102 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST." 



[AucusT I, 1885. 



CoFFEB.— -By last ofBoiaradvioes from Bali the coffee 

 plantations there present every prospect of a shorter 

 yield than in previous yeirs, owing to a disease breaking 

 out among tbe ooffic trees. — Locomntii'f. 



The SnrPLT of Tea (Japan) has thus far been 

 limited, but the quality is pronounced tuperior to the 

 early products of last year. Prices h ive been high, 

 and will probably be higher as the seainn advances, 

 an unusually small crop being expected.— >/((/)«« Weehly 

 Man. 



MaLBERRY Trees have been injured by frosts in 

 various parts of the country, and growers of silk- 

 worms are apprehensive that the usu^l supply cannot 

 be reared this year. For this, and aI.so for reasons 

 connected with the general distress among the labour- 

 ing classes, a bad silk season is predicted by native 

 newspapers. — Japan Weeklt/ Mail. 



Java Tea in Britain and in Holland. — 

 A tea planter, calling attention in the Dagblad of 

 the 27th M >y to a report on the trade in Java tea 

 in England during the last live years, which showed 

 that the importation of that article there increased 

 from 1.21(i,0001b.iu 1881, to 3,536,000 lb. in 1884, in 

 spite of a stealy fall in prices, thus c.imraents 

 thereon : — 



" The gradual decline in prices, though disappointing 

 to importers, has not aflfeoted Java tea alone, but 

 has taken affect also upon other teag sometimes even 

 in a greater degree. Nowadays, attention is paid to 

 good aroma and flavour mire than to the qmntitv 

 of the leaf, and several Java planters who set to work 

 supplying strong and fragrant tea found a ready sale 

 for their produce at good prices under the circumstances. 

 Messrs. Gow, Wilson i Stanton, the tea brokers 

 who drew up the said report, give in conclusion a few 

 hints about the preparation o' tea. Hi'nca not only do 

 British brokers shew their kindly feelings for Java tea 

 planters by yearly bestowing a splendid cup to be run 

 for yearly at the Baitenz )rg races, but their interest 

 shows itself still more by suggesting improvements in 

 the article produced and hy tin valuable and reliabie 

 information which they always furnish to planters 

 here in their tea tradu reports, accompanied by tabular 

 commercial statements. Also as to expens 3, above all 

 in these times of such great importance to growers, 

 these brokers more than once have shown an inclination 

 to render them as little burdensoma as possible upon 

 growers. How unfavonrably does the routine policy 

 and the indifference .if the brokers in Holland (a few 

 only excepted) cnutr.ast with the helpful and j udicious 

 conduct of their British fallows ! Hence it is no wonder 

 that a large number of Java tea planters shun our 

 markets, where expenses are heavier, and a good brand 

 linds much less recognition than in foreign lands. How- 

 ever patriotic people may be, saving expenses — espr ci illy 

 in such times as these when prices hardly yield any 

 profits — is the main consideration, and self preservation 

 enjoins that a foreigner's hand should be accepted when 

 tliat of one's countryman offers less suppoct. Instead 

 of taking this amiss of the Java lea planters and showing 

 it now and then, our brokeis would do better to follow 

 the example of their British fellows in order by eo 

 doing not only io keep what little tea now goes to the 

 Dutch market, but also draw thither the larger portion 

 of the consignments, so that, in the l>ng run, the strange 

 fact shonM not b/come manifest ?/irt< r'()jj.s»wcc.s 0/ Java 

 l/-a in llolliind /iiive to supp/y tlirmselves for homp. con- 

 sumption at th'. London marhl. We do not keep pace 

 with the times owing to the old coloni il commercial 

 ideas not being yet rooted out. It should not be for- 

 gotten that a grasping policy always proves unwise, or 

 in fact that cUugling to old ways of transacting 

 business no longer suits these times of keen com- 

 petition." — Netherlands Indian News. Ti-anslated for 

 the Slmiis Times. 



Willow-leap Tea. — It is announced on excellent 

 authority that more than half a million poundsof willow 

 leaf were made up at Shanghai last season and palmed 

 off as green tea.— il/a(/ras Jtlail, June 30th. 



Mb. Dk.spelssi.s ok Tea.— Mr. Despeissis, our intel- 

 ligent Royal Society member, gaveus on the 22nd ult., 

 a remarkable lecture on the subject of tea going through 

 its whole history in a most lucid manner. The Society 

 of Arts and Sciences ordered it to be printed and de- 

 posited among its records. It will be a valuable guide 

 to those who undertake tea cultivation in Mauritius. — 

 Mauritius R. tt M. Oazette. 



Gold on the Segama River. — The Commissioner of 

 Lands, Mr. Henry Walker, returned from the Segama 

 River on the 16th May, after an absence of 52 days. 

 We have not seen his detailed report but the sum- 

 mary of his investigations is, that in old beds of gravel 

 in the lands on each side of the river gold has been 

 found in sufficient quantity to be remunerative if 

 worked by sluicing, as at present done by the Chinese 

 in Sarawak. The gold obtained is fine, of good quality, 

 and would probably have been Ibund to exist ia 

 large size had time admitted of the bottom being 

 examined. There are reports of large pieces of gold being 

 taken from the Saboosow, a tributary on the right 

 bank, three days' journey above Mr. Walker's limit 

 if made at high water. Mr. Walker's notes on the 

 geological strata show it to run at an augle of 120" 

 from the meridiam or nearly 8. E. by S. and N. W. 

 by N. which lines produced on the chart will lead 

 to the suppposition that gold may exist at Silam and 

 the East shores of Darvel Bay, and on the higher 

 waters of the Kinabaiangan, the Labuk, and Sugut 

 Rivers, all of which is borne out by native reports, 

 and latterly, been proved by observations made by 

 Captain Beeston and Mr. Davies, the Resident of the 

 West coast. This represents an immense area and 

 we may fairly hope it will yield such profitable returns 

 as may lead to the iutinx of a very large Chinese 

 population. — North Borneo Heald. 



MossooN IN Mercara.— June 12tb. — Thunder and 

 lightning are rare things after the monsoon has fairly 

 set in and indicite, so say the natives a light monsoon, 

 There was very vivid lightning accompanied by thunder 

 the other night, and I thought the natives had made a 

 very fair hit when the stars were visible for a little last 

 night, and the day today was partially fair ; because 

 we geneially have a spell of 15 days' rain after the 

 burst ; during which the sun is almost entirely veiled 

 before a " break " sets in. But it is far too early to 

 decide whether it will be a light or a heavy monsoon. 

 The monsoon is a rather gloomj' time of year, but the 

 most healthful. It is well that it brings much employ- 

 ment in its train for planters, or else we should inevit- 

 ably fall victims to ennui ; and I don't know if very 

 n any of us can escape it now, for the coolies have not 



ime in as yet, and we have very little to attend to. 



1 suppose this is owing to the lateuess of the rains in 

 Mys irj. But I think planters are rather glad of it, as 

 we can well do without them f' r the next month or 

 so, and it will help to keep down expenses. Many 

 perhapi would rate tliis a false economy — allowing 

 estates to be overrun by weeds andsupplying vacancies 

 late. A few coolies should alwajs be at hand 

 very desirable for supplying vacancies as it is 

 to put the young plants out early in the season. Aa 

 to estates being allowed ti be overrun with weeds, 

 I have seen no permanent evil produced bv allowing 

 weeds to remain even as late as August. May it not 

 be possible that weeds are ana'ural provision ajainst 

 " wash " from which coffee Lands deteriorate so rapidly? 

 But enough of this. I leave it to the wiser heads to 

 propound. The blossom showers in March h,id been 

 so seasonable that planters are elated at the pr. spects 

 of a heavy crop this year and if prices would only im- 

 prove !— Spectatob. — Madras Mad. 



