340 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1882. 



Cinchona. — We hear that some bark, taken oS Ledge- 

 riana trrea only two years oW growiag on the Chumbaly 

 E^tnte, Gudalur, has on analysis given very satisfactory 

 results, and consider able attention is being paid to the 

 cultivation of the valuable variety in the whole of Wynaad 

 which seems well adapted to its growth. We, how- 

 ever, learn that some renewed Succirubra bark from 

 Cherambaddy (Captain Cox's) has fetched Ss 9d per 

 pound, being equal to the Crown harks of the Govern- 

 ment Plantations. This rather upsets the forecast of 

 Government officials made some years ago, that Sucei- 

 rubra even if it would grow in Wynaad, would 

 be devoid of valuable alkaloids. — So !(i/t of India 

 Ohaerver. 



Preventible Diseases.— a paper read by Dr. Guy 

 before the Statistical Society, entitled " Two Hundred 

 and Fifty Years of Smallpox in London, " should 

 have much interest for those Southern Colonies which 

 are striving to prevent the disease from obtaining 

 a footing in their midst. On the question whether 

 vaccination is a preventive of Bmallpox, Dr. Guy oon- 

 culded that, " Taking a careful and comprehensive 

 view of all the facts that bear upon this question, it is 

 allowable to conjecture that while vaccination does not 

 act as a sufficient protection in epidemic years, it does 

 effectually guard against attacks of smallpox in all 

 other years, and that where it does not protect it 

 mitigates." He pointed out that while the lowest 

 figure of the seventeenth century was l.OUS deaths l)y 

 Bmallpox (in 1647) in 100,000 deaths from all causes, 

 and the lowest in the eigbleenth century in 1772 was 

 1.532, the lowest in the present century, viz., in 1875, 

 was only Sti, while the maximum figures were in accord 

 with these. In contrast to these figures it was shown 

 that the statistics of deaths from measles and whoop- 

 ing-cough — for which no such remedy as vaccination 

 has been discovered — go just the opposite way, the 

 deaths from these diseases increasing instead of dimi- 

 nishing. If, as argued, the falling-off in the number 

 of deaths from smallpox is due to improved sanitary 

 arrangements and not to vaccination, why is not the 

 same result seen in the case of other epidemics? — 

 Colonies and India. 



Planting Journals and Experiences in Java.— 

 Mr. W. E. Kimball, of Tjik kandie Odie, Java, writes 

 by this mail :— "The Ceylon Observer and Tropical Agri- 

 culturist are becoming great favorites he'e, and my 

 friends are always happy to have them. For myself I 

 must say I have got more good ideas from those public- 

 ations in one year than I have ever been able to pick np 

 in other books and papers for years. In fact, one good 

 idea derived from the ' old rag,' as you call it, is 

 worth a year's subscription at least to me ! When I 

 first began ticking the Ceylon Obscrvir, I asked a 

 neighbiiuring planter if he would like to have a look 

 at It. He wrote back : 'No ! Those Ceylon fellows are 

 a set of fools, always crying ' Wolf! ' He afterwards 

 took a few copies home to read, when he had nothing 

 better to do [sic .') and soon after wrote me : ' Man, tlie 

 Ceylon Observer is the best paper out, and I want you 

 to send it regular.' Java papers are also beginning to 

 quote from it. I wish there was enterprize enough 

 in this country to start such a paper ! Liberian 

 coffee doing finely here where it gets fair play. Old 

 coffee planters still refuse to take stock in it ; not 

 that they do not think it will succeed, hut, I think, 

 because they are afraid it will prove too big a success. 

 It is now west monsoon as it rains here daily. About 

 half of the Ceara rubber seeds germinated, and the 

 plants are doing pretty well. TDey seem to like a 

 moist climate and are not so hardy as the Brazilian 

 rubbers. If considered worthy of your attention, I 

 will send you from time to time a few jottiiis' from 

 this." We shall be glad lohave planting notes from 

 our coriespoudent, whose appreciative remarks call for 

 au acknowledgment. 



Peermaad (North Travancoee). — Au ex Ceylon 

 planter, now settled in India, writes: — "You talk 

 of Ceylon weather : I wish you bad been here 

 for the last 9 weeks : you would never have 

 said anything more of bad weather in Ceylon. I must 

 say Peermaad crops do a fellow's eyes good after 

 coming from poor old Ceylon. Cholera is s«id to be rag- 

 ing at a village called Cumbeen, about 50 miles from 

 here. Nobody knows what a treat a iVeekly Ceylon 

 Observer is, until he gets into an outlandish place 

 like I am in, with Malayalam coolies and wild beasts 

 to keep one company," 



The QtTEENSLAND Sugar Industrt ia drawing the 

 attention of southern capitalists, who are investing 

 in land and machinery, and setting down to work 

 among us in real earnest. Several good farming dis- 

 tricts which were at first devoted to maize-growing 

 are now wholly given np to sugar-growing ; notably, 

 the district of Bundaberg, where the firm of the 

 Messrs. Cran are now about completing one of the 

 largest and most complete sugar factories and refineries 

 in the Southern Hemisphere. The Crown lands of 

 the colony are being rapidly taken up in all direc- 

 tions wherever there is any certain prospect of estab- 

 lishing the industry, and "the discontents" of the 

 southern colonies are looking thitherward anxious to 

 swell the numbers already at work with sugar. The 

 attractiveness of Queensland just now is being felt also 

 amongst the planters of India, many of whom are 

 watching with interest the change now taking place, 

 and the development amongst us of this important 

 industry. It is now clearly shown that Queensland 

 soil and climate is a mine of wealth waiting only 

 for energy, enterprize, capital, and skill to develop 

 its marvellous resources ; and the cultivation of sugar 

 is but one of the rich veins out of many that have 

 been struck. The others will be brought to light 

 when the necessary population and experience has been 

 acquired, and the country subdued from its native 

 wildness. — Queenslander. 



Coffee in Queen.sland. — We have received from 

 the grower, Mr. Coatello, of Mackay, through tbe 

 courtesy of Mr. Hume Black, a sample of the first 

 coffee produced in Queensland on a scale suited for 

 commercial purposes. It was grown on the Millicent 

 Plantation, nine miles north of Mackay, and the area 

 planted and now bearing is above 12 acres, and in its 

 third year from time of planting. ') his pioneer plant- 

 ation is on volcanic scrub soil, hilly, and very stony, 

 and is situated about three miles from the coast ; 

 and the coflee already grown there has lieen pronounced 

 by Ceylon gentlemen to be superior to anything they 

 had seen in Ce.vlon. Tlie industry is one requiring a 

 dnbe deal of light labour, and, as much of the work 

 gi connection with its cultivation and preparation could 

 ol done by children, it is especially suited to Europe" 

 ans with growing families, and three or four acres 

 could easily be managed by them, to add to the re- 

 sources and profits of the farm. If conducted on a 

 large scale, with all the newest appliances and with 

 cheap labour, it would prove a remunerative industry; 

 and as the older coffee countries are now suffering 

 from a disease amongst plants, which affects and 

 destroys the leaves, the present would be a favour- 

 aide opportunity for making a commencenient. It is 

 quite time that something more than mere experiments 

 were tried with this crop, for enough has been done 

 m many directions to prove the shrub thoroughly at 

 home here, and enterprize, with a moderate amount 

 of capital, could be used to good advantage in this 

 direction. We are somewhat surprized to hear now 

 for the first time that a plantation of 20 acres, three 

 years planted, is in existence in Qneeuslam', but we 

 are none the less gratified at .f aking tlie discovery, and 

 we trust the enterprize manifested thus far will be 

 continued and abundantly rewarded. — Queenslander. 



