3° 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July i, 1882. 



able ns tlie fruits of one's own inventive genius. 

 But ou tlie other haml I think it is fai- more import- 

 ant that the many thould not lose moupy by in- 

 vesting in what is a dead loss so far as my own ex- 

 perience goes. I refer to De Caen's peeliiit; machine, 

 which I regret to say does not answer to its descrip- 

 tion iu one single point. It is said to be easily car- 

 ried to any p.ut of the estate liy tivo coolies : I 

 iind that three can cirvy it in and out of ray teahouse, 

 l)ut/o?()- are required to carry it any distance beyond 

 100 yards (I'kle Messrs. Walker & Greig's post-card 

 enclosed). It will not peel any twigs smaller than 

 the little finger, except iu bundles, and the single 

 twigs it mashes most unincrcirully, the result being 

 very unsightly and damaged bark ; and it as often 

 pqueezes the bark into the wood as loosens it. And 

 most imporlaut of all, with personal superintendence 

 I found that with two men at the wheel (boys will 

 not do), two boys feeding, and one boy supplying twigs, 

 1 could not get from women barking more than 5 or 

 10 lb. apitCv- : say 50 lb. from 10 people, instead of 

 400 lb. from 5. Tlie nbove is only my personal ex- 

 perience, and I shall therefore be only too glad for 

 the sake of the inventor "s well as the jjlanters at 

 large if it is proved that it is I who am at fault and 

 not the machine. 



To make up for my disappointment, just as I bad 

 decided to take to knife-peeling again (by which 1 

 can iilways get from 10 to 20 lb. of unallest twig 

 bark) my assistant heard of a dodge (discoveriid, it 

 is' believed, by Mr. Sandys Thomas of Lmdula) where- 

 by 20 to 40 lb. of bai-k from any twig above a hair's 

 breadth can be got easily : and beautiful bark too. 

 De Caen's machine cosls ROO; ten of these machine 

 can be made for CO cents ! I'be process is simply 



i\^\s : Tie two rounded slicks or bamboos about 3 



feet long together at one end only ; lie the tied end 

 to a firm post or gum-tree, nnd your machine is 

 ready. Put your twig between the two sticks, equeze 

 them ' together with your lefi baud while .\ou pull 

 the t"ig through with your right, and the bark al- 

 most always falls off of itself in two fine unbruised 

 ribbands. " If you v/'iAx Iu imaijim what the muohii.e 

 is like, close :iU fingers except the first and middle 

 of your left hand : then draw your pen through the 

 latter (only take care to have the inky end tonards 

 you!). This contrivance takes the bark off the very 

 smallest twig, which I claim was the dejideratum, 

 and which Do Caen's machine will not do. I h.ive 

 seen neither Ilae's nor Mclnnes-Mackenzie's invention, 

 80 write without prejudice and only from a sense 

 of duty You can snbstitue my. name f<':'.',iiy npm- 

 deplume if you think fit. KAROLY FURUO 



THE INDIAUUBBER TREES AT THE 

 COLOMBO ACADEMY (NOW THE ROYAL 



COLLEGE). 

 Deak Sir, — I have continued to read with great 

 interes' the various accounts of india-rubber plantain 

 your columns; but I have be.u watching for some 

 time in vain for a description according to the 

 character of th" '' indiarubber trees" of old Acidemy 

 boys. As far as I n-meinber the blossom of the tree 

 had a she ith very like that of a breadfruit. Every 

 part of the tree on the slightest wound exuded a 

 freely flowing milk, which rapidly dried. This was 

 larcely availed of by Ui to make balls oF, particularly 

 thfT cores of cricket halls. The process was to rub 

 rapidly between the palm-! of the hands, when the 

 ball formed, leaving a rou'^'a suif.ice, but bein.; a 

 rou^h aud ready liiill all the same. With the friction 

 of the hands the dryiu2 process was very frtst. Was 

 not thi£ thereiore a La«<^ut/)/Mrt ? * There was a c un- 



*It is the FicuH clastka, from which some India- 

 rubber is gathered iu Java. 



plete row of these trees alongside the broad verandah, 

 where taught at various timos Messrs. J. R Blake 

 (evei'-to-be-hunored name, though I wis not his 

 pupil), "Tom S.Tiith," W. B. Sproule (brother of the 

 late Rector of Bath), S. Lister (from England) and 

 others of less note. The trees were, perhaps, young 

 when I knew them (a quarter of a centry ago) but 

 they were sturdy aud flourishing aud gave no end of 

 mii/c to the little oucs of the school ! — Yours truly, 



TWO STAR. 



[My signature has no reference to the bark of oak 

 trees.] 



The Pure Callsaya Ledgeriana Seed (2 SCO 

 grammes) offered for sale by Mr. Syuions today (May 

 5th) realized from E6 to RIO per ounce. 



Brazil Coffee Crops and United States Popdl- 

 ATioN AND Consumption. — If, as Mr. Blacklaw seems 

 to think, the Brazil crops are not likely to increase, 

 the question of increased population in the United 

 States — where coff-'e is consumed at the rate of S lb. 

 for head — becomes important. This ye:ir and each suc- 

 ceeding year, for sometime to come, it is expected that 

 one million jjer annum of immigrants will laud in the 

 ports of the Union. Then there is the natural increase. 

 The prospect certainly is that, ere long, the United 

 States will confume all the coffee Brazd can tupply. 



Now THAT North Borneo has become a seat of 

 European enterprize, it may be worth while to consider 

 how the opening out of that new country may affect 

 us in India. We liave not at band correct details 

 as to the temperature of the island, but, lying so near 

 the equator as it does, the climate must be hot, while 

 the proximity of the sea will temper the tropical heat 

 of the sun. \Ve assume, therefore, that, for the growth 

 of tea. the climate will be all that can be desired. 

 The Southern States of America were found suitable 

 for the s.ime industry as far as mere climate was con- 

 cerned, but the want of a sufficient rainfall made 

 the industry an impossibility, because, although the 

 plant grew nnd yielded , leaf, it would not yield 

 in sufficient qu.mtity to make the iudnstry a financial 

 success. Borneo, however, is even more suitable 

 than many parts of India in this respect, as will be 

 seen from the following table, which we extract from 

 the Sarmoah Gazelle, giving the rainfall for 1S80 

 and 1881 :— 



18S0. 

 January 

 February 

 March 

 April 

 May 

 June 

 July 

 August 

 September 

 October 

 November 

 December 



1881. 



17'14 



14-59 



15-33 



13-03 



e-83 



6 -06 



7-45 



11-32 



22-55 



15-26 



17-19 



7-28 



January 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 



September 



October 



November 



December 



09-25 

 7-31 



24-46 

 7-62 

 T-61 

 4-80 

 3-67 

 7-36 

 4 02 



18-81 



23-13 

 7 99 



We 



Total ... 154-28 Total ... 1SG03 



see visions of a twelve months' season here. 



Nature will doubiless provide a season of rest for the 

 bushes, and a glance at the above t ible would seem to 

 iiidient'e the months ot May, June, and July as the 

 period when the tea-plants mi^iht be ppuned, and 

 allowed to rest for recuperative purposes.* If, 

 however, the cultivation of tea be attempted ou those 

 elysian shores, no varietv but the purest hybrid or 

 Assam indigenous should ever be allowed on the 

 island — Frirvd of India and Stalesman. 



* As in Oeylon. — Ed. 



