THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1889. 
the ' Coffee Waste Lands Regulations,' extension of 
property at a fair valuation, not to exceed in extent 
10 per cent of original grant." 
II. — " That application be made to H. H. Govern- 
ment for a grant on account of planters' roads." 
III. — "That a vote of thanks be conveyed to Mr. John 
Cox for the great services he has rendered to the 
Association." 
Mr. Jambs Frasbe, in proposing this resolution, 
spoke as follows : — " I feel sure that in rising to 
propose a vote of thanks to our retiring Chairman, 
I only express the sentiments of every member of 
the Association, when I say, how deeply we regret 
the resignation of Mr. John Cox, who has devoted 
more of bis time and trouble, for the benefit of the 
planters, than any other man in Travancore. 
The frequent occasions on which he has been 
elected Chairman, testify to the sincere respect and 
esteem, in which be is held, and to the great value 
the planters placed on his experience and guidance. 
It is more especially in looking back upon the 
vicissitudes of the last few years, that we realized 
how greatly indebted the planting community is to 
Mr. Cox. The many concessions and grants obtained 
from Government are ample proofs of his influence 
and position, which he always placed so readily at 
the disposal of the Association. I therefore propose 
that a vote of thanks be conveyed to Mr. John 
Cox for the great services he has rendered to this 
Association." 
The meeting then terminated with a vote of thanks 
to the retiring Secretary. 
J. S. Valentine, Honorary Secretary, T. P. A. 
♦ 
White-ants and Blue Gums, &c. — The elevation 
of the estate referred to in my former letter was 
from 3,000 to 4,000 ft. in Uva Province. The 
white-ants did an immense amount of damage, 
eating the young plants until they got a few feet 
high. They did not attack Grevillea robusta or 
Cedrela toona, but the jarrah, Eucalyptus mar- 
ginata, suffered a great deal from them. " Jak " 
seemed the only wood we could get about 
there that they did not care for much in build- 
ings. Above 4,000 to 5,000 ft. they have not yet 
got. — Timber Trees. 
Cotton in Ceylon. — We suppose the cotton 
plant is as much indigenous to Ceylon as it is to 
Continental India. But America, which originally 
received the plant from India, has, in the course 
of nearly three centuries of intelligent cultivation, 
developed species or varieties so valuable, that our 
hopes of a revived cotton enterprise in our island 
must rest largely on the success of seed introduced 
from the United States. And looking at the 
tendency to degeneration of the plants in this 
climate, fresh supplies of such seed must be periodi- 
cally available. Mr. Mitchell, who is the leading 
spirit of the enterprise, knows all this and has 
made arrangements accordingly. Meantime, Mr. 
Blackett is ready to supply seed, which being only 
one remove from American must be of high quality. 
We hope the time will soon come when large 
supplies of cotton seed will be available, not merely 
for sowing, but for use as good cattle food, thus 
supplying one of the greatest wants in Ceylon. 
The letter from Mr. Price, the Assistant Agent of 
Kegalla, to Mr. Mitchell, which we publish elsewhere 
is largely encouraging, and we trust that erelong 
not merely European planters but natives generally 
in all parts of the iHland will take up the new 
culture heartily, so rendering certain the success 
of the spinning and weaving manufactory now in 
progress of erection. We may mention as a curious 
fact that the best Sea Islands cotton resembles the 
cooonut palm by flourishing in tho saline breezes 
whioh have passed over the ocean. 
Imports of Para Rubber. — From a report of the 
quantity of caoutchouc brought into this country dur- 
ing the year 1888. it seems that the Para crop from 
Hevea brasiliensis for the half year ending June 30 
showed an exceptionally large increase over the previous 
one, this increase amounting to 2200 tons, or equal to 
about 17 per eent. The large surplus in the market 
in the previous year almost entirely disappeared this 
year, owing to the heavy consumption in the United 
States and a decided increase in the European wants. 
The quantity of Para rubber imported into London 
and Liverpool during 1888 amounted to 5,080 tons. — 
Gardeners' Chronicle. 
Oak Trees for Fuel. — A difficulty is now being 
felt for fuel in some of the Tea Gardens in Darjeeling, 
and a good tree will soon be sought for to plant for 
fuel. Mr. Gammie, the Superintendent of the Cin- 
chona Plantation at Mungpoo, was written to respect- 
ing the fuel plantations there. He wrote : — " We 
have two species of Oak in our fuel plantation, Quercus 
Griffithii and Quercus semiserrata, both natives of the 
Khasia hills. Of Q. Griffithii we have a score of trees 
eighteen years old, now bearing acorns * * * our oldest 
trees of Q. semiserrata are only seven years of age, 
and will not be bearing acorns for many years to 
come. It is a stronger and quicker grower then Q. 
Griffithii. For its introduction to these parts we 
are indebted to Mr. G. Mann, Conservator of Forests, 
Assam, who I have no doubt would readily arrange 
for a supply of acorns for you." Mr. Mann was 
accordingly written to and responded very courteously, 
and a quantity of seed of Q. semiserrata will shortly 
be received from him ; this, as well as the seed of 
Q. Griffithii already received from Mr. Gammie, will 
be made over to Messrs. Davenport & Co. for distri- 
bution amongst the Darjeeling gardens in their agency. 
[The above is from the proceedings of the Horticul- 
tural Society of India. We should think tho Oaks referred 
to might flourish in and around Nuwara Eliya? — Ed.] 
Tea Chests. — I have already informed you of the 
success which has attended a trial shipment of Ceylon 
and Indian teas packed in the " Stanley- Wrightson" 
papier mdche tea chests. The packages from Ceylon 
were shipped by Messrs. O. Strachan & Co., on the 
" Ooromandel " and proved an undoubted success, as 
evidenced by reports on the condition of the packages 
and their contents by four of the leading tea brokers 
of this city, viz., Messrs Arthur Oapel & Co., Messrs. 
W. J. and H. Thompson, Messrs. George White 
& Co., and Messrs. Wilson, SmithettJ & Co. The 
latter firm say they had seen the packages of tea in 
question and write to the patentees to say that in 
their opinion they have arrived in excellent condition, 
and show scarcely any signs of the knocking about 
attendant on shipping and discharging. The tea in the 
packages they found to be quite brisk and fresh. This 
patented package has several very obvious advantages 
over the old style of chest. In the first place a con- 
siderable saving in freight is effected, as about 30 per 
cent more tea can be packed in these chests having 
the same outside measurement as wooden ones: again, 
greater uniformity in the tares is obtainable ; in ap- 
pearance they are extremely neat ; and the ease with 
which they are opened does away with the necessity 
of having recourse to the chisel and hammer ; and 
the packages in consequence do not afterwards require 
to be packed and coopered. Messrs. George White 
& Co., add to the above, " The scribing (cut since their 
arrival in the warehouse) and the garden marks are 
legible, and the special lining used in lieu of the 
or.linary lead appears to answer well, as there is no 
soldering required." In all these reports I do not find 
a siDgle drawback to their complete success; at the 
same time r>< thing is said as to their price as compared 
with the co t of wooden packages, but of that we 
shall no doubt be fully advised by-and-bye by the 
promoters of the proposed Company which, I am in- 
formed, is in a fair way of 1'ping floated, some of 
the directors being already named. Mr. W. M.Leake 
will be connected with the enterprize, and specimens 
of the" S. W." chests will in a few days be seen 
in this office at 65, Fenchurch Street. — London Cor. 
| "Times of Ceylon." 
