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Value oi the Tropics 



The Cinderella of the World, i. e., the tropical producing 

 centers, is slowly but surely coming into her own. The latest 

 tribute to her right to be placed in the ball-room instead of the 

 kitchen is the February issue of the India-rubber World of New 

 York. This well known monthly tells its readers that "The in- 

 creasing dependence of the United States on the tropics for raw 

 materials and foodstuffs not produced in this country is shown by 

 the fact that more than a billion dollars' worth of tropical prod- 

 ucts were brought into this country during the fiscal year 1916. 

 The exact total, $1,060,850,416, represented an increase of $253,- 

 208,231 over the year 1915. Imports of rubber, etc., amounted to 

 $304,000,000 during the fiscal year 1916, against $280,000,000 in 

 1915, and $109,000,000 in 1905, and were exceeded in value only 

 by sugar, coft'ee and fibres." 



Thanks to the International Congress of Tropical Agricul- 

 turists, held at the Imperial Institute (London) just before the 

 War started in 1914, and Mr. Staines Manders' Rubber and 

 Tropical Products Exhibition and Congress which took place at 

 the same time, official London, in the person of Mr. Lewis (now 

 Viscount) Harcourt, was good enough to acknowledge that Cin- 

 derella, so far as England was concerned, ought really to leave 

 the kitchen and take her proper place in the household of the 

 Empire. Had it not been for the War her fairy godmother 

 would probably by now have been able to present her with her 

 first ball dress, i. e., the School of Agriculture and Institute of 

 Scientific Research in Ceylon, whilst preparing a second one for 

 her to wear in Trinidad or elsewhere in the West Indies. She 

 will have those dresses yet, but at what date has still to be de- 

 cided. Cinderella's presentation at Court will be somewhat of 

 the nature of a movable feast, and depends on the date when 

 peace is to be proclaimed. If our readers can tell us when the 

 German Military Party will be forced by their down-trodden 

 victims in Germany to own themselves beaten, then we can give 

 some idea as to when Ceylon will offer Cinderella her first ball 

 dress. Such costumes take some time to prepare, if they are to 

 be worthy of the owner, but the gift ought to be made within 

 five years of the declaration of peace. — Tropical Life. 



In order to determine its practicability as a forest fire fighting 

 tool, the forest service in California supplied a number of its 

 patrolmen this season with a combination detachable shovel and 

 hoe made to fit one handle. This tool, which is easily portable, 

 it is hoped, will take the place of two separate tools, both here- 

 tofore considered essential in forest fire fighting. 



