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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST* [March i, 1890. 
yet to come ; but since our day, railways have been 
constructed, as Mr. Waylen describes, and the 
journey which took us nearly a week by a buggy 
and pair of horses from Albany to Perth, can now 
be performed in less than 24 hours, or comfort- 
ably in a couple of days. Few towns of its size 
are more attractive for beauty and convenience of 
situation or more healthful, than Perth the capital 
of Western Australia on the Swan Eiver. Sur- 
rounded if not embosomed in vineyards, with a fine 
agricultural country stretching to the eastward, 
no one should be disappointed with a holiday trip 
to Perth at the best season. To such holiday trips 
would no doubt succeed closer connections and more 
permanent relations in many cases ; and although 
we freely recognise the difficulty attending the sub- 
stitution of Western Australia for England in respect 
of the education and bringing up of children ; 
yet in some cases it is possible the former might be 
found the more convenient, or at least equally 
suitable should Mr. Waylen's idea of more frequent 
intercourse between the two Colonies be realized, 
On the other hand, we cannot forget that 
Ceylon, where "Europe amid Asia smiles", is so 
highly favoured with varieties of climates from the 
tropic warmth of Colombo to the medium hill 
temperatures between Kandy and Hatton (1,700 to 
4,000 feet altitude) and up to the bracing mountain 
cold of Nuwara Eliya at 6,200 feet, that changes 
beyond the island are not so necessary to 
Europeans in this island as to sojourners in India. 
The difference of scenery, however, and the sunni- 
ness and yet coolness of Western Australia should be 
great attractions. The Colony, too is about to take 
a new start and has doubtless a great future, in 
the advantages of which it is quite likely visitors 
from Ceylon — induced to become settlers, say on 
some of the land grants of the Railway Company, — 
may participate. Tho extremes mentioned by our 
correspondent being rare, the merits of the climate 
are not exaggerated. Land is plentiful and cheap 
and with irrigation, carefully selected lots can be 
made to grow anything from the apple and cherry 
to the orange and the vine. For some time, it 
must of course be the day of small things ; but in 
the hope of attracting attention to our nearest 
neighbour of ihe " Australias," we recommend to 
careful perusal, the letter of her patrotio oolonist 
Mr. James Waylen. 
♦ 
Cotton in Dumbaea. — We hear that probably 
never before in oeylon has so fine a crop of cotton 
been seen as on Mr. Vollar's property, Karandagaila 
in the Dumbara valley. In Matale district too, the 
prospects of the cotton crop are very favourable. 
Foe Ceylon Tea, says the London affld China 
Express (an organ which favours China tea) I aabated 
efforts are continued to push consumption i^nerwise 
than in this country, and are meeting with suocess. 
There are many varieties as regards flavour to suit 
most markets where Tea is drunk, but there is still 
much to be learnt to bring the product (and Indian 
too) up to the best standard of China tea. 
The Botanical Editor and Influenza. — Our con- 
temporary — the Family Doctor— of last week amused 
thote of its readers who had any acquaintance 
with Materia Medica by giving its most prominent 
page to an article on " the use of cocaine,'' illus- 
trated with a large engraving of the coconut-tree— 
Cocos Nucifera. The reader, perhaps, wondered 
what the picture did there, but this was soon 
explained, for the article opened thus :—" Cocaine 
ia a comparatively new drug; it iB obtained from 
the leaves of the cocoa-tree, which is a genus belong- 
ing to the natural order of palms."— Chemist and 
Pruggitt, Jan. 18th. 
The Coco Islands : — The Rangoon Gazette 
says: — "It is said that a strong effort is being 
made in Rangoon to form a syudioate to explore 
the Coco Islands." These, of course, are not the 
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, but the fever-haunts in 
the Bay of Bengal north of the great Andaman 
known as the Great and Little Coco. Some years 
ago the lease of these islands was advertised in our 
columns. Beside the 0000 palm, from which the 
islands are named, various tropical products have 
been tried there. 
The Peach Orchaeds of California. — We learn 
from an interesting article, by Mr. C. H. Shiun, in 
the American Agriculturist, that the Peach is one of 
the universal fruits of California, and grows every- 
where, and that whatever future demands foreign 
markets choose to make upon this favoured land for 
Peaches can be abundantly supplied, as the Peach 
thrives in so large an extent of country. In the best 
fruit districts of the State, from 25 to 40 per cent, of 
the entire area planted is devoted to the culture of 
Peaches. The Peach tree in California often bears 
some fruit the second year from the bud, and gives a 
valuable crop the third year. Sometimes 20 lb. of fruit 
have been obtained from a tree fourteen months from 
the bud. In the Upper Vaca Valley, an orohard of 400 
trees was planted in 1884, and gave £60 worth of 
Peaches in the third year, and another orchard of 500 
trees yielded £280 worth of Peaches in the fourth year 
after planting. The practice with the best orchardists 
is to thin the fruit, so as to let a four-year-old Peach 
tree bear 100 lb. weight of fruit, a five-year-old tree 
1501b, and a six-year-old tree 200 lb, But sometimes a 
six-year-old tree has been allowed to bear 300 lb. of 
Peache3 without apparent injury. Leading growers 
say, that if they can be assured of 1 cent per lb. for 
their Peaches in the orchard, they can do well 
enough. There are some who thiuk even a lower 
price would leave a margin for profit. The ambition 
of the most intelligent growers is said to be to pro- 
vide cheap fruit for the million. They are aware that 
a great industry cannot be built up without wholesale 
methods and a willingness to accept small profits. — 
Gardeners' Chronicle. 
An Elephant Teain. — A correspondent writes : — 
A novelty in the way of special trains left Mysore 
Station on Monday morning. Twenty elephants, 
big and little, were packed in vans with the sides 
caged and open to admit of plenty of air. The 
loading of these animals was very amusing to the 
spectators. Four baby elephants were packed in 
one van, and the last one of these, gave two fine 
tame female elephants plenty of trouble. They 
pushed the little one towards the van, and he 
screamed with rage and ran between their feet, 
rushing right and left ; but the two mammas 
were not to be beaten, and the naughty screaming 
youngster was, after sundry struggles, landed 
safely with his brothers ; but although conquered 
he was not silenced, for I believe the whole night 
he was hoard pouring forth lamentations. Many 
of the medium-sized ones were troublesome, but on 
the whole they were most admirably managed by 
the indefatigable Mr. Sanderson, Superintendent of 
Keddahs, who remained all day in the hot sun en- 
couraging and advising his numerous staff. The 
principal Europeans of the station were present as 
well as many natives. The 20 elephants are destined 
for Palghat, where they will be disposed of to the 
credit of the Mysore Government, but they will 
rest one day at Bangalore City Station, and then 
continue their journey by the Madras Railway by 
special train. I am sure all will wish Mr. Sanderson 
a successful journey with his valuable freight. We 
understand some of the elephants are too large for 
railing, and these will march to Bangalore, It is 
almost impossible to realize that these giants of the 
forest were in a wild state only a few months ago,— 
Bangalore Spectator, 
