OCT. 2, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 2^i. 
Coffee hao had one moderate blossom for the 
coming season's spring crop, and there is a small 
spike for a further blossom now forming on high 
coffee. Wood is still immature however and there 
is none of the ' bristly ' look, coffee in these districts 
at this season used to have — with spike. Higher 
coffee will do much better however in coming years 
than seemed probable a few weeks back. Bag is 
showing up again and is doing harm in patches on 
low cott'ee — but at present the attack is not general 
and I do not fancy wiU prove as disastrous as the 
attack we had last year. 
I do not think Helopeltis is present in any numbers 
on tea in this district. Odd trees here and there 
have all sorts of curious diseases, some of which 
may be due to Helopeltis, But I have not seen the 
animal yet and I have not seen any field of tea look 
other than vigorous and well. Should helopeltis be 
suflicieutly considerate as to breed at certain fixed 
times it will be a comparatively easy matter to 
wage war with it. 
COFFEE NOTES. 
The people of the Uuited Stfttes in 1892 consumed; 
per capita, 6 54 pounds of oolfee, and I 'H pounds 
of tea. Coffee is imitated there in many ways, 
besides beiug adnlteretHd, "nd when the price of coffee 
is high the substitutes are largely purchased by poor 
people. 
A S.nioa teiegram of the 15th 8»jb that the receipts 
of coffee during ihe week had been 2(3,000 bags, and 
the bales 30,000 bags. The stock on that date was 
116,000 bagt.— Bio JVes. 
SISSAL FIBRE IN THE BAHAMAS; 
DINN£B TO SIS AMBBOSE SHEA, 
A dirner wpa given at the Imperial Institute the 
other evening to 8ir Ambrose Shea by the Directors 
of tbe Bibaiiifts Fibre Company (Limited), of London, 
iu ttsti>Lon> of His Exocileocy's serrioes as Governor 
iu briugiug au iinportaat industry into existence and 
convening the Colony fiom its former condition of 
great d piession into one of fast growing prosperity 
and importance. The ohair wus taken by the Chairman 
of the Bahamas fibre Company, Mr. Herman Lescher, 
and thers were . present, besides the gaest, the Earl 
of UenliKh, Mr Auateu Chamberlain, M.P,, theOonnt 
<le Torre Diaz, Sir J. Somers Vine, c U.G., Mr. John 
Fleming, Jnuge T. A, Thompson (Bahamas), Mr. D. 
Morris, c.m.g. (of Kew Gardens), Mr. Willard 
Brown (of Ne v York), Mr. J. W. Knowles (eeore'.ary 
of tbe Bahamas Fibre Company), and aboat 
forty oLhtr gemlemen of prominence in the com- 
mercial world, and more or less ioterested iu 
tbe iuduslry. When the loyal toasts had been dis- 
posed ot the Chairman gave tbe toast of theeveniug, 
and referred to the remarkable services rendered by 
Sir Ambro:e Shea, who out of depression had by his 
own elfoits liitu-d the Colony into a prond position of 
progress and iiidepcndenne. Sir Ambrose Shea thanked 
th^m moat heartily tor the kind works spoken on hid 
account He, of course, valued them all the more us 
he knew they were the friendly recognition of snocess- 
lul endeavour, which bad opened a new held tor safe 
and promiting investment of English capital, and 
was al^o fast bringing to the families of thousands of 
peaaautB comfort and brightnesa of which they bud 
10 previous experience. It seemed more like a fable 
tbiin au itccoiu]ilisbed fact that a Colony which live 
years ago was iu the throes of depression should now 
be running a course of progress that bids fair to give 
i a distinct place in the roll of prosperous depen- 
ileucies, nor was this transformation more remark- 
able than the ag'jncy through which it had been accom- 
plished. It seumed bard to conceive that a plant long 
known iu tbe Colony and regarded as a pestilent weed 
should l e found to contain cue of the finest fibres in 
tbe world, and was to lay the foumiatiun of a future 
of nuexaajpled prosperity for the Colony, \yhen fiist 
he was couviuced ot the value of the pioduut he ia- 
Vited the attention of outsidQ capitalists to its great 
attractions, bnt never without an admonition that a 
personal examination on the spot should precede any 
outlay, and he was unaware of any instance in which 
inquiry failed to satisfy the parties that an investment 
was a safe and conservative measure. The progress 
of the industry was satisfactory, and already some 
cultivators hadreached the harvest6tage,and theexports 
would no V/ be an annually increasing quantity. It was 
felt wise to pi ice a limit on the production, and the 
Crown Land allotmsuts were consequently restricted to 
100,000 acres for 10 years, which area may now be 
said to be riispssed of. At half a ton to the acre 
this quantity will yield 50,000 tons ; bat some years 
must pass before this issue is reached and meanwhile 
it will be a process of steady progress to that result. 
At what was deemed a bottom price of 201 a ton the 
value of the production would be 1,000,000? annually, 
as against about 120,000? a year which had hitherto 
been the amount of the exports from the Colony 
of fruit and sponge which were its oiily resources. 
Although his term as Governor of the Colony was now 
about to expire, he should remain for another year 
as Lord Ripon thought it undesirable that he should 
for the present be separated from, the supervision of 
the important interests it had been his good fortaue 
to have cailad into existence. 
The Earl of Dtnligh proposed " The Visitors," 
coupling therewith the name of Mr. Austen Ohamber- 
lain, M.P. He paid a high tribute to the Governor's 
remarkable career and its far-reaebing beneficial 
consequences. Mr. Austeo Chambirlain, in respond- 
ing, said be had twice visited tbe Colony, and could 
speak from observation on the spot of the Governor's 
phenomenal and successful efforts for its advance- 
ment. For himself, he had every confidence in the 
future of the Colony and in the industry in which 
he was largely concerned. Mr. D. Morrie, of Kew 
Gardens, who spoke as an expsrt upon the character 
of the plant and not as a commtrciil man, re- 
ferred to the ju'gment that had been formed 
at Kew Gardens of the Bahamas pi iut and its fibre, 
which they considtr.jd most emphatically to be the best 
of its kind that had come under the notice ot that 
institution. He had known of it^ existence for many 
years, but it had never been pract cally dealt with 
until Sir A. Shea went to the Colony and made it the 
splendid succees to which it bad now attained.— CoZonie* 
and India. 
TRAVANCORE AND CEYLON TEAS. 
Considering the nearness of the two tea-planting 
countries of Travancore and Ceylon to each other, 
it is a remarkable fact how very much the ways 
and means of production and general arrangements 
differ, and this is the more extraordinary when it has 
to be borne in mind that the Tamils from Madura, 
Tinnevelly, and Tencasy, etc., supply the whole or 
practically the whole of the labour in both places. 
The principal and most self evident fact is that 
Ceylon being a colony under the British Government; 
whilst that of Travancore is under a Native Govern- 
ment. Ceylon has also the advantage of the port 
of Colombo, and having almost daily communica- 
tion, i.e., daily vessels sailing for and arriving from 
Europe. The railway also which goes from Colombo 
right through the principal planting districts is an 
enormous boon. Tea picked on a Saturday can be 
made and packed by the Monday and be on the 
high seas on the Wednesday. Whilst with 
Travancore, tea can at the quickest not be 
got on board under ten days, and that is rare ; 
in fact, unless you ship by B. I. boats from 
Alleppey at the rate of 40s and 45s a t. n ot 40 ft., 
you often have to wait weeks for a direct tt-.aiuec 
from Cochin, rates for which aro 32- 61 for 50 ft. 
But, given these advantages to Ceylon, tbire are a 
huge number ot considerations on the Travancore side. 
The Ceyliin planter is famous tl'e world over for Ins 
push and go, and rightly so. But it is obviously 
absurd that tlie smart man (dieud slwa)s go to 
Cejlon and the duffer to ludu. Tl.e fact s, iu 
Cevloii the plau'iug interest is the interest of the 
whole iBlantl. >YitUout it Ceylon would be of bui 
