March r, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
599 
The Hamburg Market is at present regularly 
supplied with African tobacco, coming from the 
Cameroons plantations at the West coaet, and from 
Messrs. O'Swald and Cb.'s Zanzibar plantations from 
the East coast. The produce of Cameroon is more 
actively demanded, the Zanzibar tobacco has a bad 
smell and taste, while the Cameroon's produce 
burns badly. In spite of this latter fact, the Came- 
roon produce has been paid with m. 3 per lb., while 
the Zanzibar tobacco could realise but m.1.20 
per lb. — L. <L- G. Express, Jan. 18th. 
Cotton and Coal in India are thus noticed 
in the Indian, Colonial and Foreign Engineer and 
Builder : — 
Thirty years ago Indian cotton manufactures were 
at their lowest ebb ; but it was not the manufacture 
itself, but the mode of conducting it that had become 
obsolete. The day of the hand-loom of India had passed 
away, but tho industry was to arise in a new form. In 
1854 a mill for the manufacture of cotton yarn and 
cloth was erected in Bombay, and by 1884 there were 
upwards of one hundred cotton and jute mills working 
in India, with 22,000 looms, 2,000,000 spindles, employ- 
ing more than 110.000 people. This enormously rapid 
development!-, however, but the commencement of an 
industry of which the ultimate extent is impossible to 
forecast. The prosperity of iudu-tries consuming great 
quantities of power must depend largely upon the fuel- 
producing capacities of the country. In India coal min- 
ing is now being developed, and the difficulties in ap- 
plying Indian coal have now been po far mastered that 
95 per cent of the coal usedin Bengal for its railway 
system and for its steam industries is raisted in the 
country. It must not be thought that the june and cot- 
ton industries will alone continue to improve; fresh in- 
dustries will arise,and other commodities will be put 
upon the market. With growing improvements in the 
uses of fuels for obtaining power, and with the in- 
creasing capital which must follow upon increasing 
commerce, the actual progress of the next thirty years 
should be far greater than that of the past thirty. The 
capabilities of India as a producing country, in the 
widest sense of the term, may be regarded as im- 
measurable, their development being only limited by 
tho means of conveyance and distribution available to 
those li\ whom her indiistricsarc directed. 
Lantana Bushes Killed hy Kerosene. — From tho 
Honolulu Planter** Monthly we quote as follows: — 
The invasion of the laniaua bush has become a 
matter for very rerions consideration, in Koria, 
Hawaii, on some parts of Maui, in this island and ou 
Kauai, it hag grown very largely, and the impervious 
nature of its dense jangle renders it a formidable foe 
to both agriculturist and grazier. The seeds are 
spread by various birds, and tako root in th- thin- 
noBt soil ; many rocky wastes have been covered with 
it, and in this respect, conld it be kept within bounds, 
it might be a plant of some service, ax forming soil 
and giving shade to permit small nnd'-rgrowth. But 
as a forcible occupant of arablo and grazing laud, it 
is very undesirable. Tho young seedlings can readily 
bo pulled up if they can be reached, but tho roots 
arc tongh and woody, and full of vitality. The only 
successful plan so far, adopted for destroying the roots, 
other than the costly one of hauling them np, is re- 
ported by Messrs. Lowrie of Maui, and Day una Robin- 
son of Kauai. The latter gentlemen nay as follows: 
" Lantana is destroying a great deal of the pasture 
land of thin island and threatens in time to cover 
every spot of uncultivated land. For the last two 
years we Lave kepi » gang of Chinamen digging it 
up by the ruoU, vvbiuo costs us at the rate of 
Sti.OOO per your. We are in hopes of preventing its 
increase; it is not likely that wc will be able to 
thoroughly eradicate it, as it will always !■ • spread 
by the birds. Wo have found that a little kernseno 
oil put on a largo bush which bus been cut will pre- 
vent itn growing again." Mr. Lowrio says : " I'hn 
small ba*he« we pull op. but tho larger one i wo 
Saw oil' < lose to tho ground and pour the "il on the 
stump. Tim rosnlt is good ; every little ron'lot is des- 
troyed i and I wish other* would try this remedy 
and oloar the country of this pest." 
Tobacco Companies seem to be all the rage 
in London at present, and more especially for tho 
cultivation of this product in North Borneo. There 
are three Companies afloat with large amounts of 
capital, and there is besides an "Anglo-Dutch" 
Company started to work in Sumatra with a capital 
of .£100,000. 
A Produce of African Agriculture, viz., tobacco, 
has repeatedly been brought to our market, but 
with different success. The tobacco from the 
German settlements at the west coast of Cameroons 
is of valuable quality, and well adapted for cigar 
manufacture ; last arrivals realised m. 3 per lb. ; 
the tobacco from the plantings at Zanzibar has 
not found much favour, although its appearance 
is good ; the intrinsic value of that produce being 
of no importance, while the ta3te is disagreeable, 
the future of that product is not said to be 
favourable, in spite of the care with which the 
packings are made up. — /,. dj G. Express, Jan. 11th. 
Cotton Cultivation in the North of Ceylon. — 
We learn that His Honor Sir Edward Walker 
was surprised during his Jaffua trip to learn how 
great a hold of the people the cotton industry 
had got. Not only is the shrub grown, but cotton 
gim to separate the seeds seemed to be common. 
It must be remembered that not only the growing 
but the spinning and weaving of cotton were quite 
extensive industries 40 and 50 years ago in the 
North and East of the Island. There were then 
many thousands of looms in the Northern and 
Eastern Provinces, and when the senior of this 
journal was Sub-Collector at Point Pedro he made 
a report to Mr. Dyke, showing how imported thread 
was superseding that locally made. From experi- 
ments made at that time in Jaffna by the Messrs. 
Whitehouse and Hardy he became very sceptical 
about cotton growing in Ceylon, but a ready local mar- 
ket for the crop makes all the difference in the world. 
Millet as a Fodder Plant. — In the report of 
the Hawaian Planters' Liabor and Supply Com- 
pany, we lind the following notice of a plant which 
ought to be tried as fodder iu Ceylon : — 
An excellent substitute for imported hay has been 
found iu the grass known under the common name of 
millet. The botanical name i3 Panicum Spectabile, 
called in California "Evergreen Millet," known in the 
Southern States as Johnson Grass, sometimes called 
"False Guinea Grass," which is Panicum. Maximum. 
A book entitled "Select Extra Tropical Plants," by 
Baron Fred. Von Mueller, page 216, contains the 
following: — " Panicum Upectabile, the Co 'pim of Angola 
from West Afaica. transferred to many other tropical 
countries. A rather succulent, very fattening grass, 
attaining tho height of about four feet. It may be 
assumed that at present about 300 well defined species 
of Panicum are known, chiefly tropical and sub- 
tropical ; very fow extending naturally to Europe or 
the Uuited States of North America, Japan or the 
southern part of Australia. Though mostly from the 
hot zones, these grasses endure a cooler clime in many 
instances, and some of tbem would prove great 
acquisitions, particularly tho pereDDial species. 
Numerous good kinds occur spontaneously iu Queens- 
land and North Australia. Panicum is tho geuas 
richest in species among grasses." Authorities upon 
the millets say that not less than 100,000.000 of the 
human race obtain their chief sustenance from the 
seed of these nutritions grasses. This article (evor- 
groen millet) was introduced u few years since by 
His Honor Jnstico McCnlly, and has pi v, d to be 
well adap'ed to our soil and climate A cutting 
of millet lately made on the premises of .lodge .Mc- 
Cnlly, now occupied by the Woodlawn Dairy and 
Stock Company, gives about two and oin .1 all tous 
to the acr- — u growth of two moutb> Five crops 
can bo taken Oil in tho jmr. It proves to be all 
excellent article of feed. No doubt thousands of 
tons of this grass might bo raised iu these islands 
ovory year. 
