June t, t888.| THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
849 
Per book pout I am Bending you a sample of 
our Linkabo oysters : these are found on the mud 
and sandbanks formed at the mouth of the 
Labok river in from 3 to 10 ft. of water. A 
matured bank may be from 100 to GOO yards long, 
perhaps more; half this in breadth. 
The oysters are edible and are used daily by the 
natives who prefer them to the common rook 
oyster. I have tried both and quite agree with 
them. The pearls are all under the siae ol rice 
grains of very irregular shape, few being spherical. 
Fresh water Hoods from the Labok is said to be 
cause of the destruction of the Linkabo oyster banks, 
and this would seem to be borne out by the fact that 
during the rainy season of 1887, Nov. -Dec, 
there were no heavy floods or freshets ; con- 
sequently pearl oyster banks have been funning 
and one has been worked during the last three 
months. This bed is two feet thick of oysters 
built or massed together in small places and one 
man may detach a piece containing 30 or 10 oysters 
and throw it into his boat. From the bank the 
oyaters are taken home to the village where the 
women and children are waiting on a rickety 
platform in front of their hut: the boat comes 
alongside, then a basket is lowered and the oysters 
are hoisted aloft. Each shell is opened with a 
knife, the oyster is turned over and examined for 
seed pearls which are extracted. The oyster and 
shell then pass through tho floor, beneath which 
may be seen a putrid mass of decomposing oyster 
and shell. The natives seem to thrive on the 
smell as they are said to do in Ceylon. We also 
have our "charmer," but he is evidently a superior 
being to your man of sharks. Sherif Abdul Cader 
is one of the direct descendants of the Prophet. 
Tho Sherif does the praying (in which the Bajows 
believe) and Government manage the rest. 
The Government share amounts to 15 per cent 
and $1 a head, for each adult who works at pearl- 
ing. This is the first year during many that 
there has been a crop. 
I am inclined to think that our oyster is differ- 
ent to yours, and that it does not take so long 
to reach maturity; natives say about 18 months 
or two years, but we have li'.tle information on 
the subject, and are only just beginning to gather 
all we can. If you can help in this assisted by 
your friends in Ceylon, you will render this country 
a groat service.—! have the honor to be, your 
obedient servant, 
Au.x. Cook, Treasurer. 
CAr-T. Donnan's oriKiox on the above: — "The 
oysters referred to are evidently of a different species 
to the Arippu oyster, and are not governed by the 
same conditions ; and I fancy no comparison can be 
made between them. I should like to see a 
bin . mien of tho shell. I send you herewith a few 
of tho Cheval Par oysters of tho recent lishery, 
which you may Bend on to Borneo if you like." 
AKMOAN TEAK WOOD. 
Tho interesting fact in Muted that .10 indestructible 
by wcur or rlecay i-. African tenUwood that vessels 
bnilt of it have lasted F<>r 100 year-, to he- then only 
broken dp because of their poor sailing qualities from 
faulty models. The woo 1, In fact, ll one of the most 
remarkable known, on nccouut of its very great weight, 
hardness, ami durability, its weight varjog from j-j to 
,VJ h>. p. r • uli <• lo .t ; it work- e.i -1 \ . hut on nr.-. nut 
of the UUfte quantity of silex contained ill it the 
tools employed arc quickly worn away. It also conlnius 
1111 oil winch prevents spikes ami otlior irou work 
with which it is in oontast from mating. ••Madnut 
Mail. 
107 
COFFEE PKOSPEOTS. 
Sir, — I read with a doleful face the letter from your 
London correspondent, in your issue of the 80th ultimo, 
headed "The Outlook for Coffee." The Planters of 
Ooorg pride themselves on living in a snug little coffee- 
producing province, and some of them, especially among 
our Native Planters, are vain enough to think that 
a large or small crop from Coorg is likely to effect 
the Europe marke'. Let us look at what the following 
figures tell us. Tho present Drazil crop is estimated at 
8,000,1)00 bags, which put into tons would represent 
600,000. Now the average crop from Coorg for the 
past eleven years is 1,300 tons, and the bumper crop 
within that period, 1.S79-80, was 0,321 tons, so that it 
would take 139 average crops, and nearly 100 hamper 
crops from Coorg to produce as much as the present 
estimated crop from Brazil. No wonder tho coffee 
market is depressed. For our own shke let us hope 
that the estimate of the Brazil crop is, as estimates 
generally are, docblful very. — CoOltQ PLANTER. — Madras 
Mail 
4 
THE LEMON. 
What Varieties is it Best to Plant? 
1 have read with great interest the letter from Italy 
on lemon culture and your comments thereon, where- 
in you say it seems that "those who are planting 
lemons will reap a golden harvest." 
Now, can you tell a new-comer what variety of lemon 
is the best to plant ? 'What are the relative merits of 
Sicily, Villa Franca, Belair Premium, Eureka, or others, 
as to quality, early ripening, shipping, hardiness to 
frost, etc., etc. Is the earliest bearing lemon necessarily 
the most profitable? What months in the year are 
best for us here to try to hit the New York matket ? 
What months in tho year eloes the foreigu fruit most 
abound in New York ? Whou lire best prices attained ? 
Above all, though some variety may from some cause 
bring a higher price, which is the beat market variety 
for solid business purposes? Will those who claim 
that their favorite variety of lemon ripens particularly 
early, give some evidence in the way of written acknow- 
ledgement of receipt in the market of actual shipments 
of marketable quantities, not specimen fruits ? 
What do louious bring per box, on the average ? Is 
the lemon box the same size as the orange box? How 
many lemons to a box of the different varieties — 
should lemons be wrapped? Is it true that they 
are p eked for shipping as soon as they are large enough 
and then artificially colored ? What size lemon takes 
best in the market ? Would it be good policy to plant 
lemon trees between orange rows, where the orange 
trees are too far apart ? If not, why ? 
"Nhw Comkb." 
San Antonio, Pasco Co. Fla., Dec. 27, 1887. 
[If the Dispatch had a dozen correspondent* ia 
each department of rural industry with such a faculty 
for asking pointed questions as " New Comer," our 
capacity as a cyclopedia of current information on 
rural affairs would be severely taxed. But wo like 
this sort of thing, it briugs out the facts. Fortuu- 
ately for us, our correspondents arc; numerous and 
"clever," few queries are too hard for them and they 
are always ghul to share their knowledge with " inquir- 
ing friends." 
Villa Franca, Belair Premium, aud Sicily are lirst- 
olsss varieties. We believe the same i- true of Eureka 
and Ocnoa, though wo know less of the two latter. 
We could in vcr see much difference in time of ripening, 
hardiness, or prolificno--. So far OS our knowledge ex- 
t n.ls, we have no early lemon, Comparatively sp akilK. 
The earlier the fruit oan be gotten into market, tin- 
better the price. Florida lemons usually go forward iti 
August and September. The bulk ol foreign lemons is 
received later. Average price tor ant-Owl Florida 
lemons is about $2*80 per box, net. Lemons are ship- 
ped iii same sized boxes as orangih. They will run 
from 260 to ;it)J per box. The fruit should be wrapped 
Some gather green aud ripen by process, others do 
not ; the admissibility ot doing ibis la a muoUd >| na- 
tion. Smid! billons »ell best 
