May i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



867 



marketable fibre as given for plantains ami rhen and 

 by Mr. Haloorabe for New Zealand llax. The latter 

 talks of 3 tons of raw product giviog nearly 1 ton 

 of fibre, or say a proportion of 30 per cent ; while 

 Mr. Minchin got only 1 ton of fibre each from 100 

 tons of plantain stems, and from 34 tons of rhea sterna, 

 or 1 and 3 per ceut respectively. The difference 

 here in favour of the Phormium tcnax is very great ; 

 but we suspect this plant makes too heavy a de- 

 mand on the soil to suit the Ceylon cultivator, save 

 in exceptionally favourable positions. No doubt, the 

 alluvial soil ou the banks of the Mahaweliganga in the 

 Eastern Province would grow it to perfection, 

 but, after the experience of tobacco-growing in that 

 neighbourhood, we fear there is not much chance, 

 just yet, of European capital being introduced for 

 fibre cultivation thereabouts. The day, however, will 

 come when the resources of Ceylou will be more 

 fully turned to account in respect of fibres. As 

 Dundee "jute" men have repeatedly said after visit- 

 ing the neighbourhood of Gallo and Colombo, the 

 island should be " the paradise of fibre-yielding 

 plants." Mr. Minehin's figures seem to show that 

 there is a sufficient margin for profit when the raw 

 material can be collected with reasonable facility. This 

 has been the experience of Europeans in Ceylon in con- 

 nection with coir : given the coconut husks free of cost 

 and the fibre can be profitably prepared. It remains to 

 be seen what will be the result of the Glenrock experi- 

 ment in the cultivation of 250 acres of rhea- We shall 

 watch it with the deepest interest. Meantime, we would 

 mention for Mr. Minehin's information that the re- 

 Bult of prolonged experiments by Mr. Charles 

 Shand of Colombo went to show that the best 

 results were got from the stems of the Yucca 

 gloriosa which yielded 12J percent of fibre and which 

 grows fairly well in very poor sandy soil. 



A few months ago we dealt at some length with 

 the question of cultivating Rhea in Ceylon, and 

 called on Duudee capitalists to take a practical interest 

 in the subject. Soon afterwards we heard from a 

 gentleman of influence in the "Fibre" mercantile 

 world in London that be had taken up our sugges- 

 tion and was hopeful of being able to float a Com- 

 pany, largely supported by Dundee men, to experi- 

 ment in the direction referred to. We have not heard 

 for some time what progress has been made, but as 

 we know that some of the supporters of our friend, 

 are interested in the work undertaken by the Glen- 

 rock Company, it is possible that a halt has been 

 called, so far as Ceylon is concerned, until the result 

 is known of the cultivation of 250 acres with Rhea 

 in the Wynaad. If that be so, it w ill serve to increase 

 our interest in Mr. Minehin's future communications. 



Planting in the Sulu Archipelaoo. — Ttnf next day 

 I visited Captain Schucke's estate which lies about two 

 miles out from the town. The land is generally flat, and 

 between the fruit trees, some of which are of immense 

 size and afford an agreeable shade, cocoa and Liberian 

 coffee are planted in carefully planted rows. The oldest 

 cocoa is five years old and was fruiting freely, and the 

 vigorous appearance of the trees gives promise of a re- 

 munerative future. The soil is particularly rich and well 

 able to withstand a long drought. Captain Schucke has 

 opened about 80 acres. I was particularly interested in 

 an antidote to canker, or grub, or beetle, which he explained 

 to me. It appears that the cocoa in the Philippines lias 

 been for some time "affected with a disease which kills off 

 the trees at short notice, and from which, Captain Schucke 

 about a year ago found his plantation suffering. He tried 

 several remedies but without avail. One day a convict (the 

 Government are sometimes willing to lend convict labour 

 at si a month) drew his attention to a sickly tree, and 

 digging round the root, produced a couple of white grub, 

 and further explained that a beetle laid its eggs in the 

 hark. Thoir presence in the bark causes it to turn to a 



reddish-brown like the canker in tho cinchona in Ceylon. 

 Having cleaned the tree of these parasites and cut away, 

 all the infected bark, it was necessary to apply the anti- 

 dote, which consists of ginger root. A bit of the root is 

 squeezed into the cankered places and also into the bark 

 of the tree, as follows : — A small wedge of ginger is cut 

 and a downward puncture made in the bark of the tree. 

 The knife is held in the wound which is opened by a slight 

 pressure and the wedge of ginger is pushed in tight. This 

 should be tlone say in three places, and the effect on tho 

 tree will be seen in a few days, — British North Btirneo 

 Herald, April 1st. 



New Test for Tea. — It has been asserted that the 

 quality of tea may be approximately estimated by 

 the weight of ash which it yields, the value of tea 

 being inversely proportional to tho ash. M. Nikatinski 

 has lately, says the Grocer, made a series of experi- 

 ments with the view of testing the truth of this 

 assertion, and finds that tho ash is a very fair index 

 of the quality of the tea. Thus a good Shanghai tea 

 gave 5' 10 per cent, ash, a cheap green brick tea (i'S7 

 and two Orenburk teas, which are known to be adul- 

 terated with rose leaves, and of which tiie price was 

 115s. and 48s per cwt., yielded respectively 7'87 and 

 10 '42 per cent of ash. — European Mail. 



Sdoar Planters all the world over are in a very 

 unfortunate position. Of 1,100 planters in Louisiana, 

 Uuited States, it is computed that at most 50 arc 

 able to exist, or, rather, to vegetate, without advances 

 from the commission merchant; the other 1,050, how- 

 ever, obtain advances under the most oppressive con- 

 ditions, and in the most humiliating fashion, and 

 must then pay 25 to 45 per cent interest. Nomin- 

 ally the rate is less, but only nominally ! They pay 

 8 per cent actual interest, and 2£ per ceut com- 

 mission ; 2-J per cent for buying, 2 J per cent, for 

 selling. Then come brokerage, insurance, cooperage, 

 insurance, weighing charges, and whatever else 

 each lengthy charges account includes. The con- 

 tracts which must bo entered into to obtain advances, 

 and in which a mortgage is given on the wholo 

 plantation, with everything upon it movable and 

 stationary, dead and alive, are usually so formed that 

 the planter loses all control not only over the sugar 

 but over the growing crops as well. 



Groi from the BlueGuji Tree. — The Indian Agriculturist 

 states : — Our readers have become pretty familiar with the 

 tree known as the eucalyptus globulus, an indigenous tree 

 of Australia, the product of which has been so largely 

 utilized in the arts and mauufactnres. We now hear that a 

 process has been invented in America for the manufacture 

 of a preparation of the gum of the eucalyptus globulus, which 

 promises to be of invaluable help to shipowners and others 

 interested in the shippiLg interest. It has the effect of re- 

 moving thoroughly the scales which form in engine 

 boilers, and prevent rust and pitting. A Company has 

 been formed and a factory erected at Piedmont, with a 

 capacity of 1,000 gallons a day and employing 30 men. 

 The result of the introduction of this preparation has 

 been so great, as to create an immense demand for it 

 both in America and Europe to an extent of which the 

 Company could hardly form an idea when it started the 

 concern. The effect of this preparation in preventing the 

 pitting and corrosion of boilers will, it is expected, extend 

 the period of their usefulness 100 to 150 per cent., and 

 at the same time effect a great saving in fuel, as scale 

 is a non-conductor of heat, and therefore more fuel is 

 required to generate steam in old boilers than in clean 

 new ones. This may, if all that is claimed be true, tend 

 to decrease the manufacture of boilers, but, ou the other 

 hand, it will lessen the liabilty of explosions. The Com- 

 pany have also embarked in the distillation of the essentiat 

 oils of the eucalyptus globulus, which are extensively used 

 for medical pnrposes, and which have heretofore been supplied 

 in Australia, it being found that the oils can be produeed 

 at a profit. With this object in view, the Company propose 

 to set out extensive forests of eucalyptus trees, in oder to 

 have at its command a sufficient supply of leave, the 

 portion of the tree consumed in the manufacture of the oils. 



