May 2, 1887.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



735 



as 



collections of tho Agricultural High School 

 well as collections from the peculiar provinces 

 of several well-known professors. Particularly 

 noticeable was the magnificent herbarium collec- 

 tion of Professor "Willmick. In the next group 

 were exhibited the various ways and means by which 

 the moorland is to be reclaimed. By the well-known 

 Kimpau process, "dam culture," the sand obtaintil 

 by the digging operations in connection with the 

 cutting of the drains is spread over the ground, a 

 proceeding which is said to have attained very favour- 

 able results. Various other plans and projects for 

 the cultivation of moors by dams are on view, 

 perhaps the most noteworthy being that of the 

 Schweder Techno-Oultural Bureau at Great Lichterfelde, 

 whose system has already met with a fair amount 

 of success. After the preliminary preparation of che 

 land comes the manuring. The substance of moorland 

 being of a highly organic nature, necessitates the appli- 

 cation of mineral matter, and moorland districts 

 are likely to prove good sale spheres in the future for 

 kali salts, tinsel phosporite, and Thomas slack. There 

 are here rich selections of every sort of manure, 

 as well as representations of the working effects of 

 the same. The kainite producing salt works as the 

 Stassfurt State works, the Lpopoldshall works, the 

 New Stassfurt works in Loederhurg, and the Hereynia 

 kali works in Vienenburg have all contributed to a 

 single group of magnificent raw salts ; the ground 

 article being also represented. The New Stassfurt 

 works sent besides manufactured manure, while the 

 Thomas slack came from Nianburg, Schalke, &c. 

 Among the Berlin firms representel we noticd th ; 

 Berhn Steam Boue-Dast Manufactory, (Dr. Wilhelm 

 Oohn) ; Professor Orth also exhibited some manure. 

 The manurical effects, however, are principally re- 

 presented by the show of the Bremen Moorland 

 Experiment Station. BulJ agricultural conversion is 

 not the only method of utilizing moorland; many 

 moors produce that valuable fuel turf, which in spite 

 of coal and lignite is yet thought a good deal of. 

 This department of moorland cultivation is not over- 

 looked by the promoters of the Esibition, and find- 

 representation through the collection of Professor Grei- 

 ner. Turf is put to other uses besides burning; its high 

 absorptive qualities make it peculiarly adaptable as a 

 litter material, and the show of the Gifhorner Turf 

 Bed Manufactory is not the least important one of 

 the Exhibition. Turf also find its way into the surgery, 

 as certain sorts of wounds and cuts are much benfited 

 by the application of this material. This was one of 

 the exhibits which particularly interested the Grown 

 Pri:jce. Particularly noticeable was the application 

 of the turf fibre to weaving. Mixed with 30 per cent 

 of cotton, wool, or hemp, the fibre of the turf-moss 

 turns out a good yarn, which, as we noticed in Professor 

 Gruuer's cod ction is exhibited in different colors and 

 patterns. In addition to what we have already men- 

 tioned we find on view various plants and fruits which 

 have been obtained by the applications of the different 

 methods to moorland. Among them we noticed giant 

 specimens of the potato, beetroot, &c- The machinery 

 department of the Exhibition is not the least interestin<r. 

 Among other firms represented we noticed the H. F. 

 Eckeit Co., Berlin, Glogowsky & Son, Berlin, Th. Floe- 

 ther, Gassen, Glaser & Baare, Berlin, Friedrich Hotf- 

 mau\i, Berlin, R. DoUberg, Rostock, and Orenstein an 1 

 Koppel, Brodnitzand Seydel, and G. W. Hall, of Berlin, 

 &c. &c. As regards the awards, the first prize is a 

 miniature picture of the Emperor in gold enamel, exe 

 cuted by Bastanier. The court jeweler, Paul Telge, 

 presented for competiti m a silver cup of the 

 renaissance per od, bearing an inscriptive couplet to 

 the effect that he who raises Germany out of slough 

 and moor is worthy of the title of a true hero. 

 There are several other valuable prizes which, how 

 ever, call for no special comment. — Kuhhw'i German 

 Trade Revieiv. 



THE SCARCITY OF CUBEBS. 



With a few slight mterrnptious the price of cubebs 

 has been steadily rising fcr many months. Geniuue 

 berries, almoatl free from stalks anc! dust, are now 



quoted at about 22?. on this market, a price which 

 in recent times has seldom been exceeded. The 

 cultivation of the drug must have been a very pro- 

 fitable one during the last few years, although the 

 total value of the crop, compared to that of the 

 staple articles of Javanese produce, is so infinite- 

 simal that it can scarcely be considered an adequate 

 set-off against the evil times with which tho Java 

 planters have had to wrestle during the last decade 

 or so. 



Considering the enormous prices at which the 

 drug has been sold during the last few years, it is 

 remarkable that its cultivation should not have been 

 extended. Many drugs shipped from India, Ceylon, 

 and South America have suffered such depreciation 

 in value lately, that they cannot leave any large 

 margin to growers; but we believe that if a few 

 planters, say in Ceylon, had commenced cubeb- 

 growing, when the price of the drug first began to 

 advance about six or seven years ago, they would 

 now have reason to congratulate themselves upon 

 the result of their venture. 



Hints on the cultivation of cubebs have repeatedly 

 been published in trade journals, and planters in 

 India and Ceylon have been urged to make experi- 

 ments in the cultivation of the shrub ; but in no 

 instance does this advice appear to have been fol- 

 lowed, and the cultivation of cubebs for commer- 

 cial purposes is, we believe, still confined to the 

 Dutch possessions. 



The eastern residencies of the island of Java pro- 

 duce the bold grey berries, the genuineness of which 

 has been a matter of considerable doubt, and is 

 generally disputed in this country and in America. 

 The small, dark-coloured, genuine berries are all, 

 we believe, grown in Central and Western Java, 

 notably in Banjoemaas and in Bantam. The shrub 

 is occasionally met with in the wild state, but it 

 is more generally cultivated, sometimes in special 

 plantations, but usually in the coffee-gardens. Some 

 years ago the Dutch Indian Government, with a 

 view to encourage the cultivation, distributed a large 

 number of young plants to coffee-growers through- 

 out Java. The Piper Ciihcha requires very little 

 attention ; it climb.s round the large trees which 

 are grown for shading in coffee-plantations, and 

 attains, when full-grown, a height of 18 to 20 feet. 

 The statement formerly often made that cubeb 

 plantations in Java were being uprooted in order to 

 make way for coffee-gardens may, therefore, be re- 

 garded as fabulous. Cubebs are also grown largely 

 in the Lampong districts, the extreme southern 

 portion of Sumatra, and in certain parts of South- 

 ern Borneo. The yield is collected by Chinese deal- 

 ers, and exported via Batavia or Singapore. Ship- 

 ments from the former place usually find their way 

 to Holland, while the cubebs exported via Singa- 

 pore are generally forwarded to London or New 

 York. An important part of the crop is consumed 

 in Eastern countries. 



The price of cubebs has always been subject to 

 sudden and violent fluctuations, and extreme rates 

 are by no means of exceptional occurrence. Thus 

 we find that in 1859 and 1860 genuine berries occa- 

 sionally realized 11^. to 12/. per cwt.; but it miy 

 be assumed tliat in those days the value was more 

 or less artificially kept up by the peculiar commer- 

 cial policy of the Dutch-Indian Government, which 

 compelled planters to sell to them their produce at 

 a fixed rate, at the same time limiting the area 

 and amount of the production. From that time the 

 value has apparently been declining, for in 1865 the 

 price of cubebs averaged about lla. ()d. ; in 181)9, 

 la*. ; and in 1875, 25s. per cwt. Between the latter 

 year and 18S0 cubebs were a much neglected article, 

 and could be bought at figures ranging from 25s. 

 to 55.*. per cwt. The stock was never a large one 

 —usually averaging 125 to 180 baga in London— 

 and the imports were extremely uncertain. More 

 than ence it appeared likely that supplies would 

 cease altogether, owing to unremuuerative prices. 



In 1879 a craze originated in America for asthma 

 cioarettes, of which cubeb.^ formed an important 

 iugredisut, and which were recommended as a remedy 



