128 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. August r, 1888. 
principles of mulberry culture. Their Excellencie 
now issue this proclamation, to inform the inhabitants 
of northern Formosa that the rearing of the silk- 
worm is a matter that concerns their welfare, and 
that consequently they must take heed to the ex- 
hortations herein given ; and on the recurrence of 
every winter aod spring they must devote their 
time and attention to the planting of the mulberry, 
which in a short time will afford the necessary 
food for the silkworm. The object of the Governor 
and Assistant Commissioner in promulgating this 
proclamation is to promote the intt rests of the 
people, and to see them happy and prosperous. 
PLANTING IN TRAVANCORE. 
To The Editor, " Tropical Agriculturist." 
Travancore', 18th July 1888. 
Dear Sir, — In the T. A. of April, page (339, appears a 
letter signed "M. " of Travancore, whose object appears 
to be to take a "rise" out of Mr. John Cox. As 
however in attempting to do so he has assumed a liberty 
and shown a contempt for facts, I should like to 
say a word or two to correct a most erroneous impres- 
sion expressed by and to be inferred from " M. " 's letter. 
Mr Cox is not, as he honestly avows, the oldest tea 
planter in Travancore ; unless indeed " M. " in a face- 
tious mood, referred to Mr. Cox's own age. Before Mr. 
Cox pi inted the 12-acre field, referred to by " M." which 
I believe was his first tea planted for the purposes of 
manufacture, tea was being manufactured on an estate 
not ten miles from Oliver — though not in any way con- 
nected with Mr. Cox's estate ; and yield per acre was fully 
double what "M." states as a liberal estimate for Southern 
aud Central Travancore, and that too in a wretched 
climate and soil. If in Purmerd 250 lb made tea per acre 
can be had from tea 3 years old and of a middling jat, in 
ordinary soil, what is there, may I ask, to prevent similar 
results being obtained in South and Central Travancore 
so long as the planting is properly done. 
If'M." will be "penny-wise and pound-foolish" 
and persist in putting his young tea into 8 " and 9 " pits 
when the pits are acknowledged to have so great an influ- 
ence on the subsequent yield of tea, he will have 
himself to blame if in the end he has to content him- 
self with 100 to 250 lb. made tea per acre. 
" M. " goes for Mr. Cox on the ground that he pro- 
duces "hearsay" information. Is " M. " aware that 
all reports and statements must to an extent be hearsay ? 
He can scarcely expect the person compiling a report to 
personally superintend the operations, a statement of 
which, with their results, goes to make up the informa- 
tion rendered. If he is so averse to " hearsay informa- 
tion" why does he adduce " hearsay evidence," which 
of all matters hearsay is to be disallowed, for the 
purpose of shewing up an ex-Ceylon planter's represen- 
tation? Any ordinary planter would have been able to 
see for himself of what the 800 lb. of leaf per acre 
consisted without deliberately "pumping" the neigh- 
bourhood. " M. " has been most liberal with his estimates 
of produce to be obtained from certain products — not even 
accepting cacao from which he only expects to get nothing 
per acre; but he has passed over a product which has 
been most remunerative ia certain parts of Travancore 
— Mr. Cox refers to it but in a limited manner — I mean 
cinchona. On Purmerd the succirubras, robusta and 
pubescens, have given most satisfactory results at an 
early age, in return for very primitive and inexpensive 
p'antin? and little if any attention afterwards. 
in Mr. Cox's letter of 4th October, should Kiwmylies 
not have been substituted for Balford? The "Seafield " 
tea which fetched 1/7 was marked and shipped as un- 
assorted; a most important piece of information 
which Mr. Cox appears to have overlooked. However 
thereby bangs a tale. I will proceed no further but 
subscribe myself, yours truly, BOG ROY. 
The German Borneo Company, the domicile of 
which is at Hamburg, has no net profits to distribute 
for 1887. The plantings had a financial result of 
in. ;i 1,5 1 7, in addition to whioh sum an amount of 
in.100,034 was applied for improvements. The 
paid-up capital amounted to m.500,000 in addition 
to m.203, 124 taken up as loans from bankers. — //. iC- 
O. Express, July 2oth. 
Jcte. — A paper issued by the Bengal Agricul- 
tural Department gives some remarkable statistics 
regarding the growth of jute cultivation in the 
Lower Provinces. In the last two years the in- 
crease has been about 20 per cent on the normal 
area, which means an extension of about 200,000 
acres ; while the expansion in production may be 
judged from the fact that last jear the amount 
of jute received in Calcutta exceeded the imports of 
1884 by over two million maunds. — Pioneer, July 16th. 
Fibres for Paper-making. — The Mouhnein Adver- 
tiser draws attention to the fact that Burmah in 
general and the Moulmein district in particular 
abounds in plants >ielding fibres most suitable 
for paper-making. The king grass was at one time 
thought likely to take the place of the celebrated 
esparto grass. Experiments tried by the Bally 
Paper Mills Company (Calcutta) with this grass 
(which grows in great abundance all over Burmah, 
proved that it was very suitable for paper, being 
easily wrought and showing that the loss in the 
weight is less than that of any other grass experi- 
mented with by the Bally Paper Mills. The paper, 
too, is strong and clean and shows an excellent 
surface. — Indian Agriculturist. [Had the botanical 
name been given we might be able to identify the 
" king " grass. — Ed. 
Prospects in Java. — Amsterdam, July 11th. 
— At the annual meeting of the Netherlands-India 
Trading Bank tin directors presented their report. 
The report observes that, although the financial 
result of the proceeding year is not satisfactory, 
there are signs of improvement in the general con- 
dition of Java. The coffee crop was small, but prices 
higher. The cultivation of tea and cinchona bark 
was much depressed by the constant fall in value. 
Indigo, and especially spices, realised improving 
prices. The rice crop was abundant, and large 
quantities were shipped to Holland, — L. <& C. Express. 
Indian Fodder Grasses, — From Mr. S. M. Tracy, 
the Director Mississippi Agricultural Experimental 
Station, U. S. A. ; — " The Mississippi Experiment 
Statiou is giving special attention to the cultiv :ti on 
of new varietii s of grasses and forage plants and 
desires to procure a few of the most valuable sorts 
from India. If you send, us seeds— even a few of 
each variety — we shall be glad to receive them. 
If you should bejable to accompany the seeds with dried 
specimens of the plants, the value will be still greater. 
The station will be happy to send to your 
Institution any seeds which you may desire in ex- 
change, so far as we can procure them. " The 
assistance of Mr. Duthie, who has made a special 
study of the fodder grasses of Northern India, has 
been asked ; and h6 has kiudly sent a supply of 
seeds which will be supplemented with some from 
the Society's own stock, and senb at an early date 
to Mr. Tracy. A somewhat similar application from 
Mr. J. W. Lever of Florida, was received some short 
time back through Mr. W. Coldstream, c s. Mr. 
Coldstream some time in 1885 read a Paper before 
the Edinburgh Botanical Society on the Grasses of 
Southern Punjab, which was published in the 
Gardeners' Chronicle. The writer refers to this Paper 
which he had read with great interest ; he says : 
" In Florida we are compelled lo look outside the 
State and, in fact, outside the United Stases for a 
wider range of fodder plants suited to the climate. 
So far, we have only succeede 1 in obtaining and 
acclimatising the Japan Clover (Lespedezi striata), 
aud we anuually sow seeds of the Central Americau 
Teosinte \_Reana luxuriant}, Mr. Lever goes on to 
say that he wrote to the Botanicil Society who 
referred him to Mr. Coldstream ; and he adds n list 
of the grasses he wishes to try. Mr. Lever's wants 
will be met as far as possible — Proceedings of the 
Agricultural and Horticultural Society of .India. 
