March i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



769 



" Red Spider." — We regret to say that " W. 'a 

 warning has come none too soon : our entomological 

 referee has coutirmed the statement that Ceara rub- 

 ber leaves are affected in some places witli " red 

 spider;" planters should look out at once for the 

 pest. 



Red Spider. — We aeem to be very helpless in oar 

 defence against such crt^atures, as witness tiie vain 

 efforts against phylloxeri ; still, our ouly chance of 

 either prevention or cure i.-i an exact knowledga 

 of the habits of the insect. In the meantime, 

 planters should beware of planting C'earA in or 

 near tea. Also, they should destroy any useless in- 

 digenous trees that harbour the vermin. The tree on 

 which I f.iund it is one of no value whatever. It 

 was not in flower when I saw it, or I would have 

 ascertained its name. It is pretty common, and there 

 may be other hosts th'it encourage the increase of 

 this pest. —Gor, 



Cinchona. — It is a good sign that thecousnmpiion of 

 quinine is enormously on the increase in the E ist ; thHt 

 at any rate, is ttle only interpretation we eaii place 

 on the remarkable development now in the cultiv- 

 ation of the cinchona. In Southern India, n'>t less than 

 in Ceylon, cinchona planting has of late been curied on 

 more widely than ever. Not merely the gultl-mining 

 companies, but the Indian Government, have lately 

 taken a direct part in promoting the growth of the 

 plant, which Mr. Clements Markhim introduced into 

 India many years ago. It is feared by some that 

 this extra production will entail a great decline in 

 the price of quinine — which, by the way, cannot 

 in itself be considered a bad thing, although it may 

 affect tha position and returns of the older ciuch"ua 

 plantations. The apprehension may, however, prove 

 groundless, as the large and increasing exportation 

 from Ceylou and Java would really seem to show 

 that the use of quinine is becoming more general every- 

 where ; and in that case there will, of course, be 

 room for a larger supply without much affecting the 

 price. — St. James's Gazetir, Jan. 9th. 



In the Coffee L.ind-tax, the Government recog- 

 nized, and most justl.v so that there was an interval 

 of time between the planting of the product and its 

 first crop, during which the cultivation was wholly 

 unremunerative, and therefore no tax was called for 

 until the expiration of three years. This principle 

 having been once recognized by Governme: t, the 

 Wynaail Planters' Association argued that the Go 

 vernment should not depart from it .in the matter of 

 cinchona cultivation, "a cultivation now extending 

 rapidly throughout all the hill districts of Southern 

 India and deserving every possible consideration at 

 the hands of Government." Mr. W. Logan, Col- 

 lector of Malabar, recommended that land taken up 

 exclnsivclj for cinchona cultivation be exempted for 

 five years from payment of tax, which then ought, 

 he thought, to be fixed at the usual rates for coffee. 

 The RevenUH Board considered that, having regard 

 to the principle adopted by Government in allowing 

 coffee pl.mtations to come into bearing before demand- 

 ing the a.-sessinent on the land, some indulgence may 

 fairly be claimed by the planners of cincliona. The 

 Government, however, point out that "the modific- 

 ation of the rules conceded in 1S71 does not seem to 

 be clearly understood. The concession then made was 

 that for a certain number of years Ihe as.sessment of 

 E2 an acre should not be demanded on forest lands 

 newly taken up under the waste land rules for the 

 purpose of planting. The term of exemption was reg- 

 ulated not by the species of "rop which the planter 

 might raise, or declare his intention of raisiurr, but 

 by considerations of climate. In Wyn^iad ouly three 

 years' assessment was remitted, but on tlie Nilgiris, 

 where the climate is more rigorous and the crops 

 come to maturity more slowlj, the term was extended 



to five years. The Governor in Council " is nut pre- 

 pared now to extend the period of exemption in the 

 case of cinchona as recommcudcd by Mr. Logan and 

 the Board. To do so would be to alter the whole 

 principle of the concession and cinchona industry is 

 now too well established to need any special encour- 

 agement." — Madras Mail, 



Indian Tea.s in Melbourne. — We have received 

 a catalogue of Indian teas, sold by Greig and Murray 

 on 18th January. As usual an.ilyses by Messrs. 

 Newberry and Dunn are given, with a certificate of 

 perfect purity. The highest proportion of extract was 

 50'60 per cent in the case of Sylhet pekoe which 

 also gave the highest proportion of mineral nsh, 5-80. 

 The highest proportion of soluble salts, was obtained 

 from Cachar luoken teas 3'44 We quote notices of 

 the lots which sold over Is 6d per lb : — 



6 packages Darjeeliu^? pekoe 40 lb., e.icl) 2 20 lb. tins. Hand 

 .some very ueat wiry black crisp leat few tips, clioice ricli deli- 

 cate trngraut full bodied litiuor Is yjd. 



• 10 Half-cliests Darjeeliug pekoe 50 lb., exceedingly handsome 

 small even wiry leaf fidl of orange tips, a grand tea drawing a 

 fragrant perfect Darjeding infusion 23 4d. This tea mimt have 

 been valued for its delicate hill liavour, for in analysis it was 

 below A.ssam and Cachar teas in extract and soluble salts. Yet 

 it fetched the highest price of all. The finest Darjeeling pro- 

 curable. 



25 Half-chests Darjeeling orange pekoe 40 lb. Very handsome 

 small neat why perfect leaf full of orange tii>s, delicate very fra- 

 grant rich thick liquor tine flavor Is 7id. A grand tea. 



20 Half-chests Darjeeling Terai orange pekoe 50 lb. Very hand- 

 some wiry small very even black leaf full of orange tips, draws 

 a powerful rich heavy liquor with tine flavor Is 8-^d. This Terai 

 pekoe gave 48-40 extract and 3'20 soluble salts. The inference from 

 this sale seems to be that teas of a specially delicate flavour will 

 top the market, even if strength be comparatively less. A 

 grand tea. 



The Madras Agbicultubal Exhibition.— We are 

 glad that the large exhibition opened this morning 

 is called a Central Exhibition, as that implies that 

 there are to be minor shows at out-stations. There 

 is no doubt in our minds, after spending a couple of 

 pleasant hours in the Central Exhibition, that such 

 gatherings must tend to extend a knowledge of the 

 best methods of tilling the soil, and of utilizing the 

 products thereof. One of the most attractive classes 

 was that of plantation and special produce, our re- 

 marks upon which we reserve till tomorrow. Forest 

 produce formed a class, which though not quite so 

 interesting to the general public as some of the otlier 

 classes, yet to those who know the value of encourag- 

 ing the growth of the beet woods this class must 

 have atiracted notice. The prizes for collections of 

 specimens of wood suitable for various purpo.s s ranged 

 from R50 to K25. It was a good idea to offer a priae 

 for the best collection of insects injurious to trc'S, as 

 many a native cultivator may thus learn that certain 

 insects which possiblt he has seen, and might, have 

 destroyed, are injurious to the trees upon his 

 property. 



The following are judges' remarks on some of the 

 exhibits : — 



Sec. B.— Class II. 



Co/ee.— Fair sliow. 



7'ea.— This was judged by appearance onl^. Samples 

 should havt been sent to Calcutta for report. 



Nu'jarcane. — Very good show. 



Tobacco. — Xot properly classUied. Prizes awarded 

 generally without reference to place of growth. A 

 large number of exhibits but not many good samples. 



Indiijo. — Fair show. Chinese blue should not have 

 been included in this exhibit. 



Cardamoms. — Some samples very good. 



Oinyer, — Poor show of prepared ginger. 



Cinchona. — Uisai^pointeil «ith this; very few ex- 

 hibits. Mr. Lee Kirby'e exhibit was excellent as 

 also the produce of the Goveinment Cinchona Plant- 

 ations. — JUatlras Mail. 



