THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1881. 
Ceylon Tea in Australia. — An ex-Ceylon planter 
who has established a Tea-retail Store in Melbourne, 
making up packets in a neat fashion at 2s., 2s. 6d., 
and 3s. per lb. , has sent out a number of travelling 
Agents to sell in the country at a profitable com- 
mission. In this way, Ceylon tea must rapidly make 
its way and Melbourne merchants say that our tea 
in time, will be largely used in the Colonies. 
West Indian Pine-apples. — The Grocer says that the 
first cargo of new season's pineapples from Antigua 
arrived in London yesterday week. The first, portion 
of the cargo was immediately placed on the market, 
and was readily sold at full prices, a few fetching as 
much as 21s. to 26s. per dozen. Some of the pines 
were bought for export to France the s aa ie day. The 
pines generally were in fairly good condition, though 
rather green. 
Cinchona Planters' Manual. — We have to acknow- 
ledge with thanks a copy of Mr. Owen's Cinchona 
Manual published at the Observer Office for the use 
of planters. It is not in our power to do more than 
own receipt of it in our present issue, but we shall 
take an early opportunity of giving the work a notice 
such as its contents appear to deserve. As a Manual 
it deals entirely in the propagation, cultivation and 
harvesting of Cinchona, and this in a very full and 
exhaustive manner. — C. Times. 
Crops in Kelebokka, 29th July. — You have evid- 
ently misunderstood what I said the other day. 
I did not say. that the district in 1879-80 and 1880-81 
gave an average of 2^ cwt. per acre, but that many 
of the estates in it have dona so. This year many places 
have 4 cwt. an acre on them. I enclose you a memo 
of the crops on this estate for the past 10 years, 
which gives an average of 4 cwt. per acre for that 
period : — Crops on 
1871- 72 560 cwt. 1876-77 
1872- 73 1,690 ,, 1877-78 
1873- 74 690 ,, 1878-79 
1S74-75 1,560 ., 1879-80 
1875-76 850 „ 18S0-81 
5,350 cwt. 5,115 
Average of 5 years 1,070 cwt. ; next 5 years 1,023 
cwt. 250 acres coffee. Weather continues very dry 
and leaf disease, I am sorry to say, is rather bad. 
The Cinchona Planter's Manual. —The local 
Messenger of August 2 has an appreciative notice of 
this work, from which we quote the following : — 
" IVJr. T. 0. Owen is already favourably known to the 
public in connection with coffee planting literature, 
and he has now prepared a book of 218 pages on 
cinchona cultivation which, it is no flattery to say, is "a 
work of high scientific merit. The book se ras to be 
exhaustive of all that is at present known on the 
subject of cinchona, as Laborie's work was of all that 
was known of coffee cultivation in his time, and; we do 
not think there is any exaggeration in saying that 
Mr. Owen's book will have the same relation to all 
futun- treatises on cinchona cultivation that Laboi ie's 
has had to all subsequent manuals of coffee planting. 
however, a much more scientific subject 
and requires a man of more scientific 
write a book on it than coffee does. . . . 
neatly bound and printed, the paper of 
good quality, aud the whole is very creditable to the 
Observer press. The only typograpical error we have 
noticed is in the following passage on page 54: — 'Java, 
which is situated -is many degrees south of the line 
as Ceylon is north, has at 500 feet a temperature of 
63° Fahr., &c.' Here 500 must be a misprint for 
5000, but we know from experience how liable mis- 
takes are to occur in the printing of numerals, so that is 
a very excusable fault." 
* Besides about 60 cwt. sold of inferior coffee. 
Cinch our 
than col 
knowled; 
The boo 
Socotra. — Dr. Schweinfurth writes from Aden : — 
"Just back, after an absence of three months, of 
which two were spent on the sea. The island (Sokotra) 
is wondrously beautiful, relatively cool, healthy, 
and the inhabitants are patterns of hanulessness. 
I had to gather up all I could find day or night, so 
as not to be behind Balfour, who had sent me his 
catalogue. Very much satisfied with my booty. Did 
no cartographic work. A regular survey of the island 
is, however, much wanted, for the existing maps leave 
much to be desired."— London Athenmim. 
Jalap Tubers.— In a letter dated the 8th ultimo, 
the Acting Commissioner of the Nilgiris, requested 
the sanction of Government to sell the jalap tubers 
grown at Ooticamund at a moderate price, to be 
determined in communication with the Superintendent 
of the Gardens. ' ' There is a large demand for the, plant 
and up to the end of March last 4,201 tubers were 
supplied to applicants from various parts. In one 
case Mr. Jamieson inadvertently charged for 1.000 
tubers at It. 5 per J 00, and received the amount 
R. 50. It is impossible to meet the large demand out 
of the very limited cultivation of jalap now carried 
on in the Gardens, while to extend it for gratuitous 
supply would partly absorb the small revenue derived 
fmm other sources." The Government have approved 
of the sale of the tubers at a very moderate price. — 
Madras Mail. 
Bone-dust Manure.— The Officiating Secretary to 
the Government of India in a letter to the Secret- 
ary to the Government IN. W. Provinces says in re- 
spect to bone manure : — "Mr. Fuller is of opinion 
that bone-manure could only come into any general 
use in Indian cultivation in the form of bone-dust, 
untreated with sulphuric acid, as the cost of con- 
verting it into superphosphate of lime would be pro- 
hibitive to the ordinary cultivator. He adds that 
the solubility of the bone-dust is much less than 
that of the superphosphate ;>nd hence that the full 
effect of its use would not be known till the second 
year after its application. No doubt he will note 
the character of the next crop which is taken off 
the plot experimented upon. — Madras Standard. 
. Mushrooms. — While agriculture, as at present ex- 
ercised in England, is threatened with ruin from 
American rivalry, and hard-headed farmers are being 
assured they must take to growing strawberries in. 
summer and cabbages in winter, it is consolatory to. 
find that something may be made of mushrooms.' 
Strawberries would scarcely find consumers if exten- 
sively grown, even though produced at a penny a 
pound. At .all events, they should be left to gen- 
tlemen farmers. ; since they would scarcely answer for 
rouj;h cattle-feeding. With cabbages it might be 
otherwise : nor- could even that culture be looked 
clown upon. Diocletian d< clared plaintively that if 
his friends could only see the charming cabbages 
he had planted at Salona, they would never advise 
him'to quit his retreat for the imperial dignity. But 
of the respectability of mushrooms there can be no 
question. Unfortunately, however, if English agricul- 
turists took largely to their production, American 
rivalry is here again likely to be a:i obstacle to profit. 
We learn that the immense Mammoth caves of Ken- 
tucky are being now utilized for this Cryptogamic 
and savoury plant. A Frenchman originated the 
happy idea, and lis been granted the privilege of 
trying the ex«eriment in one of the passages of the 
Cave, a mile and a half in length, which heretofore was 
remarkable for little save the vast flights of bats 
provoked by the steps of human visitors. Deposits 
of guano have existed in the avenue for ages, and it 
is believed that the finest mushrooms in the world 
will be produced there. — Pioneer, 
