August i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
105 
TOBACCO PLANTING IN 8UMATEA AND 
BOENEO. 
Tobacco cultivation continues to spread in the 
neighbouring countries. For instance, that raised 
from Deli seeds has proved a success in the Lam- 
pong districts. In the S. E. division of Borneo, 
the people have energetically turned to cultivating 
that product, especially in the district of Amunthay, 
but, so far, only for home consumption. There is every 
prospect of a change there erelong in this respect, 
owing to the attention of speculators being directed 
to the advantage of investing European capital in 
this line of business. The article will be raised 
for the European market. Already, preliminary 
measures have been taken to lease land for the purpose. 
In East Sumatra itself, this branch of cultiva- 
tion continues to progress, a steady increase in the 
number of estates being noticeable. In Deli, last 
year's crop came fairly up to expectations. The 
reverse was the case in Siak, where the yield 
proved unsatisfactory. In both districts, land, which 
had lain fallow from six months to 13 years, has 
been extensively brought under cultivation with 
varying results. Where fertilisers had to be resorted 
to Peruvian guano and stable manure have pre- 
ference. The disturbed condition of western 
Langkat and Tamiang has prevented the Go- 
vernment from throwing them open to European 
planting enterprise. 
A correspondent of the Deli Courant, writing 
from British North Borneo, draws a dark picture 
of the outlook there. For instance, lately, during 
4 to 6 months at a stretch, Kudat and Maruda 
Bay, he says, had hardly any satisfactory Govern- 
ment supervision. In the latter, the desertion of 
coolies from estates is common enough. When 
they happen to be caught, a rare event he insists, 
the lightness of their punishment and their easy 
life in the prison house render the penalty anything 
but deterrent. 
The " Sumatra " may count upon a large quota 
of passengers from the Deli planting community, 
owing to the few attractions presented by the land 
they live in. Society there offers few pleasant 
features. The landscape and scenery come into 
prominence for unsightliness. Lallang grass, 
abandoned tobacco land, brushwood, and stretches 
of tobacco fields pass monotonously before the 
traveller's eyes, varied by long vistas of half-burned 
trees. Plantains are the only fruit the country 
produces. Such a country offers no charms to 
planters accustomed to more civilising surround- 
ings. Those who have made their pile are only 
too anxious to quit it for fairer lands. 
An interpreter for the Chinese language named 
Hoetink has been despatched by Government to 
Swatow to devise measures for facilitating Chinese 
coolie immigration from there to Deli. It has 
taken the planters there a long time to arouse the 
Government to a sense of the advantages attending 
suoh a step.— Straits Times, June 7th. 
BAEK AND DEUG EEPOET. 
London, 30th May. 
Cinchona.— At today's auctions several packages of 
Huanoco bark, imported via Hamburg, sold at 6>A to 
9d for thin and broken to fair quill ; good flat Mara- 
caibo was bought in at 9d per lb, dull mossy split Loxa 
quill at Is 6d, and Lima at 3§d per lb. Small flat 
Cahsaya sold at Is 4d per lb. The exports from Java 
to all parts in the periods between July 1st and March 
31st have been as folio ws : — 
1888-9 1887-8 1886-7 1885-6 
AmBt. lb. Amst. lb. Anist. lb. Amst.lb. 
Private bark 2,782,322 2,181,205 1,231,753 814,449 
Government bark 558,712 511,823 501,600 338,675 
Total 3,341,034 2,693,088 1 736,353 1,153, 124 
„ English 3,675,131 2,962,3961,009,088 1,268,436 
Cinnamon. — The quarterly auctions held on Monday 
were exceptionally light, comprising outy 1,505 bales 
quill, and 275 bags chips. There was a very good de- 
m ind indeed, for the better grades of quill cinnamon, 
which generally realised from 2 1 to 3d per lb advance, 
and also for chips Oinuamou third and fourth class 
quills, however, sold at some decline. About 1,270 
packages, all told were told, were disposed of at the 
following rates: — Ceylon quill, fin'e'jlnd extra firsts Is 
Id to Is 7d ; ordinary to good ditto 7Jd to Is per lb.; 
extra fine seconds Is 2d to Is 4d per lb ; low to fine 
ditto 7d to Is per lb; thirds, common to very fine 
6|d to Is 3d ; fourths 5Jd to lid per lb. Tellicherry quill, 
firsts and seconds 8d to 8Jd; broken 5dto 6|d per lb ; 
Chips, broken to good quillings 4Jd to 6d ; ordinary 
2i dper lb. 
Coca Leaves. — Eleven bales good bright green but 
broken leaves were shown today, and bought in at Is 
per lb. A parcel of 150 packages of what are returned 
as "cocoa leaves" have passed Southampton in transit 
from Bahia, in Brazil. 
Oroton Seed. — Seven bags small dark Ceylon sold 
today at 9s 6d per cwt. Two bags (140) croton-seed bark 
from Venezuela in bold thin pale yellow pieces were 
withdrawn. 
Essential Oils. — Several lots of Cinnamon oil were 
shown today, but no sales were made. Citrooella 
sold at §d per oz., the same price as at the last 
auctions. 
Qoinine. — The market must again be quoted lower, 
and we hear, and there is not much reason to disbelieve 
the report, that 2,000 of second-hand B & S were sold 
at lljd per oz this week, while others talk of a transac- 
tion at lljd per oz. spot. A sale of 20,000 oz of the 
same brand is said to have been made at Is per oz for 
forward delivery. The B & S agents would probably also 
submit offers at Is per oz. The other makers' quota- 
tions are uncertain.— Chemist and Druggist. 
«. 
INDIAN TEA ANNUAL EEVIEW. 
30, Mincing Lane, June 1889. 
The statistics just published for the twelve months ending 
31st May show an increase of 8£ million lb. in the Receipts, 
and of 5J million lb. in the Deliveries of Indian Tea; while 
of Ceylon Tea the Import is 11£ millions larger, and the 
Delivery 11J millions more than in the previous years. 
Regarded in the abstract these figures are encouraging — 
more so, perhaps, to Ceylon than to Indian producers— but 
the development has unfortunately been accompanied by an 
adverse movement in prices affecting both crops— Ceylon 
rather more than Indian — for which the larger yield is not 
an equivalent; 
Seeing that the increase of 20 millions in tea of British 
growth has been coincident with a decrease of 17 millions 
in the receipts from other sources, and has, therefore, added 
less to our total supply than the larger trade has absorbed 
— the year's consumption being more than the year's supply 
—the shrinkage in value cannot be attributed merely to over- 
production, and the cause must be sought elsewhere. 
The poor quality of the crop has undoubtedly, contributed 
to lower the value: but a part from this, producers are 
suffering from the growing aversion of the dealers to be 
the stockholders — the state of business affording them 
but little encouragement to do so ; and it seems obvious 
that, if the onus of carrying the stocks be thrown upon 
a section of the trade unready to bear it, prices must 
suffer. It should be borne in mind that, when China tea 
was the leading article, its value more or less governed 
the market for tea in general : but the China merchants, 
as a body, retained the means of regulating prices to some 
extent in times of undue depression, by private sale, 
and by not compelling the dealers to carry the st >ck. 
Indian and Ceylon teas, however, now le-ul the market ; 
and as importers for the most part fiud it to their in- 
terest to sell at auction on arrival, prices are practically 
regulated by the demand of the day ; it is, therefore, 
of primary importance not only that those iu the trade 
should be encouraged to by with more confidence, but 
also that additional buyers should be attracted to the 
market by the prospect of remunerative employment of 
capital. 
An appreciation of this, and the desire to lessen an 
objection which keeps many from buying who would other- 
wise be disposed to invest in tea, prompted the receut 
alteration iu the mode of priming catalogues; an experiment 
which apparently works well, though not carried out so 
completely as was first thought desirable. 
Passing to ft brief retrospeot of the season— at the open- 
ing, buyors, were hindered from aoting with freedom 
