March i, 1890.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 607 
ably, as good as any of its class, but we concluded that, 
in -view of the strong opposition by the blenders to 
pure Ceylon tea, it would be uufair to the Association'^ 
interests to let a pekoe souchong stand the test, and 
so it was enriched by a few pounds of pekoe No. 1. 
The natives have behaved admirably, working from 
10 a. m. to 10-30 p. m. each day. Last week a servant 
girl was engaged to wash up the tea dishes, the long 
hours and hard work being too much for the Sinhalese 
without assistance. 
Enclosed please find a list of the exhibits. Judg- 
ing will soon take place, and Certificates of Order of 
merit will be issued, but no medals. 
By book post I forwarded to you and to Mr. Kelly 
two copies each of photographs of the Ceylon Kiosk 
taken by Mr. J. V. H. Owen of Maturate, Mr. Oweu 
expressed himself as well satisfied with what had been 
done here. 
I regret that the case of Photographs by Mr. Skeen 
forwarded by Mr. H. Mackenzie of Melbourne has gone 
astray, and a box containing tea has been delivered 
in its place. 
Every effort will be made to recover the Photographs. 
I shall be glad to have your instructions as to the 
disposal of the Kiosk at the close of the Exhibition, 
The Kiosk itself cost £50, and the erecting, decorating, 
flooring etc. £50 10s, besides curtains and other material. 
If the Tea Fund Committee lock forward to being 
represented at the Ne* York or any future Exhibition 
it might be worth their while to have the Kiosk taken 
to pieces and shipped to Colombo for future use. 
Fresh painting will always make it as gooi as new 
for Exhibition purposes, and it would be a pity to 
let go for a trifle an article which has answered its 
purpose so well here. 
Perhaps the Committee will fix a price limit and 
instruct me so that in the event of my not being 
able to obtain that or a higher figure here I should 
send the Kiosk to Colombo.— I remain &c, 
(Signed) W. Watson, 
Inspector, Colonial Bank of N. Z. 
Tea. — Amruunarnulle estate ; Blackstone ; Blair Athol, F 
G A Lane ; Brunswick ; Castlereagh, L H Kelly ; Court 
Lodge ; Dalhousie, G- H Green ; Dedugalla ; Dunedin, F T 
Turpin ; Eastland ; Emelina, Colombo Commercial Company, 
Limited ; Gallebodde, Mackwood & Co. ; Great Western ; 
Hethersett, K Mac andrew ; Holmwood ; Invery, Scottish 
Ceylon Tea Company, Limited; Kenagaha Ella, H H Bastard; 
Kiutyre ; Kirkoswald, C Carew; Labookellie ; Mooloya, Colombo 
Commercial Company, Limited ; New Peradeniya, R Anderson ; 
Rookwood, C S Armstrong ; Sembawatte, D Fainveather ; 
Theberton, T J Grigg ; Tillyrie ; Tommagong, J McLaren ; 
Torwood, D A Wilson ; Vellai Oya ; Wallaha, G A Talbot ; 
Buchanan, Frazer & Co., (the handsome ebony case sent 
with Messrs. Buchanan, Frazer & Co's. exhibit deserves 
special mention ;) William Law & Co., Lee, Hedges & Co. 
Coffee. -Buchanan, Frazer & Co., Colombo Commercial 
Company, Limited, William Law & Co.; Lee, Hedges & Co,, 
North Matale estate, D Edwards & Co. 
COCOA. — A G K • Borron, Commbo Commercial Com- 
pany, Limited, C O Mackwood, Gaugaroowa estate, Ed- 
uiond Jeffries ; North Matale estate, D Edwards & Co 
Cinchona.— Blah- Athol estate, F G A Lane ; W Jordan 
& Co. 
Coconut Oil and Poonac— C H De Soysa, Stevenson 
& Son. 
Cardamoms.— Castlereagh estate. L H Kelly; Colombo 
Commercial Company, Limited. 
Annatto.— Crystal Hill estate, A (J K Borron ; Keena- 
gaha Ella, H H Bastard. 
Pepper. -Cryst'4 Hill estate, A G K Borron ; North 
Matale, 1) Edwards & Co. 
Cinnamon-.— C H De Soysa. 
RUBBER.— North Mataln estate, D Edwards & Co. 
Kapok.— C O Mackwood. 
Abkowkoot and various Seeds and Ground Grain.— 
R P Jayawardene, Kotte. 
Photographs.— Colombo Apothecaries' Company; C A 
Scowen ; J Fentou Wingate. 
Books, Maps, Statistical Taui.es, &c. — A M & J 
Ferguson. 
Silver and Bhassware.— Kandy Art Work Association. 
Rattan- Work.— T J Ramlan, Colombo. 
Kalltara Workmanship.— G M Fowler, cos. 
Butterflies. Skins op Animals, Birds, Photogbaphs, 
&c— The Secretary, Planters ' Association, 
CINCHONA AND SUGAR IN NETHERLANDS 
INDIA. 
In Java, the cultivation of sugar-cane now meets 
with difficulties owing to a disease called sereh 
striking at the roots of the plants. A planting 
expert at Samaranghas, saya the Batavia Nieuws- 
Mad, ascertained that the evil extends also to the 
Straits Settlements, and that, too, in an aggravated 
form. The disease makes rapid headway in Java, 
where it has spread from the central provinces 
to the eastern end of the island. Wherever it has 
gained a footing, the havoo wrought reaches 
alarming proportions, and no effeotive remedy 
suggests itself. The planters are at their wit's 
end how to cope with the foe. 
In the Preanger (Java), large stretches of land 
taken up, to be planted with cinchona, have been 
abandoned, and have lapsed to Government, owing 
to the decline in the price of bark. No capital 
could be raised for cultivation, and hence the land 
proved a burden to be oast off as quick as 
possible.— Straits Times, Feb. 4th. 
PLANTING IN THE LESSER ANTILLES, 
WEST INDIES. 
Besides the sugar-cane and ooooa-nut palms 
there are industries oonnected with fruits, fibres, 
spices, annatto, arrow-root, pepper, maize, medi. 
cinal plants, soent-producing plants, ooca, ramie, 
tea, tobacoo, and many others well suited to the 
soil and climate. 
It is well known that in former days large for- 
tunes were made by sugar planters in the West 
Indies. Now, however, even the best estates do 
little more than give a small return on the capi- 
tal invested, while many cannot even do this. It 
would be unwise, therefore, for the West Iodies 
to confine their attention exclusively, or, indeed, 
largely to the sugar-cane. Already a change is 
taking plaoe. Jamaica has pimento, coffee, tropical 
fruits, cinchona, dye-woods, annatto, cacao ; Trini- 
dad has cacao, cocoanuts ; Grenada is almost ex- 
clusively cacao and spices ; Montserrat is noted 
for its lime plantations and lime-juice ; while 
Dominica exports concentrated lime-juice, cacao, 
coco-nuts, as well as oranges to the neighbouring 
islands. The tendency is for the cultivation of the 
West Indies to become more and more diversified, 
and it is well it should be so. 
With such good markets for produce of all kinds 
in the United States and Europe, it is evident 
that West Indian planters could regain much of 
their former prosperity if only they adapted them- 
selves to the new order of things. To assist them 
in the development of new industries, Government 
botanical gardens are in course of being established, 
under the auspices of Kew, in every island, and 
from these new plants and information respecting 
their cultivation are being widely distributed. In 
such a work enterprising governors, such as the 
late Sir Anthony Musgrave, and the present Gover- 
nor of Trinidad, Sir William Robinson, and others, 
have taken an active part. It is not, however, as 
regards industrial subjects only that interest in the 
West Indies has revived of late. The publication 
of Griesbach's " Flora of the British West Indian 
Islands" in 1864 (one of the series of colonial 
flora projected by the late Sir William Hooker) was 
for a long time the only eflort made in the cause 
of botanical sience in this part of the world. 
Since that time, both the fauna and flora have 
reoeived systematic attention in this country and 
in the United States, and after a lapse of nearly 
two hundred years we are beginning to have a 
clear idea of the distribution of life in the Carib- 
bean Arohipelago. D. M, 
, —Nature, Jftn. 23rd, 
