432 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1881 
NETHERLANDS INDIAN NEWS: COFFEE. 
(Straits Times.) 
"Batavia, 2nd September. — All is quiet in Acheen 
to the satisfaction of the supporters of Civil Govern- 
menfc there. The exodus of fleeing and disgusted 
Chinese from there to Penang seems to have ceased, 
at which, we heartily rejoice, from the services ren- 
dered to our forces and officials there by this inde- 
fatigable and industrious race of mankind." 
The coffee crop in the Residency of Pasaruan ap- 
pears, this year, to be likely to surpass the boldest 
anticipations. The local journal there surprised us this 
week with the tidings that the yield in that province 
will exceed the high estimate made, by about 50,000 
to 80,000 piculs, and that, iu any case, the crop may 
amount to 350,000 piculs. In spite of the rather lower 
prices realized by coffee of late in European markets, 
the revenue resulting from such crops will be very 
considerable. Let us hope that the Netherlands Go- 
vernment will employ a portion of the millions thus 
obtained in supplying what the Colony is so much 
in need of, namely, diminution of taxes, extension — 
speedy and great extension — of means of communica- 
tion and thorough improvement in our defences." — 
Java Bode. 
SALE OF JAVA CINCHONA BARK IN HOLLAND. 
On the 21st July 1881 there were sold by auction at 
Amsterdam 26 chests and 824 bales of Java cinchona 
bark, as follows: — 
Per i kilo. 
151 to 201 
100 „ 131 
107 „ 151 
80 ,, 120 
166 „ 206 
149 „ 162 
86 „ 147 
81 „ 90 
90 ,, 95 
151 „ 152 
78 „ 142 
65 b. succirubra 
stem 
1st qual. 
11 , 
do 
do 
2nd „ 
br. quill 
7 , 
do 
do 
17 , 
do 
do 
dust 
5 , 
do 
do 
root 
66 , 
cal. javan 
stem 1st qual. 
10 , 
do do 
do 
2nd ,, 
15 , 
do do 
do 
br. quill 
26 , 
do do 
do 
dust 
10 , 
do root 
129 „ 
1 c. 
153 b, do do do 
21 
do schuh. stem 1st qual. 
2nd „ 
br. quill 
do 
do 
152 
91 
137 „ do do do 
dust 
26 
do do root 
c. do ledg. stem 1st qual. 
2 b. do do do 
2nd 
* °' j do do dc br. quill 
g °- | do do do dust 
17 ,, hasskarl. stem 1st qual. 
5 ,, do do 2nd ,, 
3 „ do do br. quill 
19 ,, do do dust 
4 ,, do root 
12 ,, officinalis stem 1st qual. 
2 ,, do do 2nd ,, 
3 ,, do do br. quill 
17 „ do 
3 ,, do 
50 „ 71 
129 „ 241 
576 „ 761 
576 „ 761 
556 „ 626 
327 ,,359 
80 „ 165 
81 „ 101 
90 „ 
44 
103 
76 
129 
do dust 
root 
5 ,, lancifolia stem 1st qual. 
4 ,, do 
do 
do 2nd 
do br. quill 
7 ,, do do dust 
1 „ do root 
1 ,, pahudiana stem 
The quotations being so many cents of a florin (equal 
to Is 8d sterling) per 1-jL lb., we see that the 
highest prico secured for red bark (stem and root) was 
220 „ 337 
283 „ — 
234 „ — 
186 „ 215 
358 „ — 
165 „ 
130 „ 
152 ,, 
70 „ 
171 „ 
95 „ 
147 
less than 3s 3d per lb.; for crown bark ( stem and root) 
it rose to 5s 3d; and for the inferior yellow barks 
(Calisaya Javanica, and Calisaya Schuhkraft) as well 
as the hybrid HasskarUana and the inferior crown species 
lancifolia the maximum was only 2s 6d per lb. On the 
other hand the first and second quaHties stem Ledgeriana 
realized up to 761 cents per J kilo, or lis 6d per lb. 
When we compare these prices with the London quota- 
tions at the same period we see that for fine quill 
of East India and Ceylon crown barks, as much as from 
4s to 7s was obtainable, and even up to 5s for red bark 
quill. There is nothing very wondefid therefore in the 
lis 6d per lb. for Ledgeriana bark; but without parti- 
culars as to the age of the trees from which it was 
stripped, it is impossible to institute comparisons of much 
practical value. 
The purchasers of the Ledgeriana seed at the local 
sale on the 20th instant will however feel a special interest 
in the above prices obtained for the Java bark. The 
results of the sales of seed are reported to us as follows : — 
25 boxes 
5 „ 
1 .. 
1 » 
10 „ 
1 „ 
2 „ 
1 parcel 
45 boxes and 1 parcel 
R 
at R50 
1,250 
„ 55 
275 
„ 56 
56 
„ 57 
57 
„ 60 
„ 61 
600 
61 
„ 64 
128 
11 
R2.438 
Each tiny box contained about 31 grains in weight of 
seed, or say 4,000 seeds, of which 70 per cent are ex- 
pected to germinate. We should say 50 per cent to be 
safe, and we then find more than 3 cents per seed paid; 
but if only 1,000 plants come to a marketable age in 
the nursery, we have no doubt that the purchasers can 
easily turn over their money. We have heard of a rupee 
per plant being offered adn refused for Ledgerianas less 
than eighteen months old in the Central Province. 
THE GOLD MINING COMPANIES OF 
SOUTHERN INDIA. 
A handbook of the Indian Gold Mining Companies, 
posted up to July last, has been published by Messrs. 
Higginbotbam & Co. It contains a list of the Com- 
panies ; au alphabetical Hat of Directors ; a list of the 
Mining Engineers ; and the rules for Gold Mining 
leases in Madras, and in Mysore. The list of the 
Companies gives, in most instances the names of thej 
Directors, the Secretaries, the Bankers, the Solicitors, i 
the Consulting Engineers, the date of issue, the! 
capital, the values of the shares, and the cost and { 
area of the properties. We would have been glad if ; 
the compiler had gone a step farther, and favoured 
the public with a digest of the prospectuses of th^l 
Companies. It is likely to be interesting hereafter 
to compare promise with performance; for while 
on the one hand, the results of some of the Com- 
panies may exceed the sanguine expectation of the 
earliest pioneers of the industry, on the other it may 
be found that hope told a far too flattering tale to 
the promoters of several of the schemes. We have, 
however, been enabled to compile two useful tables 
from I he information before us. In the first, we give 
