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The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



ing the crop ; in the fluctuations in supplies 

 through weather, labour, demand and wars in 

 the case of organised production as in Great 

 Britain and Germany and through the addi- 

 tional influence of carelessness, superstition and 

 fraud in unorganised collection as in South 

 America, Western United States of America 

 and theWest Coast of Africa ; in the greater dif- 

 ficulty of access to wild supplies (the nearer 

 ones having been largely exhausted) with con- 

 sequent advance in price ; and in better quality 

 resulting from systematic control, as shown by 

 English and some Continental grown drugs, 

 the former being richer in active principles 

 and more carefully prepared for the market. 

 Moreover, cultivation in our colonies would 

 help Colonial ports and shipping. Mr. Evans 

 mentioned, as examples of drug cultivation 

 outside the country of origin, cinchona in Java, 

 coca leaves in Ceylon, Java and the West Indies 

 and ipecac in Selangor. He presented a very 

 long list including camphor, etc., for Australia; 

 asafetida, benzoin, gamboge, tragacanth, etc., 

 for India ; orange peel, cardamoms, castor seed, 

 quassia, calabar beans, orris root, etc., for the 

 West Indian Islands ; copaiba, cardamoms, 

 sarsaparilla, etc., for West Africa, and so on. 

 Lastly we notice that the British Pharmaceu- 

 tical Society's Museum curator Mr. E. M. 

 Holmes suggested that cubebs might be grown 

 in Seychelles, B.C. Africa, British New Guinea; 

 pareira brava in British East Africa ; quillaia 

 bark in Uganda, Cape Clony and Southern 

 Australia ; orris root in Uganda and New Zea- 

 land ; saborandi in Nyassaland and British 

 New Guinea ; euonymus in Great Britain and 

 Uganda ; sarsaparilla in Strait Settlements ; 

 podophyllum in New Forest and Norfolk, 

 England ; cascara in British Columbia and 

 Great Britain ; coto bark in British East Africa; 

 socotrine aloes in British East Africa, Cape 

 Colony and Somaliland ; dragon's blood in 

 North Borneo and British New Guinea; Siam 

 benzoin in B.C. Africa and Burma; balsam of 

 Peru in Ceylon, Honduras and Strait Settle- 

 ments; and balsam of tolu in Strait Settlements. 



PLANTING EN UGANDA. 



(To the Editor, " Straits Times.") 

 Sir, — In regard to the letter of Mr Walter 

 Graham, of Uganda, to "The field," with re- 

 ference to planting prospects in that country 

 (published in your issue of the 22nd inst.) I 

 think the accompanying letter, which I received 

 a few weeks ago from the Director of Agricultui e 

 in Uganda in reply to an enquiry regarding the 



openings and prospects available there to plan- 

 ters with Eastern rubber experience, will in- 

 terest you. As far as rubber planters are con- 

 cerned, I think that Mr Graham's letter should 

 be read side by side with that of the Director of 

 Agriculture. — Yours, etc., 



Planter. 



Johore, Nov. 23, 1912. 



No. 425/P. 6/11. 

 Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the 

 receipt of your letter of the 12th August asking 

 for information about Uganda. 



2. At present there are very few openings 

 available, but planters are rapidly coming in 

 chiefly to grow coffee and rubber. The Mabira 

 Forest Co,, Ltd., of 46 Leadenhall St., London, 

 E.C., and the Hunter Moses Syndicate, Kam- 

 pala, Uganda, are practically the only firms with 

 more than two employees. The pay I understand 

 begins at £200 with the usual allowances. 



3. The cost of living on estates is probably 

 about £150 per annum. 



4. 1 am sorry that so little information can 

 be given, but as most of the estates are under 

 two years old, aud there are so big companies 

 working at present, probably it will be two or 

 three years before many positions will be vacant 

 such as you desire. — 1 have the honour to be. 

 Sir, your obedient servant, 



S. Simpson, 

 Director of Agriculture. 

 Department of Agriculture, Kampala Uganda. 

 September 19, 1912.— Semite Times, Nov. 26, 



COCOA-BUTTER SUBSTITUTES. 



These are comparatively new articles of com- 

 merce, and it is surprising to hear that thousands 

 of tons are being imported every year. Twenty 

 or thirty years ago cocoa-butter was simply a by- 

 product in the manufacture of cocoa, Today 

 conditions are reversed : the cocoa-butter is the 

 important article, and cocoa itself is really the 

 by-product. Owing to the enormous demand 

 for chocolate, in the making of which cocoa- 

 butter is used, there is nothing like enough of 

 this substance available ; hence the call for such 

 substitutes as palm-nut stearin. In consequence 

 of the increase in the cocoa industry for the 

 sake of the "butter" there are immense stocks of 

 ground cocoa on the market that are practically 

 unsaleable, and it is the low price at which this 

 is off iredthat has tempted enterprising specu- 

 lators to set on foot the many fancy cocoas that 

 are now being so extensively advertised.— 

 Chemist and Druggist, Nov. 9. 



