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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[August i, 18S5. 



"Copra Cake," say a our Paris Agricultural 

 Correspondent (in his monthly letter for the Tropical 

 Agriculturist received by this mail), " is becomlDg a 

 necessity for cattle feeding on the Continent, and 

 two Companies are in course of formatioa to make 

 plantations in Belgian and French Congo for the 

 culture of the coconut ijalm." 



Tea Plants in Bombay. — Messrs. J. M. Mody & Co., 

 the local agents of the Nassau Tea Estate, Kantjra 

 Valley, have recently imported into Bombay, at con- 

 siderable expense a number of tea plants from the 

 estate. Tue plants are, of course, of no practical use 

 in this climate, but they are of interest to tho.se who 

 have never seen the tea plant growing. — Times of India, 



High Yield of Tea per Acre. — Unless ther« is 

 some mistake in the figures the average yield obtained 

 bv the Doom JJooma Tea Company is almost twice 

 the general Indian averaL'c. The statement is : — " The 

 crop amounted to 925,147 lb., and average yield of 

 the Company's plucliing area of plants (viz., 1,450 

 acres) was G38 lb. per acre. The superintendent's 

 estimate of the outturn for the current year, inclusive 

 of the yied from the newly acquired Moiragoorie 

 garden, is 9(i0,000 lb. of tea, with an outlay in Assam 

 of 3a 6p., or about 5d per lb., as compared with 6d 

 per lb. the past season, and it is hoped that the total 

 cost will be reduced to lOd per lb. — Indian Tea Gazette. 



Planting in Northern Atotralia. — The end of the 

 venture of Messrs. Poett and Mackiunou and their 

 supporters in the Northern territory of Australia may 

 be gathered from the following paragraph from the 

 South Australian Register : — " Sale of Property in 

 the Northern Territory.— Mr. W. B. Williinson has 

 sold privately, to a small company of gentlemen 

 interested in the Northern Territory, the estate iu 

 the! Hundred of Goyder, County of Palmerston, known 

 as Poett'a Plantation. The property c 'Uiprises 1,000 

 acres of freehold land, 82,793 acres of leasehold land. 

 In addition to the bungalows, fencing and other 

 improvements, there are nurseries containing 500,000 

 coiifee plants and 70,000 cinchona plants iu good 

 forward condition. The whole of the property realized 

 £1,220." 



Agriculture iij the Northern Province of 

 Oeylon. — Says the Jaffna "Ratriot": — "Our Botanic Garden. 

 We have none ; aud we cry shame on those who have not 

 taken the trouble of establishing such an institution. The 

 fact is we do not shout so lustily, as our friends in the 

 Central Province ; we do not grumble and kick up a 

 dust, as our planters ; and we meekly take whatever 

 dole is meted out to us, so that we are left out iu the 

 cold and Government takes in our fat revenue aud a 

 very small proportion of it is spent iu the Province. 

 Barbarous Anuradhapura, just out of the shell, quite a 

 weak chick in comparison to our Province, has its botanic 

 garden. It makes us almost angry when we read 

 the foUowiug iu the report of Dr. H. Trimeii, and see 

 how Anuradhapura takes the shiue out of us.*** Now the 

 above is a downright outrage of all our rights and privi- 

 leges. Takiug our palmirahs to decorate Anuradhapura, 

 and stocking it with flowers and ferns, and speaking of it 

 as if it was the Northern Province, make us long to fight 

 a duel with any one who would stand up for Anuradha- 

 pura, the bastard child of the Central Province, petted 

 and spoiled with a lavish expenditure. Our late Govern- 

 ment Agent Mr. Dyke in his broad views of the resources 

 of the Proviuce had a Botanic garden attached to his 

 residence, and hence it is called the old Park. Trees of 

 all sorts were planted iu it. Fruits and flowers in abund- 

 ance and by the ingenious contrivance of digging broad 

 pits to the very level of water, English vegetables, as beet 

 root, carrots, turnips, watercress &c., wore all success- 

 fully cultivated. The gardens were open to visitors, aud at 

 the season all were welcome to partake the nectarine 

 fruits, provided they carried none away. Our present 

 Agent has endeavoured to keep up the grounds to the 

 best of his resovu'ccs, and without respect of persons all 

 have received, for tho asking, cuttiugs of flowers aud 



ornamental trees. Yet it is not to be expected that a 

 jirivate individual, having the claims of a family; can be 

 expected to keep up a garden in such a way as to 

 deserve the name of onr Botanic Garden. A few acres 

 of land iu the interior where sweet water is in abund- 

 ance, could be put in charge of our Forester, and a 

 Native assistant, and the beginning of our Botanic 

 Garden could be inaugurated. We have often wondered 

 why under the head of Admiuistratiou reports we do 

 not see the reports of our Foresters. They seem to be 

 all in the shade. The fact is, you have only to show 

 yourself fond of out-door exercise, and have some influ- 

 ence with those in authority, then when they cannot do 

 anything for you they will make you a Forester. An 

 apprenticeship at least for a year under Dr. Trimen, 

 Government might require, just to let the public, who 

 pay them know that they are at least receiving some- 

 what of a qualification to be able to discharge their 

 duties with efficiency. Of late we have heard very fre- 

 quently of the scarcity of jack-wood, teak and mahogany, 

 while ebony is nowhere in the province : and this to 

 to such an extent, that our carpenters refuse to under- 

 take work on contract with such wood, as their rarity 

 and high price prevent them to execute the work with 

 any thing like profit. The natives of Jaffna delight in 

 getting up Botanic Gardens. We know men who are 

 extremely clever iu grafting. We have seen the common 

 cabbage rose tree grafted with tea rose, the common 

 white rose and the pride of France. A single shoe 

 flower tree has been grafted with a variety of the species 

 in all kinds and shades of their colour. A. garden 

 of roses in Jaffna, where they grow so well, .aud give 

 a sweeter odour than loses in the Central Province 

 would beat out anything Dr. Trimen can attempt in 

 Anuradhapura, or accomplish in Peradeniya. Gi\'e us 

 the chance, and we will beat you hollow. If ever a 

 Governor desires his memory to be preserved in attar 

 of roses let him give us a Botanic garden. Sir James 

 gave us a Town-clock, which as the Psalmist says of 

 dumb idols, they have tongues aud speak not; they 

 have hands and handle not, feet have they and walk 

 not : neither speak they through their throat. It is only 

 a mass of dead machinery for which we have erected 

 a long dell iu a cylindrical form, erect and tall costing 

 us no end of money." 



Tea in Oeylon. — The Standard of Monday last contained an 

 advertisement for an Assistant Superintendent on a Ceylon Tea 

 Garden which was described as being 4,000 feet above sea- 

 level, and iu a delightful climate, etc., etc. The proprietor 

 undertook to teach his assistant all that appertains to the 

 cultivation and manufacture of tea, and to pay him 

 KlOO per month for the first year, K125 per month for the 

 second and RISC for the third year, after which he was to 

 have the management of the garden, and all these advantages 

 were to be secured by payment of a premium of £20U. My 

 attention was called to this advertisement by a young 

 fellow who thought it presented a favourable opening in 

 life aud whose jjarents were quite willing to find the re- 

 quired pren^ium. He asked my advice as to the advis- 

 ability of closing with the offer, and I felt bound to tell 

 him that it was not the custom of Oeylon planters to re- 

 quire a premium with then* assistants, and that I thought 

 it probable the advertiser wanted the money, rather than 

 the man; but one could better judge of this when he had 

 found out who it was and what were the circumst«nces 

 of the property. My friend argued that iu every business 

 or profession a premium had to be paid by the articled 

 pupil, or apprentice, and be did not see why a tea ]>lanter 

 should be au exception to tlie rule. This is sound reason- 

 ing, and I do not see why an experienced and ellicient 

 planter should not get a premium with his as.sistant on the 

 lines laid down in this advertisement, provided, of course, 

 ho is prepared to give full value for the money and is certain 

 of being able to carry out his part of the bargain ; hut I 

 think you will agi-ee with me that great; cauti()u should be 

 exercised by parents or guardians before closing with such 

 offers in the present circumstances of the i)l3nting enter- 

 prize. I am told that in this case the advcrtizer received 

 nearly 100 replies, aU relating to young mcu who were at 

 all events ready with the money. It is evident, therefore, 

 that tho premium would not stand iu tho way, it tho 

 planter can show a fair quid pro quo. 



