620 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1888. 
as well as Britain must be promoted i£ the enterprize 
is to remain fairly profitable. Ceylon tea continues 
to enjoy a moderate special advantage in regard 
to comparative price, but when, as at present, the 
demand is for the cheaper kinds, the difference 
between the Indian and Ceylon products becomes 
very small. Of course, a good deal of Indian tea 
and some of our Ceylon product must be included 
in the quantity of tea exported from Britain to 
other countries, and which they consume in addition 
to what may reach them directly. The chief 
countries to which tea is exported from Britain are 
Germany, Canada, the United States, Holland, 
Bussia and Turkey, — Germany taking about 18 
millions of pounds. The deliveries of Indian and 
Ceylon teas for export as well as consumption have 
now reached nine millions of pounds per mensem, 
and the quantity exported must be about one 
million of pounds per month, because we see that 
the deliveries for home consumption are a little 
under eight millions of pounds, — about one million of 
Ceylon to seven of Indian, with the rate, in each case, 
rapidly advancing. It is satisfactory to learn that the 
deliveries" of British-grown tea increased in one 
year, 1887, as compared with 1886, no less than 25 
per cent. But this was largely due to reduction in 
price, so that efforts to open up and cultivate new 
markets for our tea ought not to slacken, but be 
renewed with fresh energy. While in Britain and 
some colonies of British origin the consumption 
of tea has reached 5 lb. per head of the popula- 
tion, in other countries the rate goes down from 
1 lb. per head to a few ounces. 
It will be seen that America (United States and 
Canada) has taken 9 million lb. less of tea from 
China and Japan in 1887 than in the previous 
years and Canada 2 millions lb. less from England. 
This cannot mean a falling-off in consumption, 
but a lessening of stocks held by middlemen and 
retailers ; and if, as is expected, China shows a 
further drop of 10 millions in her exports next 
season, there should be ample room for the in- 
crease from India and Ceylon. Hopeful signs of 
increased consumption are afforded by Germany 
and Turkey, and we are glad to hear that a 
gentleman now in Colombo shortly returning to 
the Continent of Europe is making arrangements 
for a supply of samples of our teas on a large 
scale with a view to an extended trade more 
especially in Germany. The Imperial German 
Consul in Ceylon, and indeed all the Consuls and 
Consular Agents in Colombo, might do the colony 
some service and promote the distribution of a 
really sound article of consumption, by sending 
to the countries they represent, special reports on 
our Ceylon tea enterprise and on the product so 
generally appreciated. 
BULLETIN OF THE BOTANICAL DEPART- 
MENT, JAMAICA. 
The number for November of this Periodical con- 
tains the first portion of a Short Treatise on Coffee 
Planting as applicable to Jamaica, by W. A. Sabon- 
adiere, formerly of Ceylon, and now of Arntully, 
Coffee Plantation, Blue Mountain District. 
An article on grape culture follows. Jamaica is 
10° further from the equator than Ceylon, but iu 
Uva, Dumbara, Matale and other dry parts, of our 
island, we believe grapes could be successfully cul- 
tivated. 
So could superior oranges, which, there is a paper 
in this Bulletin, calculated to prove, can be grown 
from seedlings true to kind. There is a notice of 
Sugar Cane Manures. 
We quote as follows: — Weight of Bark from Cin- 
chona Trees (Cinchona Officinalis). Enquiries having 
been made as to the amount of bark that may be 
expected from trees of various heights, 10 trees 
were cut down and barked with the following result: — 
i. iL m. iv. v. vi. vn. viii. ix. x. XL xn. 
■3 E 
P .3 « " 2 
Number g A * g g. 
of tree. •< « *. g 5 
a a s * i.' 
&i *t-i 
s -s a 
w m 
C 
as 
- « 
M a* 
M 
"5 3 ■ 
i - i 
■4-J 3 
- o 
*- c 
> ft" 
1 
2 
3 
Average 
1 
6 
7 
6.4 ... 
7.8 ... 
10.0 ... 
8.0 ... 
9.10 Ok 
18.0 4 
15.3 ii 
20.6 
Average... 13.11 
8 10.0 
9 11-0 
10 14.3 
Average... 11.9 
n 
6 1/6 
10 
11 
15 
16A 
13 
6 
12 
9i 
9 
4 
H 
15 
10 
38 
171 
33 
11 
60 
20 
120 
40 
156 
52 
92* 
31 
18 
6 
10 '3* 
46 
15* 
21 8 
48 
16 
14 43 
m 
I2i 
16 H 
The trees, Nos. 1 to 7 are from the Plantation 
at Newhaven Gap, which was first made in 1868. 
It is impossible now to ascertain the age of any of 
these trees, as some are seedlings and some are 
shoots from coppiced trees. There are probably very 
few of the original trees left, perhaps No. 7 is 
one of these. No. 1 may be taken as an example 
of a tree six years old. 
Nos. 8 to 10 are from the Plantation called 
"Upper Buzza" made in 1879-80. These trees are 
therefore 7 or 8 years old. 
The dry bark in the Table has been taken at one- 
third the weight of the wet bark. This would give 
11 lb. 2 oz. for dry stem bark ; the actual weight 
being 12 lb. Root bark does not lose so much in 
drying, for instead of one-third (viz. 1 lb.), more 
than one-half was obtained — 1 lb. 12 oz. One-third, 
on the whole, is a safe estimate, for there is consider- 
able waste in drying on a large scale on account of 
the constant shifting of the bark from the drying- 
houses to the barbecue which causes friction and re- 
duces a good deal of it to dust. 
It is instructive to take columns II. and IV. to- 
gether and compare the amount of bark harvested. 
No. 2 for instance, is much higher than No. 1, 
but being more slender, gives much less bark. It 
therefore pays well to attend to thinning. Perhaps 
the most convenient time for Grown Bark is when 
the trees are 6 years old. If the plants were put 
in four feet apart, half the trees should be thinned 
out, and it will be well to uproot them, for the 
shoots would interfere with the other trees, and 
besides the root bark will be more than 50 per cent, 
of the bark from stem and branches. 
The amount of bark per acre may be roughly 
estimated by taking an average tree and multiplying 
the weight of bark by the number of trees on an 
acre. Trees planted 6 feet apart, are 1,210 to the 
acre ; 8 feet apart, 680 to the acre ; 10 feet apart, 435 
to the acre. 
A DISEASE IN COCONUT PALMS. 
The following is the Report on a disease which 
has appeared among the Coconut Palms in the 
neighbourhood of Bath : — 
To the Acting Colonial Secretary. 
On my return journey from Bath Gardens I rode 
up the hills from Bath on 9tb September to inspect 
the coconut walk on a property called Ardsheil, be- 
longing to Mr. George Donaldson, situated at an 
elevation of about 1,000 ft. 
On examination I found that the disease was due 
to scale insects, and had evidently travelled from the 
point of its first appearance in the direction of the 
