33° 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1889. 
The following is an extract from The Hongkong 
Telegraph : — 
The Lamag Planting Company, Limited, was 
registered here a few days ago with a capital of 
$300,000 in six thousand shares of 150 each, $25 
paid up. The properly of this Company is situated 
near the Koyah estate in British North Borneo, 
and the general managers are Messrs. Gibb Living- 
ston & Co., with the Hon. B. Layton and Messrs. 
H. L. Dalrymple and E. E. Abrahamson as a Con- 
sulting Committee. All the shares have been sub- 
scribed for, and a manager (an old Sumatra planter) 
has been appointed. The China-Borneo Company, 
Limited, are the local agents of the Company in 
Borneo. 
Two new Tobacco Estates are being opened on 
the Kinabatangan, one by Mr. H. Stoof for the 
London Amsterdam Tobacco Company, Limited, and 
by Mr. Kortahus for the Sandakan Tobacco, Com- 
pany, Limited. We understand that other estates 
will shortly be opened on the same rivet.— British 
North Borneo Herald, Sept. 1st. 
PLANTING IN THE WEST INDIES. 
(By an ex-Ceylon Planter.) 
Grenada, W. I., Aug. 30th. 
This is a most fertile and beautiful island. The 
climate at sea-level is much like that of Colombo, 
and on the higher lands it is near perfection. 
Our staple product is cacao, but some attention 
is given to canes, and nutmegs have been planted 
on a fairly large scale. 
The soil and climate are suitable for the cultiva- 
tion of nearly anything ; coffee, of which formerly 
there was a large acreage, gave way to cacao and 
can now only be seen here and there in small 
patches; and although little or no attention is 
given to it, the trees are laden with cherries, and 
there are no signs of your old enemy Hemileia 
vastatrix. 
Tobacco cultivation has lately been reintroduced, 
(some 150 years ago it was the staple of 
the island), and will, with proper care, and 
planted at the right season, do splendidly: but it 
is absolutely necessary that we should have an 
expert to teach us the " tips " for us to succeed 
in making the enterprise a complete success. 
Labour is good : a Creole will generally do a day's 
work for a day's pay Is 2d to Is 4d, they are willing 
and cheerful, and decidedly humorous. Cacao and 
other products grow luxuriantly to within a yard 
or two of the sea. The only enemy of any con- 
sequence to the cacao tree is the cacao beetle, 
this pest lays its eggs or spawn under the bark 
of the tree next to the cambium and unless these 
are removed and the beetles destroyed they are 
verydestructive in "ringing" the trees. 
A oricket club has been started in London for 
West Indians in England, and, as it will boast of 
several old "county" men, will be able to turn 
out an eleven worthy of the West. " West Indians 
v. Ceylon" would prove an attraction at Lords or 
the Oval. 
An Old Ceylon Planter. 
♦ 
THE PROPOSED STRAITS PLANTERS 
ASSOCIATION. 
With reference to a query addressed to us by the 
writer of "Joliore Notes" asking about the proposal 
to start a " Straits Planters Association " we are glad 
to learn that preliminary steps are now being taken 
lor this purpose. The annexed circular has been issued 
to a number of gentlemen who are interested in planting 
in the Native States and Johore. There is some talk 
of including British Borneo in the scheme, and even 
the Sumatra planting intoreat. While the former 
suggestion may prove useful it is probable that the 
Deli people being under a different administration would 
not find themselves able to co-opeiate beyond certain 
limits. The big subject will no doubt be that of immi- 
grant labour and here joint action will be of great benefit 
to the planting interest at lar^e. This is the circular 
referred to which is issued by Mr. Edmund A. B. Br iwn, 
Honorary Secretary, Penang and Province Wellesley 
Planters Association: — S. P. Press, Sept. 11th. 
♦ 
HOW TO MAKE TEA PROPERLY. 
Messrs. Brooke, Bond, andOo., tea dealers, answer the 
enquiry of the Daily Telegraph, by giving the follow- 
ing receipt for making tea on scientific principles. The 
water to be used should boil, and it should be poured 
on the tea immediately it boils ; if allowed to overboil 
the peculiar property of boiling water which acts upon 
tea evaporates, and eventually disappears. As to the 
precise number of minutes which should be devoted 
to the process of drawing, experince is in favour of 
six ; this suffices to bring out the flavour, quality 
and strength. Just as much tea as it wanted should 
be made — no more. Make fresh tea as often as is 
required. The teapot should be made thoroughly hot 
before the tea is put in it. Tea readily takes up the 
smell of coffee, cocoa, spices, cheese, bacon, or other 
articles of pronounced odour. The complaints some- 
times made about tea would probably not arise if 
always kept in places free from such contagion. Tea 
should be stored in a warm dry place ; unnecessary 
exposure to the air should be avoided. Even when 
securely packed in the leaded chests in which it arrives 
in England the change from the glowing heat of 
Eastern skies to the damp and humid atmosphere of 
this climate deprives tea of much of its beautiful- 
fragrance. — H. C. Mail. 
CEYLON TOBACCO IN LONDON. 
We think the following report (placed at our 
disposal) on part of the Ceylon tobacco sold lately 
in London full of encouragement to Ceylon planters 
engaged in this cultivation to take pains and 
put in practice " the wrinkles " given them in " All 
About Tobacco " :— 
Report on Tobacco from Hunasgeria Estate 
Ex "Orizaba" sold on Sept. 19th, 1889. 
Sold at 
Bales. Properties. per lb 
2 Part middling leafy; part short; part 
rather narrow ; part thin and silky; part 
coarse and waxy ; colors irregular ; large 
part reddish; some veins rather coarse lOJd 
3 Part middling leafy ; part short; generally 
rather coarse in texture ; and much mixed 
in color ... ... ... 6gd 
2 Much mixed iD size and color ; part im- 
perfect, part blistered; generally inferior... 4d 
The fermentation of this tobacco appears to be in- 
complete. 
« ■ 
Cacao in Ceylon. — We read but little of late in our 
Ceylon papers of any present or contemplated exten- 
sion of Cacao Cultivation by your planters. This 
seems regrettable, and it is desirable to call your at- 
tention to a statement appearing in the market 
reports of The Times which mentions that " Ceylon 
cocoa, through its scarcity, has obtained much 
higher prices." This shows that your product is 
being much inquired for, and it would only seem 
judicious that every attempt should be made to 
produce supplies that will be adequate to this 
manifest demand. Sir William Robinson, the 
present Governor of Trinidad, told me recently 
that the reason why the cocoa grown in that 
island holds its own so strongly is that it is 
superior in the " fattiness" so dear to the hearts 
of continental cocoa drinkers to that produced 
elsewhere. On the other hand, Mr. Roberts has 
told me that the delicate flavour of Ceylon cocoa 
is more appreciated by the manufacture' of sweet- 
meats. Could not both qualities be obtained by 
your planters ?"— London Cor. 
