Deecmbisr i, 1887,] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, 
Tea in Japan. — From the British consular trade 
eport for Kanagawa for 188(5 wc extract as fol- 
lows : — Tea occupies the second place amongst the 
staple products of Japan ; the value of tho export 
last year being £830,000, exactly one-fourth the 
value of tho Bilk export. Tho aggregate export was 
about twenty-eight million pounds in 188G as against 
twenty-four million pounds the preceding year. This 
is all taken by tho North American continent, in 
the proportion of rather more than one-fourth by 
Canada and less than three-fourths by tho United 
States. San Francisco, as the centre of distribu- 
tion for the Pacilic coast, takes about one-sixth, 
not of the aggregate export, but of tho quantity con- 
sumed in the States ; and tho romaining iive-sixths 
go, in nearly equal portions, to Now York for dis- 
tribution amongst the Eastern cities of the Atlantic 
states, and to Chicago for distribution amongst the 
towns and hamlets of tho great agricultural 
West, Although England doos not take any Japan 
tea, the export business in it is largely in tho hands 
of British firms. 
A Phosphate Island. — Largo amounts of phosphate 
rock are being lauded at this port from the Island 
of Rodonda, British West Indies, consigned to the 
new phosphate works at South Oamdon, N. J. The 
noil of the island, which was recently purchased by 
English parties, was supposed to be worthless, but 
upon an analysis being made it was discovered to 
possess fabulous wealth. The fact that this rock is 
brought into competition with the Southern phosphate 
rock has been tho moans of starting others to look 
in the samo direction. The Island of Kedonda lies 
eight miles from Montserrat and thirty five miles from 
St. Kilt's, and rises 1500 feet, showing a bare white 
rock. This whiteness is said to be due to the number 
of sea birds which frequent the island to lay their 
eggs and rear their young. The rock is procured 
from the almost perpendicular clills with great diffic- 
ulty, and is discharged into lighters, and Subsequently 
into the vessel* awaiting loading. Laborers aro 
procured from the ad jaceut islands, aud they procure 
sufficient meat tor their sustenance from tho game 
which abounds on the island. Tho British bark " Mary " 
has lauded several thousand tons ot pho.-phatc here 
aud is now bound out for another cargo. Philadel- 
phia Record. 
Tkak in Siam. — Consul (lould, writing from Bangkok, 
says, with regard to 'leak, that there has been an 
increased export as regards quantity, but the profits 
realised have been by no means satisfactory owing 
to the romarkablo drop in the value of this wood in 
Europe. Thero is, however, no likolihood, at present, 
of this trade diminishing, but th" small margin of 
profit will direct, more aud more, the atteution of the 
merchants and .saw-unll owuers to forest opera' ions, 
by which thoy can secure tinder at more favourable 
rates, and with greater regularity than by purchase 
in the open market. The export tnido in this article 
is now almost solely in the hands of P.ritish merchants. 
The forest operations have hitherto been chiefly 
carried on by Uiitish Burmese, but tho British mer- 
chants have begun to invest capital upcountry 
also in this trade, and in future this practice will prob- 
ably be forced more and more upon them, to the 
benefit of the country and ultimately also probably 
to themselves, though the want of experience in this 
peculiar branch of industry may cause some prelimin- 
ary disappointment. — Oarai ,» Chronicle. 
Aii>smsian Economic Plants.— Among the vege- 
table articles of diet of the Abyssinians, the first 
place is taken by I./(/',m »/.,/.<. ini<a), a herbaceous 
plant, whoso grnius are as small as a pin's head; the 
meal from Ibis forms I ho bread iu general use. A 
much inferior blin k bread use, I by the poor is made 
from n kind of millet called luru.^.i 1 /.'■ 1 '/».«.,„), 
frequenting the low grounds. Another admired vege- 
table is the Mower stalk of the local plant-on, called 
'■I / , the fruit of which is dry and 
Ullli' lor estii g. I he stem is eo k, d with milk aud 
butter. It is cut Ofl jubt above tho rovtleU, aud 
about two feet high; if old, tho green outer coat 
is peeled of! till the white interior shows. It is as 
tender as a well cooked turnip, with a flavour like 
the best new bread somewhat underdone. It is an ex- 
cellent dish, nourishing, wholesome, and digestible. 
From meal cakes a fermented drink called bousoL is 
made. Tho coffee grown in Abyssinia is principally 
sent to Djedda and Upper Egypt; though not of 
first rate quality, it possesses a special aroma, and in 
sold at the rate of 1(5 dollars per cantaro of 113 
ruttuli (say 37s. per cwt). The women of Gurago 
makes mats of the leaves of the Cnsete. The vera, of 
the Abyssinians, a species of asclcpiad, produces a 
tough fibre, used in making cordage and tissues on 
tho Ked Sea littoral. The bark of (Jalotropis gigantea 
affords excellent fibre used for various purposes. The 
tender leaves newly pulled from the stipa of the doum 
palm are woven into all kinds of matting and basket- 
ware. The powdcrod 6eed of a large tree called 
bereberu (Milcttia ferrugivBa) is thrown into the water 
to stupefy fish and facilitate their capture. The 
native dross consists of a largo folding mantle and 
close-fitting drawers. Tho houses are rude conical 
struct ures covered with thatch. Among the local pro- 
ducts figuring in the exports are : — Calves' hides, 
salted and sun dried; beeswax, chiefly from Gedaref, 
tamarinds, ostrioh feathers, gutta-percha, from 
Kassala; gum arabic, mother-of-pearl leopard skins, 
about 1,000 annually to India; musk, coutaiued in 
bulls' horns, to 1 he number of 200 to 300 a year ; honey 
and tobacco, chiefly from Sanaaid. — Planters' Gazette. 
Home a.nd Foheion Souuces or Meat. — An inter- 
esting conference on home, foreign and colonial sources 
of meat supply took place at the Colonial aud Indian 
Exhibition, South Kensington, last week Sir Jamee 
Caird, presiding, wbeu Major Oraigio read au instruc- 
tive paper of the abovo subject. Tne following is a sum- 
mary of the opening address : — Major Craigie said : — 
In discussing the nature and sources of our meat sup- 
plies ou this occasion, the immediate object is no doubt, 
to realise the part played by our colonies as caterers, 
for the mother country, and the prospects of increase 
or diminution. Although the 36,000,0011 people of the 
United Kingdom have not for many years raised all 
the meat thoy consumed, homo produce still forme 
by far the largest section of the whole supply. On 
the basis of the estimates commonly employed, it 
is supposed that 25 por cent of our cattle, 40 per 
cent of our sheep and 116 per cent of the enumer- 
ated pigs of each year go annually to the butoher. 
If so, tho homo produce of 1885 may be put at 
1,361,000 tons of meat. The imported supplies were 
of two sorts, live animals and dead meat, the former 
representing 129,01)0 tons, and the latter 335,000 tons 
of meat. The entire consumption of the country 
was thus 1,825,000 tons or 112 lb. to each inhabitant. 
— Indian Agric'dturist. 
DISTRIBUTION OF ^CEYLON EXPORTS. 
(From 1st Oct. 
1887 to 84th 
Nov. 1887.) 
C'chona 
Branch 
Carda- 
Coffee 
& Trunk 
Tea. 
C'coa 
moms. 
Couhtiuks. 
cwt. 
lb. 
lb. 
cwt. 
To United Kingdom ... 
8000 
10O7H21 
17(!7t«) 
185 
UPtT, 
,, Marseilles ... 
100 
179 
11 Genoa ... 
20 
tfOo 
11 Venice 
Coo 
51462 
„ Trieste 
671 
,, Hamburg 
W 
14161 
,, Antwerp 
,, llremen 
"' 17 
„ Havre 
"i«o 
,, llottenhim 
,, Africa 
„ Mauritius 
"iuo 
,, India & I'uistn tit'l ... 
UD1 
2101 
seaia 
,, Australia 
487 
531 89 
,, America 
38 
i.074 
'.'J73 
30 
Total Kxpurls from Oct. 1. 
1887 to Nov. 31, 1887 
fl»!;S 
10- .117 
1 1*10073 
315 
3738.; 
DO ISM do 1880 
7VU 
227wsi 
[ 001978 
339 
SOJtO 
Do ISM do J SNA 
•Vjl, 
2*7 i.v:; 
M1710 
302 
•J>sl 1 
1)0 U»i do 1884 
16)00 
1-J3717 
IU 
lltois 
