IS 



The tropical AGRlCtLTURlSf. 



[JOLY I, 1885. 



SinicliiiiieJ my expenditure. The Chinese strike, however, 

 has made nie lose about £10, as I agreeJ to be paid 

 for worliiog ilays ouly, though I have to weigh out their 

 rations every morning including Sunday. Times are hard 

 in the AVest Indies just now, and the failure of sugar will 

 he the. straw that breaks the camel's back. "Well, one fine 

 morning a lot of mounted police with swords and pi.stols 

 apd their best uniform on rode up to our " groat house " 

 and the chief immigration agent Mr. Cork and assistant 

 Mr. I'egue arrived and tried our gang, finding thera all 

 guilty atd asking for the ringleaders. Wong Seo was 

 pointed out as one and Leo Loo the other. The latter 

 liad politely told me he would cut us down with his out- 

 lass it the police came, and on the spur of the moraont, 

 your correspondent thought Lee Loo very impertinent 

 and hit out with the right, catching liim fairly on 

 the nose. We confessed this to the Justice of the Peace 

 and handed over Mr. Lee Loo over to the police as an 

 imnroijer person and suitable example to the other 

 Ohiuamen. 



Thursday, ISth September 1881. — Yesterday we made 

 tho Chinese in the barracks surrender their cutlasses. 

 Wong p^eo's gang refused to work unless the others were 

 liberated from jail. I then told them they would be 

 arrested and sent to Port Maria prison unless they turned 

 out at onee. /( rms xery hard lines that the police left me 

 to I/O hi/ mi/sclf to the Chinese barracks mien they were 

 cxciteJ, I sent a messenger to call the police, but she 

 returned and said they had gone into the Bay and that 

 the cooly agents had gone too. So much for our trial, the two 

 ring-leaders got e month each at Port Maria State prison. 

 What with women crying and the excitement of the trial, 

 everything was upset for that day, and I think after this 

 I .ihall not trouble you about the " Heathen Chinee." 

 There was a strict court of inquiry held at the Court-house 

 in Annotto Pay which resulted in the verdict that 

 Johnny was killed by some person or per.soas unknown. 

 Since tho grand row, my Chinese worked steadily, fome- 

 tinies working at the sugar mills, heading cane for the 

 crusher, and clearing away the trash from the sugar 

 machinery; they aflerwards went on lopping forest in the 

 Iw nana clearing near "Lady Hole," apiece of forest below 

 '• Pro.spect " and above " Gibraltar." 



CEYLON UPCOUNTRY PLANTING REPOKT. 



25th May 1885. 

 The monsoon still keeps off, but the variable 

 winds— now S. W. now N. E. — tell us that the change 

 is near. Most of us are like regiments which have 

 been warned, and may expect to go intj active service 

 ere many days are past, for there are acres upon 

 acres holed and filled, nurseries more than ready for 

 putting out, and seed in germinating beds for plant- 

 ing at stake, if we had but the needed rain to 

 enable us to go on. The slight showers which we 

 do get only trouble us with the problem, as to 

 whether it is safe yet to begin, and we eigh for the 

 good honest burst, which puts reasoning to the wall 

 and clears the mind of doubt. At this season of the 

 year when no particular monsoon has the ascendency 

 it is very trying for th' se who are indoors, as 

 Tvell as for those whose duties take them out ; all 

 alike grumble, and all desire change. He^idnches, fever, 

 liver and many of the other ills which flesh Is 

 heir to under an Eistern sun crop Dp at the 

 end of the hot season, and add their Worries 

 to the mnpgy heat. If we couln, like our Aryan for€« 

 fathers, look upon the contending monsoi ns as a great 

 battle being fought fur our special bemfit and in 

 which our champion Indra, the r.iin-giver, was sure 

 to be successful, there would be comfort and balm 

 in the thought for many of our minor niiaories. But 

 wo can't. Indra has long siuce been relegated to the 

 Umbo of the defunct gods ; the '* darksome spirits " 

 which he assailed have followed in his train ; and 

 Uovv Vfe have to turn our eyes to the Uimalayas, 

 And murk the tuow line tb«re er« W« eau iotm au 



approximate opinion as to what the S. W. monsoon 

 will do for us. 



The disappearance of coffee is being hurried again 

 this ^ear by bug. It was very bad last 

 season, but this one bids fair not to be 

 a whit behind. One thing, it somewhat mitigate 

 the pain in cutting an old friend — the fact that 

 he has developed such low tast' s that no other 

 way will do with him. But you do grieve that 

 a product which might have helped to have carried 

 the estate over the hiatus of the last lean years 

 and the coming plenty is turning out so value- 

 less. Bug is said to be very bad in all the low 

 districts, and it is to be hoped that the higher ones 

 may be spared. A inore sickening sight than a field 

 of coffee badly stricken with hug I hardly know. 



By the way, while speaking of cofi'ee, I am reminded 

 that one of our firms the other day enclosed in tlieir 

 account to me a circular entitled " Partionlars of 

 Improved sieve-plates," aud quoted prices ! I read this 

 precious missive very carefully, but it was like a 

 message from the dead, a thing that ought to have been 

 in my hands ten years ago. When tempted, as I was 

 the other day, to accept R50 forapulper which not so very 

 long ago mst R700, to be now offered improved sieve- 

 plates for the same kind of machine at Rl'25 per 

 square foot, seems virr i.ke joking on sacred suhjects. 



Peppeecohn, 

 ♦— — 



PLANTING IN MANILA. 



[Trans'ntcd for Ike '■ Strails Tiines.") 



Model Farm. — A telegram from the Colonial Minis- 

 ler has been received announcing that the r.jyal sanc- 

 tion had been given to the preliminary operations fol- 

 towing the choice of a site for the establishmfnt of 

 a model farm in the island of Luzon, within the pro- 

 vince of Pampauga, at the village of Magalang. With- 

 in a few days, preparations will be made for start- 

 ing this important agricultural undertaking. 



Leaf Tobacco for Government. — The official Gazette 

 has published the conditions under which temlers are 

 invited for supplying Government with Philippine leaf 

 tobacco, applications to ba forwarded to Madrid. Tnis 

 notification bears out what we have asserted so many 

 times, namely, that the Government has no intention 

 to neglect a produce article of such importance, and 

 that hence growers should not become disc luraged, 

 but on the contrary ought, to set about, with greater 

 confidence, planting operations to secure abundance 

 of leaf tobacco of good quality. The 200,000 quintals, 

 tenders as to which have been called for by Govern- 

 ment, even through the price brought be only SIO 

 per quintal on the average, will when exported 

 leave two millions of dollars in this country 

 chiefly in the hands of growers, who can now, 

 if they choose, freely part with their produce 

 without the interference of intermediate dealers. 



The Government hence protects its ownwo'k, that 

 is, the beneficent work resulting in the abolition o£ 

 the tobacco monop dy. The people of these islands 

 should ba very grateful to It therefor, It is notorious 

 and wellknown to the public that discouragement has 

 set in among those engaged in the tobacco business. 

 But a calling for tenders of inch importance as that we 

 have annouiToed will revive the market, and it may be 

 said that the leaf tobacco shortly to be gathered in 

 will not be sufficient for Government requirements, 

 local consumption, and private exportation. Hence, 

 then, it is necessary for growers here who may have 

 land enough for the purpose, not to lose heart, but 

 to sow their fields and look well after the plants, for 

 the better the quality of their outturn the higher 

 will be the market quotations. The abolition of the 

 tobacco monopoly will, without fail, prove beneficial, 

 unless {growers here eluuiber whil« thoii; elsitwiiere 



