6c8 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March r, 1888. 
Gambier. — In a recent number of the 
proceedings of the Madras Agri-Horticultural 
Society, the following was acknowledged: — 
A packet containing dried capsules and seeds of Un- 
caria Gambier* (the source of lerra japonica), from N. 
O mtley, Esq., f.l. s, &c, Superintendent, Botanic 
Gardens, Singapore. 
A Bio Sunflower has been sent to us by Mr. 
J. Pieris, jailor at Hulftsdorp, where it was grown. 
It weighs 1 lb. 2| oz. and is nearly 7 inches in 
diameter, but does not come up to the specimens 
sent us some years ago by Mr. C. H De Soysa. 
As we have before mentioned, sunflower cultivation 
on a large scale, does not pay, the demand for the 
seed being very limited, — unless for the feeding of 
poultry, — and it being a very exhausting crop. 
Ceylon Tea in London. — Messrs. Gow, 
Wilson & Stanton's Tea Beport for Jan. 20th, which 
we give as a supplement with this day's issue of 
the Observer, states that the week had been a 
noteworthy one in the history of the tea trade, for 
not only had the sale on the 16th been the largest 
ever recorded, but the total amount catalogued 
during the week had never been equalled. The 
offerings of Ceylons, however, had been lighter than 
during the previous week, and there was a marked 
absence of fine flavoured parcels. The average price 
for the 4,224 lots sold was Is, and the highest 
figure was Is 6^d for Adam's Peak. 
Planting; Enterprise in Netherlands- 
Borneo and Sumatra. — Amsterdam, Jan. lltb. — 
According to information received, the plan exists 
to commence the cultivation of lands in Nether- 
lands-Borneo. It is the intention to work certain 
lands situated near the river Koetei, and the first 
article to be cultivated will be tobacco. A limited 
company will be established, the capital of which 
will amount to 500,000 guilders, divided into five 
series of 100,000 guilders each and shares of 1,000 
guilders, and of which provisionally two series will 
be issued. The soil of Koetei is very rich ana 
fertile, and the tobacco cultivated there is expected 
to be very good. It may be expected that the 
results of this first Netherlands Agricultural Com- 
pany in Borneo will be satisfactory. — The subscrip- 
tion, opened by the Dutch Trading Company on 
the 5th instant, for 100 shares in the Deli Company 
went off as follows: — Thirty-two offers were made 
from 810 to 860 per cent, 78 shares were sold at 
810 per cent, and the balance of 22 shares was sold 
afterwards by private contract at the same prices. 
— L. & C. Express, Jan. 13th. 
New Guinea. — The first annual report of the 
German New Guinea Company has just made its 
appearance. We cull from it the following interesting 
particulars. The aggregate area of Kaiser Wilhelms- 
land is, roughly speaking, 100,000 square miles, or 
nearly half the area of the German Empire. The 
company has devoted its attention principally to 
the exploration of the new territory, to the erection 
of stations and settlements in those parts which 
are capable of being put into cultivation, to the 
establishment of a regular government and of reg- 
ular communication with the Continent of Aus- 
tralasia. The cultivation of tobacco has been com- 
menced both at Hatzfeldthafen and at Constantin- 
hafen ; and the seat of the administration has 
been fixed at Fmschhafen, where the com- 
pany keeps three steamers intended to place 
both the stations of the mainland and those of 
the Bismarck archipelago in communication with 
* A scandent shrub of Ceylon and the Malay Archi- 
polago, whose leaves produce the astringent extract 
called "Gambier" or " Terra japonica," used for chew- 
ing with pan leaves and Arecanut, as Outch is inludia, 
of which large quantities are prepared and used 
throughout the Malay Archipelago, Eoxburyh, Flora 
Iniiea, 
the British India line. It is calculated that by 
means of this ancillary line the passage from Berlin 
to Finschhafen may be elfected by letters in 45 days, 
by passengers in 56, and by goods in 66 days ; all 
this however, is gunstiystenfaUs — that is to say, under 
the most favourable circumstances. The company 
employs 33 officials and 19 artisans —rather a small 
nucleus for a Colonial Empire to spring from— but 
perhaps the beginnings of the East India Company 
were not much bigger in proportion. It may be 
added that the Lutheran Missionary Society of 
Neundettelsau has sent out three, and the Bheinische 
Missionsgesellschaft of Barmen four, missionaries 
to convert the Papuans. — European Mail. 
A Pooit Market in Australia for Carda- 
moms and Cinchona Bark. — The following is from 
the Fiji Times : — The following from a well-known 
firm of wholesale druggists in Melbourne has been 
courteously placed at our disposal for publication : — 
" With respect to cardamom seeds, we regret to 
say that you would have to seek a market for 
these elsewhere than in these colonies ; the demand 
here is very 6mall, and the market, at the present 
time, overstocked. We lately had a consignment 
sent down to us from Ceylon, of very good seed, 
resembling yours in size and condition, but better 
dried and better colour. For these we were asked 
to make a return, if possible, of 2s per lb., but 
we have not, so far, been able to find any demand 
for them. For cinchona bark also, our market is 
very restricted, and for any permanent outlet for 
either of these lines, there is no doubt you would 
have to look solely to the L}nlon market. We 
subjoin clippings from the July Chemist and Druggist ; 
giving detailed report as to present market value 
in London of both cardamoms and cinchona, 
and we trust this will cover all the information 
you require. In regard to Sassafras bark, there 
is even less opening for this than for the lines 
above referred to. We have any quantity of Sas- 
safras in our own gullies in Gippsland and else- 
where, which it does not pay anyone to cut. What 
demand there is, is confined to druggists, and is 
for very small quantities, and preference seems 
always given to the American bark." 
Messrs. Wm. Jas. & Hy. Thompson on 
Ceylon Tea. — The following remarks by this emi- 
nent Firm are on the whole encouraging: — 
The average of SaleB quoted over leaf Is Old per 
lb. is not unsatisfactory, bearing in mind that sup- 
plies have included very few invoices of first rate 
quality, and a good deal of tea with the weak and 
pointless liquor usually characteristic of manufac- 
ture during the period which follows pruning. Apart 
from this defect — incidental to every crop — the make 
and firing, generally speaking, leave little room for 
criticism, and bear witness to a skill born of experi- 
ence and a care in manufacture auguring well for 
the future. The December delivery of 742,000 lb. was 
encouraging, seeing that it was a short month and 
that deliveries of other kinds were much less than 
in the two previous months. We print beneath statis- 
tics for the year 1887, as well as the figurfis for the 
seven months of the current season dating from the 
1st June. They are particularly good for Oeylon, in 
view of the severe competition both in price and 
quality of the Indian crops. Future prices and con- 
sumption will depend in some degree upon the rapi- 
dity with which supplies increase ; but to a greater 
extent, we think, upon the maintenance of fine qua- 
lity, and are therefore very much in the hands of 
planters, subject of course to climatic conditions. 
Given fine tea, we think that the increased produc- 
tion expected should find a market without scriruq 
disarrangement of values. 
As regards the weakness of flushes from newly 
pruned tea, we suppose this can be a good deal 
obviated by mixing with such leaf that gathered 
from fields pruned from six to twelve months 
previously. 
