July i, i88t.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
While there are portions of Australia where wheat 
cannot be grown in consequence of rust, it is reasusr- 
ing to learn that a grub, which some years back 
threatened to put an end to cabbage culture, has 
entirely disappeared. Mr. Neillson finds that the best 
remedies for the insect blight are superphosphates 
applied to the roots of the trees, and the form of 
carbolic acid called phenyle* syringed en the foliage. 
The acid, if applied so strong as to be likely to 
injure the foliage, is washed otl after a few minutes 
by the application of wider. But I must reserve for 
notice on a future occasion a series of the Garden 
Reports from 1872 to '880, courteously furnished to 
me by Mr. Neillsou. Insect pests are occasionally 
as common and as mischievous in Australia a 
arc the cockchafer beetles and their grubs in Cey- 
lon. Mr. Wallis of the Agricultural Department 
has kindly complied with a request from roe by pre- 
senting me with two sets of lithographed and coloured 
sheets (one for the Ceylon Government, the other 
for myself) of the poisonous snakes and of the in- 
sectivorous birds of Victoria. Before I had seen the 
sheet of 36 birds, I had been struck with the habits 
of a tame " Australian magpie" at tbe abode of Mr. 
Ferguson, of the Mount Maoedon State nurseries. A 
largo horsefly on my clothes was instantly snapped 
up by the bird, as were all insects within his purview. 
The so-called " magpie" would, I beli. ve, be a great 
acquisition in Ceylon, not only as a preyer on chafers 
and grubs but for the sake of his sweet, pathetic 
notes, a combination of the dove and thrush. Less 
remarkable but far more prevalent than the "laughing 
jackass" with his cacchinatory shout; theirs rather, 
for male and. female kingfishers respond — are the 
"magpies" and their notes. If we laugh with the 
"laughing jackass' we listen with surprise and de- 
light to music from magpies. I am contemplating 
taking or sending a few pairs to Ceylon. The "magpie ' 
is the largest considerably of the birds figured as 
insectivorous and is thus described : — 
" White-backed Crow-shrike, oi: Magpie {Gyrnno- 
rhina I uconota). Locality : Generally distributed over 
Victoria. Food : locusts, grubs and larva; of various 
kinds." 
Next in value appears to be " Harmonious Siikike- 
thrusii (Colhcricinela harmoiua). Locality: all over 
Victoria. Food: beetles, caterpillars and insects." 
This second shrike seems to be aleo a song-bird as 
well as a devourer of insects (as all the shrikes are), 
but the superior size of the "magpie" renders him 
the more desirable bird for a trial. He is nearly as 
large as a crow, and in captivity whistles tunes beauti- 
fully. The magpies ought to feel at home on the 
gum trees now so common on estates in Ceylon aud 
which I have seen loaded with cockchafers on warm 
evenings. 
India-rubber from Indigenous Trees —A merchant 
brought us a branch and a box of seed tbe other day, 
taken from a tree which had yielded an abundant 
supply of milky juice likely to be of value when 
prepared as India-rubber. " W. F " writes : — " The 
branch you sent me is well known to me by its 
Sinhalese name Kiripjella, and is the Fieus infectoria. 
See what I say about it in Mendis' list No. 45:— 
l Kiripsella, Ficus infectoria, Willd. Urostigma.do. Miq 
Thw. Ed. p. 265. C. P. 3.0S3. The bark of this tree 
is used by the natives for chewing with bete], but 
the timber of this tre" and of most of tbe other 
species of Ficns aie fcarcely ever used for any valu- 
able purpose. They are all nearly worthless.' All 
the figs and we have about 23 species in Ceylon, are 
Datives, but is the rubber from them worth the ex- 
pense of collection?" That is just the point which 
only a practical test can settle : our mercantle friend 
is right in trying the experiment. 
• Little's soluble phonyle. ' 
31 
CEYLON COCOA IN GREAT REQUEST. 
Cocoa. — The market at public sale this week was 
strong,' Trinidad selling at full rates, Grenada at 2s 
to 3s advance. Since the auctions there has been busi- 
ness of some importance transacted privately, the mar- 
ket being reported firmer. A little lot of Ceylon cocoa 
12 bags Palli, sold at the enormous price of 115s Gd. 
As regards the sample, it was much the same as those 
to hand previously, if anything we think the beans 
were rather smaller. Ceylon cocoa is very much liked, 
aud appears to be very well cured, and remarkably 
free from moisture, so that the loss in weight is al- 
most nil. As we have, however, pointed out before, 
these sales of little lots at high prices must not be 
taken as absolute proof of the real value of Ceylon 
cocoa in quantity. In this particular instance we 
happen to know that two brokers bad orders for it 
without limits, so that the price was driven up con- 
siderably, When the supply of any article is large, 
such orders are rarely, if ever, given :— 
Stock of cocoa : — 
1881. 1880. 1879. 1878. 1877. 
Packages, Packages. Packages. Packages Packages. 
59,915 34,384 16,(354 26,063 24,538. 
- -/. A. Bucket- A Bencraft'i Pike Current, 29th April. 
THE TEA SEASON IN CHINA. 
How the Bk; Tea Country Regards its Young 
Hivals. 
The mail steamers are bringing out the usual Hock 
of tea-buyers, who will soon be off to Hankow to 
inaugurate the 1881-82 campaign, and before it opens 
we may be pardoned a few remarks on the 
season now departing. It was not a profitable 
one ; in fact, it is only about once in ten years 
that tea merchants own to having had a suc- 
cessful season, aud still outsiders wonder how it is 
that the same number of buyers can come out each year, 
the same rush to ship take place in Hankow, if every 
year except the tenth comes w ith disaster in its train 
There is a well-spring of hope in tbe teaman's breast 
that never fails. However despondent he may pre- 
tend to be to his fellows and the general public, in 
the sanctity of his own tea-room his cares fall off, 
and he makes a victim of himself once more as 
if every tea-muster concealed a trust-worthy guaran- 
tee of profit. 
It is not so many years, in fact tbe time is within the 
memory of many of those who will be iu Hankow next 
month, when China was the only tea-producing country. 
It was sufficient then for the buyer to watch the 
deliveries at Home and the export, from China, to 
be guided, with little chance of error, in his opera- 
tions. But the fatal energy of our race has reared up 
in British India a friglnful rival to the Flowery Land, 
and India not only demoralises China by sending 
I opium here, but demoralises our tea markets by 
j sending tea in increasingly enormous quantities to 
I London. There are no squeezing mandarins in India: 
| there is European supervision in the packing and 
firing of the leaf, and the plantations are connected 
I with civilisation by the railway and the telegraph. 
| Everything is done to give Iudia an unfair advantage 
over Chiua. Consequently Iudian tea of the same 
quality is far cheaper in London than the ill-regulat 
ed produce of Hankow and Foochow, and it is odIv 
the conservatism of the consumer, who is not yet 
entirely habituated to the Indian flavour, that pre- 
vents our losses being much heavier than they are. 
Every year this preference for the leaf that has 
beeu lunge - known is wearing away, and our buyer* 
will soon have to reckon with its disappearance. As 
yet, Indian tea is hardly taken on the Continent of 
j Europe at all : but here too it will penetrate sooner 
