2 36 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1887. 
PLANTING IN NETHERLANDS INDIA. 
The Locomotief affirms that the tobacco planted in 
British North Borneo on land leased to Oount de Geloes 
and Mr. Persyn, brought at Amsterdam, one guilder 
anil eighty cents a pioul. A price like this ensures, so 
to speak, the success of their enterprise. The fact that 
this estate is worked with 120,000 guilders raised at 
Batavia, nd that at the present moment, half-a- 
milion more is being brought together in Holland for 
that purpose, shows there is still some enterprising 
spirit among Netherlanders. 
A petition has been presented to the Second Chamber 
of the Netherlands States General signed by no less 
than 736 land owners, estate managers,traders, and 
private individuals in Netherlands India, respectfully 
and urgently praying the Chamber to bring pressure 
to bear upon the Minister for the Colonies, for the 
institution of an inquiry into the condition of the 
Colony and the reforms which are necessary to im- 
prove the same, the inquiry, to be made by a com- 
mission consisting half of unofflcials. 
The Netherlands Trading Company has issued a report 
for the last financial year. It shows that throughout 
Java, in 1885, the sugar crop proved highly unsatis- 
faetory in most estates owing to the very low prices 
realised by the article. By way of remedy, an effort 
was made to economise and cut down expenses in 
order to produce sugar at a cheaper rate commensurate 
with the ruling quotations. Several estates succeeded 
in gaining this end last year, and have gone on work- 
ing at a slight profit. This result lends some en- 
couragement to a hopeful forecast of the future. But 
it must be borne in mind that the cost of production 
on most estates is still too high, the consequent losses 
being heavy indeed. Other sugar growers put their 
trust in the Tebu Keong, a newly discovered cane in 
East Borneo which yields a heavy outturn of sugar 
per acre. It appears that this desirable result has 
been attained at a few spots only in Java. Trials 
with it in other localities have not answered expectations. 
MR, GLADSTONE ON HORTICULTURE. 
Mr. Gladstone was yesterday afternoon present, 
with Mrs. Gladstone, at the distribution of prises 
to the successful exhibitors at the annual show 
of the Hawarden and Buckley Horticultural Socie- 
ties, and after stating that he was suffering from 
cold and cough, and congratulating them on the 
progress made since last year, he said that not- 
withstanding stagnation in trade, notwithstanding 
distress here and there, the people of the country 
are acquiring upon the whole an increased command 
over the necessaries and the necessary comforts, 
or at all events, the primary comforts of life. When- 
ever that is the case, it is a matter of moral cert- 
ainty that a considerable portion of any avail- 
able increase of means will, and must, go in 
the direction of food for the masses of man- 
kind. What is called a small culture forms in 
France a very large share of the means of subsist- 
ence and of relative opulence for the small proprie- 
tors of that country, who are very important and 
numerous body ; and as the means for this kind 
of cultivation — the cultivation of vegetables and 
fruits — are enlarged in this country, partly by awak- 
ing public attention partly by the multiplication of 
gardens and allotments (applause) — which is a 
matter of the utmost consequence — and by the in- 
creasing disposition of farmers here and there to 
include these important objects in their view, and 
to add to the variety of their resources by trying 
something in this direction, we shall have a large 
increase on the one hand of the means of wealth 
to producers, and on the other hand of the advant- 
ages enjoyed by the consumers of food both in that 
reasonable satisfaction which the Almighty never 
lintended to be severed from the use of food, and 
likewise in that most important view in reference 
o the sanitary condition of the country — to the 
health of the people. — Globe. 
SPRING VALLEY COFFEE COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
DirectobS: — John Brown, Esq., Managing Director; 
Edward Conder, Esq. ; Leon Famin, Esq. ; Henry Hart 
Potts, Esq. 
Report to be presented to the Twenty-second Ordin- 
ary General Meeting of the Company, on Thursday, 
the 4th day of August, 1887, at 12 o'clock noon. 
The usual Annual Accounts are now presented to 
the Shareholders, viz., Profit and Loss Account for 
Season 1885-86, balance Sheet made up to the 31st May, 
1887. 
The crop of coffee secured for season 1885-86 
amounted to 1,069 cwt, 1 qr. 27 lb. against an estimate 
of 1,200 cwt. given in last year's report, while the 
harvest of Cinchona Bark exceeded the estimate, 
80,1391b. being sold. 
It will be seen that the average prices realised 
for these products were 82s 3d per cwt. for Coffee 
and 6d per lb. for Bark, the total value of produce 
sold amounting to £6,481 19s 3d, and this deducted 
from the total expenditure for the year of £8,889 4s 
2d shows a loss of £2,407 4s lid. 
A sum of £3,307 15s 4d was brought forward from 
last year, and, allowing for the above debit of £2,407 
4s lid, there still remains to the credit of Profit and 
Loss a balance of £900 10s 5d. 
Your Directors now propose that a Dividend of 1 
per cent for the year be paid, for which £800 will 
be required, leaving £100 10s 5d to be carried forward 
to next Account. 
Much valuable work was accomplished during 
Season 1885-86 for the future advantages of the Com- 
pany's Estates, the cultivation, weeding, <fcc, of 414 
acres of Tea planted in 1884-85 was efficiently carried 
on, the Tea being too young to yield any crop, and, 
in addition to this, 237 acres of Tea were planted ; 
the cost of these works amounted to R27,859 or 
£2,000 ; this sum includes all the expenditure on 
Oolanakanda Estate. 
The whole of this £2,000 has been debited to this 
year's expenditure, and, as the Coffee Crop was 
practically a failure, only 1,069 cwt. being secured 
from the reduced Coffee area of 990 acres, the result 
under the circumstances is considered by the Board 
to be very satisfactory. 
The following figures show the area now under Tea 
on the Company's properties, all of which is thriving 
vigorously : — 
TEA. 
Planted Nov./ Dec. , 1884. . . 271 acres, now 2| years old. 
„ May, 1885... 143 „ „ 2 , 
„ Nov./ Dec,, 1885... 230 „ „ 1| „ 
„ May, 1886... 7 „ „ 1 year old. 
Total area under tea 651 acres. 
Leaf is now being plucked from the 1\ and 2 years 
old tea, and the yield will rapidly increase as the 
bushes grow older. To date 1,093 lb. of tea have 
been sold at Is Oid per lb. 
Chop, 188G-87. 
Owing to a favourable Season and the apparent de- 
cadence of leaf disease, your Directors are pleased to 
be able to report that the crop of coffee for season 
1886-87 will be about 3,600 cwts., and, as better prices 
are ruling, that year will show a very satisfactory 
profit. 
Chop, 1887-88. 
Reports as to prospects for Crop 1887-88 are also 
favourable ; leaf disease is still on the decline, and 
hope is entertained that it is gradually passing away. 
Your Directors, however, see some cause for anxiety 
in the presence of green bug on the Company's Es- 
tates ; they trust, however, that the healthy condition 
in which the Coffee trees on Spring Valley are main- 
tained by liberal cultivation will enable them to re- 
sist its attacks, and the spread of the pest is being 
guarded against in every possible way. 
Mr. Brown returned from Ceylon in May, having 
visited the Company's Estates, and he would take 
this opportunity to express his satisfaction with the 
management and condition of the Company's pro- 
