THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1887. 
SPECULATION IN COFFEE IN BRAZIL, 
Gazeta de Noticias, June 15th. 
The Bio de Janeiro market is under the pressure 
of yet another disaster caused by coffee specul- 
ations ; and the consequences of which may bring 
about losses as great as, or greater than those 
caused by the celebrated syndicate. 
The fabulous results obtained from recent oper- 
ations in coffee, and the upward tendency shown 
in American markets carried away various persons, 
who made, through two commercial houses in our 
city, heavy purchases in New York. These pur- 
chases reached 60,000 bags, at 22c per lb. 
Saturday, in the morning, coffee fell to 19c and 
further margins were asked for from the United 
States to meet this decline. This demand was met 
the day-before-yesterday in the morning, but when 
the margins reached New York, at the morning 
Board, coffee had dropped to 17c. 
The representatives of the Bio houses were 
" cornered," and as it was not possible to put up 
further margins in the space of two hours, 60,000 
bags of coffee were announced for sale, for want 
of this payment at auction. To increase the depre- 
ciation of the article, the American speculators 
offered at auction 40,000 bags in addition. This 
abundant supply of coffee caused a decline to 
14.90c, at which price only the 60,000 bags be- 
longing to Brazilian merchants were sold. 
After the liquidation of this operation the same 
speculators advanced prices to 17c, on the after- 
noon of the day-before-yesterday, and yesterday 
morning were selling at 17.80 — 17.95c. This trap 
(guet-apens) will cause a real crisis in our market. 
Journal de Gommercio, June 16th. 
.... It was thoroughly known that many persons 
of this oity, interested or not in the coffee busi- 
ness, have sent or were sending daily, through 
houses established here, orders to purchase lots of 
coffee in New York, principally counting upon re- 
selling them with a considerable profit, or even in 
some cases upon making the differences only. 
It was a serious error, considered as a com- 
mercial operation ; as a speculation, or rather as 
gambling [for we do not absolutely condemn com- 
mercial speculation] it was most risky. Better 
informed than we are, perhaps even as to our own 
business, the New York speculators, more intrepid, 
possessing more ready capital and at lower rates, 
watched for the opportunity, and availed of it to 
bring about successive declines, and demanded 
from the gamblers (jogadores) here, or their repre- 
sentatives there, constant margins in proportion to 
the decline made. 
The agents who disposed of resources and had 
discretionary orders met in time these demands 
and frustrated in part the plans (of the specul- 
ators?); others less strong, or less authorized, 
ask for remittances, and we hear that about 
2,000,000$ was drawn in favor of the New York 
market during the past days. 
Notwithstanding this assistance, which arrived 
too late or was considered to have done so, the 
speculative coffee not duly " margined" was 
sold at low prices with great loss to the holders. 
— Rio News. 
♦ 
The tkouhces of the Florida orauge growers are 
now being increased by a drought of nearly two months' 
duration, from the effects of which the trees are suffer- 
ing badly. Our irrigating Pitches are very handy in dry 
weather. — Rural, California!). 
Obanoks. — We frequently print reports in these 
columns of large profiis made by orange growers ami 
Muscat, viiieyardists, sometimes ranging aa high as $400 
to $501) an acre, but our Eastern friends coming here to 
make homes must not expect that all our orchards do 
to well. That would bo beyond a reasonable profit. A 
good average for an orchard or vineyard is §125 au acre 
above all expense of handling the fruit and cultivating 
the lands. Such profits are very common and are large 
enough to satisfy any man of moderate ambition.— Rural. 
Ca/ifoniian. 
Getting Kid of Stumps.— I see in Dispatch of 
27th inst. (June) page 548, '-Getting Rid of Stumps," 
taken from the Scientific American. I tried it on 15 
stumps, let them stand six months after putting in 
saltpetre, water and plug; then put in kerosiue and 
tried to fire them but they would not burn. I 
found it impossible to burn kerosine or keep it burning 
in a hole with no draught. It is no good. — R. E. 
McMahan.— Florida Dispatch. 
Socotrine Aloe Leaves have been suggested for 
burns. One of the thick aloe leaves is split in half, 
and the fresh inside portion is applied to the burn. 
The pain disappears instantly. The green juice of 
the plant turns violet, and all traces of the burn 
often disappear by the next day, except a violet 
tinge, which may remain for ten or twelve days 
— Chemist aud Druggist. 
To Grow Plants fhom Cuttings. — The old way of 
rooting cuttings in a small glass bottle filled with 
water is a good method when a hot-bed cannot be used ; 
but the bottle should not be put so close to the win- 
dow as to become hot, and thus scald the rootlets. A 
little Gotton or wool within the rim of the bottle will 
prevent evaporation. In two or three weeks the roots 
will be plentiful, and then the cuttings may be trans- 
ferred to thumb-posts, or, if the season suits, into 
beds. As each cutting is taken from the bottle, dip 
the roots into a little warm sand until each fibre ia 
coated ; this will keep them apart and prevent wilt- 
ing. If pots are used, nearly fill them with a rich 
sandy compost, and press it to the sides, so as to leave 
room in the centre. Put the roots in gently, and give 
the plant a little twist to spread the roots, or separate 
them with a hairpin. Then put in more soil, and press 
it about roots. Tight pressing is one of the secrets of 
success in raising plants from cuttings. Water the 
young plants well, and shade them at first from the sun. 
Cuttings can also be started in pots of sandy compost, 
with a glass tumbler over them to confine the moisture, 
and keep them from the sun two or three days ; then 
place the pots in the warmest window, exposed to the 
southeast. Wet sand is also good for growing cuttings, 
and they will start quicker than in compost. A shal- 
low pau is preferable ; fill it up with sand (not sea sand) 
sopping wet, then press in the cuttings tightly, and 
keep them wet. When new leaves show themselves, 
in two or three days, transplant into pots filled with 
light sandy loam. After standing a day or two, they 
may have ample suashine and sufficient water to keep 
them moist. — Southern Planter. 
Sunflowers as Fuel. — In some of the treeless dis- 
tricts of the West the difficulty of obtaining fuel is very 
great, and many substitutes for wood and coal have 
"been used during the long and severe winters. A cor- 
respondent of a Wyoming paper gives his experience 
with sunflowers for this purpose as follows : "Ijrjw 
one acre of them every year, and have plenty of fuel 
for one stove the whole year round, and use some in 
the other stove besides. I plant them in hills the same 
as corn (only three seeds to the h\\\) aud cultivate the 
same as corn. I cut them when the leader or top flower 
is ripe, letting them lie on the ground two or three 
days. In that time I cut off all the seed heads, which 
are put into an open shed with a floor in it, the same 
as a corn crib. The stalks are then hauled home aud 
packed in a common shed with a g<<od roof on it. 
When cut in the right time the stalks, when dry, 
are hard as oak, and make a good, hot fire, while the 
seed heads with the seed in, rmike a better fire, than, 
the best hard coal. The seed being very rich iu oil, 
will burn better and longer, bushel for bushel, than 
bard coal. The sunflower is very hard on land. The 
piece of ground selected to plant on should be highly 
enriched with manures. In the greater steppes 
(prairie) region in the interior of Russia aud in Tart- 
ary, where the winters are more severe than in Dakota 
the sunflowers are, and have been for centuries past, 
the only kind of fuel used.— Oil!, Faint and Drug 
Beamier. 
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