32^ 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1883. 



shavings. Look at Mr. Patersson's experience with 

 trees 11 years old : — 



Original shavings 1'96 per cent sulp, (juin. 

 1st renewal 5"76 ,, 

 2na . do y05 



But wliile Mr. Patersoii advised only one shaving 

 a-year, Mr. Jackson found the system of leaving a 

 strip and shaving every three months, answer well ! 

 Mr. Arthur Campbell ha<l shaved trees 5 and 6 times 

 and believed a ivell-grown tree miglit be shaved 50 

 times. The Chairman contra, would shave evei'y 6 

 months (the happy medium between 12 and 3,) from 

 3 to 5i years, but stopping at once if the trees 

 showcil signs of seeding. Query : would it not answer 

 to deprive the tree of the flower stems before the blos- 

 soms expand ? Of the benefit to be derived from cover- 

 ing trees, no sufiicient evidence seems to have been 

 afforded. If, with safety to the tree and without 

 deterioration of ijuality or lessening of quantity of 

 bark, the covering process can be disregarded, a source 

 of considerable expense will be got rid of. The 

 absolute necessity of coxering after shaving is at 

 least doubtful, but He must wait for the promised 

 repf>rt, which we trust may be equally founded on 

 facts and as definite and decided as that on the 

 manuring and cultivation otherwise, of coffee. I 

 shaved trees are left uncovered, however, it seems 

 cei tain that shaving ui very rainy or stormy weather 

 should be avoided. Tlie Dimbula planters have evidently 

 a better opinion of tlie permanency of the fever 

 trees than the anonymous pessimist who favoured us 

 with his opinion recently. Tea seems destined to 

 be the plant of the future, but neitlier coftee nor 

 cinchona is dead yet, and planters will feel grateful for 

 the information regarding both these products contained 

 in the proceedings of the Dimbula Planters' As- 

 sociation. 



MP.. GILLIArS LATEST SAMPLE OF 

 P.UBBER, 



The following report is sent to us : — 

 " The rubber is sound and clean, and the best I have 

 yet seen in Ceylon. I attach no value whatever to 

 the white colour. In fact, this is tlie first sample I 

 have seen of so light a colour, and I believe I 

 have seen every kind of rubber known to the trade ; 

 what I like with this sample is its fresh and liealthy 

 look, which recalls to my mind tlie strong sound rubber 

 from Borneo and Madagascar with whicli I would 

 class it, but more so with Madagascar. I do not know 

 what the prices of Nossibe (Madagascar) and Borneo 

 rubber are now in Europe ; but, should think that this 

 sample in question slioidd fetch the same price as the 

 bet qualities from the said island, as it compares 

 favourably with them as regards cleanliness. Rubber 

 must, in the Ju'st place, be clean, free of sand, or in manu- 

 facture damage may be caused — a little bark mixed up 

 is of no great consequence, as it can be easily worked 

 out. As regards colour, I repeat that it is not of conse- 

 quence to a manufacturer at home. 



" Para. — This rubber which at tlie time I was in the 

 trade fetched 2s 6d against Is for Madagascar, 7d and 9d 

 for West Africa, is almost black or dark-brown. I 

 am surprized nobody here as yet has tried to initiate 

 the Para process, i.e., smokmg the rubber. There is 

 no doubt that the smoked Para, whieli ui maufacture 

 gives scarcely S per cent to 5 per cent loss, possesses the 

 greatest strength, and will always top the markets. 

 Smoking is feasible. I tried it a few years ago with the 

 sap of some indigenous Jicus kinds, and, though my 

 experiment was not a complete success, it convinced 

 me of the feasibility of the thing. Local sanijde 

 received. 1 cwt. wanted for oraotical test in Europe." 

 The foregoing ought to be a valuable hint to Mr, 

 Gilliftt and tliose concerned. 



THROUGH THE SOUTH SEAS TO SAN 

 FRANCISCO [Conthmed). 

 (By an ex Ceijlon Planter.) 



THE GILBERT ISLANDS AND THEIR PEOPLE. 



At the conclusion of my last paper, we were bowling 

 along with a fair wind to leaward of Taputcowen, after 

 our narrow escape from wi-ockage on the reef. Quite a 

 swarm of boats were sailing after us, tlie occupants cry- 

 ing aloud for tobacco and olferiug any thing in exchange 

 that their island produces ; strings of coconuts, copra, fowls 

 and pigmy pigs wcvii held out temptinglj to view, but 

 to no purpose. We sailed on in stately inditfereuce, and 

 soon left tlie canoes far behind us. Towards evening we 

 approached Nanouti, but too late for anchoring. All 

 night we were compelled to make short tacks under the 

 lea of the island in dangerous proximity to the reef. 

 We dared not stretch out beyoud the shelter as the cur- 

 rent would Inive swept us away, and we should have been 

 obliged to hold to the north in the manner I described in 

 my former paper. 



Towards evening of the day following we dropt anchor 

 in 12 fathoms of water, and were at once boarded by a white 

 man wl[0 lives here alone isolated from his kind and self-bau- 

 islieil, the re:isons for this best-known to himself ; he collects 

 copra from the natives, which he fells tro traders. The total 

 proceeds ha\;e never amountid to more tlian ordinary wages, 

 so that he cannot hope to accumulate a fortune, or even- 

 tually enjoy a rustic cottage at " home" with a good wife 

 and sundry uccessaiy evils, as I once heard a crusty old 

 bachelor call all children. Be this how it may, we soon 

 completed all our work and were again off. Our stay here 

 was four- days altogether so that I liad time to stroll about 

 and see all that was worth noting. We skirted to leaward 

 in preference to going to windward, and pointed our bow- 

 sprit in the dnectiou of Apiamania. This island is the 

 most frequented by trading-schooners, and is the one I was 

 most desirous of seeing. Our captain too was equally 

 anxious as he had business of a prodtable nature m pros- 

 pect. But the fates decreed it otherwise and we were 

 doomed to disappomtment as the sequel will show. At 

 about ten o'clock we crossed the equator, and approached 

 the island of Aranuka about six miles from the " line." 

 We were unable to make the windward of tl i' 

 island on our jiresent tack, so we bout ship and stood olt 

 again for three hours, and agrin retmiied ou oui- original 

 tack. In doing this, wo crossed and recrossed the equator. 

 Tins very seldom happens. In fact, I am siu'e there are few 

 sailors even who have crossed the equator tlu'ee times in one 

 day. We found that instead of making any head way we 

 were drifting rapidly away to the west. This was very 

 tantalizing as Apiamama was not more than 15 miles distant 

 to windward and yet we were unable to get there. 



Aranuka looked very pretty and inviting. There was 

 nothing to be seen but the white beach and coconut-tree 

 forests. Kuria is quite close, not more than three miles 

 away. It is much smaller in size, equally crowded with 

 coconut palms, and seems a younger sister of the larger 

 island. They appeared so very queer to me, these little 

 oases in the midst of a wilderness of waters hke warts on the 

 surface of the mighty ocean. A thrill of pity for the in- 

 habitants thereof passed through my mind, and I inwardl) 

 rejoiced that a kind Providence had chosen my birth- 

 place in a less isolated country and among a more civilized 

 people. Poor things, happy in their ignorance. Happy, too, 

 in their limited wants and absence of vicious habits. 1 ipies- 

 tioh if they are not to he more envied than pitied. It is 

 only when aboriginals of new countries come in contact 

 with more advanced (?) natives that they quickly deteriorate, 

 morally sink and rapidly become extinct. History shows this. 

 The aboriginees of Tasmauia are now a matter of history. 

 It is only quite recently the very last of them ihed 

 and within the memory of old settlers they were as 

 numerous and prosperous race. The same law is 

 at work among the Maori in Xew Zealand, I remember 

 well the time when the Pah, near the mouth of the Tairie 

 river, numbered some hundreds of Maori, and now there 

 is scarcely one left to tell the tale. The same canker is 

 busy with the Australians. The Sanioans too are not so 

 numerous as thev were, and the Hawaians are fast bi-ing 

 numbered with the past ; also many other races that I 

 have no knowledge of would swell the number, and add 



