Vol XII No. 296. 



.THE AORIOULTURAL NEWS. 



AGRICULTURE IN THE EAST t^at the following reasons adequatsly explain the hiah c.->st- 

 ■ (1) the old trees had, in the past, received very bad treat- 



METHODtJ IN JAVA. 



When the Directors of a large Plantation Company 

 visit their estates and then, at a raeeiiiig of the share- 

 holders, express their views and the impre.ssions they have 

 received, it may well be anticipated that something is to be 

 learnt concerning agricultural methods and finance. This 

 has just happened in the case of a recent meeting in London 

 of the Anglo Dutch Plantations of .lava (Ltd ), an account 

 of which is given in Tin Thma (.July 26, 191'!) In so far 

 as this account serves to throw light on progressive agricul- 

 tural methods in Java, it has been used to constitute the 

 basis of the following article. 



GR.'VKTINO CINCHONA. 



After referring to matters of depreciation, and to the 

 appropriation between capital and revenue of the cost of 

 some of the cultivations, the article goes on to consider in 

 detail the position on the estates in regard to the cultivation 

 of cinchona. It is pointed out that a factor of importance 

 is that the bark of the branches, the stem and the roots of 

 this tree are all utilized for the production of quinine, but 

 that this commodity is not like coffee or rubber, where the 

 product is taken from the tree and the tree goes on just the 

 same afterwards: the cinchona tree is exhausted by cutting 

 it down by degrees. On the estates in .lava under consider- 

 ation, two seed gardens have been established which contain 

 trees with almost as high a percentage of quinine as any in 

 existence in the world. There is, however, this danger with 

 cinchona of such high percentage — it is very delicate in 

 growth; hence it has been found necessary to do a great 

 deal of grufting of this delicate kiiid on hardier and more 

 robust stock. In Java, the crop is harvested for about 

 1086c. per half-kilo., and the average price obtained in 

 1912 was 25c. per half-kilo net. 



COST OK I'RODUCINf; .\ fOUM) OF TH,\. 



One of the most promising industries on these estates 

 is that of tea cultivation. The yield per acre worked out 

 at 1,206 Bb., and the cost price was 2S9(f. per tt» f.o.b. It 

 is noted that, in a general way, a rise in price is more 

 important in regard to tea than a falling off of a little of 

 the product. 



COKKKE i;E0WN with RliBBEK. 



Dealing next with coffee, it is stated that Liberia 

 and Robusta are the chief varieties grown. Hevea rubber 

 is planted between the coft'ee. Altliough the Liberian 

 crop already established gives good returns, that planted 

 in recent years has not proved a great success, for 

 the reason, it is thought, that the seed has come from stocks 

 many degrees removed from the original Liberia. Robusta 

 cotfee on these estates appears to have somewhat disap- 

 pointed expectations too. It is stated that the cost price of 

 the double planting of Hevea and coffee is approximately 

 £16 per acre, inclusive of their proportion of buildings and 

 general expenses — apparently a very moderate amount. 



rubbkr: fall in price: sucge.sted eemedies. 



Most of the rubber grown on the estates is Ficus 

 Sind Ceara There is always a demand for Ficus rubber, but 

 if the price continues to fall it will s ion make it unprofitable 

 to tap Hevea is also grown. The cost of production for 

 Hevea and Ficus. taken together, amounts -to 2«. '5irf per lb. 

 It is remarked that this may seem unre&aonably high, but 



ment at the hands of inexperienced tappers; (2) the state, of 

 upkeep in j-ears previous to the coramencemer.t of the present 

 ownership was far from .satisfactory; whilst. (3) the above- 

 figure includes the cost of upkeep of areas containing trees 

 not yet productive. 



Continuing considerations in regard to the falling 

 price of rubber, the view is expressed that although the 

 perpetual drop appears to be alarming investors, in some 

 ways it would be for the future benefit of the industry; there 

 must be some limit to the perpetual extensions, and the 

 danger signal which is mw being hoisted, though very- 

 unpleasant to contemplate at [iresent, will in all probability- 

 make the industry a more healthy one in the future. It is sug- 

 gested that the crying nece.ssity is for plantation Para rubber 

 producers to investigate and find out whether the higher 

 price ruling for wild Para is only based on unfounded opinion 

 and blind prejudice; and, if it is, to make a strenuous etfort 

 to dispel the illu.sion. If the difference in price is du" lo 

 a defective treatment of the latex itself, determined efforts- 

 must be made to bring Eastern methods into line with 

 those employed in Brazil. 



SUCAl; AFTER RICE. 



Although some sugar is cultivated on these Javanese 

 estates, an extensive indus-try is hampered by difficulties, 

 connected with its rotation with the rice crop, which the natives 

 much prefer to grow. It is stated that, in Java, sugar should 

 not be grown on new irrigated rice fields -at least three op 

 four crops of rice must be taken off them previously. Coming 

 to rice, in particular, difficulties again have to be faced ia 

 regard to the natives. At the same time it is likely that the 

 revenue from this source will materially increase as the 

 European administrators belonging to the company get into 

 closer contact with the labouring classes 



A TEAK AUCTION SALE. 



The article deals lastly with a valuable asset to many 

 estates in Java, namely, teak. Formerly this wood was 

 employed on the Anglo-Dutch plantations for constructing 

 buildings; now it is sold, and it provides a valuable source of 

 revenue. The timber is disposed of in the following inter- st- 

 ing manner: The company fells the wood, and periodiial 

 auctions are held. The teak is sold at these sales by the 

 Government auctioneer, the selling charge being 1 per cent, 

 of the gross revenue, and the Government is responsible for 

 the solvency of the buyer. At one of the more recent of these 

 auctions, wood was bought to the value of £2,000. The 

 auctions are held at three railway stations, and the timber 

 is floated down the river tn a landing stage conveniently- 

 situated near by. 



CINEMATOCRAPn snows. 



In conclusion one or two interesting points may b© 

 added in regard to affairs of general administration. 

 A certain amount of labour unrest exists in Java. This, to- 

 some extent, is to be philosophically regarded in the Tropica 

 (as in Europe) as a concomitant of prosperity: the hiwher 

 the wages the greater the desire for further increases. 

 However, companies operating in Java endeavour to dis.=ipate 

 any puerile dissatisfaction and unrest by the provision of 

 amusements and entertainments, which include periodic fetes 

 and cinematograph shows. It is stated that at one of these- 

 fetes a native was seen in possession of a model of an 

 aeroplane hoisted on a pole, to demonstrate the fact thni iiie=- 

 production of the estate he worked on was cintiuu.illy- 

 mounting higher and higher. 



