July j, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
41 
VARIOUS AGEICULTURAL NOTES. 
Eamik.— London Industries says: — "Eamie fibre 
is now being used in oonneotion with the manu- 
faotnre of paper intended for French bank notes. 
It is stated that the paper thus made is finer and 
stronger than the ordinary paper employed, 
and that muoh clearer impression can be made 
upon it."— Planters' Monthly. 
Tea CuLTivATioN in India. — In the latest 
Official Report from the Government of India just 
to hand, we see that at the end of U9l, there 
were 362,130 acres planted under tea (with reserves 
for planting of no lefs than 812,517 acres !) and of 
this 309,852 acres were under " mature plants" 
and 52,278 acres " immature." Taking half of the 
latter as bearing in 1893, we get 336,000 acres 
to give 125J million lb. this year for export, 
besides a few million lb. for home consumption. 
[In 1891, the crop is returned at 123j million, 
which the export was 119 million]. It will be 
observed then that the average yield for all India is 
not far short of 400 lb. per acre. If Ceylon gave 
an average of 350 lb. an acre this year, our total 
crop should not be less than 84| million lb. But 
the total export may not exceed 80 million and 
the crop perhaps a million more. 
" The Bitter Cey of Mincing Lane " — over 
Cbtlon Tea — is the heading of a letter that reached 
us by last mail from a " City " gentleman whose 
name is unknown to us, but who is evidently an 
expert in tea. His letter is a renewal of the cry 
raised by Mr. Hawes which we endeavoured to 
answer when at home in the columns of the 
Financial Times. The line of argument we adopted 
was that if " the trade " encouraged fine teas 
by paying good prices for them, the Ceylon plan- 
ters would certainly respond ; and surely the 
experience of the past six months accentuates 
our argument. " Philpot " complains that Chair- 
men of Ceylon Tea Companies never refer to the 
quality of the product ; but why in the world does 
" Philpot " himself not notice and explain the 
fact that from November till very recently, fine 
Ceylon teas were glutting the market so far as 
equivalent demand was concerned ; that Broken 
Pekoes could not get nearly their value, expert 
Brokers being witness ; until at last the ridiculous 
position was reached of our commonest teas realiz- 
ing prices within very little (IJd to 2d) of the 
finest! What encouragement was there here, will 
•' Philpot " tell us, for Ceylon to send home fine 
teas?— On the other hand, the fact is patent to 
the world that Ceylon teas have fallen off as 
compared with Indian, grievously of late. All 
Assam for last year realized an average of llfd 
per lb. through " fine plucking " and this has 
succeeded so well, we are told, that similar 
plucking is to be the rule this year. Now in 
Ceylon, only one small district can show an average 
equal to Assam while for the island as a whole, last 
year's average was down to 9id. Now, what in the 
face of these facts, are we to say to " Philpot ? " 
We do not, and cannot, believe that a great part 
of our planting districts cannot still produce as 
fine teas as those of Assam, or as went home a 
few years back ; — we can only conclude that it 
pays the Ceylon Tea Planters better even in the 
upoountry districts to seni home a coarser, com- 
moner product on the whole tlian in earlier days. 
"Medium" plucking (inclining to "coarse" per- 
haps when the market favours cheap teas) is 
we BL'ppose, rather than "fine" plucking the rule 
in Ceyion ; while Assam is reported to be goiDg 
in steadily for fine plucking and yet the tot.il of 
Indian Tea Exports this year is to be 14 milliou lb. 
in ezoBBB of lask year. 
Planting in Siam.— In the opinion of the Bang- 
Ixok Times, there appears to be misapprehension 
regarding concessions made to European planters 
in Siam. It makes out that few countries possess 
such facilitips for acquiring land on favourable 
conditions. That journal states that no rent is 
required to be paid foi three years, and at the end 
of that term only one salung per rai, (which 
about equals two-fifths of an acre) meaning prac- 
tically about 21 saltings per acre. It is understood 
that a oonoesBioD of fifteen hundred acres is shortly 
to be granted in Bangkok.— Straits Times. 
CiNCHONiDiNE IN India.— We reported in October 
last that the Government of India do not propose 
to make oinchonidine sulphate there, as had been 
suggested, because they could import it cheaper 
from England if need be. Dr. King, superintendent 
of cinchona cultivation, now recommends that, 
instead of trying to make oinchonidine sulphate, 
it would be more economical to crystallise the 
alkaloids in the precipitates during the process of 
making quinine and cinchona febrifuge. He adds 
that an even cheaper plan would be to convert 
the quinine and oinchonidine into tartrates, without 
attempting to separate them, and to issue it as 
a tartrate of quinine and einobonidine.— O^zemtst 
and Druggist, May 13. 
The Madkas Season Kepobi a.— Yesterday the 
Board of Revenue telegraphed to the Government 
of India for the week ending the 13th May as 
follows : — Rainfall is good except in parts of the 
Carnatio and Tinnevelly, where a few scattered 
showers. Cultivation is generally commencing for 
early crops, and some Bowings have already been 
made. Standing crops, which are few, except cotton, 
and those under wells, are generally fair ; but 
more rain is required in Tinnevelly. Pasture, 
fodder and drinking water are generally sufficient, 
and eatile is in good condition. Prices are almost 
stationary, but slightly easier in the Carnatio and 
Southern Districts. General prospects are favour- 
able.— M. Mail, May 17. 
Electbicity in Ageioulturb. — Attention has 
recently been directed to the application of electri- 
city to farming operations, and the designing and 
introduction of suitable dynamo-eleotrio machinery 
for this purpose would no doubt be profitable 
both to the manufacturers and the farmers. 
Early in 1892 an electric power system was instal- 
led at the farm of the Agricultural Experiment 
Station, Auburn, Ala., the current being brought 
from the college laboratory by a line three-quarters 
of a mile in length, conducted by the students 
themselves. A 10 horse power motor was used 
for ginning and pressing cotton, thrashing grain, 
cutting up feed stud, &o., and gave en> 
tire satisfaction in every community where 
there is a water-power, electricity oould 
be eoonomioally generated and used not only for 
the above-mentioned purposes, but also to run saws, 
planing machines, pumps, lathes, grindstones, 
cider presses, sorghum mills, churns, sewing 
machines — in short, for everything requiring power. 
What farmer would not welcome the exchange 
of smoky lamps for electric lights ? The arc 
light may also prove useful in market gardening, 
some recent experiments made in France having 
Bhown that it has a marked effect in stimulating 
plant growth when sunlight is not to be had* 
Where sufficient water-power is not available, 
windmills might be used in oonneotion with a 
bystem of storage batteries. Such a utilisation oi 
the now wasled energies of nature would put off 
' ;h9 c'jtning of the coal famine that threatens 
1 future genei&tiona,— Inventive Age; 
