May i, i 



88sJ 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST., 



817 



Tea Chests.— Mr. G. W. Horsfall Beuds us a sample 

 of one of the half -chests as advertised in the Observer. 

 It is, he says, not specially selected but is a fair 

 average sample made of hal wood, size 18x16x15 

 outside, i.e., equivalent to exactly 2 50 cubic feet, or 

 20 to the shipping ton. Each shook is numbered, and 

 every piece of wood marked for subsequent identilic- 

 ation if necessary. This sample can be seen at our office. 



Progress in Jouore.— On the 5th March, Mr. Tan 

 Hai Seng entertained H. H. the Maharajah and a large 

 party of Government Officials at luncheon at his estate 

 at Passir Gudang, whither the guests were conveyed by 

 the " Pulai." The entertainment was enlivened by a 

 " Pek Jee " wayaug (i.e., a wayaug performed by children), 

 and afterwards a Malay boat-race afforded amusement to 

 the guests, who returned to Johore in the evening. Li- 

 berian coffee and a little cacao are planted on the estate, 

 both looking very healthy, particularly the formor, of 

 which some 50 acres are nearly in bearing. The cacao 

 plants are entirely in the open, and one is afraid to say 

 what will become of them unless shade trees are at once 

 planted. On Monday night, the Maharajah started for a 

 trip to Bandar Maharanee in the " Pantie," arriving there 

 on Tuesday morning. The afternoon of that day was 

 spent inspecting the n<wvly built houses and the new 

 roads. On the following morning, H. H. accompanied by 

 the Datu Bintara Luar and other officers visited the 

 Kesang district, via the Kwala Kesang police station, and 

 spected a road in course of construction, which starts from 

 a little way above the station, running in a north-west 

 direction to meet a beud of the Kesang river. At the 

 distance of about a mile it will turn at right angles, 

 so as to come out at another bend of the river opposite 

 the Malacca Government police station. The road is 

 being made by a contractor, and will soon be completed. 

 A large number of Malays, Chinese, and Javanese squatters 

 have already taken up lands alongside this new road, 

 attracted by the fertility of the soii and the easy terms 

 of tenure. To all appearances, the district, with a suffici- 

 ent number of roads, is destined to become what Padang 

 is now, namely, a rich coconut and betel-nut producing 

 country. — Singapore Free Press. 



Northern Australian Territory : Tobacco.— We 

 have received from Mr. Bath, Secretary to the Minister 

 of Justice, a sample of tobacco manufacture in Adelaide 

 from leaf sent from Palmerston. This tobacco is in 

 every way a great improvement upon that made roughly 

 in the Territory and submitted to us some months 

 ago. The leaf, when received, was forwarded to 

 Messrs Dungey, Ralph, and Co., of Adelaide, and 

 made up by them, and this report oi theirs upon it 

 — a report which seems fully justified by the sample 

 and the facts — will be read with interest and grati- 

 fication : — "Herewith we send you sample of twist 

 tobacco manufactured from leaf grown in Northern 

 Territory, and sent to us by the Hon. the Treasurer 

 for report. These samples were treated in exactly 

 the same form as we treat ordinary American leaf. 

 The sample, of leaf submitted very much resembles 

 the heavy Western (American) tobacco, which i- so 

 profitably grown in the States, only that the West 

 ern or Kentucky aud all other dark tobaeccs are all 

 thoroughly sweated aud cured ready for the manu- 

 facturer, whereas this tobacco is simply sun dried, and 

 therefore has no keeping qualities. A thick, fleshy 

 leaf, with heavy stem (fully -30 per cent, waste in 

 thin respect), burns free, with fairly white ash, and 

 could be used with American tobacco, one third of 

 Northern Territory to two-thirds American; and if 

 the portion we operated upnn it a fair sample of the 

 bulk, we should have no hesitation in working it in 

 these proportions. We are of opinion that if the 

 tobacco is grown further inland it will be much 

 richer in nicotine, aud with ordinary care bestowed, 

 on it, and a thorough knowledge of the weatiug or 

 curing, and packing processes, in a short time tit would 

 compete successfully aga ; nst American growths of 

 twiat and plug tobacco.''— South Australian Register. 



103 



The Grain Commission in Battioaloa, Ceylon. — 



We would call attention to the letter on this sub- 

 ject on page 820. The writer ovidently gives 

 all that can be said on one aide, but nothing of 

 the other side of the case. The reference to the 

 railway is scarcely fair, for we would inform 

 " Fiat Justitia " that the cost of the Railway Depart- 

 ment aud every cent of outlay is debited to the 

 railway, aud yet for years it paid 10 to 12 per cent. 

 As to Commutation, iu most districts Government 

 have lost revenue by it, the rates fixed being lower 

 than the average of rents. If the case is otherwise 

 in the east of the island, we should like to see the 

 Commissioner's views. 



An Enemy of the Cacao Tree.— On the 10th of 

 March Messrs. J. P. William & Bros, of Henarat- 

 goda wrote to us : — 



" By this post you will receive a tin box containing a 

 bottle with a kind of cricket caught last evening about 

 7 p.m. from one of onr cacao trees. First the cricket begins to 

 eat the stems of the young cacao pods, and after stems of 

 all, small and large pods all over the tree ; consequently the 

 pods begin to drop. Though we have watched several days 

 the cricket was not to be seen, so we have covered all the 

 stems of the pods with clay in the daytime yesterday, and 

 at the time of catching it we (found that the cricket is 

 eatiug the bark of the tree ; previous to this the bark 

 was not, touched. We shall be glad to see your remarks on 

 the matter and shall be obliged by your handing over 

 th« cricket to the Government Museum." 

 We sent the insect to our entomological referee, 

 who wrote on 24th March : — 



'• The insect sent to you by Messrs. William & Brothers 

 is a locust, an immature female. It belongs, as far as I 

 can make out, to the family Qryllidce, but I am unable 

 to determine its species. I have watched its habits iu 

 confinement since I have received it a fortnight ago, as I 

 have been able to supply it with small branches of a 

 cacao tree growing in our garden. It is a night-feeder, 

 and during tbe daytime it clings closely to the branch with 

 its middle pair of legs held closely to its sides, the feet 

 clasping the branch. The hiud legs are streched out to their 

 full length in a straight line, the feet together, holding on to 

 the bark. The front pair of legs are also stretched out in the 

 same way and kept iu a line with the antennte, which are 

 long. In this position the insect appears pointed 

 at both ends, and being of a dull brown color, aud 

 having a rough exterior, it^ easily escapes detection, 

 appearing at first sight like an excrescence, such 

 as is often seen on the branches of trees. It is in fact 

 a fair example of insect mimicry. The specimen under 

 observation measures, when lying in repose, a little over 

 two inches. It is a voracious feeder and completely strips 

 the bark off the branch upon which it inay be feeding. 

 I placed some coffee branches against tbe cacao branches, 

 but it has not touched them, preferring, when pressed by 

 hunger, to eat the cacao leaves. It is probably an insect 

 not likely to be found in any great abundance, and there- 

 fore the mischief it does may not be very serious." 

 Before we had time to insert tbe above, our re- 

 feree wrote to ask us to delay insertion, as the 

 iusect was undergoing a change. He now writes : — 



"Since the above was penned, the insect has assumed 

 its perfect state. It has 'not altered much iu appearance, 

 except that it has had two pairs of long wings, which ex- 

 tend much beyond the point of its abdomen. Its color 

 is the same, and it would be quite us difficult of detection 

 on a cacao tree, as in its undeveloped state. 1 happened 

 to be up very early one morning, about 1 o'clock, and 

 then noticed it had just cast its skin. The empty skin 

 was quite complete and hanging ou to a twig close to 

 its late possessor. An hour or two later, I discovered that 

 the discarded skin had been completely devoured by the 

 insect, and not a vestige of it could be seen 1 xcept by 

 the aid of a microscope. The creature must have followed 

 an instinct which prompts it to obliterate all tra< 

 so conspicuous auindication'of its close vii init It still feeds 

 at night on cacao branches, and remains motionli ss during 

 the daytime. There are a few specimens of the insect in 

 the Colombo Museum, which are labelled Cynatomer 



