762 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1889. 
Another Tea Preparing Machine. — We hear 
that " another Ceylon planter " has invented a 
little machine which is likely to be found in every 
Tea Factory erelong : it is pronounced perfect of 
its kind by competent judges. Steps are being 
taken to get the needful patent. 
Netherlands India News. — A disease among sugar- 
cane in Java, which strikes at the roots of the plants, 
has spread so alarmingly that the Government of the 
island has taken measures against it. Plant cane 
from the stricken districts is shut out from the un- 
affected ones, and its export from that island 
to lands beyond sea has also been forbidden. 
Heavy penalties are attached to breaches of the 
prohibition. — Straits Times, April 1st. 
The Cotton Industry. — The following is from 
the Times of India : — " News from the Lancashire 
cotton centres indicates taut the depression in 
manufacturing continues, and that in many ware- 
houses stocks are accumulating at a serious rate. 
A Manchester correspondent says that apart from 
the general depression — amounting in some cases 
to something appioaching stagnation — several im- 
important questions are just now agitating the 
cotton trade. A petition to Government pray- 
ing for legislation to prevent the oversizing of 
cotton warp and the blowing in of steam has 
been signed by almost a quarter of a million of 
people. Heavy Bizing began during the cotton 
famine in 1862-3-4. Up to this period an ordinary 
Indian or Chinese shirting was made up of 71b. to 
7J lb. of cotton yarn (twist and weft) and 1 lb. to 
1J lb. of size, composed of flour, farina and tallow, 
but of late years a kind of soft white clay, known 
as China clay, mixed with zinc, salts, alum, &c, 
has been used as a substitute. In order to enable 
this obnoxious size to be woven into the cloth, 
steam is blown into the sheds, and the operatives 
complain that their health is very seriously in- 
jured thereby. They allege that working in a steam- 
laden air, often at a very high temperature, and 
with the superadded evil of offensive odours, ener- 
vates and undermines health, directly inducing 
very many cases of consumption and bronchial 
affections, inflammations, rheumatism, &c. A good 
deal of interest has also been excited over the 
proposal to amend the Limited Liability Act so as 
to ctaeok the floating of bogus companies." 
Shilling (oe 25 cents) Quinine. • — The Ameri- 
can quinine dealers are greatly exercised at the 
prospect of quinine selling at 25 cents — a shilling — 
an ounce ! The Drug Reporter of New York pub- 
lishes a long series of opinions on the situation. 
One of the best-known in the trade, a gentleman 
interested in Bolivia plantations from whom we 
got a good deal of information in 1884, is reported 
as follows : — 
Mr. John McKesson, Jr., of McKesson & Bobbins. 
— As regards 25 cent quinine, I might reply in the 
words of Captain Bunsby — I think that is the name — 
" if so be, why not ? " There seems to be no scarcity 
of quinine, bnt there is little chance for much lower 
prices because the margin left for a further decline 
is very slight. Irrespective of the cost of growing 
bark there are various charges which must be con- 
sidered in arriving at the true value of bark- and 
quinine, such us cutting bark, pressing it into bales, 
baling, transportation to vessel, freight and insurance, 
warehousing, commissions, sampling, testing, getting 
bark to factory, grinding, labor of preparing quinine, 
and cost of putting it upon the market, including 
vials, commissions, advertising, &c. If the bark was 
given away these charges would have to be paid, 
and they have something to do in fixing the price of 
quinine, Overproduction has caused the low prices, 
and I don't think manufacturers are mak'ng any 
money. 
Another well-known firm, Messrs. Power & 
Weightman of Philadelphia, favor the imposition 
of a heavy import duty on foreign quinine entering 
America to counterbalance the greater dearness of 
labour ! Messrs. Keasbey & Matbeson take credit 
for having prophesied " 25 cents quinine " in their 
circular of December 18S7. They now consider 
that, — 
In the absence of speculation or syndicates, quinine 
will rule as follows : probably not b.-low 20 cents per 
ouuee, and probably never above iiO cents. Twenty- 
five cents, more or less may be taken as about the 
race at which manufacturers in the absence of a 
"Convention" will supply their product to purchasers. 
When full of contracts for future delivery, they will be 
"firm " in their views. When they have stock to 
place, they will quote about 25c, and intimate that 
" possibly an offer of a shade lower may lead to 
business, if a round lot is wanted." * * * 
The wholesale drug trade of the United States should 
carry a three months' supply of quin ine at all times. 
When quinine advanced without other than speculative 
cause or false rumours of decreased bark supply, &.C., 
they should steadfastly decline to buy, and by this 
means and at an expense of a small interest charge, 
they would keep the future in their own hands ami 
get a small but sure profit iu handling sulphate of 
quinine. Everyone connected with the trade in qui- 
nine should remember that through all the mani- 
pulation of both bark and quinine, the wonderful 
protoplasm engenders, diffuses and secretes quinine. 
Quinine ! Quinine ! Houses may come and go, trusts 
and speculators ditto, but the wonderful can keep 
steadily at its work storing up quinine, recidy to put 
upon the market at any time when the price may 
be unjustifiably advanced. 
Silk in India. — In another column we publish an 
interesting letter from Mr. Cunliffe Lister, the pioneer 
of silk cultivation on a large scale in the Eastern Dun. 
For years past Mr. Lister has bern expending large 
sums in experimental sericulture at the Lister 
Grant ; and as there has hitherto been no return, 
those who have been watching his persevering efforts 
have naturally begun to shake their heads. Of late, 
moreover, it has been specifically asserted by silk 
experts in this country that it is useless to attempt 
to rear the silkworm in India on a large scale by- 
means of hired native labour ; and that Mr. Lister 
was therefore doomed to failure from the first. It 
will be seen from the letter we print that the person 
chiefly interested takes a very different view. He' 
writes in the most confident tone, and declares he 
is now, after years of trouble and expenee, on the 
eve of a great success. Whether his hopes will be 
realised or not we shall have to wait till after the 
present year's crop to see ; but meanwhile it is 
important to note that Mr. Lister considers two 
points already established by his experiments. In 
the first place disease, when the worms are pro- 
perly fed and attended to, is unknown ; and, in 
the second place, the seed of the Italian and French 
Bomhyx mori reared in the Dun has, we are assured, 
produced as good cocoons as imported seed, so that 
Mr. Lister no longer finds it necessary to import 
any. This at once settles the question as to the 
possiblityof raising good cocoons in this country, 
and so far the experiments in the Dun seem to 
have been eminently successful. It remains to see 
whether the European supervision and the hired 
native labour which Mr. Lister considers essential 
to successful sericulture, can be got at a price which 
will leave a profit sufficiently large to attract capital. 
On this point iVlr. Lister's letter is clearly not 
conclusive. His capital has been attracted without 
any profit at all ; but enterprise like this is rare, 
and though he is assured in his own mind of a 
profit in the near future, other capitalists will pro- 
bably wait till it is actually realised before sharing 
hiB enthusiasm.— Pioneer. 
