November i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



427 



-♦• 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 

 CEARA RUBBER. 



Dear Sir, — In your "overland" edition just ar- 

 rived, there is an interesting correspondence started 

 by Mr. Thiselton Dyer, respecting the ceara rubber 

 which he sent to Mr. Silver to test. As you have 

 Dr. Trimen close at hand, could you not, for the in- 

 formation of the public iu this country and for plauters 

 in Ceylon, find out from him what the difference was 

 between No. 1 and the No. 2 rubber he gave to Mr. 

 T. Dyer. We all know that any rubber that is sent 

 home that is sticky and will not congeal properly 

 (even in this cold clim.ate) is of very small value, 

 whereas one sample that came home was beautifully dry 

 and hard and valued at 3s 9d per lb. 



Another thing must be borne in mind in the India- 

 rubber trade, vij., the prices fluctuate in certain 

 eeasona of the year. This is caused by speculators who 

 get np the prices and then make sales for goods to 

 arrive, so that they can come in again at a low price. 

 —Yours truly, THOS. CHRISTV. 



[Dr. Trimen could not explain the difference between 

 the samples, beyond that the one may have been less 

 carefully collected than the other and had probably 

 foreign matter, dust, &c., mixed with the rubber. — 

 Ed.] 



COFFEE AND PEPPER EXPORTS FROM 

 WESTERN INDIA. 

 Tellicherry, 26th September 1882. 



Dear Sir, — Along with this we have the pleasure 

 to hand you a statement of our exports of coffee and 

 pepper for the year ending 30th June last. This also 

 includes similar exports from the other ports on this 

 coast. From this you will observe that the crop of 

 coffee has been aJi improvement on the previous one, 

 but pepper shows a deficiency. The crop of Mysore 

 native coffee «as below the average, both in quautity 

 and quality, and we fear the extensive introduction of 

 Coorg plants there must gradually alter the character 

 of this produce. 



The course of prices of both coffee and pepper 

 followed closely that of Europi'. In fact, the keen- 

 ness of merchants to do busmess, either for a very 

 small commission or on speculation, kept rates far too 

 near those ruling in Europe to allow of anything like 

 a fair proHt. 



The pepper market was also influenced by the de- 

 mand from Indian ports, with which a large business 

 was done through native agency, and duriug the latter 

 part of 1881 especially, few if any tr,insactious took 

 place on European account. 



The coming crop of coffee is expected to be a fair 

 one though somewhat below the last. The south-west 

 monsoon has been unpreoedentedly heavy, and the 

 estates on the Ghauts have suffered from ihe excessive 

 rainfall and high winds. Estates situated to the 

 eastward of the Uhauts, however, such as those in the 

 Bamboo di-trict of Coorg, have suffered but little as 

 far as emp is concerned and benefited by the suitable- 

 ness of the weather for planting. In the Eastern 

 Mv ore districts reports are, however, not verv favor- 

 able. 



We have not been able to obtain very reliable inform- 

 ation about the pepper crop, but believe it will not 

 be equal to the last. The cultivation is entirely iu 

 native hands, so it is most dillicult to get information 

 that can be safely depended on. — We are, dear sir, 

 yours faithfully. ALSTONS & Co. 



LANTANA-INFESTED LAND RE-CULTIVATED 

 WITH COFFEE. 



Dear Sir, — With reference to your article on 

 lantana in last night's Observer, the estate of Aita- 

 bagey, on the right-hand side of the road between 

 Gampola and PusseUawa, is a case in point. 



It had been originally chena, was planted np by 

 Mr. Frank Sabonadiere with c.ifiie, gave one good, 

 and two or three indifferent, crops uf coffee, and WM 



