June t, 1888. THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
833 
PLANTING AND TRAD hi IN FIJI IN la-<7. 
The crushing hurricane of 1880 developed the 
depth of di 11 cssion to which it was possible lor 
the colony to siuk. The eff< cts of gradual decline 
in the fruits of the sugar industry were beginning 
to he felt ill the result!) inevitable t> the reduc ion 
of staffs, the lowering of salaries and tho culling 
down «f expense wherever that was possible. 
It may he fairly hope 1 that the suffering of lS8<i 
and the elfort of 18^7 will receive sometiing like 
tangible reward in 1SS8. Sugar has taken a turn 
commercially for the better. Not only is the market 
firmer, but the Conference on the sugar bounties 
now organized can but effect a result beneficial to 
the cane-grown article. The year 1887 is mtitld, 
however, to such n Wantage as has accrued from 
this stiffening of prices; to the extent, at least, of 
the output for the Season just closed. 
Tho copra yield, the paucity of which in 1887 is 
to be distinctly traced to the blow in the preceding 
year, is assuming tangible proportions and recovering 
its vigor. During the last four months, about seven 
hundred tons of this aiticle of export have come 
into the hands of the Uovorumeut contractors. 
That quantity may be expected to be largely in- 
creased during the lirst months of the coming year ; 
but the value of such as may be then brought in 
should distinctly be carried to the credit of 1887, 
of whose production it evidently must be part. 
Tea is apparently holding its own. Its growth 
and preparation are in the hands of skilled men 
who have thoroughly established tho claim of the 
Colony to he cla-sed among- 1 tea-producing countries 
Other matters being equal, there is uothiug to pre- 
vent Fiji from assuming a very considerable pride 
of p ace in this directiou. That she has maintained 
her position is certain, and 1887 may be regarded 
a9 fairly satisfactory to that extent at least. 
Tho Fruit Export ha-; grown to large proportions 
and has consequently had a material effect upon 
the trado of the Colony. The tonmigo employed by 
means of the development of this source of industry 
is very eonsideiable and figures substantially in tho 
revenue. There is a whisper that another steamer 
will bo addc I - to the nu'nber of tho6e already em- 
ployed and that March will see th<t brought about. 
Altogether, the outcome of 1887 may be regarded 
as affording fair cause for cougiatulation. W ith 
some few exceptions, people have succeeded in 
breasting the wave of depression and stout hearts 
and busy fan Is, actively employed, have enabled 
tbem to avoid b'.iug submerged. That they have 
so far succeeded is full of promising pressage for 
1888. It may be considered that the shore has 
been reached , and although some few may have 
lost t.heir cloths in the struggle, at leist they have 
escaped with life and with sutlicient energy to enable 
them to face auew the conditions of existence.— Fiji 
Times. 
♦ 
TREES FOR CULTIVATION : 
Si kih.inu, Tim her and Ornamental Trees avail- 
able FOR DISTRIBUTION AT THE NURSERIES, CINCHONA. 
(From the Bulletin of the tiotanicul Department, 
Jamaica.) 
The Yki.i.ow Cypress of N. VT, America and 
California {Thuja gii/antea) is a good timber true, 
suitable for building purposes. Tho wood is bright 
yellow, and fine grained. The inner bark is soft and 
pliable and useful for making mat*, sails, ropei, ico. 
This grace! ul t : re generally grow- ( "in .Vi to Tit feet 
ill height, nnd in favourable siluaions attims 200 
feet. It will probably do well on the hills in 
Jamaica. Although culled u Cvpnss, it is in (act 
an Arbnr-Yitao. 
Law»on's Cyi'Iikss (thuja LtnctVnima 1i. A II 
is described by Murray as ih» hand-om st tr u 
by him in bis exposition in N. America, the hahli 
being most graceful, with the brain In s at first curv- 
ed upward*, »i in the Spruce, and towards the BDdl 
hanging dowu like an Ostrich feather; tho leading 
shoots when young, droop like those of the Deodar. 
The tree attains a height of 100 feet, an 1 a dia- 
meter of 2 feet. The timber is g >od, easily worked, 
with a strong odour. Murray described it as a true, 
Cypress. (Cupresnus bawsonia/nk, Murr.) 
Toe Chinese Arbor- Vitae (Thuja ortevtalu, L ) 
is a native of China aud Japan. The name Ar ior- 
Vitae is derived from the Chinese and Jap mese 
names for the plant. In China it is known as 
'Tlak," everlasting life, and iu Japan as " Hiba," 
tree of life, so called from the evergreen nature of 
the shrub. 
The Large Fruited Oyprkss (Cuprcsiua macro car pk 
Hartw.) is one of the finest of the true 03'presses. 
It is a native of Upper California where Hartweg 
discovered it, growing to a height of 60 feet, with 
a trunk 3 feet in diameter. It resembles in habit 
a Cedar of Lebanon, having a far spreading, flat 
top. 
Another beautiful O.vxifornian Cypress {Cu.pressu$ 
Govcniaua, Gord.) also discovere 1 by Hartweg is 
much smaller, growing only to a height of from 6 
to 16 feet. It is very ornamented with spreading 
6lender branches. 
The Horizontal Cypress (fiapressus sempervirens, 
L. var. horizontalis) is ouly a variety of the com- 
mon Cypress of South E irope aud is so named from 
its horizontal spreading branches, 
The above plauts are on sale at Id. each or 7s. 
6d per 100. 
Free Distribution of Acorns and Seedling 
Oaks, (Quercua Robur) 
In 1885, Mr. Morris obtained a barrel of acorns 
from the Royal Gardens, Kew, which have done 
well in the nurseries at Cinchona, and there are 
now some hundreds of plants available for free dis- 
tribution. Carriage of plants must be paid for. 
Another barrel has lately arrived from Kew and 
Acorns will be sent free by Post to those who 
make application for them The bags should be re- 
turned. There is also a limited number of plauts 
of the Turkey O 'k (Querent CarrU) availabl«. Both 
these species of Oik are likely to do well on the 
biils, an I would be an important addition to our 
supply of timber. There is a fine tree at Whitfield 
Hall, the properly of DeR. Spencer Heaven, Esq. 
♦ 
ARROWROOT CULTIVATION AND 
PREPARATION. 
From the Director of Public Instruction, to the 
Hon. the Governmeit Agent, Central Province, 
Kaudy : — 
Colombo, 4th April, 1888. 
Sir, — Referring to your letter No. 9 of the 3rd 
ultimo, I have tho honour to annex copy of a re-port 
from Mr. Rodrigo, the Agricultural Instructor, who 
has been so successful with arrowroot. This report 
gives iuformatiou an to soil, method of plautiug, and 
preparation of tlour- (2) To this report I add a 
further report showing tho meth id of cultivation, if 
roots or tubers are comrueiicml with instead of shoots. 
This furl her information is given because, if arrow- 
root docs not already grow in a district,, roots or 
tubers can be sent by parcel post without' damage, 
whereas shoots might die in transit, (o) Regarding 
rainfall, the exact rainfall at Mr. Rodrigo's garden is 
not ascertainable, but the Surveyor-Coneral gives 
the average ra-nfall at the neighboring stati in of 
( liknanakanda in the annexed table, i I < Mr. Rodrigo 
makes about 111 lb. of arrowroot llour from UK) lb. of 
arrowroot lubo's. He can sell his arrowroot flour 
locally to villigers at 25 cents per lb , whereas tho 
average prioj of 1 lb. of arrowroot tubers iu his 
por'iou of the Kaluia a district is one cent. (.">) The 
I'ri • ip-d Civil Medn.nl Officer, however, reports Mr. 
Rodrigo'i arrowroot on a a'ysis to bo equal to the 
lie-' imported arrowroot which is "old by Mrg-rg, 
i ft ^ill tt Co., .v R112 per lb. while in I lie P. fab, 
I bilu v.', it is sold at 75 cents per lb. M - K *lrigo 
i- there'ore a ranging for Iht IfM of hig arrowroot 
iu tius through tho Pvttah ah >[ •, a proceeding which 
