2)0 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 2. 1893. 
the expense of the Chinege bueiDess— a matter not 
Bt all UDsatislaciory to Britieh ticplato maker*. Doriog 
last year the imports of East ii-diau tea into this 
country increased by twenty-two anJ a half miiiion 
pounds, while the consumption of the Chii e«e and 
Japanese l<af declined by eighteen million ponude. 
Herein is enoourap[emei]t for the tinplate makers to 
renew their eSorts to get the Indieu tea exporters 
to take np with metal instead of wooden obeets. It 
has been proved over and over again that the metal 
articles ate stronger, lighter, and more durable than 
the Chinese timber prodnotiuos. We know of no 
Buf&cieut reason why the Indtao exporters shoulJ 
oontinae to eend their orders lor packiot; oases to 
Japan instead of to Sonih Wales end the Midlan ie, 
and we should greatly rejoice to see a radioal change 
a this direction. — Money and Trade. 
CINCHONA BAEK AND CUBEBS FROM 
JAVA. 
Cinchona.— The detailed figures relating to the 
exports of cincboba from Java during the season 
which closed on June 30th last bavejast beeu received. 
They show the following result : — 
Govt. Private Total 
Plantation Plantation Amsier- 
Ambtei- Amstcr- dam. 
Season. dam lb. dam lb. lb. 
July 1, 1592 Jne. 30, 1893 0-15,124 7,3U9,9CG 7,955,090 
do "91 do '92 605,792 7,ltjl,075 7,760,807 
do '90 do '91 553,265 6,323,501 6,876,810 
do '89 do '90 541,481 4,579,787 5,12l,2(i8 
do 'a8 do '89 815,5U6 3,599,525 4,415,031 
OuBEBS. — The exports ot cubebs ttom Java ouriug 
the last five yeais (seasons from July Ist lo June 
30th) h»ye been : 1892-3. 3,244 pionla ; 1691-2, 2,207 
piculB ; ioyO-1, 1,378 picula ; 1889-90, 1,353 piculs ; 
1888-9, 88i5 picula.— t'Ac/nw< and Druggist. 
♦ 
CINCHONA BARK. 
Sept. 7. 
A meeting was held on July 27tb, at the office of 
one of the lirms in Batavia (Java) interested in the 
exportation of cinchona, to consider the question of 
restricting the exportation of bark from the island 
until prices shall become more remunerative. Rather 
over one-third of all the Java planters were repre- 
sented at the meeting, and it was in principle agreed 
to restrict the shipments for the present jear to 75 
per cent, of the estimated output of the plantations, 
and to send a memorial to the Government asking 
them to fix a minimum below which no Government 
bark shall be sold at the Amsterdam auctions ; to 
suspend entirely the harvesting of cinchona at the 
Government plantations for the present; and to 
remove all the special taxes upon cinchona planta- 
tions which are now in force. A further meeting, 
this time of the Planters" Association, was convened 
for August 10th, at which the matter was to be 
further discussed. 
At the bark-sales on Tueeday , Mr. David Howard 
proposed, and Mr. labor, of the firm of W. H Cole 
& Co., seconded a motion, that it shall in future be 
permissible to advance bids on single lots of cmohon:i 
Bark by ^d, and on whole bales hy §d per lb. at a 
time. The object of this alteration is to make the 
London bidding resemble somewhat more closely that 
of Amsterdam, where advances are made by lo or 
at a time. Some farther diecnseion arose as to the 
desirability of getting the brokers to offer manufac- 
turing bark^B by larger parcels than is now the case. 
At present the rule is to break the parcel up in 
lots ot about 5 bales each, whereas i^i Amsterdam 
the whole parcel, often aggregating 80 bales or more, 
is offered in one lot. On this eubject, however, no 
definite agreement was arrived at, tbouKh tooie brokers 
appeared lo be willing lo adopt ihe cbauge if ii .--couid 
be genarally aooeptable to the sellers, —C/ier/(i>i and . 
EASTERN AORICULTURE. 
{'.ommumtcated.] 
lu his Beport oa the " Improvement of luditn 
Agricullare ' (a Vu.ume of over 400 pagee) hi. 
Votltker doBs not accept the general idea which 
prevails in Engiaud and even in India, that the 
eyetem of ihe naiivee is on the whole primitive 
and backward. He believsB that while in eome 
parts of the country, Agriculture ie capable of 
improvements by the application of Science or 
oihurwiBp, in other parte, the cultivators are bebt 
kfl ulone. Speaking of the Indian ryot, l)t. Voelcker 
Eiiye,— he keeps bis land free from weeds, lie is 
ingenious in deviemg means of watering hie crop, 
be kciowB the diSerent qualities of eoii and ihiic 
cupabihtiee, he ie au excellent judge of the exact 
tiiiK: to BOW ana to reap, he knows the neocBBitj of 
rotation and of letting his lands he fallow, and 
he is an adept at raieiug mixel crops. The 
modihcatione of i xisiiug circumstance, — eaye Dr. 
Voelfcket,— bh.iUld be c Heeled by measures 
taken by ihe people IhemselvcB, and by the 
Government, whoee fcpeciul busiaiss it is to test 
and luirouuoe the applications of modem eciiuoe 
which are tunable for India, and to diffuse a 
knowledge ol scieulific priuciples among the people. 
Prejudices of race and caBit, in hie opinion, oon- 
trlitute the main diUieUity in the ameiioraiion of 
I^ative Agricuiiute where it la capable of improve- 
ment, but he 18 encouraged to believe that these 
prejudiced c>>n be overcome by tbe spread of 
euucalion. Dr. Voeioker strongly advitee that means 
ehould be provided whereby practical efleoi can 
be given lo the teachiogb and recommendations 
of tbe Agricultural Dcp<irimint. tie remarks 
that if it is neoedsar;— though be does not 
admit the necessity — that European officials 
should take part in the administration of 
the Agricultural Department, then these 
otlii;iale suould receive inetruotion in Agri- 
cultural m^thocE, patticulariy as carried on under 
native couaiiions. 
Teicre 18 another erroneous idea which is com- 
moiily prevalent, and that is that there is no dif- 
leteuoe teiween ine i>aiive Agriculture ol India and 
that of ceyion ( we mean binhalefce Agriculture). 
It need hardly he taid ihat this view is held only 
hj those who have never travelled m the neigh- 
bouring Continent, or had au opportunity of seeing 
the cultiVtiiion of the lauu as praciioea by the Indian 
r>oi and tompuriiig it wnn the iLetncds of the 
Cty.ou goyiya. We do not by any means intend to 
make luviuious compaiisune between the two 
with the object of pillorying the much-maligned 
goyiya, orholdinghim up as an incarnation ol apathy 
and ignoiance. So far from doing thie, we are 
inclined to follow Dr. Voelcket's example and say 
that there is a= much to be commended in the Native 
Agriculture of Csjlon as in that of India. But 
It v/ould be absurd to say, wiih a knowledge of 
Indian Agriculture as practised particularly in the 
Madras, Bengal ana Bombay irresiaencies, that 
Native Agriouuure has atrived at 6uch a stage 
01 auvaiiCtmeni in Oeyion ae it has in India. 
The Bttuggiing on m the face of difficulties 
created by the absence of water and manure with 
extraordinary patience, referred to by Dr. Voeioker, 
is oharactieriBtio of the Indian ryot. No one 
who has Been the " hard-labour" involved in sup- 
plying water to plants in the arid regions of the 
l/eecan will for a moment think of placing 
the ryot and the goyija upon the same plattorm, 
when it is remembered tnat no elfort is made 
to irrigate by means of weila when tne rains 
fail, or to utilizie tue manure that is (Available tc^ 
bioif ipy \h6 Cajioa QuUivftior, i 
