6l2 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, [March i, 1888. 
WBWttttSl lll l i t I II 1 U .k_r ~ 
new import sold well at steady prices, viz., 2s for sound, 
rather dark and papery, Is Sd to Is lid for damaged, 
and lid to Is 3d for badly damaged. Oeylon reports 
dated December 20th state that a better feeling per- 
vaded the Colombo market ; no public sales had taken 
place yet, but privately a fair business was doing at bet- 
ter prices, and twigs, which were unsaleable before, 
again found buyers. 
OtovBS. — The production of cloves in Java appears to 
be growing in importance. Until 1885 there were prac- 
tically no cloves grown on private plantations in the 
island, but in 1886 the production amounted to 12,342 lb. 
CoGA-lEaves. — A few parcels common thin to barely 
fair dark leaves were bought in at 9d to Is per lb. Good 
qualities do not seem plentiful. 
Oeoton Seed. — Fair pale seeds sold at lis per cwt. 
Oubebs. — At the commencement of the year our 
stook numbered 113 bags, but this is very firmly held, 
up to 211 being privately asked for genuine berries. At 
the auctions 34 packages were offered, mostly of the 
bold grey variety. For three cases spurious berries, im- 
ported via Calcutta, 201 was asked, but, no bid being 
forthcoming, the lot was bought in at 221. Three bags 
good genuine berries, glightly stalky, imported via 
Amsterdam, sold at 271. At Singapore, on November 
28th, there was no stock left, and for the last lots sold 
there as much as $108 per picul, or 171 12s 6d per cwt., 
had been paid. Nineteen bags arrived here by the 
" Glenlyon," via Singapore, a few days ago. 
Kola-nuts.— One case dry slightly mouldy nuts was 
bought in at Is per lb. Another case, about 50 lb. fine 
fresh nuts, dark red, sold at Is Id per lb., bidding com- 
mencing at 4d per lb. 

THE DUTCH MARKET. 
Amsterdam, January 11th. 
COCOA Butteh.— On January 10th an auction of 
about 22 tons Van Houten's butter of cocoa was held 
here. All were] sold at prices running as follows : — 
For about tons, A, 77c. to 77jC per J kilo.; about 
8| tons B, 75c. to 76c. per J kilo. ; about 4 tons C, 75c. 
to 75§c. per \ kilo, or about Is ljd to Is 2d per lb. 
Oubeus. — About 600 lb. genuine, rather stalky, 
changed hands at 3'25f . per § kilo. (=* 26? per cwt.) ; 
also a few bales spurious berries at 2-80f. per § kilo. 
The latest news about the 1888 crop from Java is that 
it will yield a smaller quantity than last year, and that 
Singapore has already given high buying orders. Nothing 
certain can, however, be told as yet, as the crop is 
merely beginning now. Four bales cultivated cubebs, 
jtast arrived here, show a very fine quality. It is ru- 
moured that some coffee-planters, who a few years ago 
tried to cultivate cubebs, have been successful, and are 
harvesting small parcels this year for the first time, but 
no infiuenoe will thereby be exercised on the market, as 
the shipments of that first crop will certainly not be 
important. — Chemist and Druygist, Jan, 14th. 
» — ™_ — 
PLANTING IN NETHERLANDS INDIA. 
(Translated for the Straits Times.) 
The Surabaya Courant calls attention to the 
disastrous effects of the present depression of trade 
in East Java, where affairs seem indeed to be going 
from .bad to worse. Investments in estates have 
proved unremunerative. Continually, plantations, 
formerly deemed valuable properties, are coming 
under the hammer, from the load of debt having 
become unbearable. Sometimes, pecuniary losses 
in these cases amount to millions of guilders. 
The prices brought at auction, show only too 
plainly the depreciation of values so steadily going 
on of late. Many shareholders in estato ventures, 
have lost their all. Impoverishment has become so 
general that, at the chief towns, the value of real 
property has fallen fifty per cent. Many more 
nutates are deeply involved, and can hardly meet 
claims, but creditors light shy of foreclosing from 
fear gf making matters worse, With matters oom- 
ing to such a pass, the outlook is certainly gloomy 
enough. To add to the difficulties of the luckless 
planters they are burdened with a load of taxation, 
which they can ill bear at present. 
In different parts of Java, a disease known by the 
name of Sereli has long been prevalent in cane 
fields. The canes are striken at the roots, become 
stunted, and finally wither away. It is spreading 
in some places, notwithstanding every precaution 
and care. 
It is intended in the course of this year to hold a 
congress of sugar planters at Surabaya. Preliminary 
arrangements among growers in East Java are al- 
ready in progress. 
A female sugar planter has hitherto been seldom 
or never heard of in Java. Yet at the present 
moment an estate in the neighbourhood of Soura- 
baya, is actually managed by a Chinawoman. She 
keeps the cash, gives orders to the European en- 
gineer, manages cane planting with the plantation 
overseer, discusses, and settles matters with the 
native officials and headmen, and in short directs 
everything. She is so economical, that the sugar 
works have become dilapidated and grimy. Gain is 
set far above safety to life and limb. 
+ 
MANILA NEWS. 
(Translated for the Straits Times.) 
The Comercio lately has been at the pains of 
enquiring whether the abaca fibre, better known as 
Manila hemp, can be grown of superior quality in 
other countries than the Philippine. To clear up 
this point, an expert at New York supplied par- 
ticulars of a valuable kind. It appears from the 
sources of information available that out of the 
Philippines, no hemp of that description has yet 
been produced equal to the Manila article either 
in quality or powers of resistance. The plant yield- 
ing it is a species of banana and grows rankly 
in hot climates, but from some circumstance arising 
out of peculiarities of soil, or climatic conditions, 
does not produce a fibre of such great resisting 
powers as the Manila hemp. In that quarter the 
plant seldom bears fruit. When it does, the plant 
becomes sickly. When transplanted into other hot 
countries, it bears fruit, but the fibre loses the 
strength which had been its great recommendation 
in foreign markets. Fibres from other plants have 
been tried with unsatisfactory results. None of them 
have come up to Manila hemp. Inventive science 
has failed to devise a simple and inexpensive 
machine to clean Manila hemp for the market. 
Hand labour does the needful with appliances of a 
primitive kind, 
. <*> 
Indigenous Ornamental Trees. — The para- 
graph about the " Alstonia scholaris" and the 
difficulty about growing this and other ornamental 
trees about Colombo reminds me that excepting 
one specimen in the enclosure at the Victoria Park, 
no endeavour seems to have been made in plant- 
ing a few kumbuk trees along the borders of 
the lake. Those who have seen the fine kum- 
buk trees along the banks of the Yala and 
Kumbukan Aru, will, I think, agree with me 
that they would be a grand addition to the orna- 
mental trees about Colombo. Some of the finer 
specimens of our ornamental forest trees will not 
thrive in the open : hora and dummala, for in- 
stance, but I think the kumbuk will be found 
an exception, and well worth planting. — Cor. [In 
our reminiscences of a visit to the North-Central 
Province rivers and tanks, we wrote strongly on 
the picturesque grandeur of the kumbuk and the 
sweet perfume of its flowers. It ought to be planted 
on the sides of all streams and lakes of water,— Ed.J 
