TIZ 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1881. 
tanfc, from disease. Among the exports were guano to 
Penang and birds nests similar to those of Java. Gold 
is found at many places, and petroleum is known to 
exist. Mr. Van Wyck was favourably impressed by 
the Achiuese of the districts, whom he describes 
as not fanatical but susceptible of instruction, eager 
for information, and industrious, his firm conviction 
being that much may be made of them by the spread 
of knowledge, and that, when they once understand 
the good intentions of the N. T. Government, they 
will prove good subjects. He examined the land 
applied for by Messrs. De la Croix and Brau de St. Pol 
Lias, and assembled the headmen concerned, who 
expressed their approval of the application for 
the land, and their desire that the Government would 
give the permission asked for. During his whole tour, 
the only articles stolen from him were potatoes— one 
or two at a time, with the object of planting them. 
He hence soon distributed them among te people and 
gave directions how to grow them. Achinese seemed 
to be partial to cultivating potatoes, from their profit- 
able nature and tastiness. 
The firm of Dummier and Co. has obtained a Go- 
vernment concession for laying a double line of steam 
tramway from Batavia to Meester Cornelis. The cars 
are to run on sunken rails at the rate of 15 kilo- 
metres per hour as the extreme limit, and the line 
is to be completed in two years. At Surabaya, an 
application has been made for a concession to lay a 
steam tramway there also. 
"Surabaya, 21st April. — To those who consider more 
frequent communication with the Moluccas desirable, 
it is glad tidings that a Singapore firm which owns 
the steamers "Thames,' "Penang," " Celestial," and 
"Bivouac." intends from the 15th May, to run a 
vessel (the "Thames") from Surabaya to Macassar, 
Menado, Gorontalo, Amboyna, Banda, Timor, Deli, and 
Bima, and back. Should "the experiment succeed, the 
"Penang" will also be put on this line. — Batavia 
Dagblad, 26th April. 
To develop the resources of Java, another associa- 
tion with a paid up capital of 500.000 guilders has 
been established in Holland, styled the East Java 
Culture Company, to manage Coffee and Cinchona 
plantations. 
The Java coffee crop for 1881 was officially estimated 
at 815,300 piculs on the 31st March. 
It is officially reported that the tin yield in Banka, last 
year, was 72,684.92 piculs, against 77,615.44 piculs in 
J 879. 
The Manufacture of Cotton Oil from the cotton 
feed, according to the London Times, is becoming of im- 
portance in the United Statss. there being at the present 
time upwards of 41 oil mills, of which nine are in 
in Mississippi, nine in Louisiana, eight in Tennessee, 
six in Texas, four in Arkansas, two in Missourie, two 
in Alabama, and one in Georgia. The annual quantity ! 
of seed converted iniooil now amounts to about 410,000 
tons, the yield being at the rate of seme 35 gallons 
of oil to the ton of cotton material. Moreover, each 
ton leaves 750 lb. of oil cake of admirable fattening 
qualities. A great deal of the cotton oil is imported 
to Italy and other countries where the olive oil is a 
staple , and, in point of fact, cotton oil is there 
superseding the olive oil, not only for utilitarian 
purposes, but also as an article of food. It is said, 
too, that the use cotton oil in this way is gaining 
ground in some parts of the States. The following 
are the statistics of consumption : — 
Export. Home consumption 
gallons. gallons. 
1876- 7 1,316,000 2,000,000 
1877- S 1,457,000 1,800,000 
1878- 0 ... ",750,000 2,425,000 
India* AgricuU wis/. 
Coffee. — We learn from Yercaud that the coffee 
crops this year are not likely to turn out well as 
the want of rain is greatly felt. Up to the 1st in- 
stant, the rainfall in the coffee-growing tracts of the 
Shevaroys was next to nothing and the trees which 
gave promise of a bumper crop this season, do not 
look so well as they would under other circum- 
stances. It appears that, in the past year, rain fell 
in Yercaud during the whole of April, and that 
about this time last year the trees looked at their 
best. It was expected that this year would be a 
good one, but the hopes and expectations of the 
planters have, to some extent, been blasted. If rain 
does not fall during this month, the coffee cropF 
of the Shevaroys will be very small. Some fine es- 
tates belonging to a firm at Madras that lately 
went into liquidation were placed by the trustees 
in the hands of an experienced planter, and we heai 
that under him they ar<- doing well. The proprietors of 
coffee estates in the Shevaroys are giving increased 
attention to their condition, and it is hoped that 
their anticipations in respect to cops will, later in the 
year, be realised. — Madras Standard. 
The Fertility of Mew Zealand is very great, and 
for agricultural purposes the percentage recorded below 
would, were there no Gnancial drawbacks, point ir- 
resistibly in favour of that country : — 
Average yield per acre. Mean of six years 
Wheat. Oats. Potatoes. Hay. 
bush. bush. tons tons. 
Victoria 13 .. 18| ... 3J 1| 
New South Wales 14£ . 19 ... if" .... 1| 
New Zealand 27£ ... 33 ... 5 ... \\ 
South Australia 8-j ... 12f ... 3| . \\ 
Queensland 12 .10 ... 2\ - ... 1.3- 
Tasmania 174 ... 24 ... 34 ... 1£ 
Western Australia ll| ... 164 2§ H 
The average of these is 15 bushels, and we are sur- 
prised to find it so low, in a new couotry like Aus- 
tralia, in India the average is 14 bushels, but this 
must be remembered is only the rabi crop. The 
land is beside, frequent' y called on to produce a kharif 
crop as well, so that compared with Australia, which 
only produces one crop a year, our yield must be 
considered better than theirs. — Economist. 
The Straits Settlements at the Melbourne Ex- 
hibition. — We (Straits Times) have been favoured with 
the following list of awards for Exhibits from the 
Straits Settlements in the Melbourne Exhibition : — 
Order of Merit. Exhibitor. Exhibit. 
First Paterson, Simons & Co., Gum, Copal 
[& Gutta Percha. 
do Guthrie & Co., Gums, Gutta Percha &c. 
do Too Tye Sin, (Penang) Indian rubber and 
[Gutta Percha. 
Hon. mention D.D.Daly. Pewter & Blocktin 
Ware. 
Hon. mention T.B.Rowland, Ornithological specimens. 
First... N. P. Trevenen, Models of Malay imple- 
ments. 
do Borneo Company, Collection of Ores. 
do Government of Straits 
Settlements, Collection of Tin Ores. 
Seeonri Captain China Tin Ores. 
First Guthrie & Co.. Gambier, 
do W. H. Read. Gambier. 
do C. Favre, Crystallised Fruits 
List of Awards. 
Class 43. 
Order of Merit. Exhibitor. Exhibit. 
Fourth Penang Sugar Estates, Rum in Bulk Dark, 
do J. Lamb, Penang Rum in Bulk, White 
do Penang Sugar Estates do 
Fifth, f'nderming," Sumatra* Cigars. 
* This appears to be a mistake, as the Onderming Co. 
only exhibited tobacco. 
