22 THE TROPICAL 
on the ]4th of June, 1854, on the second day of 
their search in that locality. This was found in the 
'Vale of Rubies.' I had advised them to make their 
first search in that spot for this reason ; that, as 
the precious stones had there settled in the largest 
numbers, from their superior gravity, it was natural 
to conclude that, if gold should exist, it would, from 
its gravity, be somewhere below the precious stones, 
or in their vicinity. 
From the facility with which it has been discovered, 
it is impossible to form an opinion as to the quanti- 
ty or the extent to which it will eventually be 
developed. It is equally impossible to predict the 
future discoveries which may be made of other 
minerals. It is well known that quicksilver was found 
at Cotta, six miles from Colombo, in the year 1797. 
It was in small quantities, and was neglected by the 
Government, and no extended search was prosecuted. 
The present search for gold may bring to light mineral 
resources of Ceylon which have hitherto lain hidden. 
The minerals proved to exist up to the present 
time are gold, quicksilver, plumbago, and iron. The 
two latter are of the finest quality, and in immesen 
abundance. The rocks of Ceylon are primitive, con- 
sisting of granite, gneiss, and quartz. Of these the 
two latter predominate. Dolomite also exists in large 
quantities up to an elevation of 5,000 feet, but not 
beyond this height. 
CULTIVATION OF TOBACCO IN INDIA. 
A report of the tobacco operations at Ghazipur and 
Pusa during the year 1879-80, by the Officiat- 
ing Director of the Department of Agriculture 
and Commerce, N. W. P. and Oudh, had just 
been published, which shows that the enterprise of 
Messrs. Begg, Dunlop and Co. bids fair to command 
success. The firm have farms and. machinery both at 
Ghazipur and at Pusa ; but the most important part 
of their operations is carried on at the latter station, 
in the district of Darbhanga. Of the 1877-78 crop 
29,993 lb. were exported; 25,247 lb. to England and 
4,7461b. to Australia. This was an experiment, and 
one which, so far as Australia is concerned, is not 
likely to be repeated, it being found that there was no 
market there for the cured leaf, as snfficient tobacco of 
the class is grown in the Colonies, and sells at the low 
price of 4d per lb. In England, however, the Indian 
tobacco met with a more promising reception. The 
market waB very dull, and the average price of the to- 
bacco sold was not higher than 3f d. per lb. ; but some 
of the best leaf fetched as high as 5^d. per lb. The 
result is regarded as decidedly hopeful in this way, 
that American tobacco of average quality was being 
sold at the same time at similar rates ; and the Indian 
tobacco was the result of the first year's curing, and 
was not so good as it might have been. The firm is 
now able to turn out a far better class of tobacco ; so 
the question of the Indian competing successfully with 
the American article may be regarded as practically 
solved. The extension of the trade with England is not 
being pushed at present, however ; the promoters of 
the industry contenting themselves with first developing 
a local trade in the manufactured article — smoking mix- 
tures, cavendish, cigars, &c. The whole of last year's 
outturn, amounting to 163,000 lb. of cured tobacco, 
has been kept for manufacture at the company's works 
at Pusa. Cavendish, golden leaf, bright smoking mix- 
ture, dark smoking mixture, honey-dew, cigars, and 
cigarettes are all made under the superintendence of 
the skilled European curers and manufacturers em- 
ployed by the company. The tobaccos are sold at 
prices varying from R, 1-8 per lb, for golden leaf to 
7 annas per lb. for black cavendish. The increasing 
dmnand for the Pusa tobacco is shown by a statement 
of monthly sales commencing April, 1879, and ending 
AGRICULTURIST. [June i, i88i. 
November, 1880. In the first month named the total 
quantity sold was only 223 lb., and in the last 7,620 lb. 
were disposed of. The description for which there is 
the greatest demand is black cavendish, large quantities 
of which are used by soldiers. The cigar trade, which 
was developed only in tbe year 18-0-81.. is increasing 
daily ; and in the four months from August to Novem- 
ber last upwards of 200,000 cigars and cigarettes were 
sold, valued at R3,000. As soon as the Indian market 
is satisfied, the present operations sufficiently consolid- 
ated, the establishment properly trained, and cultiva- 
tion extended, the firm hope to be able to produce 
enough tobacco of good quality both to meet the Indian 
demand and to make regular and large shipments of 
leaf to England. — Bombay Gazette. 
COFFEE LEAF DISEASE. 
(From our Correspondent.) 
Aberdeen, 10th March 1881. 
A paper on coffee leaf disease by Mr W. Bidie was read 
at the last meeting of tbe Linnjen Society. Plants grown 
from Ceylon seed suffer most, while those trees of 
Coorg origin and growth are least affected. A 
system of "renovation pitting" has been success- 
fully tried : pits being dug at short intervals, where- 
in after judicious pruning all the affected leaves are 
buried, and this precaution seems to check the 
spread of the disease, particularly among the Coorg 
coffee trees." In reference to the suspicion of Ceylon 
seed being affected, I may tell you, a friend of 
mine, who is an authority as a cryptogam ist, has been 
devoting a good deal of time lately to microscopic 
examination of cereals, in view of embodying 
all evidence obtainable respecting the probabi- 
lity of fungi being carried and propagated from 
the embryo of the plant. He has found the 
embryos of cereals to be infested with the mycelium 
of fungi (of some kind or other), and extending his 
examinations to other seeds he found a like condi- 
tion in the embryo of dates, and in that of Ceylon 
coffee. This fact, as far as I am aware, has escaped 
the observation of Ceylon scientists. 
I had a call the other day from the Professor of 
Botany at the Aberdeen University, and had some 
talk with him about Mr. Schrottky's experiments. 
He has no faith of good resulting from that gentleman's 
work in Ceylon, as foreign matter introduced into 
the circulation of the tree of strength snfficient to 
kill fungi will certainly damage the tree. There is 
no single instance of fungi being cured by a like 
mode of treatment. 
CHINCHONA CULTIVATION.* 
Like all the books written by Mr. Clements Mark- 
ham, this volume is a piece of excellent workmanship 
in every particular, full and accurate in detail and 
arrangement, lively and perspicuous in statement and 
narrative. For all general purposes it exhausts the 
subject and enables any person of ordinary intelligence 
to understand the steps which gradually led up to the 
beneficent results which have already flowed from the 
successful introduction on a large scale into India, 
and the cultivation there, of trees producing the 
Peruvian, or Jesuit's, bark, famous as the best and 
speediest cure for tropical and other fevers. It was 
in March, 1852, that the Indian Government first pro- 
posed officially to introduce, if possible, into India the 
most valuable species of the large family of trees 
* "Peruvian Bark: A Popular Account of the In- 
troduction of chinchona cultivation into British India, 
1860-80." By Clements E, Markham, C.B., F.R.S., 
with Maps and Illustrations and Index. (London : 
John Murray. 1880.) 
