464 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. (-January i, 1890. 
topics of general interest to merchants and planters. 
It is to be published as nparly as possible on tbe 
15th of every month, or within two weeks of tbe 
meetings of the Central Agricultural Board. The 
editor in his introduction remarks : — 
In concluding thin prticle it is meet ard proper to 
observe that tbe vier v-^ns action of the Government 
in promoting' the present movement is qnite in keeping 
with tbe policy of Government, in evprv part of t.bp 
world. Voluntary effort is insufficient. Tn England a Min- 
ister of Agriculture has been recently appointed, in Tape 
Colony there ia a Government Department of Agrienl- 
ture as well as a ."Journal, and in tbi« Cnlonv the people 
require to be impressed with verv different ideas from 
those mentioned in Sir "William Robinson's inaugural 
speech, viz., that, " agricultural pursuits are, m t"o 
many cases, regarded as degrading." His Excellency 
quoted George Washington, who said that " Agricnl- 
ture was the most, healtbfnl, tbe most useful, and tbe 
most nob'e employment of roan." Fond and fool ; sh 
parents who think that a planter's life is pot suffi- 
ciently genteel for " vonng hopeful " and cripple them- 
selves to support their hnvs in Europe through a long 
and expensive course of study to qualify for one of the 
learned professions should bear in mind this wise say- 
ing of the most honoured President tb at, America has 
everhad, and remember that Law. Physic and Divi- 
nity, overstocked as they are. and depending fs much 
for snceesg on family connections or interest and infln- 
ential friends as on the ability of the vonng aspirant, 
can offer no surer road to happiness and independence 
than Agriculture. 
It is gratifying to us to see our publication, tbe 
Tropical Agriculiwrist, made the subject of the lead- 
ing article, and so highly appreciated as the follow- 
ing extract indicates : — 
the "tropical agriculturist."* 
This Journal has been strongly recommended to the 
Local Agricultural Boards and others as tbe best cur- 
rent periodical treating of Tropical Agriculture, and 
aryone may satisfy himself of the wisdom of this ad- 
vice by referring to the very complete Index published 
in the June number ("to be found in tb° Public Library) ; 
this number oomple'es the Eighth Volume, and it will 
have to bp confessed that its scope is quite encvlopedas'e, 
its contributors practical and accurate, and in every 
wav it might serve as a model of what could be done in 
" Trinidad," if every one wurld take the excellent ad- 
vice given by Mr. Hart in his second Lecture, "Our 
Work." and pull together for the common good. 
Various products are then discussed, such as tea, 
which cannot be grown profitably in Trinidad anv 
more than sugar on alarge scale can be grown topay in 
Ceylon : coffee, which can and ought to be culti- 
vated extensively in Trinidad; cacao, whichis crown in 
both colonies; coconuts and pepper. This article and 
others will be quoted in the Tropical Agriculturist- 
Tn consequence of the Erythrinas having been badly 
injured by locusts, a new shade tree for cacao was 
being discussed. The botanical name is not giver, 
only the local term Apomata, but it is said fo re- 
semble Corrlia gerascanthvs. There is a long and 
interesting Vat of Native Medicinal Plants. One is 
thus noticed : — 
Herbe it Pique, Fr. Calea Lobata, Botan.— This latter 
plant I regard as a good snocedauenm of the cinchona ; 
in fact, as good as any which can be mentioned. But 
so bitter it is that it must be administered in some 
spirit, mm for instance, or in powder. Tbe whole 
plant may be used. 
Legislation for the repression of the destructive insect 
known as the " parasol ant " was the subject of 
considerable discussion. With refer' nee to a pro- 
posal for establishing a local agricultural bank, 
the staple industry was thus referred to by a speaker 
at a meeting ; — 
* " The Tropicnl Agriculturist "—A. M. & J. Vac- 
gnson, Colombo, Cey'on ; London Agents, John Mad- 
don & Co. 
Our large Cocoa estates derived most of their capital 
from the English and French merchants. Basing his 
calculation npon the Cocoa industry, he saw that we ex- 
ported 120,000 baps of Cocoa. He calculated that one- 
third of that Cocoa was pledged for advances or other 
debts abroad, and there remained some 80.000 bags for 
which tbe cost of production was supplied fr m capital 
in the island, either from individual capitalists or tbe 
Colonial Bank through intermediaries. If they took 
the cost of production and cultivation of the Cocoa 
trees, including the voung trees not yet hearing, be 
would put. it at, $10 per bag ("subject to co rection). 
That would he $800,000— a sufficient margin for a bank 
to begin with. 
An article on the "Fibre Industry" will be re- 
printed in tbe Tropical Agriculturist. — We shall look 
with interest for future numbers of the Trinidad 
" Agricultural Record." 
The Cotton from Wattegama, sent by a corres- 
pondent, is reported on by the Hon. W. W. 
Mitchell as follows: — "I took the sample of cotton 
to the mill yesterday and ginned sodip, and now 
Fend you a little of it. It is white Egyptian, of 
fair staple, but a little stained as you will see : 30 
cents a lb. free from seed is the value at any 
railway station for any quantity." 
The Government Quinologist. — We learn that 
the sprvicps of Mr. Hooper, the Quinologist, will be 
retainer! by tbe Madras Government, but not on 
the terms of bis covenant. He will he placed on 
the TJncovenanted list, and bi^ emoluments and 
allowances be regulated by the rules of that, service. 
It is hoped the arrangement will enable h'm to com- 
plete tbe various experiments inaugurated. — South 
of India Observer. 
Cyprus. — General Sir Robert Biddulph, Governor 
of Cyprus, in ai addres ; before the Briti'h Associa- 
tion, gave a detailed account of the geographical 
features of the island. Tbe whole of the forest lands 
of Cyprus occupied an area of 400 square miles. 
When the British entered into occupation, the ravages 
of the wood-cutter were in full operation, and it could 
not be doubted that the final destruction of the forests 
was onlv a question of time. Then goats were very 
destructive to the forests, dest'oying the trees where 
they were allowed to pasture unrestrictedly. While 
in Italy the. number of goats was 16 per square mile, 
in Cyprus the number was 64 per square mile, and 
1430 for every 1000 inhabitants. The destruction of 
the forests produced climatal disturbances, and dimi- 
nished the wealth and productiveness of the idand. 
The Locust plague increased wherever the forests 
were destroyed. The farms were all worked by their 
proprietors, and tbe consequence was that there were 
no wealthy persons and no beggars. There were in 
the island 600,000 registered hoi lings of real property 
— that was to say, more than three for each io- 
habitant. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Weeds — Herbs and flowers which grow v-bere the 
agriculturist c the gardener does rot want them, 
fo v m the subject of an article in the October issue 
of the Corvhill Magazine. The greater part of our 
existing weeds are ('observes the writer) contemporaries 
of the stone an 1 bronze age, and came to us, like 
civilisation, from the remote East, with the introduc- 
tion of Co r n and Barlev. When man had cleared the 
primaeval forests, the wild herbs and flowers accustomed 
to live under tbe shade of trees were exposed to the 
open heat of the noonday sun, and died out. and a 
vegetation from elsewhere began to usurp the soil. 
In America, where the substitution is a thing of such 
very late ^ote, the two floras, native and intrusive, 
can be traced with perfect ease and certainty, European 
weeds of cultivation have taken possession of all 
Eastern America, to the exclusion of the native wood- 
land flora, almost as fully as the European man. with 
his horse and cows, has taken possession of the soil to 
the exclusion of the noble Red Indian with his cor- 
relative buffalo, — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
