Idd 



tHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [Nov. i. 1886. 



It must be remembered that it is more true today 

 than ever, that t}ie stocks for the world are in 

 London, and the fortnightly regular auctions held 

 here are the guide and controlling influence of 

 values, and of supply and demand. Both New York 

 and Paris hold. greatly reduced stocks of Bark as 

 compared with former years. 



The consumption of Sulphate of Quinine in America 

 is euoniious and progressive. 



The titatistics on the other side will be of interest, 

 and wo beg reference to our regular fortnightly 

 Prices Current on this article. — Your obedient ser- 

 vants, Lewis & Peat, Brokers. 



We cannot lind room for the valuable statistics 

 appended to this lieport, but these will be given 

 in our Tropical Agricultitrist. We may mention 

 however, that out of 12/241,600 lb. total deliveries of 

 bark in 1883-1:, as many as 5,320,000 lb. were of 

 South and Central American barks; while in 1881-5 the 

 proportions were 1,101,720 lb. out of 11,186,720 lb.; 

 and in 1885-6, only 2,900,000 lb. of American 

 bark out of 11,900,0001b. delivered. As to Stock, 

 the estimate is for 1st September, Ceylon, Indian 

 and Java barks 2,229,810 lb. against 7,980,000 lb. 

 American, doubtless being held for prices. But 

 the total stock is only about the same as 1st 

 September 1885 and 20 per cent less than on 1st 

 September 1881. 



As regards the prospects in Java, we have had 

 the following placed at our disposal : — 8 



Extract from Mr. G. Tolson's letter of 24th August 

 1886: — " We certainly shall be shipping more and more 

 cinchona every year from Java, but nothing like what 

 Ceylon has done. If we ship one million lb. during 

 the next two years it will be A 1. But we don't 

 expect liigher prices so long as Ceylon sends such a 

 lot forward. 



We mayalsD quote from the private reports of 

 merchants in London as follows : — 



" We have 250,000 lb. of real giiod stem aud plenty 

 more to come, and 1 am much interested in the fviture 

 of bark. The stock here is not considered excessive, 

 60,000 bales, one year's consumption. They know more 

 about Java in Jjondon than we do in Ceylon. Van 

 Goorkem the man who has written about cinchona in 

 Java estimates the acreage of that island at 20,000 

 acres aud the production during the next 5 years at 

 1,000,000 to 5,000,000 lb. per anuum. The exports 

 from Java this year are \h million pounds aud this 

 is excessive as ihey have peeled up a lot of inferior to 

 make room for Ledgers instead. I wrote to a reliable 

 person in India: — "What is the probable production 

 of Southern India, during next three years." He 

 ro))liod: 1, li, and 2.^ millions per annum. 



It is most diiiicult to learn anything satisfactory 

 'about cinchona. Tlie Mincing Lane Brokers de- 

 clare we have driven S. America out of the market 

 and hardly any comes from there now. The produc- 

 tion nilSSO and 1881 wlien2i per cent and 3 percent 

 stuff was worth 2s Od and 3s, was 24,000,000 lb per 

 annum and now it is not much in excess of that, yet 

 price has gone down to 3Ad a unit. Howard says 

 that the price entirely depends on Ceylon exports. 



" Cinchona. — Sales advertised for next week com- 

 lirise some 2,200 lb. Ceylon, which is a large supply. 

 The market for Quinine has developed further weak- 

 ness and sales of Gf rnian have been made at Is lOd 

 per oz. We fear this will affect the price of bark 

 to some extent and we anxiously look for a material 

 deelinc in shipments from your side.'' 



From all this it may readily be judged how much 

 depends on the outturn and distribution of the 

 Coylon Cinchona Bark exports and this brings us 

 Lack to the proposed Syndicate, regarding which 

 we shall have more to yay in an early issue. 



ri!OST ON THE NiLiGiuis. — The South of India 



oh^eirer of 18th September states :— The fall of 



frost at this lime of the year is unprecedented. 



^'C)t even in the j-ecoJlectioji of that ubiquitous 



animal, the oldest resident, can such a circum- 

 stance be called to memory, yet we have to 

 record a small fall of frost on the morning of 

 Friday and again today. 



EuEA. — The secrecy observed in connection with the 

 cultivation and manipulation of Khca fibre is causing 

 great harm. It is strengthening the impression that 

 the whole thing is a failure and a delusion. If the 

 machinery is refractory, the fact should be known with 

 a view to stimulate enquiry aud inventive genius. 

 If Mr. Minchin is now on the steaming ami chemical 

 processes, we presume, it is because the Death and 

 Eilwood machines have not turned out according to ex- 

 pectation. — Nlhiiri Exjivesf. 



Thk Government of Trinidad has taken a wise 

 step to encourage local industry in forwarding $40 

 to each of the District Agricultural Boards, ""it is 

 not a very large sum, to be sure, but it (vill encour- 

 age those boards to make an effort to develop the 

 minor industries in their several districts. If good 

 results should follow the action of the Governor, 

 he may perhaps be disposed to make a further and 

 still larger grant. Anyway, it is a step in the right 

 direction, and ought to be the means of doing much 

 good among the agricultural classes. — Colonies and 

 India. 



C.\cxus Edging is finding favor in Bombay. In 

 an economical point of view it is an extremely 

 cheap undertaking, and as a safe-guard and pre- 

 ventive against the inroads of animals or intruders, 

 it is unparalleled. It is an erroneous idea that 

 long rested in the public mind, that this genus of 

 succulent plants afford harbourage for snakes. 

 We should prefer Aloe fencing. [On the above, from 

 the Indian Enyineer, we would remark that cactus 

 has an inconvenient tendency to spread laterally. 

 Aloes, on the other hand, will, in about a score of 

 years, or less, flower and die down. — Ed.J 



Aloes and White Ants: is it True:-' A recent 

 traveller states : — I noticed that for the most part 

 the hedges of the Madras Railway were composed 

 of the common aloe plant. It is still a conundrum mmy 

 mind from which of two causes this came about. It may 

 be that aloes form a good fence to keep cattle off 

 the line. Possibly it originated from a knowledge 

 of the fact that white ants will at once leave any 

 place if you take aloe leaves and bruise them and 

 place the bruised leaves on or near their runs as I 

 know from experience, or as I have heard, if you 

 mix aloe juice with the mortar when building a 

 house, the white ants will never come near it. So 

 it may be a well considered design to protect the 

 sleepers of the railway. — Soutli of India. Ohsn-rer. 



Effect of i.ong-continued Vegetaut.e Deposit on 

 Soil. — The following extract from an article in the 

 Indian Forester on deterioration and recovery of 

 forest soils, has a good deal of bearing, probably, 

 on the history of some of our Ceylon patenas: — 

 " Over large extents of Motipur and Chakia, the soil, 

 now supporting vigorous sill growth, would be un- 

 doubtedly very stiff in quality, but for the large 

 admixture, in its substance, of vegetable manure. 

 It is my opinion, therefore, that we have in Bhiuga 

 nothing more than an instance of soil deterioration on 

 a gigantic scale, a deterioration that has progressed 

 slowly through generations of time, the inevitable 

 consequence of unceasing destruction by man, of 

 pasture, fires, exposure to sun and air, and the 

 resulting exhaustion of that onl;/ element of oriyinal 

 fertdity in this otherwise purely arijillaceous soil. 

 Restore this vegetable manure, and, in my opinion, 

 you restore the forest at one and the same time. 

 But this restoration signifies no more fires, no more 

 pasture, no more fellings, no more removal of pro- 

 duce — not even grass— -for two score of years." If a 

 tract of pateua were enclosed aud treated as a forest 

 reserve, suitable trees being planted in succession as 

 the soil was improved by the fallen leaves, in half 

 a century we should probably have not only fine 

 forest trees but lanil Liiiinently suited for tea culture. 

 Such an experiment ought to be made. 



