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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[ABdUsi i, 1883, 



Taut Goveniraeut shoulil have to jirouoimcc its "veto" on 

 this Industry (accorjing to Mr. v. G.) is, with the notorious 

 ill-treatment, absurd. 



Government has be(ni going on jilanting for years, ami 

 though at the time a Manual wa.s published on the subject, 

 it is not adhered to, e.siiecially as to curmg, which is the main 

 tiling for procuring fine eotfee, a very few sorts e-Kcepted. 

 One need only compare the prices with private invoices. 



It is a strange thing that Oovermnent, who ha.s pocketed 

 so many millions by these very beans, and might have profited 

 as much again, with better management, shoulrl not have 

 applied themselves to the application of machinery and mills, 

 wuich litter all are not so very exijensive — the native and 

 the balance would both have gahed bj it. But no; it is 

 jtrivate enterprise grown wise by exj)erience in Ceylon and 

 elsewhere, that takes the initiative, and regards no c.^jjense 

 to produce on the market the best .article possible.* Jlr. 

 V. (Jr. assures us that some undertakings have sent coffee m 

 the parchment with^very good results ; probably those under- 

 lakings lacked hands, and then it would bo of .some 

 importance ; yet even in that case peeling-works in the chief 

 towns of Java would be very useful and would throw off 

 positive profits. 



As regards the aftcr-ttying of coffee as pr.aetised in the 

 estililishmeuts of Ciardiola, van Maaneii and others, this is 

 very recommendable, as then every bean undergoes the same 

 p.ocess, which is not always the ca.se on the ordinary 

 «uyiiig-pans, one bean being occassionally more exposed to 

 the sun than another, which is apt to produce a difference 

 ii colour after peeling; yet oue respect I agi-ee perfectly 

 with Mr. v. G. "tnatit mast be very cautiously treated" 

 otherwise, and that gentleman says very rightly, it will 

 hi ajit to tiun rusty, which is less desirable both for colour 

 anil t(uality. 



T.icn, if such au arrangement exists on the premises of 

 the uni lertaking, the drying and temperature is inspected 

 /K't\<c>it([lti/, which requh-es the utmost Ciire. If however, 

 this must be left again to the peelers in Holland, it would 

 again add to the bill of charges, wtiich are not unimportaut, 

 considering the price of fuel, etc. whereas in the undertakings 

 all this can be had almost for nothing; but what is worse, as 

 t!ie process recpiires such prodigious care one exposes oneself 

 to the risk ot having .shipped off good coffee, which on its 

 arrival on the market is unsaleable. The peelers in Holland, 

 iiioreovtr, are paid for their work, but not according to the 

 quality of the article delivered, which has also its drawbacks. 



When the crop is entirely cured in the undertaldug itself, 

 one knows what article is brought to market ; but, besides 

 me above-mentioned ih'aw-baeks, to le.ave the drying also 

 to the peelers (which is indispensable for speedy change of 

 colour, or sending it hi the parchment to Holland) is strongly 

 to he condemned. Anybody at all acquainted with the pro- 

 cess in a dr}'ing-rooin, ^vill admit this, and knows what the 

 article looks like when dried too fast or too slowly. 



Mr. V. G., ever since he set foot on Java's ground, has 

 evinced an interest for every thing regarding the cultures, 

 and has endeavoured in all directions to master the subject. 

 I need only refer to the still new and very comprehensive 

 publication— and has also thought to perform a useful act 

 m the passage quoted ; we must be thankful that he has 

 done so. There are so few, who come out boldly for their 

 opinion, as regards their own experience. '\\'ere this more 

 treqiu'iitly done. Government and private industry would 

 be much advantaged; frictimi of ideas is always beaeficial. 

 This was my object in ivriting these haes. 



Thinkmg you, Mr. Editor for the .space afforded. — Yom- 

 Vi-ry humble servant, P. Zepek, Jr., Preanger,Java. 



NAT.AX (VIOTOKIA) I'LANTEES' ASSOCIATION. 



(From the Animal Report foi' lS82-f3.) 



•Sco.vu-c'.VNK — Tdineto— t'OTlON. 



A disease called smut, in the sugarcane had been for 

 some time iloing considerable damage to the variety called 

 (_'hina cane. It was extending its damage to other canes, 

 when Mr. J. M. Wood, the curator of the Botanical Gard- 

 ens, forwarded many valuable coiiimmiications on the sub- 

 ject. You tinally ap})ointed a Committee to consider the 

 report, and the Conmiittee ga\e much time anil thought 

 to the question. Tiie Chairman, Mr. Leo. Acutt brought 

 up a very valuable report, oue which has jccm'cd con- 



* £.5.000 worth ol machinery chiefly coffvC-cuiiug) \vu; itut 

 i'iyPJ Cslouilio ts Java i» iS32.— lie. 



siderable attention and consideration jn this and other sugar- 

 gi-owing eountiies. You caused that report to be printed 

 and ch'culated amongst members and others. It is no ex- 

 aggeration to say that your action checked the advance 

 of the disease, everyone's attention was called to the dc- 

 sirabihty of stamping out the pest with the result, that at 

 the most favourable period of the yeai-. thousands of dis- 

 eased plants were dug up and burnt. The disease is still 

 to be found in our cane fields to a limited extent. Con- 

 stant and su.stained action on the lines laid down in your 

 report will eventually e.Ktermiiiate it. At .several meetings 

 the cultivation ot fibres was discussed. Valuable samples 

 were exhibited, a pamphlet was read by Mr. de Chazal, 

 and finally a C'ommittee was appomted, which has y.t to 

 make its report. It is a matter of great regret that the 

 co-operation ai-rauged with the Chamber of C'ommerce for 

 securing the representation of the colony at the Amster- 

 dam E.xhibition was not required, a.nd that this colony was un- 

 represented. Y'ou decided to consider the Government Bill 

 for remedying the Pollution of Streams cl. by el, and drafteil 

 a measure which seemed in every way to meet the requu-ements 

 of the subject. Your Bill was adopted by the Govern- 

 ment, but was held over by the Legislative Council to the 

 next session. A paper on subjects relating to the success- 

 ful growth of sugarcane was raised by Mr. Labistour. The 

 labom' questions referred to therein were handed to the 

 Cooho Committee torepcrlon. Your Committee propo.sed 

 that a deputation from all Associations should wait on the 

 Indian Immigration Board, p lin ting out t'nat unless active 

 measm'es were taken to fuial the iiulents in hand a serious 

 scarcity of labour would result when the men, whose time 

 expires during the year, claim their discharge. The in- 

 terview was satisfactory, the instructions given and powers 

 granted by the Board to their commissioner. Col. Mitcliell, 

 are of a character which, taken with the wellknown energy 

 and ability of om' Colonial Sesrttiry, cannot fail to attain 

 substantial results. You devoted, cousiderable time and at- 

 tention to the question of fencing. The final division .shows 

 that here on the coast, as well as upcountry, there is con- 

 siderable dift'erencc of opinion, the majority of the Associa- 

 tion being of opinion that a compulsory measure was not 

 required. Mr. AVilkinson, who has devoted much time to 

 the study of meteorology on the coast, read an able paper 

 on " Tree planting in its relation to the rainfall of the 

 country, and the trees best adapted to the coast ehmate." 

 He proved : I st. That the deforesting of the land in- 

 duces long droughts. 2ud. That tree plantmg increases 

 and more equally distributes the year's rainfall. It is not 

 neces.sary, in a Society mainly composed of sugar-planters, 

 to point out the advantages an increaseil rainfall would 

 confer on the comitry. The report ot the Committee on 

 the subject of Mr. "Wilkinson's pajier says that trec- 

 Ijlanting should be made compulsory on occupiers of land, 

 and that the Government should conserve the forests. 

 The immediate result of the paper ,and the discussion will 

 probiibly be increased activity in tree-planting for the f utm'e. 

 Mr. Binns brought forward a motion urging the extension 

 of the North Coast line, and asking for surveys of branch 

 lines in thickly populated districts. The Association was 

 unanimously in favour of the extension, but opinion was 

 divided upon the necessity for branch lines, until the 

 North Coast line reached theTogela. It struck thegentle- 

 men, during the discusision on the desirability of at once 

 pushing on the railw.ay from Verulam to Stanger, that 

 the point that this line was urgently needed for the better 

 defence of the whole colony was omitted. This line ranks 

 ill importance with the trunk lines of th^ country, for the 

 reason that it would form the base for the defence of the 

 most vulnerable part of Natal — the Zu'u border. Many 

 other subjects were treated by you during the year, prin- 

 cip.al among them being aid and support to the Botanical 

 Gardens, the cultivation of cotton liy coolies, introduc- 

 tion of cane fion Inhambane, coolie holidays, Outspan 

 and Pound Laws, quarantine, Jl.aritzburg Agricultural 

 Show, bye-roads, several important labour questions, and 

 the introduction of fresh varieties of cane. Of subjcct,s 

 which call for your attention dm'ing the ensuing year, I 

 think there will be no lack. Yon have to receive the 

 reports of the Fib:e and Fresh 'W-u-ieties of Cane Com- 

 niittees. You have the labour question ever present and 

 pressing; the extension of railways, local councils, the best 

 system of increasing the yield of your fields by manur- 

 ing ; agricultuial shows ou the coast ; tree-planting ; tho 

 POUJA^ Cl'at:^patt iiuii ^cnc»glaws; Ikii i'i4Iway xaXii ii: 



