8o8 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[April 2, 1883. 



that, from the prevalence of cholera, hurricanes, and 

 other unfavourable circuraetauces, the exportation of 

 sugar, hemp, indigo, coffee, pearl shell, aud copper 

 was less than in ISSl, while that of dyewood, cigars, 

 Mauda rope, hides, and gum mastic, showed an in- 

 crea'e. Tbe pearl shell exported from these ports 

 fell off from 1,192 piculs in 1881 to 377 pieuls in 

 1882, owing to that article being now shipped direct 

 from Sooloo to Singapore. The decline in the cofl'ee 

 exported is ascribed not only to hurricanes but to 

 disoouragemeixt among native growers, owing to the 

 fall in the prices of that article, the consequence be- 

 ing that the quantity exported has, within the last 

 few years, been almost stationary, as will be seen 

 form the following figures : — 



81,039 piculs in 1882. 



86,682 ,, ,, 1881. 



83,999 ,, ,, 1880. 



64,391 „ ,, 1879. 



38,782 „ „ 1878. 



Pineapple Fibre. — A correspondent asks ; — " Is 

 there a market in London for ' pineapple fibre ' ? 

 You were speaking in your columns of a machine for 

 preparing aloe fibre. Will it answer for pine- 

 apple? What will it cost to get one?" There is 

 scarcely a plant fibre more valuable than that of 

 pineapple leaves. The finer portions have all the 

 qualities of silk, while the coarser are fitted for ropes 

 and cables. We do not at present know the cost of 

 an Kkman machine, but we hope soon to learn. No 

 doubt the machine which answers for aloes would suit 

 for piueapple leaves, but we fear the macliine is some- 

 what costly. 



Gigantic Trees. — The Lumberman has an article ou 

 the gigantic trees of Australia, of which the following is 

 an extract : — "The tiackless forests in the westof Tas- 

 mania contain huge timber, and bushmen report that 

 they have met with specimens of eiicnlyptii.s measur- 

 ing 200 feet from the ground to the first branoh, 

 and fully 350 feet in all. Until 18/3 there was stand- 

 ing on the eastern slope of Mi^uut Wellington, within 

 four miles of Hobart Town, a, eiicali/ptus measuring at 

 86 feet in girth and more than 300 feet in height, 

 and its ruined boll still forms a grim chamber in which 

 many a merry party have enjoyed a picnic. The famous 

 tree of the Huon forest measures 70 feet in girth, 

 6 feet from the ground, and is stated to be 240 feet 

 high, but in the deep gorges of this grand forest the 

 writer has seen higher trees than this, though not of 

 quite equal circumference. But Victoria now claims 

 the glory of holding the biggest of all the living 

 'big trees' in the world, so far as the height is cou- 

 oerued. In the Uandenong district at Fernshaw, has 

 recently been discovered a specimen of eucalyptus 

 amygdalina, or almond-leaf gum, which has been ac- 

 curately measured as reaching the enormous height of 

 ii80 leet before throwing out a single branch, and 

 430 feet to the top, and having a girth of 60 feet at 

 some distance above the ground. Some idea of what 

 a height of 430 feet represents may be gasned from 

 the fact that tliis gum-tree, if growing by the side of 

 the Houses of Parliament at Westminatcr. would 

 overtop the Clock Tower by exactly lOO feet." It 

 is distinctly stated in works on Victoria that a pro- 

 strated E. aniygdaima, with the top broken off, meas- 

 ured over 474 feet. The top would probably makeup 

 the round 500 feet. But a man like Dr. George Bennett 

 is still sceptical. Baron Vou Mueller, however, who 

 ought to be the best possible authority, accept as cor- 

 rect, measurements approachii'g 5(J0 feet. 



o s s s 



d. 

 7 



; O O 



Aloe Fibee. — We have beeu favoured with a sample 

 of Ceylon Aloe Fibre which sold last month in 

 Mincing Lane at £25 5s per ton. We have several samples 

 by us prepared by local experimentalists, equally good 

 in appearance and strength, but this price can scarcely 

 be profitable if, as Mr. C. Shand found, the propor- 

 tion of clean fibre got from the aloes is only 2 per 

 cent. 



Seasons and Coffee Crops.— Mr, Giles F. Walker 

 does not wish to be credited with saying that the 

 short coffee crops of the past three or four years have been 

 due to abnormal seasons only. Mr. Walker certainly 

 considers that low temperature aud insufficient sunshine 

 and warmth have bad much more to do with the past 

 bad seasons than is generally admitted ; but he does 

 not leave out of sight the damage occasioned by leaf- 

 disease, nor the fact that we have to face in future 

 far smaller coffee crojis in any season than we were 

 formerly accustomed to expect. 



Coffee and Cinchona. — The following cost of 

 mixtures of coffee and chicory may be interesting 

 to our readers : — 



AVhat the mixture costs with the undernoted pro- 



_ I _ £ portious of chicory at 3Jd, and expenses at 2d per lb. 



I Cost with Cost with Cost with Cost with 

 20 percent 40 per cent 60 per cent 80 per cent 

 of chicory of chicory of chicory of chicory 

 per lb. per lb. per lb. per lb. 



d. d. d. d. 



8i 1\ 7 6i ,, 



» 9 8i 7i 6| 



9 10 81 7| 6| 



10 m % 8 7 



Cocoa Drying : a chance for Mr. Shand.— The 

 following paragraph is from the Trinidad Chronicle : — 

 The Secretary of the Cacao Planters Association 

 lately sent to England a draft for £50, the cost of a 

 model cylinder for the artificial drying of Cacao in the 

 wet season or bad weather. When the system pro- 

 posed has been thoroughly tested, it is intended, to 

 get out a larger machine, to do the work of an extensive 

 estate. The present machine will be the proijerty of 

 the Association obtained for experimental purposes, 

 and to ascertain what alteration, if any, it may be 

 advisable to make in machines manufactured for 

 estate-use on the scale of practice. Mr. Gibbs, Co. 

 Essex, to whom is confided the make and fitting of the 

 machine, is a gentleman who has bestowed a long and 

 special attention of some years on the perfecting of 

 machines tor drying grain asd fruit. 



Silk in California.— In its retrospect of the trade of 

 California for last year the San Francisco Ohronide 

 says of the silk industry, in the State : — No progress 

 has been made in the manufacture of silks during 

 18S2,tor the very competent reason tliat the works 

 of the company were burned to tbe ground ou the 

 9th of June last. All the machinery was totally 

 destroyed on that occasion, and its reconstruction is 

 not yet completed. Meanwhile the California company 

 disposed of its interest to an Eastern concern, which 

 is the owner of many valuable patents. The latter 

 is now preparing to re-erect the worke, which will 

 be fitted with tbe most improved machinery. When 

 completed, about seventy people will find employ- 

 ment at the silk-spinning works. The raw material 

 which the California company handles is Imported from 

 Japan, China and Italy. Tlie agilatiou of the Silk 

 Culture Association in this State has not led to auy 

 practical results, Ihougli all possible encouragement 

 has been given, the manufactories offering to purchase 

 all California-grown silk at an advance of 25 per 

 cent, over New York prices. A moneyed French- 

 man who was attracted by the glowing pictures 

 painted by the Silk Culture Association, and who 

 went into the silk-worm business in earnest, found, 

 after a short trial, that success could not yet be at- 

 tained in California. — North China Herald. 



