470 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1889. 
a cent of profit for many years together. Need we 
point out, after such an experience as theirs, and 
in view of the fact vouched for by the figures 
given above, what home capitalists ought to do ? 
To those disposed to act upon the inference, the in- 
terior of India offers an almost uncultivated field. 
What the prospects of that field are, are vouched for 
by the published accounts of the Central India Cotton 
Manufacturing Company. This mill, woi king in the 
very heart of the cotton districts, and with a capital of 
18f lakhs, has earned, for the year ending June, 1888, 
a gross return of R572,155, equal to 30 per cent., 
and that after paying over R91,000 for interest no 
its borrowed capital of 12J lakhs, a result which 
is hardly approached by any of the mills workng 
in overcrowded Bombay.— Bombay Gazette. 
DRUG TRADE REPORT. 
London, November 22nd. 
Cinchona. — The fortnightly auctions held on Tues- 
day were the smallest in extent held for some 
time, although the average standard of the bark, owing 
to the large proportion of South American Calisaya 
quills, was a high one. The catalogues comprised : 
Packages Packages 
Ceylon bark ... 960, of which 712 were sold 
East Indian bark ... 344 „ 224 „ 
Java bark ... 341 „ 275 „ 
South American bark 1,071 „ 551 „ 
Jamaica bark ... 87 „ 87 „ 
Total 
2,803 
1,849 
The auotions commenced with a fairly satisfactory 
tone, but competition very soon fell off, and dulness 
reigned supreme until the end of the sale, many holders 
preferring to buy in the bulk of their supplies rather 
than to aocept the low prices offered. Of two small 
cataloues not one single lot was sold. It is generally 
said that the prices show no material alteration on 
those of the previous auction, but we should be in- 
clined to plaoe the unit not higher than 2d. The 
following are the approximate quantities of bark pur- 
chased by the various buyers at the auctions: 
Lb. 
Agents for the Mannheim and Amsterdam works 86,149 
„ the American and French works 79,161 
„ the Auerbach works ... 55,391 
„ the Brunswick works ... 39,826 
„ Messrs. Jobst & Zimmer ... 25,412 
Messrs. Howards & Sons ... ... 14,315 
Mr. Thos. Whiffen ... ... 14,110 
Sundry buyers ... ... ... 12,350 
Total quantity sold ... 
Bought in or withdrawn 
Total offered 
326,714 
171,936 
498,650 
East Indian Bark. — Succirubra : Original quill and 
chips 3£d to 4d ; renewed shavings 4§d to 9dperlb. 
Crown : Shavings and chips 4d to 9Jd per lb. 
Java Bark. — Ledgeriana : Root 6£d to 8d ; dusty 
bianch quill 6|d to 7Jd ; dusty to fine chips 5d to 
lOd ; stout fine rich quill Is 4d ; 1 bale fine chips Is 
5d per lb., the highest prices paid at the auctions. 
Succirubra : Broken dull sea-damaged to thin but very 
bold long quill 3*d to 6d per lb. 
Jamaica Bark. — Crown: Low branchy chips 2Jd to 
3d ; weak broken quill 4£-d to 5Jd per lb. The ship- 
ments from Ceylon siDce the opening of the new season 
on October 1st have reached proportions very much 
in excess of what had been expected. This is partly 
owing, uo doubt, to the fact that in the latter part 
of September freights were very scarce at Colombo, 
;md the arrivals from the plantations accumulated at 
that port until more ships were available in Oct. 
South Amewcan Baiik.— More than half the quantity 
offered consisted of Bolivian cultivated Calisaya, which 
sold very freely at comparatively good prices, up to 
Is and Is Id per lb. for fino bold silvery but broken 
and slightly sea-damaged quill ; 10^d to lid for good 
stout quill (lOd for the damages) ; and 8d to 9Jd 
for fairly good ditto. Nearly all the Cuprea bark 
offered was bought in, a few parcels selling at 3£d to 
4d per lb. Two or three of the parcels have just been 
imported, for one of these 3£d is a-ked, while an- 
other is held at 3fd per lb. for the whole «' pile." O'her 
lots, of old import— 1832 and ■ 1883— are held by the 
importers at the recent auction rates, which were not 
obtainable yesterday. For two parcels of Soft Colum- 
bian character, import in 1880-81, very dusty 2Jd to 
3d per lb. was refused. For some hard Pitayo (1882 
import) 4id per lb. is named. 
Cubebs. — Good genuine berries are still quoted at 
£26 to £27 per cwt., but we do not hear of business. 
The cultivation of cubebs is to be commenced in British 
North Borneo by a Java planter, who has asked, for 
a concession of 4,000 acres on the Bengkoka River for 
the purpose of cultivating Liberia coffee, Oeara rubber, 
and cubebs. 
Quinine, — Another penny decline on German brands 
has been an event of the week. The market last Fri- 
day closed dull at Is 4|d per oz. on the spot, and 
Is 5d forward ; but on Tuesday, after the bark auctions, 
second-hand sales were reported at Is 4d, and sub- 
sequently at Is 3jd to Is 3|d for second-hand lots on the 
spot. The market closes weak at the latter prices, 
though another little spurt of life next week, or 
even this, would not much surprise us. Makers' quo- 
tations remain unchanged. — Chemist and Druggist. 
BURMAH A RICE GROWING COUNTRY. 
There is probably uo couutry in the world where 
the production of rice for exportation can be carried 
on so successfully as in Burmah at present. Many 
other countries in the far east can produce rice in 
abundance, but where the population is very dense 
the rice produced is required for internal consumption ; 
and where facilities for cheap transport to the coast 
do not exist, there is no use in producing any sur- 
plus rice. In Burma, we have an eminently suitable 
soil and climate, and every natural facility for cheap 
carriage, the population is very far from being so dense 
as to eat up all the rice produced. On the contrary 
one of our drawbacks is that our population is not 
numerous enough to bring the available land under 
cultivation. With these advantages there is no imme- 
diate danger of our losing our rice trade at present ; 
but it would be a mistake to reckon too confidently 
on retaining our present advantages for any indefinite 
length of time, or to ignore the efforts other nations 
are making to get into the rice trade. 
Our French neighbours are very anxious to obtain 
a larger share of the trade than they have now, and 
they eagerly watch every chance of obtaining this end. 
Quite recently they have discovered that the transit 
duty of five cents per pioul, which for the last three 
years has been levied on rice and paddy of Siamese 
origin descending to Saigon and Oholon by the Mee- 
kong across Cambodia, has pressed so heavily on the 
trade that the exportation of this kind of rice has 
practically ceased. This has been pointed out in a 
report by M. de Champeaux, Resident General of 
France in Cambodia and on the strength of this report 
M, Richaud, the Governer General has published a 
decree in the Journal Official of Oochin-Ohina, sup- 
pressing the transit duty. At the same time the river 
"Messageries" have lowered their freights, so that 
every facility possible is now afforded for the bringing 
down of Siam grown rice to Saigon and Cholon, and 
the merchants there are looking forward to a greatly 
increased trade. 
Rice is an article for which the demand is not at 
all likely to decrease in any way. On the contrary 
it is the staple food of a very large portion of the 
human race; it is cheap and nutritious, and even as 
a food it seems to be coming in a very general use 
in many countries. It is also used for very many 
purposes besides food, and apparently there is no limit 
almost to the quantity which can be absorbed. There 
is ample room for Saigon to increase her exports 
without materially reducing those from the Burmah 
ports, but if everything possible is done to make the 
rice exported from Saigon cheap, and if the other 
