November i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
45 
be thought that in these days of co-operative trading 
Wie growers of tea should stand particular in consider- 
ing their interest, to tho detriment of their own, and 
I don't suppose this protest will deter or delay the 
steps contemplated in Ceylon for the profitable dis- 
posal of its products. — London Cor. 
AGE I C U LT U 1 1 K IN MADAGASCAR AND 
MAURITIUS. 
Mauritius, Gth Sept. 1881. 
That Madagascar, in the hands of a civilized and 
strong Government, would become a wealthy posses- 
sion, the experience Mauritians have of that island 
permits of tneir entertaining very little doubt. Its 
climate, it is true, is not very healthy ; but it is the 
ne plus ultra of a sugar and coft'ee growing country : 
while it could export coals, timber, and cattle in 
immense quantities, and gold has been found there, 
but owing to the jealousy of the natives the working 
of the mines has been forbidden ; so that it is im- 
possible to give an opinion as to their riches. 
I may notice, as a sign of the timos, that one of 
our licms (Messrs. Antelme, Patte son & Co.) has 
lately put a small steamer about 300 tons, the "line- 
rina," permanently in the trade between this and 
Madagascar and Reunion. Our connection with the 
former One island is daily making headway ; and I 
may say en passant that Madagascar is quite worth 
any trouble that can be taken to obtain a footing 
there. As a sugar-growing country, it will, before many 
years, be likely to leave Mauritius in the background, 
and many of our rising generation are daily leaving 
this for it. 
The Chemical Manure Company is one of our most 
prosperous public investments. It was founded here 
somo yeara a^o by a French gentleman passionately 
fond of scientific agriculture ; and, unlike many things 
undertaken en nmutatr, it has proved a great success, 
and gives its shareholders ahou' 20 per cent per annum. 
It possesses a capital of R200.000, and its net profits 
since January last, for the half-year ending 30th June, 
were h' 87,003! Of this magnificent result, the direc- 
tors have, however, only given the shareholders their 
usual 10 per cent for the half-year ; and the remainder 
has been carried to tho reserve fund for future 
dividends. 
SCHOOLS OF AGRICULTURE IN THE UNITED 
STATES AND BRAZIL. 
We arc glad to see from OAgricultor Progressista, 
a new agricultural journal published in the interosts 
of the Companhia Zootechnica c Ayricola, that the 
director nf that society. Sr. Domingos Maria Gou- 
calves, proposes to require manual labor from nil the 
students attending his new agricultural schools. We 
were misle I by the statement in the statutes of the 
society that "the luborers, watchmen, shepherds, 
field servants, &c, will be by preference admitted 
aud ohosen from among the freemen," which, in the 
absence of anv clause tpecifying obligatory lield labor 
for the students, led us to infer that tho work would 
all bo done by hired laborers. In this inference the 
director informs us that we are mistaken, as manual 
labor vmII 1) ■ required from every matriculated stud- 
ent in proportion ti his strength. This is just a* it 
should Be, Oiio of tho most successful agricultural 
schools in tho United States— the State Agricultural 
College, of Michigan— was founded lit-jrally in the 
forest, and all thu work of charing and broakiug 
Up the laud, fencing, draining, road-making, plant- 
ing orchauls, ns well as tho after work of crop, 
fruit and stock-raising, has |b en done by studouts. 
Tho land which was onco covered with a dense 
forest of oak, beech nml maple, is now ouu of tho 
finest aud most productive farms that can bo fouud 
anywhere— and all the work is done by students, who 
are required to work a specified number of hours 
every day. Many of the most successful farmers in 
the state are graduates of this school and some of 
its graduates occupy higli scientific positions. It is 
not claimed that the labor of the students has any- 
great pecuniary advantages, but it gives them a 
practical knowledge of scentific agriculture, and con- 
tributes largely to their good health and physical 
development. In relation to the profession in whose 
interests the school is established, it not only makes 
iis graduate practically familiar with all the details 
of every day work, but it makes them acquainted 
with the latest and most scientific methods of iigricult- 
ure, and teaches them to investigate and experi- 
ment for themselves. Such a result as tins is greatly 
needed in Brazil. Instead of callng upon the govern- 
ment for an investigating commission when his coffee 
trees, or his sugarcane fields are attacked by disease, 
the Brazilian planter should be competent to take 
the matter into his own hands. He should know 
how best to cultivate Ins lands and to obtain the 
best results. Iastcad of tilling a piece of land for a 
time aud then abandoning it, as worn out, as is now 
the practice, he should know how to keep up the 
fertility and productiveness of his fields, aud to add 
to their value year by year. The profession ofagri- 
culturo should be elevated to the rank of a science, 
and this can only be done through just such schools 
as we have indicated. 
FALLING-OFF IN COPRA EXPORTS. 
The Chairman of the Levuka Chamber of Commerce 
referred as follows in his annual address to an arti- 
cle of produce which has recently been the subject 
of discussion in Ceylon : — 
"The article, however, which shewed the most serious 
decrease is the principal export, viz., copra. The 
official returns clearly give the following as the quanti- 
ties raisen in the colon v ■ — 
1877 1878 1879 1SS0 
Tons ... ...4372 5513 2714 5168 
"That is to say that Fiji produced 2,000 tons more 
copra in the two years, 1877-8, than in 1S79 80 
This is serious and difficult to explain ; on a former 
oeeasi* n I assigued two principal reasons — the Govern- 
ment system of collecting native taxes in produce 
instead of money and the consequent restrictions crippl- 
ing the enterprise of the individual native, and a 
drought in the early part of 1S79 ; but exception has 
been taken to my argnments hy a few. Vvithiu the 
last, twelve months copra lias fallen over 20 per cent 
in value in Europe, and unless it ris> s as rapidly 
again, which we hardly warranted iu hoping, or the 
quautity exported this year shews a considerable in- 
crease, a large section of our producing Com n unity 
will suff-r severely. The causes of this serious d pre- 
ciation are difficult to assign', it is true that the 
present low value of the article at home may dis- 
courage some of those in Africa and tho Bast Indies 
who were tempted to enter European market by the 
high prices of 1S7S-9 ; should such prove to bo the 
case we may than perhaps look for an improvement." 
In resp-ct of trade geuerally he stated :— 
' Tint the value of the to al export trade for|lS80 
exceeded £J29,000, of which £51,000 was produce ira- 
ported aud exported again, which was an indication 
that with care and euterprizo tho trade of mauy other 
Ultuadflin the South Seas might bo concentrated in 
Fiji. The value <>f tho proiluco raised in the colony 
was nearly £17^,tK)<t, but tho whole of tins appareufc 
increase of nearly 'X> per cent on tho yield of the pre- 
vious year cannot fairly be claimed owing to certain 
exceptional circumstances. There is a decrease in vhe 
