326 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1888. 
navigable for boats, which do all the carrying, since 
there are but few waggon roads, which are traversed 
with buffalo carts — huge, unwieldy two-wheeled 
vehicles. 
The rice fields are laid off in lots of about one-third 
of an acre each — surrouuded by an embankment of 
earth, from eighteen inches to two feet in height, for 
the purpose of holding water when the land is being 
prepared for planting or irrigation — for which the 
cultivator pays to the Government a tax of twenty- 
eight cents per field. To encourage the natives to 
open up new fields, no tax is levied on the land the 
first five years. When matured, the grain is cut with 
sickles and stacked similar to American wheat, and, 
when needed, is tramped out by buffaloes and oxen, 
six or eight animals being attached to a post, around 
which the straw is strewn, and over which the cattle 
tramp round and round until the grain is separated 
from the straw. Then the straw is piled up for the 
cattle and the grain is winnowed from the chaff and 
dirt in a machine a Chinese invention of a thousand 
years ago. The rice for export — Kow Moong and 
Kow Soon — is brought to the mills at Bangkok to be 
hulled, and then sacked for shipping. The natives 
hull their rice for home consumption in wooden 
mortars with wooden pestles ; the latter they work 
with their feet, though many pound it out by hand. 
The first steam rice-mill at Bangkok was established 
by an American firm ; but not finding it profitable, 
they disposed of their plant. Now the preparation of 
rice for market has grown into a prosperous business. 
The large crop this year and the increased demand 
has induced several firms to put electric lights into 
their mills, so that they can run night and day. There 
are now fifteen steam rice-mills in Bankok, one in 
course of construction, and two at Patriew, a city 
thirty miles west of the capital. Most of the mills 
are in charge of foreign engineers. The only fuel 
used in these mills is the husk of the rice, Notwith- 
standing the country is full of rice — the last year's 
crop being an unusual one — the drought which has 
prevailed has dried up the water in the canals to such 
an extent that only a small portion has so far reached 
market, while thousands of piculs are spoiling in the 
boats which are stranded in the water-ways. — British 
Trade Jovrnal. 
- ♦■ 
THE VEGETABLE PRODUCTS COMMISSION. 
The Royal Commission on Vegetable Products have 
issued the Fifth Progress Report, and continuation of 
the minutes of evidence, with appendices aDd a general 
index. The subjects dealt with and the information 
given are, perhaps, the most important to the farming 
community that have yet appeared. A deficiency of 
scientific and cultural knowledge, however, appears 
both in the examiner and some of the witnesses a 
good maDy irrevalent questions being asked, and 
answers are given which lose their value on account of 
a want of knowledge of the scientific names of plants, 
insects, diseases, &c, though, fortunately, most of 
those whose evidence is given in this report are experts 
in the subjects of which they treat. 
The first portion of the evidence was taken at "VVan- ' 
garatta in September of last year, when information 
was obtained on tobacco, hops, roots, grapes, oranges 
and other fruits. In the next the very valuable evi- 
dence of Mr. J. L. Thompson of the Dookie Experi- 
mental Farm, was taken ; Mr. Thompson handed in an 
essay on ensilage which must prove a boon to every 
farmer of sufficient enterprise to undertake the growth 
and manufacture of silage. The methods of cultivating 
and saving the silage, while perfectly effective, are 
plain and simple, and such as may be carried out at a 
small expenditure. Full details are given of the con- 
struction of the silo, the treatment of the fodder, the 
mode of packing, of testing the temperature and all 
other details, including the difference between sweet 
and sour ensilage. 
Mr. Thompson remarks : — " It has been said that it 
makes no difference whether a silo costs £20 or £500 ; 
one will preserve ensilage as well as the other, the 
only requirement being continuous pressure. But you 
osnnot make small silos as effective as large ones, nor 
can you pack the fodder so well against rough surfaces 
as against walls that are smooth ; consequently there 
is more waste of foddtr with small pits and rough 
surfaces than with large pits and smooth walls. Cheap 
earthen silos (holes simply dug in the ground) are more 
likely to popularise the system of ensilage among the 
farming community than expensive masonry, and wIh ro 
the earth is sound this plan may be adopted with 
perfect success. I have seen as good ensilage made in 
this way as ever I saw from the most expensive silo, 
and small farmers need not hesitate to sink a hole 
in any good holding ground, put in their green fodder, 
and cover it up with two feet of earth — it will come 
out green and sweet six or nine months afterwards." 
This is valuable and timely advice and instruction for 
small farmers, and we hope to hear of many of them 
acting upon it, and commence preparations for grow- 
ing some fodder crop, as we have so often recom- 
mended. 
Regarding the two kinds of ensilage — sweet and 
sour — Mr. Thompson agrees with Mr. D. Wilson and 
other dairymen that sour ensilage is best for milch 
cows, and sweet ensilage for fattening stock. Iu 
speakiog of stack ensilage Mr. Thompson says — " the 
only objection to stack ensilage is that our penetrating 
hot winds and sun have the effect of spoiling a con- 
tiderable portion of the fodder around the edges of the 
stack, and the loss is so great that it will repay the 
farmer to construct a silo." He also gave evidence 
on dairying, farm crops for grain and fodder, olives 
grapes, fruit drying, pigs, bees, &c. 
Mr. John Zevenboom gave evidence on millet for 
broom making. There are two broom manufactories 
in the colony. He uses 15,000 lb. per month, and if 
the same quantity is used in the other manufactory the 
total amount will be upwards of 106 tons per year, 
which at 3d. per lb. — the present price — is worth £4,650. 
Mr. Zevenboom says — " Of course it can be grown in 
the colony," as our readers already know. 
Mr. Francis Donovan and other tinners gave evidence 
on leather, wattle bark and other substances used lor 
tanning. Wattle bark is really getting scarcer, and the 
price has gone up in 15 years from £3 los. a ton to 
£9 or £1U, so that there is inducement for landowners 
to undertake its cultivation. He says — " There has been 
no special foresight concerning the culture of wattle ; 
persons have been allowed to go into the forest by 
paying a small licence fee, and the forests have been 
denuded without any regard to the wattle, and now 
it has got very scarce. There is no tannage that has 
been used so complete as that of the wattle bark, it is 
complete in itself. It is thought that among other 
substances used elsewhere, the sumach especially would 
thrive in the colony, and the demand for it is 
unlimited." 
Dr. Carstairs and Mr. W. M. Iloss gave their ex- 
perience on the qualities and culture of sugar beet. 
Mr. James Matthews, Fyansford, spoke on street tree 
planting. He infers, from the townships and places he 
has visited, that municipal and shire authorities have 
little definite knowledge as to the best trees to grow 
for their streets. He considers the best deciduous 
trees for streets in the colony are elms, oaks, 
oriental planes and poplars, in which we entirely agree 
with him, as also in the impropriety of planting different 
kinds of trees, especially evergreen and deciduous, in 
the same street. Mr. Charles French, of the Botanic 
museum gave evidence on insects injurious to fruit 
trees and other farm and garden produce. Mr. G. W. 
Knight, senr. nurseryman, &c, Sandhurst, gave a 
large amount of very valuable evidence on grapes and 
other fruits, as well as on various other subjects. 
Also enlarged microscopic figures of the flower of the 
grape in different stages, and he handed in a descrip- 
tive list of grape vines planted in the experimental 
ground at the nurseries. So valuable was the evidence 
given by Mr. Knight considered, that the chairman 
of the commission and Mr. J. L. Dow, M. L. a., gave 
special thanks to him for giving the commission the 
valuable results of his patient research and many years' 
experience. Messrs. W. Waller and A. J. Cheke gave 
evidence regarding tea. Miss F. Campbell gave in- 
teresting evidence on fungi and fungoid diseases of 
