79S 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April 2, 1883. 



ha\ mj; reacbed about 980,000 tons, and as prices have 

 ruled below thi.ae of preceding \ear3, aud the general 

 stale of the country has been fairly prosperous, we c:in 

 only conclude that the consumption of the United 

 Kingdom has reached a maximum for the present, and 

 oaunoi be further stimulated by the low prices ranging. 



The West Inrlia crops have exceeded the average of 

 previous years, whilst the Java crop is the largest on 

 record, about 270, OUO t"ns being shipped in the season 

 ending 30th June, 1S82. Notwithstanding the large 

 incre.ase of steamer shipment for the M.ditci-ranean, , 

 we have had the same ijuantity available for Northern 

 Europe shipped to Channel for orders. The present crop 

 bids fair to approach ius predecessor, but was somewhat 

 affected Ijy I.eavy rains in July last. .Shipments from 

 1st July to ilie 31sf December, liovvever, reach 20U,000 

 tons (ot which 97,OUU tons to coast for orders aud 72,000 

 to the Mediterranean fur orders,) against 175,000 ions 

 in ilie preceding season, 135,000 tons in 1880, and 

 ll.">O00in 1879. Contrary to expectation no increase 

 has reached us from Cuba, although the crop was nearly 

 100,000 tons larger than in 1881. The present crop, 

 first estimated at 050,000 tons but now reduced to 

 600,000, or the same as in 18s2, will probably again 

 find its way to the United .States, where the consump- 

 t on of sugar hnB increased by 72,000 tons during the 

 past 11 months. 



From Manilla we have received less than in 1881 

 only 00,000 tons being shipped to Europe to the end of 

 November, again-t 108,000 tons in 1881, the totals to 

 all ports beinjj 132,000 tons, against 192 000 tons. For 

 the present season we may see some incre'Se. 



The Brazils have sent us less in 1882 than in 1881, 

 aud this year's crop is again reported smaller, est'mates 

 varying from 15 to 20 per cent, decrease. The import 

 into Loudon of il/ftf/rrts sugar has reached 40,000 tons, 

 against 31,500 tons in 1881. In additiou to this several 

 cargoes have gone to Liverpool aud the Clyde. The 

 imports by steamer have in't given sntisfaction and the 

 quality of the cane Jc'lil^'ll has been below the average 

 of previous yeirs, The present low prices do not seem 

 to aflect the prospect of supplies for the coming season. 

 Generally speaking, if Eur.ipeis losing hergrasp over the 

 Cuba and West India crops, supplies from the East are 

 not likely to fail, whilst the production of beet sugar 

 is steadily increasing, particularly in Germany, where 

 the premium arising to 'he fabricants out of the present 

 mode of levying the excise and returning drawback on 

 export is increasing the number of factories to such an 

 extent that the producers themselves are agitating for a 

 reduction of the bounty. The deliveries of su^ar on the 

 Continent, on the other hand, are hardly showing any 

 increase, except in Fi-ance, where the reduction of the 

 duty carried out in Octolinr, 188:1 is sliU acting favor- 

 ably upon the consumptitm. 



It is estimated that Germany has disposed of some 

 40,000 tons of her surplus production of the present 

 season, leaving still about the same amount to be ex- 

 ported in excess of last ye.ir's supplies. The aliolitiou 

 of the 10 per cent, extra duty in the United States on 

 indirect import of Eastern sugars, and the prospi ct of 

 a general reduction of th- tariff, may eventually lead 

 to an improved business in our markets, n« prices in 

 Europe have now reached a very low level, and con- 

 sumption in the United States has evidently not yet 

 reacted its maximum. 



practical information ever published on the subject. 

 Nearly all that Mr. Owen puts forward is the result 

 of actual experience, which is more we suspect than 

 can be said by any other writer whom we quoted in 

 our [jro tern, compilation of "All about Cardamoms." 

 In fact, the Ceylon planters in the case of Card- 

 amoms (as In that of Indiarubber trees) may be said 

 to be the pioneers of systematic cultivation in 

 a land and on .soils otlier than those which 

 form the habitat of the plant. In the pages 

 before us, Mr. Owen is as simple and terse as even 

 the Dikoya Planters' Association could desire : he con- 

 fines himself chiefly to the results of his own and 

 I his neighbours' personal experience, and endeavours to 

 answer such questions as would be asked, and, indeed, 

 have been freely asked, by intending cardamom planters. 

 We do not mean to make extracts furtlier than to 

 refer to the Estimate of expenditure and returns on 

 25 acres of cardamoms (managed from an adjoining 

 est,ate) furnished by Mr. Owen. He puts the value 

 of the land at RlOO per acre, and charging Rio per 

 acre for clearing undergrowth and first weeding ; 

 R20 per acre for lining, holing, planting and sup- 

 plying ; R500 for superintendence; R1,1'25 for cost of 

 y7,500 double bulbs, allowing 50 per cent for supplies 

 and a sum for tools, roads and weeding, he makes 

 the first year's total expenditure equal to R5.300 ; the 

 second and third years would add R925 each to this 

 amount ; during the fourth year, a curing-house has 

 to be provided, and the cost of crop gathering, &o., 

 brings the outlay for this season to R3,100, making 

 the total for the four years R10,250, while crop is 

 estimated to give R6,875, leaving R3,375 to the debit, 

 at this date. The expenditure in the fifth year is 

 put down at R3,200 = R6,575, while the second crop 

 should realize R 11,437, leaving a profit of nearly 

 R2OO per acre. Those who wish to know how the 

 25 acres cardamoms garden is expected to yield after 

 this must refer to Mr. Owen's "Notes on the Estim- 

 ate," as well as to the rest of his useful and timely 

 brochnrc. 



CARDAMOM CULTIVATION.* 

 There can be no doubt that the little pamphlet entitled 

 " Notes on Cardamom Cultivation," by Mr. T.C Owen, 

 just issued from the press, embodies the most relialile 

 "^t Notes on Car.iamom Cultivation. By T. C. Owen. 

 ■\Vi.h an Estimate of Expenditurr and Boturn for 25 Acres 

 aud Notes on the Eft'mate. Colombo; A. M. A- J. Fcr- 

 gusou. 1883. 



INSECT AND OTHER ENEMIES OF TROPICAL 

 AGRICULTURE. 

 FoK some years past the government of the United 

 States has been engaged in assisting the planters of 

 the South in studying the iusect diseases of the cot- 

 ton plant and sugar cane, with the purpose of dis- 

 cover! ug some means to destroy them and relieve 

 1 agriculture from the serious losses which it has been 

 sustaining eveiy year. In this work several of the 

 best entomologists of the country have been constantly 

 employed, together with a well organized corps of as- 

 sistants. Besides these many volunteer investigatois 

 have been engaged in the work of studying plant dis- 

 eases and have rendered invaluable assistance. It is 

 estimated that the losses to agriculture since 1865 from 

 the ravages of the cotton worm alone have averaged 

 not less than $15,000,000 per annum, and it is now 

 conceded that a very large part of this sum is saved 

 through this work of organized scientirtc investigation. 

 The character and habits of the insect have been care- 

 fully studied and long continued experiments have 

 beeu carried on to determine what agencies can be 

 employed to accomplish its destruction Although it 

 may be considered impossible to wholly exterininate 

 the pest, still enough has been accomplished to re- 

 strict its ravages and to save a large part of this enorm- 

 ous annual loss of §15,000,000. To secure further 

 data upon this investigation, as well asupon the in-'eet 

 diseases of sugar cane, orange trees, etc., the chief 

 of the American commission, Prof. C. V. Riley, has 

 sent out a branch commission to carry on a brief 

 series of investigations in Brazil. This work has 



