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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April 2, 1883. 



3. — Undoubtedly leaf-disease has in most places been 

 milder iliis last twelvemonth, but tbere are some 

 marked exceptions, and the generally comparative 

 iramuuitj' is doubtless due to the absence of crop— a cause 

 whieli 1 trust will not be again repeated.— Yours 

 t ruly, K. C . B. 



Dkcaving Lombakdy Poplabs. — The decaying state of 

 Lombard Poplars is extending to the North as well as in 

 the neighboiu-hood of Devizes. In the South-west of Scot^ 

 land scarcely a healthy tree is to seen this year, and many 

 of all ages, from twenty to fifty years old and more, seem in 

 a hopeless state. The number of them in the district is not 

 great, and wherever planted they seem much in the same 

 state. If they do not recover and coiitinue to grow, it w'ill 

 be a serious loss, as they appeared in many situations a most 

 valuable tree to plant. — W. H. M. in The Gardeners' Chroni- 

 cle. 



Pl.ANKS FROM Stbaw. — A Home contemporary tells 

 us that a process has been discovered in America by 

 uhi(^li planks can be manufactured from straw, and 

 in (.Chicago a building six storeys high and occupyini' 

 an entire block is being erected for the new industry. 

 The board is manufactured by converting straw pulp 

 iutu thin paper like sheets, which are passed through 

 a bath containing certain chemicals in solution. They 

 are I hen subjected to enormous pressure, and finally to a 

 thoriiugh drying process. By superimposing a number 

 of slieets and incorporating them into one in the 

 pressing process, boards of any desired thickness up to 

 the capacity of the machinery employed may be pro- 

 duced. The finiBhed article, some specimens ot which 

 have found their w.ay into trade circles in London 

 appears .as compact as ironwood, while it is nearly 

 tire and water proof, and it is susceptible of beinf 

 sawed, planed, or worked as wood. Three tons of 

 *traw, the average yield of an acre of ground — will 

 make 1,606 sup-rficial feet of board one inch in thick- 

 ness. — North China Herald. 



Ivory.— Sheffield cutters and cutlery manufacturers at- 

 tended in unusually large numbers the first sales for 

 the quarter at London. There were offered 129 tons, 

 including 35 tons from Bombay, Zanzibar, and Mozam- 

 bique, 46 tons from Egypt and Malta, 10 tons from 

 the (.'ape, and 28J tons from the West Coast of Africa, 

 Lisbon, &c. There were also 3A tons of sea-horse teeth, 

 2 j tons of mammoth, and 3 J tons of cuttings and waste. 

 It was generally expected that after the Egyptian war 

 ivory would come as freely as ever from that country. 

 This expectation will probably be disappointed. One of 

 the London brokers has been to Egypt, and through his 

 arrangements there was a fail' supply ; but he states that 

 for six months to come Egypt will not supply any ivoiy. 

 It is supposed that it is heavily mortgaged, and can 

 only be released as the owners are financially able to 

 meet their engagements. Never has there been such poor 

 Egyptian ivory oil'ered in London. The buyers state they 

 were at a loss how to value it on account of its gi'ea't 

 age and poor preservation. Prices ruled about the same 

 as at Liverpool. Billiard-ball and bangle sorts were a 

 little easier ; " hollows " of all descriptions were dearer ; 

 small tusks fetched full rates. Best African was easier ; 

 comniim quality fetched generally good prices. The 

 Eijyptian ivory, poor as it was, sold for £750 per ton 

 Prices advanced as the sales proceeded, and some 10 

 tons were withdi'awn at higher prices than prevailed at 

 the outset. Dr. C. B. Webster, the American Consul 

 at Sheffield, in a recent report presented to his Govern- 

 ment, directed attention to the large proportion of veiy 

 small tusks brought to market. This, of course, indicates 

 how many elephants die in early youth. To show to 

 what size many of these might have attained. Messrs. 

 Joseph Eodgers & Sons (Limited), Sheffield, exhibit at 

 their show-rooms an African elephant's tusk 9 feet long, 

 21 inches in girth, weighing 160 lbs. This is among 

 tlie largest tusks on record. Its present value is 650 

 Josl. Dr. Webster remarks than au animal large and 



strong enough to carro such a pair of incisors would 

 would attract more attention than Jumbo. It is estimated 

 that the S,286 tons of ivory imported into Great Britain 

 dm'ing the nine years from 1873 to 1881 inclusive re- 

 present 296,016 pairs of tusks, and, consequently, the 

 same number, of elephants that have died or been 

 slaughtered to supply the demands of luxury for 

 the past nme years, At this rate of destruction, it is 

 clear that the noble elephant most rapidly disappear, and 

 ivoiy become a thing of the past, unless the traveller 

 ot the future should reveal fresh sources of supnlv on a 

 vast scale,— PulAic Oimiion. 



COFFEK Prospects in S. INWA.-Our correspondents 

 wilting from the Shevaroys and Coorg do not give very 

 encouraging reports of the growth of coffee in those parts 

 and, consequently, prices have gone down. The yield has 

 not been as largo as was anticipated and the dull state of 

 the English market which regulates prices in aU the 

 producing tracts intensifies the present unfavorable 

 state of affau-s. On the Shevaroys the smaUer estates 

 appear to he doing better than the larger ones and the 

 reason for this is not far to seek. Efficient supervision 

 IS, as a matter of com-se, exercised over the smaller 

 plantations and though a short time ago efforts were 

 made to miprove some of the larger estates by importiuc/ 

 new machmeij, expensive manure, and adoptiu" all the 

 means which often lead to success, still they "have not 

 reahsed the anticipations entertained. In Travancore and 

 m parts of the Tinuevelly district increased attention 

 is now given to the gi-owth of coffee. Coffee prosiiects in 

 the Nilgiri district, we are glad to learn, are just now 

 pretty good. The blossoms promise well. If rain falls 

 damage is Ukely to be done to the crop.— Madras 

 Staiidard. 



PoisoNora "Pepper."— The following refers to the 

 sale of a compound described as " black pepper 

 dust, which smce it was admitted to contain 

 nearly 50 per cent of mineral matter, ought, in the 

 public interest, never to have been placed in the 

 market at all:— "Dovvgate U|jper Dock, Thames-street 

 E. C, January 24th.— Sir— About 30 tons of an ardole 

 described in the catalogue as 'pepper duit,' was offered 

 at the public sales in Mincing Lane a week since 

 when we ventured to call attention to the fact that 

 the samples shown were flavourless and quite destitute 

 of the pungent qualities of pepper. Tho sellin.. brok- 

 ers offered to withdraw the lots for the purpose of 

 obtaining au analysis, and accordingly the same parcel 

 was again submitted for competition at the weekly 

 spice sales yesterday, the lots being marked 'without 

 reserve,' with tlie following prefix:- 'Copy of analysis 

 made l>y Mr. Ogston:- Whole grains of pepper 1-00- 

 pepper leaves, husks, &c., 54-80; sand and clay 44-2o' 

 total, lOO'OO.' The proportion of 'foreign minerai 

 matter' appeared quite sufficient to condemn it as an 

 article of food, and in the hope of arresting the evil 

 at Its source we proposed a resolution as at foot It 

 was put to the room by the selling broker and' car- 

 ried. He jocosely remarked that the pepper dust could 

 be used for chickens, and he should, therefore, pro- 

 ceed to sell it in spite of the resolution. The whole 

 quantity was accordingly sold and realized au average 

 price of about £17 lOs per ton. Possibly the peppir 

 dust may go to feed fowls, but should it reach the 

 hands of unscrupulous dealers, we fear the public in- 

 terests will suffer. It is only fair to mention that 

 the representatives of all the leading spice houses ex- 

 pressed a strong feeling against the proposed sale — 

 Yours W. and D. Harvest.— Proposed by iVIr. Daniel 

 Harvest (W. and D. Harvest), seconded by Mr. Bryne 

 (Peek, Brothers, and Co.):— 'That, inasmuch as the 

 608 bags pepper dust contain 44 per cent, of sand 

 and clay, and would, therefore, subject retail dealers 

 in the same penalties under the adulteration of food 

 act, the buyers present protest against the proposed 

 sale.' " — Home and Colonial Mail. 



