$6 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. Qulv i, 1887. 
and plentiful water carriage. It is not quite de- 
cided as to whether the Company will be floated 
here, or in London, but as there are already 
several applicants for shares on the ground, and 
more may be expected when the prospectuses are 
iasued, very likely there will be sufficient local 
capital found, without going further afield. 
By the way, as an indication of how other tropical 
planters regard tea as an investment, I hear that 
a wealthy tobacco-grower who paid a visit to Ceylon 
the other day and saw what was being done was 
so favourably impressed, that he purposes investing 
largely in tea property. 
Cardamoms of the Malabar variety have proved 
so uncertain, that acres of them are being dug out 
in the northern districts to bo replaced by the 
upstanding Mysore, Over the Malabars in many 
places there has come a blight, and as the other 
variety seems hardier and less liable to insect 
attacks it is fast driving out the weaker kind, and 
the growers are more sure of a steadier return. 
What coffee has come to in Ceylon is manifest 
from the fact that one family I heard of who has 
connections in Southern India found the procuring 
of coffee in Ceylon for bungalow use so difficult 
that it has taken to import it from the Indian estates. 
Black bug still lies in wait, and depresses and 
destroys. Men who were hopeful a little while ago 
of doing well with their coffee speak less hope- 
fully today. It is surprising how quickly and quietly 
black bug causes a crop to disappear. The bug 
seems to be decreasing, and if you have not been 
observant you may fancy that what was set at 
the beginning of the attack is there still. But alas : 
a large portion of the promise is gone, and what 
is left is much deteriorated. I see every now and 
again in your columns a cry, " Can't something 
be done?" This has gone up from every district 
through which the pest has past, and there is 
something pathetic to find it still echoing on. 
Those who have been smitten have succumbed 
or recovered ; they are now busy with the newer 
products, but they feel how hopeless all help 
is to combat this plague, and that to fold the 
hands and wait seems about all that can be done. 
Peppercorn. 
♦ 
Ceylon Tea in Australia. — Mr. D. W. Camp- 
bell, formerly of Ceylon, writes to us from Sydney, 
N. S. W., under date 31st May:— "Ceylon Tea 
pure and unmixed with China stuff is beginning to 
be appreciated here, and in time, I believe, a good 
trade will be established here, as once they get a 
liking for it people will drink no other tea. New 
South Wales is having a very hard time of it just 
now, but with the fine seasons we are having, no 
doubt, trade will revive again. I would very much 
like to see the country going in for agriculture 
more than they do as I thoroughly believe it to be 
the backbone of success in all countries and N, S. 
W. will not be an exception." 
Coffee and Gkeen Bug : the Need for United 
Effort. — A planter writes : — "I am glad to see such 
oonstant references to green bug in your paper. It 
must do some good and rouse planters from their 
callous state at last. If you could only urge on them 
the importance of forking up and so burying the leave?, 
combined with a good dressing of caustic lime, they 
might perhaps combine and do something. Specifics 
are put down as too costly, but digging and liming 
is not expensive and the b nefits are certain, the 
soil is sure to be improved. Those who are ex- 
perimenting here are losing heart because their 
neighbours are doing nothing ; and they say, not 
without reason, what is the use of exterminating 
bug here when So-and-so is enoouraging its growth 
0 vor the boundary?" 
Indian Gold Mine Beturns. —The following are the 
returns of crushing on the Mysore and Nundydroog 
Mines : — Mysore Mine for May : — 526 tons crushed 
produced 608J oz. of gold. Nundydroog, during 
April and May 63 tons of quartz crushed pro- 
duced 54J oz of gold, — Madras Mail, 10th June. 
Coffee and Banana Culture in Costa Rica. — Coffee 
and Bananas are said to be the two chief articles that are 
now attracting attention in Costa Rica— the former 
for the better prices ruling in Europe, and the prob- 
able failure or short Brazilian crop for the next year 
or two, and the latter for the quick and ready re- 
turns the cultivation of Bananas gives. For instance 
forest land, say of 200 acres can be cleared, sown, an I 
be yielding a fair crop in eighteen months, whilst 
Coffee, Cocoa, and Rubber require four to five years 
before any return can be made. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Wheat, Barley and Gram. — Experiments made with 
the object of ascertaining whether flour made from 
wheat, barley or gram is the most nutritious, have 
shown that parched gram is highly nutritious, being 
rich in starches, nitrogen and fat. Cakes made from 
the flour of parched gram are very nourishing and 
also palatable, and promise to be a useful and eco- 
nomical ration for native troops in the field. Great 
care in preparation of the flour is, however, necessary 
as unless the husk is carefully separated from the 
grain before the flour is made, dysenteric symptoms 
are induced in urne consecutions. — Madras Mail, 
8th June, 
Dolosbage, llth June. — Beautiful planting weather 
which is being taken advantage of. We want a 
little more sun to make the bushes flush more 
freely. The last tea sales show how foolish it is 
not to be prepared with the necessary appliances 
to make good tea during the dry season. Fancy 
only having a Jackson and a No. 3 Sirocco and 
small supply of water to take in something like 
100,000 lb. tea. Why, such a place ought to have 
at least 2 Jackson's, 2 or 3 T Siroccos and if 
short of water a steam-engine, then things would 
show different results. However, pennywise and 
pound-foolish appears to be seen on lots of gardens. 
We all learn by experience. 
Tea in Ceylon. — I see it stated that such and such 
Ceylon estate placed all its tea on board-ship last 
year for 30 cents, but this is not the case. Pro- 
prietors of estates deceive themselves. They look 
at the accounts and say, "Let us omit the cost of 
new clearings, let us take a little off superintend- 
ence on that account, a little off contingencies. Then 
there is the new machinery — not absolutely necess- 
ary — let us omit that, and the result is 30 cents a 
lb." That is all very fine, but year follows year and 
there is always expenditure of this sort, and if matters 
were fairly treated it would be found that the cost 
of producing 1 lb. of tea here is about 45 cents a 
lb., that is about annas. Even this leaves a fine 
margin of profit. — Cor., Indian Plan/erg' Gnzette. 
Ceylon Chocolate and Cocoa.— Messrs. Shand, 
Haldane & Co. write to us under date London, 
25th May, as follows : — 
" We have the pleasure of sending you a new 
Ceylon industry which we have recently started : — 
I. — Pure Ceylon chocolate, retailed in England fin 
3 lb. card-board boxes) at 2s per lb. II. — Pure Ceylon 
cocoa which we find competes successfully against 
Van Houten's or Tulloch's : price retail in England 
2s lOd per lb. ; packed in § lb. tins three dozen in a 
wooden case. We have great pleasure in bringing 
the above to your notice, as they will show you to 
what perfection Ceylon cocoa is capable of being 
brought, and we hope to improve upon it still." 
The design adopted for the wrappers is a view of 
Adam's Peak with a border of coconut palms. We 
have tried the chocolate and the cocoa and find them 
both excellent. We wish Messrs. Shand, Haldana 
& Co, every suocess in this new industry. 
