668 
THE t&OPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, i88g. 
Proposed by Mr. H. K. Rutherford and seconded 
by Mr. J. R. Faihwkather; — ''That the balance of the 
Company's capital of R 10,000 be called npon the 1st 
of May next, say R50 per share on 200 shares." 
A vote of thanks to the chair terminated the pro- 
ceedings. 
_ — + 
Effect of salt on coconut palms. 
A correspondent writes : — 
" I had charge of as estate in Kurunegala on which 
there were a few coconut trees growing near the 
bungalow — some eight of them I think. Tbey were 
in a most disreputable state : leaves all beetle-eaten, 
and generally out of condition. I applied § of a 
bushel of salt to them and the effect was quite magical, 
in a few weeks they had put out new leaves and 
flower. The elevation was about 1,800 feet above 
the sea." 
WaB the ground well stirred, was the salt well- 
spread or put close to the roots, and was any other 
application made ? 
NETHERLANDS INDIA NEWS. 
Welcome Rains. 
A long drought which had prevailed in Java for 
months did not break up till last month, when the 
long delayed monsoon rains fairly set in. In several 
districts, the welcome showers fell too late to save 
the rice crop. The Java Bode points out under this 
head the remissness of the Government in laying 
out irrigation works in the island. The protracted 
drought has proved a benefit to coffee planters by en- 
suring them an abundant crop on high lying estates. 
Sugar. 
The sugar planters on the other hand have every 
reason to feel uneasiness. A canker called "sereh " has 
become of late widely prevalent in west Java among 
sugar estates, where it attacks the roots of the cane. 
East Java has so far been exempt from its ravages. 
But the disease has been conveyed thither in plant 
cane from the stricken districts. Now that the rains 
are fairly on, it remains to be seen whether the 
dreaded disease has gained a permanent footing in 
that part of the island. 
Remedy for beri beri. 
The Batavia Nieuivsblad, calls attention to the fact 
that Mr. Ross, the proprietor of the Cocos islands, 
a dependancy of the Straits Settlements, owns a 
spring there which possesses medical properties of 
high value in curing beri beri patients. This fact 
has long been known in the islands. Mr. Ross has 
decided upon giving the spring water a fair test. 
Ten thousand bottles of it have been forwarded 
by him to Batavia for experimenting with beri beri 
patients. The Nicmosblad doubts very much the suc- 
cess of the experiment, unless it be conducted under 
conditions similar to those prevailing in the Oocos. 
There beri beri patients are taken by boat to the 
islet where the spring is. The taste of the water 
is none of the pleasautest, and nobody would drink it 
for pleasure. But there is no other water on the islet, 
and the patients must drink it, so that they soon get 
accustomed to the flavour. Besides, the atmosphere 
and the soil of the islet are quite different from those 
to be found in insanitary Batavia, and may form impor- 
tant factors in the cure — Straits Times, Feb. 18th. 
[If the water cures beri-beri, it must be by killing 
the organisms which produce the disease Ed.] 
DELI NEWS. 
(From Exchanges to the Dth Feb.) 
Assahan. 
From all appearances, Assahan is coming into 
marked favour for tobacco growing purposes. In that 
line, it ranks next after Deli and Langkat, and 
evidently has a bright future. Two other districts, 
Padang and Pftgurawan, have come under notice as 
fields for planting enterprise, but the estates opened 
up there have not turned out satisfactorily, and tbe 
small area of available land tends only for dis- 
couragement. The average price realised for the 
1887 tobacco crop from Assahan has proved highly 
satisfactory compared with Deli. The crop for last 
year looks very promising, both in quantity and 
quality. Experts in Europe have a high opinion of 
the latter, judging from samples shown them. The 
consequence is a wide extension of tobacco cultivation 
in Assahan. Last year's tobacco crop there averages 
7J piculs per field. It is manifest that Assahan to- 
bacco now attracts more attention than formerly, 
and that the quality improves year after year. It 
can now hardly be distinguished from the Deli article 
as regards the general appearance of the leaf. Just 
as is the case in that settlement, Assahan turns out 
much dark-coloured tobacco which burns below the 
mark, but that showing clear brown colour cannot, 
it is said, be improved upon. This year there is 
every prospect of 2,000 fields being under cultivation, 
from which, should weather permit, one and a half 
million pounds of tobacco may be raised. Steps 
have been also taken to extend still further the 
cultivation of the leaf. Should the next tobacco sales 
strengthen the above-mentioned favourable opinion, 
the future of Assahan will be ensured, and Deli 
have a formidable competitor to reckon with. 
Estate speculation in London. 
In London recently, fifteen thousand shares, value 
one pound sterling each, of the Sumatra Tobacco 
Plantations Company have been offered for allotment. 
The company has been set up to buy eighty-two 
thousand acres of land in Serdang to carry on cul- 
tivation and trade in tobacco. 
Tobacco cultivation in Sumatra and Boeneo. 
M. Charlier, the Belgian Consul General at Batavia, 
has brought out an interesting report on an investi- 
gation tour he lately made in the Netherlands East 
Indies. He especially calls attention to the steadily 
increasing cultivation of tobacco both in Sumatra and 
Borneo, and turns this fact to account by endeavour- 
ing to arouse his younger compatriots to try their luck 
in these parts of the world. — Straits Times, Feb. 18th. 
COLOMBO COMMERCIAL COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
Directors. — John Brown, Esq. Chairman ; Edward 
Conder, Esq.; H. H. Potts, Esq.; L. Famin, Esq.; 
Norman Stewart, Esq. 
Report. — Presented to the Fourteenth Ordinary 
General Meeting of the Company, on Wednesday, 
the 13th day of February last. 
The following Annual Accounts are now presented 
to shareholders, viz.: — 
Profit and Loss Account for the year ending 30th 
September, 1888. 
Balance Sheet made up to 30th September, 1888. 
From these it will be seen that, after writing np 
the sum of £807 16s lid to Machinery Account, the 
year's operations have resulted in a Profit of £1,156 
18s lid, which, with the Balance of £11 2s brought 
forward from last year, gives a total of £1,168 0s lid 
at the credit of Profit and Loss. 
The Directors propose that the sum of £1,089 he 
now devoted to the payment of the Dividend in full 
on the 6 per cent Preference Shares for the year 
ending 30th September last, and the balance of 
£79 0s lid be carried forward to next account. 
The sum of £807 16s lid now debited to Machinery 
Account, as above stated, is on account tea appli- 
ances erected on the Company's estates during the 
year. This account now stands in the Company's books 
at £2,408 4s Id, a portion of which will be written 
off yearly out of profits as may be deemed desirable 
by the Board. 
During the past year new Debentures to the extent 
of £2,800 have been issued, bringing the total Deben- 
ture Issue up to £10,200. 
