The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



through the months of August and Sep- 

 tember it is desirable that we should have 

 the plant ready at work on the 1st July 

 and there will be no difficulty about this if Gov- 

 ernment were pleased to accord sanction to 

 purchase the oil-engine locally. All the other 

 plant including the sugar mill will be of local 

 manufacture and the oil-engine I propose to 

 procure from Messrs Massy & Co., and that it 

 should be of the usual type which we supply to 

 ryots for driving pumps. A number of these 

 engines are now in stock and they can be pro- 

 cured without any delay. I have, therefore, to 

 request that very early orders may be passed on 

 these proposals. 



The Government Order. 

 The Government have passed the following 

 order : — 



The Government approve Mr Chatterton's 

 proposal for the erection at Siuganallur of a 

 small central plant for crushing sugarcane and 

 making jaggery as an experimental measure 

 during the present sugarcane season at an esti- 

 mated cost of Rs. 10,000. The Government 

 sanction the local purchase of the plant required 

 for the experiroeut, as it is necessary that the 

 plant should be erected before July next in order 

 that the work may be commenced with the com- 

 mencement of the sugarcane season. 



The land required for the experimental station 

 should be acquired for temporary occupation 

 uuder the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. 



In regard to the proposal to deduct and sell 

 on behalf of Government 20 per cent, of the 

 jaggery manufactured to cover the working cost 

 of the plant and to make each ryot a pro rata 

 distribution of the surplus deduction if any, at 

 the end of the season, Mr Chatterton will be 

 requested to explain whether any special estab- 

 lishment will be necessary. 



He is requested to report at the end of the 

 season on the results of the experiment and on 

 the question of renewing it next season. — M. 

 Mail, June 3. 



PROSPECTS OF CAMPHOR 



In Malaya. 



We have from time to time, as our readers are 

 aware, devoted space to information about the 

 cultivation of camphor and some of our later 

 articles had reference to the experiments carried 

 out under the supervision of Mr B J Eaton, 

 Chemist to the F. M.S. Government. Mr Eaton 

 has issued a bulletin in connection with the 

 experiments made, from which we learn that 

 in his opinion the industry would prove quite 

 remunerative in the Federated Malay States if 

 carried out on the lines suggested in the bul- 

 letin, that is fairly close planting to form hedges, 

 with about 700 trees per acre, pruning being 

 carried out two or three times per annum. Mr 

 Eaton tells us that in order to run a distilling 

 plant economically an area of at least 100 acres 

 6hould be planted up. The camphor tree ap- 

 pears to thrive in this country on comparatively 

 poor laterite soil if well drained, and the chea- 

 pest land, provided it is not swampy, should be 

 obtained, The plant, we are told, will not ex- 



haust the land as all the prunings alter distil- 

 lation can be returned to the soil and used as a 

 mulch; so that practically no mineral matter 



is removed. 



The only apparatus necessary is a suitable 

 boiler capable of evaporating from 40 to 30 

 gallons of water per hour with a still of 

 about 150 to 200 cubic feet capacity capable 

 of holding a ton of prunings together with 

 a suitable condenser of the type described 

 in the Bulletin. This apparatus can be erected 

 in a suitable galvanized building and should not 

 cost more than about $2,000 to $3,000. The chief 

 difficulty at present is the question of the pro- 

 pagation of|plants owing to the poor germination 

 of seed obtained from Japan. Seedlings, which 

 are very satisfactory, are probably too expensive 

 and further experiments are required in methods 

 for propagating from cuttings. Mr Eaton esti- 

 mates that the cost of bringing an acre into 

 bearing,iassuming the trees to be pruned for the 

 first time at 3 years of age, should Dot be more 

 than £15 to £20. The following should prove of 

 interest to anyone who might feel disposed to 

 give camphor cultivation a trial. 



The total cost of production per loOlb of cam- 

 phor worked out by Mr Eaton is as follows : — 



$ cts. 



Cost of collection, transport, etc., 



of 154,000 lb of prunings ...14 00 



Cost of distillation fuel, etc., in- 

 cluding boiler attendant ... 10 00 



Cost of packing, shipping, etc. ... 3 00 



Total cost ... 27 00 



Market price of 100 lb of crude camphor $60'U0 

 The profit, therefore, on the 100 lb. is $33 - 00 

 Profit per acre of 700 trees with three year 

 prunings per year is estimated by Mr Eaton at 

 S60— $80 — Grenier's Rubber News, May 25. 



A RUBBER SCHOOL IN KUALA 

 LUMPUR. 



We are induced to return to the subject of 

 rubber schools by perusal of an interesting 

 article on the subject appearing in the columns 

 of "Commerce, 1 ' Calcutta, which strongly advo- 

 cates the establishment of rubber schools in the 

 Tropics on the lines of the one which has been 

 inaugurated in London. What we should like 

 to see is the establishment of a rubber school or 

 lecture room in Kuala Lumpur for the benefit of 

 young Assistants just out from home. Its scope 

 might be even extended and made to be useful 

 to older planters who, perchance, may be in 

 need of a wrinkle or two on a subject with which 

 they are not thoroughly acquainted. We would 

 suggest, in this connection, that a lecture room 

 might, with untold advantages, be provided at 

 the Agricultural Station, Kuala Lumpur, and 

 a series of lectures be arranged for during the 

 year, from which young Assistants would derive 

 considerable benefit not only for themselves 

 but for those who employ them. How many 

 initial mistakes might be saved if Assistants 

 were properly guided in the right way and we 

 could not think of a better way and a surer way 

 to do this than by the means we have indicated, 



