a 2 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [July 2, 1888. 
Peru : Export op Saltpetre from Iquique. — In 
1887, there were exported from! Iquique 619,000 
tons of saltpetre to Europe, and 75,110 tons to the 
United States, together, 694,110 tons, 431,500 tons 
in 1886. In December alone the export amounted to 
96,000 tons. — Chamber of Commerce Journal. 
Preservation op Books prom Insects. — In certain 
parts of China, the British Consul at Swatow 
observes, books are extremely liable to be attacked 
by insects. They first destroy the glue used in the 
backs of books, and gradually perforate the whole 
volume. Cockroaches, too, entirely disfigure the 
covers by eating away patohes of the galzing. 
The remedy for both these nuisances is easy. 
The late Dr. Hance, who had a large library, 
used the follwing recipe : — 
Corrosive sublimate ... ... ••• 5 drachms 
Creosote (fi drops 
Rectified spirit 2 lb. 
This mixture, a violent poison, he applied with a 
brush in the joint of the book between every six 
or seven pages, and as a preventive of the ravages 
of cockroaches, he varnished the cover of the book 
with a thin clear spirit-varnish. In binding books, 
it would be only necessary to add a small quantity of 
the above mixture to the glue used, and to give a 
coating of spirit-varnish to the cover, to secure com- 
plete protection from the attacks of insects of all 
kinds. — Chemist and Druggist. 
Cinchona Culture in Java. — The Amsterdam 
correspondent of the London and China Express, 
writing on April 25th, says : — 
The West Java Kina Cultuur Maatschappy held 
its annual meeting on the 23rd inst., when inform- 
ation was given regarding the condition of the 
undertaking, which was considered satisfactory. The 
cultivation is gradually extending, and the number 
of trees is about 3,285,000, of which 3,160,000 Ledger- 
iana and 125,000 Succirubra. Acoording to the profit 
and loss account the total profit amounts to flll4, 273, 
from which an expenditure of fl56,794 has to be 
deducted, the net profit being thus : — fl57,479, of 
which the shareholders will receive a dividend of 5J 
per cent, or fl.55 per share. The cinchona crop of 
the estates is estimated at about 93,000 kilos, and 
taking into consideration that the average price made 
for the last crop was c. 93 per kilo, while the cul- 
tivation in Ceylon is further decreasing, the directors 
express as their opinion that the prospects for the 
company are favourable, 
Australian Timbers. — Mr. J. Laurie is on 
his way to the old country in the S. S. " Oceana," 
with a view to the introduction of Australian timbers 
to the markets of Great Britain. He is sending a 
sample cargo in the S. S. " Bosetta," consisting of 
some 12,000ft. of hardwood, including blue-gum, 
ironbark, tallow wood, black butt, &o. He proposes 
to visit the leading timber merchants, and explain 
to them the qualities of the various specimens, and 
the uses they are specially fit for. He will also take 
a number of samples of wooden blocks, for street 
paving, among which are some that have been in 
actual use in the Sydney streets, to show how they 
are affected by the street traffic These have been 
supplied to him by the Government. Mr. Laurie 
takes with him letters of introduction from the 
Mayor of Sydney, His object is to give such informa- 
tion to the parties interested at home as may, it is 
hoped, lead to a large trade in colonial timbers ; for 
although specimens of our timber have before been 
sent home they have attracted little or no attention, 
in consequence of there not being any practical man 
there to point out their advantages. Mr. Laurie ex- 
pects to be away from the colony about five months. 
— Sydney Mail. 
Liberian Coffee seems still to be a popular 
product with planters in the Eastern Archipelago. 
Mr. F. O. Maxwell writes to the Sarawak Qazett-, 
under date "Kuching, 25th April," that, as the 
planting of Liberian coffee is spreading rapidly 
in that district, he has got the Manager of Matang 
coffee estate (Mr. Loyalty Peake, we believe) to 
draw up a paper of instructions to guide planters 
and officers of Govprnment all over the Settle- 
ment. We shall give the paper — a brief one — 
in our Tropical Agriculturist. 
Planting Hints from Haputale. — Has any 
one thought of the plan suggested by our Haputale 
correspondent of using the ' Victoria Drier ' as 
a Witherer ; and if tried, with what result ? Aa 
our planting friend says : — " My idea of the Vic- 
toria being used as a Witherer may not be new to 
those who have them in use as a drier ; but if it 
has not been tried, I think someone should give 
it a trial. The threeweekly weeding arrangement is 
certainly preferable to once a month, as others as 
well as myself can testify." 
A Becipe por a Whitewash which Does Not 
Easily Bub Off.— 1 maund clean white or shell 
lime, slaked thoroughly with hot water in a covered 
vessel. Add 5 seers salt dissolved in hot water; 
3 seers coarse rice pounded or boiled to a thick 
paste ; half a seer of glue cleaned by dissolving 
in hot water, the dirty refuse being rejected. The 
ingredients to be well mixed and brought to the 
required consistency by the addition of hot water, 
then allowed to simmer over a fire for a few hours, 
strained and laid on hot. — Indian Engineer. 
The Quinine Works of the World. — Says 
Burgoyne, Burbidges & Co.'s Monthly Circular : — 
" Excluding the Government factories (and planta- 
tions) in India, where the mixed ' bark alkaloids ' 
are prepared, to some extent, for local use, and 
also leaving the experimental Bussian works out 
of the calculation, there are some eighteen quinine 
factories in the world, of which the total yearly 
output is about four and a half million ounces. 
The number comprises one establishment in Hol- 
land, two each in England and Italy, three in 
France, four in the United States, and no less 
than six in Germany." 
Sea-sand for Cement. — It will be remem- 
bered how the Chief Resident Engineer (Mr. A. 
W. Burnett) poohpoohed the suggestion that it 
was important to wash or prepare sea-sand — to free 
it from salt — before using with cement. It is very 
striking to note in Mr. Kyle's paper on the 
Colombo Harbour Works, how carefully he had 
the sand prepared for his cement concrete pur- 
poses ; and not only so, but in erecting his " cement 
shed," being close to the sea, he had it " walled 
in on three sides and roofed without ventilation- 
so as to exclude the sea air from the cement." 
Would that the engineers and workers at Maliga- 
kanda had been as careful. 
Bali coffee figures so prominently in our market 
reports that the prospects of the produce article 
in question will arouse close attention in commer- 
cial circles. By last advices, the coffee crop on 
that island promises to be unusually abundant. 
The port of Buleling through which most of the 
coffee trade of the island passes, will thrive still 
more in consequence. Buleling is expected to 
increase considerably in commercial importance 
when it comes into telegraphic communication 
with the outside world. Preparations are actively 
going on there in building a telegra ph office 
Within a few months, a cable will be laid be- 
tween Java and Macassar with Buleling as inter - 
| mediate station, — Straits Times, 
