450 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1886. 



the best qualitieB of local growth. Considerable 

 orders have gone to India, for indigenous as well 

 as hybrid, so that the local price is regulated by the 

 ruling rates there. Those who have experience tell 

 me that they prefer local seeds to, Indian, other 

 things being equal. It does better inj every way. A 

 similar experience was noted when Liberian coffee was 

 first intfoducfd into the island, plants grown from 

 Ceylon seed being healthier and stronger than those 

 produced from tlie imported ones. 



The wet weather seems to be clearing up, although 

 we are still having showers daily. What a monsoon 

 it has beeu fur planting and the growth of weeds. 

 And this last big hurst from the S. W. too! If we 

 are to get the usual rains from ^he N. E. as well, 

 the registt-r of rainfall will be a ^ery full one, spite 

 of the dry weather wc had some weeks ago. 



Tea on the Kanily Fide is doing very well, and 

 will in a year or so make it:s mark. The nrw Han- 

 tane clearing is a perfect marvel of growth, to be 

 only a year old. It could match a great many estates 

 of twice the age, and nut be much put out either. 



rEPI'EKCORN. 



Mother tree 

 •s^uvw^^ unknown. 



ERPoRT <m TH]': uovkhnment cinchona 



ENTEKPRIZE IN JAVA FOK THK THIKD 



QUAltTEll 1885. 

 (TroHshitetl fin- the " Cnjhm Ol>s,.'rrer.^^ ) 

 The drought which set in suddeidy in the middle of 

 ]May continued during the past quartt-r and was broken 

 by only a few sliowers. At lljagrak on the Tang- 

 koebanprahoe niouutaiu however abait the middle of 

 August there fell in a few hours about 100 mm. 

 [about 4 inches J of rain, which being accompanied by 

 hail did some damage to the plants in some parts* 

 Night frosts were experienct-d in Jidy ;ind September, 

 but caused little or no harm, as they occurred on 

 those places which were affected last year, and which 

 it is not intended to replant. The supply of labor was 

 very large, so that not only could the harvesting be 

 carried on uuinterruptedly but it was also possible to 

 bestow the greatest care on tin..- upkeep of the plants. 

 The deep stirring of the soil, now everywhere carried 

 out, shows its good effects even in the height of the 

 east monsoon, the plants presenting a steady growth and 

 healthy appearance in spite of the continuous drought. 

 The good results will be even more anil better seen on 

 the setting in of the rain, aud the thorough stirring of 

 the soil will certainly exercise a beneficial influence on 

 the production of 1886. During the past quarter about 

 tiOO.OOii pounds of bark were dispatched to liatavia. 

 Altogether, duriug 1885, about 1100,000 pounds of bark 

 were gathered, of which 283,403 pounds were sent to 

 Batavia. The produce gathered during the past; few 

 luonthsconsistedchiefly of barkof C Josepkiaita,oi which 

 variety some plantations at Tjibeureuni and Nagrak 

 were uprooted. The produce from the plantations situ- 

 ated on the Malabar was distinguished by a handsome 

 appearance, which increases its value as a pharmaceut- 

 ical bark. The uprooted plantations are intended 

 for the planting of C Lvd ycriana : a beginning has already 

 been made with the terracing of the fields. AtTjinji- 

 loeau a, large new propagating-house was completed 

 and is very satisfactory, whilst a commencement hi:s 

 already hc-n made with the building of another one. 

 On t21tb July and lOrh September sales of cinchona 

 seed were held, which realiz<;d respectively /'1, 827':;5 

 and /l,500"25. At the hrstaale good prices were paid, 

 whilst at the second a very large (piantity of Si-ed was 

 refused at low prices. Tiie examination of succirubra 

 hybrids raised from Ledgeriana seed was continued 

 during this qu.irter and gave similar results to those 

 recorded in the report for the second ([uarter. as will 

 be seen by the annexed statement. The liigh yield 

 of quinino met with in the b^rk of thehybriil 7'ju^lifies 

 its urtihfial propagation but makes it h-f-s suitnd as a 

 iovmdation for seed plants on account of the presence 

 of cinchouidine. Van KoaiuNDE, 



Director Government Oivchona JCiittr^trize. 

 Bandoeng, 2na Oct. 1885. 



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•tliMO.to Tjiuiiroean. 



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'uuoip C.Ledgerianwith hy- 



■mj Jo fh 'Ui)^i hrid appearance. 



^ ci cc T* >o iC I- ao o: ^ 



CEYLON AS A FIELD FOE COLONISTS. 

 BY A plantee's wife— h. 

 {Ciintiuiied from p. 440.) 



For two or three years after I arrived in Ceylon 

 coli'ee continued to pay, and to deceive. Our 

 salary was raised, and we began to put by a little 

 money, in spite of increased responsibilities in the 

 shape of babies that came to brighten our home. 

 In 1873 my husband had a legacy left him of £2,000. 

 He was delighted. It seemed to him as if the 

 door to success and good fortune had suddenly been 

 opened. He had the money sent out, and began to 

 look around for an investment. It was not an easy 

 matter then to find anything to take up for so 

 small a sum. Men were ready to sell their estates 

 in full working order for £20,(100. but no 

 one had anything small enough to dispose of for 

 such a paltry sum as £2,000. After nmch dis- 

 cussion with his friends, (ieorge at last decided 

 on buying jungle, which he would clear and 

 plant. It would necessitate a cha->ge in our life, 

 because we should have to live within reach of 

 this jungle wherever it might be, and possibly we 

 should not find so comfortable, or so remunerative 

 a berth in its vicinity as the one we now occupied. 

 Experienced superintendents, however, were not so 

 plentiful in those days, and, in a short time 

 my liusband heard of a new situation in a valley 

 where there was some promising jungle for sale. 

 Eefore long we found ourselves the owners of an 

 estate of virgin soil, which had never owned an agri- 

 culturing master, and which had veL to be named. It 

 lay on the slopes of some hill, at a height of four 

 thousand five hundred feet above the sea, and the soil 

 was snid to be excellent. It was five miles from our 

 new berth, and could be worked easily at that dis- 

 tance, especially as there was an assistant to help 

 George on the new estate of which he had charge. 



Full of hope and life we moved ourselves and 

 our belongings, rejoicing in a more bracing clim- 

 ate, and looking forward across years of willing 

 labour to a wealthy middle age. My Imsband 

 paid £1.500 for his jungle, and reserved the 

 remaining £."300 for clearing. Wlien tlie £.")00 was 

 spent a good deal of the jungle was cleared, but 

 the place had yet to be planted. Our savings 



