482 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [January i, 1889. 
to a mass of coal of various sizes mixed together, the 
difference being that the fargments of coal are all of 
one substance, whereas the 6oil is composed of various 
substances. Now we know that if we pour water over 
a basket of coals, a thin layer of water adheres to 
each fragment, and the rest passes off through the 
meshes of the basket. Just so, when a soil is wet 
by the rain, each tiny fragment is surrounded by a 
thin fiim of water, and the rest, if the soil is in a 
normal condition, filters through and flows away. 
As the fragments of the soil are very much smaller 
than those of the coal, while the film of water that 
adheres to the particles is perhaps just as thick, it 
follows that the amount of water retained by a 
given bulk of soil is vastly greater than by an equal 
bulk of coal. 
Suppose we put the coal in a light pail instead of a 
basket, and then pour on.water. Of course the water fills 
the interstices between the fragmeuts and the air 
is all driven out, except a few bubbles that become 
entangled. This is precisely what happens when 
heavy rains falls upon a soil that has an impervious 
clay subsoil. The spaces between the particles 
become almost filled with water, and the air, with 
the oxygen it contains, is mostly driven out. 
Botanists tell us that the root-hairs, that supply 
the roots with water and its nourishing substances 
in solution, cannot live without oxygen. If the 
oxygen is shut away from roots, therefore, the roots 
will die. In dying they not only injure the plant 
to which they belong, but the matter of which 
they are formed soon undergoes decomposition, and 
generates gases which are injurious to other healthy 
root-hairs in the neighborhood. 
iTo be sure, the rain water, as it falls upon the 
soal, is charged with oxygen, but in passing down- 
w rd a part of this is filtered out ; another part 
unites with organic matter in the soil, so that after 
th e water remains for a time it becomes deficient iu 
th e life-giving oxygen. Hence it is that when a soil 
is filled with water the roots of land plants cannot 
live in a healthy condition. 
When, however, we provide an outlet for the surplus 
water, it slowly flows away, and in doing so the air 
forces itself in from the top of the soil, and the roots 
are abundantly supplied with oxygen. From time to 
time rains come, and temporarily filling the cavities 
of the soil, drive out the air within them that has 
given up a part of its oxygen. As this passes off 
through the drainage fresh air enters again, and thus 
the roots are kept supplied with oxgen. — Ex. — Southern 
Planter. 
PLANTING IN TONG-KING. 
The Heme Francaise contains an elaborate articl e 
by a French colonist, writing under an Aunamite 
nom de plume, on the agricultural colonisation of 
Tong-King, in which a glowing account is given of 
the possibilities of a settlement of European agri- 
culturists in that country. After describing the 
climate throughout the year in some detail, in rather 
favourable terms, the writer states that the views 
prevailing in France as to its dreadful nature are 
due wholly to losses of the expeditionary corps from 
the climate ; but this is not a fair criterion, because 
the diflicultic3 and dangers of those expeditions 
from the long marches of the troops through un- 
healthy reigons, with unsuitable food, no proper camps, 
and the excessive heat would cause a high mor- 
tality iu aiiy case. With ordinary care and period- 
ical changes life in Tong-Eiug, he avers, is as healthy 
as anywhere else in the tropics, and therefore the 
climate cannot be regarded as hostile to the suggested 
enterprise. Next, Tong-King offers the two main 
elements of fertility, the sun and water; the means 
of communication, which are all by water, are cheaper 
than in almost any other country in the globe, 
labour is on the spot, and to be got at a cheap rate, 
and the crops that may be cultivated are numerous 
and varied. But the great danger to be avoided is 
in specialising, that is, iu cultivating ouc thing and 
one only. This baneful practice prevails amongst 
European planters all over the Eist ; one man will 
grove tea only, another coffee only, a third pepper, 
tobacco, cocoa, or what not ; aud when anything 
occurs to injure his crop or reduce the price, he 
has nothing to fall back upon. 
Specialising is sometimes necessary ; as whpu the 
sugar-cane planter is far away from markets he 
must have the machinery at hand for the rapid 
treatment of the cane, and must give himself up 
to this altogether. Tong-King further has the 
enormous advantage of abundant and cheap labour ; 
immigration is not necessary, and thus one source 
of heavy expense to the planter is saved. The 
delta region is not suitable for European planters, 
on account of its flat and unhealthy character, but 
the rest of Tong-King is composed of hill and valley, 
where Europeans can carry ou their work all the 
year round. The writer proposes that France should 
come to an arrangement with the King of Anuaiu, 
who is lord of the soil in Tong-Kiug, to take over 
his rights in regard to the land, aud then that it 
should be sold by public auction. He even sketches 
out a plan or draft of a law regulating these sales, 
protecting the rights of all concerned. He is obvi- 
ously fully possessed with the idea that Tong-King 
as a planting country can not only vie with Java, 
Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and Ceylon, but can 
beat them all in point of prosperity, inasmuch as 
it enjoys advantages which they do not possess in 
abundant labour on the spot, and in a system of 
the cheapest possible transport by rivers and canals, 
which would convey their produce rapidly to the 
ports on the coast, where it could be shipped to 
Hong Kong and European markets. — London and China 
Express. 
MINOR AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES. 
Under this heading a correspondent to the Depiierara 
Argosy writes as follows with reference to the culti- 
vation of Cocoa, Indiarubber, &c. As his remarks 
are likely to be of great interest to our banana culti- 
vators we give them at considerable length in the belief 
that if the policy indicated below was pursued by 
the planters generally in this Colony, a permanent 
source of income would obtaiu. We are thoroughly 
convinced that the future prosperity of tropical 
countries lies in the carrying out of the undermentioned 
scheme of cultivation, a cultivation which should go 
hand ill hand with opening up of all the modern 
means of interna) and external communication : 
AVere there, however, a large permanent demand 
for export, of either bananas, plantains, ground pro- 
visions, or the x^roducts of any other annual plants, the~ 
cost of establishing cocoa, or any of the several 
permanent economic plants, would be greatly reduced : 
as, for the first few years these crops would, more 
than pay working- expenses; the cocoa, &c. in the 
meanwhile becoming established on the land. A 
resident cultivator, having less means, might be con- 
tent with establishing a small area at first, waiting 
till the returns from the produce enabled him to 
extend it. Thus an industrial man, however poor 
in starting, might, as the majority of settlers do in 
temperate colonial countries, work his way upward 
in life to eventually a considerable possession. But 
to men of little or no capital, siUuted like the ma- 
jority of agricultural colonists who begin life in 
temperate lands, a fruit, or other trade, yielding 
returus at short intervals, and O o enabling them to 
live and pay their way, would be indispensable to 
their success as cocoa cultivators. 
Now the cultivation of cocoa, coffee, kolanuts, coco- 
nuts, the various spices, possibly fibres, the numerous 
small tropical products, and various well-known tropical 
fruits, to which might be added tne breeding and 
rearing of stock of all kinds, presents just the opening 
required by such men. 
Now let me say a word as to the kind of men 
who should become settlors on our rivers, — the men 
who would cany with thorn iu this new industry 
