November i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



353 



are among those that give a fair return on outlay in a 

 few short years. Many years ago coconut plantations were 

 all the rage in Madras and in the adjoining suburbs, and 

 every Hindu inhabitant, with moderate means at his dis- 

 posal, managed to purchase or form a small coconut garden 

 from the revenue of which he was able to support himself 

 and family. The coconut is a valuable tree and the revenue 

 derived from a well stocked garden years ago was large. 

 That was the time when coconuts were extensively used 

 in the manufacture of oil and when the juice of the tree, 

 known as toddy, was largely adulterated and drunk by the 

 poorer classes of natives. But since of late years, toddy 

 is evidently not so largely cousumed as it once was and 

 coconuts are not so extensively used in the manufacture 

 of oil, because with the importation of kerosiue oil in 

 thousands of cases from Europe and America, coconut oil 

 is not largely cousumed but the price is as high if not 

 higher than it was some years back. 



Mango and jack are among the fruit trees that bring 

 in a fair return on outlay and hence their cultivation 

 finds favor among European owners of land in the districts. 

 The coconut has to be largely supplied with water, es- 

 pecially when the trees are set apart for toddy. But mango 

 and jack require care for a few years, after which the 

 rainfall is sufficient to help them to produce. If the trees 

 are well looked after and manured the return is largely 

 and in fact more than compensates the outlay incurred. 

 The Salem district is one of the most favorably situated 

 in the Madras presidency and has the reputation of producing 

 very superior qualities of certain descriptions of fruit. 

 .Salem mangoes and oranges are the most edible, and it 

 is no matter for surprise that owners of coffee estates 

 have resolved to give some attention to the cultivation 

 of fruit trees. — Madras Standard, 



TEA: DEMAND FOR INDIAN TEA IN AMERICA. 

 While in New York I discussed the prospects of 

 our Indian tea trade with the agents of the Calcutta 

 Tea Syndicate. They were very sauguine of our 

 ultimately securing a good share of the American 

 consumption if moderate shipments of good teas are 

 kept up and Indian exporters are not discouraged 

 by the comparatively poor prices which have been 

 so far paid. They instanced the case of Japan, which 

 did not obtain the strong position it now holds in 

 regard to the supply of tea to America without a 

 severe struggle, and in the face of losses continued 

 for a good many years. Some speculative purchases 

 of Indian tea were made in New York about the 

 time of my visit for resale in London which pro- 

 duced a bad effect both in London and Calcutta, 

 but these were made light of. The hopeful features 

 of the trade as pointed out to me, were that, so far as 

 black teas go, the Indian producers have the field 

 to themselves, there being no other black teas im- 

 ported into America which at the price can at all 

 compare with our Indian growths. The reason American 

 taste has hitherto run so much on green teas, in 

 preference to hlack, was said to be simply on account 

 of the inferiority of the black teas hitherto offered 

 and not from any prejudice against black teas per se. 

 It was also found that wherever the Indiau tea sold 

 in New York got into consumption, (and the aim of 

 the Syndicate agents was to secure this,) buyers 

 almost in every case repeated their orders for it, 

 which is the best possible proof that consumers ap- 

 preciated it. The Americans need to learn a great 

 deal as to the art of blending and infusing teas, and 

 if an Association were started to supply a good 

 article, and got the hotels initiated in the art of 

 using it properly, it would be a paying speculation 

 and a great step gained. The filthy decoction usually 

 served at Ameriein hotels under the high sounding name 

 of Knglish breakfast tea is enough to make any one 

 who knows what a cup of pood tea really is, turn 

 away in disgust, and it is little wonder coffee or milk 

 aremore in favour. American buyers like a eood looking 

 tea, and lay more stresson appearance than liquor, so that 

 15 



I large leaved varieties, even although with good liquors 

 are less suitable than the small leaved China sorts. 

 The finest teas are also at present thrown away 

 on them. By and bye, I have no doubt, they will 

 be appreciated and command their value, hut at 

 present medium to good teas, rot too high priced, 

 are what they want.— Correspondent of Englishman. 



COFFEE, SUGAR AND CINCHONA IN JAVA 

 are thus noticed in extracts from Batavian papers 



translated for the Straits Times : — 



Batavia, 23rd August. — In coffee-growing the Govern- 

 ment is trying more and more to encourage mechanical 

 preparation of the berry among the people, both for saving 

 labour and furthering a better manipulation of the product. 

 In Passaruau, where the increasing crops and the greater 

 demand for labour in consequence of the spread of private 

 plantation enterprize have shown the need of a more 

 liberal use of mechanical preparation, the two Govern- 

 ment pulpers now at work will this year he increased in 

 number by setting up 13 additional ones, at an estimated 

 outlay of 100,000 guilders. It is noticeable in the official 

 report of an expert, that the climate of Mid Java is more 

 suitable for cinchona officinalis than that of West Java. 

 Flourishing plantations of this variety are met with, for 

 instance, around Wouosobo in the province of Baguleu at 

 :i height of froni 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea-level. In 

 growth these trees far excel those w 7 ithin the gardens at 

 Dodabetta in the Neilgherries. Advices from Deli state, 

 that the laying of the railway there was being actively 

 proceeded with. As is well known, this railway connects 

 Medan on rue side with Labuan, the present customs 

 station, and Belawan, the anchoring place for large steam- 

 ers, and, on the other side, with Deli Tuah, the former 

 chief town of Deli; while by a side line 25 kilometres 

 long, Timbang Langkat, the chief town of Upper Langkat, 

 is connected with Medan. The greatest work will be a 

 bridge about loo yards long and wholly built upnu iron 

 piles screwed into the ground, which, when finished, will 

 only find its match in the splendid viaduct over the Chita- 

 rum river on the Java State Railway. The line between 

 Medan and Labuan will probably be open for traffic be- 

 fore the end* of this year. — Batavia Mandelsblad. 



Cinchona. — Considering the feeling of depn ssion now 

 general among a large portion of the European population 

 of Java inconsequence of the low rates ruling for sugar 

 and coffee, and the prevalence besides of leaf- disease, it 

 is a gladdening phenomenon that Java, in any case, has 

 still cinchona growing available, which is both profitable 

 and promises much for the future. The enormous prices 

 still realized for good sorts of cinchona bark, notwith- 

 standing the fall in the price of quinine, fully bear this 

 out. At the sale of cinchona bark held in Amsterdam 

 in June last, the highest price, 302 cents per half kilo, 

 was brought by a consignment of that article from the 

 Pring Ombo estate in the province of Pekalongan. This 

 cinchona bark, so we are informed, was from trees thin- 

 ned out of a four years old plantation of typical Ledgeri- 

 anas. When t is taken into account that cinchona trees 

 four years old are far from being full grown, and that 

 according to Mr. Bernelot Moens, eight years old Ledgeri- 

 ana trees yield each half a kilo of dry bark, while also 

 the percentage of quinine in full-grown trees is greater 

 than that in four years old trees, it may safely be taken 

 for granted that the Pring* Ombo estate has furnished 

 proof that Java possesses in cinchona cultivation, carried on 

 judiciously in good soil, at least one profitable branch of 

 cultivation. — Zoeomoticf, 9th Aug. 



AGRI-HOR TICULTURAL SOCIETY OF MADRAS : 

 FRUIT TREES AND RUBBER. 



From the proceedings of this Society we quote as 

 follows : — 



Bead letter from Dr. Trimen, dated Peradeniya, 27 th May, 

 ISM. acknowledging with thanks the Society's neat little 

 volume of Proceedings, making his set complete ; expressing 

 his pleasure at hearing that the Society is getting out a new 

 Catalogue of the plants in the Gardens which will be most 

 interesting and useful, as the Society has a ''peculiarly inter- 

 esting collection" ; pointing out that he noticed in January 



