4^0 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Dec< t, 1886. 



fortunately beeu too small for experiment, but of 

 those operated upou he could say that they had all 

 been found suitable, so far as quality was concerned, 

 for their various purposes. 



The Hon. M.^lcolm P'r.iser, Western Australia, re- 

 ferring to the two principal woods supplied by the 

 Colony he had the honour to represent^the .Tarrah 

 and the Karri — said that they were both highly ap- 

 preciated at the Antipodes, the latter being the timber 

 jiar excellence of Australia. A considerable quantity 

 of these woods was now in Loudon and could be ob- 

 taiued for about 71. per load, e(iual to 50 cubic feet, 

 and which was about half the price of teak. More- 

 over, railways had beeu constructed in the Colony 

 with the view to the developing the supply of the 

 timber. 



Mr. P. L.SiMMONDS, while admitting the value of most 

 of the New Zealand woods for useful and ornamental 

 purposes— Brinsmead and others recognised their merits 

 for furniture, &c. — expressed the fear that the Colony 

 would not be able to complete with other sources 

 of supply — first of the local demand, and next because 

 of the long distance from the London market. 



Professor BIacouji (Canada) described in eloquent 

 terms the valuable characteristics of the chief wood 

 of the Dominion. The Douglas fir of Canada was 

 fully equal to the white pine now employed, and when 

 the supplies of the latter were exhausted the former 

 would of necessity take its place. The Douglas fir 

 grew in vast quantities, attained a great height, and 

 tapered very gradually. In their black ash, too, the 

 Canadians possessed a species of timber which would 

 some day be very widely employed, for it had all 

 the qualities of the now favourite white ash, and its 

 supply was unlimited. The Douglas fir could be 

 supplied in England at 5/ a load, and the black ash 

 at the same price as elm or white pine. 



Mr. E. A. Cooper (Cape Colonyj commended the 

 peculiar qualities of the Umzumbit wood — its hardness 

 and durability. The cape yellow wood cou'd be supplied 

 as cheaply as any, the price being about Ql. 10.?. a 

 load. 



Mr. A. Dent (British North Bomieo) stated that 

 the Billian wood, which offered great attractions to 

 the English merchant, grew in enormous quantities, 

 was very easy of access, and exceedingly hard and 

 durable. As to its cost, one firoa was already pre- 

 pared to supply it alongside ship at 3? lO*'. per ton, 

 to which about half as much again had to be added 

 for freight, &c. 



On the motion of Sir Philip Cunliffe-Owen, seconded 

 by Sir. C. H. Gregory, votes ot thanks were accorded 

 to the chairman and to Messrs. Kansome & Co., and 

 the proceedings closed. — Colonies and India. 



THE RECENT COFFEE CROP IN COORG. 



The figures for the last coffee crop in Ooorg, as 

 given in a memorandum prepared by the Commissioner, 

 are: — Plantation coft'ee, 5,171 ton.s. Native coffee 829 

 tons, total crop 6,000 tons. The Plantation Coffee 

 is no doubt very near the mark, as there are ready 

 means of obtaining exact information ; but there is 

 reason to believe that a serious error has been made 

 in the quantity of Native. The exports of all Native 

 kinds from Tellicherry in the past season exceeded 

 5,000 tons, of which about 500 tons received from 

 Mangalore must be deducted, leaving net exports 

 4,500. Of this not more tliau 1,500 tons could be the 

 produce of North Wyuaad, the only other district 

 from which coffee is brought to Tellicherry. This 

 leaves 3,000 tons for the receipts of Coorg Native 

 coffee at Tillicherry. At Mangalore the receipts were 

 probably not le.s8 than 1,000 world tons, but if taken 

 at the very low estimates of 500 tons the total crop 

 of Coorg Native will be 3,501) ton.s. Taking the Com- 

 missioner's figures for Plantation as above at 5,171 

 tons, and adding the corrtctod estimate for Native 

 coffee 3,500 tons, and we get a total crop of 8,(i7l 

 tons. This is the largest crap the district has ever 

 been credited with, yet, taking the acreage under 

 coffee, given in Mr. (Jirdle.stone's minute to the 

 Planters' Association of 18th March last, at, 73,199 



acres, it only gives cwt. 2-35 per acre. Placing the 

 acreage held by Europeans at 37,544, and cwt. 277 

 is found to be the 'average yield of Plantation. There 

 can be little doubt that Mr. Girdl.estoue's figures 

 include a large area of abandoned and semi-abandoned 

 land, which it is unfair to include in calculating the 

 acreage ratio. A careful revision of the area upon 

 which the above Plantation crop was grown might 

 prove the actual effective acreage not to be much 

 over 25,000 acres, and of this, 5,000 may be put down 

 as yielding very inferior crops. If this estimate be 

 correct, not more than 2O,(»0O acres would, therefore, 

 be the area from which the great bulk of the present 

 Plantation crop was drawn, and that, on the average 

 the yield was about 5 cwt. per acre. Individual est- 

 ates can shew an average of from 7 to 10 cwt. per 

 acre, and some planters can point to fields which 

 have given 12 and 13 cwt., but although the crop, taken 

 as a whole, is a large one for the tlistrict, the acreage 

 yield, even on a greatly reduced estimate of the 

 total area, is not large, though very fair. 



It is impossible to arrange the figures for Native 

 coffee with any assurance of even approximate ac- 

 curacy. Apart from estates of considerable extent 

 held by the better class of Coorgs, there are innumer- 

 able patches of coffee distributed over every part of 

 the province, the total acreage of which it would be 

 all but very difficulty to arrive at. On every httle 

 holding, in the smallest compound attached to the 

 meanest dwelling, under the shade of every small tope, 

 there is coffee to be found, bearing fairly well. It 

 is only at the ports of export that the total yield 

 of this class of coffee can be ascertained with any 

 decree of accuracy. Returns obtained at the toll bars 

 for the entire crop of Plantation and Native would 

 be useful if they could be relied upon, but they are 

 notoriously defective, and too much trust has hitherto 

 been placed in them. The importance of accurate 

 statistics cannot be too strongly impressed on the 

 authorities. It is probable that, from defective returns 

 of crop, the coffee industry in Coorg has been under- 

 rated, and the interests of the planting commuuitj', 

 and the affairs of the district, generally, have in con- 

 sequence, not received the consideration to which they 

 are entitled. There is reason to believe that if the 

 official returns of previous crops were enquired into, 

 sitniliar corrections to those now noticed would have 

 to be made. 



In Ceylon everything that can conduce to the in- 

 terest of the planter has the Government's first 

 attention. The planting districts are covered with a 

 net-work of roads, the best of their kind anywhere, 

 great care and much money being spent in keeping 

 them in good order ; 120 miles of Railway, if uot 

 more, have been made, running into the planting dis- 

 tricts, and this at a cost that throws any proposal 

 ever submitted for Coorg into the shade. A recent 

 extension of 40 miles has been completed in Oeylou 

 at a cost of £21,000 a mile. The island has passed 

 through a period of severe depression which .still 

 weighs heavily upon it, but the Government do«s not 

 abate its activity in providuig further facilities for 

 the planter of Coffee, Tea, Cinchona, Cocoa, &c., and 

 in doing all it can to promote his interests. Further, 

 railway extensions are recommended, and will probably 

 be undertaken. AVi'h Coorg it is different. No more 

 is spent on roads and communications than can bj' 

 any possilnlity be avoided, and the internal com- 

 munication.s are kept in notoriously bad order. Not 

 much more can be .said for the highways by which 

 pro luce is conveyed to the coast, and to outside 

 markets. Are, though, the Mysore Railway comes 

 within forty miles of the province, and the finer coffee 

 districts are within sixty miles of the coast, there 

 is no thought of giving Coorg the benefit of Railway 

 communication with those important ]»ioiuts, although 

 it could be done at a comparatively moderate cost, 

 and with every prospect of profitable results. The 

 Ceylon planters cheerfully consented to an export duty 

 of one shilling per cwt. on coffee to provide a fund 

 for their first Railway, and this they paid for many 

 years, and they fidly recognized the value thev had 

 received in return wheii the line was c ompleted. Some- 



