384 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. i, i885< 



* 



To the EdUor of the " Ceylon Observer." 



TKAVANOORE PLANTERS AND THE T, A 

 Central Travancore, Oct. 18S6. 

 SiE, — I note m the T. A. fcr the current mouth a 

 letter signed by the Chairman of the Travancore 

 Planters' Association accusing you of " perversion of 

 facts."* I have turned up the April number of the 

 T. A., pages 704 and 712 and find nothing there to 

 warrant such language. The Chairman had not the 

 authority of the Association (as he would lead the 

 public to believe) to write to you, and he should have 

 been more careful before assailing your good name 

 and placing the members of the Association in a false 

 position. I as a member of the Association, and I 

 know many others never heard of this matter until I 

 read the letter in the 2'. ^i. I only regret you let him 

 off so easily in your foot-note, but I know it is from 

 the fact that j'ou have always taken a warm interest 

 in everything that concerns planting in Travancore and 

 I hope you will continue to do so, notwithstanding our 

 Chairman's foolish production. — Yours, &c. 



AME.\IBKR OF THE T. P. ASSOJIATION^ 



OEANGESAND OTHEE FRUITS FOR ENGLAND. 



Deab SiB.^Can you or any of your correspond- 

 ents inform me of the best mode of sending 

 oranges home (in small quantities) and what other 

 Ceylon fruits can be sent? — Yours truly, ENQUIRER. 



[If care is taken that the oranges are neither 

 over-ripe, nor in the smallest degree bruised, and 

 the boxes in which the fruit is packed stowed in 

 a cool part of the steamer, there is no reason 

 why the fruit should not be transmitted in good 

 condition. We do not see what advantage would 

 be gained by wrapping the fruits in tissue paper, 

 or adding any packing material, if the packing 

 is 60 done that the oranges would not roll about. 

 We fear pines and plantains would scarcely stand 

 a voyage of nearly a month, but some of our 

 readers may have suggestions — the result of actual 

 experience — to offer. — Ed.] 



""coffee and pepper exports from 

 west coast of india. 



Tellicherry, 25th October 1886. 



Dkae Sir, — We have the pleasure to hand you our 

 usual statement of exports of coffee and jiepper 

 from the West Coast for year ending 30th June 188G. 



Cojf'ee. — The export of this produce for the year 

 exceeds that of any of the five preceeding years, 

 the largest quantity being shipped from Mangalore. 

 Estimates in Coorg and Mysore were realized and 

 in many cases exceeded and the quality of the 

 coffee generally maintained. From statistics com- 

 piled by the Commissioner of Coorg, we gather that 

 103,420 cwt. of plantation coffee alone were ex- 

 ported from that Province, 70,2(J0 cwt. of which found 

 its way to Mangalore and Tellicherry, the balance 

 33,160 cwt. going eastward for shipment in Madras. 



A glance at our figures will show that compar- 

 atively small crops are obtained every alternate 

 year, and the coming one will not be an exception 

 to the rule, for we regret to say prospects as re- 

 gards quantity are by no means good ; but we 

 anticipate this will be to a certain degree counter- 

 balanced by the better prices that will be obtained, 

 the market showing a decided upward tendency, 

 which with exchange in favour of the planter we 

 would fain hope is indicative of a return of prosper- 

 ity to the coffee enterprize. A small crop too, 

 invariably means better quality. 



Pepper. — The export of this produce for the past 

 year in quantity almost equals that of 188'2-83, when 



* We showed that the Chairman referred to extracts 

 from Indian papers with which we had nothing to do, 

 and I'sorae of which positively praised Travancore. — 

 Ed. 



s far as we are aware the largest quantity was 

 shipped ; and we have reason to believe that larger 

 quantities still will be exported in the course of a 

 year or two as a far larger acreage under pepper 

 has still to come into bearing, and as prices are 

 maintained, the cultivation is highly remunerative 

 to natives in whose hands at present it rests. — 

 We are, dear sir, yours faithfully. 



ppro ALSTON LOW & Co. 

 Ralph Tatham. 

 [For the table appended see our Handbook and 

 Directory. — Ed.~; 



Planting in Honduras. —The following advertise- 

 ment in the Field is of some interest to Ceylon 

 colonists : — Colonial Opening. — A gentleman, resident 

 for the last seven years in British Honduras, has during 

 that time purchased 20,000 acres in that colony, the more 

 fertile parts of which are suitable for growing bananas, 

 coconuts, oranges, &c., for the American markets 

 (with which there is regular communication by 

 steamer), and the rest for cattle grazing. He has spent 

 considerable sums in developing the property, and 

 wishes to find a Partner or Partners, with about £,3000 

 capital (to be expended on the property), to take the 

 active management in a year's time. The colony has 

 been English for over a century; is twenty days' 

 steam from England, and has a good climate. The 

 t state is already working at a profit, and the coconut 

 trees planted are gradually coming into full bearing 



Notes fhom Agkicultukal Letter : Paris. Oct. 2. — 

 Sulphuret of carbon has proved a valuable agent for 

 the destruction of ants. First, batten down the hills, 

 then make a hole, and pour in one ounce of the 

 chemical. The vapours will soon penetrate into the 

 interior and not an insect, but will be killed. The 

 operator must be careful not to go too near the 

 fumes himself. To render barrels, wooden troughs 

 &c., inodorous and impermeable, paint them with a 

 preparation of quick lime and alcohol. This will make 

 fir-wood as hard as oiik. The alcohol will dissolve th« 

 resin and the lime will replace it in the pores. Wash 

 off any excess of the paint. Mr. Petermann, Director 

 of Agronomic station of Gembloux, has been ex- 

 perimenting with bone dust since three years to test 

 its nitrogenous value. He finds that a top-dressing of 

 this manure, given to winter wheat in March, — the soil 

 being sandy-clay and fair — will increase the yield of 

 grain 13 per cent. 



The Colonial and Indian Exhibition. — The Con- 

 ferences under the direction of the Conference Com- 

 mittee of the Exhibition recommenced this week, 

 a paper being read on Oct. 6th, on " The Pearl 

 Fi.'iheries of Ley Ion," by G. Vaue, c. m. g. On the 

 8th, a pai)er will be read on " Cauida as a Flax- 

 Growing and Linen-Manufacturing llegion," by E. B. 

 Biggar. Papers will also be read on dates to be 

 hereafter announced, on " Stock-Raising in Canada," 

 by Professor Smith ; on " The Climate of Canada," by 

 W. Kingston; on "The Canadian North- West," by 

 Captain Clarke; on "The Coco-nut Palm of Ceylon: 

 its Products and other Uses," by ,J. Capper ; on 

 "Ceylon Tea," by J. L. Shand ; on ' St. Helena: its 

 Past, Present, and Future," by Lieut. -Colonel Palmer; 

 on " British North Bomeo and its Resources," by W. B. 

 Pryor ; on " The Social Condition of Cape Colony," 

 by Spencer Todd, c.ji.g. It is also probable that a 

 second conference will be held by the National Fish 

 Culture Associaiion. It has been arranged, moreover, 

 *;o hold a meeting for the purpose of testing the quali- 

 ties of the different colonial timbers exhibited at the 

 Exhibition. The object of the meeting is to bring to- 

 gether the leading civil engineers, timber merchants, 

 builders, and other users of wood, to meet experts 

 from the various colonies. Samples of the woods will 

 be converted by machinery into railway sleepers, joinery, 

 casks, spokes for wheels, &c., so that practical men 

 will have an opportunity of seeing what colonial woods 

 can be most easily worked, and for what purpose they 

 can be utilised in this couutry. — London a»d China 

 Expresi. 



