862 



the tropical agriculturist. 



[May i, 1885. 



Of course the most highly flavoured is Mocha, but 

 this may be advantageously mixed with East Indian. 

 If a less expensive coffee for daily use is required, a 

 combination of East Indian aud Plantation I find 

 very good at la. 3d. a pound. English people some- 

 how seldom succeed in making coffee properly. The 

 best coffee-pot is the ordinary French cajetiire, that 

 divides in two parts, with a large-holed drainer at 

 the top aud a finer one half way down, and a 

 little flat stamper. Warm your pot thoroughly, 

 then taking out your top drainer, put in the coffee 

 whioh should be fresh ground, but not too finely, and 

 stamp it hard and flat, allowing two teaspoonsful to 

 each person ; replace the drainer. Then remember 

 that your kettle must be foiling over before you 

 attempt to pour water into the cafetiire ; this should 

 be done slowly, at first, and unless you hear it 

 running through too fast at the bottom, continue 

 pouring until coffee and water rise together through 

 the holes of the top drainer, then stop, and set 

 the cafitiirc close to the fire on a trivet, or some- 

 where to keep it very hot, without stewiDg it. First 

 fill your breakfast-cups half full of boiling milk, 

 then pour a little of the coffee, which will be very 

 strong, into each tup , it will be sufficiently strong 

 to add some water in each case. Then replace the 

 cafetiire by the tire, pouring more boiling water into 

 it, so as to keep up a good supply for second cups. 

 By this means you will, I think, be able to emulate 

 the best cffeeevtr madoabroad. — Weekly Echo. 



PLANTING IN FIJI: 



A OEKAT VARIETY OP PRODUCTS : YAUAWA ESTATE, SEKUA" 



This plantation, belonging to Messrs. Baillie Bros., is 

 situated midway between the wet and dry districts on the 

 south coast of Na Viti Levu. The estate is 400 acres in 

 extent and, on the plan, presents a very queer appear- 

 ance indeed, the proprietors, when purchasing, secured 

 the right to select their area in whatever shape they chose, 

 out of a block of 1,000 acres ; so they took the hearts of 

 two rich valleys, connected by a narrow strip over a sad- 

 dle aud running up only to a certain elevation, so that 

 the surrounding unpurchased, and thickly timbered heights 

 give the requisite shelter from strong winds. Additional 

 cover is provided by break winds of native forest left at 

 effective points about the plantation. The desiderata aimed 

 at^moderate rainfall, rich friable soil on volcanic rock, 

 ample protection from gales, and ease of transit — have 

 certainly been attained, and the vigor and productiveness 

 of thu cultivated plants (of widely different tropical and 

 sub-tropical families) prove the wisdom of the selection. 

 The part under cultivation is the valley nearer the sea, where 

 about 90 acres of caref . ly tended Arabian coffee * are 

 now in prolific bearing, most of the plants are absolutely 

 loaded with crop and present, with their grey, radiating 

 branches, the glistening green of the crimp-edged leaves, 

 thu white flowers and profusion of berries — in every stage 

 from dull green to bright yellow aud brilliant red cherry 

 — a very picture of beautifully contrasted tints. The whole 

 plantation is intersected with contour roads of slight grad- 

 ient, in addition to the main leading to the dwelling- 

 house, and these exhibit many interesting varieties of econ- 

 omic vegetable growth, and color in foliage. Cinchona,* 

 with their clear stems of dull purple, and umbrageous 

 tops of light green, corrugated leaves with tinted midribs. 

 Ceara Rubber, * the bright brown bark crisping off and 

 oozing caouchouc, and their tri-brauches, tri-branchletsand 

 indigo shaded tri-leaves, forming even a better emblem 

 of the Trinity than the shamrock of blessed memory. 

 Cocoa with old leaves green and young ones brownish 

 fawn; the green bark of the Cinnamon and their scented, 

 yellow green, oval leaves, quaintly marked with a 

 lesser oval as are those of the indigenous Mathou 

 (Ginnamomum s. p.) ; the tall, grey stems of the Teak, 



* Plants marked thus are bearing. 



straight, branchless, and crowned with a few leaves, rough 

 and huge ; Tea * with their upward sweeping green branches, 

 delicately serrated leaveB, and nut-like seeds ; Libcrian 

 Giant Coffee* looking sturdy and defiant, their large leaves 

 of blackish green shining as tho' glazed ; Jack trees, 

 whose produce (of delicious flavor and awful stench) grows 

 out of unexpected places on the stem and looks like 

 Brobdignagian bread-fruit ; the dull, dark leaves of the 

 Soursops * whose crop is as of cotton- wool soaked in nicely 

 acidulated custard ; the Sweetsops, and their light green 

 leaves with a wonderful sheen of old gold ; Custard-apples * 

 and their too sweet fruit looking something like a cross 

 between small breadfruit and young pine-tree cones ; Man- 

 goes with their brown stems aud slender leaves (the upper 

 ones brown fawn) and the fruit like — well, like a hot- 

 house peach blended with a ripe and superior Fijian ici 

 (spondius dulcis), and grown in Paradise ; the light green 

 stems of the Areca (betel nut) ; Palms, * their large 

 feather-like leaves and brush blossoms of most delicate 

 straw color ; Tobacco * with its long leaves mottling yel- 

 low as they ripen ; indigenous and imported oranges, 

 lemons, limes, shaddocks, pineapples * and bananas. * At 

 the house grandilla * and grape vine * guavas * and mul- 

 berries * are all bearing profusely ; and tamarinds, with 

 their aeacia-like leaves, are growing ; while, the purely orna- 

 mental is there represented by many varieties of the brilli- 

 ant-hued crotou, coleus dracoeua, caladium. etc. Of Cin- 

 chona there are about 0,000 plants of different kinds in 

 various stages of growth (3J years to 1 month) and there 

 are blocks of these valuable medicinal plants in addition 

 to those growing along the roads. About five acres of 

 bananas in bearing, with plenty of tubers, (yams and 

 white kumalas) ripe and ripening, keep the main food sup- 

 ply up to concert pitch. Nearly all vegetables seem to 

 do well here, the cabbages have the solid white hearts 

 which memory associates with colder climates, and in the 

 salad line one can really feast ad lib. on water-cress nnd 

 tomatoes. The plantation valley has several nice little 

 rocky creeks, in one of which is a deep hole for there- 

 freshing and necessary daily dive. When splashing about 

 uuder the fall one certainly swallows sometimes an undue 

 proportion of pure water, but it doesu't seem at all in- 

 jurious when promptly modified. Close to the bathiug- 

 hole and fall is the two-storied coffee store and factory 

 (of wood and iron) containing the necessary fittings and 

 appliances for pulping, drying, hulling, (j. e. husk- 

 ing or peeling) etc. It is so placed that water power could, 

 if required, be readily aud inexpensively applied to the 

 machinery. The labor houses are scattered about on points 

 of vantage, near to, but well above, the main creek, and 

 a very fat, healthy, happy lot the laborers seem to be. 

 The surrounding hills and adjacent valleys are clad in 

 forest, wheuce one may glean many a rare lycopod, lichen, 

 fern and fungus, with here and there an orchis or an 

 orchid. Hard and soft and ornamental timbers abound ; 

 and the indigenous nutmeg, witli its gaping, mace-- wrapped 

 seed", is frequently met with, as are, of course, the ordinary 

 Fijian fruits. Now 1 dont know what more there is to tell 

 you about this pretty place, except that it is well worth 

 seeing and I wish I owned (not to break — the tenth com- 

 mandment is n't. it?) just such another, in just such a pos- 

 ition. It has plainly cost much skill, work aud money, and 

 looks to my judgment more like good returns than any 

 olher I have seen in the group. I append a statement 

 of the rainfall for 1881-4, for which 1 am indebted to the 

 Messrs. Baillies. 



