June j, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
49 
and British Burma, and is also more or less pre- 
valent in places in Bengal and Assam. In the Cachar 
district of the last-named province cattle disease has 
again increased. There was more or less rain in parts 
of British Burma, in Assam, and in many districts of 
Western and Southern India. Elsewhere the dry 
weather prevailed for the most part, though there 
wera a few showers here and there. In Bengal and 
the Central Provinces the harvest has been good, and 
in other parts of the country, with few exceptions, 
an average, or in some cases a full, yield has been 
obtained, or is expected. 
Madras. — No rain in Kistna, Cbingleput, Tanjore, 
and Coimbatore ; general prospects good. — Pioneer. 
CULTIVATION OF THK AMERICAN ALOE 
(AGAVE AMERICANA). 
In our last issue we referred to the subject of 
the cultivation of the Rheea Plant on tea lands as a 
subsidiary to the tea plant. We mentioned how the 
fibres obtained from the plant Boehmeria nivea pos- 
sessed qualities unlike those of any other material 
employed in textile work ; the only difficulty that 
stood in the way of the extensive cultivation of the 
plant being, that no efficient process nor machine 
had been discovered suitable for separating, cleaning, 
and dressing its fibres. This difficulty, however, does 
not stand in the way of the American Aloe, so in- 
formation anent the plant and the value of its fibre 
as an article of commerce will no doubt prove of 
interest to the readers of this journal. 
The species Agave Americana, belongs to the 
genus Agave, of the natural order AmarylUdaceoz — 
the Amaryllis family. This plant is really not an 
Aloe at all (the African genus Aloe belonging to the 
Lily family), though very similar in habit to some species 
of that genus. Although it grows freely all over Northern 
India, and is now introduced generally throughout the 
country, it is a Mexican plant. The centre scape 
rises to the height of 18 or 20 feet, flowers in the 
rains, while the seed germinates in the capsules be- 
fore they drop off. It grows in almost any soil, and 
requires very little care. It is supposed not to arrive 
at full maturity under one hundred years; but this 
opinion is an error, as the age at which it arrives at 
maturity varies, according to circumstances, from 10 
to 50 or even 70 years. When it has acquired its 
full growth, it produces its gigantic flower stem and 
then perishes. The plant is useful in many ways. 
By making incisions in its stem a fermented liquor 
and favourite beverage called by the Mexicans "Pulque" 
is obtained, from which again an agreeable ardent 
spirit called "Vino Mercal " is distilled. "Pulque" 
is said to be a most wholesome drink, and remark- 
ably agreeable when one has overcome the first shock of 
its rancid odour ; it is said, moreover, to be an excellent 
application for gout and rheumatism. The dried flower- 
ing stems are an almost impenetrable thatch ; an extract 
of the leaves is made into balls which will lather water 
like soap ; the fresh leaves themselves, cut into slices, 
are occasionally given to cattle ; the centre of the flower- 
ing stem, split longitudinally, is by no meaus a bad 
substitute for a razor-strop, owing to minute parti- 
cles of silica forming one of its constituents; but 
the most useful part of the plant is the leaf, the fibres of 
which form a course kind of thread, which are called 
in England " Pita Flax." The natives make very good 
(minion cordage or rope with these fibres. Some 
samples of the fibre were sent to the Agricultural 
uid Horticultural Society for "an opinion as to 
whether it could obtain any value as an article of 
commerce in the Iudiau or Home markets." Messrs. 
Cogswell and Robinson report on the samples as follows . 
— "With reference to the samples herewith alluded to 
in the foregoing memorandum, I beg to observe that 
the washed and heckled fibre prepared from the 
" Agave Americana " or common aloe, is about the 
best I have seen, being beautifully clean and well freed 
from the bark or outer skin of the plant, of good 
colour, there being but a very slight tinge of greenish, 
which it is impossible to thoroughly eradicate without 
extra steeping, or the addition of chemicals, to the 
injury of the fibre ; it is of very great length and 
strength, and a really good commercial commodity, its 
value to-day (November, 1880) being about eight rupees 
a bazar maund. The sample unheckled I would value 
at about one rupee a maund less. The sample of 
combings, generally known as tow, could be used in 
this country for paper-making only, its value as such 
being about three rupees a maund; but in England, 
where spinning machinery can be applied to it, a good 
yarn might be produced. As a product of shipment 
thereto it is of greater value than being consumed 
locally for paper making ; for the latter, I am of opi« 
nion, it is too good and costly, as jute tow, and such 
like fibres, are so cheap and plentiful in this market. 
— Indian Tea Gazette. 
A PROFITABLE PLANTATION COMPANY 
is the Darjeeling Tea and Cinchona Association, 
Limited, for which we have the report of the Manag- 
ing Agents (Messrs. Schoene, Kilburn & Co. of 
Calcutta) to be presented at the fifth Ordinary half- 
yearly general meeting of the Company, convened 
for the 2oth April 1881. We quote as follows :— 
We have the pleasure to lay before you our annual 
report on the Company's affairs, and audited accounts 
to the 31st December 1880, shewing a profit on the 
past year's working of R 187,892-13-4. 
The estimated crop of bark, has, as we led you to 
expect in our report for the first half-year, been 
greatly exceeded, the total shipments ofdry bark having 
reached 353,608 lb.; and although the results obtained 
cannot but be considered satisfactory, there is to us 
an element of disappointment in the excessive loss in 
weight in the drying process, during the past season 
nearly 4J lb. of green bark having been required to 
produce 1 lb. dry. It must, however, not be lost 
sight of that this loss in 1879 was below the rate 
usually expected. The gross average price realized in 
London for 290,192 lb. was Is 10^d per lb. syid 63,4.16 lb. 
still remain unsold. 
The outturn of tea amounted to 1,251 lb. which 
fetched an'averge price of Re. 1 and ^ anna per lb. ; 
and the expenditure, under all heads, including the 
new cultivation and substantial buildings, Rl 14,413-15-4 
against an estimate of R97,000. The excess is accounted 
for by the large outturn of bark. 
The result stands as follows : — 
Proceeds of bark actually 
received ... ...194,178 lb. Rl, 82,273 13 11 
Bark sold but account 
sales not yet to hand... 96,014 ,, „ 71,221 6 0 
Estimated value of bark 
still unsold ... 63,416 ,, ,, 47,559 0 0 
Excess realized over valua- 
tion of previous season's 
stock ... ... ,, 12,564 4 5 
Tea and other receipts ... ,, 1,252 8 9 
Balance from 1879 ... ,, 1,699 4 7 
Total ...R3, 16,590 5 8 
Deducting the outlay of ... ... 1,14,413 15 4 
The amount at credit of 
the past year remains as. . ...R2,( 2,176 6 4 
Out of this sum you have already received Rl, 20, 000 
in ad-interim dividends to the extent of 60 per cent ; 
and we now suggest that a final dividend of 40 per 
