May i, 1889.J THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
M9 
One of the Besults of the Fall in the price 
of cinchona bark and its products has been that 
the manufacturers are endeavouring to enter into 
closer relations with the bark producers, and thus 
to avoid the commissions now paid to middlemen. 
At a recent meeting of the Soekaboeini Agricultural 
Association in Java, for instance, a letter was read 
from Messrs. Zimmer & Co., of Frankfort-on-Main, 
in which that firm expressed its desire to enter into 
negotiations with cinchona growers for the purchase 
of their entire production of bark outright, in order 
to save charges. — Chemist and Druggist; March 16th. 
A Patent has been applied for here which seems 
worthy of investigation. It is a portable drying 
ground for coffee, and consists in a combination 
of large sieves made of wire on which the coffee 
may be exposed to the sun. The advantages are 
evident,- for the coffee" may be exposed to the sun 
as fast as gathered, whereas under the present 
Bystem it is carried to the terreiro, called in Ceylon 
barbacues, and there dried. The new invention 
would also be more readily covered over in case 
of rain, and if the ventilation is good, there should 
be no danger of fermentation, which constantly 
threatens coffee dried on the old fashioned terreiros. 
—Bio News, Feb. 11th. 
Madras "Presidency Diamond Fields. — Mr. Pate- 
man Smith's report for the fortnight ending the 31st 
December is as follows : — " I am glad to be able to 
report that the winding engine has been started and 
is working very well. I shall now be able to get on 
quicker with the sinking of the shaft. The stuff I 
am going through is very hard in some parts of the 
shaft and will require blasting. This I will do as 
soon as I get a license from the Collector of the 
district. Depth from surface 23 feet. The washing 
machine is being erected, and I hope soon to have it 
at work. The bore hole is still in blue ground and 
down 106 ft. C in. I may mention that all the people 
who have been here have told me that I ought to 
put through the washing machine every bit of stuff 
that comes out of the shaft and all the surface soil 
on the property ; and all say that diamonds must 
be here, but wants finding. Several very fine ones 
have been found here lately. Labour employed on 
the above and miscellaneous work. This being the 
festive season we have been taking a little rest, — 
Indian Agriculturist, March 9th. 
Tea Cultivation on the Borders of Burma, — 
The Rangoon Times of 28th Feb., in an article on 
" Wild Tribes adjoining Burma," says : — 
Between the plains of Yunan and the plains of Keing 
Hung and other Shan States there are apparently wide 
belts of hills which none but savages care to live in. As 
long as they confine themselves to their hills, and do 
not interfere or molest their more civilised neighbours, 
we are not likely to interfere with them, and we 
must hope that they will be eventually tamed and 
acted upon by the example of the Shana and others 
in the Shan States, who will, we may be sure, iu a very 
few years, reach a high stage of prosperity. The 
savage races are said to grow maize and hill rice as well 
as opium and ganja. Tea is also cultivated by some of 
thorn, which looks as if the Chinese had been settling 
near them. The tea grown in Ngwan Lou is said to be 
in great request in Ohiua, going overland to Jehan, 
and thence down the Yangtsoe to Shanghai. By the 
time it reaches Pekin it is so expensive that none but 
the wealthiest classes can buy it. The Shans do not 
like the variety, saying it is too bitter. Mr. Hildebrand 
points out that if it were carried west to Kangoon, 
the carriage would not amount to a tithe of the present 
amount. 
We presume that the tea roferrod to is the cele- 
brated Puerh tea spoken of by Mr. Colquhoun and 
other writers. 
The Chinese Tea Merchants of Kiukiang are said 
to be much elated at the success of Chinese teas 
last season, giving good hopes that the tide has 
turned, and that the competition of the Indian leaf 
will be less and less keenly felt. We hear that 
contracts of from Tls. 700,000 to Tls. 800,000 have 
been already settled with up-country growers for the 
ensuing season. — Shen Pad, in China Mail, Mar. 27 <h. 
Coir Fibre Boofing for Ferneries. — In an 
account of the effects of the November cyclone on 
the Gardens of the Madras Agri-Horticultural 
Society, we find the following passage : — 
Proceeding onwards we come to our large Fern 
House which was entirely unroofed, the bare rafters 
only remaining. However, by the assistance of a tew 
extra coolies we re-roofed it before nightfall with the 
new plant shade material made of coir fibre introduced 
into the garden by Lieut.-Colonel H. W. H. Uox, but 
which was not largely adopted before, as it was thought 
probable that squirrels, &c, would help themselves to 
the fibre, and thus leave very dangerous holes through 
which the severe tropical sun might spoil any unique 
specimens that were underneath. Such happily has 
not been the case, and it remains untouched save by the 
omnivorous wbite-ant which can however be well 
guarded against by either having stone pillars to sup- 
port the roof of the house, or what is perhaps better 
though more expensive, iron supports. 
We suppose this is the open coir matting such as 
is in use in the Peradeniya Gardens? 
Netherlands India Sumatra Tobacco Co.— With 
a capital of 125,000£. in 1/. shares, the 
Netherlands India Sumatra Tobacco Company has 
been formed to purchase and further develop about 
33,000 acres of land in the province of Serdang 
on the east coast of Sumatra. Of this property 
28,500 acres belong to Messrs. Hutienbach and Co. 
of Deli, Sumatra, who have since the year lts«3 
been engaged in the cultivation of tobacco upon 
portions of it. Of the capital 123,000 snares are 
ordinary, and 2,u00 founders', which latter will be 
allotted to the vendors, as also 41,000 ordinary 
shares fully paid as part payment for the properties 
sold to the company. The remaining 82,000 sharea 
are now offered for public subscription. After pay- 
ment of a dividend in any year of 10 per cent, 
on the ordinary shares, one moiety of the surplus 
net profits will be set aside to form a reserve luud 
until such fund reaches 100,000?., the other moiety 
being distributed as an increased aividend to ordinary 
shareholders. After the reserve fund has reached 
the above limit the surplus net profits will be 
distributed as follows — namely 25 per cent, on the 
founders' and 75 per cent, on the ordinary shares.— 
O. Mail, March 15th. 
The Prospects of Ceylon and Indian Tea 
are dealt with after an interesting fashiou from 
the dealers' point of view by Messrs. Beinack's, 
Nephew & Co. in a review quoted by Messrs. 
Rucker & Bencraft. We shall give the review 
in full in an early issue, but meantime may men- 
tion that the prices of 75 qualities of China tea 
are compared with 5 qualities of Ceylon, 5 Assam 
and 4 Java. It is fully admitted that the public 
taste in England has changed and the flavour of 
fine Assams and Oeylons is now preferred to that 
of China tea. One advantage India and Ceylon are 
said to have over China is that while for the last 
there are " fresh crisp teas" for but three months 
of the year, and for the rest only a stale article, 
in the case of India and Ceylon fine teas are 
gathered and prepared "for fully six months during 
the ye.u - ." We need scarcely say that Ceylon has 
a great advantage over India in this respect; for 
it may be said that tea is being gathered and 
prepared at the different elevations in Ceylon, 
" fresh and crisp" for ten if not twelve months, in the 
year, though not aver the same acreage continuously. 
