October i, i 889.I THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
259 
cause. The clarifieation was right, also the effer- 
vescence. I had a small teak cask made on purpose 
for it. 
Apologizing for troubling, you — I am, yours truly, 
PLANTER'S WIFE. 
[We trust someone experienced among our 
readers will come to the rescue. It ia a 
curious fact, as we saw the other day in a 
book on Ceylon published in the early part of 
this century, that fairly good wine from grapes 
was once made at Jaffna. We read : — " Of 
Eoussillon grapes, purple and white, Mr. Bennett 
introduced the best kinds from Teneriffe and 
Mauritius. It was found they would grow well 
only at Jaffna, where even now, [18241 they make 
wine little inferior to the best Madeira. " — 
Ep.j 
THE CINCHONA SYNDICATE SUPPORTED BY 
THE JAVA PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 
Soekaboemische Landbouwvereeniging Java, 
Soekaboemi, 18th August 1889. 
Sir, — Baron von Rosenberg's letter together with 
your editorial concerning a Syndicate of Cinchona 
planters to regulate ihe supply of bark to Europe 
during 1890 and 1891, which you were so kind to 
send to our President, have been translated by us 
and read at the ordinary general meeting of the 
Soekaboemi Agricultural Association on the 14th of 
this month. 
It is not necessary to assure you, that both pro- 
posals were met by our members with a hearty 
adhesion. A resolution was passed to take in 
this matter no initiative, but to wait, according 
to Baron von Rosenberg's letter, which steps are to 
be taken by the Ceylon and British India cinchona 
planters. We also feel quite sure that a co-opera- 
tion in this matter will come to a good end and 
restore the position of the market. 
Independent from your editorial and Baron von 
Rosenberg's letter, the same evening a proposition 
was accepted, brought forward by one of our mem- 
bers, a cinchona planter, Mr. Burger, in consequence 
of which our Board of Administration was em- 
powered to take all necessary steps for a petition to 
H. E. the Governor-General of Netherlands-India, 
asking that the tremendous crop of Government 
cinchona bark be diminished to 600,000 half kilo- 
grammes a year, instead of increasing year by year, 
as now is the case, with 300,000 half kilogrammes. 
Also for that reason a mission to Java from Oeylon 
and British India planters, authorized by their 
fellow planters, would give very satisfactory results, 
because they could join our petition to H. E., so 
that our Government became also a partner in the 
agreoment. 
The unanimous desire of our members is, to 
join all steps to be taken for enforcing the market, 
and we hope sincerely that all other cinchona ] 
planters in Java will join us in this good way. 
Only one objection was made by our President, who 
pointed out, that on the London auction of 2nd 
July out of 4,118 bales of bark 1,823 were formed 
by South American bark. And although they con- 
sisted only of Ouprea bark from the imports of 
L881-83, it might be that with a higher unita large 
quantity of South American bark that has not yet 
been sold, will be thrown on the market. 
Within a fortnight wo will also despatch to your 
address a number of copies of the proceedings of 
our meeting on the 11th last, with kind request to 
iute them among our fellow planters in 
Ceylon. The same number of copies will be sent 
to Buron von Rosenberg for distribution in British 
India. 
On the 14th October the last meeting in this year 
of our Association will take place, and if a mission 
to Java will become a fact, we shall be very glad 
to receive her members at that meeting and to 
offer them the same hospitality as the CeyloD 
planters offered in 1886 to our President. 
We remain, sir, with the highest esteem, 
For the Board of Administration of the Soeka- 
boemi Agricultural Association, 
G. MUNDT, President. 
R. A. EEKHOUT, Secretary 
THE FIG TREE IN UDAPUSSELL AWA 
CEYLON: GOOD SUCCESS. 
20th Aug. 1889 
Deab Sib, — Referring to the cultivation of the 
fig tree in Udapussellawa, — the fig tree was 
flourishing and bearing fruit on Kirklees estate in 
1863. The plant was imported by the late John 
Armitage from Syria, and all the fig trees which 
are now thriving in Udapussellawa and probably 
in Uva are descended from this stock. 
They thrive best at an elevation of 3,000 feet 
but do well up to 5,000 feet. Most of the planters 
in Udapussellawa are able to put a dish of figs 
on their table during the hot months of August 
and September, and a great deal more might be 
done. In a dry season, the fruit is delicious, 
quite as luscious as those grown in the Riviera. 
In a wet year the fruit is deficient in flavour. 
Your letters on the subject will induce many to 
extend its cultivation. I shall send you a basket 
some day next month ; but, to be enjoyed, they 
ought to be pulled first off the tree and eaten 
with early morning tea. With regard to quantity, 
I have just counted 140 on one tree, which seems 
a fair crop. G. A. D. 
FIG CULTURE: No. II. 
C. Province, 17th Aug. 1889. 
Sib, — In reply to "Old Planter" in your issue 
of loth instant, I regret that he has not travelled 
and seen the Figs that at various times have been 
exhibited at the Colombo and Kandy Agri-Horti- 
cultural Exhibitions. The Kirklees fig trees are 
famous and produce abundant crops of most deli- 
cious fruit, as fine as anything growing in sunny 
Spain or Italy. Suckers and cuttings from the 
Kirklees stock grown in Colombo, Kandy, Matale 
and Dikoya districts have produced fine fruits. 
Let "Old Planter " communicate with the worthy 
manager of Gampaha estate, and I am sure he will 
receive the necessary information. — Yours, 
ARBORATOR. 
ORANGE WINE. 
August 21st, 1889. 
Deab Sir, — At the request of my wife (after dinner 
too) I sit down to copy out a receipt for "Planter's 
Wife." I am sure she will be obliged and very much 
so should the brew turn out a success : presuming 
the recipe is faithfully carried out it should make a 
"Very Superior Orange Wine." 
Ingredients. — 90 Seville oranges, 32 lb. of lump sugar, 
water. 
Mode. — Break up the sugar into small pieces, aud 
put it into a dry, sweet 9-gallon cask, placed in a 
cellar or into other storehouse, where it is intended 
to be kept. Have ready close to the cask two large 
pans or wooden keelers, into one of which put the peel 
of the oranges pared quite thin, aud into the other 
the pulp after the juice has beon squeezed from it 
Strain tlie j nice through a piece of double muslin, and 
put into the cask with the sugar. Then pour about 
l\ gallon of cold spring water ou both tho peels aud 
