THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec. 1, 189.1t. 
THE COFFEE SITUATION. 
The world requires an annual supply of 650,000 
to 660,000 tons (11,050,000 to 11,220,000 bags) of 
coffee, under normal conditions. Brazil furnishes 
nearly 55 per cent, of the total exports. Central 
America, the United States of Colombia and Mexico 
are pushing coffee cultivation and more than offset- 
ting the decreased yield in the East Indies. 
From the above statements it will be seen that the 
Bituation is more perplexing than usual. There is no 
immediate danger of a lack of coffee with stocks in 
Europe large. The war in Brazil must be of short 
duration, so that exports of coffee are likely to be 
resumed soon. Consumption is threatened by finan- 
cial troubles and unemployed labor. The prospective 
increase of supply from Central America and Mexico 
is an indefinite quantity. The safe course ia con- 
Bervative buying and light stocks. It is seldom that 
credits are as much of a factor as crops, but such 
is the pregent situation. — Jnui ican Grocer. 
TERAK AND PLANTERS. 
The "Times of Ceylon" discussing an alleged dis- 
coaragement of Ceylon planters in Pcratr, seeks to 
contend th»t Perak is much in the rear iu regard to 
agriculture, and that its laud ia not opea to piaoters 
in a spirit that encourages eoierpriEe. I'arther, rolut- 
iog what ia alleged to be an account of a personal 
application for land, the Oeyloa uewf'piipor contends 
that Perak should be leligionsly left blonc. Fatting 
aside the question of allowing the porbonalities of a 
disappointed planter to creep in what was intended 
to be a jnst criticism of the State of Persk, we reitret 
that the Ceylon paper should have been led to be!i«ve 
vib&t has been told. The article cootaius the a'le- 
gation that Perak iu agriculture is far behindhand as 
compared with Seltogor. That is «hqlly inaccu- 
rate, There is more agriculture lo Perak thin 
in Selangor. In the Kamnning Ksiaie, Perak 
possesses the finest and largest Libemn c. ffee 
estate in the Peninsula. Its coutrul i* under Mr. Hill, 
a planter of considerable experience, most of that 
experience being gained in Cejlon. In ttie Waterloo 
Estate, Perak postesses the only Arabian cofl'ee estat* 
in the Peninsula, owned by Sir G. Elphinsioue, ote 
of Ceylon's plaatets. There are viry many sugar 
estates in Fersk, notably the estate owned and 
operated by the Shanghai Company. What is Perak 
doing in tea, the staple product of the " spicy iblo'? 
Here in Singapore the tea from Perak is found on 
the market and is readily saleable, and has the re- 
patation of flavour equalling that grown in Cry'ou. 
Of padi, one district of Perak alone exported last 
year no less than two and a half millions of gantangs. 
Especially for Malay cultivation.- Per»k is urquestion- 
ably ahead of every other Native State. The r.ad 
facilities in Perak are greater also than in asy 
other Stat*, — a fact, no doubt due to greater resources 
derived from tin. It is news to learn that " the 
Selangor Kailway is being extended to meet the wanta 
of planters"; and also 'Mhat Selangor is potting on 
extra steamers to meet the requirements of planters." 
Ferak is extending her lailnay, a d also her road 
conBtxuotiou ; but, for years, Ptrak has been build- 
ing roads. A cart road was specially constructed to 
give access to the planting hill country, but it was 
only used by one estate. The hills there were not 
taken up for planting. It is absurd in the Ceylon 
oritio to think, much more to commit to black and 
white, that the lessee of the Waterloo Estate ct.n 
exclude any from Beleoticg on the eastern face i f the 
Qijau range. 
The Besidenk of Perak has amply shown in bis 
•rticles "about Perak" that he hes always given 
ftnd does now give bis support, and all proper 
enonragement, to those who intended to embark 
upon legitimate planting enterprise. The C ylon 
critio talks of delay of survey. Tbere is an answer to 
that point. It is only LOctBsary to select the land, and 
demarcate it, to at once proceed with the work of 
planting. It is not true to say that a selector must 
wait fox the survey ; and, we believe, we are correct 
when we eay ibftt Bcaroely My planter eitbM in Perak 
or Selangor has waited for Borvey before proceeding 
with the work of planting. 
Before concluding it may be usefol to note a little 
incident that goei; to abow what some " plantera " 
expect. One piny — and it ii signifiraol that the parly 
came from Ceylon — openly admitted eonvetaa- 
tiocally that tfaey desired a very larse block of 
jungle country with valuable timber which they would 
fell and sell. They would comuiit tbemselvea to 
nothing more. Tbfy were informed that Perak did 
not urgently need woodoutters and sawyera, but that 
bona-flde planting the Coveroment would do anything 
in reason to encourage. The land waa not takvc np. 
Perak, the foremuat of the Malavan Native htatea, 
afl'ords truly a fit-Id fur agricultural develupmeot. 
Undoubtedly, Perak is at the present time, estentially 
a tiu-producing country ; tin baa made Perak what 
it is. Tin-Mining has paved the way for Agriculture. 
Tin has built the roads and railways- Platting baa 
been rendered possible by mioirg. Perak poateea«:i 
a wealth of land admirably suited to agriculture ; 
and plantera who are not conersiioo-mougerB will 
lied every help in Perak. — StratU Tti/iet. 
NILGIRI TEA RE1»0RT. 
Oar Coonoor District correspondent writes: — 
Out-turn is above average, quality of all tea made 
after September is likely to be very tatiafactory. 
Flush ia coming out rtrong and healthy with fine 
bnd. Very tippy and flavoory. 
Weather. — Very heavy rain lately, oioely distriboted 
on some parts, too heavy on mo>t. 
Labour tuppli/ very icdifFereDt. Trouble with default- 
iD/e ccutractors on the increase. 
Rt/narLn. — Everywhere iiicreaeed interest in tea is 
shown. Openings are now carefully nade with good 
jate. Drainage needs closer and better attentioD, — 
South of India Observer, Nor. 18. 
INDIAN*rATENTS. 
Calcutta, 8th Novkmbeh, 1893. 
Applications in letpect of the undei mentioned in- 
ventions have been filed : — 
No. 313 of 1693.-- William Bull, Oivil Engineer, at 
present residing in Calcutta, for an improved method 
of working continuoaa kilns fur burning bricka and 
tiles by means cf a single moveable chimney. 
No. 314 of 1893.— James Alexand* r Crawford, Cer- 
tificated Engineer, First Clasr, reiidiog at Kaligbat, 
South Sylhet, for pressing tea into boxes, and to be 
called " Crawford's Patent Tea Press." 
No. 197 of 1S93.— James Cookie Ooxe, a Sob- 
Engineer in the Public Works Department, at pre- 
Fsnt on furlough, lendicg at No. 6. Comedan 
Bagan Lace, Kidderpore, in the suburbs of Calcutta, 
Bengal, for an improved lelf-levelling " waterstone " 
and mixture to keep awsy arts of all kinda 
from alniirabr, tables, boxes, &c., to be called " J. C. 
Coxe's patent ant dcfier." (Filed 27th October 1893.)—^ 
— Indian Engineer. 
TEA-PLANTING EXTENSION m CEYLON. 
We learn that Mr. E. M. Leaf of the Dikoya 
distriot (Ceylon) has taken np some 800 acres of land 
for tea in the Balangoda diEtrict. Fart of it waa 
under coffee in the very early days, but liae lor a 
long time row been ohena. Two other planting 
gentlemen— MesEis. Bailey and Worehip — are going 
to open a tea plantation, in the same district ; and 
all this is apart from what the Muir-Buchanan 
Syndicate is expected to do. 
High-class Nilgiei tea, a Southern contemporary 
says that the estate of Nonsuch owned by Mr. 
F. Gage, and situated on the Droog some nine 
miles from Coonor, has yielded seme splendid 
specimens of first class tea- A break of 99 pack, 
ages fetched the fine average of Is 3Jd in the 
London mKkii.—Itidian Planters' Gazette, 
