22 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. fJuLY i, 1887. 
The Batavia Nieuweblad draws attention to the 
circumstance that, with capital supplied by Deli 
planters, one of the Penang hills has been secured 
for the purpose of starting a Netherlands British 
sanitarium called the " Crag" chiefly for Europeans 
from the East Coast of Sumatra. It stands at a 
height of 2,300 feet above sea level in a cool climate, 
and is said to be especially suitable for the diseases 
arising from malarious surroundings The establish- 
ment is said to be under the business management 
of a Netherlander, and to be under the superintend- 
ence of the Consul-General for the Netherlands. 
THE INDIAN DUTY ON BICE. 
English rice millers and merchants have a grievance 
which is very stroDgly felt. Discussing the matter 
from a free-trade point of view, they urged that rice, 
far from enjoying any such boon has to struggle against 
a repressive impost that is of ruiDOus effect. There 
was up to 1873 an export duty upon wheat sent out 
of India, but in that year it was repealed, and since 
then the Indian wheat trade has multiplied tenfold. 
But the export duty of 6d per cwt. on rice sent out 
of India and Burmah has been maintained, and since 
1873 the rice trade of the United Kingdom has de- 
creased 27 per cent. These two matters have a 
direct bearing upon each other. The uncleaned rice 
that is brought to this coun'ry is manufactured 
into white rice, rice flour, and rice meal, and 
there is direct competition between the two latter 
products and similar wheat products. Hence the 6d 
per cwt. export tax upon rice places the English 
rice merchants and millers at a direct disadvantage 
in competing with wheat millers and corn merchants. 
Nor is this all. The export duty is the same upon both 
cleaned and rough rice, and this practically gives the 
miller in Burmah an advantage of about 5s per ton in 
shipping cleaoed rice to the Continent. Th n, when 
the rice from Burmah reaches France it is admitted 
duty free, whereas if it be sent to France from Eng- 
Inad, an import duty is levied of 30s d^il per too, 
and this differential treatment has simply rained the 
English rice trade with the Continent. When to these 
grievances is added the fact that in some Crown colon- 
ies a duty is levied upon rice that renders business im- 
possible, it is not surprising that the rice trade is en- 
deavoring to bring their troubles under the notice of 
Parliament. They have enlisted the services of Mr. 
Baden Powell in the matter, and when opportunity 
offers, the Honorable Member will have little difficulty 
in showing that the policy that has been pursued has 
had a disxstrous effect both upon invested capital 
and the employment of labour in rice mills. — Orocer. 
[The Indian Government offers no defence for the 
one export duty retained in their tariff except that 
in present circumstances the revenue derived from 
the sixpence (it does not seem much) on each cwt. 
cannot be sacrificed.— Er>.] 
The Mat Issue of the Kew Bulletin contains a 
useful summary of facts, now for the first time brought 
together, respecting Bowstring hemp. This valuable 
fibre, which is valued in London at 301. per ton, it 
yielded by some ten or twelve ipecies of Sansevieria, 
a liliaceous genus of plants, very abundant on both 
the east and west coasts of tropical Africa, but ex- 
tending also to Ceylon and Indii. They are described 
as essentially tropical plants, with mottled leaves ; they 
prefer a rich moist soil, and a comparatively humid 
climate. The fibre is very firm and elastic, hair-like, 
and silky; it takes dye very readily, and the refuse 
material, or tow, can be converted into excellent paper. 
One species, described as Scmsevuria longijlora, sent by 
Sir John Kirk from Zanzibar, has leaves 9 feet long, 
and tbe fibre is described by experts as "vcrybrigbt, 
clean, strong fibre, and in every way a most desirable 
commercial article." The opinion is expressed that 
this will doubtless prove a new fibre-plant of great 
value. We would mention that these Bulletins are 
published by Messrs. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 
and can be. obtained either directly or through any 
bookseller. 
TOBACCO AND SUGAR IN MANILA. 
(Translated for the Strait) Tiwist ) 
A correspondent assures the Comercio that the cur- 
rent tobacco crop in the island of Luzon looks flour- 
ishing, but that there is every prospect of the crop 
proving short of last year's. This falling off is as- 
cribabte to many cultivators having given up grow- 
ing it. They grudge the toil and trouble attending 
the cultivation of an article reqifring so much care 
and attentiou, and fetching now-a-days such unre- 
munerative prices. This is especially the case in the 
province of Isabela. There, growers display such in- 
difference and heedlessness iu bringing tobacco of 
inferior quality to market, that the article in ques- 
tion has steadily fallen into discredit. Many cultiv- 
ators instead of remedying the evil by paying more 
attention to securing a product of superior quality 
become discouraged, and make hardly an effort to 
carry on an industry, formerly so profitable but now 
fast declining. 
The sugar growing interest in the islands hafi been 
favoured by Government, which bids fair to help 
them materially in facing the sea of troubles men- 
acing them. The Home authorities have sanctioned 
the reduction of the export duty on sugar in Philip- 
pine ports by twanty per cent. The sugar planters 
m sore straits indeed in the islands, welcome tbia 
slight relief with joy. Little as the reduction looks, 
it is something to be thankful for. 
CEYLON TJPCOUNTBY PLANTING EEPOBT. 
TUB MONSOON — DEMAND FOB TEA PLANTS — INDIAN TEA 
SEED A FAILURE — THE LIFE OF THE TEA TREE — IN- 
CREASE IN NUMBER OF TEA FACTORIES — THE MACINNE3 
TEA ROLLER - COOLIES AND HARBHOLLING. 
6th June 1887. 
The monsoon so far has been mild, without 
much high wind, and there has been splendid 
planting weather. There is a considerable demand 
for tea plants, and although a little while ago 
those who had gone in for nurseries as a spec 
did not see their way out of them very 
profitably, still this is pretty much changed now. 
Orders are coming in somewhat freely, and 
several with plants for sale are booked up to 
their full extent, and deliveries are large. 
There is a considerable amount of discontent 
at the results of Indian seed. It is, if true, a 
fraud and a failure than ought else, and those who 
have dealt most largely in it, have least faith in 
it, and incline to have their wants for seed sup- 
plied for the future from local gardens of approved 
j&ts. 
. In regard to the longevity of the tea tree, one 
has to go pretty far afield to settle this. How 
long it will last in Ceylon may perhaps be known 
by some future generation, but not likely to be a 
burning question for a considerable time to anyone 
elss than Indian tea planters. But as a contrib- 
ution to what it can do in Japvn, there was a 
visitor in this district lately from that part of the 
world, and he spoke of tea gardens which he had 
seen, the leaf from which was reserved for the 
Mikado and had been so all along. There were in 
those gardens vigorous trees, which were said to 
be three hundred years old. A good deal less than 
that would satisfy the present Ceylon planter. 
Factories keep going up, on all sides, and what 
before would have had a newspaper notice, is now 
allowed to pass unehronicled. It is not everyone, 
however, who goes in for a three-storied iron store 
from home, such as is at present being erected on 
New Peradeniya estate. 'Ihe work is being done 
by an engineer imported from home, who will see 
to its erection, and the removal of the machinery 
already in the place, 
Although the Badulla side of the country is not 
yet very forward with its tea, still they have then- 
own roller, that designed by Mr. John Molnnes. J s^w 
