492 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[December i, 1884. 



A sponge, five feet seven inches in circumference, 

 and weighing six and-a-lialf pounds, is on exhibition at 

 Watertown, New York. It will hold twenty-four 

 gallons of water, and is valued at $25. The sponge 

 came from the Bahama Islands. — Indian Agriculturist. 



India: Coffee Crop. — It is reported that this season's 

 coffee crop is a great success in comparison with that 

 of the previous year. Picking is busily carried on in all 

 the estates, but we regret to observe that the planters 

 are seriously inconvenienced by the stoppage of the 

 mills at Colachel, seeing that those who require their 

 outfee cured, have to send the article either to Quilon 

 or Tuticorin. — Jf extern Star. 



Diseased Tea Leaves. — Kelani Valley, 15th Nov. 

 — I enclose some tea leaves for your inspectiou. 

 Cau yon say what is the disease with which they 

 are affected ? and also if you can recommend any 

 treatment topreveut further spread of same. [Jur usual 

 referee writes: — "I regret I cannot say what the 

 disease is. I do not think it is caused by any leaf- 

 mining insect." We have frequently seen such leaves, 

 but they do not seem to indicate anything serious. 

 — Ed.T 



Cotton and Tea Pickers.— The Charleston (S. C.) 

 News and Courier alleges that a practical cotton 

 picker has at last been invented, aDd stands the 

 test of actual use. This has long been the one great 

 desideratum for the cotton industry, and as the machine 

 in question is claimed to pick cotton in the field for 

 one-seventh the cost of human labor in that direction, 

 the invention is one of great importance. The last 

 crop cost fifty million dollars to pick by hand. — 

 American Grocer, [If this is true, a palent tea picker is 

 possible which will, pluck fine. — Ed.] 



Tea in Natal — The Field of October 18th has a 

 contribution from "Mr. Martin Green" on "Tea 

 Culture in Natal" (see p. 471), in which he affords 

 some curious statistics of the crops gathered by 

 Mr. Hulett. m l.c, who has now 75 acres under 

 cultivation with tea near to Durban. He counis on 

 S00 lb. of tea per acre when 5 ye.irs old at a total 

 cost of fid per lb. for growing and manufacturing, 

 exclusive of interest. A great many oth r figures are 

 given making out in theory a splendid case ; but we 

 should like to have the opinion of an old Natal 

 planting resident on the whole paper : — Mr. Koderick 

 i)av dson, for instance, ought to be able to criticize 

 Messrs. Green and Hulett's figures to some purpose, 

 especially in respect of their labour supply. 



Kadocannawa, 21st Nov. — Black bug will soon, I 

 fear, complete the devastation introduced by " leaf- 

 disease." Both Liberian coffee and Coffea Arabica 

 have suffered much this season from what in olden 

 days in Dimbula was said to be the result of damp 

 and too much rain, but is now supposed to be caused 

 by drought ! Estates in their vicinity are looking 

 well. Tea is of course being planted largely, and tea 

 in bearing flushes fairly *yell. Cacao in sheltered 

 valleys appears to find a congenial home, and very 

 healthy and luxurious the beautiful trees look laden 

 with their richly-colored pods. Cinchona also is 

 coming to the front, and doing well. The proprietor 

 of a small estate down the incline is said to have 

 made a decided hit with cardamoms, and I see 

 occasionally large bundles of roots of this valuable 

 plant heing carried down the Pass. I wonder more 

 is not done by the natives of the Four Korales in 

 cultivating this product which pays so well and thrives 

 so gloriously amongst the rich black soil of their 

 rocky gardens. 



WELLS' "ROUGH ON CORNS." 



Ask for Wells' "Bough on Corns. " Quick relief, complete, 

 permanent cure. Corns, warts, bunions. 



W. E. Smith & Co., Madras, Sole Agents. 



The Fruit-growers of i alifornia have discovered 

 a new application lor the electric light. Many bushels 

 of night flying insects are killed in their orchards 

 near the cities when the electric light ii employed. — 

 Athenteum. 



Cardamom Cultivation in the Cochin State 

 would seem to be an unprofitable business, if we 

 may judge from the figures given in the latest Ad- 

 ministration Report:— Cardamom Cultivation.— The total 

 expenditure incurred in this department during the 

 year was 84,612-12-4 against R4,lS2-2-3 in the previ- 

 ous year. The collections of produce amounted to 

 1,078 lbs., of an approximate market, value of R 1,963- 

 11 8, against 1,260 lb3., valued at R2, 122 14-3, in the 

 preceding year. 



High-grown delicate flavoured Teas not ArpRis- 

 ciated in Mincing Lane ?— A tea planter at one of 

 the highest elevations in Ceylon, writes: — "I can- 

 not tell why my tea sometimes fetches the lowest 

 prices in the Tea list, unless it be due to climate ; for 

 the brokers' reports pronounce it well made and well 

 Hivoured, but wanting in strength. All tne tea autho- 

 rities who have visited me and tasted the tea, pronounce 

 it first-rate — with a most delicate agreeable flavour like 

 the Darjoeling teas and unlike anything else in Cey- 

 lon. But I am afraid that to get a price it must be dis- 

 posed of elsewhere than in Mincing Lane where, 

 apparently, strong, rasping teas to mix with China, 

 sell best." 



New Products : Croton Seeds. — This minor 

 new product is beginning to come to the front, for 

 we learn that six barrels of seed sent to Loudon from 

 Wihareteune estate, Haputale, have been described by 

 the brokers as "fine, fresh, of good quality, prices 

 high, supplies scarce, value per cwt. 65s." This will 

 pay rather better we fancy than coffee at the present 

 prices : the shipment was one of 11 cwt. ; the croton 

 trees in Hapu;ale flourish amazingly and seed freely. 

 Much credit is due to Mr. Holl'way of Panwila, 

 who, we believe, is the pioneer of this product, and 

 to Mr. Westland of Golconda who first introduced 

 it iuto Uva, and who, in the face of some discourage- 

 ment, has carried ou the cultivation until he has 

 been able to make an appreciable shipment of crop. 



Undue Favour to Coffee Planters in Brazil is 

 thus noticed by the Bio Ni"WS : — 



Two-thirds of the total revenue of the empire is 

 collected through its custom houS' s and of this two- 

 thiids, impo.ts have paid $614,000,000 during ten 

 years, while exports have coutribu.ed but $178,000,000. 

 There can be no clearer proof that commerce has been 

 sacrificed in the interest of the planter ; burden upon 

 burden has been piled upon commerce and relieved so 

 far a', possible from agricubure. In 1882, the famous 

 addicionaes, first authorized as a war measure, were 

 increased from 50 per cent to CO per cent, but at thesame 

 time the export duty on coffee was reduced 2 per cent. 

 Merchants and consumers are taxed an additional 

 10 per cent, while the planter receives 2 per cent, 

 porque o Brazil 6 um paiz essentia line nte agricola. It 

 is more than time that commerce should protest against 

 this constaut tendency of the legislature to overload it 

 for the beuefit of the planter. What would the 

 planter, and especially the coffee planter be without 

 the assistance of the merchant ? But, because the 

 merchant in Brazil is general'y an estrangeiro, our 

 conscript fathers think it politic to place on his 

 shoulders every possible burden of taxation, while 

 " long dates and easy amortization " are granted the 

 fortunate planter. It is more than time thut Lnvoura 

 should not precede Oommercio, and it is our duty, as 

 it is our pleasure, to c;'ll the attention of the directors 

 of the Associacao Commercial to the position in which 

 the coffee factors are placing them. The Associacao 

 Commercial seems nodding, while the Centro da 

 Jjavoura e Commercio rules the roast. 



