Sept. i, 1893.] THE TRQPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
19s 
has taught us that there generally has been a fair com- 
petioc for the bark, and the prices are fairly main, 
tained ; but recently, at the sales at Amsterdam, the 
oompetitioQ has falleu off, and, consequently, importers 
have not sent the same quantity. The Java importera 
are passing through the same crisis as we have 
had to pass through in Ceylon and India, and, 
consequently, only good estates will survive, and 
the bad ones will have to go to the vrall. 
That process has been going on for a year ; but the 
curious part of it is that, although the supply of 
bark is not larger than last year, the prices of bark 
have fallen off. For three years prior to la'it yfar 
the prices were Id. p r unit, Ijd. per uni", audlj!. 
per unit; but siace ihen the price has fallen to §d. 
and |d., which is a reduction ot 25 per cent. With such 
a fauiug-off it is h?»riJly wocth whilf) to sell. A rise, 
however, to IJJ. or li 1. in the next thiee or six 
months may inng about a litt-e more demand. Oiviog 
to the fall in the price of the bark we have not made 
a regular harvest, but bavo thought it better to wait 
until the market improves. The recent price of 
qmuino has hem lOJ. and 9J. per ounoe ; but in 1892 
it, w*s 8iJ. aid 8|d. The German maoufac^urers 
have combined not to tell any qainine under lOd., 
■ad I am glid to Bay that they are holding to their 
compact, I tldnk that you have no resaon t o be 
alatmad about the price ot quinine, aud, although the 
prioe of bark is getting lower and lower, it will work 
its own cure. As regards the production of our coffee 
I am glad to say that it sells at a very high prioe. 
Last year, unfortunately, we hpd no crop, but this 
year wo expect three or four tons, for which we 
hope to receive £300 or £400. As to the tea, as soon 
as we are able to bring it forward we can dispose of 
il in Mincing Lane, if it is made without macninery, 
at 7d. or 6d. a lb.; bat if it is a better class of tea 
which we sjll be able to produce later on, we ought 
to be able to be g-t from 9d. to Is. a lb., according 
to the market. Toe prices of tea have tieen fairly 
good lately, but we should possibly be able to pro- 
duce tea aud sell ic at a profit even a' lower prices. 
We have in this campany, therefore, three strings to 
our bow— our bark, cotfe ■, and tea— which are coming 
to the front. I beg to second the resolution. 
Mr. E, Jones asised the amourtof the assets and 
liabilities of the company, 
A number of other questions having been asked. 
The Uhairoian, in reply, stated that Mr. Joaes 
would see fi om the balance-sheet tbat the cash lijbili- 
tiea amoui ted to £1,141, and egnust that they had 
jjroducei £2,820, £602 in cash aud sundry drbtors for 
£26. Sixty acres ot coffee Were b. ing p'auted out. 
Tue leport from the maoager was dateil March z9 
last. Ai regarded the appointment, ot anew a sistant- 
mana^er, the beard were at present in negonatiun 
with a jonig man to proceed to the estites. The 
board would .e very pleased to consider any sugges- 
tions that IVIr. Eecle-, might make with regaia to 
planting otbir articles of produce. As regarded 
ever production of tea, to vthioh allusion bad been 
male, siaiictics proveil that the deliverios were larger 
than the imports. There was a g iod deal of room, 
therefore, lor oxtenfions ; but he did not think thoy 
would be su large aa to materially eff»-ct the supply. 
'Xhe motion was then put, and carried unanimously, 
—■H. and C. Mail. July 21sii. 
^ . 
THE HOETICULTURAL COLLEGE, SWANBY. 
This College was founded about four years ago, 
with the object of promoting scientific horticulture, 
as well as poultry rearing and agriculture. Such an 
establishnieut was a long felt want, and the means 
of acquiring a practical knowledge of the best system 
of horticulture was out of the reach of those who 
wisheol to enter this field for the employment of 
labor or capital ; but, at the Swauby College, young 
men— and young ladies also, for there are eight lady 
students there at, the present time — are given every 
facility to acquire a thorough aud practical know- 
ledge of the inosi scioutitic systems of hoilicultu; n, 
hua litliujj theui lo till posts either as market gard- 
ners or land owners, either as tea planters or fruit* 
growing colonists. 
The College is situated 15 miles from London, near 
Svvanby Junction on the London, Chatham and 
Dover railway, and its grounds, including orchards, 
glass houses etc. are 48^ acres in extent. It was 
fortiierly the residence of Sir Edward Reed, designer 
for the navy, and inventor of that shocking failure, 
the "jBessimer," the swinging saloon of which ia 
now utilized as the lecture room of the college. 
There is accommodation for 50 students; and 
the buildings include also a lecture hall, class 
rooms, dining hall, laboratory and library, in addi- 
tion to the private residence of the Principal. Thera 
are also farm buildings, stables, workshop, dairy, 
apiary and poultry runs, with glass houses and horti- 
cultural accessories adjoining. I;ike many other 
schemes this one had an uphill climb to commence 
with, and many dilBculties had to be encountered 
before it could be said that the college was in a fair 
way to success. 
The Kent County Council, however, has proved 
of the greatest assistance to the college, by nomi- 
natiog and paying for twenty students, these being 
first selected and subjected to an examination. 
Three members of the Kent County Council are on 
the governing body of the college, to watch over the 
interests of their students, but they do not interfere 
in the least with financial matters. 
The number of students have increased, during the 
past few months, from 35 to 50— the full complement, 
— and a scheme is even now under consideration ta 
enlarge the college by taking a house adjacent, ajxd 
thus have accomodation for more students. In addi- 
tion to these there are 8 young lady students, who 
live in a house c'ose by, with Mrs. Watson aa 
matron, and these attend the lectures and praotical 
demonstrations in pruning, poultry raising &o. It 
has been argued by many that the study of Horti* 
culture is not a suitable one for young ladies, bu6 
it may not be generally known that there are, at 
the present day, 8 lady gardeners in England, 3 ia 
Ireland, 2 in Wales and 1 in Scotland, and these 
are all in the first rank of their professi.n. There 
are many ways for ladies to turn the knowledge ot 
gardening to account besides growing for the whole- 
sale market or retailing to private individuals. They 
might take situations as gardeners, oc ev^n manage 
their own gardens and thus save the expense of a, 
gardener. There are many women to wbom aa 
active out-of-door-Lfe is preferable to a life of 
confinement, such as school teaching or dress-makingi 
and these, it they decide on adapting the profesaioa. 
of gardening, could not do better than place them- 
selves under the care of Mrs. Watson at the College, 
for gardeninii must be systematically learned if ai 
living is to be made from its pursuit. 
Experts daily lecture in the College on many 
subjects, such as Horticulture, Floriculture, Botany, 
Zoology, Pliysics, Chemistry, Agriculture and Land 
Surveying, besides which practical demonstrations 
are given in pruning, grafting, agriculture &c. and 
I may here remark that at Swanby College, I sawj 
the gooseberry bushes pruned in the same way aa 
Cej'lon planters were wont to prune their coffee 
trees, a thing I have only seen once before ia 
Great Britain, namely, in my own garden. And 
I may also here remark that the finest goose- 
berries and the heaviest crops I have seen on 
any gooseberry bushes in the Island were on the 
bushes in my own garden and at Swanby College, 
from which I conclude that the system of pruning 
coffee has been successful when applied togooseberiea. 
During the fruit season a van laden with produce 
leaves the C llego three times a week tor London, 
aud o 1 the othtr three c'aya orders are fulfilled 
by train, tlie College fruit being well known in Covent 
Gar lens. When a rush of crop takej plnc^>, aud the 
meani of desputohing the fiuit is iuadequattf, the 
surplus is made into jam, the boiling biiug done 
by menus of a sniHll steam engine, and the bottlaJ 
fruit and jams which I not only taw hut sample, 
needs no rccoiumeudatioii ttt tnj haujs, as (hey ep^'Sll 
fot Ihemse.Vcg, 
