AGRICULTURIST. 
601 
North Borneo ) : I foar that my contribution to this 
eveuing's discussion will be rather of au indirect charac- 
ter, but we have heard so much of interest con- 
cerning Ceylon that 1 should like, with your permission, 
t) draw your attcnt on, lor a few moments only, to 
another British possession, which some people have 
named the New Oeylon. As some of the members may 
bo aware, a description of British North Borneo, under 
that title, has been published by Mr. Joseph Hattou, 
the well-knowu writer. Bui as all'airs are now going in 
that country, perhaps the " .New Suma'ra " would he a 
litter title, as both German and Butch planters — hav- 
ing discovered by practical experience that Borneo will 
grow tobacco equally as good as the valuable kind pro- 
duced in Sumatra, and far superior to that of Java — 
are taking up largo acreages in the territory of the 
British Oouipauy, and I am informed that during the 
past year 200,000 acres have been applied for and 
taken up for tobacco culture alone. There are, how 
ever, many points of similarity betwoen Oeylon and 
the New Ceylon, and I have little doubt hut that a 
planting interest, perhaps including tea, such as that 
now existing in the older country, will, before many 
years are past, spring up in the younger territory. 
Among other points of reseuibbuce, I may mention 
the following : — The area of Ceylon is about 25,000 
square miles; that of British Borneo about 30,000. 
Ueylon is situated between N. latitudes 5° 53' and i)° 
51'; British North Borneo between N. lat 1° 05.' and 
i 26/, The mean temperature at Colombo is 81° F. 
that at Sandakan, the capital of British North Borneo, 
is also 81. 1 F. The coolest months in Ceylon are De- 
cember ami January, and the hottest, March, April, and 
May; in British Borneo the lowest average tempera- 
ture is during December and January, and the highest 
average temperature during April and May. The 
average raiolall at SanuaUaii fur seven years has been 
124 inches, i.e., on the coast line. I am unable to 
give tlii; rainfall of the interior. Sir John Ooode has 
just told us the rainfall of Ceylon varies between 70 
and -00 inches, and this it is probable will be fouud 
to be about the rauge in Borneo. There is oue great 
difference between the two countries, and that is in 
the numbers of the population. The population of 
Ceylon is put at 2,325,000, while that of British Borneo 
is only lfjo.OOO. It is stated that the laud under culti- 
vation in Ceylon forms only One-fifth of the total 
area. You can, therefore, imagine how much land 
there must be available lor European cultivation in 
Borneo, with its larger ari a and so much scantier 
population. That tlie Miil of Uorneo is good is proved 
prartiually by its growing t lie most valuable kind of 
tobacco, and that the temperature and rainfall make 
it a good planting country is shown by the figures 
I line given. As to elevation of land above sea 
level, that taken up by the tobacco planters is flat 
laud on the coast ; but as you advauce into the interior 
the elevatiou increases, culminating in the mountain 
Kiuabalu, 13,700 ft. high. I have scarcely alluded to 
tea, and for the simple reuson that, with the excep- 
tion of a small experiment made in the early days of 
the Colony in the Government experimental gardens, 
tea has not yet boon tried, but I have eudeavoured to 
show you in these remarks that in British Borneo 
you have plenty of suitable land and a suitable cli- 
mate. As in nil new countries, labour will be a difficulty 
at first, but Indiau coolie immigration lias already b, eu 
sanctioned in tho case of the States of the Malay 
1'i'iiiiiHula, and this sanction will doubtless soon be 
intended to British Borneo. There are two other 
sources near to British Borneo whence labour can bo 
obtained, viz., Brunei, t ho Malay capital of Borneo, 
and 1 1 on.: 1. ii.;, whence the best of labour, probably, 
for tropical countries is to be obtained — that of the 
patient and laborious Chinese. Sjndakitii is only 1,200 
miles from Hongkong, and thu I iovirnuient UC now 
about to establish regular steam communication be- 
tween tlie two ports, t,i 1 1 , | >!•■ 1 11 1 1 the pre«utlt -.ail- 
ing communication, so that Chinese labour can be 
imported ili <••.- 1 , and not tin nigh lb.- labour braktH 
of the Straits Settlements. 1 may meution here that 
there is one tribe of agricultural Chinese who so, 1.1 
to take kindly to North Borneo -tl. Ilikkas. Mauy 
70 
of them have embraced the Christian religion, and 
are iu consequence ►omewhat looked down upon by 
their neighbours. Several have settled in Borneo, culti- 
vating small plots in the vicinity of towns. They 
are a very steady, hard-working race — the women 
getting through as much hard, out-of-door work 
as the men. This is a possible source of cheap aud 
good labour. I may add, as showing the general na- 
ture of the country, that neither among Eibtfiau nor 
Arabian coffee has leaf disease appeared, ahd that 
both kinds seem to flourish in Borneo. Amongst 
other products under cultivation at present, aud show- 
ing encouraging signs of success, are cocoa, sugar 
cane, pepper, nutmegs, Manila hemp, &C. Laud, as 
I have said, is plentiful, and the price at present is 
only &1 an acre, without auction. The Government 
is essentially British, and anxious to attract settlers 
by all legitimate means. I trust the few remarks I 
have made justify me, in your opinion, in thinking 
that the New Ceylon is not altogether an inappro- 
priate title for this latest addition to the Colonial 
Office list, and I also hope that British North Borneo 
will one day do its share in helping to solve the 
question to which Mr. Shand has alluded, and that 
is — "What are we to do with our boys?" 
Mr. D. Moaiiis (Assistant Director, Koyal Gardens, 
Kew) : — I think the Paper by Mr. Shand is one of 
the most able and eloquent we have had for a long 
time. He has been a tea planter iu Ceylon for a con- 
siderable period, and has bad the management of large 
tea estates ; he has beeu the chairman of the Planters' 
Association, and has represented them iu the Legis- 
lative Council. I think, therefore, Ceylon is most 
fortunate in having him here tonight to represent the 
large tea industry of that island. I was in Oeylon 
in 1877, 1878, and 1879. Tea at that time had not 
been taken up with the seriousness which afterwards 
characterised the planters. I remember such men as 
Mr. Taylor of Loolcoudura, Mr. Armstrong of Book- 
wood, and Mr. Cameron, who ought to be borne in 
mind iu any historical account of the tea industry 
of Ceylon. Mr. Taylor, in his plodding, careful way, 
workeil out unaided, the details of tea manufacture, 
and certainly he deserves to be held in the 
highest estimation as a pioneer of the industry. The 
sudden transformation which took place in Ceylon in a 
few years from a large aud flourishing cotfee industry 
to the tea industry is one of the most wonderful in- 
stances of well-directed energy and perseverance that 
has ever been known in the history of any British 
colouy. Having made a special study of colonial in- 
dustries, I may say I do not know of another instance 
of such a transformation. The islaud was almost iu a 
state of ruin after the collapse of the coffee industry, 
but the spirits of the Ceylon planters never sauk. They 
hive had difficulties that others havo not had to con- 
tend with, but they have surmounted them all. The 
tea industry is a wonderful monument of their energy 
and capabilities, and all iu this room, 1 am sure, will 
wish them "God speed." As a contribution to the sub- 
ject matter of Mr. Shaud's excellent paper this evening, 1 
would add a few words as regards the botany of the tea 
plant which may be of interest to those not already 
acquainted with it. Although the tea plant has been 
so long and so successfully cultivated by the Chinese, 
we have no evidence at present that it is truly wild 
in any part of China. The pluut has been found wild 
only iu the forests iu the mountainous parts of Assam 
and near the south-west Iroutiers of China. Botaui- 
cally tho tea plant is known as Camillia theifera 
IGrilf. ). The plant cultivated by the Chinese is prob- 
ably the species altered by long periods of manipulation 
aud climatic influences. These have operated to pro- 
duce a stunted, hardy shrub, oiactly suitablu to its 
environments, but differing in ninny respects from the 
tea tree as found wild in Assam. The Assam tea 
plant may therefore bo provisionally accepted as the 
original species, and the Chum tea p ant is a distinct 
variety of it. Between these a hybrid has been pro- 
duced which is well known in India and Ceylon, and 
found by planters to partake of tho hardiness of the 
China plant. with the fi r „-i >wm.; habit mid productive- 
ness uuder trop'ieal conditions of what tea plautrr* call 
