March r, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



633 



PLANTING IN TAVOT. BXJKJLA.H. 



An interesting letter from Mr. .Tames D. 'Watson, of 

 the Duke Mdel estate, T.avoy, to the Director of Agri- 

 culture, is published in the Supplement to the last British 

 Burma Gazette, for general information. Mr. "Watson takes 

 .1 most cheerful view of the capabilities of the Tavoy hills. 

 In the flatter land he thinks the soil is equal to that 

 of the best Cocoa lands in Oeylon, and he has seen the 

 Paliakelle estate in Ceylon, which is the best iu the island, 

 and produces Oocoa which fetches 100 shillings per cut. in 

 the London market. Cardamoms are indigenous iu the 

 Tavoy district, and Mr. "Watson saw them growing and 

 bearing splendidly in the jungle about 11 miles from 

 Thayetchoung. Liberian coffee will, he thinks, grow to per- 

 fection, as a few small plants obtained from Captain Butler 

 were " growing splendidly." Cinchona, Mr. "Watson thinks, 

 will do better in a less rainy climate, but he intends 

 giving it a fair trial. Mr. Watson's couleur de rose views 

 of the labour question will, we trust, be borne out by 

 subsequent experience. He thinks the Bm"raese " a nice, 

 docile people, willing servants and cheerful workmen," 

 which was hardly the estimate formed of them by the 

 late Mr. O'RUey and some other planters in this province. 

 We hope, however, that when the Tavoy planters teach 

 them to cultivate their waste lands and show them the 

 profit and advantages to be derived from doing so, they 

 will be tempted to put aside their proverbially lazy habits 

 .and imitate the industry and actii-ity of their women- 

 kind. It is satisfactory to learn that, although out daily 

 iu sun and rain, ilr. ^Vatson has never been in better 

 health than whilst prospecting in the Tavoy district, and 

 he finds he can do as good a day's work there as in 

 Ceylon. — RaiufooiL Gazette. 



TIMBER TRADE OF CHILI. 



Timber, according to the North- Jl'eftern Lumherrnau 

 (Chicago), is somewhat abundant in all the provinces south 

 of Santiago. There are said to be over one hundred kinds 

 of indigenous trees, of which not more than thu'teen ever 

 shed their leaves, and these are mainly utilised in ship- 

 building and house carpentering. There are a few orna- 

 mental woods but such trees are scarce. The Araucauian 

 pine grows on the mountains south from the Biobio, the 

 trees looking from a distance like gigantic umbrellas. The 

 Chilian cedar is regarded as the most important tree. The 

 most abundant timber is the Lombardy poplar, and silver- 

 leaf poplar or aspen. The Jesuits began planting these 

 trees two to three centuries ago for fencing purposes, 

 and miles of poplars in line are found foUowhag the courses 

 of ditches, or marking out areas. "When sufficiently large, 

 these great hedgerows ai-e attacked with the axe, the 

 trees being cut down so as to leave the stumps about 8 

 feet high. The Lombardy variety is principally used for 

 making brake-blocks, and the aspen makes good timber. 



Facilities for receiving and getting out lumber have always 

 been meagre and miserable. There is no harbour at Val- 

 paraiso, and the vessels arriving are obliged to lie at anchor 

 within easy reach of the shore, while the cargo is unloaded 

 by swarthy and muscular natives who station themselves 

 at intervals of about two rods out in the sm-f, on a line 

 reaching from boat to beach. They pass the lumber from 

 one to another along the queer line of transporation. The 

 natives go on a jog trot througji the shallow surf, and 

 often keep up the action all day with little cessation. 



Ujs to a recent period there has been no means of 

 manufacturing the domestic timber. It was simly formed 

 by hand, and made up into boards of certain dimensions, 

 which were regarded as standard, but never figured in feet, 

 being sold by the piece. In some of the less progressive 

 sections, boards have passed as a medium of e.xchange. 

 To the lumber that is received into Chili from foreign 

 ports, the Government applies the metric system of measure- 

 ment, on which its duty collections are based. In addition 

 to lumber, considerable wood is cut in the tan-bark busi- 

 ness. Ked-wood is being raised in the coast region. l.COO 

 miles from Valparaiso. The timber country is generally 

 mountainous, while the rivers abound with bars. In ad- 

 dition to the woods that have mentioned, there is a fine 

 variety which resemliles beech, while another has a fine 

 grain, and there is a third variety of a reddish colour 

 which polishes nearlv as finely as cedar. 

 81 



Latterly, however, several portable saw-mills have been 

 brought to Chili from the manufactories of the United 

 States, and other improved means are being employed, 

 while the imports of lumber are increasing" Very little 

 manufactiu-ing of goods from wood has been carried on, 

 but enterprises in this direction are contemplated, and, 

 in fact, in course of estabUshment. Furniture and similar 

 articles have been imported somewhat extensively, but the 

 duties have been made very heavy on such good.s, and 

 are reckoned by the weight instead of the exact value in 

 each case. The inhabitants have found importing to be a 

 very expensive business, and it is proposed to build fact- 

 ories for the manufacture of boxes, the importation of 

 which has been heavy, sash, doors and blinds, furniture, 

 &c. Men of capital are now engaged in investigating the 

 details in coimection mth such enterprises. 



From fifty to seventy-five vessels are engaged in trade 

 between Valparaiso, which is the most important west shore 

 port except San Francisco, and other points. Lumber and 

 common freight are combined. 



The wages of peons are from 40 to 50 cents per day, 

 two pieces of bread and one meal of beans being conced- 

 ed in addition. General unskilled labour commands 1*25 

 dols. per day among the natives, and artisans obtain 2'50 

 dols. jjer day and find themselves. Intelligent foreigners 

 can get from 3 to 6 dols. per day. In the case of the 

 surf-packmen, they obtain large pay, sometimes making 

 as high as 10 dols. per day. — Jouriml of the Societi/ of Arts. 



MACHINE AND HjVND MANUFACTURE OF TEA. 



Sir, — I send an estimate of what I consider the saving 

 between tea made by machinery and hand, viz., 3"70c. 

 in favor of machinery. I have based my calculations on 

 an estate giving 50,0001b. of tea, and the working of a 

 Jackson's Universal and a Sirocco. I do not consider these 

 machines capable of manufacturing tea on an estate giving 

 a larger yield than this, as the greater proportion of tea 

 on estates comes in during 4 or 5 months of a year. The 

 roUer is capable of doing 400 lb. of manufactured tea in 

 10 hours, and the Sirroco 3G0 lb., so that I have only taken 

 an average of 300 lb. per day, on account of machines 

 requiring nearly the same number of people to work them, 

 when only making 150 lb., as when making a larger quant- 

 ity. The cost of the machinery I have put down as near 

 as possible what my machinery here cost me. My char- 

 coal and firewood I have to carry some distances to the 

 factory, which makes it a little more expensive than on 

 some estates. Graha:ii Hogg. 



Nawalapitiya, 2nd Dec, 1883. 



COST OF TEA MAUTFACTtJUED BY MACHIXERV, ON AN ESTATE 

 GIVING 50,000 LB. OF MANUFACTtJEED TEA PEK ANNTJJI. 



R. c. R. c. 



2 coohes attending roller & collecting leaf '70 



2 do. do. Sirocco ... '70 



1 y.ard of firewood for Sirocco ... '75 



Cost of ".00 lb. made tea ... R2-15 



Manufacturing 50,000 lb. 360 00 



Cost of machinery, 1 water-wheel ... 1.000 00 



Do. 1 Jackson's Universal ... 1,200 00 



Do. 1 Shocco ... 1,200 00 



Shafting, belting, pulleys, brass bearing 

 and erecting roller. Sirocco and water 

 wheel ... ... ... 850 00 



Masonry work at wheel pit and Sirocco pit. . . 300 00 



"Water course about 500 yards made of 

 double row of old coffee spouting, say 

 400 lengths ... ... ... 300 00 



Total cost of machinery 



Interest (5) 8 ^ cent on R4,8.50 ... 



"\A'ear and tear on roller. Sirocco, shaft- 

 ing and belting, say 20 P cent on 

 K3,250 



"Wear and tear on water-wheel, masonry 

 ,ind water-course, say 7 P cent on 

 Kl.COO 



R4,8.50 00 



388 00 



050 00 



112 00 

 Rl,510 00 



Average cost of manufactured tea f lh. 3-02 c. by machinery. 



