ATascji j, iSSS.J TTJE TROPICAL AGRICCTLTUJ^IST. 



t'4J 



(avtoi-y.auigbt be set upi the mBHufactnre of bis- 

 cuits, wbich ai'c also now imported at ruinous 

 prices ; a good and ciicap war discuit is, I should 

 sajv mucli ueedtd in India lor European troops. 

 If ; a uia<;aioni factory were started in Iqdia, wliere 

 it is presumed the liard ^yhcats are well- 

 suited to its manufacture, Australia, the Cape, and 

 iill vEastorn markets might get their supplies of 

 this article troui ludia. To .-;uui up, the advant- 

 ages would appear to be cheap macaroni for all 

 Indian ;ind Eastern consumers ; cheap and plenti- 

 ful semolina and biscuits — brau for cattle, sheep, 

 and poultry ; a prolltable investment for capital ; 

 and a new industry for the labour of this country. 

 All that Would appear needful are capital, and a 

 couple of Italian macoronr makers as foremen. 

 Kither Lucknow. Cawnpore, or Laliore, the cen- 

 tres of the wheat-growing districts, would bo suit- 

 able place.-, for factories. There the hot weather 

 and winter are admirable seasons for drying the 

 pastfi.jWithout artificial heat. _3Viregauzc door and 

 window littings would be required^ to, keep out Ihe 

 flies and to ensure general cleanliness. — Madias 

 Mail. ■ •■" 



PLANTING IN NETHEKL.VNDS INDIA. 

 (Translateil for the "Strails Time^.'') 



tor Cinchona Planters. — In a private letter it is 

 iitated that cinchona cultivation once so promising 

 in Ceylon yields now nothing but disappointment. 

 Seedlings and young plants generally fail to come 

 up and many have died. The cause of this must, 

 be sought in degeneration of the ciuchonas since 

 growing them has been startetl in Ceylon from the 

 fact being ascertained that each succeeding gener- 

 ation has less strength and vital energy than the 

 preceeding one. I'erhaps also the true reasons for 

 these unfavourable phenomena are to be sought for 

 in unsuitableness of soil in connection with the 

 climate of Ceylon. 



■lava Tea. — Great indignation has been aroused 

 in Ceylon. It seems that while more than eighty 

 prize medals were awarded during the Calcutta Ex- 

 hibition to teas from .lava and British India, those 

 of Ceylon only secured two, neither of which was 

 gold. In Ceylon this result is ascribed to jealousy 

 on the side of India but, h<iwever it may be, the 

 fact deserves mention anyhow. — Siirabaija Ciinraiit. 



The animus of both the above paragraphs is 

 obvious. — En.' 



THE POSITION OF CINCHONA BAEK. 

 {From an Occasional Correspondent.) 



London, 2nd Jan. 188(j. 



The recent heavy shipments of cinchona bark 

 trora Ceylon and the consequent heavy fall in the 

 market in Mincing Lane must have attracted the 

 attention of all interested in the cultivation of 

 cinchona. During the^ months of October and Dec- 

 ember, tbc fhipments of bark from Colombo 

 amounted to nearly 3.000,000 lb, 



These ship.nents were caused no doubt by the 

 high prices ruling in llincing Lane, as to which I 

 read in Messrs. Lewis & Peat's circular for the 

 year that "in October the improvement all rotmd 

 bevame very marked : large sales of all kinds were 

 agam effected and the unit rose to 5M and Od in 

 the early part of the month and to (l^d and 7d in 

 the latter. " And the result is, that in December 

 '' the unit is down to -^d and 4{d." 



Very little of the bark shipped since Ist October 

 can have participated in the good price.s ruling at 

 end of October here. And it may be safely stated 

 tbat by rushing the bark in so fast at least 1<1 |ier 

 unit was lost on the whoh; 3.(k)0,000 lb. The' 

 question is, bvw vnil it be possiiblu in event of 



another similar rise in the bai'k market to prevent 

 a similar deluge of barl: ? 



Now. I am not on<? of those who scoff at the 

 Inis/e: /aire system and who think that matters 

 of supidy and demand can, as a rule, be advant- 

 ageously regulated from without. 1 have seen too 

 much of the great restllts aehieved by private in- 

 . dividual cnterprizes (and nowhere have I seen 

 greater- than in Ocyloii) to be disposed to join in ' 

 the constant modern cry for interferences But in 

 applying the general rules of political economy it 

 seems only reasonable to consider the special circ- 

 umstances of each individual case. And, in looking at 

 the very special position occupied by owners of 

 growing bark, it does appear to be a ease where 

 with the minimum of combined arrangement as to 

 shipments the maximum of advantage could be 

 obtained. The time of harvest is at the will of 

 the owner : and, so long as the trees are growing, 

 the growth will give good interest till time of 

 harvest. 



' Nq\v,l;ha«e a,fu'ggestiOI}lto: make. While pondor- s 

 ing on the loss recently caused to Ceylon growers 

 by their disorgaiiized rush into the market',"! chanced " 

 to hoar that for selection of exhibits for the coming 

 Colonial and Indian Exhibition the various District 

 Associations had been requested to choose the 

 estates, each in its own district, which should send 

 samples of produce. Whether or not the District 

 Associations have, succeeded in carrying out thja. 

 duty ethciently and to the general satisfaction I do .' 

 not know. But it has struck. me that this same ,'" 

 organization having been thus onpe brought into , 

 play might be without difficulty be further applied 

 to the control of the cutting and shiimient of bark. 

 At present, probably, few know at all accurately 

 what others may be doing in the matter. And the 

 diS'usion of accurate information would alone act 

 greatly to the public advantage in preventing such 

 wide and heavy simultaneous cutting as shall rob 

 all of profits otherwise easily obtainable. 



Having thus made my suggestion, I leave it to 

 those immediately interested to judge it on its 

 merits. w. M. L. 



♦ • 



TEA IN AMEKICA, 



{Special far " Ceijloii Obserrer" hi/ Col. E. Moneij.) 

 East India Club, London, .Jan. 'i'ind, 1880. 



*I have not written in your paper for some months, 

 but I have been wandering in the United States. 

 I enquired as to Indian Tea while there, and possibly 

 your readers may like to know the result. 



Firstly, as to the ijossibility of the States, or 

 indeed any part of America, providing tea. Before' 

 I went there. I heard and read much on this head, 

 but what I saw during my travels convinced me that 

 it never can be. There are climates in that vast 

 region where -tea would both grow and thrive, still 

 those spots are not many or extensive. Suitable 

 soil of course exists, I have never seen a country 

 where it would not be found. But as we all know 

 cheap labour is a "ine qim miii for successful tea 

 cultivation, .and it exists nowliere in America. I ' 

 speak advisedly when I say " no where." In no part 

 of Canada, or the huge British possessions, can it be 

 found ; and even were it there, the intense cold makes 

 tea impossible. All over the States labour is both 

 scarce and very expensive. One d'lllar 1 2 a day. 

 with food added, is about the usiial wage in the 

 northern and western parts, and, though down louth 

 it is somewhat le'<s, nowlnre is it anything 

 like the figure to justify tea cultivation. 



We need not therefore fear a tea producing 

 rival in America. .Vlas ! thcro are too many alreadv. 

 but thib at least is spared ua, ' . . ' ' 



