Dec. I, 1885,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



3S5 



hearty enthusiasm, whicli will doubtless result in 

 a valuable connection iu the future. We must 

 not omit to mention that the Babu served a 

 week's apprenticeship at Covent Garden in pre- 

 paring bouquets and wiring flowers, and we shall 

 be surprised if the result of his experience is not very 

 noticeable in our ball-rooms during the forthcoming 

 season. During his stay at Covent Garden, he 

 was allowed to assist in preparing the bridal 

 bou(iuets for H. K. H. the Princess Beatrice. The 

 Babu has brought back with iiim some forty 

 cases of South American orchids, and a large 

 variety of horticultural sundries, ferns and roses, 

 all of which will doubtless be in bloom at the 

 Victoria Nursery in a few weeks. After lca\nng 

 England Babu S. P. Chatterjec visited Brussels, 

 Ghent, Antwerp and Paris, to all of whicli places 

 he carried introductions to the various curators, 

 &c., from his English friends. — Pioiieei: 

 ♦ 



5L\NUFACrURE OF SULPHURIC AciD IN JAPAN.— It is 



state<l tlint the extensive sulphuric acid factory of the 

 Japanese Mint at Osika has been I. ased to the Tokio 

 Drug Company for seven years. The export of sulph- 

 uric acid from Japan to China is very considerable. 



Fou Keehinc, oi-i' .Mosqcitoks the Jng/er recom- 

 mends :S ]ru*ts oh've oil, 2 parts oil of pennyroyal, 1 part 

 glycerine, 1 part ammonia. To be well shaken before 

 applying to face and hands. Avoid getting the niixture 

 into the eyes. 



Tea Ci[.TiBR IN Cai-h-obnia. — An effort is being 

 made tu introduce the cultivation of tea in that state, 

 and it is said there are now over 200 pl.nnts in a very 

 thriving condition. There is no reason why tea should 

 not sneceed there, if only labour cost can bo kept 

 suiiiieutly low. — Iin/iun Tea Gazette. 



Tea Cultivation in Abakan. — A very fair amount 

 of success appears to have attended the attempt to 

 grow tea in tbe Hill Tracts of Arakan. At the Pa'.et- 

 wa Garden the irees which were cut down .short appear 

 to be again sprouting, and are looking very well and 

 healthy, and this tea garden, with a smaller one a 

 few miles off. has been leased to a Mr. Pereira of 

 Akyab for K 100, for one year, up to the 2l,st of March 

 next. At the Kyaukpandaung Garden tea cuUivaiion 

 is on a much larger scale, the number of scale, tbe 

 number of trees and young plants exceeding 12.000, 

 of foiu- ditYerent kinds. The gardener in charge b;is 

 been ordered Ui make one pound of tea from each tf 

 the four, whi'h are to be submitted to an expert for 

 inspection.— /'lo/ieer. 



Natal Tka. — A correspondent writing with reference 

 to our comments on Cape tea says : — " Is it generally 

 knowu that Nntal (next door neighbour) produces tea 

 equal to any of tbe finest samples of Indian or Cejlon 

 growth to be found in Mincing Lane y The quantity is 

 certaiuly small at present, but the (|uality is A 1, and 

 the acreage undercidtivatiou is increasing every year. 

 From four new samples submitted last week to a lead- 

 ing firm of brokers, a Natal-grown golden flowery pekoe 

 was tasted againsta similar sample from Ceylon, with 

 the result that the Natal Pekoe was considered of equal 

 value with the Ceylon, and was valued at Id to I'd p"r 

 lb. more on account of its magnificent appearance. The 

 Ceylon tea had been sold tbe previous day at 2s 6d per 

 lb. (less duty)." Will there be an exodus of Indian tea 

 planters to Natal in consequence ?—M. ^- C. Midi. 



Planting Bonus rx NoiiTiiEr.N Australux Tebrit- 

 ouv.— Mr. Moule moved "That the time for the bonus 

 for sugar-growing in the Northern Territory be extended 

 for two years." He was sony the Government 

 had forced him to bring in a formal motion for 

 this extension of the time, because if there van 

 anything woith encouraging it was our natural 

 productions. Some years ago £.5,000 was placed 

 on the Estimates for the encouragement of sugar 

 growing in the Northern Territoi-y, and the then 

 Minister of Agriculture promised to advorti.';e the 

 bonus in all the sugar-piodueing countries of the 

 world. lie said the very liberal tenus upon which J 

 49 



the land was to be given tor plantation purposes 

 in the Northern Territory could not fail to induce 

 many persons to undertake the cultivation of cane. 

 Since then nothing had transpired to justify 

 in any wnv the withdrawal of the bonus. The Daly- 

 River Cc,i.ipauy held 10,000 acres of land situated 

 on the Daly Kiver under the conditions of tlie 

 Act of 18S0. V,'-.!. was now being vigorously 

 pushed forward with every chance of ultimate 

 success. Mr. Otto Brandt had spent £25,000 in 

 the attempt to grow sugar and the (iovernnuiit 

 Resident reported that Mr. Brandt and the Daly 

 Plantation Company would i>rolmbly he the only 

 competitors for the bonus during the next two 

 years. Brandt's cane was magnitioent, but the 

 mill could not be erected in time to crush it. Good 

 results were expected next year. He found that nt 

 the Government Gardens, at Fannie Bay, about 

 twent}' acres, had been planted ; the cost was nut 

 known. The Dclissa Company held 10,000 acres, 

 and planted 1S2 acres at a cost of £20,000, and had 

 since abandoned OyAv land. Owston"s Daly River 

 Company held the same area and had also abandoned 

 it. The Palm Company held 10,000 acres ; fifty were 

 planted, and then the lesise was abandoned. Sergison's 

 (now the Hon. .lames Munro's) lease comprised 10,000 

 acres and was shortly to be stai-ted. Otto Brandt 

 had vol acres. Last year he planted 70 acres, 

 and next year would plant 250 acres, but he had 

 spent .-£2,500. The Daly Plantation Company with 

 1,000 acres was to be started, and John Munro 

 had ;iO,000 acres on the Adelaide River, which 

 would probably be succes.sfully cultivated. Erieson 

 and Cioppenberg and Harris and Head both held 

 small plantations at West Point, anil were cult- 

 ivating rice, arrowroot, Ac., as well as sugar. To 

 cut oil the bonus would be a great injustice. The 

 conditions of the Northern Territory were the same 

 now as ten years ago. We still needed, to develop 

 it. Besides the two large plantations in operation 

 we had Sergison's and Munro's both about to be 

 started, but they would not start if the bonus 

 were not continued. Mr. Tennant, seconding, said 

 the bonuses stimulated private enterprise, with- 

 out which the resources of a country could not 

 bo discovered or developed. He hoped this bonus 

 for sugar-growing would be continued. Mr. Basedcw 

 supported. He would sooner encouriige native 

 industries by bonuses than by a high tariff. North 

 Queensland had succeeded in sugar-growing, and 

 the Nortliern Territory was similar to North Queens- 

 land. Bonuses were not a new thing, and som.c 

 help was necessary to start new industries in a 

 country, as experience had lo bo obtained at (he 

 gi-eatest cost. Mr. Furner said (hat there had been 

 great mismanagement in connection with the sugar in- 

 dustry in the Northern Territory. He believed from 

 his personal observation that the industry could bo 

 made a success, and he would support the 

 motion. Mr. Beaglehole saw some objections to bonuses 

 but believed them specially applicable (0 the indus- 

 try in question in the Norlhcrn Territory. The 

 bonuses should be extended for at least three years, 

 as a plantation could not be established in two. He 

 moved the substitution of the word " three " for 

 " two ". years. Mr. Landscer seconded the amend- 

 ment. Good sugar could be grown in the Northern 

 Territory, but the undertaking had not been long 

 enough established to render it payable. It had 

 only been owing to the extraordinary depression 

 that sugar-growing had not been the most success- 

 ful pursuit iu North Queenshiiul. Tlie Ministe;-oi 

 Education moved the adjournment of the deb if. 

 Carried on the Speaker's casting-vote, nineteen \,!- 

 ing on each side. Adjourned for a week. — A I'!- 

 uidc Observer, 



