceeding f ifty acres in e x te n t shou ld be re linqu ished w holly and n o t in p a r t is found to opera te w ith h a rd sh ip in th e case of th e sm aller coffee e s ta tes he ld by N ativ e ryo ts, th e Survey S u p erin ten d en t should su b m it fo r con­s id e ra tio n an y m odification of th e E u le w hich m ay be req u ired in th e above cases.

U S E F U L W B IN K L E S A N D E E C IP E S F O E P L A N T E B 3 .

(From th e In d ia n Tea Gazette, 16th J u ly 1881.)Fertilizer, A c h eap .—T his consists of su lp h a te of

am m onia, 601b ; n itra te of soda, 40 lb .; g round bone,. 250 lb ; p laster, 250 l b , ; sa lt, \ b u s h e l ; w ood ashes, 3 bushels ; s ta b le m anure , 20 bushels. A pp ly "the above am o u n t to six acres. I t is said to give as good resu lts as m ost of th e com m ercial f e r t i lz e r s sold.

Bones, V alue of, as a fe r ti l iz e r .— 1001b. of d ry bone-d u st ad d to th e soil as m uch organic an im alm a tte r as 3001b. of blood o r flesh, an d also a t thesam e tim e f th e ir w e ig h t of inorganic m a tte r—lime, m agnesia, com m on salt, soda an d phosphoric acid. S uperphosphate of lim e, com m only used by farm ers, is sim ply bones tre a te d w ith J th e ir w eigh t su lphuric acid and an equal q u a n tity of w ater.

Sub-Soil D ra in , A sim ple .— An excellen t sub soil d ra in m ay be m ade by digging a tren ch , and filling in th e bo ttom w ith sticks of wood com pressing th em to g e th e r w ith th e fee t an d th e n covering th em w ith th e m ould. T he effectiveness of such a d ra iu w ill en d u re for several years, and th e final decay of th ew ood w ill se rve to enrich th e soil.

C aterpillars, E em edy for, — A solution (1 p a r t in 500) of su lph ide of potassium , sp rin k led on th e tre e by m eans of a hand-syringe, is ex tensively used in F rance.

Insects on I'lants, To d isc o v e r.—If tjie leaves of the p la n t seem redd ish , or yellow , o r if th ey cu rl up , a close inspection w ill genera lly disclose th a t th e p lan ts are in fested by a very sm all green insect, o r else w ith red sp ider, e ith e r of w hich m u st be d e ­stro y ed . F o r th is purpose, scald some common tobacco w ith w ater u n til th e la t te r is colored yellow , and w hen cold, sp r in k le th e leaves of th e p lan ts w ith it. I t is a good p lan to pass th e stem s an d leaves of th e p lan ts betw een th e fingers, an d to th en shake

th e p la n t a n d w ell w a te r th e bed im m ed ia te ly a f te r ­w ards ; th e la t te r opera tio n d es tro y s a large p ro p o r­tio n of th e in sects sh ak en from th e p la n t.

Stum ps, C learing off.— In th e a u tu m n , bore a hole 1 to 2 inches in d iam ete r, accord ing to th e g ir th of th e s tu m p , v ertica lly in th e cen tre of th e la t te r au d ab o u t 18 inches deep. P u t in to i t from 1 to 3 oz. s a l tp e t r e ; till th e hole w ith w ater, an d p lu g u p close. I n th e ensu ing sp rin g ta k e o u t th e plug, p o u r in ab o u t \ g ill kerosine oil and ig n ite i t . T h e s tu m p w ill sm oulder aw ay, w ith o u t b lazing , to th e very ex trem ity of th e roots, leav ing n o th in g b u t ashes.

Trees, F e llin g .— To find th e h e ig h t a t w hich a t re e m u st be cu t, so th a t i t s to p w ill s tr ik e a g iven p o in t on th e g round ; S quare th e h e ig h t of tree and th e g iven d istan c e from tree to poin t. D iv ide th e differ­ence of th ese sq ua res by tw ice th e h e ig h t of tre e , an d th e q u o tie n t w ill be th e h e ig h t from th e g round w here th e tree has to be cu t. E xam ple : H e ig h t oft r e e = 6 0 feet, d is 'a n c e of p o in t to th e tre e 20 feet, th en 602= 3 0 0 0 , 20- = 400 , d ifference= 3200 . 32004- (2 x 6 0 ) = 2 6 .6 feet.

Saws, H in ts concern ing .— A saw ju s t la rge enough to c u t th ro u g h a board w ill req u ire less pow er th a n a saw larg er, th e num ber of te e th , speed, and th ic k ­ness being equal in each. T he m ore te e th , th e m ore pow er, p rov ided th e th ick n ess, speed, an d feed are equal. T h e re is, how ever, a l im it or a po in t w here a few te e th w ill no t answ er th e place of a large num ber. T he th in n e r th e saw , th e m ore te e th w ill be req u ired to ca rry an equal am o u n t of feed to each revo lu tion of th e saw, b u t alw ays a t th e expense of pow er. W hen bencli-saw s a re used, and th e saw ing is done b y a gauge, th e lu m b er is o ften inc lined to c la t te r au d raise u p th e b ack of th e saw s w hen p ushed h a rd .

T he reason is th a t th e b ack h a lf of the saw , hav ing an u p w ard m otion , has a tendency to l i f t and ra ise th e piece being saw n, especially w hen i t sp rin g s an d p inches on th e saw , or crow ds betw een th e saw an d th e gauge w h ile th e c u t a t the f ro n t of th e saw has th e opposite ten d en cy of h o ld in g th a t p a r t of th e piece dow n T h e hook or p itch of a saw to o th should be on a lin e from on e-q u arte r to one-fifth th e d iam eter of th e saw : o n e-q u arte r p itc h is m ostly used fo r h a rd , and a one-fifth fo r a so fte r tim ber. F o r very fine to o th ed saw s designed for heavy w ork , such as saw ­ing shing les, &c., even from soft w ood, o n e -q u arte r p itc h is best.

A n e n t T e a P l u c k i n g . — I have been try in g to m ake v ery fine teas se p a ra te ly by th e follow ing m eans, viz., by p luck ing th e tip an d one leaf, and th en as m an y leaves as w ere te n d e r ; I m ean p luck ing th e t ip and one leaf se p a ra te ly , b u t p u ttin g a ll th e leaf in one b ask e t an d th e n sif tin g i t w hen ha lf ro lled . By doing th is , w hen once th e coolies g e t in th e w ay of i t , th e y can p lu ck n early as m uch as by th e o rd in a ry system , an d w h a t l i t t le less th ey b rin g in is m ade u p for by th e advan tag e of be ing ab le to ro ll aud fe rm en t th e fine te a by itse lf .— J . P. B .— In d ia n T ea Gazette.

E i g h t D a y s ’ L e a f . —T ea shoo ts are seldom p lu ck ed a t less th a n 30, 35 a n d 40 days o ld a t soonest, an d occasionally 50 ; a shoo t of 8 d ay s’ o ld is generally ab-m t f t h of an inch long, an d th e so r t of crop w e shou ld g e t b y th is we can guess,— very “ tip p y ” indeed , I shou ld say. H e has ev id en tly h ea rd th e expression 8 an d 10 d a y s ’ leaf, i. c. tim e since la s t plucking, an d im agines th is th e age o f the shoots ta k e n , b u t w hich th e n w ere p a r t grow n, b u t n o t m a tu re enough to ta k e . A sho o t from th e ax il of a leaf ju s t p lucked , is ab o u t \ to | of an inch long 8 days a fte r, a t 20 d a y s is abo u t an inch long, a t 30 days 3 inches, an d 40 days 6 inches th e reab o u ts ; th e sk e tch enclosed of a vigorous shoo t 11 inches long an d 5 leaves is 50 d ay s from tim e i t s ta r te d t i l l d raw n . —S. E . P .— In d ia n Tea Gazette.

A P H IS B L IG H T O N P E A C H T R E E S .TO THE EDITOR OF T IIE “ AUSTRALASIAN. ”

S ir ,— Could you k in d ly give a rem edy for peach b lig h t ? My trees are covered w ith aphis, w hich , I believe, p reven ted th em from bearing la s t y e a r ,—N . M.

C orryong, Ju n e 27.[ Syringe th e trees w ith an infusion of quassia chips.

A p o und of chips, w hich m ay be g o t fo r a .trifle of th e chem ist, w iil serve fo r a long tim e . T hey m ay be infused again and again. L e t th e infusion be ju s t u n p leasan tly b itte r . In th e ev en t of quassia n o t being o b ta inab le , em ploy soapsuds.—E d . ‘ ‘ A ustralasian . ” ]

COST O F M A N U F A C T U R IN G T E A IN A H IL L D IS T R IC T .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE “ INDIAN TEA GAZETTE. ”S i r , — In rep ly to y our req u est fo r figures show ing

th e ac tu a l cost of m an u fac tu rin g tea , I am ab le to su p p ly you w ith th e follow ing as a sam ple of a H ill D is tric t. *

T he figures inc lude on ly th e cost of (1) F uel an d bamboo w ork ; (2) P lu ck in g ; (3) R olling ; (4) F irin g ; (5) A sso rting an d packing.

T hey app ly to a garden w here lab o r is cheap, b u t th is advan tage w ould be b alanced by th e b e tte r and th ic k e r flushes a n d sm aller cost of p lu ck in g in a R egu la tion D is tric t. T he p luck ing average h ere w as abo u t 3 seers p e r cooly p e r diem la s t year, an d 5 seers p er cooly p er diem th is y ear to 30th Ju n e .

I t on ly rem ains to add th a t 1880 was an u nusua llygood one.

1880— As. P .F u e l and Bam boo w ork ... ... 0 2 30P lu ck in g ... ... ... . . . 1 3" 10R olling ... ... ... ... 0 3 "80F irin g ... ... ... ... 0 1 20A sso rting an d pack ing ... 0 3 ’20

Cost of m anufactu re p er lb. 1881— ... 2 1 '60

F uel an d Bam boo w ork .. ... 0 1 50P lu ck in g ... ... ... ... 0 10R o lling ... ... . . . ... 0 3F irin g .. . ... . . . ... 0 0 7 5A ssorting an d pack ing ... ... 0 1 5 0

C ost of m an u fac tu re p er lb. ... ... 1 4"75Y ours fa ith fu lly ,

T w i c e T w o .

D U A L S A P .TO THE EDITOR OF THE “ INDIAN AGRICULTURIST.”

The tre a tm e n t of coffee is w h a t I w ill f irs t ta k e up. W hile accom panying a friend in charge of a coffee e s ta te on th e N eilgherries, I observed him p luck ing up th e young shoots on w hich th e re were no f lo w ers; an d w as to ld by h im th a t , b y so doing th e sap w hich w en t to th e ir nou rish m en t w ould te n d to increase th e size of th e berries . T h is firs t led me to d raw th e d istin c tio n betw een th e f ru it an d leaf- sap. I t appears to me th a t as w ith th e hum an being an d anim als so w ith p lan ts ; N a tu re changes i ts con­d itio n a t the tim e for p ropagating i ts specie. T he sam e n o u iishm en t ten d s to su p p o rt b lood and m i lk ; y e t no one w ould, I suppose, be so bo ld as to say th e y w ere synonym ous. Good m ilch ca ttle w ill never be found to c i r ry m uch flesh, hence th e in ference th a t th e g re a te r po rtion of nou rish m en t ta k e n is con­v erted in to rndk in stead of blood. N ow I hold th a t w ith th e change of seasons p la n ts alw ays ta k e th e ir tu rn , and th a t th is period to th em is lik e th e sea­sons for p ropagation to hum an life, th e sam e sustenance undergoes a d ifferen t process by w hich f ru it-sa p is create I, and so long as i t ex ists, i t perfo rm s its

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fu n c tio n s tow ards su p p o rtin g th e f r u i t ; b u t so soon as no longer req u ired , ceases to flow as in th e case of m ilk , an d changes i ts n a tu re in to leaf-sap as m ilk does to blood. T h e re cou ld n o t be a b e t te r i l lu s ­tra tio n th a n th e m ango tree, of a year w hen th e pollen is destro y ed . On exam ination , th e leaves w ill be found covered w ith a coating of suga r-sap e je c te d from th e flower. I f N a tu re cou ld u tilise th is sa p in th e su p p o rt of leaf, is i t lik e ly t h a t i t w ould exhaust itse lf in th e m an n er i t does ? Y’ou rem ark e d th a t if th is th e o ry w ere correct, w h a t w ould be th e adv an tag e to te a p la n te rs , in th e ir rem oving th e flower of th e te a p la n t ? T h is can easily be show n, th e flower being rem oved w hich to th e p la n t is lik e th e young to th e an im al, th e necessity fo r i ts n o u rish ­m en t ceases, th u s th e space occupied by th e f ru i t - sap is ta k e n up b y that, of th e leaf, an d a consider­able p o rtio n of th e tim e w hich w ould be sp e n t in th e f ru it is d evo ted to p roducing leaf.

I have a th e o ry of m y ow n w ith reg a rd to th e cu ltiv a tio n of vine, w hich I shou ld lik e m uch to h a v e discussed.

E . A. C.H ardo i, 26 th Ju n e 1881.

T E A : H IN T S C O N C E R N IN G T H E IN T E R E S T S O F P R O P R IE T O R S A N D P L A N T E R S .

TO THE EDITOR OF TH E “ INDIAN TEA GAZETTE. ”

D e a r S i r , — I wfill t r y to shew p ro p rie to rs of te a gardens, an d tho se m en w ho have n o t had any rea lly practical experience in te a m anufactu re , w h a t fools th e y m ake of them selves in th e eyes of p la n te rs , by g iving th e sa id p lan te rs s tr ic t o rd ers as to how th ey sh ou ld m an ufactu re th e ir lea f (hoping th a t I m ay be of se iv ice to th e said p rop rie to rs, an d so open th e ireyes to see w h a t a hole th e y are lik e ly to fa ll in tob y doing so). I w ill also give th em a few h in tsab o u t m anagem ent.

F irs t , I a sk an y reasonab le being— H ow can a m an, w ho has nev er m ade te a , know w h a t p ro d u ces th e various stages, such as colour o f in fusion , darkness, o f liquor, thin liquor, fia t, soft, pungent, good or bad

fla vo u r, sourness, - i r . , Ac., ex cep t from hearsay , a n d hearsay is w hat o th e r people w ith th e sam e inex­perience as h im self say . N ow p lan te rs w ill no t be astonished, b u t u n p rac tica l m en w ill be p robab ly , w h en I say th a t each of th e above stages I have m en tio n ed m ay each be p roduced from as m any causes n early . U n practica l m en w ill say (lark infusion is over-ferm enta­tion , urac tica l m en w ill say— “ yes, i t m ay b e .”

U n practica l m en w ill say dark n ess of liquo r is again over-ferm entation , an d th e sam e answ er w ill com efrom th e experienced p la n te r ; and so on w ith th in liquor, flatness, soft, pungent, fla vo ry Ac. , Ac.

I now beg to say th a t d a rk colour o f infusion m ay be p roduced, as fa r as I know , from six d is tin c tly d ifferen t onuses, an d w ith o u t a tte n d in g to and co u n te r­acting , &c., every one of them , a p e rfe c t o u ttu rn , can never be ob ta ined .

D arkness o f liquor m ay be produced from 4 d is tin c tlyd ifferen t causes.

T hin liquor „ „ „ ,, 5 ,,D ial and soft ,, ,, ,, ,, 3 „Pungency „ „ ,, „ 5 ,,

an d m any lesser and tr iv ia l causes.F lavor „ „ ,, ,, 2 g re a t cau ­

ses and m any tr iv a l ones. T h e n again w e have appearance of te a to keep in

m ind, an d th e follow ing te rm s a re app lied : Stuck tip, black, irregular, curly, well tw ist'd , open, showy, handsome, leafy, chaffy, brown, common, Ac., Ac. A ll these can again be d iv ided in to as m any o th e r particu lars .

M uch tip th e u n p rac tica l m an w ill say is fine p lucking. B u t p lan te rs know th a t th is m ay be one

of th e causes of w hich , as fa r as I know , th e re are 4 d is tin c tly d ifferen t causes.

Black. T here are I th in k 3 d is tin c t an d o th e r triv a l causes.

Irregu lar „ „ ,, 4Curly ,, , , ,, Wei I-twisted or open ,,

2 ” ,,4 ,,

Showtfa handsome, <(-c. 4 „ ,,L ea fy , chaffy „ „ 3 or 4 ,, ,,Brow n „ ,, ,, 2 „ ,,Common ,, ,, ,, 4 o r 5. ,, ,,A s i t is im possible in som e gardens w hich have

n o t g o t th e p roper app liances and a re deficient in lab o u r force to c a rry o u t th e ir m an u lac tu re exactly as th e y shou ld like, m any of th e above causes have to be neglected to p rocu re good tea . I will ju s t m ention a few, viz. supervision, cultivation an d p lu c k ­ing at too long in terval* ; th ese are som e of th e m ain reasons, A m an m ay n o t be able to give sufficient tim e for supervision , an d th u s m any of th e above causes have to be neg lected in o rder to p r cure good te a ; his insufficient labour force d e te rs h im from m aking tea of a good quality ( i f he is an houe»t man), otherw ise he m igh t m ake i t off only a ce rta in p o rtion of th e garden, an d m ake it good by keep ing a large sta ff in th e tea-house, w h ilst in th e m ean tim e he is losing thousands of young seedlings in nu rse ries , or new plan ted o u t seedlings, for w an t of keep ing them clean an d n o t catch ing crick e ts , th e g round th ey occupy n o t being a y ield ing area. Also he m ay have some- low fiats requ iring d ra in ing , w hen a s titch in tim e w ould save nine, bu t as th is area is also n o t y ield ing , i t is also neglected, an d on ly sufficient p luckers, c u lt i­va to rs, and people to superv ise the b es t y ield ing portions of th e garden a re given, an d a ll im prove­m en ts sacrificed to th e m anufactu re of good tea , which he has g o t th e hookam to m ake, an d whn-h if he does n o t ho will ge t th e sack. N ow 1 say th is is false policy , and on ly done th ro u g h ignorance on th e p ro ­p rie to r 's pa rt. If ow ners wifi n o t leave th e ir affairs in th e han d s of th e ir tru s te d an d tr ie d p lan te rs , a n d abstain from g iv ing s tr ic t o rders, th ey m u st come to grief.

Now we come to look a t an o th e r side of th equestion , viz., th e in te re s ts of th e p lan te rs them selves, how th a t affects th e in te re s ts of th e p roprieto rs. I th in k i t will be th e excep tion (n o t th e ru le) w here experienced p lan te rs a rc u n d e r te rm s of ag reem -n t, an d in fact du ring th e la s t tw o years com paratively few agreem ents have been g i-en to any p lan te rs ; on th e con trary , a large num ber le f t th e te a d is tr ic ts for w ant i f em ploym ent. T he rem ainder were, as a ru le (1 th in k i m ay say), w illing to sign agreem ents, as th e ir s itu a tio n s in tea w ere m ade very p recarious. N ow w hy d id n o t p ro p rie to rs give agreem ents ? Sim ply because th ey them selves a re desirous of m aking th e p la n te r’s situ a tio n a precarious one. T hey lake n o t th e s lig h te s t in te re s t in him , th e y th in k , oh ! we can easily g e t an o th er m an any tim e . B u t now if tea goes up, I am n o t so su re of th a t. W hen a p la n te r is placed iu such a precarious position b y h is em ployers, I an d does n it know a t w h a t m om ent he m ay g e t k icked ou t, he w ill no t endeavour to m ake h im -elf com fortable o r im prove h is garden. F o r th e fu tu re h e 'l l sim ply do w h a t I have sta te d above, viz. sa c ri­fice fu tu re pounds for th e p re sen t p> n e e ; he loses confidence in h is em ployers, and th e y d is tru s t him , an d th e inev itab le consequence is, th a t a f te r a year o r so, an entirely new man is su b s titu ted , because, as th e p rop rie to rs w ill say. “ la t te r ly th e garden has n o t done very w e ll.” H op ing these few h in ts m ay do good, an d prove th a t m any a re unconscious of be ing penny w ise and pound foolish, and also p rove th a t n o th in g is lo st by tak ing p roper care of em ployer’s in te re s ts , I am yours,Sylhet, Ju n e 1881. “ F a i r P l a y . ”

ON T H E B A R K O F B R O U S S O N E T IA P A P Y R I- F E R A AS A M A T E R IA L F O R P A P E R -M A K IN G .

M em orandum by D. B r a n d i s , I n s p e c t o r . Gem ra l o f Forests, on th" bark o f Broussonetia p a p yr ife ra

as a m aterial f o r paper-m aking— dated the 29th Novem ber 1880.

In a m em orandum on th e su b je c t of th e cu ltiv a tio n of bam boo fur p ap e r stock , d a ted 8 th J u ly 1875, I m ade I he follow ing rem ark s reg a rd in g th e P ap e r M u lb e rry :—

In conclusion, i t m ay n o t be o u t of p la ’e to d raw a tte n tio n to a t r ie w hich is grow n largely in Ja p a n as coppice w ood on a sh o r t ro ta tio n sim ila r to osier- beds, and w hich fu rn ishes a la rge p roportion of th e paper stu ff u sed in th e co u n try . T h is L th e P ap er M ulberry (Broussonetia p a p yr ife a : ‘ F o re s t F io ra of N o rth -W e st In d ia ,’ page 410). This tre e ap pears to accom m odate itse lf read ily to d ifferen t cond itions of c lim a te ; i t th riv es in W e s te rn E urope, on th e S ou th Sea Is lan d s , an d iu S am , and th e re seem s every reason to believe th a t i ts cu ltiv a tio n m ay succeed in N . rth-W Te s t In d ia . I know of few trees m ore p ro m is­ing (in a su itab le clim ate) for th e supp ly of paper stu ff on accoun t of i ts free au d rap id g ro w th an d th e abundance of its fibre.

In th e re p o rt on th e progress and con d itio n of th e R oyal G ardens a t Kew d u rin g th e ye ir 1879, ju s t received, th e fo llow ing passage reg ard in g th is su b jec t occurs

B oussonetia p a pyrifera .— ‘ T he bark of th e w ell- know n P ap e r M ulb e rry supp lies th e m ateria l from which th e tap p a c lo th of P o lynesia an d th e bu lk of th e pap er of Ja p a n an d C h ina is m an u fac tu red . T he Ja p an ese cu ltiv a te th e p la n t v e ry m uch iu th e sam e way th a t we grow osiers, and th ey use on ly th e young shoots fo r th e m anufactu re of paper. A sam ­p le of th e bark , which came in to th e h an d s of M r. R outledge, is s ta te d by h im to be ‘ n e n ly if n o t q u ite , th e b es t fibre I have seen. ’ * * * ‘ I m ustad m it i t is even su p e rio r to bam boo.’ * * * « J treq u ires very l i t t l - chem icals, and gives an excellen t y ie ld —62-5 p e r cen t in th e g rey , i.e. m erely boiled, an d 58 per ce i.t b leached.’ T h e tre e is ind igenous iu th e U pper S alw een forests of B ritish B urm ah, and as soon as reserves have been dvtnaracated iu th a t d is tr ic t, and officers placed in charge, efforts sh o u ld be m ade to estab lish reg u la r p lan ta tio n s. In M arch la s t 1 visited, on th e ban k s of th e M a y th am u k R iver, a se itlem en t of p ap e r m akers from Siam , engaged in m aking th e well know n snow -w hite paper, which is so ld in th e bazaars in B urm ah. T he procedure is of th e s im p le-t character, an d th e g rea t advan tag e of th is fibre is t h a t i t is w h ite n a tu ra lly , an d th a t i t is read ily cleaned. I t should also be cu ltiv a ted as an experim en t by fo res t officers a t o th e r p laces in B u r­ma h, in fo res t g arden”, or regu lar p lan ta tio n s A n d I w ould recom m end th a t i t be tr ie d a t th e S ita p a h a r an d R am anpokri P lan ta tio n s in Bengal, a t Shillong, an d a t th e K u lsi P lan ta tio n in Assam. I t is n o t im ­possible th a t i t w ill be found to succeed elsew here in In d ia , for th e tre e s th riv e s in W este rn . E u ro p e w here i t s tan d s fro s t and snow , in C hina and Ja p a n , an d on th e S outh Sea Is lan d s .— In d ia n Forester.

U S E F U L G A R D E N R E C E IP T S .(From H ogg’s Gardeners' Year-book.)

P e t r o l e u m v s . A m e r i c a n B l i g h t . — I have been able to a lin o it e n tire ly g e t r id of th a t p es t to m y apple trees, A m erican b ligh t. L ast y ea r th e trees w ere com pletely covered, b u t a f te r th e fa ll of th e leaf I had th em carefullv d ressed w ith petro leum , w hich w as app lied to th e affected p a r ts w ith a p a in t b ru sh . C o n tac t w ith th e p e tro leum seem ed to d es tro y th e insects, an d I w as in hopes th ey h ad e n tire ly d is ­

appeared . T h is sum m er, how ever, th e re have been signs of th em again, b u t w henever th e b lig h t m akes i ts appearance, an app lica tion of th e b ru sh d ip p ed in petro leum a t once ex tingu ishes i t . T he co n tac t of th e oil w ith the leaves and f ru b buds ap p a ren tly does no in ju ry , an d I see th a t w ith a l i t t le pa tience an d perseverance, m y trees, w hich w ere in a fa ir w ay for being ru in ed , can be p reserv ed .— E. B.

To c l e a n s e F r u i t T r e e s o f M o ss.—N o t only th e m osses and lichens w hich so generally affect f ru i t trees, b u t th e eggs of in sects m ay be effectually d es tro y ed b y dressing th e trees in w inter w ith a w ash composed of a sa tu ra te d so lu tion of so ft soap and com m on sa lt o r b rine. T he tru n k s an d large b ran ch es o u g h t to be firs t scraped w ith a sc raper m ade of o ld hoop or any o th er im p lem ent tb it m ay be im prov ised for th e purpose, and w hen all th e scales of b a rk are rem oved, app ly th e m ix tu re w ith a p a in te r’s b rush , w orking i t w ell in to th e crevices. T h is is m uch p referab le to, a n d n o t so u n sig h tly as, w ash ing w ith lim e.

T o i)i:srR O Y G r a s s a n d M u s s i n P a v e m e n t s a n d W a l k s . — Dissolve 1 lb . of pow dered arsenic in 3 gallons of cold water, boil an d keep s t i r r in g ; then ad d 7 gallons of cold w a te r an d 2 lb . of c rushed soda, s tir t h e ' w hole w ell w h ils t boiling, au d w ith a rose w atering p o t app ly to the w alks in d ry w ea­th e r , from M arch to M iy inclusive, be ing th e best tim e . T he above q u a n tity w ill be enough for 25 square yard s. An inclin ing b oard shou ld be p laced a t th e sides of th e w alks o r g rass to keep off th e h o t liquid. S a lt w ill d estroy w eeds fo r a tim e. I f you have box edgings, th e sa lt or th e soda and arsen ica l so lu ­tion above-nam ed m u st be k e p t from them , otherw ise th e y w ill he killed .

To r e m o v e W o r m s f r o m L a w n s a n d P o t s . —H alf a n ounce of corrosive sub lim ate (bichloride of m ercury) d issolved in 15 gallons of w a te r will cause w orm s to come to t h » s u r f a c e ; b u t care m u st be tak en th a t fow l do n o t e a t th em , o therw ise they w ill be poisoned. A peck of fresh ly m ade qu ick lim e m ixed w ith 40 gal­lons of w ater, and alio w ed to s ta n d t i l l i t clears, i t app lied th ro u g h th e rose of a w atering -po t w ill have th e sauio These m ix tu res m ay also be usedto rem ove worm s from flow er pots.

O R C H ID S F O R A M A T E U R S.(F rom th e C ountry Gentleman's M agazine.)

D e n d r o b iu m s rank am ong th e very finest of all o rchids. M ost of th e species which we nam ed in th e M arch num ber of the I ilia Ga'dc.ner, w ill grow well in tn e w arm end of a C r ttley a o r in te rm ed ia te house. T hey m ay a ll he g row n e ith er in pots or b tsk e ts , hub thosv m ost f i tte d tor b ask e t cu ltu re a *e U hrysotoxum , D eusiflorum , Devonianum , Parish! 1, P ie ra rd ii, T hyisi- fiorum , and W ard ianum . T h e " th e rs do fu lly as w tll in pot*. S trong-grow m g k in d s should have a good d e p tn ’ of m ateria l to roo t in such as n o b ile ; w eak roo ters, suuh os F arish il, sh ou ld have but, l i t t le m ate'-ial.

T he tw o g re a t secrets in th e successful cu tiva tion of th e D eudrobium are a decided season of g ro w th and a decided season of rest. T h is is bes t secured by aff irding a p re t ty b risk h e a t from th e tim e th e g ro w th com m ences, u n til i t is fa irly finished, and th e n th e p lan ts shou ld be k e p t com parative ly cool. D u rin g th e grow ing season a p len tifu l supp ly of w a te r is necessary, an d d u rin g th e restin g period only ju s t as m uch as w ill p rev en t shrivelling . I t is only by such tre a tm e n t th a t D . nobile can be m ade to yield a profusi-m of flowers. By keeping th e p lan ts warm and m oist th ey go on grow ing, b u t flow er only spa re ly ; b u t by th e opposite tre a tm e n t ab u n d a n t floriferousness m ay be had. T he evergreen k in d s should n o t be k e p t qu ite so d ry as th e deciduous k inds. D u rin g w inter th e baskets in w hich these are grow ing sh ou ld be dam ped w eek ly w ith th e syringe.

D isa G randiflora . — T h is is a very fine cool-house o rch id , an d w hen th e re is only such a house as w e have

recom m ended, it shou ld be p u t iu th e coolest position possible, an d near to a v en tila to r, fo r i t m u s t be borne in m ind th a t too g re a t a h ea t is ag a in st th e p la n t’s w ell-doing, The o rd in a ry o rch id m ix tu re w ill su it i t w ell. Som e grow ers ad d a l i t t le very fibry loam , b u t w e can n o t eay th a t i t does b e tte r in i t th a n in th e o rd in a ry m ix tu re .

L i l i a s . — Anceps an d A u tum nalis shou ld be in th e sm a lles t collection. Anceps does b es t in potif, b u t A u tu m n alis requ ires a b a sk e t o r a b lock . B o th th r iv e well in moss an d charcoal, an d a fa ir su p p ly of w ater, w hile grow ing, especially if th e y a re on blocks. B oth are w inter-flow ering p lan ts, an d re q u ire a good season of rest a f te r th e y have flow ered. R e -p o ttin g , basketing , or b lock ing shou ld tak e p lace ju s t before new roo ts are p u sh ed in spring .

L y c a s t e S k i n n e r i is a real gem for an am ateu r. T h e re a re m any varieties, b u t a ll are good. I t s m ain req u irem en ts a re :—T h e cool end of an in te rm e d ia te house or w arm end of a cool o n e ; m oss and c h a r ­coal, w ith a l i t t le tib ry peat, p len ty of w a te r w hile grow ing, a n d m odera te d ry n ess w hile a t rest.. Scale is a p t to tro u b le i t , b u t th e u se of th e sponge w ill keep i t under.

M e s o s p j n id t ’M v u l c a n u m au d sanguineum a re tw o neat, f re -g ro w in g p lan ts w hich freely p roduce e legan t sp ikes of sanguineous flower. B oth a re easily cu ltiv a ted .

M i l t o n i a s are good, free grow ing, free-flow ering orch ids. T he cool end of th e house, an d a couple of inches of m a te ria l to roo t in ; s te a d y m o istu re and shade from sun w ill secure success in th e ir cu ltiv a tio n .

T o m a t o s f o r . t h e M il l io n . — M r. Jo h n H epper, fo rm erly g a rd en e r a t T he E lm s, A cton , an d w ho has long enjo.v ed a good re p u ta tio n as a successful cu ltiv a to r of th e Tom ato, is now i l lu s tr a 'in g in a rem arkab le degree a t M r. H aw k in s ’ F lo ra l N u rse ry , H av en Greer., Ealing,, th e cap ac ity of w ell-grow n p la n ts to produce la rg e q u a n titie s of fine f ru it. In a span - roofed house of 216 fee t in len g th th e re a re grow ing 400 p lan ts , 200 on each side, p lan ted in a bed of soil re s tin g on som ew hat narro w w ooden an d s la t shelves. T h e house is warm ed solely by so la r h e a t ; th e p lan ts, w hich rep re sen t a good ty p e of th e large red T om ato , w ere raised from seed in M arch , an d p lan ted o u t a t th e la t te r p a r t of A p ril. L ayers of tu r f were d ra t of a ll la id on th e shelves, an d on th is w as [d iced a com post form ed of good tib ry loam an d d u m , an d in th is khe Tom aros w ere p lan ted . In i t th e y have made a very ro b u st g ro w th , th e p lan ts average 3J feet iu len g th , b u t w ith stem s of rem ark ab le stoutm ss. T hey are tra in e d s tra ig h t u p to th e roof, and th e L iterals a re k ep t th in n e d ou t. A lready th e p la n ts are p o -iuoin i ripe f r u i t ; as soon as th e y begin to show signs of colouring th e y a re p icked off and ripened on shelves. One rem ark a b le fea tu re of th e p la n ts i- th e ir sh o rt- jo in ted grow th , an d M r. H ep p er calculates the re a re e g h t joint-* to th e yard , an d th a t th e p lan ts , a f te r th in n in g , averaged e ig h teen f ru it to th e loo t ru n . A nd such f ru it too—large, sym m etrical, an d h igh ly coloured. L e t i t be rem em bered th a t th e shelves are narrow , au d th a t th e d ep th of th e bed of soil scarcely exceeds 6 i- ches. A s th e roo ts find th e ir w ay to th e su rface a l i t t le fresh soil is added , and copious w ater­ings a re given. T h e bunches are th in n e d o u t to abo u t n in e f ru its by rem oving all th e m alform ed one-. M r. H ep p er confiden tly p red ic ts a g re a t w eigh t of fruit- from th is ho-n-e, an d its appearance justifies h is e x ­pecta tion . W ith constan t a tte n tio n an d carefu l cro p ­ping, M r. H ep p er hopes to g a th e r f ru it u p to C a ris t- m as. T here are also fo u r sm a ller span-roc fed houses p la n te d in beds fo r A la t te r crop, b u t th e p lan ts are sim ilarly tra ined . These houses give anot her 500 p lan ts, an d i t is believed each p la n t w ill p roduce on an avera e fifty fru its . W ith such productiveness, good T om atos should be w ith in easy reach of th e m illion . — Gardeners' Chronicle.

M a s k e l iy a , 17th A ug.— I send you tw o coffee roots. C an you te ll m e w h a t th e w h ite fungus o r insect feed ing ion th e ro o tle ts is ? [T he l i t t le w h ite p a tches on th e coffee iro o ts are m ealy o r w h ite bugs. A descrip tio n of th e 1

bug (Pseudococcus adonhlum J w ill be found in N ie tn e r’s i“ Coffee T ree and its E nem ies,” page 5, second edition . 1

— E d . ] i

A g r ic u l t u r a l E d u c a t io n i n S c o t l a n d . — A s no ticed 1in these colum ns tw o w eeks ago, th e H ig h lan d an d 1A g ricu ltu ra l Society of S co tland resolved on th e 15th 1of Ju n e to m em orialise th e L ords of th e C om m ittee ’of th e C ouncil on E duca tio n , expressing th e desire th a t ex isted in Sco tland to have th e teach ing of agri- ' c u ltu ra l sciences included in th e su b je c ts ta u g h t in th e b oard schools th ro u g h o u t th e ru ra l parishes. T he se cre ta ry of th e H ig h lan d Society accordingly , h av ing com m unicated th e reso lu tion to th e E d u ca tio n D e p a rt­m en t, W hitehall, L ondon, has received th e follow ing favourab le reply :— “ Scotch E d u ca tio n D ep artm en t, Ju n e 27, 1S81. Sir,-—I have th e honour to acknow ledge th e rece ip t of y o u r le t te r of th e 23rd in s t . , w hich I have su b m itted to th e ir lordships. I am d irec ted to req u est th a t you w ill inform y o u r society th a t m y lo rd s are fu lly alive to th e im portance of th e su b je c t w h ich has been b ro u g h t u n d er th e ir n o tice by y our le tte r . T hey have h ad u n d er special consideration arrangem en ts by w hich encouragem ent will, i t is believed, be g iven to th e stu d y of th e p rincip les of agriculture in th e schools u n d e r inspection , an d th ey t ru s t th a t these a rrangem en ts, w hen finally se ttle d , w ill be found to go fa r to m eet th e w ishes of th e soc iety .— F. I t . S a n d f o r d . ” — Field.

T h f , G u a v a a n d t i i e B e e t l e s .— I noticed an o th e r curious fac t, in th e sam e stra in , in th a t sam e island of Lufon. T he com m on G uava, u n d o u b ted ly im ported from A m erica by th e Span iards, has ru n w ild th e re lik e th e L an tan a C am ara in Ceylon, an d is very fa s t invad ing th e g rassy savannas of th e in te rio r, p robab ly th ro u g h th e agency of th e pigs sc a tte rin g b road ly th e u nd igested seeds. W ell, if th e re is a tru e M alayan ty p e of beetles i t is th e P ach y rh y n ch i, a tr ib e of Curculionid® , whose gorgeous m eta llic colouring cannot fail to a t t r a c t th e eye of th e lea s t a tte n tiv e observer.I w as a t th e tim e doing a l i t t le b it of bee tle collecting ju s t for the sake of th e sp o rt and for p leasing friends, an d from severa l h u n d red specim ens of P achy rh y n ch i, in abou t fifteen species I caugh t, a ll b u t half-a-dozen w ere found on th e G uava bushes, w here th e y looked se ttle d an d a t h o m e ; th e few o thers were stray in d iv iduals, d is tr ib u ted by som e cause an d try in g to regain th e ir fav o u rite h au n ts . W h a t d id th e y feed upon before th e in tro d u c tio n of th e G uava ? B y-the-bye th ese weevils m im ic w onderfu lly some sp iders, so m uch so th a t i t s tru c k even my Tagal se rv an t who, a f te r a w hile, took readily to beetle hun ting , an d used to call them “ sp ider-beetles, ” b u t th en you m u st see them alive an d no t pinned dow n in a d ra w e r .— Gardeners’ Chronicle.

O s t r ic h F a r m i n g i n C a p e C o l o n y . — F ro m tim e to tim e th e re ap p ear in y o u r w idely read p aper com ­m u nications, as w ell as review s on books, re la tiv e to ostrich farm ing. A dvertisem en ts a re o ften in se rted w ith a view to o b ta in th e investm en t of th e young E n g lish m an ’s m oneys in b irds, and as an inducem en t a calcu lated re tu rn of 50 per cen t is held o u t to him . T h a t 50 p er cen t, an d even m ore, has been ob ta ined an n u a lly as in te re s t accru ing from m oney in v ested in ostriches, th e re can be no g a in sa y in g ; how ever, th a t such a handsom e re tu rn is n o t w ith in th e re tc h of p ren tice hands ” w ould p robab ly soon becom e ap p aren t t ' th e investor, an d he would find th a t he h ad been bu ild ing h is hopes on “ fancies as tw ink ling ai d vague as th e s ’a rs .” - I n an y case, such a high percentage is th e exception ra th e r th an th e vale O strich farm ing, nvoperly conducted , is ce rta in ly lu c ra t iv e ; b u t m y ad v ies to young m en com ing from

E ng land to th is colony is—firs t, to ga in experience an d a know ledge of th e re la tiv e value of b ird s befo re in v es tin g th e ir m oney in them . I t is only n a tu ra l th a t th e o strich fa rm er w ill fancy h is ow n s to c k , an d fix a h ig h p rice w hen offering i t fo r pale. A s th e re a re pub lic auctions an d sales of b ird s very frequ en tly , th e re w ould be no d ifficu lty in ascerta in in g th e m ark e t value of ostriches, an d o p p o rtu n ities would offer of ju d g in g of th e m erits of th e ir fea thers. E x ­perience in colonial w ays, and am ongst b ird s, a re necessary p relim inaries before investing . I f th is p lan is ad h ered to , th e in v es to r w ill have no cause to r e ­g re t hav ing gone in fo r b ird s ; b u t, on th e o th e r h an d , a h a s ty in v es tm en t w ill ce rta in ly n o t m eet w ith such h ap p y resu lts . I n fact, th e fo rm er p roced u re w ill in a ll p ro b ab ility conduce to g ive an im p etu s to o strich farm ing , an d be beneficial to th e whole o s tr ic h -fa rm ­ing c o m m u n ity ; w h ils t in th e la t te r case a few in te re s te d in d iv id u a ls w ill be th e only g ainers ; o strich farm ing w ill ge t in to b ad o dour in th e o ld co u n try , an d th e n c e th e e n te rp rise w ill suffer. —G y p o g e r a n u s S e r p e n t a r i u s (Cape Colony, M ay 24).— Field.

N o t e s o n C a s s a v a g r o w in g i n S u m a t r a . —T he follow ing ex tra c t from a le t te r from a p la n te r in S u ­m atra affords a l i t t le novel in fo rm ation . I n re p ly to y o u r question of th e p ro b ab ility o f C assava p iy in g in Ceylon, an d its cu ltiv a tio n o u t here, I c an only give a very ou tline reply, as to go fu lly in to th e su b jec t of C assava cu ltiv a tio n w ould req u ire a lec tu re of considerable len g th , a n d w hich I fea r I hav e n o t th e tim e a t m y disposal now to u n d e r ta k e . I w ill how ever speak of one th in g th a t w ill give you an idea of th e cap ita l req u ired to w o rk C assava p ro ­fitably . T he firs t o u tlay is in m achinery an d bu ild ings, as th e y are th e chief expense, on one place here th e y cost S 185,000, so th a t you see fo r such an o u tlay in m ills, a very considerab le acreage is r e ­quired to m ake i t pay . T hen again C assava w ants an y q u a n ti ty of m anure , as i t canno t be p ro fitab ly cu ltiv a te d w ith o u t. T h e p la n t lite ra lly grow s on a m uck heap, d ead dogs an d horses c u t in pieces are o ften add ed w ith ad v an tag e besides lim e, c a ttle m an ­u re and bones, heaped in ridges o r m ounds, before th e slip s are p lan ted . T hese are p u t in 2 feet b y 3 feet ap a rt, th e g round being p rev iously m a iro tied up . R oots a re n o t dug up before 18 m onths, b u t p la n ts m u st be so p lan ted t h a t sufficient m ay be u p roo ted each d ay th ro u g h o u t th e y ea r to feetl th e m ills in proportion to th e cap ac ity of d riv in g pow er of th e steam engine , a n d th e num ber of cooking pans, hands, an d ta n k s . T apioca requ ires a large t r a c t of lan d , as th e soil so soon gets exhausted . A 1,000 acres is a fa ir e s ta te and som e have th a t n early und er c u lt i­va tion . T he m arket is London, b u t g rea tly influenced by T apioca com ing from R io an d th e B razil, so I th in k i t could no t be p rofitab ly c u ltiv a ted especi­a lly as lan d costs so m uch m ore in I eylon th an here. I find th a t Jo h o re , w here I w as going firs t, is ra th e r a sna re an d a delusion th a n o therw ise . T he place is very sick ly , and unless one can b rea th e in a m iasm a, an d has a v e ry good s itu a tio n a rra n g ed for him , I sh ou ld n o t advise h is going there . I f y o u r friend is s till th in k in g of going, advise h im n o t. T h e M aha R a ja does n o t c a rry o u t h is prom ises, an d a t p re sen t every one th e re hold ing coffee lan d is look­ing on a t th e few ad v en tu re rs . B y an d bye w hen more lan d is opened up, th e place m ay be a p ro ­sperous co u n try for cap ital, especially to those w honow ho ld lan d a t S i p e r acre lo r 99 years. A d v e r t­isem ents, as yon are aw are, I have found o u t in o th e r p a r ts of th e w orld, a re only flaun ted to ca tch th e odd th o u -an d s of ad v en tu re rs and specu la to rs , b u t are n o t

i to be believed in by h a rd w ork ing poor p lan te rs .People here g e t com m issions on produce iu ad d itio n to

i sa lary , so th ey live on th e ir screw s a n d lay b y th ecom m ission, as som ething to fall back upon . — Ceylon

i Times.

P IT A O R A G A V E , CO M M O N LY C A L L ED A LO E.H i n d e e , C a n ta ta ; T a m i l , P etha-hala burtha.

T his species of agave, com m only called aloe p lan ts, a re natives of Am erica, w hich have become so n a tu r ­alized in m any p a rts as to appear to b.e indigenous in A frica, Ind ia , and th e coasts of th e M ed ite rranean .

So m uch is th e la t te r th e case, th a t som e au th o rs ta k e th is A m erican p la n t to be th e aloe wood m en­tio n ed in S crip tu re . B u t th e re is no t th e s lig h tes t foundation for th is opinion, n o r indeed for th e tru e aloe p lan ts of w hich th e agaves so freq u e n tly assum e th e name. T he aloes wood of S c rip tu re is th e ah ila wood of th e east, so fam ed for its frag rance , y ielded b y Aquilaria agallochum.

T he agave p lan ts, to w hich th e nam e of A m erican aloes is so freq u en tly applied, resem ble th e tru e aloes in th e ir sw ord-shaped leaves w ith p a ra lle l veins, w hich , how ever, grow to a g igan tic size, t h a t is, from eigh t to tei* feet in leng th , in a c lu s te r from th e roo t, w ith th e ir m argins usually arm ed w ith sh o rt th o rn 4, and th e ir po in ts w ith a hard and sharp thorn . T his m akes these p lan ts so useful in th e co nstruction of hedges, a use to w hich th e y nre generally applied. T hese p lan ts come to perfection in abo u t th re e years, th ey do n o t flower fo r e igh t, and in some situ a tio n s perhaps not fo r tw en ty years, w hen (hey th ro w up a ta ll candelabra-like flower s ta lk . T h is has d oub t given origin to th e fable of th e ir flowering only once in a hu n d red years. I t is th e leaves ' of these p lan ts w hich abound in fibres of g re a t len g th an d of con ­siderab le stren g th . Being also tough an d durable, th e y are separa ted fo r th e purpose of m aking s trin g an d rope, n o t only in th e ir n a tive coun tries b u t also in those in to w hich th e y have been in troduced . T he roo ts as w ell as leaves con ta in ligneous fibre, “ .pita th re a d ,” useful for various purposes. T hese are sep ar­a ted by b ru ising an d steep ing in w afer, an d a f te r ­w ards beating , p ractices w hich 'the n atives of In d ia have adopted e ither from in structions o r orig inal ob ­se rvation .

T he M exicans also m ade th e ir p ap er of th e fibres of agave leaves la id in layers.

T h e expressed ju ice of th e leaves evapora ted is s ta te d by Long, in h is “ H is to ry of Ja m a ic a ,” to be useful as a su b s titu te for soap. T he fibres of th e agave leaves is in Mexico converted in to tw ine , cord, an d rope, th e las t used in m ines an d th e rigg ing of slfips.

“ H um b o ld t describes a b ridge over th e river Cham bo. in Quifa, 131 feet in span, of w hich th e m ain ropes, fo u r inches in d iam eter, w ere m ade of th e fibres of th e agave, an d upon th ese ropes th e roadw ay was p laced .”

I n th e W est In d ies th e negroes m ake ropes, fishing nets, an d ham m ocks, of agave fibre.

T he fibre is th u s p repared : th e longest and m ost useful leaves being c u t off are la id upon a board a n d scraped w ith a square iron bar, w hich is held in bo th hands, u n til a ll th e ju ice and pu lp are pressed o u t, th e fibres only rem aining. I n P o rtu g a l, Spain, an d Sicily, th e fibre is app lied to various purposes. P i 1 a fibre is ex tensively used in S outh A m erica for even large-sized rope.

T he nam e p ita seem s to be also app lied to sim ilar fibres obtained from species of brom elia , yucca, as well as agave. T he w eigh t of p ita fibre being one- s ix th less th a n th a t of h em p , th e difference w ould be very considerable for th e e n tire rigging of a sh ip a n d produce a sensible reduction in th e to p w eight, tm d th u s increase th e s ta b ility of th e hull.

T he agave grow s well on th e n o rth coast of A frica, a n d its fibre has been paid m uch a tte n tio n to by th e F re n ch since th e ir occupation of A lgeria.

W hen fodder is scarce, c a ttle w ill ea t th e younger leaves when c u t in to transverse slices.

A cloak an d pap er m ade of th is fibre w ere sen t 77

to th e E xhibition of 1861, an d ropes have been m ade of th e fibres, show ing considerable s tren g th .

The agave or p i ta fibre being so ex tensively em ­p loyed in d ifferen t p a r ts of th e w orld , th e re is no doubt th a t i t w ill becom e a valuab le cu ltu re in In d ia . I t w as probab ly in troduced in to In d ia b y th e P o r tu ­guese. T he species A. vivipara seems to be th e sam e as th e A . am ericana of R oxburgh , an d A . cantala h ad also becom e natu ralized .

In our cooly d is tr ic ts of S ou thern In d ia i t is v e ry ab u n d an t, and th e m eth o d th e y use in p rep a rin g th e fibre is very sim ple. T he leaves a re pressed betw een tw o horns an d th e pu lp w ashed aw ay. T h e agave w ill grow' in d ry clim ates and poor soil, an d is m ost su itab le to p la n t in w aste and abandoned coffee land. A re p o rt pub lished by th e A g ricu ltu ra l Society of In d ia some years ago on th e aloe fibre m anufactu red a t one of th e ja ils shew s th e follow ing resul s A loe fibre rope 1 fa thom long an d 3 in.

in circum ference b ro k e in»a w eightof ............................................................. lb, T roy 2,519£

C oir do . do. do. do. ... ,, 2,175C oun try hem p do. do. do. ... ,, 2,269J u te do. do. do. do. ... ,, 2,456

In a tr ia l m ade a t P a ris betw een ropes m ade of hem p and of th e aloe from A lg iers, th e follow ing resu lts w ere ob ta ined , bo th being im m ersed in th e sea for six m on ths an d exposed to th e a tm osphere for th e sam e t i m e : —

P ita . .5Po Ilem p .

I - lb . lb.i P lunged in sea ... 3,810 P lu n g ed in sea ... 2,538 1,272i Exposed to a ir ... 3,724 E xposed to a ir .. 3,022 702I T hese ex perim en ts p rove th a t th e p ita fibre is pos-j sess^d of very usefu l p roperties . “ A n o th e r p ro d u c t,”' I t ru s t soon to see i t quoted in o u r com m ercial list.' J . A .

T E A A N D S IL K F A R M IN G IN N E W Z E A L A N D .TO TIIE EDITOR OF “ THE COLONIES AND IN D IA .”

S i r ,—Y our in te re stin g pap er hav ing been b rough t u n d e r m y notice a few day s ago as a valuab le m edium for th e discussion of C olonial affairs, I hasten to

' a cq u a in t you w ith a suggestion re fe rrin g to N ew Z ea­land , w hich is a t p resen t be ing c ritica lly exam ined here, in E ng land , in In d ia , an d a t th e Antipodes. The proposal is to com m ence te a and s ilk farm ing as a com bined in d u s try in A uckland , an d I am encouraged to su b m it th e schem e to your readers p a r tly on ac ­cou n t of th e favourable reception i t has a lread y m et w ith , and in th e hope of e lic iting every shade of opinion, so th a t th e und ertak in g , if genera lly approved , m ay be speedily b ro u g h t to a p rac tica l issue.

I sha ll n o t occupy your space w ith th e reasons w hich have led to th e s-dection of New Zealand as th e scene of th e ex p erim en t—these .hav ing a lread y

| appeared in th e pages of th e Glasgow H era ld , N ew I Zealand Public Opinionf an d Chambers’ Jo u rn a l—b u t , sha ll sim ply epitom ise th e chief p o in ts of th e p ro jec ted | design.! A com parison of th e a p titu d e of d ifferen t Colonies ; fo r te a and silk cu ltu re w ith th e advan tages know n | to ex is t in th e c m n tries to w hich these im p o rta n t

p roducts are indigenous has re su lte d in th e belief | th a t th e prov ince of A uck land off rs m ost, if n o t a ll,

of th e requ ired facilities. A ccordingly, th e fo rm ation I of a public com pany, to com m ence and prosecu te th e

com bined in d u stries , has been for some l i t t le tim e I an d is now being advocated . T he special ob jec ts to | be accom plished are :—

1. T he acquisition of a t r a c t of p erhaps 30,000 acres in N ew Zealand, fo r th e purposes p a r t ly of a L and S e ttlem en t A ssociation , an d p a r t ly fo r th e in ­auguration an d prosecution of te a p roduction and sericiculture.

2. T h e affording of p leasan t and rem unera tive em ­p loym ent to wom en and girls.

3. T he a ttra c tio n of th e aborigines to sy stem atised h ab its of usefulness.

I t has been suggested th a t th e proposed te a an d silk farm ing operations should be conducted som e­w h a t as follow s :— An expanse of say 3,000 of acres su itab le lan d hav ing been selected, th e a rea to be g radually p lan ted w ith te a and m ulberry sh rubs a t th e ra te of 100 or m ore acres of each p e r annum , according to th e cap ita l subscribed. M eanw hile o th er lu cra tiv e a rtic les of com m erce, such as g rapes, oranges, lem ons, sm all f ru it, honey , sugar, &c., m igh t have portions of the e s ta te assigned to th e ir special p ro ­duction , m ost of th em * y ie ld in g a m ore encouraging re tu rn generally th an th a t from o rd in a ry farm ing. D uring th e tim e th e te a a n d . m u lberry bushes were m atu rin g , th e form er in four years and th e la t te r in tw o years if tra n sp la n te d when tw o years o ld —no incom e from th e ir produce w ould a c c ru e ; b u t these periods would be p a r tly em ployed in erec tin g th e necessary bu ild ings, digging, an d a rrang ing w ater- services, fixing w ater-w heels, e rec ting th e m ach inery requ ired , an d ex ten d in g th e cu ltiv a tio n an d develop­m ent of th e w hole esta te . In th e course of the second year, th e firs t of the m ulberry leaf crop would be ready for p luck ing , w hen, a ll being in a s ta te of p rep ara tio n an d wages m oderate , a r e tu rn in cocoons, raw silk , and grain , of p robab ly £80 p er acre m igh t be an tic ipated . I t m ay no t ba o u t of place a t th is p o in t to m ention th a t , considerable as th is es tim ate m ay appear, i t is dw arfed by th e average re tu rn s from ag ricu ltu re in A m erica—w hich are som etim es £93 p er ucre for honey a lo n e —an d from oranges in N ew S outh W ales, w here ce rta in groves possess in d i­v id u a l trees w hich fo r tw e n ty years have y ie lded th ree h u n d red dozens of oranges each, show ing a gross r e tu rn of £5 0 0 p - r acre p er annum . Indeed , th e experience of m ulberry-grow ing in o th e r p a tts of th e w orld teaches th a t w ell-s itu a ted an d tho rough ly - c u ltiv a ted areas, of tw enty-five-year-o ld bushes double th e ir y i- ld a f te r five years in situ, w hen, of course, th e h a rv e st of cocoons m ay be double also.

U n til th e fo u rth y ea r , as already sta ted , th e re would be no appreciable r e 'u rn from th e acreage u n d er tea, b u t du ring th a t season leaf-gathering w ould commence, w hich , according to Chinese an d In d ian observation , w ould annually im prove up to ab o u t th e tw e lf th year, w hen renew als of th e p lan ts m igh t be requ ired . Tea- grow ing a t th e A ntipodes n o t hav ing y e t been a t ­te m p te d on a com m ercial scale, i t w ould be p rem atu re to h azard an opinion as to th e probable re tu rn per acre from th is source. B u t hav ing regard to th e very su itab le clim ate offered iu A uckland, especially for teas of th e C hina an d Japanese t y p e ; recollecting th a t th e dem and on th e sp o t is a t p re sen t abo u t one and a half m illion lb p er annum , w ith a con ­s ta n tly increasing ten d en cy ; an d keep ing in v iew th e circum stance th a t New Z -alan^l-grown te a w ould n o t be 8 -ddled w ith th e expensive item s of in land con­veyance an d fre ig h t to a d is ta n t co u n try , w hich handicap th e p roducts of C hina, In d ia , an d Ceylon, experts who h iv e s tu d ie d th e m u tte r a re of opinion th a t , a f te r a llow ing lib era lly for h igher-p riced labour, th e cost of p roducing te a in th is Colony w ill p robab ly com pare m ost favourably w ith th e o u tlay elsew here.

One of she early effects of th e prosperous in i t ia ­tio n of tea an d silk farm ing w ould be th e im m ediate influx of th e num erous k in d red professions, a r ts , and tra d e s w hich iu o lder com m unities a re invariab ly fo u n d c lu s te rin g a round th e chief cen tres of im p o rt­a n t indu stries . To accom odate these, th e su rro u n d in g

lan d w ould becom e available, an d th e farm ers, la b o u r­ers, and o th e rs w ould p rov ide food fo r th e C olony, an d fu rn ish a supp ly of re liab le outdoor labour fo r em ergencies.

I have no h es ita tio n in appealing to th e p h il­an th ro p is ts of bo th sexes th ro u g h o u t th e B ritish E m pire in favour of th e p roposal to em ploy women and g irls of education in som e of th e m ore delica te n nu ipu la* tions connected w ith th e p rodu c tio n of b o th te a an d silk . E v e ry year num bers of d e lica te ly -n u rtu red and w ell-educated fem ales are, th ro u g h d e a th , m is­fo rtu n e , o r o th e r causes, le f t d e s titu te . M any of these ladies, a lth o u g h unab le p erhaps to su p p o rt them selves becom ingly a t hom e a f te r a crisis, would prove v a lu ­ab le a s s is ta n ts in th e opera tio n of te a an d s ilk cu ltu re in one o r o th e r of th e C olonies, an d in such service find a com fortable and in d ep en d en t refuge . “ T hey k now n o th in g ab o u t th e m anagem ent of e ith e r p ro ­d u c t ,” i t m ay be u rged. T rue , perh ap s, j e t th e y m ig h t learn . I t so happens th a t th e o p p o rtu n ity of gain ing in s tru c tio n in th e m yste ries of a t le a s t th e s ilk in d u s try from lad ies lik e them selves m ay very soon be b ro u g h t w ith in reach. A long th e L ev an t, silk in its various form s is la rgely p ro d u ced u n d e r p u re ly dom estic c ircum stances b y m any respec tab le E uropean ladies, who, I am to ld by an em in en t a u th o r i ty a t p re sen t in London, 11 piece o u t zi subsistence by th is o ccupation .” A m ong these lad ies i t is b e lieved th e re are some E n g lish widows w ith d au g h te rs , le ft w ith sm all m eans, w ho w ould doubtless be on ly too g lad to go to N ew Z ealand am ong th e ir c o u n try ­w om en, an d g ive p rac tica l lessons in th e ir in te re s tin g avocation.

T here a re m any po in ts connected w ith th e proposal as a w hole, w hich w ould req u ire m ore space th an I could ex p ec t any jo u rn a l to afford for th e ir e luc idation . E nough has p erh ap s been said fo r th e p resen t, ho w ­ever, to e x te n d th e feeling of in te re s t in th e e n te r ­p rise w hich has a lread y been c rea ted , and I shall be h appy to rep ly to an y bona fid e en q u iry concerning i t w hich m ay be ad d ressed as below .— I rem ain , &c.,

J u ly 2 1 . W i l l i a m C o c h r a n .

T H E C U L T IV A T IO N O F BAM BOO.(F rom th e Ind ian Tea Gazette, 6th A ugust 1881.)

H appening to ta k e up th e In d ia n A griculturalist for 2nd Ju n e 1879, con tain ing th e re p o rt of a m eeting a t th e Society of A r ts on M arch 7 th , 1879, I cou ld h a rd ly believe my eyes as I read th e re in th e opinions of some of th e speakers. T he exh ib itio n of so m u ch ignorance, b y earn es t m en m et to d iscuss an d fo rw ard a n economic question of m om ent, w as h u m ilia tin g , a n d M r. R ou tledge h im self seem ed as m uch in th e d a rk as an y of them .

A t page 200 he s a y s : “ T he young bam boo sprang from th e seed of th e o ld p lan t, an d i t to o k ab o u t 15 years before i t becam e silicious. N o m a tte r w hat species i t m ig h t be, i t w en t on m a tu rin g for a aeries oi y ea rs , an d being an en togenous p lan t, i t grew u n til th e in side g >t filled up an d i t could grow no longer. I t could then no longer tra n sm it th e sap, i ts pores o r vessels becam e ossified, lik e th e veins of an o ld m an, a n d i t d ied h av ing firs t se ed ed .” N ow th e re are som e 14 or 15 k in d s o u t here in E a s te rn Bengal th a t I know p re t ty well, have p la n te d B aries a n d cropped th em for some 12 years, y e t I m u st say th e re is n o t one single s ta te m e n t in th e q u o ta tio n th a t is accurate , even app rox im ate ly .

T he Bam boos here v a ry g re a tly in k in d , in size, m odes of p ropagation , in value, &c., b u t ta k in g th e m ost com m on an d m ost usefu l one, th e “ J a t i ” (or one w ith b es t ja t) le t us com pare notes. 1s t .— I t does n o t seed, a n d is p ropagated , lik e m ost o thers, by a young ro o t an d piece oi stem 8 o r 10 feet long t r a n s ­p lan ted .- 2n d .— T hese stocks a re of young an d n o t “ o ld p la n t .” 3 rd .— T h e Bamboo genera lly becomes

silic ious (?) a t 2 ar.d S a n d n o t 15 years o ld .* 4 tl i .— A ll species do n o t ta k e a series of years to m a tu re ; som e m atu re in 2, o thers in 6 to 12 years. 5 th .— T he Bamboo a t ta in s generally i ts fu ll he igh t, g ir th a n d th ick n ess of walls in 1 year, and th e la t te r do n o t grow th ic k e r and th ic k e r y early , ag d ev en tu a lly cause d ea th .

One gen tlem an —M r. Cobb—sta te d th a t th e Chinese “ le t some grow so la rg e th a t th ey m ake b u ck e ts of th e m ,” ! as w e m igh t say of a know ing fellow w ho le t h is pony' alone so as to g row in to a horse ! T h is applied to th e “ M in g ” Bam boo of th e N agas, a pecu liar species, an d if a n y th in g la rg e r w hen young th a n w hen old. These I g ive as sam ples of th e fac ts gu id ing (?) th e m eeting . I t seem s to m e th e best th in g M r. B outledge could have doue w ould be to p ick o u t some 2 o r 3 of th e m ost like ly k inds, c lum ped or gregarious, c u ltiv a te d o r w ild , an d have le a rn t a ll ab o u t them . In s tead of th is , s tra y facts, re la tin g to perhaps a hu n d red species, have been collected , m ixed, and poured ou t, resu ltin g , as we m ig h t guess, in a nice mess. U nd o u b ted ly th e re are enorm ous areas all th ro u g h th e h ill t r a c ts of E aste rn B -ngal where th e Bam boo grow s ram p an t, an d could su p p ly th e dem and u n ti l i t was system atica lly cultivated fo r fibre, and th is , I ta k e it, is th e ob jec t in view . N ow th e lead ing fact in th is case is one th a t M r. E . seems n o t to have grasped, an d m ay account fo r th e d iv e rg ­ence b e tw een h im a n d D r. K ing , i. e., th a t th e m ost likely c u ltiv a te d k in d s do n o t p ropagate by seal or from old stem s, b u t shoot up from th e very k in d be w ants to cut! aw ay, i . e . , th o young s te m s ; cropping th e young stem s (from w hich alone pu lp shou ld be m ade) cripples th e p ropagation . W h a t he needs to leave is w h a t he also w an ts to ta k e aw ay : a case of ea tin g his cake an d y e t h av ing it. E ven if he tak es b u t a few here an d there, i t is s ti l l th e sam e in th e end : w hat he gains in crop for fibre, he ' loses in p ropagation , and th is in th e cu ltiv a ted k in d

*is no sm all difficulty . T his is M r. R ou tled g e’s p a r t i ­c u la r n u t, an d n o t an easy one to crack , you w ould say, if you knew th e facts th o rough ly . A s i t bears on th is m a tte r—b u t also because i t m ay be of use to so m any of y o u r re a d e ts—I w ill describe sh o rtly th e w ay to p la n t a Bamboo B ari. F irs tly , th e s ite shou ld be above sw am p level, an d secondly, near enough to th e s ta tio n to be w atched , so as to keep o u t pigs, cows, elephan ts, an d thieves. I f grass lau d , i t m ay be cleared an d b u rn t, th o u g h th is is n o t ab so lu te ly necessary ; if forest, i t shou ld be cleared, an d th en th e lines la id o u t ab o u t 20 o r 24 feet ap art, and holes of 2 feet x 2 dug ab o u t every 12 or 16 fee t in these row s, each hole to ta k e 2 or 3 ro o t stocks.I f J a t i Bamboo is to be p lan ted , th e roo t-stem s of young ones should be selected, say of one o r a t m ost 2 years old, and w hich can be know n by th e w hite band round th e stem ju s t above each jo in t. T he ro o t shou ld be carefu lly b ared and th e stem cu t above i t a t 10 or 12 feet, foliage left on. W h en dug o u t th e stem and roo t w ill look lik e th e le tte r J . , an d care should be tak en n o t to in ju re th e eyes on th e low er b en t p a rt, as i t is from th ese (3 o r 4 on each side) th a t th e fu tu re Bamboos shoot. F eb ru ary or M arch is a good tim e, and th e early rains in A pril w ill p rev en t these ste in s d ry in g up. I t is a good way to p la n t these ro o t stem s s lig h tly inclin ing o u tw ards, and have th em w ell tam ped in , w ith some ru b b ish th ro w n over as shade for th e ground . In th e K acliari coun try and from B o rp e ttah p a s t N ol B ari, K om alpur, an d D arang, w here th e re is no b u ild ­ing tim ber, fine Bamboo Baries are seen, an d in m any cases a large square of an acre o r .so has th e ou ter row s all ro u n d of th e B u lu k a B am boo,—a stronger k in d bo th as p ro tec tion from sto rm s an d as posts for build ings, bridges. &c.

D uring th e 1st y ea r very l i t t le m ore m ay shew th a n an a d d itio n to th e foliage sp ro u tin g from th e

6 o r 8 jo in ts above th e g r o u n d ; h e re o r th e re a sm all w hip-like shoo t m ay rise to 16 or 20 feet. In th e 2nd year, About th e en d of Ju n e , la rg er sh co ts w ill rise, grow ing 4 or 5 inches p e r day an d u p to 20 o r 30 feet, w ith g ir th of 4 o r 5 inches. In th e 3 rd y ea r s t i l l la rg er ones w ill grow , a n d a ll th e tim e creepers shou ld be now and th e n c u t aw ay . In th e 4 th y ea r fu ll-sized grow th m ay be expected , i. e., shoo ts 50 feet h igh w ith stem s of 8 an d 9 inches round , an d th e num ber of such shou ld ab o u t equ a l an d double th e num ber of stem s firs t p lan ted . E ach y ea r th en ce shou ld ad d 50 p e r cen t to th e num bers, if in fair soil, an d in th e 8th o r 9 th y ea r th e re sh o u ld be some 3,000 fu ll sized stem s, m a tu re enough to cu t, p e r acre p er annum .

F o r b u ild in g purposes o r m ak ing use in th e g round , no bam boo shou ld be c u t of less th a n 4 y e a rs ’ old, an d shou ld be steeped a m on th iu w a te r . “ J a t i s ” increase in value w ith age u p to 12 or 14 years , a f te r w h ich th e y g rad u a lly “ d ry u p ,” tu r n yellow and die. I f g row n in th e open th e y a re o ften sho rt, sm all an d s o l id ; those in shade, a re ta l l , la rg e an d th in n e r w alled . I f requ ired fo r ty in g o r ru d e ropes, on ly th e young ones of 1 o r 2 years o ld a re used. F ro m hav ing m ore w a te r an d less wood, th e y are m ore easily tw is ted , an d a w hole stem can be a t once used in th is w ay, th o u g h i t is m ore u su a l to sp lit an d th en tw is t them . W h en sp lit u p very sm all i t is ca lled “ T ougal.”

I t seem s ex trem ely p robable t h a t young stem s w ould fu rn ish m ore an d b e tte r p u lp th a n old ones. In c u t­tin g bam boos o u t, o ld ones shou ld be c u t . a t o r n e a r th e g round , an d young ones 5 o r 6 feet above, as th e o ld ones do n o t read ily th ro w o u t shoots o r new sp ro u ts , w hile th e young ones do if som e foliage is le f t on, an d th is leads a t once to th e so lu tion of th e d ifficulty th a t lay betw een M r. R outledge a n d D r. K ing, i. e., t h a t c ropp ing of th e young bam boos (near th e ground) cripp les th e p ropagation , w hereas if §rds a re c u t a t say 6 o r 8 fee t h igh , enough is le ft to keep up th e su pp ly of new shoots, p ro v id ed of course th e Joliage is encouraged on th e p a r t le ft. T h e re ­m ain ing J rd is le f t a lto g e th er, a n d on ly c u t when old, i. e., useless for propagation an d usefu l fo r build ing .I have c u t 300 bam boos for one rupee o u t of a B ari, a n d as th e y are o ften 16 fo r th e R upee in th e villages for T ea F a c to ry build ing , a B ari is a source of g rea t sav ing , an d in a few[ years pays its cost m any scores of tim es o v e r.— S. E . P .

S E R IC U L T U R E .T he follow ing are a few in terestin g figures w hich

m ay prove usefu l to silk g row ers :—W eight of Cocoons.— T h is varies w ith th e b reed an d

feeding. P a s te u r ca lcu la tes th a t 1 k ilogram m e con ta ins 785 to 921 cocoons of th e Jap an ese so rt, 505 to 726 cocoons of th e I ta lia n yellow so r t. Com alia found th a t 360 cocoons of th e M eldola so rt weigh 1 k ilogram m e.

Loss of W eig h t in Cocoons.—T h is is caused b y tim e of keeping. D andola found th a t a t a te m p era tu re of 17 deg. It. 1,000 kilos, of cocoons w as reduced to —

K ilos -991 -982 -975 970 '966 960 952N um berof days 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

■943 -934 -9258 9 10

W eig h t of th e various p a r ts of th e C ocoons.—B ytak in g a t 1,000 th e w eigh t of th e w hole cocoon—

T he ch ry sa lis alive w eighs from 830 to 850 T he refuse of ch ry sa lis ,, 4 to 9T he clean cocoon ,, ,, _ 140 to 166

A fte r th e m o th has le f t th e cocoon in 1,000 p a r t^ of th e m —

Refuse of m o th 5 to 6R em ains of c h r y s a l i s ..................... 7 to 9C lean p u re Cocoon ........................140 to 163

N um ber of E ggs.— M alpighi bas found th a t th e n u m b er of eggs deposited a t one .lay in g is generally 404 or 516, an d som etim es only 446. A s an exception he m et once w ith only 393, w ith o u t ta k in g in to account an y w hich m ay have rem ained in th e ovaries.

A ccording to B arti-P ich e t, 100 fem ales deposit a t one lay ing 40,000 to 45,000 eggs, 108 fem ales of th e T riv o ltiu e so rt are req u ired fo r one ounce of eggs, 100 fem ales of th e com m on sort, 95 of th e large, and 105 to 110 of th e Japanese.

N um ber of Eggs in an Ounce. — 1 ounce of 30 gram m es of eggs was found to con ta in—

27.000 eggs of th e T riv o ltin e breed.39.000 ,, com m on ,,37.000 ,, largo ,,

1 ounce of 25 gram m es of eggs w as found to con­ta in —

33,550 to 37,000 of th e yellow breed.48.000 to 51,900 ,, Japanese breed .

Eggs w hich are deposited from th e firs t a re l i t t lela rg er th a n those from th e second, average n um berin one ounce 48,000 eggs.

W eig h t of each L ay of E g g s.—To find o u t th is w ith o u t rem oving th e eggs from th e c lo th s o r cards, th e basis of th e calcu lation is to tak e th e w eight of each sep ara te lay ing . I t is know n th a t to o b ta in th e w eigh t of tw o gram m es i t requ ires

5 lays of th e large F rench breed.6 ,, common ,,7 ,, Japanese ,,

F ro m th is we can conclude th a t to m ake up 25 gram m es there is req u ired —

63 lays of th e firs t so rt70 ,, second ,,75 ,, th i rd ,,

To m ake u p one ounce of gram m es 70, 84, 90, resp ec t­ively, to m ak e u p one ounce of 30 gram m es, 75, 95,105, respeciiVely.— Jo u rn a l o f A pp lied Science.

R U S T -P R O O F W H E A T .

(From th e Queenslander.)I t is to be be hoped som e of our fa rm ers have th is

y e a r experim ented w ith th e C ham plain an d Defiance w heats, w hich w ere la s t y ear in troduced in to S outh A u stra lia by D r. Schom burgk, an d in to N ew S ou th W ales by M r. D unnicliff, of B urraw ong. A s m ost of o u r readers are aw are, th e y w ere supposed to be ru s t­proof, b u t th is characteristic w as n o t en tire ly borne o u t hy la s t y ea r’s experience. M r. D u n n ic liffs p lo ts to ld alm ost conclusively in favou l of th e ir resis ting ru s t. D r. Schom burgk d is tr ib u ted 100 parcels of the seed, an d received th ir ty -n in e replies from farm ers as to th e re su lts a f te r h a rv es t. Of these, ten repo rted t h a t th e ru s t h ad a tta c k e d both k in d s m ore o r less, b u t in no in stan ce to th e in ju ry of th e grain, w hich w as p lum p an d w ell developed. T h e ' o th e r tw en ty - n ine rep o rts were to th e effect th a t th e w heat had m o st effectually resis ted th e ru s t, a lth o u g h th e en tire crop of w h ea t if o th e r v a rie tie s—especially th e purple- s tra w —h ad in some instances been destroyed by th e disease. W h eth er M r. E . W a y ’s experience a t th e Too­woomba gardens— th a t ru st-p roo f varie ties re ta in th a t ch arac te ris tic only for th e firs t year of th e ir cu ltu re in A u s tra lia —w ill be borne o u t by th is p resen t y ea r’s experim en ts in S outh A ustra lia , is a p o in t of g re a t in te re s t to a ll our w heat-grow ers. T he C ham plain is said to be ra th e r flinty, an d i t is th o u g h t th a t i t w ill n o t produce th e fine flour th e farm ers have been used to g e ttin g from th e ir w h e a ts ; b u t we suspect t h a t a certa in am oun t of tlin tiness—th a t is, an excess of s i l i ia —is a ch a rac te ris tic inseparab le from a w heat w hose co n stitu tio n is such as to m ake i t capable of resisting ru s t.

i » B A R R E N A P R IC O T S , &c.TO THE EDITOR OF TH E “ AUSTRALASIAN. ”|

j S i r , — I p l a n t e d a l o t o f a p r i c o t s a b o u t 16 y e a r s a g o , . : t h e y a r e s p le n d i d t r e e s , t o u c h i n g o n e a n o t h e r a t 2 4 f t .

ap a rt, th e y bloom sp len d id ly , an d every flow er loo k s | perfect, y e t «some of th e m never b ea r a single f ru it ,1 som e th ree o r fo u r, and some ab o u t a dozen. I h a v e

tr ie d all p lan s th a t I could th in k of ex cep t p u llin g ! th e m u p o r g ra ftin g . T he la s t adv ice I saw in T he

A ustra lasian w as le t th e m grow ; w hat would you adv ise j m e do w ith th em now ? P lease te ll mo th e b e s t | stock to g ra ft aprico ts on. I also p la n te d a t th e sam e

tim e a lo t of dam sons, th e y bloom ev e ry y ea r , flow er a ll perfect, au d y e t th e y on ly com m enced to b ea r f ru it ab o u t th re e years ago l i t t le b igger th a n m arb le s an d th a t falls off a f te r a tim e. W h a t would y o u advise m e to do w ith th is lo t? I p u t in a lo t of M uscat of A lexandria v ines ; fo r ab o u t five y ea rs th e y looked a ll r ig h t, ab o u t th e six th y e a r I de tec ted b lack spo ts on them . I t r ie d all p lan s th a t I cou ld th in k or h e a r of, such as lim e, su lp h u r, soot, a n d ashes. I have k ep t th em e x tra clean, as they w ere th e fav o u rite g rape in th e k itchen . T h e w hole of th e g round w here th e above a re p lan ted is h a n d tre n c h e d from 18in. to 2ft. w ith d ra in s th ro u g h .

R u th erg len . J . C.[In th e absence of in form ation reg ard in g th e c h a ra c te r

of th e soil an d sub-soil, i t is alm ost im possible to offer advice on th e m anagem ent of y our ap rico ts, w h ich w e no te bloom finely, b u t do n o t bear. W e shou ld , h o w ­ever, be inc lined to t r y ro o t-p ru n in g in th is case. I t m igh t be tr ie d a t once on a few of th e m ore vigorous. A s a fu rth e r ex p erim en t w e w ould ta k e a few in d ie s off each of th e shoots of o th e r trees. F ro m th e r e ­su lts an in d ica tion m ay be g leaned of th e p roper course to pursue w ith th e whole. T he dam sons a lso m ay be sim ilarly tre a te d , i. e., a p o rtion be ro o t-p ru n ed , an o th e r p o rtio n be s lig h tly b ranch -p ru n ed . T h e p ro p er stocks for aprico ts a re seedling aprico ts ; th e ch erry p lum is also a good stock , an d w ould be lik e ly to answ er w ith you. T here is some reason to suspect th a t th e drains, a t so shallow a d e p th as 2 ft., d ry th e soil early an d th u s conduce to th e d ropp ing of th e fru it. In y o u r clim ate d ra ins, w here em ployed, shou ld be fu lly four fee t deep. F o r w h a t reasons w ere d ra ins reg ard ed as necessary ? Y ou do n o t s ta te w hat is now am iss w 'ith y our lin ts .— E d . A u s t r a l a s ia n . ]

Q U A N T IT Y W IT H Q U A L IT Y .TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE “ INDIAN TEA GAZETTE.”

S ib ,— A s some p lan te rs m ay a t tim es make teas to sen d hom e d irec t, le t m e offer a few suggestions to th e new ones (old P lan te rs are w arned off) as com ing from one who has had som e l i t t le experience of send ing teas to E ng land d ire c t fo r re ta il sale (not for sale on th e wholesale m ark e t, as in th e la t te r case of course th e same teas as those m ade for C a lc u tta a re requ ired ).

1 st. M ake y o u r tea in ten d ed fo r hom e se p a ra te ly from your C a lcu tta o r w holesale teas.

‘In d . M ake i t in th e m idd le of th e season, n o t a t th e beg inn ing or end.

3 rd. F e rm e n t to a copper colour, an d aim for d a rk , sm ooth, full liquor.

i lk . F ire ra th e r h ig h ly an d b risk ly , b u t don’t bu rn .

bill. D on’t so rt in an y way w hatev er, b u t pass a ll th e rough te a th ro u g h a single sieve. I f _for I re la n d o r N o rth of E ng lan d , th e sm aller i t is th e b e tte r , and no m a tte r how d usty . In sieving send th e Pekoe an d sm all te a th ro u g h firs t b y sh ak in g ; b reak th e rest th ro u g h . Some firm s of la rge re ta il business a t hom e have now ta k e n to b reak in g u p a ll th e ir tea s to ab o u t th e size of b roken Pekoe, on ly very d u sty . T h is w as possib ly ow ing in th e first in stan ce to a

p re ju d ice fo r te a s of th e appearance of B. P . T he advan tag e of th is to th e dealers in being able to b u y our d u st so cheap, as th ey have beeu able to of la te , is obvious. Above a ll th in g s d o n 't send hom e to friends a w h ite e len h an t in th e shape of Assam Orange* P ekoe : even Pekoe is too strong . Y ou w ou ldn’t d rin k it yourselves w ith y o u r ta s te a lread y accustom ed to In d ia n te a s ; how do you ex pect y o u r friends to ? A s regards d ifficulty in separa ting fine leaf from coarse w ithou t in ju ry before m anufactu re , has he ever tr ie d a cy lind rica l sieve of la rge m esh (d ifferent for C hina aud A ssam leaf) say 9 fee t long by 3', 6" in d iam eter, and w orking ro u n d on an axle p laced a t an angle of ab o u t 8° to 10°, th rough w hich to sieve h is withered leaf ? m esh n ea rly 1 inch. T h is som e­tim es requ ires th e * ‘ Pekoe Souchong ” lea f to be p lu ck ed lik e th e “ S ouchong,” se p ara te ly from th e P ekoe stem . T h is allows th e o ld leaf to be ro lled , ferm en ted , an d fired se p a ra te ly from th e fine te a ,— a g rea t advan tag e to th e la t te r , q u ite com pensated fo r by th e l i t t le e x tra tro u b le in p luck ing . T his leads m e to jo in issue w ith your co rresponden t “ J . A. II . J . ” w hen he says th a t b y m aking les.% th e fine tea w ould fe tch m ore th a n i t d id w hen q u a n tity w as m ade. T h e tea , i e., w ith e re d leaf, being sieved as above, a n d th e tea-house accom m odation being in p ro p er p roportion to th e o u ttu rn , I do n o t see w hy th e fine te a s shou ld have h a d an y b e tte r chance had they been p lucked w ith o u t th e coarse, as th ey never cam e in co n tac t w ith th e la t te r a f te r being sieved before ro lling .

I w ill accep t fo r th e sake of argum ent y our co rresponden t “ T w ice T w o’s ” figur« s as g iven in yo u r la s t issue. H e m entions tw o experiences, v iz., 2 annas 1*60 p ie p er lb. and 1 anna 4*75 pie p er lb. as th e cost of p luck ing and m anufacture . L et us ta k e n early the m ean of these two, say 1 anna 9 pie a s a fa ir guide. T hen th e 405£ m au n d s “ t r a s h ” w ould have cost

E . 3,548 say fo r plucking and m anufacture., , 2,000 boxes an d charcoal (pluckings),, 811 fre igh t,, 200 C a lcu tta charges.

Say to taIR 6,559and these teas fetched R 1 0 ,732. !

T h is profit of over (>0 p er cen t betw een leav ing th e tea on th e bushes an d tak ing i t off, p lus th e fac t th a t th e n e x t flush in a h ea lth y A ssa m G arden w ould be benefitted, an d th e fu rth e r fac t th a t th e genera l average cost p rice p er lb. of th e fac to ry ’s o u ttu rn would be reduced , a ll taken to g e th e r m ight b e used as argum ents in favor of q u a n tity w ith q u a lity , b u t I th in k my case is s tro n g enough on o th e r g rounds n o t to requ ire su p p o rt from these, th o u g h I m ention them in passing, fo r w h a t th ey are w orth*

“ T h e C h ie l a m a n g y e . ”[W e agree t h a t if none b u t fine qu a lities w ere sen t

hom e w?e should be ru in e d ; b u t m ak ing fine, good, an d good m edium , is v e ry d ifferen t from flooding th e m a rk e t in too g rea t q u a n tity w ith w eak liquo ry k in d s w hich can n o t com pete, to pay , w ith C hina Congous. On th is su b je c t w e can n o t do b e tte r th a n conclude w ith th e follow ing e x tra c t from M essrs. Gow an d W ilson’s C ircu lar :— “ F in e ” p luck ing m eans a consider­ab le percen tage off th e crop, an d we t ru s t those who h av e ad o p ted th is system have th o ro u g h ly satisfied them selves t h a t b e tte r re tu rn s w ill be show n from h ig h e r prices for d im inished p roduction . T he question arises w h e th e r th e s im u ltaneously adop ted policy of p roduction of F ine T eas w ill n o t adverse ly affect th e p rices of high-class descrip tions. O w ners w ill rea lly be consulting th e ir in te re sts by str iv in g to u n d erstan d th e req u irem en ts of th e trad e , an d every endeavour shou ld be m ade to g e t th e largest possible y ie ld o u t of a g a rd e n ; th e “ so r tin g ,” to show a proportion

78

F in e , a p roportion Good M edium , an d th e rem a in d e r good usefu l P ekoe Souchong, an d Souchong, an d a sm all p ercen tage b roken T ea. L is t y e a r ’s re su lts a ll te n d to prove th a t th e B ritish pub lic have d ec id ed ly show n ta s te for In d ia n Teas, an d it now rem ains fo r the g row er to m ee t th e tra d e d em an d s.— E d . I n d ia n T e a G a z e t t e .]

C a m p h o r . —T h e Journa l o f A p p lied Science, in a n o te on th e C am phor F o rests of S um atra , s ta te s th a t th e tre e s y ield ing Borneo or S u m atra cam phor (D ryobalanops arom atica) in large q u an tity are now becom ing ra re . O w ing to the g re a t d em and for th e su lp h u r by th e C hinese, w ho use i t to em balm th e ir dead , th e B a tta k s c u t clown th e trees reck lessly and w ith o u t p lan tin g young ones. T he cam phor is sa id to fetch10,000 gu ilders per p icul ( 135 lb. ) in th e S ingapore m a rk e t. T he g u tta -p e rch a trees in th e S u m atra fo re -ts a re being tre a te d in th e same w ay. I t is rem arkable, how ever, th a t th e B a ttak s ta k e g re a t care th a t fret-h benzoin trees replace those th ey c u t dow n, by sc a tte r ­ing th e seed on th e g round . T he cam phor an d g u t ta ­p erch a tre e s requ ire m ore care an d tro u b le in p la n t­ing , hence th is is neglected .

S e e d s .—I n a n o te in N a tu re ( M ay 26, p. SO ),com ­m unicated- b y M r. W . C a rte r , an account is given of th e effect of p re s s u re . on the g erm ination of seeds. H e found th a t u n d e r a p ressu re of tw o and-a-h a lf a tm o ­spheres m u sta rd seed g erm inated tw enty-five h ou rs earlie r th a n w hen u n d er th e o rd in ary p ressu re of th e a tm osphere , b u t th a t th e ea rly developm ent becam e p e rm an en tly a rre s ted d u rin g th e e ig h t days of th e ex perim en t, an d th e co ty ledons of one th a t had es­caped e n tire ly from th e seed coat rem ained as e tio l­a ted as if grow n in abso lu te d a rk n ess , w hile th o ?e u n d e r o rd inary p ressu re grew rap id ly and th e ir co ty ­ledons becam e of a deep green colour. T he eti-dated p lan ts , w hen rem oved from th e p ressure , rap id ly grew in to vigorous young p lan ts . A n increased p ressu re w’ould th erefo re seem to s tim u la te g erm ination and p rev en t th e fo rm ation of ch lorophyll. T he p ressure was ob ta in ed b y th e use of a colum n of m ercury . T he seeds w ere sow n on m oist co tton wool, placed in a sm all b o ttle , w h ich was th e n secured to th e cu rved ex tre m ity of a glass tube , in to th e long arm of w hich m ercu ry was p oured u n til i t reached a h e ig h t of forty-five inches above th e level ef th e m eta l in th e sh o rte r arm .

P eacii P r u n in g .— I n th e m a jo iity of crises th is r o rk is le f t t ill the wfinter or sp ring , b u t I see th a t M r. W allis, of O rw ell P ark , lik e a few o th ers of th e b es t cu ltiva to rs , th in s h is trees in th e houses d ire c tly th e f ru i t is o ff ; th u s fu lly exposing th e w hole of th e young wood w ell to th e lig h t, an d g iv ing it every chance of ripen ing off early , w hich shoots canno t do w hen b u ried u p u n d e r th e ir foliage. N ot only does th e th in n in g g: ea tly a id th e ripen ing process, b u t i t assists th e trees m ate ria lly in p lum ping up and p erfec ting th e ir buds, w ith o u t w hich th e flowers m u st of necessi­ty be sm all, and th e ir se ttin g u n certa in . W ith 6 ood fa t buds th a t re su lt in b ig bold bloom s, th e organs are su re to be r ig h t, an d when th a t is th e case a crop of fru it an d its safe ston ing is a lm ost ce rta in to follow , for th e success of n e x t year, as regards P eaches an d N ectarines, depends in a very g re a t m easure on th e doings of th is. E ven m ore im p o rtan t perhaps th a n th e th in n in g of the wood, is th e keeping of th e foliage clean an d free from red-sp ider, w hich can only be done d u rin g such h o t w eather as we have recen tly h ad b y th e a id of a good garden engine o r syringe, a n d a th o ro u g h soak ing of w a te r a t th e roots, as

! d ryness, e ith e r in th e a ir o r bo rder, b rings on languor,| insects, an d w eakness sooner th a n an y th in g e lse .— F . | S .— Gardeners' Ch'onicle.

£ot;respoM ence,

To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. -S E L F -F E R T IL IZ E D COFFEE FLO W ERS ’

AGAIN,M askeliya, 9 tli A ugust 1SS1.

D e a r c i r , — I w o u ld w is h t o a d d a f e w r e m a r k s t o a l e t t e r o f m in e , w h ic h y o u p u b l i s h e d iu y o u r v a l u ­a b l e j o u r n a l a s h o r t t i m e a g o , c o n c e r n in g “ s e l f - f e r t i l ­

i z e d c o ffee f lo w e rs a n d t h e r e s u l t ” ; a n d a n y s u b je c t c o n n e c t 'd w i t h o u r p r in c ip a l p r o d u c t , i f w e ll v e n t i l ­a t e d a n d d i s c u s s e d , c a n n o t b u t b e b e n e f ic ia l t o o u r k n o w le d g e o f i t s s u c c e s s f u l c u l t i v a t i o n . I d r e w a t ­t e n t i o n t o t h e f a c t , t h a t D a r w in (w h o is o u r g r e a t e s t a u t h o r i t y o n t h i s s u b je c t ) h a d s a id , t h a t “ if s e lf- f e r t i l i z a t i o n w a s c o n t in u e d th r o u g h s e v e r a l g e n e r a t io n s , t h e p l a n t a t l e n g th b e c o m e s a l t o g e t h e r s t e r i l e ” ; a n d a l s o t h a t “ n a t u r e a b h o r s p e r p e t u a l s e l f - f e r t i l i z a t i o n .”

A s an in stance of th e la t te r , if w e look in to Y o u a tt’s book 011 C a ttle , th e ir, breeds an d m anage­m e n t, we read :— “ T he b reed in g from close affinities — th e b reed ing in and in—hits m any advan tages to a c e r ta in ex te n t. I t m ay be p u rsu ed u n ti l th e excellent fo rm and q u a lity of th e b reed is developed an d e s ta b ­lish ed . I t w as th e sourap w hence sp rung th e ca ttle a n d th e sheep of B ake well, an d t h i superio r c a ttle of C o i l in g ; and to i t m u st also he traced th e speedy d eg en eracy —th e abso lu te d isappearance of th e new L eicester ca ttle , and in th e hands of m any an ag ri­c u ltu r is t , th e im pairm en t of co n stitu tio n , an d d e ­c reased value of th e new L eiceste r shee p and th e sh o r t­h o rn ed b e a s ts .” T h e Rev. H . B e rry in his P rize E ssa y rem arks th a t “ close breeding, from affinities, im p airs th e co n stitu tio n , a n d affects th e p rocreative pow ers, an d th e re fo re a strong cross is occasionally necessary . In th e b reed ing of horses an d greyhounds fo r racing and sp o rtin g purpose?, i t is a well know n fa c t th a t i t is a rran g ed th a t (in s tu d parlance), th e breeding shou ld be tw ice in an d once o u t; so t h a t a cross every now and th e n m ay stop any b ad effects from close affinities. F u rth e r , in the h u m a n race, i t has been p roved th a t in term arriage con tin u o u sly betw een close re la tio n s has led to m ost p e rn ic io u s results.

I f we ta k e th ese fac ts w hich re la te to m am m alia, a s being equally applicable to o th er system s of life, such as th e vegetab le k ingdom , w e m u st allow" th a t law s th a t ac t on th e one w ill a c t in a sim ilar m an ­n e r on th e o ther, and th ere fo re w h a t w ill produc- degeneracy in the one w ill have an equally dee le te r io u s effect on th e o ther. N ow in p la n t life, we h av e a very la rg e p roportion of flowers th a t are so co n s tru c ted as to preclude a ll possib ility of self fer­tilisa tio n : some by hav ing m ale and fem ale flowers,amd othvrs t h a t have been so form ed as to p rev en t fe r t i l iz a t io n ,' excep t by extraneous aid , genera lly p e r­fo rm ed by th e help of various k inds of insects. Coffee is like m ith e r of these,* i t is a se lf-fertilizer, and h as , u n fo rtu n a te ly for th e p resen t generation , obeyed th e com m on law of n a tu re , an d d egenera ted , estates ©peue i d u rin g th e la s t te n y ea rs o r so have a sim ilar soil to those of th i r ty years p as t. O ld p lan te rs of long sta n d in g have sa id for the la s t tw o or th ree year-1, th a t th e seasons have re tu rn e d to th e old s ta n d a rd : we cannot row blam e in ferio r soil o r e x tra ­o rd in a ry w eather for th e w an t of crops. H ow is i t t h a t o ld e s ta te s ' of th i r ty an d m ore years w ork ing com pare favourab ly in th e ir hearing capacities w ith th e younger d is tr ic ts ? F o r th e la s t fo rty years, c lea rin g s have been p lan ted from steel ta k e n from tre e s grow n in prev ious clearings, an d w hich we have n o reason to d oub t sp rang orig inally from one p a re n t s to c k ; consequently our p resen t young trees are from se e d w hich has been self-fertilized for several genera- ■

tio n s . I n th e case of c a ttle , we learn th a t con­tin u a l in -b reed ing im pairs th e co n s titu tio n , an daffects th e p rocrea tiv e powers. N o one w illdeny th a t coffee has no t th e s tre n g th an d vigour t h a t i t used to have, an d th is is generally laid dow n to th e effects of leaf d isease : i t is m ore th a n p robab le th a t leaf d isease is one of th e effects, an d n o t th e cause, of w ant of v igour in th e tree . I f th e con stitu tio n , so to speak, of th e tre e had no t p re ­v iously been im paired , disease w ould n o t have show n itse lf , o r a t au y ra te th e tre e w ould have been able to have shaken i t off in a sh o r t tim e. D isease can be k e p t j iu d e r , as i t w ere, b y a libera l app lica tion of s tim u lan ts , b u t i t can on ly be k e p t so for a c e rta in period, fo r th e sh a tte re d co n s titu tio n m u st e v en tu a lly give w ay ; an d i t follow s th a t , if th e c o n s titu tio n be gone, th e p rocreative pow ers becom e exhausted . I t m ay be sa id th a t, if leaf disease is a resu lt, in d ire c tly , of an im paired co n s titu tio n in p la n ts g row n from a young genera tion of se lf-fertilized seed, how is i t th a t o ld coffee is a tta c k e d ? T he o ld trees have th e ir age, an d consequen t w eakness, ag a in s t them , an d liv in g as th e y do, in an a tm osphere co n tam in a ted b y an ep i­dem ic of such a v iru le n t type , m u st n a tu ra lly be ex ­pected to receive some of th e seeds of th e disease. T h a t coffee can be easily cross-fertilized, I have no d oubt, as I have succeeded in doing so, by rem oving th e stam ens from flowers, w h ils t in sp ike , an d a f te r ­w ards, w hen fu lly opened, d epositing on th e s tigm as pollen from an o th e r tree : these se t w ell, an d w ill, I hope, he sh o rtly ripe enough to sow. A t th e sam e tim e, to te s t th e possib ility of th e ir h av ing se t in sp ike , stam ens from o th e r flowers were also rem oved, mid no th in g fu rth e r done to th e flowers : none of these set. N o t being a p rop rie to r, an d so liab le to be m oved a t any tim e , I am n o t in a position to t r y th is to any e x te n t ; b u t an y one w ho could afford th e tim e an d h ad th e inc lin a tio n to ex p erim en t upon it, an d prove its p rac ticab ility on a large scale, w ould confer a boon upon fu tu re p lan te rs , b y being ab le ev en tu a lly to supp ly p la n ts w hich m igh t be desig n a ted disease-proof. A n o th e r in te re s tin g an d a t th e sam e tim e valuable experim ent w ould be th e fe rtiliz in g of th e ovules of A rab ian coffee, by pollen ob ta ined from th e L iberian varie ty , an d vice versa .—F a ith fu lly yours, SW A D D Y .

A L O E F IB R E .A uchin tou l esta te , B elihuloya, 13th Aug. 1881.

D e a r S i r , — Some tim e ago I noticed a le t te r in y o u r p ap er re aloe fibre, w hich in d u ced m e to tr y th e experim ent, and I have now th e p leasu re of en ­closing you sam ples shew ing th e resu lt.

• I m ay mr-ntion th a t I have ab o u t CO to n s now u u d e r t r e a tm e n t (of course th is w ill on ly tu rn o u t six tons eof fib re).— I am , d ear sir. y ou rs fa ith fu lly ,

w . McD o n a l d y o u n g .[The sam ples are very sa tis fac to ry : we se n t th em

ro u n d th e F o rt, so th e re o u g h t to be a dem and fo r our correspondent's 6 tons !— E d .]

C IN C H O N A S T U M P S .15th A ug. 1881-

D e a r S i r , — Y o u r correspondent “ Ignoram us ” asks for in fo rm ation regard ing cinchona stum ps, an d I ta k e th e lib e r ty of rep ly in g to him :

1. Officinalis is p-efevable to succirubra, ow ing p ro b ­ab ly to th e roots being sm aller.

2. T he p lan ts should be stu m p ed a fte r being pu lled o u t of th e nursery and before p lan tin g . S tum ping th em while in th e m m e ry an d allow ing th em to rem ain induces th e m to sp ro u t, an d th e suckers w ill be dam aged in being p lan ted out.

3. I h ea rd of no ob jec tion an d ev ery th in g in th e ir favor. T h e roots shou ld be tr im m ed w ith a sh a rp knife, as in th e case of coffee stum ps, an d th e ' p la n t

stum ped about S inches above th e roots. S tum ps w ill grow alm ost in any w eather, if th e soil is free an d dam p. The tree afte rw ard s has a firm er ho ld th a n if i t h ad been a p lan t, an d in some cases does aw ay w ith th e necessity of s tak in g . In some" very w et and cold d is tr ic ts th e y m ay n o t succeed so w ell, but- in Dim- b u la an d D ikoya th ey succeed perfectly . On E rlsm ere es ta te in Dikoya, some officinalis tree s w ere poin ted o u t to me as having been g row n from stum ps. T hey w ere on ly tw o years old an d m agnificent tre e s for th e age. T he percen tage of d eaths is trifling , com ­pared to th a t of p lan ts , an d I s tro n g ly advise p lan te rs to p la n t stum ps, if th e y can get th em .— Y ours tru ly ,

C IN C H O N A .

W O O D A S H E S.Gas T estin g Ptooms, Colombo, 19th A ugust 18S1.

S ib ,— I send you analysis of a rem ark ab le sam ple of w ood ashes received from M r. E lph instone , passed th ro u g h a sieve hav ing 900 m eshes to th e square inch, 1"71 p er cen t of q u a rtz was sep era ted ; th e rem ainder h a d th e follow ing com position :—

p er cent.M oisture • "38Insoluble silica ... 2-35Soluble silica •26O xide of iron an d a lum ina •75•L im e ... ... 56 00M agnesia •37P o tash •54P hosphoric acid . . T raceC arbonic ac id an d o th er consti- qq.oK

tu e n ts

100 00* equal to carbonate of lim e 100 00

T he rem ark ab le fea tu re of th e sam ple is th a t i t con­ta in s m ore lim e th a n coral o r th e p u res t l im e s to n e ; indeed after separa ting th e sm all p roportion of q u artz foreign to it, i t con tains as m uch lim e as chem ically p ure an d d ry carbonate of lim e, A p o rtio n of th e lim e is in th e caustic sta te . M. COCHRAN.

C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N .M askeliya, 20th A ugust.

D e a r S i r , — Y o u r correspondent “ C in c h o n a ” advises stu m p in g off p lan ts a t e ig h t inches. My experience is th a t four inches from th e co llar is q u ite suffi­c ien t. T he ob jec t 10 be gained is to secure a g rea te r g ir th of stem and a corresponding increase in th e so lid ity and stam ina of th e tree .

T he E rlsm ere trees re fe rred to a re certa in ly very w onderfu l exam ples of w h a t s tum ped p la n ts m ay become, b u t i t m u st be rem em bered th a t th e re is p ro ­bab ly n o t in th e islan d a finer soil o r m ore congenial c lim ate for th e grow th of cinchona, th a n is to be found on th a t e s ta te . T he p lan ts th erefo re hav ing been stu m p ed does n o t en tire ly account for th e ir rap id an d vigorous g ro w th .—Y ours tru ly ,

STUM PSO.

C o r e a .— Dr. F ra n k Cowan, an Am erican, w ho has ju s t re tu rn ed to Ja p a n from a tr ip in Corea, says :— “ W ith respec t t o gold, I am of opinion th a t th e n e x t of th e coun tries on th e golden rim of th e Pacific, a f te r P eru , California, an d A ustra lia , to d is tu rb th e m o n eta ry equ ilib rium of th e w orld, w ill be Corea. F ro m F u san to G enzanshin, o r th e G old M ountain , a d istance of 310 miles, th e geologic s tru c tu re "is n o t incom patib le w ith th e th eo ry th a t th e w hole region is p rodu c tiv e of th e precious m etal.”— M adras M ail,

C EY LO N A T T H E M E L B O U R N E E X H IB IT IO N .

C e y l o n a n d I n d ia n T e a s i n A u s t r a l ia .M elbourne, 1st A ug, 1SS1.

On re tu rn in g I find M r. M oody of M essrs. Ja s . H e n ty & Co. as ac tiv e and e a rn es t as ever in th e cause of In d ia n an d C eylon teas. T here is to be an e x te n s­ive sale of th e fo rm er on th e 4 th of th is m on th , an d a t th e end oftlie ca ta logue th e re is a no te to th is effect :—

“ T h e Im p o rte rs challenge com parison ag a in st th e In d ia n teas for leaf, fo r stren g tli, flavour and analysis ag a in s t a ll o r an y of th e C hina teas im ported th is season ,”

C om parative analyses are appended w hich I hope w ill be copied in to th e Observer, as M r. M oody te lls m e h e has se n t copies of th e catalogue of th e l i t t le pam ­p h le t w hich I enclose. Of th is p am p h le t 10,000 copies have been d is tr ib u te d an d 5,000 m ore a re being p rin te d .

M r. M oody te lls me th a t some of th e R ook w ood teas an d those from M essrs. W h it ta l l & Co. w hich have reached h im recen tly a re of h ig h q u a lity , b u t o thers (big leaf, on th e one band , au d d u s t on th e o ther) are n o t so su itab le fo r th is m ark e t. A b o u t th is M r. M oody, says he has w r itte n . W hile I am w ritin g M r. M oody b rings m e a specim en of stuff, coarse an d m ouldy w hich M r. R ow botham has a tte m p te d in vain to se ll by auction as C eylon tea . M r, M oody says i t is dam aged, and he can scarcely believe i t is Ceylon tea. T he a t te m p t to sell such tra sh as o u r produce is exceed ing ly in ju rious to th e in te re s ts of p u re Ceylon tea. A . M. F E R G U S O N .

* IN D IA N T E A .S e a s o n 1SS1-1882.

M e l b o u r n e , 20th J u ly 1881. T h e C a lc u tta T ea S y n d ica te , in con junction w ith

th e G o vernm en t of In d ia , hav e d e te rm in ed to c a rry on th e i r o pera tions d u rin g Season 1881-1882, w ith th e hope of es tab lish in g on a firm basis th e te a trad e betw een A ustra lia and Ind ia .

D u rin g the la s t tw elve m on ths th e ex p o rt of lea from In d ia to A ustralasia am oun ts to about 1,000,000 lb . w eigh t, of w hich q u a n tity 071,000 lb . w eigh t w as ac tu a lly so ld in M elbourne.

W ith th e experience derived from th e p as t season’s operations, th e S yndicate w ill be ab le to im prove th e ir selection of teas for th e A u s tra lian m arkets, and ev e iy a tten tio n w ill be pa id to hav ing th e b u lk e un ifo rm q u a lity ; an d th e various req u irem en ts of T ea M erchan ts , B lenders, an d C onsum ers will have care ­fu l consideration , an d sha ll b e .co m p lied w ith . ,

In d ia , w ith h er tea gardens a t a lt i tu d e s of from 400 to 7,000 feet above th e sea level, h e r clim ate an d rich soil, possesses advan tages unequalled in th e w orld. H er teas are p repared u n d er th e im m ed ia te su p e r­vision of E uropeans, an d w ith th e help of th e best m ach inery procurab le , and m any of th e In d ian lea g row ths are as m uch in rep u te as some of th e far-fam ed v in tages in F rance.

N . B .— Mr. Ja m es Ing lis , C om m issioner for In d ia to th e M elbourne In te rn a tio n a l E xh ib ition , in a le t te r to th e A rg u s d a ted 25 th Ju n e , 1831, says—

“ T here has never y e t been p laced on reco rd an in stance of a d u lte ra te d tea hav ing been se n t from an In d ia n w art house. I challenge th e w orld to show one instance. T he te a is m ade by o u r fellow -subjects, u n d e r th e d ire c t supervision of o u r fellow -country men, who d rink o u r wine, w ear o u r wool, r id e o u r horses, b u rn o u r candles, long for o u r beef, c ry ou t fo r our tim b ers , w ant o u r flour, o u r fru its , our hops, our d a iry p roduce, an d w ho have never y e t in one so lita ry in stance tu rn e d o u t an y th in g b u t pure, arom atic , frag ran t, and genuine te a .”

Mr. A. M. Ferguson, C om m issioner for Ceylon to th e M elbourne In te rn a tio n a l E xh ib ition , in a le tte r to th e Aejr, d a ted 15th Ju n e , 1881, says—

“ T eas grow n, p repared , an d sh ipped b y m en of th e B ritish race are ce rta in to be genuine. * * * W h a tI should lik e to im press upon te a consum ers here is th a t , although th e teas of In d ia a n d Ceylon m ay occasionally be defective in m ake (a fau lt th a t is su re to be rem edied as experience is obtained), th e genuineness of such teas, th e ir p u rity , freedom from a d u lte ra tio n w ith foreign or d e ­le terious substances, an d perfec t w holesom eness can alw ays be re lied upo n . I f te a d rin k e rs w ill only persevere in th e use of even th e h a rsh e s t Assam tea , th e y will soon find them se lves no t only reconciled to th e infusion, b u t 'in o s t unw illing to re tu rn to th e w eaker C hina s tim u lan t. W h ere cream or rich m ilk is so p len tifu l as in th is favoured lan d , th e experi­ence of th e n o rth of Ire la n d m ay be repeated . T here people of lim ited m eans long ago d iscovered th a t pure, s tro n g Assam te a a t 4s. p e r lb . w as cheaper, as w ell as b e tte r , th a n w eak a n d perhaps a d u lte ra te d C hina leaf a t 2s. M aking a s tro n g infusion, th e y half-fill th e cup, and th e n fill u p w ith r ich m ilk . To those —an d th e y a re the v as t m a jo r ity —w ho lik e m ilk or cream in th e ir tea , th is is th e v e ry perfec tion of th e cup w h ich cheers, b u t n o t in eb ria te s .”

M essrs. Cosmo N ew bery and F re d e ric D unn , of th e In d u s tr ia l an d Technological M useum L ab o ra t­o ry , sa y .—

“ G enuine te a con ta in s betw een 4 an d 6 p er cent, of m inera l m a tte r , 3 p e r cent, of w hich consists of so luble sa lts , and y ields, in i ts o rd in a ry a ir-d ried cond ition e x tra c t rang ing from 32 p er cen t to over SO per cent. A s a ru le , th e younger an d b e tte r th eth e tea , th e h igher th e percen tage of e x tra c t.”

T he follow ing tab les , com piled a t th e In d u s tr ia l and T echnological M useum by M essrs. Cosmo N ew bery andF . D unn, give th e average re su lts of a series of an a­lyses of T eas carefu lly d raw n from th e b u lk :—

P er- P er- P e r ­centage cen tage centage

of of of Season. M inera l E x- Soluble

A sh. tr a c t . S alts.1SS0-81... A uction sale In d ia n tea,

15 sam ple, 770 hf.-c h ts . , avgs. ... 5 '34 39 '42 3 1 6

1880-81...A uction sale In d ia n tea ,46 sam ples, = 3 ,1 3 1lif.-ch ts., avgs. ... 5 -46 42-40 4 '06

1881-82... A uction sale In d ian tea ,36 sam ples, = 1,312bf.-ch ts ., avgs. ... 5 '54 43 91 3 2 7

1880-81...A uction sale Foo- Chow Congous, 15 sam ples, = 1,904 hf. - ch ts . avga.

1880-81... A uction sale Foo-Chow Congous, 50 sam ples —- 2,880 hf. -chts. avgs.

1881-82...A uction sale Foo-C how Congus, 20 sam ples com m cn, = 6 ,2 3 0 hf.- c h ts ., avgs.

1881-82...A uction sale Foo-C how Congous, 20 sam ples m edium , = 4,152 h f.- ch ts ., avgs.

1881-82... Auction sale Foo-Chow Congous, 10 sam ples good, = 1,757 hf.-chts. avgs.

1881-82....A uction sale Foo-Chow Congous. 10 sam ples, fine, = 957 h f.-ch ts ., avgs.

N .B .—T h e re su lt in favour of In d ia n tea s is to o m arked to need fu r th e r com m ent. M any of th e C h ina teas w ill n o t pass th e s ta n d a rd of a genu ine tea.

M r. J . O. M oody, T ea E x p e rt, in a le tte r to th e A rgus, d a te d 5 th Ju ly , sa y s—

“ P erh ap s th e e x tra c t of tea , o r th a t p a r t d ru n k in th e infusion -or cup of tea, is th e m ost im p o rta n t an d no te a shou ld fall below 30 (th e s ta n d a rd a t hom e). Some of th e In d ia n an d C eylon teas go to 52. T h is e x tra c t con ta ins th e essen tia l oil o r flavonr w hich p leases th e p a la te , an d th e ac tive p rin c ip le , th e in e (taste less)w hich m ostly inv ig o ra te s th e drinker,*

Again to an o th er paper, u n d e r d a te 3 rd Ju n e , th e sam e w riter says : —

“ H ops d e te rio ra te b y keeping, ow ing to o x id a tio n of th e essen tia l oil, a chem ical process w ell know n to sc ien tis ts, an d w hich gives th e o ld hops th e ir ‘fain tish* or ‘cheesy ’ flavour, m o st s tr ik in g ly b ro u g h t in to p rom inence w hen new p ick ings come to han d ; th e co n tra s t b e tw een I he tw o is th e n so g rea t t h a t i t u sua lly causes a fa ll in price of pence p e r lb . o n o ld hops. E xactly th e sam e th in g goes on in th e C h in a teas, an d has been m o st no ticeab le fo r m an y seasons past, and well do ho lders know th e r isk an d loss o f re ta in irg th is class of te a t i l l th e a rriv a l of a n ew season’s grow th. T h e bu lk of In d ia n teas , on th e co n tra ry , seem to rip en w ith age, an d are fam ed io r th e ir good keep ing qua lities . S am ples of th ese te a s , a f te r five o f six y ea r’s tim e , have been found to have w ell p reserved th e ir flavour a u d good qu a lities . * * * I t is e s tim ated th a t 10 pounds of te a frem th e d is tr ic ts of A ssam , C achar, &c., equals 15 to 20 pounds of th e o rd in ary C hina te a (the bulkof consum p­tion) so ld on th e A u s tra lia n m ark e t. T he D arjee lings, &c., g row n a t th e h ig h er elevation , are genera lly m ild er, an d possess, as a ru le , fine delica te b o u q u e t and f la v o u r."

5-20 29-26 2-1

5 40 31-30 3 '60

5-32 33 60 3 '2 6 j

5-40 35-20 3-48 §I H

5-44 35 04 3-54

5-50 34-3-2 3-521

C E Y L O N P L A N T E R S IN S A R A W A K .M r. L o y a lty Peake, la te of M a tu ra ta , w rites fro m

Saraw ak, under d a te 29 th J u ly , as fo llo w s:—“ T his is ce rta in ly a g r e a t co u n try for vegeta tion . I

am receiv ing every assistance from th e R a ja h in open ing up. T he p ro d u c ts m ost likely to p rove su itab le a re cinchona, te a and cardam om s, none of w hich haVe been tr ie d . T h e ch ief p ro d u c ts now a re sago, gam b ier, a n d pepper, also coal and cinnabar, th e B orneo C om pany hav ing th e m onopoly of th e la t te r , A good deal of g u tta percha is ex p o rted and fetches v e ry rem u n era tiv e prices. I am g e ttin g 30,000 seeds to se n d to C eylon w here th e y should th r iv e . W h en I h a v e been over m ore g round , I sha ll send you a long acco u n t of th e coun try . I have been h e re now over tw o m on ths an d have seen h a rd ly an y rain , th o u g h S a ra ­w ak is supposed to be very w et. ”

G enuine te a of low est class continues .. 4 to 6 32

T e a o n t h e N i l g i p . is . —A p la n te r of C oonoor expects in th e p resen t season to m anufac tu re 15,000 lbe. of te a off fo rty acres of lan d . A verage q u a lity P ek o e Souchong, T his is a lm ost a t th e ra te of 400 p o u n d s of m ade te a p e r acre, an d m u st be reckoned an e x ­cellen t yield, especially w hen th e class of te a tu rn e d o u t is considered. T he e s ta te of course is h ig h ly w orked au d carefu lly superv ised in a ll i ts d e p a r t­m en ts . — In d ia n paper.

S a l t D e p o s it s . —A M annar co rresponden t w rites :— “ A -short tim e since you referred , in y o u r p aper, to a re p o rt b y Mr. A llen H u m e re c e n tly pub lish ed b y th e In d ian G overnm ent, on ag ricu ltu re in In d ia . C an you k in d ly procure a copy of i t fo r m e ? I t con ta ined some observations on a pecu liar sa lt deposit in i r r i ­g a ted lands, you s ta ted . I shou ld m uch lik e to see w h a t he says regard ing i t : th e re is n o th in g of th e k in d in th is d is tr ic t, n o r has i t even been know n here , a lthough all th e soil is m ore o r less s tro n g ly im pregnated w ith sa lt., I ll fac t, so m uch so, th a t th e w ater of a l l w ells is s ligh tly brack ish . I t seem s u n lik e ly th a t t h e soil in th e n o rth of In d ia con ta ins m ore sa lt th a n th is ."

T H E A C TU A L COST O F M A N U F A C T U R IN G TEA .

(F rom th e Ind ian T ea Gazette.)A ssum ing th a t th e garden to be reckoned fo r is in

these h ills au d of average m o d era te size— say 200 acres—yield ing say 500 m ds., an d th a t th e sa la ry of th e M anager and h is A ssis ta n t am o u n t to R 300 a m onth , i .e . , R l -8 p er acre, I reckon th e charges to be as follow s for each lb. o f te a :—

H (W o o d — reck o n ed @ 4 as .p erm d .C harcoal R1 p er m d.

(Govt,rates)

a year 10 I ea m akers R84 4 e x tra h an d s for

s iftin g , c leaning,&c., R 20 )

Im plem ents , &c., R300 p er annum (A pice per pound)

Boxes, L ead, &c.Sundries—Inclu d in g )

In te re s t, R epairs,M edicine, P ony allowance,

T ran s it charges

104—m onth ly , 1,248— a y ear

R l ,2 5 0 per annum

To the above should be add ed w h a t is, I fear, very o ften overlooked in such c u lt i­vation, v iz ., th e value of th e fuel used by th e coolies fo r cooking purposes. F or 150 coolies I w ould reckon n o t less th an 15 m ds. p er diem , and a t th e G overnm ent p rice th is w ould m ean R3-12 p er diem, w hich would ad d an o th e r turn pice per lb to th e cost of Tea

R. A. p .) . .0 1 6

j°4)

0 6

. . .0 3 6

0 0 6

...0 0 4...0 0 6

. .0 0 G

...0 0 G

...0 7 I*

0 0 6

0 8 1*T here m ay be o th e r item s o m itted in m y calcu la­

tions, b u t if th e above are very n ea rly co rrec t, i t w ill be ev iden t th a t D arjeeling te a canno t be landed in C a lc u tta for less th a n 8 as. p e r 11) from a sm all garden . I t would be in te re s tin g to find o u t w hether these charges could be very m uch m ore m odera te on large g ard en s.— Y ours fa ith fu lly , P c n d e e m .

D arjeeling, 28 th J u ly 1881.[W e should say th e r a te is over estim ated , b u t shall

be g lad to h ea r th e opinions of o th e r D arjee ling p lan te rs on th e sub jec t. O ur corresponden t does n o t seem to have taken in to accouut th e econom y w hich m achinery should effect in m an u fac tu re .— E d . , I . T. Gazette, j

S IL K PR O D U C T IO N .I t is curious th a t fo r all th a t is constan tly being

sahl ab o u t “ new p ro d u c ts " in th e local press, th e re is h a rd ly ever an y m en tion of s ilk excel)t in our paper. Y e t th e re is no p ro d u c t for w h ich th is coun try is be tte r ad ap ted , none th a t requ ires a less o u tlay of cap ita l, and none th a t gives a m ore speedy re tu rn . T h e silkw orm eggs ob ta ined from Ja p a n by F a th e r P a lla d id no t tu rn o u t so well as w as expected . T he silkw orm s from th em w ere ns h e a lth y as could be w ished, b u t m any of th e eggs d id n o t h a tch , and o n ly abo u t seven ounces of C eylon eggs w ere p ro ­duced from each ounce of Ja p a n ones. T h is is p e r ­haps no th ing to g rum ble about, b u t i t is hoped th a t a m uch b e tte r re su lt w ill be obtained in th e second generation . T he Ja p a n eggs reached th is c o u n try in th e beginning of la s t D ecem ber, an d th e y began to h a tch im m ediately a f te r th e ir a rriv a l. T he firs t C ey­lon eggs w ere la id about th e m id d le of J a n u a ry , an d

70

th ese began to h a tc h in th e m idd le of J u ly , exactly six m on ths a f te r th e y h ad been la id . A few eggs of th e second g enera tion have a lready been o b ta in ed ,

j an d i t is con fiden tly ex pected th a t th e re w ill be som e I fo r ex p o rta tio n in tim e for th e n e x t E uropean silk

season. In coun tries w here silk is an es tab lished in- , d u s try , i t is n o t necessary t h a t every silk p roducer

sh ou ld be a m u lb erry p lan te r . The “ ed u ca tio n ," as 1 i t is called , of th e s ilkw orm an d th e cu ltiv a tio n of ! th e m u lb erry tre e can be—as in F rance th e y often i a re —sep ara te em ploym ents conducted by d ifferen t p e r ­

sons ; b u t in th is co u n try i t is, fo r th e p resen t,. necessary to have a p la n ta tio n cf m u lb erry trees before | th e rea rin g of silkw orm s in sufficient q u a n ti ty fo r | com m ercial purposes can be successfully a ttem p ted , j T h ree species of m ulberry have a lread y been n a tu ra l- | ized in C eylon, nam ely , th e com m on so rt (M o m s I Indica), th e large-leafed P h ilip p in e I s la n d v a rie ty (M .I m ulticaulis), and th e w h ite m u lb e rry (M . A lba). Books : on th e c id tu re of s ilk say th a t if th e leaves of th e ! b lack , red, an d w h ite m u lberry trees be g iven to silk- | w orm s a ll a t once, th ey w ill ea t th e w hile firs t, th e n ! th e red , an d la s 'ly th e b lack , b u t here th e y seem

to lik e th e leaves of th e M . Ind ica , A lba, and M u lti- ! caulis a ll equally w ell. I f th e re is any difference in

th e q u a lity of th e leaves of th ese th re e species, th o se of th e w h ite m u lb erry are th e best, b u t th is tree requ ires b e tte r soil th a n e ith e r of th e o th e r tw o, an d o th e r th in g s being equal, i t w ill n o t bear so larg e a crop of leaves as th e m ulticaulis. T h e com ­m on so rt is th e b e s t k in d for f ru it, b u t i ts h a b it of bearing f ru i t ab u n d a n tly is n o t a des irab le q u a lity in a tree grow n for th e sake o f th e leaves. T h e bes t w ay to ob ta in large leaves of good q u a lity is to p rune th e trees in to sh o rt po llards, as th e leaves borne on su ckers a re la rg er and b e tte r th a n th o se borne on th e o ld b ranches of h ig h trees. T h is is th e Ja p an ese m ethod , as th e Jap an ese do n o t approve of h av in g th e trees of a g rea te r h e ig h t th a n suffices to keep th e leaves from being sp lashed w ith m ud by th e rain . T hey do no t o ften m ake p lan ta tio n s of m u lb erry alone, b u t u su a lly have th e trees p lan ted in hedges across th e ir corn field--, th e m u lb erry being a tre e th a t , u n lik e m ost o thers, does n o t in ju re p la n ts grow ing n ea r it, e ith e r by a b s trac tin g no u rish m en t o r by th e

\ shade o r d ropp ing of ra in from its leaves. T he m ul- ! be rry itse lf does not, how ever, grow lu x u ria n tly in

th e shade of o th e r trees, an d leaves th a t have been : g row n in th e shade are n o t so m uch lik ed b y silk -

w orm s as tho se th a t have been g row n in sunsh ine — p ro b ab ly ow ing to a deficiency of saccharine m a tte r in th e form er. I n E urope, th e m u lb e rry is com m only

I grow n as a la rge tree , a m eth o d w hich besides pro- j ducing leaves of in ferio r q u a lity , ren d ers th e g a th e r ­

in g of th em m ore troub lesom e th a n w hen th e tre e s | a re p ru n ed in th e Jap an ese w ay. O ne ad v an tag e of j h igh trees, how ever, is th a t th e y do n o t requ ire to

be fen'ccd, as th e leaves are beyond th e reach of c a ttle ;! b u t th e Ja p an ese do not. keep m any ca tlle , and con- j sequen tly do n o t care for t h a t advan tage .

T hough th e re is less noise m ade ab o u t s ilk th a n a b o u t several of th e o th e r “ new p ro d u c t- ,” y e t we believe th e tim e w ill come w hen i t w ill be a m ore im p o rta n t p ro d u c t th a n any of ihem , as i t is a d a p t­able to a g re a te r d iv e rs ity of soil and clim ate th a n any of th e o thers, and is an artic le fo r w hich th e dem and is p rac tica lly u n lim ited . S ilk p ro d u c tio n is also a business th a t can be done by persons w ho can n e ith e r do h a rd w ork them selves n o r afford to p ay m uch in w ages to o th ers . — Ceylon C. Messenger.

V A N ILL A .(F rom th e M onthly M agazine.)

T he genus van illa , says M r. G. W .FSeptim us Piesse, is indigenous to P eiu , B razil, and M exico, an d som e of th e species have been successfu lly c u ltiv a te d in

th e W e s t In ^ ia Is lan d s , C eylon, M a u ritiu s . F ro m th e last-nam ed , w onderfu l specim ens w ere se n t to our in terco lon ia l exh ib itio n of 1862, fo r w hich th e ju ro rs aw ard ed a go ld m edal.

T h e vanilla w ill p roduce saleable pods th e th ird or fou rth year a f te r propagation , and they m ay then he ga th ered annually in S ep tem ber in increasing q u a n ti­tie s for th i r ty o r even fo rty years. Two goo.l speci­m ens of th e p la n t m ay be seen in th e O rchid H ouse a t Kew.

W hen th e pods are g a th e red , w h ich should be done before th e y are q u ite ripe, i t is m ost im p o rta n t th a t they be p ro p erly cured , o therw ise th e y rap id ly b e ­come m ouldy and lose th e ir scent. P arce ls in th is condition m ay o ften be found in th e M incing L ane d ru g auctions. T he cu ring of th e pods is bes t effected by d ry in g th em in a m odera te hea t, p ressing th em w ith th e th u m b an d finger from end to end, and th e n b ru sh in g th em over w ith an oil th a t does n o t itse lf become rancid , such as th a t of cocoa o r cashew n u t. I t is a t th e apex of th e pod th a t th e m ouldy p a ras ite firs t appears, th e pods th e n q u ick ly become soft an d flabby, o r dry7 an d chippy. On th e o ther han d , w hen van illa pods are in good condition , th ey becom e covered w ith an efflorescence of needle-like crysta ls of vanillic acid ; th e in te r io r of th e bean is th e n soft, u n ctuous , and balsam ic. T hese crysta ls m ay be sub lim ed by b ea t of a sand b a th . F ew objects are m ore beau tifu l th a n th is w hen v iew ed b y a m i­croscope w ith th e aid of po larised ligh t.

I . F . H . Johnsfon s ta te s th a t th e f ru it of th is p lan t w hen rip e is said to y ield from tw o to six d rops of a liq u id w hich has an ex qu isite odour, and bears th e nam e of “ balsam of van illa .” T his balsam is, how ­ever, n ever seen in E urope, consequen tly i t has nev er appeared com m ercially in th e m ark e t. T he pods a re d ried in ' th e su n and a fte rw ard s s lig h tly ferm en ted for th e purpose of developing th e ir o d o u r ; w hen fresh, th ey are sa id to have no perfum e. P h y sio ­logically , th e fragrance of th e van illa ac ts upon th e system as an arom atic s tim u lan t, ex h ilara ting the m en ta l functions, and increasing genera lly th e energy of th e an im al system . A bou t tw o cen turies ago van illa m ay be sa id to have been unknow n in th is co u n try ; i t is how ever s ta ted , th a t M organ, apo thecary to Queen E lizabeth , show ed H er M ajesty a sam ple, b u t he kn ew n o th in g m ore ab o u t i t th a n th a t “ i t was b ro u g h t from abroad by some Spanish m e rc h a n ts .”

A few years back th e average im porta tion of th is a r tic le w as about five o r six hundred w eig h t, w hich a rriv ed , from some unknow n cause, very irreg u la rly , an d as a consequence caused g rea t fluc tuations in th e price. A t th e p re sen t tim e th e to ta l annual average crop of a ll th e varieties of v an illa from th e several countries w hich produce it m ay be e s tim ated a t 80,000 lb ., represen ting a va lue of n o t less th a n £150,000.

In o rd er to ob ta in th e perfum e or essence, h a ll a pound of th e pods are s l i t from end to end, so as to lay open th e in te rio r ; th e n c u t them u p in len g th s of about a q u a r te r of an inch , an d p u t in to one gal­lon of pu re alcohol of GOO over proof, and m acerated w ith occasional ag ita tio n fo r ab o u t a m onth , a t w hich tim e a ll th a t is w o rth e x tra c tin g w ill be found in th e sp irit, w hich m ay th en be stra in ed off q u ite c lear and b r ig h t. I t is th e n su itab le as a flavoring agent,o r w hen b lended w ith o th e r scents i t m akes com ­pound odours or boquets. Those sold u n d er th e ti t le s of clem atis, helio trope , wall-flovver, &c., m ostly con­ta in ab o u t one-half of van illa e x tra c t.

T he follow ing gives a goodESSENCE OF WALLFLOWER.

E x tra c t fleur d ’orange . . . ... 1 p in t„ van illa i ,,

E sp r it de rose 1 ,,E x tra c t of o rris ... ... .. ^ ,,

, , cassic ... ... ... | ,,E ssen tia l oil of a lm onds ... ... 5 drops

T his shou ld be p repared fo r tw o or th re e w eeks p rio r to p u ttin g u p for sale.

T he o dour of helio trope resem bles a m ix tu re of van illa a n d alm onds, and is w ell im ita ted th u s :—

EXTRACT OF HELIOTROPE.S p iritu o u s ex tra c t of v an illa ... ... ^ p in t

,, ,, F re n ch rose p o ­m a tu m ... ... ... ... ... i ,,

S p irituous e x tra c t of orange flow er... 2 ounces,, ,, am b erg ris ... 1 ounce

E ssen tia l oil of a lm onds ... ... 5 d rops

U S E F U L W R IN K L E S A N D R E C IP E S F O R P L A N T E R S .

(From th e In d ia n Tea Gazette, 6 th A u g u s t 1881.){Continued fr o m page 300.)

Stables, To rem ove ra n k sm ell o f.— Saw dust, w etted w ith su lp h u ric acid, d ilu te d w ith 40 p a r ts of w ater, and d is tr ib u te d ab o u t horse stab les, w ill rem ove th e d isagreeab le am m oniacal smell.

Horses, to keep flies fro m .— M ake an in fusion of3 handfu ls of w a ln u t leaves in 3 q ts of cold w a te r . L e t th is s ta n d over n ig h t an d bo il for a q u a r te r o f a n h our in th e m orning. W h en cold ru b i t over th e ears, neck an d o th e r irr ita b le p a r ts of th e an im al, w ith a m o ist sponge.

E ggs , To p re se rv e .— M ix to g e th er in a tu b o r vessel 1 bushel of quicklim e, 32 ozs. of sa lt, 8 ozs. cream of ta r ta r , w ith as m uch w a te r as w ill reduce com ­position to a sufficient consistence to float an egg. I t is sa id th a t th is t re a tm e n t w ill preserve th e eggs p erfe c tly sound fo r tw o years a t least.

Insect B ites. — A good rem ed y is borax , 1 oz. d isso lved in 1 p in t w a te r p rev iously boiled and allow ed to cool.

M ustard Poultice, To m ake a .— In m aking a m u s ta rd p la s te r use no w ate r, b u t m ix th e m u sta rd w ith w h ite of eggs, an d th e re su lt w ill be a p la s te r w h ich will d raw p erfec tly , b u t w ill n o t p roduce a b lis te r, no m a tte r how long i t is allow ed to rem ain .

Sleeplessness, C ure fo r .— M r. F ra n k B uck land says : “ I f I am m uch pressed w ith w ork , an d feel I shall n o t sleep, I e a t tw o or th re e sm all onions an d th e effect is m agical. O nions a re also excellen t th in g s to ea t w hen m uch exposed to in ten se cold. I n salm on fishing, com m on raw onions enable m en to bear th e ice an d cold of th e sem i-frozen w ater m uch b e tte r th a n sp irits , beer, etc. I f a person can n o t sleep, i t is because th e blood is in h is b ra in , n o t in b is s tom ach ; th e rem edy , th e re fo re , is obvious : call th e blood dow n from th e b rain to th e stom ach . T h is is to be done b y ea tin g a b iscu it, a h ard -b o iled egg, a b it of b read an d cheese, o r som ething. Follow th is up w ith a glass of w ine or m ilk , o r even w ater, and you w ill fall as leep .”

Styp tic paper, F o r stopp ing th e b leed ing of sm all w ounds.— M ix gum benzoin (best q u a lity ), 1 lb ; rock alum , 1 lb .; w a te r , 4£ gals. Boil in a t in vessel for4 hours, rep lac ing th e w a te r lo s t by evaporation . S a tu ra te p aper w ith th e so lu tion , d ry carefu lly an d b rush over w ith a con cen tra ted solution of pcrch lo ride of iron. K eep in a w ater-p roo f an d a ir - tig h t case.

Toothache.— S a tu ra te a b it of c o tto n wool in a s trong so lu tion -of am m onia, an d ap p ly i t im m edia te ly to th e affected tooth.

M ucilage, P o c k e t.— Boil 1 lb. bes t w h ite g lue an d s tra in very c le a r ; boil also 4 oz?. isinglass, and m ix th e tw o to g e th e r ; p lace th em in a w a te r .b a th (glue k e ttle ) w ith J lb. w h ite sugar an d evapora te t i l l th e liq u id is q u ite th ic k , when i t is to be poured in to m oulds, d ried , an d c u t in to pieces of conven ien t size. T h is im m ed ia te ly d issolves in w a te r , an d fastens p aper very firm ly.

Boots, W e t.— W hen th e boots a re ta k e n off, fill th em q u ite fu ll w ith d ry oats. T h is g ra in has a

g rea t fondness for dam p, au d w ill rap id ly absorb th e leas t vestige of i t from th e w e t lea th e r . A s i t q u ick ly au d com pletely ta k e s u p th e m oisture, i t sw ells an d fills th e boot w ith a r ig h tly f ittin g la s t, keep ing i ts form good, an d d ry in g the le a th e r w ith ­o u t harden ing it. In th e m orning, shake o u t the oats an d hang th em in a bag n ea r th e fire to d ry , read y for th e n e x t w et n ig h t ; d raw on th e boots, an d go happ ily and com fortably abou t th e d ay ’s w ork.

M ildew , T o rem ove.— M ake a very iveak so lu tionof chloride of lim e in w ate r (about a teaspoonful toa q u a rt of w ater), s tra in i t carefu lly an d d ip th e spo t on th e garm en t in to i t ; and if th e m ildew does n o t d isappear im m ediately , lay i t in th e sun for a few m inutes, o r d ip i t again in to th e lim e w ater. T he w ork is effectually an d speedily done, and th e ch lo ride of lim e n e ith e r ro ts th e c lo th nor rem oves delicate colors, w hen sufficiently d ilu te d and th e artic les rinsed a fte rw ard s in clear w ater.

Boots, W aterproofing. —Use a piece of paraffine candle ab o u t th e size of a nu t, disso lved in la rd oil a t 140* F a b r. Apply once a m onth .

B ats, To c a tc h .— Cover a com m on b arre l w ith stiff aper, ty in g th e edge a round th e b arre l, P lace a o ard so th a t th e ra ts can have easy access to th e

top. Sp rink le cheese o r o th e r b a it on th e paper, a n d allow th e ra ts to ea t th e re unm olested for several days. T hen place in th e bo ttom of th e b a rre l astone 6 o r 7 inches high, au d pour iu w a te r u n til a ll th e stone is covered, ex cep t fo r a space abo u t b ig enough for one r a t to craw l upon. N ow replace th e paper, firs t c u ttin g a cross in th e m iddle. T he tirs t ra t t h a t clim bs on th e b a rre l- to p goes th ro u g h in to th e w ate r, and clim bs on th e stone. T he paper comes b ack to its orig inal position and th e second r a t follow s th e firs t. T hen begins a fight fo r th e possession of th e d ry place on th e stone, th e noise of w h ich a t t r a c ts th e o thers, w ho share th e sam e fate.

Leather, to w a te r p ro o f.—S a tu ra te w ith cas to r oil. T his is excellen t for w in te r boots.

Mice, To k il l ,— S prink le some g rain near th e holes, an d th ro w near by a few b its of cotton sa tu ra te d in chloroform . T h is has been te s te d , and m ice have been found dead, tw o or th ree a t a tim e, lv ing w ith th e ir noses n ear th e cotton .

G R A FT IN G D E C ID U O U S F R U IT T R E E S .(From th e A ustra lasian .)

A lthough we published as la te ly as la s t y ea r d irec ­tions for perfo rm ing th e operation of g ra ftin g , we a re again u nder th e necessity of repea tin g , in effect, th e in form ation th e n given, in o rd er to com ply w ith th e request of several of our readers. T he te rm g ra f t ­ing , as in te rp re te d by B ritish gardeners, has a m ore re s tr ic ted app lica tion than is accorded to i t b y th e F rench . In E ngland th e te rm g ra ftin g is app lied only to th e practice of affixing to a tree , called th e stock, a p o rtio n of a b ranch of an o th e r tree , w hich portion is called th e scion. E nglish g ardeners d iv ide th e opera’ion of g ra ftin g in to th re e species, v iz , g rafting , budding , and inarch ing . On th e co n tin en t of E urope no such d istin c tio n is observed ; in F rance a ll of these operations are represen ted by th e general term grajfe , hence, graffe p a r gemmes—g raftin g b y buds, w hich w e call budding.

W e a re abou t to speak of g ra ftin g in its lim ited English application . T he scion, th en , is a cu ttin g of a tree o r p la n t on w hich th e scion is to be engrafted . G rafting, therefore, is th e opera tion of p lacing and affixing to g e th e r tw o c u t portions of p lan ts o r trees in such position as to p e rm it of th e ir becom ing per- m anen tly un ited . I t is im p o rtan t to ‘u n d e rs ta n d th a t th e union does n o t ex tend over th e w hole c u t s u r ­face of th e scion, m uch less over th a t of th e stock,

w hich is la rger, an d of w hich , the re fo re , on ly a p o r­tio n is even covered by th e scion. W ood a lready form ed is incapab le of fu r th e r g ro w th , and , th e r e ­fore, canno t un ite . T h e tru e un ion is effected a t th e p o in t a t w hich sap exudes from th e stock , nam ely , b e tw een th e wood an d th e in n e r bark . T h e new lay e r of ce llu la r m a tte r w ould be th e re fo rm ed w ere th e tre e lefc to grow as usual, an d b y th e fo rm atio n of th e new lay e r th e un ion of th e sto ck and scion is effected. F ro m th e foregoing i t w ill be c lea rly u n ­derstood th a t th e success of th e o p era tio n of g r a f t ­ing depends upon th e accuracy of th e jo in ing . I f th e in n e r b a rk s of scion and stock do n o t m eet an d fit closely, th e c ircu la tio n of th e sap betw een th e stock an d th e new head w ill n o t be m ain ta ined , in which, ev en t th e scion w ill die. T h is p rinc ip le app lies to every d escrip tion of g rafiiug—an d th e re a re m any — th e differences being such as are due chiefly to d iffer­ences in th e sizes an d ages of th e stocks ; scions of la s t season 's g row th being used a lik e for a ll. T h e k in d of g rafting m ost com m only used for sm all stocks is whip, splice, o r tongue grafting . F igu re 2 is an illu s tra tio n of a very com m on m ethod of to n g u e-g ra ft­ing, b u t we ehall firs t re fe r to figure 1, as affording an ill iv tra t io n of a ve ry perfec t m ethod of app ly ing th e princip le . I f in th e young stem (figure 1) th e edge of a sharp knife be en tered a t a, an d w ith one stra ig h t, sloping c u t b ro u g h t ou t a t h, and if th e p a r ts be again jo ined ex ac tly , tie s a t c and <1 w ill ho ld th em to g e th er, so th a t th e y would n o t be read ily d isp laced . A s th e in n e r barks w ould ex ac tly m eet, th e c ircu la tion of the sap w ould p roceed as usua l, and a union w ould be effected in due course. T h is , th en , w ould afford a m ost perfec t exam ple of g ra ftin g —lik e p a rts being everyw here jo ined to like. B u t as i t is ra re ly po sib le to em ploy scions of th e same sizes as th e s to c k s , excep t in th e case of yearlin g stocks, th e process of g ra ftin g has to be v a r ie d —still, however, keeping th e princip le in v iew of p lac ing in close co n tac t a sufficient p o rtion of th e in n e r harks of both stock and scion to m a in ta in th e c ircu lation of th e sap. W here th e stock an d scion do no t differ very g re a tly in size, as in th e case < f figure 2 —w hich illu s tra te s w liip -grafting , th e w hole of th e in n e r b a rk s can be b ro u g h t in to c o n ta c t—a is th e sciou, b is th e stock. M r. R obe t Thom pson, w hose i l lu s tr a ­tio n s w e have produced, th u s describes th is exam ple :—

“ In each a c u t su rface is exh ib ited , show ing th e wood a a. T he p o in ts a t th e ex trem itie s of th e d o tte d lin«, a and a, to u ch th e in n e r b a rk s of b o th stock au d scion, w h ils t th e p o in ts a t b to u ch th e ou ter bark s. I t w ill be read ily observed th a t th e b a rk of th e stock , because older, is th ic k e r th a n th a t of the sc io n ; consequently if, as o u g h t to be th e case, equal surfaces of wood are exposed, th e c u t su rface of the scion w ould n o t com pletely cover th a t of th e stock, nor would th is ever be th e case ex cep t w hen th e ba rk s of bo th stock an d scion are of equal th ickness. In proceeding to opera te c u t th e to p of th e stock in a sloping d irection from c to w ard s d, te rm in a tin g , if possible, above a bud , developed or la te n t, as a t d. Then ta k e th e scion an d c u t i t sloping from above c, and th in tow ards th e end a t / ; n ex t e n te r th e kn ife a t h, an d c u t a th in tongue up w ard s to c. T he scion is now prepared . T hen, proceeding to th e stock, e n te r th e kn ife a t g, an d c u t a slice up w ard s to c, so th a t th e surface of th e wood sh a ll be, as nearly as possible, a c o u n te rp a rt of th e exposed surface of th e wood of th e scion. I f th is sh ou ld happen to be th e case by a single cu t, so m uch th e b e tte r , b u t if not, i t shou ld ra th e r be too n arrow th a n too w ide, for in th a t case a shav ing can be ta k e n off t i l l th e cu t face a of th e sto ck equals t i n t of th e scion. E n te r th e kn ife very l i t t le below c, and c u t a no tch to receive th e tongue of th e scion ; t h n notch should be k e p t op ’n w ith th e o o in t of th e kn ife w h ils t th e tongue of th e scion is being in se rte d ; th e in n e r b a rk ,

in d ica ted b y th e po in ts a t th e ends of th e d o tte d lines a a o f th e scion a n d stock , sh o u ld be p laced in con tact, t h e p a r ts secured b y ty in g w ith m a ttin g o r o th e r m ateria l, an d su rrounded w ith clay , g ra ftin g w ax, o r o th e r substances, to exclude th e a ir a n d w et.

“ S add le-g ra ftin g .— T his is rep re sen ted by figure 3. I t canno t be w ell perfo rm ed ex cep t when th e sto ck a n d scion are of n early equ a l th ick n ess. T h e stock A is c u t sloping on bo th sides lik e a w edge te rm in ­a t in g a t c. T he scion B is sp lit up th e cen tre , and each ha lf is th in n ed to m ake i t f it a s tr id e th e wedge- l ke end of th e s to c k . A th in , n a rrow -b laded knife should be em ployed fo r th is purpose. T he in n e r bark of th e scion au d stock h iv ing been m ade to coincide as nearly as possible, th e p a r ts shou ld be secured by a lig a tu re and covered w ith some g ra ftin g com position.

“ T h is m ode of g ra ftin g is liab le to som e o b jec ­tions. U nless th e scion is cu t ou t w ith o u t sp littin g , th e re m ust be a ren t, as from c to il, w hich w ill never unite , an d is even liab le to open a n d fo rm a blem ish. T he operation req u ires m ore tim e to perform th a n w h ip-grafting , and , as a lready observed, i t c a n ­n o t be well em ployed unless th e stock is n early of th e sam e size as th e scion, for, supposing th e s 'o ck to be J in. in d iam eter, an d th e scion only J in ., th e in n e r bark m igh t be jo ined a t th e low er p a r t, b u t could no t possibly be so a t th e th in n ed edge a t th e top of th e stock ; On th e con trary , 4 in. of th e wood m u st be there uncovered by th e sc ion .”

In our n ex t th e prac tice of c left, no tch , an ti crow n grafting will be described.

C i n c h o n a in W e s t A f r i c a . — U n d er th e auspices of th e Irv ings tone E xped ition , th e cu ltiv a tio n of th e various species of c inchona is to be tr ie d in th e m oun­ta in valleys of th e Congo.

T e a F e r m e n t a t i o n . —A sim ple an d p rac tica l w ay to m ake a ll y ou r leaf fe rm en t ev en ly ,is to s ift i t w ith a half inch (mers) sieve im m ediately a f te r th e final rolling, an d i t w ill be found th a t abo u t 4 per cent, of o rd in ­arily ro lled leaf w ill have fallen th ro u g h ; p u t th is in to your ferm enting tray s, b u t in a separa te lin e to th e c o a r e r leaf, w hich has n o t gone th ro u g h th e sieve, and w hen read y for opening o u t (w hich w ill vary from a q u a r te r to th re= -quarters of an h o u r before th e o ther) keep and d ry i t separa te , as i t w ill also ta k e less tim e to d ry th a n th e h ard er ; one m an can easily s if t 12 m ds. p er hour, i. e., b y hav ing th e sieve suspended from some su p p o rt to enable him to use i t som ew hat a f te r th e m otion or ac tion of -Jackson’s s ifting m achine, which is by th e w ay som eth ing like h is d ry e r .— I. /'. Gazett".

T e a P r u n i n g , i t s c o n n e c t i o n w i t h R e d S p i d e r . —I have no ted th a t th e bushes p runed in D ecem ber and J a n u ­ary , becam e d ry in th e ou te r b a rk from long expo lire to th e sun, and were soon affected w ith s p id e r ; those

Eruned in F ebruary and M arch, before th e bushes egan to p u t out new shoots, escaped s p id e r ; w hile

th o se p ru n ed a f te r th e new shoo ts sp rung , were cover ed w ith sp ider. On blocks of te a a t d ifferent ends of th e g trd e n , th e e a rly p ru n ed p a r ts w ere b row n, th e la te r p runed p a r ts green , and only h a lf th e bushes in a few of th e in te rv en in g row s w ere to u ch ed w ith sp ider. R ed sp ider w astes ab o u t an e ig h th of the crop, an d reduces th e q u a lity of th e te a fo r th e se.as.in. T ru s tin g these rem arks m ay e lic it some fu rth e r p rac tica l inform ation on th e su b je c t.— / . T , Gazette.

P a p e r . M a t e r i a l s . — F rom tim e to tim e appear in th e period icals notices of some new m ateria l like Banana fibre, Bam boo shoots, B lue-graes, an d th e like , w hich have all in com m on th e same grave d efect —th e necessity of special cu ltiv a tio n , and therefore I have never seen -anything to com e oitfc of th e m ex ­cep t hobbies for benevolent an d sanguine persons to tr o t out. B u t from th e tra d e re tu rn s of In d ia i t ■appears th a t F la x m u st be grow n extensively in th e n o rth -w es t, and th a t th e L inseed alone is saved.

W h a t becomes of th e s ta lk s ? By steam ing aud tre a tin g th em w ith a lk a lin e w ashes, o r by som e o th e r of th e m any p a te n te d processes fo r d isengag ing th e fibre from th e gum an d th e b a rk , w ill i t n o t be possible to convert th a t m ass of refuse m a te ria l in to p ap e r pu lp , if n o t in to fibre fit to be sp u n ?—has i t ever beeu proposed o r tried ? I could say th e sam e of th e tw ig s of th e silk M ulberry , th e b a rk of w hich is one of th e various m ateria ls u sed in m aking th e tough paper of Ja p a n , th o u g h legs genera lly th a n th a t of th e pap er M u lb e rry (B roussonetia) o r th e E d g ew o rth ia papyrifera . A ny q u a n tity of M ulb e rry tw ig s could be h ad in th e south of F ran ce an d L om bardy , w here those cu ttin g s are used only as household fuel. S u itab le spots w ith an abundance of good w ater could be found in th o se coun tries for es tab lish in g th e w orks. — F . V a n V o l x e m .— G ardeners’ Chronicle.

T o b acco s.—Should th e re p o rt th a t th e Span ish G o­v e rn m en t is ab o u t to d iscon tinue the- tobacco m ono­poly in th e P h ilip p iu e Is lan d s p rove tru e , one of th e closest and m ost s tr ic tly enforced m onopolies t h a t ever ex isted w ill be p u t an en d to . T h e p ro d u c tio n of th e M anilla cheroo t was fenced about w ith p ro tec tiv e regu la tions even from before th e m om ent th a t th e tobacco seed was p u t in to th e g round alm ost u n til th a t a t w hich i t w as p laced betw een th e lip s of th e sm oker. Some lan d in ihe I s la n d of L iifon being b e lte r su ited to th e cu ltiv a tio n of th e p la n t th an o thers, a ll ow ners an d occupiers of p ro p e rty in c e rta in d is ­t r ic ts had to see th a t a p rop o rtio n of th e ir lan d u n ­d er c u ltiv a tio n —th e am o u n t being reg u la ted b y th e G o v ern m en t—was devoted to grow ing tobacco. T he kind of seed sow n and th e m ode of rea rin g th e p la n ts w ere closely supervised by th e au th o rities . T h e p ro ­d u c t of th e h a rv e s t cou ld be purchased on ly b y th e G overnm ent ; an d no one else could m an u fac tu re i t in to cigars o r cheroots. N o u n m anufactu red to acco cou ld be so ld even for ex porta tion , unless i t w ere to be ca rried beyond th e Cape of G ood H o p e—a regu la­tio n m ade to p reven t th e s ta r tin g of a r iv a l m anu­fac tu re a t M acao or H ong Kong. T he factories of M anilla an d C av ite are im m ense es tab lishm en ts. E v e ry v isito r to th e fo rm er c ity m u st have been s tru c k by th e crow ds of “ h a n d s ” — chiefly T agal w o­men an d g ir ls— w hich stream o u t of th e ir ga tes a t th e close of th e w o rk in g h ours. T h e ir in te re s t in th e proposed change m u st be considerable. T h e sy s tem pursued in Cub i has long been a lto g e th e r d ifferen t. I’he vega* o r tobacco farm s of th e ce leb ra ted V u e lta

A bajo— the region in w hich th e finest tobaccos a re g row n— are usua lly sm all ho ld ings c u ltiv a te d chiefly , if n o t en tire ly , by w h ite m en. S lave lab o u r in C uba lias h ad l i t t le to do w ith th e p ro d u c tio n of a t le a s t th e raw m ateria l of th e celebrated H avana cigars, b u t w as p rin c ip a lly em ployed on th e g re a t su g a r e s­ta te s . T he cu ltiv a tio n of th e p lan t, free as i t is, is n o t m ore so th a n th e m anufac tu re of th e cigars an d c ig a r­e tte s . T hough th e huge facto ries of M an illa a re n o t to be found a t H avana, a rem ark ab le change in th e system of c igar m aking has ta k e n p lace w ith in th e la s t five-and tw e n ty years. A t th e beginning of t h a t period th e sm all factories w ere m any in n u m b er ; som e s tr e e ts —n otab ly th e C alle de l Sol and th e C alle O bispo — w ere lin ed w ith l i t t le shops, ill w h ich m ig h t be seen some half-a dozen w hite creoles v igorously sm ok ing an d ro lling cigars. Some years la te r th e se h ad nearly a ll d isappeared , an d th e m an u fac tu re h id a p p a re n tly passed in to th e han d s of la rge firms, w ith m an u fac t­u rin g estab lish m en ts of considerable size. T he g re a t c ig are tte w orks of L a H onradez were one of th e s ig h ts of th e c ity . T hough p erhaps n o t even those w hose E aste rn experiences ten d to preserve p leasan t reco l­lections of th e M anilla p la n t w ill d isp u te th e su p e ri­o rity of an H avana , i t is w o rth rem em bering th a t th e form er was, an d indeed is, b y a long w ay th e ch eap e r.— P a ll M all Budget.

T H E LA B O U R D IF F IC U L T Y IN F I J I .(From th e F iji T im rs) J u ly 6 th .)

In again rev ertin g to th e rep ly of h is E x c e lle n c y to th e d ep u ta tio n th a t recen tly -waited upon him w ith reference to th e insufficiency of th e lab o r supp ly for 1881, w e propose to d raw a tte n tio n to its general bearing upon th e n ative question . T he proposition of th e lion. E d w ard L angton w as to th e effect th a t in view of th e serious* losses ce rta in to be en ta iled on p lan te rs th ro u g h a w an t of hands, and considering th e e x ten t to w hich th e progress of th e colony w ould be th ereb y re ta rd e d , h is Excellency shou ld in tim a te to the chiefs th a t th e G overnm ent opposition to th e ir young men engaging as ag ricu ltu ra l laborers was te m ­p o ra rily w ith d raw n . T he rep ly w as as decisive as th e reasons advanced in su p p o rt of i t were weak and un tenab le. “H is Excellency was opposed to th e in ­d en tu re of F ijia n s for a long period , a t a d istance from th e ir hom es, and w hile he w as w illing to desrote b is tim e an d energy to assis t th e p lan te rs in o th er ways, he could hold o u t no hope w hatev er in th is d i­rec tion .” I t w ill be noticed th a t th e use of th e w ords “ long period” is alm ost G o rd o n im in i ts d ip lom atic finesse. To th e F ijian pub lic it. of course conveys no o th er m eaning th a n th a t of tw elve m onths, th e longest period perm issib le u n d e r O rdinance, b u t to readers a t a d istance i t is charm ingly indefin ite , and m ay m ean an y in te rv a l superven ing betw een boyhood an d old age. In arriv ing a t th e above conclusion, M r. D es Vceux was dealing w ith a m a tte r seriously affecting tw o d is tin c t b u t n o t d iverse in te re s ts . I f these in te rests are in im ical ; if .an assen t to th e su g ­gestion m ade on behalf of th e p lan te rs could in its operation exercise an in ju rious effect upon e ith e r th e m oral, social, o r general w ell-being ' of th e F ijian , th e n , th e decision is m ost u n d o u b ted ly th e correc t one, even though th e progress of th e colony should suffer in consequence. If , how ever, in s tea d of being in im ical, these in te re s ts a re id e n tic a l; if th e benefit conferred upon th e p la n te r by a consen t to th is p ro ­position w ould be equally sh a re d in b y th e F ijian , w hile a t th e sam e tim e th e progress of th e colony w ould be th e reb y m ate ria lly advanced, th e official veto can h u t be reg ard ed as a m ost lam en tab le e rro r in judgm en t. H is Excellency affirm s a belief in th e firat position,, an d there fo re claim s to be r ig h t in h is j r e fu s a l ; we as confidently a sse rt th e correctness of j th e second, an d consequently im peach bo th th e ju s tice I an d good policy of th e course adopted . T he hon. E . L angton rep resen ted no less th an £100,000 of im ported cap ita l invested in th e colony by th e M ango j Is lan d P la n ta tio n C om pany on th e s tre n g th of th is im plied prom ise, and , fa iling th e supp ly of P o ly n e ­sians, he sim ply asked th a t those F ijian s w ho w ere w illing, m igh t be p e rm itted to work for wages, th e reb y benefiting them se lves, th e p lan ters, an d th e colony a t large. H ad th e req u est been m ade of S ir A rth u r G ordon, he w ould have g iven an ovcrpow eringly j gracious consen t to it, if only to ad d a specious color : to h is own previous assertions, an d th e sam e even- \ ing w ould have despatched a m essage to th e chiefs, d irec tly p roh ib iting any laborer leaving h is province. M r. Des Vceux has p refe rred to deal ho n estly w ith th e p lan ters ; he has u tte r ly discarded the tran sp a ren t fic ion of free agency h ith e r to so p ersis ten tly em ployed an d has th e .co u rag e to s ta te th e n ak ed b u t u n p a la t­able t r u th ; th a t the^ F ijian B ritish sub jec t is n o t n free m a n ; th a t h is labor is n>*t his ow n to dispose o f ; and th a t he shall n o t earn h is liv ing in h is own w ay by w orking for th e p lan te rs , how ever m uch lr.s inc lination or in te re s t m ay p rom pt h im to th a t course.

T he system by w hich the en tire lab o r of the F ijian is m onopolised by th e G overnm ent for revenue raising , purposes is inheren tly vicious in princip le an d m ost d isastrously ru inous in p rac tice , both to th e m orale ; and physique of th e native, besides w hich i t has n o t

80

even th e con tem p tib le m erit of financial success to recoin m end i t . It. is slavery , w ith th e d isgraceful a d ­ju n c t th a t i t perseveres in th e m iserab le a ffe c ta tio n of an a tte m p t to disguise its rea l ch a rac te r u n d e r t h e , h ypocritica l garb of p h ilan th ro p y . Can th e F ij ia n su b jec t of th e B ritish Crow n, ex is tin g u n d e r its o p ­e ration , say, “ I am a F ree M a n .” H is E x ce llen cy has answ ered “ N o .” T hen the. p rp e tu a tio n of th e system is a d isgrace to th e G overnm ent th a t has in ­augu ra ted i t an d a scandal to th e flag und er th e shadovfr of w hich i t is m ain ta ined

IN D IA N G O LD M IN IN G .A “ P ra c tica l M in e r” w rites to th e M ining J o u r n a l : —I have read in y o u r valuab le Jo u rn a l of J u ly 9 th , a

com m unicated artic le on th e In d ian gold m ines, w r itte n , I suppose, b y som e m in ing eng ineer w ho has h ad th e necessary tra in in g aud education to u n d e rs ta n d go ld m ining a t a glance.

F irs t, he says th e ch a rac te r of th e q u a rtz in th e m ines of W y n a a d and M ysore has a w axey o r m ilky appearance, and i t is en tire ly free from any fe rru g in o u s m a tr ix —p y rite s of iron . N ow , Sir, I have w orked in th e m ost p roductive m ines of b o th C alifornia a n d N evada, M y experience teaches me, if you w ish t<* find good profitable gold m ines you m u st find y o u r lodes an d reefs well charged w ith iron p y rite s . In fac t, a ll profitab le gold m ines on th e Pacific C oast are found on large n o rth and south ferruginous* veins in sla te , gneiss, g reen sto n e , quartzifc', e tc. I never saw a p rofitab le gold m ine on th e Pacific C o a st o r elsew here in th e ‘pu re com pact q u a rtz 6*0 fee t from surface. I have seen gold m ines in C alifo rn ia—the- S u tle r C reek M ine w hich w as p ro fitab ly w orked n e a r 200 fa thom s from surface, b u t th e gold w as associa ted w ith iron p y rite s an d a sm all percen tage of galena. T h e celebrated gold m ines of N evada C ounty , C a lifo rn ia -- th e R ocky b a r E ureka , A llison’s Ranch ; F ren ch L ead , a n d Id ah o M ines— w hich have been th e best p ay in g

s m ines of C a lifo rn ia—w ere found in ferrug inous lodes, some of them w orked to a d ep th of 170 fathom s. I have seen in th e pu re com pact q u a rtz veins good deposits of gold n ea r th e surface, b u t never a m ine th a t was w orked p rofitably 50 fee t from surface. A t Sonora in T uolum ne C ounty , I have know n th e clean q u a r tz veins p roductive , 20 and even 30 feet from surface My practica l experience in gold m in ing tv lls me y o u m ay as w ell ex pect to find a p rofitab le copper m ine w ith o u t su lp h u r as a profitable auriferous m ine w ith o u t iron p y rite s . A u s tra lian go ld m ines have p rec ise ly th e sam e ch a rac te ris tics , also th e gold m ines of N ova- Scotia, Brazils. T he la te C apt. Tim s. Tn-Ioar, of the- Don Pedro M ines, says th e rich p o rtions of th e lodes a re found m ore auriferous in th e ferrug inous m a tr ix th a n elsew here.

Secondly, y o u r correspondent says in th e K o lar d is t r ic t th e g round is n o t b roken up o r d is tu rb ed by , I su p ­pose, cross-cour-es o r in tersec tion of any o th e r s t r a ta , b u t sim ply th e reefs a re confined betw een tw o w ell- defined walls of exceed ing ly h a rd gneiss, a lm ost lik e a fine g rained g ran ite . N ow , an y prac tica l gold m in e r w ould consider th is an unfavourab le om en for th e p ro ­d uction of gold. I have alw ays found th e veins m ost p ro d u c tiv e for gold n ear these in te rru p tio n s, cross- courses. heaves and d islocations ; th e y are th e g re a t ir iig a to rs of a ll m etaliif-rous veins and rocks ; w ith o u t these d istu rbances th e veins are seldom p roductive fo r any d istance. A ll in te llig en t gold m iners know fron t experience th a t the q u a lity of th e veins in C alifo rn ia is d ep en d en t on th e m ysterious cffec’s of th e ju n c tio n of rocks of d ifferent com position .— M . M ail.

C A STO R O IL G A S-W O R K S A T JE Y P O R E ,A h in t for Ceylon w here th e casto r oil p lan ts g ro w

free ly can su re ly be tak en from th e follow ing :—A rep o rt b y M ajor S. S. Jacob , on th e Je y p o rc O il

G as-w orks, an estab lishm en t founded liy th e la te M ahara jah of Jeypore , is q uo ted in th e Journal, o f Gas Lighting. F ro m th e m em orandum on th e w ork ing of th e es tab lishm en t p rep ared by th e p re sen t m anager (M r. S. J . T ellery), w hose ad m in istra tio n is h igh ly

■ com m enced b y M ajor Jacob, i t appears th a t th e gas is p rinc ipally produced from casto r oil, w ith th e ad-

• d ition , w hen th e castor seed is n o t availab le , of poppy,ti l , or rape seed. A ccording to M r. T e lle ry ’s ownrecords, he produces from one m aund of casto r oil (82 lb) about 750 cubic feet of 20J-candle gas ; or1,000 cubic fee t of 18^ candle gas ; o r 1.250 cubic fee t of 9 cand le gas. W ith o th e r oils th e sam e quan­t i ty of m ateria l w orked to m ake gas of equal q u an ­tities " i l l produce 610 cubic feet, 762 cubic feet, aud 914 cubic feet of th e respective grades of illu m in a t­in g power. A ccording to th ese resu lts , ta k in g th e c u r re n t p rices of oils delivered in to th e . w o rk s— casto r oil being R l l 12a (22s 4d), an d th e o th er oils R10 ( 19s lOd) per m aund —th e casto r oil gas is 110 10a 4p ( Is 3d) per 1,000 cubic feet cheaper th a n o th er oil gas. T h e w orks was double in a ll respects, dup lica te se ts of re to rts , purifiers, &c., and gasho lders being erected , fo r w hich a rra n g em en t no reason is given. A t p re ­se n t tw o h o rizon ta l re to rts a re used, w hich a re k ep t a t w ork d u rin g abo u t 218 hours per m o n th , and p ro ­duce som ething like 98,720 fee t of gas in th is tim e , W orked in th is way, th e cost of m an u fac tu re (ex­clusive of th e cost of oil) is as follow s :—W ear an d t e a r ................ ... 1 3 2 jF uel ........................................... 2 11 7L abour ... ... . . : ... 0 5 3JPurification ... ... 0 0 4 J

R . a. p.T o ta l cost p er 1,000 cubic fee t = R 4 4 4 j , o r 8s 6d. T h is h igh charge fo r m an u fac tu rin g expenses is said to be d u e to th e fac t of so l i t t le gas being req u ired ; if th e consum ption should increase to ab o u t 260,000 cubic feet p e r m onth, w hich could be supplied w ith ­o u t increased cost fu r estab lishm en t charges, th e w o rk ­ing expenses p er 1 000 cubic fee t w ould be reduced to R2 9a 5 Jp (os Id ). A no ther p ecu lia r ity of the Jey p o re u n d e rtak in g is th e necessity th a t ex ists for th e m anager to u n ite th e a t tr ib u te s of a farm er to his o th e r acquirem ents, for th e purpose of securing a con stan t and cheap supply of raw m ate ria l fo r gas- m aking . L is t y ear M r. T elle ry personally su p e r­in tended th e sow ing of 300 acres w ith th e casto r p lan t ( Ricinus vu 'garis an d th e e s tab lish m en t inc ludes a h y d rau lic o il-prersing appara tu s. T he process of ex ­trac tin g th e o il for carbonising is as follow s :—F irs t, th e casto r seed is passed th ro u g h th e crusher, w hen th e shells only are b roken off. T h e shells are th en p icked o u t b y hand, an d th e seed is again in tro d u ced in to th e crusher, w here i t is ground to a paste . I t is then passed in to th e heating pan, an d , a f te r be­ing w ell h eated i t is packed in to h o rsehair bags and filled up h o t in to th e p rers im m ediately . A fte r abo u t 20 m ir.utes pressing, th e exuding oil be ing m eanw hile collected , th e cake is rem oved and g round over again. I t is subsequen tly h ea ted an d pressed a second time, u n til abo u t 33 or 40 per cen t of oil is ob ta in ed from th e seed. T he labour of p rep arin g and pressing th e castor seed corts R1 l a 8p (2s) per m aund of oil. The cost of ex trac tin g o th e r seed oil is abo u t th e sam e, w ith th e exception of th e cost of rem oving th e she l's . F o r generating gas, th e oil is used as i t comes from th e pres*.

A N A L Y S E S O F N F .IL G H E R R Y C IN C H O N A B A R K .

M r. J . E . H ow ard, f . r . s . , has rep o rted fo r th e inform ation of th e Secretary of S ta te an d of th e G o­vern m en t of M adras, on 30 sam ples of cinchona bark se n t hom e from th e G overnm ent N ilg iri p lan ta tio n s b y Mr. R o b ert Cross, w ho collected th em in N ovem ­b er an d Decem ber las t. H e co ngra tu la tes th e local

G overnm en t on th e value th u s show n of th e p la n ta ­tions, th e average y ield of th e b es t a lkalo ids being second on ly to th a t of th e m ost usefu l so r t of c inchona ( th e L edgeriana) in th e is lan d of Ja v a , { t is, the re fo re , he says, of g re a t im portance t h a t th e trees, w hose superio r q u a lity is th u s ascerta ined , shou ld be reserved for seed. “ T he firs t o b jec t m en ­tio n ed b y M r. Cross in ob ta in in g th ese specim ens is to te s t ‘ th e re la tiv e excellence of each species in th e p roduction of quinine. ’ I t is, therefo re , u n fo rtu n ­a te th a t he inc ludes m ore th an tw o -th ird s of h is sam ples u n d er th e head of ‘ Crown C ondam inea .’ 1 conclude th a t he saw no difference "of species am ongst these, and if so, I m u s t conclude from p re ­v ious know ledge th a t th e w hole m u s t belong to th e t ru e ‘ Cinchona officinalis,’ as defined b y S ir Jo sep h D. H ooker in th e U ritusinga form . T his la tte r" w as th e nam e conferred by th e first Span ish B otan ists em ployed in th e s tu d y of i ts ch a rac te ris tic and re ta in ed by M r. M c lv o r and m yself. I have reason to plead for the re ten tio n of th e orig inal nam e, as a la rg e p o rtion of the trees of th e above p la n ta tio n a re th e descen d an ts of one ra ised from seed se n t m e ‘ from th e m ou n ta in of U ritu s in g a ’ in th e year 1859, w hich I gave to th e In d ia n G overnm ent. M r, M c lv o r w ro te me in 1875 as fo llo w s:— * T he e x te n t p lan ted w ith C. U ritusinga, th e p la n t you se n t o u t b y M r. L yall, is over 70 acres an d o rig ina lly 65,000 p la n ts w ere p lan ted , b u t of course the fa ilu res th e reo f shou ld be deducted , an d th is w ill leave in ro u n d num bers, 60,000 p lan ts , th e progeny of th e one you gave to th e In d ia n G overnm ent, Mr. M c lv o r se n t m e sam ples from th e branches of these trees, from w hich I ob ta in ed an ex trao rd in a ry re su lt in qu in ine . T h is is now confirm ed b y these sam ples of t r u n k b a rk ob ta ined b y M r. Cross, and th e exam ination proves th a t th e U ritu s in g a is as m uch superio r to th e m ore com m only cu ltiv a ted varieties of C. officinalis as th e L edgeriana is to th e com m on C. C alisaya. I t is to be re g re tte d th a t m ore a t te n ­tio n has n o t been paid to th e selection of th e b es t seed. I have freq u en tly po in ted o u t th e superio r q u a lity of th e im p o rta tio n s from th e D o d d ab e tta P lan ta tio n especially , from w hich a q u a n tity th a t seems d isp roportiona te an d ex h au s tiv e has been se n t hom e in recen t years. I am g lad to speak in a lm ost equally favorable te rm s of th e P ita y o bark , No. 15. I have before u rged special a tte n tio n to th e cu ltiv a tio n of th is species, because i t is th e qu in id ine- produciug so rt, th u s y ield ing , in a d d itio n to a fa ir q u a n ti ty of quin ine an o th e r va luab le m edicine, w hich te lls easily a t m ore th a n ha lf th e p rice of qu in ine , an d can, no d o u b t, be passed off as suck b y those w ho reg ard m ore th e cheapness th a n th e ex ac t chem ical com position of th e ir m edicines ; b u t, if sold as quini- dine, i t is of service to th e com m unity , and invo lves no breach of com m ercial m orality . T h e value of th is specim en of b a rk would be a t th is m om en t 9s per lb .”

Mr. H ow ard fo rw ards th e follow ing analyses of th e sam ples re fe rred to , w hich w ere m ade by his nephew, M r. D avid H o w ard , f . c. s. :—

C r o w n C o n d a m in e a .

O rig inal B ark ta k e n from s tu m p of a c u t dow n tree p lan ted in 1863, w hich w as found over-grow n w ith grass in an o ld fence of the G overnm ent G arden O oty.

Cincho- Cincho- Q uini- A m orphousQ uinine. n id ine. n ine. dine. A lkalo id .

% % % % %4"58 0-39 * 1 08 0"U7 0"49

O riginal B a rk tak en from th e ro o t of. th e s tu m p from w hich bark No. 1 w as collected .

4-60 0"76 1"39 2-20 0 91F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O rig inal

B a rk ta k e n from tree of very ro b u st h e a lth y aspect, grow ing in b o tto m of rav ine, p lan ted in 1869.

2 01 0"3o 4 04 1"65 1 3 2

From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D o d ab e tta . O riginal B ark tak en from a tree grow ing in rocky debris, p lan ted in 1869.

6 52 0-23 2 09 1 39 1 0 1From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odab e tta , O ri­

ginal B a rk from tre e grow ing on th e b rink of th e ravine, p lan ted 1869.

3 '83 0-25 2-54 1*29 1*58From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O ri­

g in a l B a rk ta k e n from an u n w ro u g h t tree, p lan ted1869.

4 '63 .0 60 2 21 1*19 1 1 4From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O ri­

g inal Bark from base of tree w hich had been severa l I im es w ro u g h t by th e renew ing process, p la n te d 1863.

5 16 0*40 1 '72 1-56 0*76From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O riginal

B a rk ta k e n from base of a tree w hich h ad been w rough t by th e renew ing process, p la n te d 1S63.

3*49 1*22 2*18 1*25 1 12F rom G overnm ent P la n ta tio n s , D odabetta . O r i­

g inal B ark ta k e n from a young sap ling four o r five years old.

4 04 0.30 0*85 0*35 1*15F ro m G overnm ent P lan ta tio n . R enew ed B ark th ree

years old, u n d e r moss, p la n te d 1863.4 79 0*24 0-44 0*48 0 86

F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . R enew ed B ark , th ree y ea rs old, und er moss, p lan ted in 1863.

7*69 0 09 0 14 0 16 0*64F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . R e ­

new ed B ark , th ree years old, u nder moss, p lan ted in 1863.

6*60 0 14 0*20 0 ‘22 1*00F ro m G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, D odabetta . R enew ed

B ark, three years old, u n d e r moss, p lan ted in 1863.4*01 0 05 0 40 0*76 1*05

F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . R enew ed B ark , th ree yeas old, u n d e r moss, p lan ted in 1 63.

4*69 0*05 0*42 ' 0*38 0*97F ro m G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O rig inal

B a rk from a tre e p lan ted in 1879. T he o rig ina l o u te r su rface w as pared off.

5*31 1*56 1*02 0*27 1*49F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, D od ab e tta . O riginal

B a rk from a tree of s tu n ted aspect, p lan ted 1863.5*08 1*88 1*02 0*58 0*59

F ro m G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , N adu v a tam . O rig inal B ark from a tree p lan ted in 1863.

2*63 T race. 3*05 1*92 1*82G overnm ent P la n ta tio n s , D odab e tta . O rig inal B ark

from tree p lan ted in 1865 which h ad been w rought.4*43 1*35 2*15 1*20 0*95

F rom G overnm en t P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O rig inal B a rk from a tre e p lan ted 1865 which had n o t been w rought.

4*78 0*82 2*38 1*12 1*15F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, D odabetta . T ree

p lan ted iu 1863 G row ing on a h igh ban k from w hich th e e a rth had fallen aw ay.

2*62 1*55 2*98 1*22 1*20F rom larger roots.

2*3*2 Trace. 3*75 3*10 2*12Lesser roots.

1*41 0*38 2 80 3*45 1*45R e d B a r k .

F ro m G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, N adu v a tam . O rig inal B ark from a tree p lan ted in 1862 T h is is th e “ F a ta de G allinazo ” S ou th A m erican varie ty .

2 27 3*21 3*17 0 00 0*93From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, N aduvatam . O rig inal

B ark from th e la rg est an d best developed tre e th a t could be found in th e P lan ta tio n s , p lan ted 1862.

0 86 2*08 3 66 0*00 1*06From th e G ove’n m en t P lan ta tio n s, N ad u v a tam . O ri­

g inal Bark from one of th e la rg est tree s m e t w ith , p lan ted in 1862.

0 91 1*43 3 84 0 00 1*14From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, N adav a tam . O rig inal

B ark from a tre e p lan ted in 1871.4*54 0*31 0*70 — 0*82

F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , N ad u v a tam . R enew ed B ark , th ree years old, u n d e r moss, p lan ted 1862.

3*08 1*63 1 14 0*05 1*48From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s, N adu v a tam . R enew ed

Bark, th re e years, u n d er moss, p lan ted 1862.2*04 1*20 1*78 0*20 0*65

P it a y o B a r k .

F rom G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , D odabetta . O riginal B a rk from sap lings w hich w ere p lan ted near th e close ofth e y ea r 1871.

3*98 T race. 1*67 2*01 1*17C a l is a y a B a r k .

From G overnm ent P lan ta tio n s , N aduvatam . O rig inal B a rk from a sh rub -like tree . D a te of p lan tin g u n ­certain .

4*98 0*58 0*83 0*16 0*50M r. D avid H o w ard says w ith reference to these

analyses :— “ T he sam ples have th e appearance of being ta k e n from th e low er p a r t of th e stem of th e tre e ; if th is is th e case, o u r experience w ould show th a t th e average b a rk of th e w hole tre e w ould g ive a low er t e s t ; th e sm all an d young b a rk from branches of crow n b a rk in th e la s t sale of D o d ab e tta bark y ie ld ed less th a n 1 p er cen t, of qu in ine . T he sam e cause m ay exp lain in m easure th e h ig h percen tage o f qu in i- d in e in m any of th e s a m p le s ; th is a lk a lo id appears to increase in a m arked degree in th e b a rk n ea r th e ro o t. Sam ple N o. 15 is th e very finest q u a lity of P ita y o bark . T h is so r t of b a rk sells freely a t prices exceeding tho se given for good S ou th Am erican c a li­saya. Sam ple N o. 21, th o u g h m arked ‘ R ed B a rk ,’ b o th in appearance and test resem bles fine crow n bark. Sam ple N o. 25 appears from th e analysis to be tru e L edgeriana , th e sm all percentage of c inchonid ine which i t g ives is generally found in th a t v a r ie ty bo th from Ja v a and from S outh Am erica. To com pare th e above analyses w ith th o se in w hich qu in ine is re tu rn e d as su lpha te o n e -th ird m u st be ad d ed to th e p ercen tage : th u s 6 p e r cen t of quin ine is equal to 8 per cent, of su lp h a te of qu in ine .”— M adras M ail.

C E Y L O N -L IB E R IA N C O F F E E S E E D IN F I J I : A ND A F IN E S A M P L E O F F I J I

C O F F E A A R A B IC A ,Messrs. L eechm an & Co., Colombo, have received

th e follow ing le tte r from M r. A. R. W ilson of F o re s t C reek e s ta te , T aviuni, F iji, d a te d 2nd Ju ly :—

“ I du ly received y our favour of th e 15th of M arch , as also th e th e re in m entioned reg is te red p ack e t con ­ta in in g 10 cherries an d 150 seeds of L iberian coffee. I delayed an answ er u n til 1 sh ou ld see how th e seeds tu rn e d ou t. A ccording to y ou r suggestion , I c u t th e ends off one or tw o of th e seeds. T he em bryo in th e seeds h ad begun to germ in a te an d th ro w o u t rad ic les th ro u g h th e m oistu re an d a ir in th e box in which th ey w ere enclosed. I p lan ted th e beaus on several differ- n t spo ts on th e e s ta te , an d a t various a ltitu d es , on th e p rincip le th a t

‘ The mouse th a t trusts to one poor hole Can never be a mouse o f any soul.’

“ In each sp o t some of th e seeds have th ro w n o u t th e ir radicles an d stem s an d appear th riv in g . T he L iberian coffee in ch e rry a rriv e d in lik e good co n ­dition , th e saccharine m a tte r hav ing rem ained m oist an d sw eet. I th in k th e average size of th e L iberian coffee beans in p arch m en t is no larger th a n th e average size of th e parch m en t beans of th e coffea A rabics, g row n on th is e s ta te . I no tice in a l i t t le pam p h le t by Jo h n W a lk e r & Co., e n title d a ‘ H a n d .

b o o k ’ u n d e r th e heading ‘ S ieves,’ th e follow ing specification : 1 The b o tto m is of perfo ra ted m eta l w ith round holes from g th s to J . ’ ‘ As a ru le , th e holes should be so sm all as to h inder th e sm allest cherry from parsing th ro u g h , b u t w ide enough to a d m it th e la rg es t parch m en t bean.’ A ‘ s ie v e ’ w ith holes of such dim ensions w ould h ard ly ad m it any bean grow n on th is estate. I enclose half-a-dozen p arch m en t beans chosen in d isc rim in a te ly , from an inspection of which you w ill notice th a t th e ir average d im ensions are ab o u t from 1 an inch to §ths of an inch in leng th , an d from § th s of an inch to 1 an inch in b read th . T he O rd inance p ro h ib itin g th e im porta tion in to th e Colony of seeds and p lan ts has been repealed. I should ta k e i t k in d ly if yon would subm it th is le t te r to th e ed ito r of th e Ceylon Observer, in case he should like to p u b ­lish i t . ”

T he sam ple of F iji p a rch m en t se n t is ce rta in ly a v e ry good one, equal to o u r very la rg es t Ceylon beans of Coffea A rabica.

SO U T H A FR IC A .I n P a r a g u a y th e p rep arin g of Ind igo from th e

Eupotorium tinctorium is a la rge in d u s try . T he p la n t w ould grow in N a ta l .—P . E . Advertiser.. T h e r e i s a n O r a n g e r y in th is d iv ision w hich is expected to y ie ld 250,000 oranges th is season ; 50,000 hav e a lread y been sold w ith a p ecun iary re su lt w hich beats sheep and ostrich fa rm in g hollow .— E ast London Despatch.

O s t r i c h F a r m i n g . — The Cope A rg u s gives a w ail for the" decrease of th e ostrich in d u s try in th e Colony. I t says : T h a t o strich farm ing in th is colony has seenth e b es t of its days is p re tty generally understood , S ou th A m erica w ill soon be com peting w ith us, and in A u stra lia th e in d u s try is a lread y estab lished . W e lea rn from th e Colonies and In d ia th a t on an ostrich farm on th e R iv e r M urray (New South W ales) th e re a re fifty-six b irds, w hich , w ith tw o or th re e excep­tio n s , are in excellen t h ea lth , and in a th riv in g con­d itio n .— N a ta l M ercury.

T H E D A T E C O F F E E C O M PA N Y .A corresponden t w r i te s :— “ I canno t th in k w h y you

have n o t given th e benefit of th e analysis in T ru th of th e affairs ot th e D ate Coffee' Company. You w ill find i t in th e paper for 14th Ju ly . I f true, th e superlatively happy S tate of affairs m ade o u t by th e chairm an a t th e yearly m eeting is a delusion and a snare, to enable th e w ire ­pu llers to carry on th e ir l i t t le gam e a li t t le lo n g er.”

W e th a n k our correspondent for th e h in t. T he ex ­t r a c t is as follow s :—

“ T h is rem arkab le C om pany has issued its repo rt. A ccording to its balance-sheet th e assets consist of debts to th e a co u n t of £20,201, m achinery-and p la n t w hich h as cost £3 ,789 , an d ab o u t £4 ,500 iu cash. W h o th e d eb to rs a re th a t owe i t £20,201 is n o t s ta te d . I t has ‘ s o l d ’ d a te coffee fo r £2,111, an d its cu rre n t e x ­penses have been £5,433. Some of the item s are curious. T hu s, ad v ertis in g figures for £1,605, p rin tin g and s ta tio n e ry fo r £215, law charges fo r £497, and d irec to rs’ rem u n era tio n for £500—th a t is to say, these four item s alone considerably exceed th e gross re tu rn s on sales. T h e d irec to rs , how ever, ‘ a re sanguine th a t w hen th e m ake am ounts to fo rty to n s p e r -w e e k : th e original es tim ate of th e ir engineer w ill be realized, and th e C om pany ea rn 100 per cen t on" its cap ita l.’ W hen th is does occur I w ill engage to d r in k d a te coffee fo r my breakfast. I do n o t th in k th a t I can in m ore precise te rm s express m y u t te r d isbelief in th e p rob­a b ility of th e C om pany ever earn ing 100 p er cent, b y inducing th e public to ad o p t a beverage composed of an infusion of g round d a te stones, an d to p lay a t believing th a t i t is coffee.. So fa r as I can m ake ou t th e balance-sheet, alm ost all th e cap ita l has a lready

gone in to th e p o ckets of th e p rom oters . T he sha re c ap ita l seems to be £34,000, an d th e d eb en tu re cap ita l to be £6 ,340. A gainst th is , th e p a te n t r ig h ts are se t dow n for £2,400, ro y a lty com pounded £30,000, and p re lim in ary expenses £2 ,926, th u s leav ing a balance of £5 ,014 for th e C om pany. T he p ay m en t of £32,400 to r th e r ig h t to g r in d d a te stones, th e sale of th is r ig h t to a G erm an C om pany for £50,000, and th e fac t th a t th e £ 5 shares of th e D ate C om pany w ere a c tu a lly q uo ted a t 45, are th e m ost s in g u la r in stan ces of th e success of unb lu sh in g im pudence th a t have occurred d u rin g th e p re sen t rage fo r Com pany- m ongering .”

C h e a p Gum f o r L a b e l s . — E x tra c t from th e Scientific A m e r ic a n '.— Postage S tam p M ucilage. G um d ex trin e 2 p a r t s ; w ater, 5 p a r t s ; ace tic acid , 1 p a r t ; d isso lve b y a id of h ea t, and ad d 1 p a r t of sp ir its of w ine .— I . T. Gazette.

A g r i c u l t u r e f o r E d u c a t e d C e y l o n e s e . —E n jo y in g th e pleasures of a co u n try life ju s t now, and ta k in g an ac tive in te re s t in th e w ork ing of t h i s place, I w ish m ore of m y coun trym en would, ta k e to ag ricu ltu re . T here a re obstacles arising from w a n t of cap ital, b u t u n fo rtu n a te ly tho se w ho hav e the m eans seem to p refe r a tow n life an d G o v ern m en t em ploy­m en t to independence , and an ac tive h e a lth fu l life. Y o u r Tropica l A griculturist is a m ost useful p u b lica ­tio n , an d is sim p ly inva lu ab le to th o se w ho w ould keep ab reas t of th e tim es in m a tte rs ag ricu ltu ra l a t a m inim um of cost.— Cor.

C a t t l e - b r e e d i n g a t t h e S a i d a p e t F a r m . —T he ex ­p e rim en ts now b rin g carried on a t th e Saidape* F a rm ,. M adras, w ith c a ttle b reed ing w ith stock im ported from Aden, seem to be succeeding. T he sa tis fac to ry re su lts th a t have a tten d ed th e im porta tion of Aden c a ttle in to M adras have induced th e B oard of R evenue to sanction a fu r:h e r ou tlay of R l,2 0 0 for th e purchase of fresh stock for th e S aidapet F a rm . T h e bu lls th a t are now to be o rdered “ sh o u ld ,” th e S u p e rin te n d en t of G overnm ent F arm s says, “ n o t be over five years of age, shou ld be docile, an d of a good s h a p e ; th e cows shou ld be young a n d b y preference, rea rin g th e ir

f ir s t calves ; an d th a t th e y should u n d o u b ted ly be good m ilkers au d docile ; th e w hole of th e sto ck to be iu perfect h e a lth .” —Pioneer.

L i b e r i a n C o f f e e .— F rie n d E d w ard S. M orris, m e r­c h an t, P h ilad e lp h ia , w hose ad v e rtism en t appearsin our colum ns w ith sa tis fac to ry E ng lish references,is very anxious to becom e th e ag en t for CeylonL iberian Coffee in A m erica. W e believe he h as e x ­cep tionally good o p p o rtu n ities fo r disposing of such p roduce. H e w rite s to us as follow s ;—

Established 1855. Appointed Commissioner for Liberia to the LT. S. Centennial Exposition, 1876. J . J . Roberts, P resident.

Philadelphia, Ju ly 7th, 1881. Edw ard S. Morris, No. 6, South M errick S t , opposite Now City H all.Mr. J . Ferguson, Colombo, Ceylon.

D e a r S i r ,—Many thanks, my kind friend, for th e copy . of “ Liberian coffee, its hist ry and its cultivation.” I value | of very much, as it so substantially confirms all my claims j for this coffee as made - by me in 1802-3, to the people \ o t Liberia. I t is a pleasure always, to feel we have not made a I m istake in onr calling. As I cannot get enough Liberia ' coffee properly cultivated and cleaned to supply my nice | and very particular Centennial customers, I am more : than willing to introduce L iberia Ceylon ; and I know it

will take w i h them . Indeed, I shall leave nothing utidono ■ to identity myself w ith Liberia Ceylon, as I have w ith

Liberia, the only coffee I ever sold. I have customers throughout the U. S., and I know how To reach them ,

1 — Yours truly, E d w a r d S. M o r r i s .W e w ould recom m end consignm ents to be m ade to M r. M orris.