34^ 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. i, 1886. 



rare event. In some parts over 200 inches falls in 

 the year. In these respects Ceylon is an epitome or 

 continuation of the Southern Indian peninsula. The 

 peculiarities of the tlora were then gone through in 

 some detail, taking first the low country of the wet 

 districts up to 3,000 feet — in which the number of 

 introduced tropical plants was commented upon ; then 

 of the lower hills, the principal home of the planting 

 enterprise and tea and coffee estates ; and ne.ict of 

 the higher or true mountain districts above 5,000 feet. 

 In the low country the forest has been much destroyed 

 by the indolent and improvident native mode of cultiv- 

 ation called "chena," and but little virgin forest re- 

 mains in this portion of Ceylon. From .'5,000 to 5,000 

 feet the agent of destruction has be3n Kuropean plant- 

 ing, and the forest has almost wholly disappeared. 

 Above .5,000 feet, land is no longer sold by Government. 

 Attention was specially called to the concr itration 

 of endemic species in this wet district — over 800, or 

 nearly 30 per cent of the whole flora— and to the 

 strongly Malayan, as distinguished from I'eninsular 

 Indian type of these and of the whole flora. There 

 are no Alpine plants in the Ceylon hills ; dense forest 

 covers their summits, but a number of temperate 

 genera are represented. This flora is entirely Indian 

 in type, with no gmus represented which is not also 

 found in the Nilghiiis, but the number of endemic 

 .yjccies is very remarkable, only about 200 being com- 

 mon to both mountain-ranges. A few remarks were 

 then made upon the naturally open grass lands, called 

 " patanas,"' in the hills, and their peculiar vegetation. 

 TJie flora of the great dry tracts of Ceylon was then 

 considered. It is completely distinct from that 

 already considered, being maiuly the same as that of 

 the Oarnatic or Ooromandel coast of India, with no 

 Malayan admixture, and very few endemic species. 

 The whole country is covered with forest, apparently 

 primieval ; but in reality much of it is secondary, and 

 not more than 800 or 1000 years old, as is reported 

 by native tradition, and evidenced by the vast re- 

 mains of temples, tanks, and ancient buildings now 

 overgrown with trees. Most of the timbers of im- 

 portance in trade are obtained in these districts, and, 

 owing to a. very faulty forest conservancy, there is 

 now but little first-class timber remaining, save in 

 very remote places. The botanical characters of this 

 forest, which is everywhere evergreen, were given; 

 and the paper concluded with a few remarks on the 

 coast flora, which is very uniform throughout the tro- 

 pical belt of the world. — Nature. 



THE COLONIAL AND INDIAN EXHIBITION AT 

 SOUTH KENSINGTON. 



Jamaica. — Several specimens of annatto are shown, 

 all of which are of very good colour and appear to 

 be the best in the Exhibition. A specimen of the 

 colouring matter in the form of a dry -red powdc 

 is worthy of notice as being likelj' to be useful for 

 colouring oils, and as a pant. It is free from the 

 peculiar and somewhat disagreeable odour possessed 

 by the so''d form usually met with. This specimen 

 was prepared by the Government Chemist, ]\[r. .J. ,T. 

 Bowery. Allspice is shown by several e.xhibitors. The 

 tree, which L'rows on warm limestone hills in the 

 is'aud at an elevation of 1,500 to 2,.J0O feet, ajipeara 

 not to flourish so well ar-'wiiere else, so that .Jamaica 

 practically supp'es the who 8 world. According to 

 the oflicial citalogue the export of this spice from' 

 the island during the year 188-5 was valued at £-53,St)7 ; 

 ginger being exported during the same period from 

 Jama'ca to the extent of £20,168. Several other spices 

 are exhibited as produced in the island, including 

 some fine nutmegs, also cardamoms, cinnamon, and 

 cassia. The clove, black pepper, anil vanilla are .also 

 estab'ished in the island. 



The samples of cardamoms exhibited are small and 

 not well fiilel with seeds. 



Neither the cinnamon nor the cassia exhibited by 

 the Botanical Department present the aspect of the 

 commercial product; indeed it would be diflicult to judge 

 from tho appearance alone which is cassia ;iiul whicU 



cinnamon. They are also very deficient in aroma. 

 Unless the cinnaiio i could be obtained richer in 

 essential oil and prepared in fine quills, as in Ceylon, 

 it is hardly likely to be received in English commerce. 

 Dyewoods, including logwood, fustic and sapan 

 wood, are exported from Jamaica to the extent of 

 abouy £100,000 anmudly. The logwood tree was in- 

 ti-oduced from British Honduras in 1,715, and has 

 spread spontaneously over the island to such an ex- 

 tent that the export of logwood now exceeds that 

 from Briti.sh Honduras. — Pluinnaceviical Joornal. 



THE NOETHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA. 



Half-Yearfa- REPoax by Goverxment Resident. 



3Iinhuj. — The discovery of an alluvial gold field in 

 tho Kimberley district of "Western Australia has of 

 course, \r \ a sharp effect upon our gold returns for 

 the half-year, which have fallen from 10,112 oz, 

 f- om Jar ^ary 1 to .Tuue 30, 1835, to 6,010 oz. in the 

 correspording period this year. 



Geological Examination and Prospecting Parties. — 

 The Rev. J. E. Tenison Woods arrived here by H. 

 M. S. " Flying Fish," after completing a three years' 

 scientific tour in the East. He writes me from 

 Buirundie: — "lam much pleased with the geological 

 aspect of the country. It has the features of an 

 auilferous district in a way that brings to ray 

 mind some of the best gold-bearing tracts I have 

 seen in Australia, and one sees at a glance how 

 little can have been done as yet to explore its 

 deposits." 



Ac,ric"lture. — The past wet season has not been a 

 favourable one for sugar-cane. AVe had nearly the 

 usual rainfall, but the rains came in heavy deluges, 

 with somewhat long intervals of drought between. 

 The rain, too, was unusually local. For example, in 

 fc.'ty eight bours there was a difference of about 4 

 incbes between the rainfa'l in Palmerston and at 

 Fannie Bay, only 4 miles distant. On my return 

 from the Katherine, when at Port Darwin Camp, I 

 was shown some splendid bins of rice which had been 

 grown on the Margaret River. The Chinaman who 

 cvned the rice informed me (and it was confirmed 

 by Mr.* M. D. Armstrong) that the Chinese give 2s. 

 per bag more for this rice than for the rice imported 

 from China. Originally 30 lb. were sown, and the 

 first harvest yielded over 1 ton of fine sample 

 rice. I thought the sample so fine that I purchased 

 a 56-lb. bag for the Colonial and Indian Exhibition 

 in London. At the same place I was shown some 

 splendid cobs of maize. On suitable soil maize grows 

 tn J crops in the year, and with fair seasons each 

 crop yields 40 bushels to the acre. The prize of 

 maize upcountry this year is £10 per ton. I have 

 no doubt that one of the successes in tropical agri- 

 culture will be the growth of rice. I have again 

 visited the Beatrice Hills plantation. The coffee plants 

 were strong and healthy, and many of them bearing 

 fir? berries. The indiarubber trees had grown well 

 and flourishing. 



Sugar from the Territory. 



AYe have been shown by Jlr. Otto Brandt, of the 

 Shoal Bay Plantation, near Palmerston, Northern 

 Tei..'itory, a parcel of sugar, being part of this sea- 

 sou's, the first recrushing in our northern depen- 

 dency. About three years ago there was a very small 

 crushing of a few tons on Delissaville plantation, 

 which is now abandoned, but this was not of very 

 excellent quahty. Trie sample sent to us by Mr. 

 Brandt is an unrefined good white. Mr. Brandt opened 

 his plantation in 1883. but this is the first year of 

 crushing, except for a few tons of sugar made last 

 year in testing the machinery. The operations were 

 at that time affected by the fact that a fire burut 

 about 20 acres of cane, and the cane could not be 

 put through the mill on account of the machinery 

 having been received from the south and erected too 

 late in the season. The plantation has an area of 

 761 acres of laud selected by Mr. Brandt, and pur- 

 chased under the 12s. Cd. an acre special survey laws. 

 In addition to this the survey cost 25. G.l, an acre.- 



