32 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July r, 18S5. 



tract some figurea. The slave population of the empire 



is estimated at 1,177,022, of which 623,274 are males 



and 553,7-18 females. As to ages : — 



14 to 20 years ... 323,808 



21 to 39 „ ... 497,725 



40 to 59 „ ... 267,487 



Over 60 „ ... 87,942 



1,177,022 

 This table is claimed to be based on actual figures 

 from 14 provinces and estimates in the case of .5 ; 2 

 provinces are said to hi freed. The disproportion of 

 tlie slaves over 60 years old to those younger, arises 

 from the non-registry of such of them as are yearly 

 becoming superannuated. * 



Beyond the emancipated provinces', Amazonaa and 

 CearA, Kio (Jrande do Sul has made large strides to- 

 wards thesame goal. Our colleague goes on to show 

 that the freedom of the slaves of over 60 years, will not 

 d'sorgauize agriculture, for this is already disorganized. 

 In the proviuots of Eio de Janeiro, Minas, S. Paulo 

 and Kepirito Santo there are 726 plantations with 

 34,548 slaves mortgaged ; these represent a value of 

 §41,459,705 aod the real estate etc. $53,551, 901. The 

 greater part of the mortgages were made over 20 

 years ago, which goes to prove that neither the Rio 

 Branco law, nor the abolitionist propaganda have 

 produced the 6traits of planters. The figures given 

 show that of 348 plantations in the province of Rio 

 326 are mortgaged; of 266 in S. Paulo 251 ; of 150 

 in Minas 140 are mortgaged. The coffee crop of 1868-69 

 is estimated at 116,420 metrical tons against 272,382 

 in 1882-83 and 188,323 in 1883-84. The figures should 

 serve the purpose of refuting the constant complaints 

 of the agricultural interest that they are badly treated 

 and need every kind of Governmental coddling. It is 

 not agriculture that is benefited at the expense of com- 

 merce and industry, but the holders of these mortgages, 

 for the great majority of the planters are little more 

 than tenants, and to a large extent dependent on their 

 respective mortgagees. There is no question that agri- 

 culture will always be compelled to raise money on its 

 lands, where large properties are concentrated in few 

 hands, and this is a serious matter at the present mo- 

 ment. The mortgagees are i n a position to bring press- 

 ure to bear on the plaii'ers, that the land may be sub- 

 divided into such mod. rate sized farms as will suit 

 freedmen or immiitrants, .ind this in their ojvu interest 

 they should Jo. We do not lose sight of the antiquated 

 and anomalous mortgage law, by which a debtor may 

 become his mortgagee's creditor, but the matter should 

 be tested and if practicable, the results would be ad- 

 vantageous to both parties ; for the mortgagee could 

 spread his investment over various families of labouring 

 people aiul the planter would have no object in retain- 

 ing any more land than he might ha able to properly 

 cultivate on some mitairie, or similar, system, with 

 such immigr.ints as are not in a position to assume the 

 responsibility of a farm of their own. There can be 

 no ea'isfactory infla.x of immigration, uutil some means 

 are secured for placing the immigrant in a position to 

 immediately g:un liia living. Dropping him down in 

 the virgin forest to contend with all the difficulties of 

 sub-tropical vogetaticin will not prove an attraction, 

 and the division of the large plantations seems the only 

 solution of the question. As to the figures in reference 

 to the slave population, there seems no reason to con- 

 cede that the liberty of some 88,000 sexagenarian 

 slaves, out of apopulaliou of 1,177,000 could seriously 

 affect the .agricultural interests of the country. Then ! 

 the figures of the incre;i3<i in the coffee crops, even 

 with the reduction of labour by death and emancip- 

 ation, are further proofs that so far the coffee planting 

 interesthas little cause to complain as to production, 

 although prices are so much lower ; an increase of 

 72,000 tons in 15 years should be conaiijered satis- 



factory and contradict the demands for more favours 

 from the planters. Let the large planters, or their 

 masters, the mortgagees, declare their willingness to 

 divide their lauds among immigranis, and let this 

 decision become generally known abroad, and we are 

 of opinion that immigrants of a good quality would 

 be attracted to this country. — i?jo Neios. 



♦ 



The Aveeage Price ofWhe.^t in England for last year 

 was 353 8d. In 1SS3 it was 41s 7d per quarter. The former 

 is the lowest average for upwards of a century. In 1780 

 the annual average was the same, viz. S5sSd.—rianter and 

 Farmer. 



A VALUAnLE FiEKE. — The Trinidad Agricultural 

 Society were about to bring the following resolution 

 to the notice of the Governor; — " That this society 

 petitions His Excellency the Governor and Council for 

 the introduction and distribution in this island, at the 

 Botanical Gardens, of seeds or plants of the ' Bomeria 

 nivea,' the Chinese grass-cloth plant of English writers 

 (Tchou-ma of China and Rhcea of Assam), a plant well 

 adapted for cultivation here, the fibre of which (Ramie 

 fibre of commerce) is of great commercial value. " 

 — Colonies and India. 



Tea. — Uak.iiung, May I5th. — There has been a great 

 deal of rain, and no day has passed for the past fortnight 

 without a good fall. However, although it ha? (hut 

 us indoors a bit, it has done much good in cleansing 

 the town and putting fresh life into the tea trees 

 that had been nearly annihilated by the hail stones. 

 It also holds out the pleasant prospect of less moistuie 

 and no landslip when the regular rains set in a 

 month or so hence. It has otherwise benefited tea 

 generally, and, as the weather has been altogether 

 just what suited to the tea bush, viz., alternate sun 

 and rain, most gardens have made a gi od start, and 

 the reason promises to be better than usual. — Calcutta 

 BniiHshnuai. 



The Annual Exhibition of Silk Cocoon.s was 

 held at MursUidAbad from the 19th to the 24th of 

 January, and appears to have been, on the whole, a 

 success, There were no leas than 44S exhibits this 

 year as compared with 181 in the previous year, the 

 districts exhibiting being MursUidiihAd, Birblium, Malda 

 and Nadia. Prizes to the value of 1:2,067 were 

 awarded. The cocoons are described as far suoorior 

 to those of last year, althouuh not better than, or 

 even so good as those of 18S3. This is accounted for 

 by the fact that there was a lai-ge crop of mulberry 

 which was sold at a very cheap rate, and so enabled 

 the rearers to feed their worms belter aird at a 

 cheaper cost, whilst obtaining an increase of from 15 

 to 20 per cent in the produce. It is sa'd to be nearly 

 always the case that when the mulberry crop is large 

 and cheap, the cocoons are g od and more productive. 

 A few attempts to cheat on the part of the ex- 

 hibitors wer-e discovered, some of the rearers 

 having borrowed good cocoons from others and ex- 

 hibited them as their own. In every ca^e where ths 

 could be proved the prizes were withheld, but still 

 the Collector considers it probable that many piizts 

 were diahonestly obtained. The Government of Bengal 

 displayed its interest in the exhibition by sending a 

 special officer to see it, but the Collector anticipates 

 that the public would take more intcKst in the 

 exhibition if it was extended so as to show the pi'o- 

 cess by which silk is made, and the final products 

 woven. Already the cultivation of the mulberry and 

 the rearing of the silk worm have added much to 

 the prosperity of the Murshidabiid district, aud tilk 

 piece-goods manufactured there by the natives are 

 purchased aud exported. If the Eui-opean silk merchants 

 would encourage the trade, and if the exhibition were 

 extended also to tasar, silk, there can be little doubt 

 that it would become much more important.— Calcutta 

 Englishman, 



