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rYHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



August i, 18^4, 



and emphasies the necessity for rigid economy and scientific 

 knowledge of coffee cultivation under its present condi- 

 tion™ to be carried out with profit. The essays on 

 fuel plantations are of very general interest, and we 

 particularly commend that submitted by Sir. Rhodes 

 Morgan It is obvious that fuel plantations if carefully 

 conducted must of necessity be profitable, for the demand 

 for fuel is probably everywhere on the increase, and a 

 plantation when once fairly started is little liable to 

 damage from excessive or insufficient rainfall. The best 

 tree for fuel plantations is Paid to be the Oasvapna 

 muricata. which easily adapts itself to climatic variations, 

 grows with great rapidity, and moreover yields timber 

 capable of bearing a very high cross-strain. After secur- 

 ing a plot of suitable land near the market where the 

 wood is to be sold and easily irrigable, casuarma plant- 

 ations can be laid down by sowing the cones in shallow 

 rows. The seedlings should be planted out when 9 inches 

 high and for 100 acres of land about 1J lakhs of plants 

 should be laid down iu the nurseries. The seed hngs 

 should be well watered up to the time of transplant- 

 ation, and after transplantation the watering should be 

 continued until the young trees are in vigorous and steady 

 growth. A seven year old casuarina tree averages bO 

 feet in height and 30 inches circumference near the 

 "round. The price of seedlings is given at R6 per l.OUU 

 and 1200 or 1,500 to the acre should be allowed. 

 Pitting the ground costs about R8 per acre, and water- 

 in? about R2G. Fencing, quit rent, and miscellaneous 

 charges bring up the total cost per acre to R64. An 

 eight, year old tree contains on average 10 cubic feet or 

 wood, 'and supposing 1,000 trees per acre to survive 

 10,000 cubic feet of wood would be produced, the weight 

 being 207 six-seventh tons. At R8 per ton this would 

 realize R2,142-13-8. Interest charges, felling, sawing, cart- 

 ing and supervision bring up the total expenditure to 

 R842-8-5 per acre, and the net profit is Rl,300-5-f 

 Other good fuel trees are the Acacia arabyca, the AOnma 

 lebbeek, which also produce good timber, and the list 

 could be cas'dy enlarged. It should be remembered that 

 Cawarina grows best in light sandy soil, and if any part 

 of a block of land intended for a fuel plantation should 

 be found of stiff cotton or clay soil, some other spe- 

 cies of tree should be laid down. In a fuel plantation 

 the coppice system should be followed, i.e., each portion 

 of the block should be. felled completely iu rotation. 

 The stools will shoot up freely and regularly, but the 

 outturn will be slightly less than that of the first cut- 

 ting After three or four coppiemgs have been effected 

 the land should be replanted with another species of 

 tree whenever this is possible. But on sandy soils the 

 Casuarina is so far superior to other trees that it is better 

 to let well alone, and not attempt to lay down new varieties 

 In hill climates such as that jf the Kilgiri Hills, the Taest 

 trees for fuel purposes are those imported from Australia, 

 the Acacias Melam.ryloii and Dealbata, and iu particular 

 the Fucahiphts t/lobuhts. Mr. Morgau states that were the 

 many acre's of grass land iu the neighbourhood of Ootaca- 

 mund planted with a mixture of these trees tney would 

 afford an abundant and perpetual supply of fuel more 

 than sufficient to meet all possible requirements A fuel 

 plantation in the Nilgiris laid down with wattle trees 

 would be fit for felling in seven years, and would pro- 

 duce a net profit of RG64 per acre, the price of fuel 

 being calculated at RS per ton. A plantation of Eucal- 

 yptus qldmhts would probably stand five or six septennial 

 felling's without diminution of outturn, and might even 

 last longer than this. Decennial fellings would be more 

 profitable, the net grain per acre on such coppicing being 

 given by Mr. Morgan atR2,0l3. In the case of a 500-acre 

 block of mixed natural jungle worked carefully and with- 

 in easy reach of the fuel market, the net profit for 12| 

 years is estimated at E3.03.800. heme at rate of R607 

 per acre. The exact amount of calorific power ot any 

 given tree is difficult of calculation, but may be said to 

 increase with density and hardness of Hie wood. Resinous 

 and oily woods are of little value as fuel, but most hard 

 woods burn with a clear fine flame, and produce excel- 

 lent charcoal, which may profitably be manufactured m 

 fuel plantations. Mr. Morgan's interesting essay closes 

 with some practical remarks on the enemies and diseases 

 to which plantations are exposed, and the best means tor 

 their eitermiuation. 



"THE COCOA KING." 

 [From our Roving Correspondent.] 

 rOur readers will peruse with interest the follow- 

 ing account, which we take from the Sydney 

 Mail, of Cadbury's Cacao or Chocolate factory near 

 Birmingham, one of those well-conducted establish- 

 ments which constitute so much of the glory as well 

 as the wealth of Britain.- Ed] 



I started off early for Birmingham proper— or improper, 

 as the case might be-to make my tour of Messrs. Cad- 

 bury's premises. Proceeding hy a suburban branch ot the 

 comfortable Midland line some three or four mdes away 

 from the heart of the town, I found myself on alighting 

 from the train at a little wayside station, situated in a 

 charming little valley which might have served for Rip 

 Van Winkle's "sleepy hollow" but for the hive of in- 

 dustry it contained, and the strong, permeating, ever 

 present and pleasant odour, as of freshly poured out 

 chocolate, such as strikes the olfactory senses on entering 

 a Spanish or Italian cafe abroad. On either side were 

 gently undulating hiUs watered by a tiny streamlet that 

 meandered in and out between the ridges, and trim mead- 

 ows on which horses and cattle were grazing, farmhouses 

 peeping out here and there amidst the hedgerows and 

 copses in the most rustic fashion, as if " far from the 

 din of cities and busy haunts of men;;' whilst a colony 

 of rooks, who were holding a caucus in thorough Bir- 

 mingham style in a neighbouring group of elms, and ex- 

 plaining by vociferous, caws the justice of their cause, 

 lent a peaceful air to the scene, which even the one 

 great colossal chimney of the factory in the dell be ow 

 on the banks of the Bourn, did not altogether banish. 

 This latter little rippling rivulet added much to the at- 

 tractiveness of the locality, besides giving the place its 

 name more Americano, and is said to be regarded by 

 those disciples of Izaak Walton living in the vicinity with 

 much veneration, many trout of respectable dimensions 

 having been caught in its waters to gladden the hearts 

 of the enthusiastic anglers, some of whom sally out after 

 work-hours in the factory to indulge in their fondly- 

 loved pastime of piscicapture. AVtnle on this theme, I 

 could not help but notice the evident desire displayed by 

 the firm to contribute in ways many and various, which 

 can scarcely be recorded here, to the comfort, happiness, 

 health, and well-being of the fortunate work-people who 

 have the luck to be employed by them; the entire little 

 community, numbering over six hundred souls, being 

 bound together by the kindly influences of temperance, 

 religion, and thoughtful watchfulness, by ties dearer and 

 closer than the mere common bond between employees 

 and capitalists of a stipulated service being given for a 

 stipulated wage, as is the case in more mercenary es- 

 tablishments of the present day Here the love of God 

 and the love of man are welded together ; and while the 

 heads of the firm, with a judicious sensitiveness which 

 can be readily appreciated, refrain from exercising any- 

 thing like undue control over their workpeople, they show 

 practically by deeds, and not by words, how much they 

 have their welfare at heart, both here and hereafter. A 

 cricket and football ground is provided for the men ; and 

 for the young women and girls a spacious playground 

 fitted with swings and other contrivances contributory to 

 outdoor enjoyment. These privileges are thoroughly ap- 

 preciated ; and the joyous indications of innocent pleasure 

 that emanate from "haunts of leisure," in periphrastic 

 phrase, "between times," were refreshing to the ears ot 

 I sojourner in cities like myself, tor it was delightful to 

 hear the cheery shouts of the men at pay, the merry 

 laughter of the girls. But more substantial provision has 

 been made by the firm for the comfort and convenience 

 of their best workmen. On ground contiguous to the 

 factory, and bordering on the road which runs on the 

 southern side of the works, adjacent to the rook colony 

 holding their caucus just mentioned, the firm have built 

 16 semi-detached villa residences, which are inhabited by 

 their foremen of deportments and leading hands-work- 

 men who have shown by their general demeanour and 

 assiduity in business that they are worthy of the consider- 

 ation their employers have exhibited on their beha f. 

 These villas are model residences, let at compara uvely 

 small rental; they are well built of biick in two colours, 



