November i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
403 
33 half-ebests Loolecundura Souchong. •IKlb. 
Greyish black well made very even leat Choice 
in the cup great strength and character. Is lfd. 
2!llialf-chosls Loolerondtira Pekoe UMI,. IFaud- 
somo showy small loaf full of golden Pekoe tips. 
Fragrant full bodied liquor rich strong I'ekoo 
flavor. Is 2jd. 
31 balf-ohesta Loolecundura Souchong 401b. 
Greyish black well curled and twisted even leaf. 
Very pungont and strong brisk showy infusion. Is 2£d. 
21 half-chests Loolecondura Pekoe 401b. Bather 
small but very even blackish leaf few ends. Flavory 
delicate infusion brisk and ripe. Is ljd. 
40 half-chests Loolecndura Bro. Pokoe 441b. 
Rather small but very even broken leaf. Strong 
and pungent full ripe P koe flavor. lljd. 
15 half-chests Loolecundura Bro. Pekoe 401b. 
Very small neat brownish blnck leaf. Strong thick 
hoavv deep inlusion — a tine mixing tea. 8d. 
30' half-chests Uoanstono Pekoe Souch. 401b. 
U.ili..-. bold and l.mM'h IwMod ovonish loaf, Brisk 
full flavory. 71d. 
30 chests Deanstor.e Pokoe Souchong 8011). 
liold blackish rather loosely twisted leaf. Fairly 
strong full flavory leaf. 7Jd. 
A sale was announced for Friday, 2nd September 1881, 
at half-past two o'clock id' Indian tea, just arrived from tho 
celebrated districts of Darjeeling, Kangra Valley, Ass-im, 
and Dohra Doon ; also C eylon tea for sale by auc'ion, ox 
" Hollo," etc and It. M.S. 'Bokhara," from Calcutta and 
Ceylon. 726 half-ohests Indian lea, 10 half-chests each 
40 1-lb. packets, Indian fa. 80 cases each 2 22-lb. tins 
huh. 1 tea, 31 boxes Indian tea. 200 half-chests I c\ Ion 
tea by 1 rasor <S Co., under instruction from Messrs. Jas. 
Henty & Co., Agents to the Calcutta Pea Syndicate, and 
in connection with the Government of India. 
The particulars of the Coy Ion tea were as follows: — 
Ex K. M. S. " Bokhara," from Ceylon. 
Id 1 half-chests Ceylon Pekoe Souchong Black even wity 
leaf, Pekoe tips very strong full rich ripe, dark-red infusion. 
33 half-chests Ceylon Broken Pekoe Small even black 
broken leaf, Pekoe tips very powerful rich ripe Pekoe 
flavour. 
07 half-chests Ceylon Broken Pekoe small 
broken leaf, Pekoe tips Very powerful rich I 
Grown on the colebra'cd Diiuedin Estato. 
black 
LIBERIAN COFFEE IN THE WEST INDIES. 
Wc have received from Messrs. S. W. Silver k Co. 
of London .1 copy of tho pamphlet " On the Cultiva- 
tion of Liberian Coffee in the West Indies," by Dr. 
II. A. A. Nicholls, a notice of which, extracted from 
tho London Times, has already appeared in our columns. 
As our readers will have scon from that notice, Dr. 
Nicholls is not able to add much to our knowledge 
of the subject, his book being intended for planters 
in the West Indian islands. One or two points how- 
ever we may notice. For instance, Dr. Nicholls is 
not an advocate of clean weeding. He says: — 
"I Ciink a thin carpeting of low plants has a bene- 
ficial < ffeot by protecting the ground from the scorching 
rays of the sun, and by preventing tho surface soil from 
hen , u.i-lud away during heavy rain*. The system 
adopt d at St. Aroment is to keep a space of about 
t«" 01 three feet round the tree constantly clear of 
weed-, and to " outlaea " the rest of the ground. The 
Kent] ass," or "matchete," is a long, broad, heavy 
knit •, and tho weeds and gra=s are by it mowed or 
chopped close to the ground. In the hands of a 
strong man the cutlass is a most useful and power- 
ful igricultural implement; ami for the expeditious 
maMing of the " bush" in the West Indies it is almost 
indispensable. 
' Be i« ill favor of alternating the rows of coffeo 
with plantains and other food plants As to topping, 
and : Lthering of crop, h» says: — 
"I have not yet satisfactorily determined whether 
Liboi ian coffee trees should be " topped," for as the 
plant is so much larger in every respect than the 
Creole coffee, to endeavour to dwarf it to a con- 
venient height for picking is scarcely likely to be 
followed by success. 
"Unlike the Creole coffee, the main stems of the 
Liberian species bend very readily, and do not split 
or break even with rough treatment ; but the bend- 
ing of the boughs will hot permit the berries to be 
gathered from the upper branches of my biggest trees. 
1 have, therefore, had constructed two ladders con- 
nected at the top by strong hinges, so that they may 
he inclined to each other at various angles ; the degree 
of separation of the lower ends being regulated by a 
chain permanently fixed to one ladder, and capable of 
being hooked to the other. The contrivance answers 
admirably, for by using tho ladders between the rows 
the berries are picked from the highest branches of 
the trees with the greatest ea j e. " 
He eaunot speak from experience of the preparation 
of the coffee for the market, but be says that Dr. 
Imray found Gordon's breast-pnlper unsatisfactory 
for the large berries, aud the old "rattletrap" has 
beeu found to succeed much better. As we have 
mentioned, however, the Fairfield Ironworks have made 
to the order of Messrs. Aitken, Spence & Co. a special 
machino for pulping the large-berried coffee, and we 
believe Messrs. Walker & Co. have also prepared a 
special machine which h is worked well. In an appendil 
Dr. Nicholls gives a letter addressed by him to the 
Dominican, in which he says:— 
"For some time past stories have been in circulation 
in the Island to the effect that the cultivation of 
Liberian coffee is a mistake, inasmuch as there is 
very little sale for the produce on account of the 
coarse flavour of the bean. I have endeavoured as 
far as possible counteract these mischievous stories, 
for I fear they heve deterred persons from embarking 
in the new cultivation ; but as I am considered to be 
interested in the matter, ny contradiction has not as 
yet borne much weight. 
" By last it, ail I received a letter from Mr. Morris, 
the able botanist, who has lately been appointed 
Director of the Public Gardens and Plantations in 
Jamaica ; and, as will be seen from the foil, wing extract 
from this letter, the question of the great value of 
Liberian coffee is now authoritatively answered in the 
affirmative. Mr. Morris writes :— " From the enclosed 
extract from the Qeylon Observer you will notice that 
Ceylon-grown Liberian coffee has lately obtained 93s 
per cwt. in the New York market. This is a most 
encouraging result, and. as we are so favourably situated 
as regards the American markets, the West Indies 
ought certainly to compete successfully with the 
East Indies in the future culture of this coftee." 
" I enclose tho clipping from the Ceylon pnper kindly 
sent by Mr. Morris for my information, and the news 
it contains is so important nnd w< lcome to coffee 
planters generally that I will ask you to be good 
enough to publish it in extenso. " 
The extract referred to is from the Observer of 21st 
Jan. 18S1 recording the sale of Putupowla coffee in 
New York at '20c. per lb We have no doubt Liberian 
coffee will succeed in Dominica and other West 
Indian islands and will be able to withstand the white, 
fly, hurricanes, &c, which proved so fatal to the .\ia tan 
NEW PRODUCTS. 
Lowcodmtrs General Report. 
LEAK DISEASE ON LIDBRIAN COFFER — THE DIFFERENT 
VAUIETIKH OK litis I'OKKKE HOW TO PLANT I'AI'All IN 
the LOWCO0HTM wnn i:\xts -weatiiek. 
Western Province"/ September 1881. 
During the month of August, no twenty-four houra 
pj-- ,1 without more or less rain; and now, on the l'-'tlt 
