66o 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [February t, 1882. 
hardly believe their eyes if they cmld see it in Johanna. 
It was certainly magnificent, in many places between 
rive and six feet high and proportionately thick. Dr. 
Wilson, the American planter, has only been in the 
islaud seven years, but be has already erected a fine 
sugar mill, and this year expectd to make between 
400 and 500 tons of sugar. He has built himself a 
charming house on a lovely ridge about 1,500 feet 
above; the sea, and he told me that since he had been 
there he had not had a day's illness. The climate, in 
fact, must be as near perfection as x^ossible. In his 
garden he has almost every kind of tropical and sub- 
tropical fruit, strawberries, pines, peaches, and apples 
are growing side by side. He has also acclimatised 
nearly all our European vegetables. In his flower gar den 
the roses were beautiful, and bougainvilleas of five or six 
six different shades made splendid show. One variety 
of a brilliant buff colour was quite new to me. About 
five hundred yards below the house is the native vill- 
age, where all ihe station hands live — a curious mixed 
lot consisting of Comoro islanders, African negroes, 
and natives of Madagascar. The majority of them 
are slaves, but they all seem very well contented with 
their lot. The Sultan of Johanna is a very intel- 
ligent Arab, and is anxious to encourage as much as 
he can European settlement. A few of the Arab chiefs 
have etaited growing coffee and cloves, but though 
they have procured capital crops of both, they do 
not understand the proper manipulation of the berry, 
and consequently their products are not thought much 
of in Zanzibar whither they send them. 1 did not 
get over to Pomony on the other side of the island, 
where an English gentleman is doing well with sugar- 
cane; it would have been a very rough walk of 
about thirty miles, so 1 spent my time wandering 
about the forest in the neighbourhood of Johanna. 
I saw some beautiful banian trees and also plenty of 
ebony and sandal-wood. The hills are wooded up to 
the summit, and are very picturesque. There was 
but little life, however, in the forest, and during a 
lung walk, I only saw a few birds of the thrush tribe, 
and some bright little houey-*uckers Of course, as 
thing are at, present, any one living in Johanna is cut 
off \ ery much from the world. STou have to depend 
for your post on dhow* coming from Zanzibar, pr a 
chance vessel from Mauritius, which may call in seek- 
ii 1 ca go, Still it is a lovely spot, and I could quite 
understand Dr. Wilson when he told me that he did 
ixot thibk he could return and live in America now. 
The other two islands of importance in these seas 
are Comoro and Mohilla. The former is the largest 
oi the group, but a white man could not with 
•af y set le there yet, as the natives are alwaya 
light ng among themselves and making raids through 
ihe country. All that has been said, however, about 
Johanna, will be equally applicable to Comoro as 
far as climate goes, the chief difference being that 
there is mueh less timber on the latter island, and 
consequently a slighter rainfall. Mohilla is an in- 
dependent kingdom under a King of Hawa descent, 
and there a European would receive every encourage, 
ment to settle. 
The net result, therefore, of our inquiries about 
these inlands of the Indian Ocean is this: situated 
in a most salubrious climate, between the southern 
tropic and the line, they are admirably ad .pted for 
the cultivation of sugar, e ffee, vanilla, cocoa, spices, 
cloves, et hoc genus omne ; many of which are pure 
articles of luxury, and will aUays command a high 
price in the European market. At present that 
market is more or less dop'-ndent for it* supply on 
tbe Straits Settlement-, and the distant islands of 
Java and Batavia. But by tbu facilities offered by 
tbe new line of steams hips, the islands of the Co- 
ronp and others scattered about in the South 
Indian Ocean will now be able to compete with the 
Far East on equal terms as far as distance from the 
home market is concerned. With regard to climate, 
there can be no doubt that the islands I have been 
describing bear off the palm. With regard to Mada- 
gascar, I have purposely said very little. Though 
its climatic advantages are similar to those of its 
neighbours, the laws of the island do not allow a 
European to acquire the freehold of land ; so it is 
not so advantageous a place to go to as the inland 
belonging to an independent chief. I certainly be- 
lieve that no part of the world offers a more hope- 
ful chance of acquiring a moderate fortune to men 
of small means than the islands I have mentioned. 
To go and live there is, of course, a specie? of exile, 
but with good luck it should not last very long, and 
"beggars cannot be choosers." At all events, by 
the next spring, it will be possible for any one who 
wishes to do so, to make atrip to Mayotte and see 
for himself. By the opening of the new line, a charm- 
ing three months' trip will be provided for people in 
this country, who think a pleasant way of spending 
their furlough is seeing new countries and cruising 
in summer seas. — Pioneer. 
THE INDIAN TEA CROP OF 1881. 
As usual at this period of the year, forecasts of the 
probable crop of Indian tea are being made on all sides, 
apparently with the usual imperceptible effect on the 
Mincing-lane market. In last Saturday's Times we read, 
on the authority of the leading tea brokers, _ that the 
crop of 1881 received in London will, in all likelihood, 
range from 44 to 47 millions of lb.,' while consumption 
is at the rate of 50 millions. On Monday last the 'Times' 
telegram from India contained the announcement that in 
Calcutta the crop likely to be available for export is 
estimated at about 48 millions. The estimated outturn 
of 1881 has been a matter of conjecture since the close 
of last season, and has been in some quarters put as 
high as 53 millions, and in some quarters as low as 45. 
Whether it approaches the latter figure more nearly than 
the former, in the result, will be seen later on. Mean- 
time, the market here is more likely to be affected by 
the way in which the tea on arrival is placed before the 
trade. It is a well-known fact that when more than 12 
to 14,000 packages are put upon the market in one 
week, importers are playing in effect into the hands of 
the trade. The buying brokers cannot well taste more 
than 150 samples on the morning of the sale, and when 
selling brokers issue second catatogues of from 500 to 600 
chests, in addition to the teas in the first catalogue, in 
a full market, clients and importers generally suffer in 
consequence. When teas are not tasted, of course, they 
have to be bought by the look of the leaf, and thus teas 
are often sold pence below their real value. It is to be 
hoped that, in the interest of the industry, the leading 
merchants will see their way to some arrangement 
whereby the quantity of tea to be put before the trade 
may, in some measure, be regulated with regard to the 
requirements and capabilities of the market. — Home and 
Colonial Mail. 
Coffee in Samoa.— A planter, formerly in Ceylon, 
wrote from Samoa, on the 1st Oct : — "While in Levuka, 
Fiji, I had an offer, which I accepted, and 
that was to come here (600 miles distant from Fiji) 
and open up some land for coffee. The offer wits 
made by Mr. , partner in a wealthy firm of 
that name in Hamburg. It appears that coffee plant- 
ing has never yet been started here, as Mr. 
— ■ (who owns nearly two-tbirds of this island) 
has hitherto been unsuccessful in procuring the .services 
of any one who thoroughly understands coffee- 
growing; and, if you care to know how this enterprise 
succeeds here, I shall be only too happy to furnish 
you from time to time all information you may require." 
[Very good. — Ed.] 
