j88 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [MAv i, i8b8 
To the Editor. 
CINCHONA IN JAVA. 
Tjikorai Estate, Garoet, 31st March 1888. 
Dear Mr. Editor,— I thank you for sending me 
the Ceylon Observer of March 8th, in which I found 
two letters on Java cinchona which interested me. 
Still my opinion differs greatly from that of your 
correspondents'. 
I do not think 12,000 acres are all there is under 
cinchona in Java. The Government gave out in 
fee farm about 62,000 acre3 for cinchona, and about 
33,000 acres for cinchona and other produces.* How 
much of this expanse is planted up now I cannot 
tell, but I am afraid 20,000 acres would be a very low 
estimate. All cinchona estates in this island 1 
know of, but one, have more than 120 acres in culti- 
vation. An estate of 300 bahos or 500 acres is 
considered in Java of middling extent. 
J. C. Bernelot Moens gave as his experience! 
in Java, that cinchona fields of 8 years old and in 
good condition produce about 180 kilogrammes of bark 
per acre per year, which would make for Java 
3,600,000 kilogrammes or about 8,000,000 lb. yearly. 
Bark renews beautifully in Java. Fresh acreage is 
bsing added continually. 
I don't know what Mr. Rivers Hicks considers to 
be the average of the Ceylon yield of quinine, so I 
can't say much about his estimate of Java bark 
being 50 per cent richer than Ceylon bark. What 
1 know is that Java planters do not consider 
5 per cent of sulphate a high analysis for stem, 
and that one of my last invoices of about 5.000 
lb. analysed nearly 8 per cent for stem and root. 
This bark was harvested from a plot of six 
year old trees that has since been replanted with 
grafts of little less than twice that yield. There 
certainly goes some inferior bark into the market, 
and this will continue to go as long as it pays 
planters to harvest it ; young branches and twigs 
always have a poor bark, but this says nothing for 
the ripe stem-bark. 
Your correspondents greatly mistake in thinking 
that Java planters would like your Ceylon estates 
to ship all their bark at once. If they did, prices 
would fall to a mere nothing, which would make 
our poor branch unsaleable at a time that Java 
not being in full produce yet, inferior barks ought 
to sell well. Afterwards we shall be our own worst 
enemies. The time of being afraid of Ceylon, is 
pretty well past by this time. We are afraid of 
Java now. 
How angry Mr, Hamilton is with the Chairman 
of the Java Planters' Association. He even gives 
him the kind epithet "astute" for telling what 
is going on in Java. I don't think Mr. Hamilton 
pays himself a compliment by his insinuations. 
The chairman in question is a ^a-planter note 
bene ! 
As to what trees can produce I beg to direct 
your attention to the Government tree, No. 89, 
mentioned in the same number of your Ceylon 
Obscurer. The tree when harvested was 20 years 
old, and yielded a crop of 72 half-kilogrammes of 
dry bark of about 14 per cent sulphate. 
I address to you by this mail a description o* 
barks sold in Amsterdam on the 23rd February 
last ; perhaps the analyses will interest you. — I 
remain, dear sir, faithfully yours, 
ANTON: KESSLER. 
* Vide Kegeeriug's Almanack 1HH8. 
t Vide Moeu's Kinacultuur in Azie. 
99 
TROPICAL CULTIVATION IN THE WEST 
INDIES: FOOD FOR TURTLE, &c. 
T . „ Nuwara Eliya, 6th April 18S8. 
Dear bin,— I annex extracts from letter received 
by last mail which may be of some interest to 
you.— lours faithfully, ^ M 
.■ n lu Antigua, W. I., 20th January 1888. 
' Both your kind favours of the Tropical Aa 
turi.it have been received, and much appreciated. . . 
The fearful depression in the sugar markets during 
the last three years, nearly brought the West Indies 
to the brink of rum, and paralyzed all trade con- 
nected with thit industry: an improvement is now 
established and more confidence is everywhere visible 
especially in London. This is partly due to the par- 
tial failure of the beet crop and to the attitude 
assumed by the late Conference, of which you know 
to the diminished stocks and the probable increase 
of consumption, and we hope to get £12 per hhd 
this year instead of £7 the average for last year's 
crop. It was well for us that good seasons prevailed 
since you left us, or there would not be a sugar-cane 
here now ° 
"Ceylon must be a fine country and nourishing too. 
The rropical Agriculturist tells well for it j for a perjdi- 
cal of ability could never be supported there other- 
wise, and I find that it is only one of its many liter irv 
products. By-the-bye see page 223 of the T. A.Oct 
1st, 1S87, a note beginning, " Iu Mauritius there is 
a cactus &c. Such a cact us is quite common here 
and is named the French prickly ilwT ; it is said to be 
eaten by cattle in dry weather, and is the only food we 
give turtle in kraals'. It supports them and keeps them 
in fine condition for months, and improves their flavor 
also ; it is much used by the natives for headache and 
all sorts of pams, the little branches, about the size of a 
lady's hand, being slit through the middle,parallel to the 
flat surface, aud applied to the part affected, the inner 
part next the skin ; they do not possess the slightest 
trace of a pnckle or anything to injure the most delicate 
hand. They grow to the height of 8 ft. or more, and 
can be propagated by sticking any small portion the 
size of a half crown in the ground, aud keeping watered 
until it throws out half inch shoots tin a few days, 
after that it will look after itself : it will live for 
months on the ground without being planted- If the 
ground is anyway moist it will grow at once by merely 
scattering it about on the soil, and when once started 
will flourish anywhere. If you have any turtle will 
send you a plant via London for them." — Yours, &c. 
(Signed) M.BROWN. 
POOR TEA. 
Kandy, 13 th April 1888. 
Dear Sir, — In looking over last Wednesday's 
local sales, I was surprised to see the number of 
estates that did not fetch satisfactory prices. I 
for one being of the number ; I have tried all sorts 
of withering and rolling, but with a bad result. 
Would it be much to ask if any of the gentlemen 
honourably mentioned, would give us an idea of 
their manufacture through your valuable columns? 
WILLING TO LEARN. . 
[Our correspondent should invest in the several 
manuals aud pamphlets in which our tea authori- 
ties have already given the required information, 
and if that does not suffice, pay a fee to a com- 
petent authority to come and give him a lesson 
or two in tea-making. — Ed.] 
CENTRAL TEA FACTORIES. 
Udapussellawa, 19th April, 1888. 
Dear Sir, — Some remarks in Observer today 
remind me of a theory I have wanted to try, 
but have not the chance here: Central Tea factories 
arc no doubt the most economical. The great 
trouble seems to be the transport of green leaf, which 
must be done twice a day. My idea is to have 
