

THE TkOPiCAL AGRKruLTURiST. [NoS'. i, 1886; 



increase in the annual consumption, conclude 

 that production is beginning to fall behind con- 

 Buniption, and unless I\'Iexico and Central America 

 rapidly increase their supply, coffee must sell on a 

 higher average basis. — Amcricoit Gmrer, Aug. 18th. 



COFFEE IN VICTORIA. 



(Duty. 3d. per lb.) 

 1882. 18^:3. 188i. 1885. 



lb. lb. lb. lb. 



Imports 1,836,033 1,289,606 1,189,010 1,656,403 



Exports 494,408 418,408 397,348 414,(526 



Tran.shipraents 59,404 64,656 116,426 253,729 



Home consumi)- 



tion (uet) 8CS,225 947,424 1,193,982 978,867 

 — Australinii Traih- llcrlov. 



[The consumption of colfee, therefore, is a little 

 under 1 lb. per caput, while tea is 7 lb. and cocoa 

 and chocolate some\Yhat over ^^ of a pound. In all 

 S^ lb. of non-alcoholic beverages, — Ed. | 



TEA IN VICTORIA, 



(Duty 3d per lb.) 

 1882. 1883. 1884, 1885. 



lb. lb. lb. lb. 



11,438.456 7,363,122 11,524,205 13,679,952 



3,293,102 3,703,109 



Imports 

 Exports 



rfrom bound) 3,577,788 4,600,507 

 Experts (uuder 



drawback) 93.'),5tl 1,170,557 

 Tranthipmeuts 727,538 284,996 

 Home Consump- 

 tion (net) 0,097,371 6,378,862 

 — A/fsifdliaii Trade JUrieir. 



[In round numbers a consumption of 7 millions 

 of pounds by 1 million of a population, or 7 lb. 

 p:r caput, against nearly 5 lb. in Britain. — Ed,] 



1,684,327 

 ' 384,841 



2,084,818 

 340,578 



6,489,390 6,989,580 



M.V.NliOSTKKXS .\KI) LiTCHIS OX THE NiLfillUS. 



— In the annual report on the Barliyar Gardens, 

 which are somewhat over 2,000 feet above sea-levei, 

 it is stated that mangosteen and litchi trees have 

 fruited well and it is added : — "It is odd that there 

 should be so little demand for these trees, lor, 

 after the mango, they arc by far the best fruits 

 we have in Southern India, and I believe they 

 would thrive and grow rapidly in almost any part 

 of the country." There is no limit as to altitude 

 here and we should like to know up to what 

 altitude the mangosteen can bo grown. We once 

 tried plants at 4,700, but they failed. No doubt 

 the depressed state of the planting interest accounts 

 largely for the decreased demand for plants. As 

 plants are plentiful and probably cheap, some of 

 our local readers may be led to indent on Mr. 

 Lawson for some Wardian cases. 



Mvi,Ai!i.\ Altitudes. — "While malaria usually 

 hai its ordinary habitat in low-lying regions, it may, 

 smder favorable conditions, exist at great elev- 

 aUoiiP. On the Tuscan Apennines it is found at a 

 heij^ht of 1.100 feet above the sea ; on the I'yrenees 

 and Mexican Cordilleras, 5,000 feet ; on the Hima- 

 layas, (i, iOO feet ; on the island of Ceylou, 0,590 

 Keet ;* and on the Andes, 11,000 feet. At present 

 the elevation of entire security has been thus ap- 

 J^jfoxiraated for various places ; in Italy, from 400 

 to 500 feet ; in Cahfornia, 1,000 feet ; along the 

 Appalachian chain of the United States, 300 feet ; 

 in the West Indies, 1,400 to 1,800 feet. In any 

 of these regions, however, malaria may drift up 

 ravines to an indefinite height. — Indian Encjiiicer. 



* This is entirely new to us. Is there n case on re- 

 cord of malarious fever contracted at such an elevation ? 

 Of course persous who have malarious poi.sons in their 

 svstems are liable to recurreoce of fever et any elev. 



CoKr'KE-i'T,\NTERs in Southem India who liave 

 been complaining of a lack of matter bearing on 

 their staple in the TroplcaJ Afirirulturiat will be 

 gratified to find a series of reviews of the various 

 branches of a colfee planter's work by an old Ceylon 

 hand is now being published in the 7". A. They 

 were written some years ago but are revised to date. 



PiNUS Insignis i-oii Nlw'.vra Ellya. — Crijpto- 

 mcriin Japoiiica promises to grow well at Nuwara 

 Eliya, but what about Piuu.'^ nmrpiiit ? It eught 

 to be largely planted at once, for Mr. Lawson re- 

 ports that this conifer is established on theNilgiris, 

 trees of six years old being sixty feet in height 

 (10 feet per annum), while trees fifteen years old 

 yield an abundance of excellent timber. If Mr. 

 Nock has not already got nurseries, he will no 

 doubt at once procure seed in quantity of this 

 pine which equals E. ijlohulus in rapidity of growth 

 and quahty of timber at an early age. Our forest 

 department ought also to pay attention to this 

 tree. With proper seasoning the limber would 

 doubtless be suitable for tea chests. 



Can Artesian Wells be sunk in Jaffna!'' — Prob- 

 ably not : — Two conditions are necessary for artesian 

 wells. There mu.st be three layers of earth or rocks, 

 the upper aud lower impervious to water, the middle, 

 pervious. If water can pass tbrough the upper it will 

 come out iu springs when the middle layer is full. 

 If it cau pass tbrough the lower it will siuk. But if 

 these, layers are level, no water cau of course either 

 get into or out of the middle layer. The layers must be 

 shaped like one side of a cup at the bottom ol which 

 the well must be placed. The top of the layer must 

 be higher than the top of the v/ell, else tbe water 

 will 110 more come out of the well than it will out of our 

 ordinary Jaffna wells. But Jaffna is on a bank of 

 coral. If this coral rock could be bored through the 

 rock beneath would in all probability be like that 

 of South Ceylon and South India — not in layers. 

 There is hardly a possibility that artesiau wells could 

 be suuk in Jaffna. — Ed. M. tS. — "Morniug Star." 



Ceylon v. Indian Teas. — The latest Produce 

 Market lie vie u- has the following pointed remarks : — • 



Although the market for Indian and Ceylon Teafi 

 continues to be liberally supplied, the demand has 

 sufficiently improved to maintain prices. Some of 

 the last arrivals of Indian Tea are of distinctly bet- 

 ter quality, and there has beea a general improve 

 meut in the Teas from most districts. This may 

 indicate that as the year advances better Teas will 

 arrive than has been the case, until quite receutly, 

 since the opening of tlio season. At any rate, it is 

 to bo hoped that the improvement in quality will in- 

 crease, as, unless this is the case, the general posi- 

 tion of Indian Teas in the L/Oudon market may bo 

 less favourable than it has been of late years. There 

 is every probability of a lower range of prices this 

 season for the very lincst grades, in consequence of 

 the gradually diminishing demand for high priced 

 Teas. This is a consideration equally applicable to 

 all fine Tea coining from any country, but to give 

 less attention to quality in consequence must provti 

 prejudicial to the interests of Importers, and Ceyloti 

 Teas have beon recently ijubstituted for Liaiau 

 Teas, simply owing to their superior mannfaoture 

 and strength. If Indian Teas ore to hold their owu 

 in competition here, it can only be by careful atten- 

 tion to the requirements of the market, aud by sup- 

 plying Teas sufiiciently marked by the v.cllknowij 

 characteristics looked for in theso growths. Ceylou 

 Teas were some time ago very disappointing in (juality; 

 but they have much unproved of late, and buyers 

 have not been hIow to recognise the fact, as cvi- 

 d '.need by the brisk competition for them now. With 

 the increasing production, it was thouglit jirobabic 

 that the qua'ity of Ceylon Teas would not be main- 

 tained, audit certaiuly appeared so a few weeks ago, 

 but recent ehipments have quite dissipated this idea, 

 and most of the frc«h supplies arc quite up t9 tbe 

 average oi iQviucx vcare, 



