476 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Jan. i, 1894. 
"Wekds : Their U.^e and Abuse" — | 
might well be the heading of the critiaal diaeerta- I 
tion to which our correspondent " Holloway" I 
treats us today. There ia nothing however, like 
praotioal experienoe and we understand that the 
experienoe gained by the writer un ler notice, baa 
been bo convincing that Bome iive or six planters 
in the neighbaurhcoi have adopted his prac ic, 
EG that it would certainly appear to be aa illus- 
tration o( " uo rule without an exception." It 
will be observed however that tho critic careful'y 
limits the oases in which he would advise weeds 
to be cultivated and then dug down. 
The Trade of Zanzibak. — From a report on the 
trade of Zanzibar, prepared by Mr. Rjdd, the British 
Coneul there, we learn that the increase in foreign 
trade there is due chiefly to ivory. Owing to the 
large quantities of grain shipped from Bo'ubay and 
Calcutta, the principal share of the import tiade 
falls to British India, but among European countries 
Great Britain holds her own ag.uQ&fc Germany, 
which stands second on the list, iho exports show 
a falling oflf. Mr, Strickland, however, piosei that 
this decrease is less real than it appears, inasmuch 
as the high figures attained in 1691 were due to an 
unusual export of accumulated ivory to Europe by 
the German East Africa Company pricr t3 the 
removal of their headquirt -rs from Zirzibsr to 
Daressalam. There wiis also a (kcranse in the 
export of cloves acd hiies.—J^ritish Trade Journal. 
Geranium Oil. — Regarding this oil, we read 
as follows in Scliimmel & Co's Report: — "Towards the 
end of May such a catastrophe befell the Island of 
Reuuion that it will probably sufferfor many years 
from the after-ell ects. The Bauque de Cre'dit Agri- 
cole et Commerciale failed, and two other bauking 
houses wete so much affected by this stoppage that 
they could only continue to trade upou a limited 
scale, Tne loss to the public is at least ten mil- 
lions of francs and the cultivation of many of the 
estates of the colony, depreciated by bad finance 
and management, is about to be abandoned alto- 
gether, as all spirit of enterprise has been effec- 
tually paralysed. From Algeria strong and general 
complaints reach us of the damage wUich has been 
caused to the geranium-plantatioLs by several 
months of drought. But this damage cau only 
have taken place in quite a small part of the gera- 
nium fields, as artificial irrigation, wliich enables 
the grower to obtain three crops in a season instead 
of one, is now the general rule, The assertion that 
the oil obtained from naturally-watered plants is of 
finer quality ttian that of the others has also 
proved a fiction. The chief requisite is, that dis- 
tilling takes place while the leaves are fresh. No 
information is yet to hi^nd concerning the result 
of ihe disiillation in Spain. As regards quality the 
geranium oil irom that, country coutiLues to occupy 
the leading place. The so-called Indian geranium 
or palmarosa oil has maintained its elevated price- 
level and is scarcely likely to become cheaper again, 
as the consumption in India itself has increased 
considerably of late years." 
Tea Production anu Consumption.— It [may 
have taken many people by surprise in view of 
all that has been written about " over-production" 
to learn that the North and South Sylhet Tea 
Companies' Directors could speak of a tea consump- 
tion of 450 million lb. in non-producing countries 
against only 170 millions lb. exported from India 
and Oeylon. That estimate was framed early in 
the present year when it was quite correct. IStow 
the exports must be put at nearer 210 than 200 
million for both countries, and looking ahead 
a little we suppose we must face the time when 
India will be exporting .. 160 million lb. 
RDd Oeylon .. 100 „ ,, 
Xotal._,25Q „ „ 
Now against this, how do^s the consumption in 
Eurcpe, America and Auetralaeia stand, no.: to sprak 
of minor countriftE. Here in the aggregate of our 
latest revision of estimates : — 
In miilioQ lb. 
United Kirgdom ... ... 210 
Rixti* ... ... ... 76 
Reat of Europe ... ... 22 
Australa'-i» .. ... ... 28 
Uuited States aud Canada ... I0(t 
Total.. 411 
This is from the latent review in our "Handbook" 
and if we add some 4 million for Norih and bouth 
Africa and 40 lo 60 million lb. for Asiitic couuiriee 
outside of I hina: India, L'eylon and Java, it mutt 
bo seen that the Bylhet Hgur-S are more than 
justified. The grea*; matter now for InJian and 
Ceylon p'anters is to win over (first) North America ; 
(2ndly) Russia and n(xt the re-t of 1-urope and 
all Au-;tralaria to their leap, and to g t ihcm to 
give up the use of lha Ch ni article. There ia 
certainly vast rcom for expansion in the demand 
for teis in the countries just named. 
Cacao Coifeb and Toba(<;o ik Nobth Bokneo, 
— We call attc-niion to the encouragiug letter of 
Mr. Hinry Walker in acotne-r column. If North 
Borneo is g ing to do so well in " cacao," there 
ought to be somewhat of a '• rush " of youn;? men 
with soma capital thiiher; for cacao is oau of the 
most valuable products lo cultivate. But North 
Burneo is alno doing well in ocllee — both Arabian 
acd L berian — md the planter who prefers Ibis 
Colony to East Africa has the aaEurance 
of easier trausporf, more available experience and 
companionship. Tne -cheap djilar, too, telle in 
North Borneo's favour. 
The Extensive and Increasing Demand foe 
IsDiA-RuBBEB renders it possible— laye Suture— 
Ibat the Eupply will eventually become exhausted, 
60 attempts at artificial cullivaiicn of ruc/bor trees 
are being made in various rubber j/roduoing countriee. 
Mr. Hart remark*, in the .June BulMni of ihe 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Tnnidad, that rubber has 
been procured in the Gardens from Cattilloa daetica, 
and that tr' e3 of a mature size will produce it in 
paying qualities. It has also been proved that 
Jlevcas of several species will thrive « ell in Trinidad. 
In this connection a papjr by Dr. Urntt, on the 
caoutchouc cf the Orinoco, published in the first 
number of the Revista Nacional dc Agrictdture, and 
included in the /?«?iertH, is of interest. Dr. Ernst 
sajs that the rubber of the Orinoco is extracted 
frc m ihe juice of the Ilevea braziliensis. Mull, a 
tree belonging to the fami y Euphorhiaccic acd not 
to that of the Ilevea Guayancmis. Tne milky juice 
obtained from the treet, through incisions" made 
in the bark, has the c meiitency of cream, and the 
rubber esistirg in it in minute globules constitutes 
from thirty to thirty-three per cent, of the weight. 
The rubber co'lectcrs cf the Amazons employ the 
eIow. primitive, end contaminating prostss of 
evaporating the juice in the dense smoke of a 
wood fire, ia order to separate the rubber from it. 
A far better method of obtaining coagulation is to 
add a six per cait. solution of alum to the juice, and 
then submit the coagulated rubber to presture in 
order to extract the water it contains. Dr. Ernst 
thinks that every eft'jrt shou.d fce made to extend 
and conserve the forests, thickets, or groves of 
rubber trees, suggesting, among other things, that 
when the collectors work a grove they should be 
made to plant a ctrtain number of trees. Only bv 
such means, and by a opting a chemical mode of 
cosgulatioD, can the rubber production of the 
Amazon territory be insteasedja QUSkOtity ftO^ 
iBi|)roved in quality, - - ^ ' « . - . 
