146 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[August i, 1882. 



New Products : Ckylon Cucoa in the LoNDnN 

 Market. — It is reported that a sale of Oaugaroowa 

 (? Gangwarily) cocoa iu Minciug Lane at 120s per cwt. 

 had created quite a sensation in "the City." There 

 can be no doubt that our "new products" are attract- 

 ing attention to and renewing confidence in the future 

 of Ceylon at home. The success of shaving and cop- 

 picing cinchona has changed what was regarded as a 

 very uncertain spasmodic type of enterprise, to one 

 as regular and profitable in its returns as any con- 

 nected witli the tropics. A West Indian colonist now on 

 a passing visit to Ceylon (c« ro»?c' round the world) has 

 been astonished at the advanced and luxuriant growth 

 of cocoa in Duniljara and North Matale : on one group 

 of estates alone there are 1 ,"200 acres of cocoa in the 

 latter district, and a good deal amongst the cofi'ee which 

 does not seem to injure it in any way. All this is very 

 satisfactory, but what is to be done in the meantime 

 to secure financial aid : agents and banks seem to 

 have come to a standstill as regards new business, 

 and cash credits or mercantile advances seem iinobtain- 

 able by "New Products" cultivators. Wanted: .a 

 " New Products B.ank " ! 



Mr. Storck and his Eemedv for Coffee Leaf 

 Disease. — An Australian correspondent writes: — "I 

 enclose extract from the Melbourne Leader, which 

 gives in a succinct form a statement of Mr. Storck's 

 remedy :— 



A cure for the cofi'ee leaf -disease (hemileia vastatrur) 

 has happily been discovered by a geutlem.au in Fiji— Mr. 

 J. P. Storck, Belmont Estate, Rewa River, formerly assist- 

 ant to Dr. Seeman, who, in a commuuicatiou to the Gard- 

 eners' Clironicle of 18th February, gives the name of the 

 substance aud his mtmner of application. The principle 

 of the method is the diffusion through the plantation of 

 carbolic acid vapor injurious to the fungus. His plan of 

 procedure is to place iu the plantation a number of 

 tin vessels, about 36 to the acre, with a cover over each 

 to keep out rain and dirt. The fluid consists of a mixture 

 of carbolic acid and water, in the proportion of 8 to 10 

 per cent of Calvert's best No. 5 acid, but a greater strength 

 may be used, since the acid does not touch either the 

 plants or the soil. After clearing his trees and enjoying an 

 immunity from the disease for eleven months, a gang of 

 laborers brought back the infection from another jjlaut- 

 ation aud the treatment had to be recommeuced, but the 

 infected trees were speedily cleared. The vessels after 

 beiug filled require to be replenished weekly with the 

 acid so long as the di.sease remains. Mr. Storck applied 

 to the Fijiau Govemmeut for protection of his invention 

 and was refused on the strength of the local Patent Ord- 

 inance, which only partly covers the subject of his dis- 

 coveiy, and only applies to inventions of a purely mechanical 

 natiu'c, so that, in making known his discovery for the 

 benefit' of the countries and planters suffering from the 

 ravages of the hemileia, he can only "rely, as regards 

 his rights of priority and proprietorship, upon that spirit 

 of justice and fair play so generally obtaining in the scienti- 

 fic and planting world. 



"A relative in Fiji tells me that Mr. Storck is a 

 German and a very clever scientific man ; he men- 

 tioned his haviugj on bis own coli'ee plantation cured 

 the disease, but at that time he said he would not 

 make his secret known, as he expected he should 

 get a reward from the Fijiau Government for it : 

 this the Government has been unable to grant him, 

 and he has now disclnsed it trusting, as he remarks. 

 to the generosity of those who may benefit by using 

 this cure. There seems to be no deception about the 

 cure." 



A Ceylon proprietor expresses his opinion on the 

 above thus : — " 1 quite ajjree that for all experinieutal 

 purposes 8 to 10 pir cent of carbolic acid ought 

 to be persisted in, and not ouce 10 per cent, :ind 

 afterwards 5 percent, as recommended by Mr. Storck 

 in the Oardentrs' Chronicle. It' 10 per cent fails then 

 of course it would be no use trying 5 per cent." 



Ceylon Tobacco. — In a recent issue we noticed the 

 sale of 80 bales of Ceylon tobacco of poniising qual- 

 ity, but baaly packed, aud constqueutly realizing a 

 poor price. We are glad to learn that an experi- 

 nrental shipment of thirty tierces of Indian leaf, from 

 a manufactory in Bengal, has turned out saiisfact- 

 orily. It was pronounced by the experts, both merch- 

 ants aud broker-', to be of excellent quality, fully 

 equal to American, and fold well — Planters' Gazelle. 



The India-rubber plant is cultivated successfully by 

 the Forest Administration departni' nt at Mergui, where 

 there are also four vanilla plants and 24 rain-trees 

 flourishing, ('ott'ee and tea have beeu grown succssfuUy 

 at some of the plantations, the former doing better than 

 tea. Cinchona thrives nowhere in Burmah, the heat 

 being too great for it, and an offer of ElO J reward to 

 Karens to undertake its cultivation ou the Toungboo 

 hdls did not induce oue single applicant for plants. 

 The Forest Department have determined cpon handl- 

 ing yearly some thousands of other trees than teak ; 

 so as to always have a supply of good seasoned 

 timber ou hand for the Public Works Department 

 and for private consumption. By this means, it is 

 hoped that the local expenditure of teak will be 

 reduced, and that larger quantities will be set frte 

 for exportation to Europe and India. — Friend of Jndia 

 Rangoon Correspondent, May 29th. 



Labour in Fiji.— The fact that the advantages pre- 

 sented by the rich and fertile lands of this Col- 

 ony are begionig to attract the attention of capit- 

 alists from without, is at once apparent from the 

 fact that the proprietary of the Mngo Island Com- 

 pany of "S'lctoria have become the purchasers of the 

 Islands of Kanacea and Cicia from the present own- 

 ers at a very satisfactory price, while other men of 

 capital who have recently immigrated hither are 

 now extending their operations, as instance the pur- 

 chase by Messrs. Harris and Akers, of a large and 

 valuable block on the Dreketi Puver. There is no 

 scarcity of good land, both iu Viti Levu, Vanua 

 Levu, Taviuni, aud the various islauds which make 

 up the Windward group good land abounds, the only 

 difficulty in selecting a suitable holding out of such 

 an emharras de riches, and the only one thing neces- 

 sary in order to make the cultivation of sugar caue 

 or of any other tropical product remunerative beiug 

 a regular ai.d abundant supply of labor, and this 

 it must be the constant aim not only of the Go- 

 vernment, but of every oue interested in the mat- 

 ter to obtain. It is a peculiarity of tropical pro- 

 duce generally that it recpiires a larger amount of 

 manual labor than the products of more temperate 

 climes. It therefore becomes a necessity to have 

 abundanoeof cheap labor before the richness of the soil 

 can be remuneratively availed of. It appears to us 

 doubtful if the coolie labor which the Government 

 seem so anxious to introduce will prove equ.nl to the 

 occasion at all, for there are many reasons why 

 their influ.x here in large numbers would be objec- 

 tionable, not the least of which is the growing jealousy 

 and dislike with which they are regarded by the Fijiaus, 

 which might lead to serious results, if any contag- 

 eous disease was introduced by them. Under any 

 circumstances the Polynesian is a far more useful 

 immigrant, and we trust to see the efforts which 

 are now beins made to secure an increased supply 

 of this description of labor from the Western P;ici- 

 fic, redoubh'd in order that the only existing draw- 

 back to the settlement and im|jiovement of the waste 

 lands of Fiji may be speedily removed. — Fiji Argti'i. 

 [The seltlero in Fiji ai'e the best judges of their iwu 

 affairs, but as Fijian natives are not av.iil 'b)e as la- 

 bourers, and as the supply from other islands of the 

 Pacific is daily becoming more dithcult to obtain, 

 progress must come to a stand or be greatly hin- 

 dered, unless cooly labour can be utilized. — Ed.] 



