Sept. i, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRlCULTUklST. 
163 
about ten inches high, when they are traufplanted | 
Bbout f-ix inches opart. After being transplanted the j 
ground must be kept moist, and this b dote by | 
inundation, as with paddy. After nrarly four months , 
the plant is gathered (cut near the ground), dried | 
and paclie i in bales of 60 to 100 pounds in weight 
and is used for making ropes and twiue. As tar as 
I can ascertain there ia EOt enough grown for 
export, and the bales are only roughly packed 
for Iransporlation through the island. This is done 
by hand as is also the rope-making. — L. and C. 
Express, 
THE WEST AFKICAN OIL PEADE. 
In a recent report on the botany of Sierra Leone 
Mr. Scotfc Bliiot says that the rxport of plam 
oil and kerntla forms by far the largest part of the 
West African export trade. In 1890 the value of the 
palm cU exported irom Sierra Leone was £13,599, 
and of the palm kernels £107,827. The tree is more 
abundant further down the West African coast, and 
appears to prefer alluvial, often marshy ground near 
the sea. It partioalarly seems to thrive on the rich 
soil of the mangrove aooumnlationa. There are large 
numbers of palm trees in the Mahela disiriot, 
where a factory once existed, and there are also 
a conai'lerable number up the Scaroies River 
and in the lower part of the L'm'-n district. 
It grows also cn low sandstone or (t^neis ose hills, 
but probably does not produce bo much in such 
places as on the low-ljing, rich alluvisls. The palm 
is propagated from the offshoot that appear at its 
base, and these are said to begin in the second or filth 
year, and in full bearing about tlie 10th to 15th year. 
They continue producing for 60 years. A single 
tree yields from one to three galloca of palm oi', or, 
according to Semler, 16 litres annually, and this 
amount of oil will give from one-sixth to half a 
hundredweight of kernels. This would be a profit of 
from 2s to 63 a tree per annum, as about 300 gallons 
of palm oil give a ton of oil and about 2J tons of 
kerneip. Hence plantations of these trees should be 
profitable in time. It is, however, exceedingly difB- 
onlt to pet any tru!tworthy information, and the above, 
Mr. Elliot says, must be regarded as very approxi- 
mate. The palms require no care and are not, appa- 
rently, attacked by any injurious inseolp. Tie pre- 
paration is oi a very rough and makeshift character ; 
the fruits are thrown into a tank and left till deoom- 
positioa bsgina. They are then boiled and afterwards 
pounded in a mortar. Probably 25 percent of tbe oil 
is lost in preparation. 
FIJI CIGAKS. 
The exportation of these in large quantities has 
commenced, Mr. Sketchley having shipped a consign- 
ment of 25,000 to Sydney by the s.p. "KocktOD,"on 
Wednesday last, to te.st the market there. In addi- 
tion to this, a standing order for 10,000 a month has 
been received from London, to initiate which trade, a 
parcel of 20,000 will go forward by next opportunity. — 
Polynesian Ga-ette. 
PLANTERS' AT LAW : 
A TEA MANUFACTfEING DISPUTE. 
An Ection which has been raised in the District 
Court of Badulla and has been fixed for trial on 
the 21ih inat. is at tbe instance of J. H. B. 
Clookburn, Badulla and G. E. M. Nuttall, Boga- 
WBDtalawa, proprietora of Hopton estate, Madulsima, 
against J. M. Mason, Yepama in Lunugalla for 
E813-19 being the amount of loss they aay tbey 
BUBtained in constquence of the defendant who 
had agreed to manufacture their Hopton leaf at 
Keenagoda factory, having in December 1891 for- 
warded to their agents in Colombo (the Oommer- 
oial Co.) 5,'JIO lb, of tea inferior in quality and 
gther than Uoptoo ivhiQh whQii sold m LgadQa 
in Jauuary, February and March 1893 realised 
only B2,79r80 whereas their shares of the 
tea manufactured would have realised E3,634 99. 
Thpy therefore claim the E843-19 aa the 
diii'erenoe between these two euma. The de- 
fendant denies the agreement as stated and Bays 
that there was at the end of October 1891 due 
from the defendant to the plaintiffs 4,729 lb of 
tea. By letter dated 4th November the first 
plaintiffs on behalf of tbe plaintiff's requested 
the defendant to despatch a break of tea 
as soon as thereafter aa possible to them. 
Aooordingly on the 10th November he delivered 
into carts at Keenagoda 5,940 lb of tea for the 
plaintiffs of which they took delivery knowing that 
it was in excess of the amount due to them. Ha 
denies that that tea was shipped to London by 
plainlfl's' agents or tliat the plaintiffs share vrould 
have realised E3,634-99. 
TEA PLUCKIInG AND PATEKT PLTJCKEES 
(From a planier.) 
I saw a statement from of Dikoya to the eSeot 
that in the fields he used Thompson's Clippers his 
plucking for the year showed a saving of 5o, per 
lb. of made tea, There is a rumour that another 
Clipper is coming out — that is to knock the other 
one dean out. What I have seen of it shows the 
idea to be good, but I fear it will be expensive, 
Thompson's Clipper is far too dear : R6 for one, 
A oooly has to pluok a lot of leaf extra to make 
up for the price, viz E6, and has yet to ba 
proved if a flat bueh gives more leaf than a 
oonioal one. 
^ 
THE BRITISH NORTH BORNEO COMPANY. 
Planting Pbospects. 
The twenty-first half-yearly meeting of the share- 
holders in the British North Borneo Company was 
held on 4th inst. at the Cannon-street Hotel, Mr, 
R. B. Martin, M.P. presiding. The Secretary (Mr. 
Benjsmio T. Kmdersle)') having read the notice con- 
vening the meeting. 
Tbe Obairmun in moving the adoption of the re- 
port and accounts stated that by the deed of settle, 
ment a shareholder holding less than ten shares 
was not entitled to be present at the meeting or to 
vote at a poll. The directors had no desire to keep 
tbe shareholders from the meeting, but as long aa 
the law stood aa it was at ptesent it was their duty 
to acquaint the shareholders with it, so that there 
mipht be no misunderstaoding. During tbe past year 
events in North Borneo had been progreEsing in a 
manner not altogether to the disadvantage of the 
company. They were still passing through a eerious 
crisis in the East, but they bad managed to hold 
their own. The receipts fell in 1892 by ?51,000, com- 
pared with those of 1891, but the expenses had been 
reduced by no less than §82,000. He feared, however 
that they could not reduce the expenses further. 
They were now within meaturablo distaLce of seeing 
the echeme for telegraphic commurication between 
this country and Borneo practically completed. Owing 
to the depreesion in the East their land sales account 
had naturally fallen off considerably, aud, in fact, 
so sharp had been the crisis that many tobacco 
estates had been abandoned. The proposed extra 
duty of 1 per cent per pound on tobacco would 
make a considerable difference in their revenue 
if the profits on tbe tobacco trade proved to be 
anjthii g like what was expected. Another product 
to which cot si.ierable importftnoe was attached was 
coffee, which grew well hud strong there, and seemed 
to be able to throw ofl the dieeaso which c.iused the 
distruction of tbe coffee estates in Ceylon. The tim- 
ber trade looked promising, aud tbtir experts and 
turyeyoi^ we(Q bnding gol4 which ^zpcrienog wen^ 
