i5° 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1881. 
per day. The Brazilian plant has lately been introduced 
and its yield is some 20 per cent, more than Straits, 
or Java. The coolies are Chinese and Javanese 
who are free, and are engaged on daily wages. The 
position of the estate as extremely pretty, and the baro- 
meter ranges four to five degrees less than the 
town... Messrs. Patfarcken, Reiner and Co., Singa- 
pore, are the financial general agents for the estate. 
Another enterprise is that of the Trafalgar Estate, 
Ainder the management of Mr. Knaggs, who is a 
part, owner with Messrs. Maelaine, Praser and Co. 
This estate has been opened a little over two years. 
The present area under cultivation is about 1,000 
acres, out of a total of 2,000, and the yield at pre- 
sent is about twenty piculs per acre. The machine- 
ry is capable of turning out about sixty piculs per 
day. Great attention is paid to the forming and mani- 
pulation, and the highest prices are thus obtain- 
able. The number of men employed is about 300 to 
400 Chinese, and Javanese, at 17 to 20 cents per day 
wages. Mr. Knaggs is an old planter in the West 
Indies, and has been some years in Province Wel- 
lesley. — London and China Express. 
Ceylon planters, when they are inclined to grumble, 
ought to think of the extremely hard times experienced 
by farmers and proprietors in the old country. We 
refer to a woeful account, of farming prospects in 
England given in the Pall Mall. 
Australian Meat and Flour Biscuits. — We have 
now circulated in the Fort and among the Planters 
at, their General Meeting some of Messrs. Swallow 
& Ariell's "Beef Biscuits" aiid we shall be glad 
to have opinions of their value.— A merchant writes :— 
"I consider the Australian Beef Biscuits a palatable and 
wholesome food. They would, I think, be found a 
useful and agreeable addition to the provisions of the 
jungle traveller. A few crumbs taken from one of 
these biscuits and moistened with water, will, when 
placed under a microscope, exhibit small bundles and 
shreds of muscular fibre. 1 ' 
Manures and Manuring.— In another place 
will ba ftiund an interesting letter from a gentleman 
whose relative in South America shews the way in 
which fertilizing substances can best be procured direct 
from the source of supply in Chili and Peru, We fear 
the Ceylon planting industry cannot at present face 
the commencement, of an enterprise of this kind, but we 
trust the day is not far distant when we shall see vessels 
carrying cargoes from Valparaiso to Colombo. There 
will also be opportunities tlieu for procuring plants 
and seeds of cinchona as well of other new and 
valuable produc's. The paper from the Field on the 
various substances commonly classed under "Lime" by 
the cultivator, their nature and uses, is full of in- 
terest and instruction. 
Coffee.— A few weeks ago, we alluded to the 
prospects of coffee in the Shevaroys and stated that 
the present season was not likely to turn out favor- 
able, 'owing to the scanty fall of rain at the proper 
time. We hear that a slight change for the better 
has taken place in I he condition and prospects of 
coffee in thu Shevaroys, but further advices are 
awaited. From South Coorg we learn that coffee 
propects there are favorable, and that owing to season- 
able showers of rain the estates in many parts of 
South Coor^' look promising, and planters expect a 
good crop, which, if they secure, will make up. to 
soma extent, the loss they suffered last year, when 
the season, though it looked very favorable at the 
outset, turned out a very disappointing one. The 
weather at the date of our advices, 3rd June, por- 
tended run : the south-westerley winds ha t set in, 
but the rains had not made their appearance. The 
fall of rain in South Coorg from 1st January to 2nd 
I uiic w as 10*96 inches against 9 81 inches in the 
corresponding months last year. — Madras Standard. 
Tea and Coffee. — The Rangoon Gazette says ; — 
" Tea is not the only article which will succeed in 
India and Burmah ; we have Coffee thriving well in 
many a gentleman's garden here, one party having to 
our knowledge kept himself supplied for about a 
fortnight with the produce of a few coffee shrubs in 
his compound. As all varieties seem to thrive even 
in the heart of Rangoon, they should yield large crops 
on the Karen and Arakau Hills ; in fact in any place 
where there is high ground. We are glad, therefore, 
to hear that a gentleman of Akyab has undertaken 
the cultivation of Mocha Coffee, and we hope every 
encouragement may be afforded to him. In the latest 
published official report (September) from the Amboyna 
residency, it is stated that coffee cultivation is extending 
there, more than 200,000 coffee plants having been 
set in the ground in one month in a single district. 
The Bajahs of Lesser Ceram have also given permis- 
sion to introduce this cultivation there. In the islands 
of Ceram Nusa, and Haruku, the coffee trees looked 
well and were bearing heavily." 
Aden Cattle. — A paper published by the Madras 
Government contains a report from Mr. W. R. Robert- 
son, Superintendent of Government Farms on the ex- 
periment begun at the Saidapet Farm, in 1874 in 
breeding and rearing cattle of the Aden breed. In 
the Annual Report of the Farm for the year ending 
31st of March 1874 Mr. Robertson stated that with 
the view of effecting some improvement in the cattle 
of the district around Madras it was intended to 
import a few animals of the Aden breed. He added: — 
" The Adens have a high reputation as dairy animals; 
the name Aden by which they are distinguished has 
probably originated from Aden being the port from 
which cattle of this breed are generally shipped, they 
are not found in the neighbourhood of Aden, but are 
brought from districts situated at considerable dis- 
tances f'om the coast. They are small animals, and 
the bulls of the breed are therefore better suited for 
use in the early stages of experiments, in improving 
the breeds of small cattle generally found in Southern 
India, than are bulls of the Nellore and Mysore breeds, 
which in some instances have been used for this pur- 
pose." In June 1874 the cattle arrived at Madras. 
One of the cows died during the voyage ; the remain- 
ing animals, consisting of one bull, one cow, and two 
calves, reached Madras in safety, but werea;l much out of 
condition when landed. The cost of the stock in 
Aden was R208-14-0, and for their con-eyance, &c, 
to Madras the charge was R630 12-0, making the total 
outlay on account of this importation R839-10-0. Mr. 
Robertson was disappointed with their appearence, 
but subsequent events proved that they were more 
valuable then they looked. In the four years 1877-80 
the co w gave birth to four calves, and during all 
that period careful statistics were kept of the quantity 
of milk yielded in addition to that consumed by the 
calves, the average monthly yield being about 75 
Madras measures. The milk was excellent in quality, 
16 to 17 pints yielding one pound of butter. Fritai 
May 1877 up to nearly the end of December last 
the total yield of milk was 2,910 measures, or 1,091 
gallons, and during this period the cow reared four 
calves. The food of the cow was daily 4 lb. of ground- 
nut oil c die, 2 lb. of wheat bran, 30 lb. of green 
fodder, f oz. salt. These are now at the farm of the 
Aden breed five bulls, one cow, and three heifers. 
The bulls are in considerable request for use with the 
small cows of the neighbourhood. They are regularly 
emploved in farm-work c irting, ploughing, &c, aud 
are remarkably docile and steady at work. The result 
of the experiment has been so encouraging that Mr. 
Robertson asks sanction for the expenditure of a sum 
not exceeding R 1,200 in importing a fresii supply of 
the cattle from Aden, say two bulls and four cows 
with calves. 
