and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



475 



Nile on the Victoria Nyanza, I wanted some 

 rope for a line, and requested a native to get 

 some, thinking he would get the bast of a 

 banana. Much to my surprise, the boy started 

 pulling this particular plant, and drawing the 

 fibre, then twisting it into rope of remarkable 

 strength. I then forwarded samples of rope, 

 fibre and botanical specimen to the Imperial 

 Institute, London, with the result that the plant 

 was identified as Asclepias semilunctta and the 

 fibre, if properly prepared, was valued, on the 

 London market, at £35 per ton. The exami- 

 nation of samples sent from Uganda has shown 

 that it is very strong and of excellent quality, 

 and would doubtless be useful for cordage 

 manufacture, but it has not yet been ex- 

 ported in sufficient quantities for actual trials 

 on a manufacturing scale. It is possible that 

 the fibre might also be utilised for the manu- 

 facture of explosives, but this question 

 is at present under investigation. I sent a 

 sample of the fibre and a quantity of seed to 

 the Hon. John Perry, M.P., to test if it can be 

 successfully grown in New South Wales. I feel 

 confident that it can be profitably grown, as its 

 geographical distribution is so well-known to 

 me. 1 have seen it at an elevation of 7,000 ft. 

 above sea-level at Johannesburg ; also at Rho- 

 desia and in Australia ; but have not seen it near 

 the coast, though it may succeed near the sea. 

 The cultivation of A .semilunctta is simple : sow 

 as you would wheat or oats, after the land has 

 been harrowed ; seed thickly, so as to produce 

 stems 5ft. to 6ft. long. It will grow on stony 

 land, on the flat or hill- sides ; it requires no 

 irrigation, and will withstand drought with im- 

 punity. With cheap freight from Sydney to 

 London, let alone local market, this fibre may 

 prove to be a desirable subsidiary industry for 

 New South Wales," The writer, who is an Aus- 

 tralian, thinks that the seed must at some time 

 have been introduced into Australia by the late 

 Baron von Mueller ; otherwise it is a mystery 

 how he saw it at Coolgardie. The writer trusts 

 that through the columns of the Agricultural 

 Gazette more will be heard from tests in New 

 South Wales. 



"The sample of fibre forwarded to the Hon. the 

 Minister for Agriculture was submitted to 

 Messrs. Forsyth & Co., rope manufacturers, 

 Sydney, who reported as follows :—" The fibre 

 is equal to Manila, and is valued at £35 per ton. 

 The length and colour are good. They would 

 give £35 per ton for it, but the fibre must not be 

 less than 4 ft long. The quantity submitted was 

 too small to make a test." 



This, gentlemen, must be enough for today, 

 and if the lecture will result in a closer study of 

 the fibres that are exhibited, and will lead to 

 wider cultivation, it will have served a good ob- 

 ject.— M. Mail , Oct. 22. 



MEXIC AN RU BBER. 



In an extract from the Daily Express on 

 Mexican Rubber it is stated that at an altitude 

 from 400 to 600 feet there are 20,000 trees of 

 from six to nine yearn' growth, ready for tapping 

 in two years' time. This means that the growth 

 of the tree is much slower in Mexico than either 

 Ceylon, South India or the Straits. Fancy not tap 

 ping rubber trees till they are 8—11 years old I 



NOTES FROM NYASALAND, B.C. A. 



TOBACCO —COTTON— LABOUR — RUB- 

 BER — TEA— CHILLIES. 



Mlanje, Sept., 1909. — Tobacco is now paying 

 well here, owing to this product attracting the 

 attention of home manufacturers. The prices 

 paid in the London and Liverpool market 

 ranges from 4d. to 1/3 per lb. ; the same prices, 

 plus a small profit, is obtainable from the Im- 

 perial Tobacco Company at Limbi,near Blantyre; 

 so there is every prospect of this industry 

 making rapid progress in the country ere long. 

 It has been proved beyond a doubt that Nyasa- 

 land can grow an excellent tobacco, both heavy 

 dark shipping varieties and the light fashionable 

 fine-cured orange leaf, as soil suitable for both 

 kinds is to be found all over the Protectorate. 

 Only men and money is wanted to develop 

 this industry. Tobacco 



COSTS FROM 2D. TO 3D. TO PRODUCE AND 

 PUT ON THE MARKET, 



so that there is a good margin of profit for those 

 who grow it and are able to turn out leaf of a 

 good quality. To enable planters to do this the 

 courteous Manager of the Imperial Tobacco 

 Co., Mr Boyd, gives seed free, and his advice 

 too, visiting all those who are growing the 

 weed, instructing men most carefully as to the 

 proper methods of curing, &c, to enable gro- 

 wers to produce the most suitable quality for 

 tho home market. To prove how valuable this 

 expert advice is, I may mention an instance 



of Mr R , who had no previous itobacco 



growing or curing experience, putting in 2u0 

 acres in one year near the Railway line and 

 successfully growing, harvesting and curing 

 the whole crop within the year. With an ex- 

 penditure of about £1,000 he was able to secure 

 £3,000 (I am informed) of profit and left the 

 country last month on a well-earned holiday. 



This gentleman, however, is one amongst 

 many who are not so successful ; for he worked 

 very hard indeed, night and day, watching the 

 temperature of his barns— so that he was ex- 

 ceedingly lucky and succeeded in obtaining top 

 prices for his crop. He was in consequence 

 much run down in health and in need of the 

 holiday in the old country where he lias gone 

 to recruit. 



TOBACCO CROPS THROUGHOUT THE PROTECTORATE 



have been very good on the whole this year and 

 up to 5001b. per acre has been secured on some 

 estates that were well cultivated and have the 

 soil best suited for the growth of the plant. 

 Cotton, 



in some districts, has done very well this 

 year and better results are anticipated as the 

 most suitable varieties are being found out with 

 the advice of 



THE NEW DIRECTOR OP AGRICULTURE 



who is very sanguine of the success of this in- 

 dustry, when more suitable acclimatised seed 

 is used and somewhat different methods of 

 planting and cultivation have been adopted 

 under his guidance. 



All over the country 



