74 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Aug. 



1 886. 



in April IS')9. — Columho Obscrrery 



Those connected with coconut estates ai*e aware that 

 besides the destruction of young trees by the grubs 

 or beetles, they must lay their account to a varying 

 but appreciable percentage of loss of trees at all 

 stages of growth from the effects of lightning. 

 For, these natural lightning conductors, with their 

 tall stems covered with a generally smooth coating 

 of siliceous matter (to the prevalence of which 

 near human abodes, there can be little doubt, the 

 inhabitants of Ceylon owe much of their immunity 

 from lightning strokes), are themselves no more 

 exempt from occasional destruction by "the electric 

 fluid" than are artificial conductors formed of copper 

 or other metal. Electricity seems sometimes to 

 be generated and to be present in such abundance 

 and such form, as not to allow of its being 

 carried off insensibly, even by such a series of 

 conductors as a grove of coconut palms ; and then 

 the palms, sometimes in large groups, are struck 

 witli fatal effect. On one occasion when a crash 

 gave rise to the impression that "the sky had 

 fallen," we felt certain that something had been 

 Btruck and on going to the seashore we found 

 seven coconut trees affected, some killed outright 

 and others with only the edges of their branches 

 singed. But ultimately every tree, however faintly 

 affected, died. During the late monsoon storms, 

 twelve tine palms, a little south of the Kollupitiya 

 station, were struck. Five of tliese were practic- 

 hlly decapitated and others were badly burnt. But 

 6ome were only affected so that a slight browu 

 colour showed on a few of the branches. Amongst 

 these latter is a tree with a nuignificent head of 

 fruit, and this morning we expressed our fears, 

 based on our experience, to a good native authority 

 that this valuable tree was as much doomed as 

 those whose vitality had been at once destroyed. 

 He fully confirmed our opinion: the tree »i»s( die. 

 Electricity is essentially mysterious in its origin, 

 substance and action, but perha,ps some reader 

 who has studied the subject can help us to the 

 philosophy of the curious fact wc have noted. 

 Human beings have been "struck" by lightning 

 and suffered more or less severe injury, but have 

 yurvived. Why should coconut palms, which have 

 merely had their external parts, their foliage, 

 almost imperceptibly singed, be as much doomo;! to 

 death as those whose vital parts the tlaid has 

 permeated, the fatal result being only protracted in 

 the one case, while it is instantaneous in the other ? 



PLANTING IN NETHEBLAXDS INDIA, 



{Translated for tlte "Straits Time?.") 

 In Banda, the freight charges to Holland weigh- 

 ing upon nutmeg planters shipping that spice 

 thither have so made away with the profit, that 

 the cultivation of that article no longer pays. 

 Growen; lose lieart and from want of labour the fruit 

 Often rots on the trees, 



At Surabay,", so naya \Ue local ('ourani, 

 fJhinose iraders were by last aflvilccs failing con- 

 tlnU'illy, and business wari nlacl*. On the su^ar 

 estates rvusliing had begun, notwithstanding rainy 

 weatlier. fioni further delay being costly and hazard- 

 ous, The canes were looking well, and even un- 

 usually so in some localities. The price of sugar showed 

 aoeneourngiiig sign of improvement in face of the in- 

 creased ipiantity of beet raised in Europe. 



Private advices from the Ncllierlands in the -/^(a'a 

 liodc state that tlie cinchona market was in a 

 depresaed condition. Business in (Quinine was slack 

 ft3 was the case also with so many other produce 

 articles, that it is hard to say what product can 

 be looked upon as yieldmg handsome profits ^\■ith 

 one exception. The lucky holders of shares in 

 (obcvcco companies there get all the sunshines avail- 



al)le to colonial planters. The same journal says 

 that in these days of shaken confidence in business 

 circles, there is one Java cinchona planter who in 

 spite of the hard times, is able to re^tort favour- 

 ably on the outlook before him, though capitalists 

 have been kept from embarking money in this 

 line of enterprize by the recent rapid fall in the 

 price of bark. Quinine, hoVever, may fall lower 

 still in value without impairing the paying 

 cliaracter of estates with superior kinds of cin- 

 chona trees. A temporary fall in value, would 

 indeed benefit Java growers by making the in- 

 ferior Ceylon barks almost worthless. When there- 

 by that island, now the greatest producer in 

 the market, is driven from the field, a rise in price 

 may reasonably be looked out for, or at least a 

 steadiness of the market sufficient to ensure Java 

 planters adequate profit keeping pace with continu- 

 ous improvements in cultivation. 



DELI NEWS. 

 Heavy rains have fallen throughout Deli swelling 

 the rivers large and small, thereby bringing about 

 more or less destructive floods, which also prevented 

 the Eaces from being held at Medan on the 23rd 

 and 24th May. The managing committee has deter- 

 mined upon putting them oft' still July, when there 

 is greater likelihood of dry weather, Sunday the 

 11th July being the date provisionally fixed upon 

 for holding them. 



NEW MARKETS FOR TEA. 



The question of opening up new markets for the ex- 

 tra outturn that in a few short j ears may be expected 

 from the large area i)ut out under tea is likely to be- 

 come of sufRcieut importance to warrant ileliberatiou 

 and action on the Indian Tea Association. Hitherto the 

 efforts made in this direction have resulted in very little 

 that is practicable. A large ((uautity of tea was poured 

 into Australia and forced on to the market by the ex- 

 tremely cheap rates at which it was sold. In couse- 

 (jucnce of this we are now getting three or four millions 

 placed annually there,* but this represents but a frac- 

 tion of the actual consumption of tea in the colonies, 

 probably about one-seventh and yet we are content 

 to court the market's favours, not by regular shipments, 

 but by spasmodic consignments, when Calcutta prices 

 are a little dull. Every garden now in existence should 

 shi]) a small (]uantity regularly. It would not really 

 matter if it showed a loss, as the quantity even if 

 thrown away, would make no material difference in 

 tbi' dividend. A taste for In>lian tcasmu';t be cultiv- 

 ated, for there is no doubt that Indian tea is notap- 

 priciated in the colonics to any great extent. Unless 

 new markets are opened and that in a year, or two, a 

 heavy fall in prices is like to follow and it may be- 

 come a panic, such as wc had a few years ago, Should 

 this take jilacc, offens of tea to force new markets will 

 nor only be nunicrou-, but generous in the extrctiie. 

 This, however, wilt not be so effective as a little 

 liberality now would be. In addition to what could 

 be done by regular .•^liipments to Australia, the ques- 

 tion of opening up the niarketN of America is one of 

 great importance. Tiie effort previously made to put 

 Indian teas on tlice markets wap but a feeble one. 

 Last year the anuUal subscription to the Association 

 was reduced from one to lialf-an*anna, because therfe 

 was no apparent use for a large cash balance. The 

 amount was so equally distributed over all, tli:it there 

 was no hardship experienced ; it might have been 

 much better bad the one auna contribution been con- 

 tinued, and the money employed to advertise Indian 

 teas in America. A great deal of the success which 



* Not quite two millions in 18S.5, so that if three 

 millions are sent and sold in 18S(J, it will be well and 

 the progress made since the fierce battle of I880-S1, 

 may be reckoned good iti the face of the powerful vested 

 interest conuecteJ with the chcip and nasty but large 

 profit yielding stuff from Foochow.— Ed, 



