4o6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. i, 1885. 



characteristics as the "Eobusta" amongst cin- 

 chonas, which by the way is not a "hybrid."* 



7th. (- ultivation good or bad will have as marked 

 an effect on tea as on any other cultivated plant. 



8th. The .system of cnltivation on some estates 

 is already telling injuriously on the tea plant, which 

 ehows unmistakable signs of deterioration or 

 stagnation. 



ilth. The " manufacture " of tea begins in the 

 field. 



10th. A bad leaf can never make good tea. 



11th. I'runing and judicious plucking are the 

 first requisites in making good tea. 



I'ith. Tea making is in itself simple and re- 

 quires no elaborate process, but constant care and 

 watchfulness is absolutely necessary to produce a 

 good tea even from the best leaf. 



13th. Machinery will never make liner tea than 

 carefully made by hand tea, but machinery of the 

 best description will be found absolutely necessary 

 to meet the requirements of a large estate and 

 insure the minimum cost of production and a " uni- 

 form grade" of tea. J.V5ies Ikvine. 



PL.^NTING IN NETHERLANDS INDIA. 

 (2'ranslateil for tlw " Straits Thiwu."} 



NEW RUIXEA — J.iV.\ — SUG.ili : COFrEE .\ND KAILW.iT. 



The Batavia Daphhid of the 24th September 

 makes public the Charter granted by the Emperor of 

 (iermany to the German New Guinea Company in 

 which tlie territory brought under its jurisdiction 

 is defined as that portion of New Guinea not under 

 British or Netherlands sovereignty now bearing the 

 name of Emperor William's Land and stretching 

 out, on the N. E. Coast of the island, from 141'" 

 East longitude southwards to the Sth degree of South 

 latitude on the E. coast, and on the West coast, to 

 where the r)th degree S. cuts the 141st meridian. 

 It also takes in the Bismarck archipelago which com- 

 prises the islands lying off' the coast of this portion of 

 New (iuinea, as well as those heretofore incluiled in 

 the New British Group and all others to the .^I. E. 

 of New Guinea between the eijuator and IS deg. S. 

 and between 141 dog. and 154 deg. E. In return 

 for the company undertaking to organise the 

 government of the territory and meet the resulting 

 outlay it is granted full governing powers along 

 with the exclusive right to take possession and 

 dispose of land within the boundaries fixed, and 

 make treaties with the natives regarding land and 

 claims tjieri-to, under reservation, however, of 

 the right of the Supreme Goverimient to frame 

 rules and regulations for the protection of the 

 natives. The Supreme (iovernment also reserves 

 to itself the power to settle the administration of 

 justice and direct the management of relations ' 

 between the authorities of the protected ter- 

 ritory and foreign Governments. The com- 

 pany must, however, be, legally formed and re- 

 cognised as such before the 17th May next. A 

 noLitication has also been published announcing 

 that securing land there without permission from 

 the German Government will henceforth, be not 

 legally valid, and that only long standing rights 

 will be protected and recognised. Arms, anuiiun- 

 iti(jn, and explosives as well as spirituous liquors 

 may at present not be supplied to the natives. 

 Natives may not be carried away from territory 

 imder German protection for employment as la- 

 bourers except for Gernum plantations but in this 

 case, only from those i)ortions of the l-Jismarck 

 Archipelago where it luis hitherto lu'cn permitted, 

 but exclusively under control of (ierman ollicials. 



* The general opinion, scientific as well as popular, is 

 opposed to Blr. Irvine's dictum.— Ed. 



The second yearly report of the Deli Railway Com- 

 pany dated 25th September 1885 has been published, 

 showing that the works in hand had been delayed by 

 long continued heavy rains. It is, however, anticip- 

 ated that the railway will be completed before the 3rd 

 November 1880 the term fixed in the concession. 

 There is every prospect of heavy traliic when the 

 line is once open, from the spread of tobacco grow- 

 ing and the establishment of eofi'ee plantations. It 

 is becoming more and more apparent that Deli 

 and Langkat are eminently suitable for tobacco 

 cultivation and are far preferable for that purpose 

 to the other petty states on the East Coast of 

 Sumatra. Landholders in Deli seeing this, are ex- 

 erting themselves in keeping their fallow land in 

 cultivable condition by encouraging the growth of 

 jungle thereon. These circumstances point to in- 

 creasing prosperity as being in store for the rail- 

 way company. 



The Java Ciovernment Gu:i:tti- contains the 

 report of the Netherlands Consul General at 

 Saigon for the year issl in which, besides 

 giving much information on other matters, he calls 

 I attention to the circumstance that sugar growing in 

 Aunam is carried on extensively, the raw sugar 

 j extracted with native appliances being exported on 

 a large scale. Sugar making in tlie European fashion 

 has fallen into disuse for some time from experi- 

 ments on two estates proving very unsatisfactory. 

 Though tobacco plants under cultivation thej'e 

 look strong and healthy, they seem to lack the 

 chemical constituent part so highly prized in Europe. 

 This at least may be inferred from the fact that 

 the Government have stojiped further experiment- 

 ing with tobacco cultivation. Coffee growing in 

 Cochin China nowhere yielded satisfactory results, 

 though it must be acknowledged that no endeavour 

 has yet been made to plant Coffee at as great height 

 above sea level as in Java. Of Netlierlands Indian 

 products such as coffee, arrack, and coarse sugar, not 

 more is imported than is necessary for the troops. 

 In Cochin China lUO Idlogrammes of coffee brought 

 17'3 francs wliilo 100 kilogrammes of sugar HT-a 

 were laid nut on the average. The trade in arrack 

 which was formerly great from its great consump- 

 tion among the natives has greatly lessened in conse- 

 quence of high import duties. 



. ^ 



TEA KULE.S FOK NET WEIGHMENT. 



(Eroui the Ilunic and Colonial Mail.) 

 It will interest our rciulurs to Icani that a joint ap- 

 plicatiou in tliu following t^'ruts has been unule to lier 

 JMajesty's Customs by tlio reiu'osentativos of the plant- 

 ing interest and the Il-i InuU- for penuissiun to have 

 certain sliglit alterations made iii tlie above rules so 

 as to admit of the satisfactory working of the sj'stem. 

 The advantage of Indiati tea reaching- the consumer 

 in its original package without having lieeu turned out 

 and repacked is now generally recognised. 



The following is the applicition referred fco; — 

 To the Coin mis.-av Iters of Ifa' J/tz/f^/.y'^ Customs, 

 Indian Tea Districts Association, 

 11, St. Mary Axe, E. 0. 



O.t^her 1st, 1S85. 

 ^Ve, the undersi;^ned, spi^aking on bchaU of both 

 importers and dealers, beg respectfully to draw the 

 iitteutlou of the commissioners of her Majesty's Customs 

 to certain grave dcftets revealed in the practical work- 

 ing of the new rules, issued on Sept. 11 ih, 1SS;J, for 

 the weighing of Indian to;is in bond, wliich go far to 

 frustrate the objects aimed at in framing them and to 

 pritpjse a few simple amendments by which the.se 

 ilet'ucts would, it is believed, be otfectu.iUy removed. 

 AVe hero subjoin the rules :is at prest-nt lU force, and 

 in the amended form proposed for adoptii. n. 

 Existing 11ui.ks. 

 1. The packages on arrival to be weighed to asceit- 

 aiu the gross weight of each package. 



