July i, 1893.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
25 
CALIFORNIA. 
Mr. W. Laing Malcolmson of Aberdeen, whose 
experiences as a fruit-grower in California we gave in 
our issue of March 11, sends us the following supple- 
nipntary details : — I mentioned that I had known 
" many instances of men landing in California without 
any other capital than their own labour, and working 
themselves (with the aid of a wife) up to such a 
position as to be able, through their savings and eco- 
nomy, to own an orchard or a vineyard within a 
few years of their arrival." These instances (which 
I could enumerate in detail) are cases of men who 
had been brought up to field work, and who within 
a few hours of their arrival in California could 
command immediate work at from £5 to £6' per 
month and their board; whilst, if they had a wife, 
she could command from £4 to £5 per month as a 
domestic servant. For the ordinary clerk, artisan, 
or mechanic, there is practically no work in Cali- 
fornia, as there are more labourers of this class in 
that State than there is work for. 
From the correspondence I have received from 
those with a little money, and who, I think, would 
form splendid colonists, let me select a letter received 
a day or two ago ; and in answering it, I will 
cover much of the ground of other inquiries which 
have and may be made of me. The writer says : — 
1. "In what condition is the unbroken land? 
2. "What can the waste land be bought for? 
3. "What could land stocked with fruit trees, and 
bearing a fair return, be bought at ? 
4. " Could you advise a person (who has money) 
to buy a going orchard that has had no experience 
in fruit-growing ? 
5. " Would persons who have a young family and 
a few hundred pounds be successful settlers in Cali- 
fornia ? " 
I shall now answer for the benefit of your readers 
these questions as follows : — 
1. "In what condition is the unbroken land?" 
The answer to this is, that generally the land in 
California suitable for fruit growing is level and of 
the richest description ; no stones, shrubs, or trees ; 
soil usually alluvial deposits, easily worked, and 
splendidly adapted for irri^'ation purposes. 
2. "What can waste lane! he bought for?" Land 
suitable for fruit growing cannot be got for much 
leas than £20 per acre, and may be as high as £.50 
per acre, according to situation and other facilities, 
although there might not be probably much diiierence 
in the quality of the land itself. 
3. " What could land stocked with fruit trees, 
and bearing a fair return, be bought at ? " This 
depends on the position of the property, its improve- 
ments, and its age ; also the class of orchard. 
Orange groves bearing a net annual return of £200 
per acre would, in proportion, be more than a young 
orchard or vineyard only a few years old ; this 
question is difficult to answer. 
4. " Could you advise a person to buy a going 
orchard that has had no experience of fruit growing? " 
Hundreds come out to California who have money, 
and rather than wait until an orchard comes into 
bearing, purchase an orchard or vineyard right out, 
and derive a handsome return from their investment. 
It is not necessary to have any experience in fruit- 
growing, as experienced help or assistance can be 
easily procured. 
,'). "Would persons who have a young family and 
a few hundred pounds be successful settlers in Cali- 
fornia ? " There is only one answer to this. Most 
decidedly, yes. 
1 should like to mention also that I know of a 
property in California, situated in, perhaps, the best 
position of the State, known as Chino. The owner 
of this property, Mr. Richard Gird, has had lately 
erected on his property — which extends to some 
55,000 acres — one of the largest sugar beet factories 
in the world. The settler on this property can, 
after he has planted his orchard, utilise the space 
between his trees for Beet growing, so that he can 
commence earning a return from his orchard, say, 
f (i to £ 8 per acre, withiu six months from his taking 
up the land, and this advantage cannot be attained 
in any other portion of California. 
Mr. Malcolmson's address is 102, Union Grove, 
Aberdeen, and he will be happy to answer all en- 
quires addressed to him regarding California. — 
Gardeiiera' Chronicle. 
PLANTING IN EAST AFRICA. 
Milanji, British C. Africa, March 28. 
, OUR WAR SCARE 
is over and those aggressive chiefs who made a row 
with the white man, as he is generally called here, 
have had to pay the piper by way of a fine for 
peace. Soldiers and blue jackets have all returned 
down country to their respective stations and gunboats. 
OUR RAINY SEASON 
is all but over and crop is showing signs of ripen- 
ing. We have had an A 1 planting season during 
the past five months : over 60 inches of rain in 135 
days recorded. 
I see some of your correspondents wanting in- 
formation about 
UGANDA. 
All I know is that coffee grows there indigenous. 
I presume, otherwise it has been introduced by 
Arabs from the North. Mr. Pigott shewed me at 
Mombasa a sample of 
UGANDA COFFEE, 
it was a very small bean of a grey or drab colour 
evidently produced in a dry climate. I am sure 
Uganda from what I have heard has not more than 
from 30 to 40 inches of rain per annum. Most of the 
RAIN IN E. C. AFRICA 
falls when the clouds come in contact with the range 
of mountains running parallel to the Indian Ocean 
about from 1 50 to 300 miles from the coast ; beyond 
this range three or four months' severe drought is 
experienced and coffee (what is known to be in 
existence) about the lakes is regularly watered to 
keep it alive — this I know for a fact. 
Awfully sorry to see 
THE DEATH OP YOUR SENIOR EDITOR :] 
Never will Ceylon get another to advocate the in- 
terests of the people and island as he did. All must 
mourn long and sincere for this sad loss. 
I must offer my sincere sympathy to all related 
to the deceased. H. B. 
THE CHICAGO EXHIBITION AND 
INDIAN TEA. 
The ofiBcial catalogue of the British section at the 
■World's Fair mnkes a portly volume of something 
like 600 pages, filled with matter bearing on the 
induetriis and manufactures of Great Britain, her 
colouies. «ud dependencies. India is accorded a 
epecial heafiicg to herself, though the enumeration 
of tho viiied exhibiSs which she has sent across the 
fessonly ccvfri a few pages. As compared with some 
of tho coloniei>, inclepd. this country makes rather a 
poor ^how. Thus Cinadian exhibits cover an area 
of over 100,000 fquare feet, while New South Wales ia 
allotted 50 000 and Ceylon fills, 22,000. Of 
the grand total of 500,000 square feet which 
represents the full extent of British partici- 
pation in the gigantic American show, only 5,000 
Equare feet have been appropriated by onr Eastern 
Empire, which merely rarks for (he occasion with 
Jamaica. On the other hand, a ghnce at the catiloguo 
is quite sufficient to show that, conside'ring the mild 
enthusiaem to which Government restricted itfe'f in 
reference to the nt dertaking, the results achieved are 
far in excess of what might have been anticipated. 
The ludiau Tea rianters' Associ.ition liave clearly 
turned to the best account the contribution of R'1,000 
handed over to them as a Government grant, but this 
4 
