376 
TNT. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [December x, 1888. 
Quinine Prospects. — We call attention to 
the Chemist d; Druggist's Drug Beport on page 
373, which, as usual, contains some interesting details. 
In respect of Quinine, especially, we are told of the 
failure of one Quinine manufacturing establishment 
at Bromley, Kent; while on the other hand it is 
asserted that the prevalence of yellow fever in 
Florida and adjacent States is creating an in- 
creased demand for Quinine. Of more interest 
perhaps to Cinchona planters is the news of a 
stoppage of planting in Bolivia. 
Pu-erh Tea Seed. — A Madras Government 
paper gives an account of an experiment to in- 
troduce from China the seed of the specially fine 
variety of tea named as above. The Chinese are 
accused of boiling their tea seed, but there seems 
no necessity to assume any such practice to account 
for utter failure on the present occasion. The tea 
seed was a year old when it reached India, light 
and grub-eaten. Of course not a single seed 
germinated. Tea seed, as all planters in Ceylon 
know, soon loses its vitality. Bapidity of trans- 
mission is of the utmost importance, and if this can 
be secured and the seed packed in earth, success 
with the larger proportion may be relied on. 
The Blackman Ventilating Co. Ltd., have re- 
ceived a most satisfactory letter from Captain 
Skinner of Silcoorie, in which he chronicles the 
complete success of the Blackmail system of wither- 
ing. Is is quite on the cards that this system will 
be found to overcome all the withering troubles of 
the past, even rti the worst of weathers. Indeed, 
from Captain Skinner's letter it would appear that 
it has already done so. Having gone thoroughly 
into this question with the Company's Manager here, 
the matter appears to me of sufficient importance 
to justify a full description, and I am therefore 
having an illustration prepared to accompany the 
description : the illustration, however, will not be 
ready for a couple of mails, so the matter must be 
postponed till then. — London letter, I. P. Gazette. 
Paris Pharmaceutical Society. — The opening 
meeting after vacation having organised on Oct. 
3rd with its regular officers, namely, President 
Delpeeh and Perpetmil Secretary Planchon,.. 
Secretary Planchon showed a specimen of false 
ipecacuanha sent to him from Amsterdam. The 
drug in question has only the physical appearance 
of true ipecac. Chemical analysis shows it to 
contain no emetine ; and microscopical investigation 
proves it to possess none of the characteristics of 
an ipecac. Besides, it is the rhizome of a monocoty- 
ledonou8 plant, while ipecac is a root proper.. 
Nevertheless, as it appears large quantities of the 
worthless stuff are brought to market under the 
name of Ceylon ipecac, and its appearance is 
calculated to deceive, it is not amiss to give warning 
of the possible fraud intended. — Chemist and Druggist. 
North Born ko Tobacco. — Considering that the to- 
bacco from the Banow estate in North Borneo was dried 
and prepared at a bad season, and that the sorting and 
classification were not as well done as generally occurs 
on a Sumatra estate, the rate at which the 280 
bales from Borneo have sold at Botterdam must 
be considered as encouraging. The average price 
was 2s 3d per half kilo. ; but some 60 bales which 
had not been affected by wet in the course of 
preparation fetched 3s 6d per half kilo. This has 
now definitely demonstrated that tobacco of very 
good quality can be grown in Borneo. Packages 
from Sandakan Bay and Marudu have been sold, 
and we are informed that a sample from Darvel 
Bay has been highly reported on. This means 
that then; are three degrees of latitude on the cast 
coast of Borneo in which tobacco can bo grown, 
and where the rainfall— so essential to a tobacco 
tbtate — is suitable. — L. d; C. Express. 
Boxes. 
142,750 
26,330 
Boxes. 
127,740 
China Tea. — The Foochow Echo of the 15th 
instaut gives the following Tabie of Comparative 
Settlements in Foochow from the opening of the market 
to 7th September : — 
Season 1887-1888. 
Chests. Half-chs. 
Total ... 7,490 790,660 
Average price per picul Taels 15.1 
Total Set;l<-ments at } . - nK ln1 
Tls. 20j- and upwards \ 4 ' o0b 121 - 040 
Season 1888-1889. 
Obests. Half-chs. 
Total ... 9,912 664,574 
Average price per picul Taels 19.4 
Total Settlements at ) q „,„„.. 
Tls, 20^ and upwards J %2M 242,890 83,19b 
— and remarks thereon in its leading columns: — 
Figures are hard facts, and this table divulges a most 
extraordinary and deplorable state of atfairs. it is 
simply this, that the price of tea, notwithstanding he 
general outcry about poorness of crop, etc., has aver- 
aged Taels 4.3 per picul more than last year, and that 
tbe merchants and speculators of Foochow have paid 
the teamen a no less sum than about $1,850,000.00 more 
than they nead have done. Lowj lice Foochow. 
" Pearling " in Western Australia, — The 
"pearling" referred to in the following paragraph 
is, of course, the collection of the large mother- 
o'-pearl shells : — 
A deputation of gentlemen representing the pearl- 
ing iudustry of this colony waited on the Colonial 
Secretary yesterday, for the purpose of pointing out 
to that official how pearling operations are paralysed 
by tbe heavy import and export duties at present 
prevailing. The deputation, which consisted of Mr. 
james Lilly (Manager for the Adelaide Steamship 
Company), Mr. D. A. Symou (Symon, Hammond k 
Hubble), Mr. M. Price aod Mr. James Clark, was in- 
troduced by the latter gentleman, who explained 
how those at present engaged in pearling were handi- 
capped, now that the market price of shell is only 
[B690 a ton, compared with the pearlers of a few years 
ago when the ruling prices were from £250 to £300 
per 'on, and when the shell could be obtained by 
natives, who were employed beach-combing. Mr. 
Clark's remarks having been emphasised by Messrs. 
Lilly, Price and Symon, the Colonial Secretary expressed 
regret at not being is a position to furnish the de- 
putation with a definite reply, and urged those forming it 
to lay their views before his Excellency the Governor, on 
a day to be arranged. Tbis was agreed to, and the depu- 
tation, after having expressed their thanks, withdrew. 
Ceylon and Java. — A writer to the Soerabaia- 
Courant, signing the initials "H. v. S.," expresses 
his opinion in no measured terms of the manner 
in which the local Government are hampering the 
private planting enterprise by prohibiting the em- 
ployment of Chinese labor on estates, the excuse 
for this step being a desire to put a check on the 
sale of opium. The writer gives instances of the 
inconvenience and loss which the planters have 
suffered thereby, and adds: — "How different is the 
case in Ceylon. In the pamphlet of Mr. Mundt, 
' Ceylon and Java,' it has already been pointed out 
forcibly what advantages the Ceylon planter enjoys 
over the Java one. And is the population there 
poorer? In Ceylon the soil is cultivated by enter- 
prizers, not the enterprizer and population by the 
State, and yet there is a surplus each year. Let one 
just look at the map, ' Hill-country of Ceylon ' (pub- 
lished by A. M. Ferguson, Colombo), and the dis- 
tricts of Matale, Dumbara, UVa and Badulla, and 
then everyone will understand how there enterprise 
after enterprize has sprung up. The Government 
there recognizes, that the development of colonies 
by the spirit of enterprize goes hand in hand with 
the interest of people and Stale." The writer points 
out that the very different treatment accorded to 
planters by the N. I. Government is driving them to 
settle in other countries : but ho hopes for an improve- 
ment with tho accession of a new Governor-General 
