Feb, I, 1894.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
545. 
practically unlimited Lastly, the forests behind 
supply gum copal or rubber. This last is derived 
from the indiarubber vines or Landolphise ; the 
discovery of the most valuable variety i f which, 
the Landolphia Kirkii, yielding the pink rubber, we 
owe to Sir John Kir«, our late ConsuI-GenerU at 
Zanzibar. So much for the must lands ; and, charmed 
as one is by the encouraging oHtlook here, turning 
our attention now to the interior we learn, from the 
interestii g Paper we have just listened to, that 
Africa, even here, has more bright promises to hold 
before us, and Captain Williams's testimony, con- 
clusive as it is in itse f, is farther strengtUened by the 
strong and weighty eviden e that Captain Lugard has 
placed at our disposal. Even in the comparatively 
Eoor and barren country that has to be traversed 
efore reaching the higher levels nature is still 
bountiful. Speaking of this part, Captain Pringle 
ot the Railway burvey says that two species of 
Celauon al^t-, whicti is or e 01 tl.e cou^monest plauis 
in tbe firrt 301) miles fruoa th« 00 s*, produce a 
fibre worih of £30 a ton wbeu cleiued. C»p'. Lugani, 
epeakiiig of the -ame aloe, de-icrib- a it " ds growing 
iu absolutely illimitable qu'-ntities over buadreds ot 
square uiilee," AnJ, pers n»il), I was much eiraclt, 
in t!ie Bmall portion of this area visited by me, by 
ij great simi aritj to tho description giVfU by Mr. 
Or 68 of tbe home of the C ara rubber treeiuSoutb 
Amerioa. AaU wb< n we came to tbe bigbknda of 
K duyu and the still higher plateau uf Mau, It i« 
di£& ult for ut t ' real ze ih»» we are actua y speafc- 
inu of Africa and its once snppoBed deadly climate 
when we ivad of the wonderfal coautry to be found 
here with its bracing climate, fertile soil, abundant 
rainfall, numeiouH strt-aou , fiue timber lor st, hud 
licb gruzing ; aad tau woundrrful poBBitilidr:s of 
futntH ^eltll:meDt and extended coltivaiion that this 
doscriptiun opens up. And when we approach at 
fast ihe shore:! of ibe Nya za it-elf we find our 
eeivei iu aoountiy whose uniior.u riodness bis w^n 
for it in <be name jast quo'ed, by Ca tain Willi-iuis. 
of thu ''Pearl of A tea." D scnbi g the valley of 
Eaurondo, Uaptun Priugie Bpeak;. of u "as a verit- 
ai le lai d of mi>k and bcney," with tbe fiae-s^ 
millet he bad ever seen, eoioeucing the woMderlLiI 
f*-r ili y of thf rich alluvial soil. Comi g to Uganda 
ItSPit, C*pt«in Lui^ar l bai pree<?iitti<i us wit'i a v vd 
picture of the country, with its uudidating low hills 
rich fertile valleys, and the extensive maroby swampa 
wit their rank growth of elephant gra^s and papyrus. 
Here again the growth is all tropical, tbe rainfall 
abundant ; cjtton, coffee, tea tobacco, rubber are 
all indigenous, wnilst we further karn that vanUla 
grows wild and that the date-palm is simply found 
everywhere. Bananas and plantains are extensively 
cultivated, forming the staple food of tne people 
and being sugge-^tive to our minds of a future 
profitable fibre industry. Finally, the description 
giv n of the climate temperature, soil, and rainfall 
of Uganda certainly bea s out the anticipations and 
hopes that have been raised of a great agricultural 
future in store for this country ; and, personally, I 
have been st tick with the apparently great adapt- 
ability it possesses for tbe successful cultivation of, 
amongst others, the following special products ; 
Cotton, rubber, jute and coffee. The following very 
favourable leading broker's report on a sample of 
Uganda coffee brought home by tbe Kailway 
Survey, I have particularly noticed, viz.: "The present 
value is about 75s to 763 per cwt. We have shown 
this sample to other expert , who agree with us that 
under careful cultivation and proper curing on the 
same system that coffee is cvired in India, ihe 
value could be considerably increased, probably 
to 978 or aSi per owi." I ka 'W how (jreal a d bird 
Midis amongst planters in lu' ii to possess «oaie of 
the Aftiovo inoigeuoiia oo£fee-s<:'ed to rep ace thu 
local 8. ed eo wcalfei'cd und deteriorated by thai 
des^ruolive fanxu^, Jiemileia vastatrix. The eyes 01 
pUiit' rd and businesB men bkve long bteu turued 
to Airioa, and 1 may quote here tn ertr»ct from a 
Icttir to mi! ot one of .h.' icalin^ Alyxuro plai.ter^ : 
"For m^ny yi-ars 1 ha e ibougbt of Alrica for 
coUee, kud now that lUeru is a piospeot uf tbe rail- 
rray beiug made to Victoria Nyanza, I bop? yet to 
accomplish my denires." May we not hope so tooj 
may we not- coLfidi ntly believe that the British 
nation, realiizng at last not ooly the responsibility 
pUced upon it by tbe recent march cf events iu 
Africa, but also tbe wonderful fertility and undoubted 
possibilities for agriculture, trade, and oommeice of 
the country lymg within tbe British fphere will 
afford vbe tiectasary and only means for ite profitable 
and sucoesefal devtlopoaent by meaas of a railway ? 
not Ugft' da, which is unneoesflary, nor to Eibwezi, 
for here 1 venture to differ from Captain Williams, 
but to Kibuyu, which should be tbe terminui — a dis- 
tance of only about 300 mi es from ihe coast. "When, 
as I have remarked before, we glance at India and 
observe the wonderful development brought about 
there by British occupation and eoterpriee, can w« 
have a shadow of a doubt as to tbe wonderful com- 
mercial and agiicultural prosperity whicb tbe estab- 
lisbing of railway communication muHt surely bring 
to Af'ici — a country which, taken as a whole, cettkinly 
po8?esses many greater possihilitien ? 
There own be no doubt after thia that the por- 
tion of East Africa referred to in the leoture, is 
destined at no distant data to be a Kreat produoa 
and exporter of coffee, oocoa rubber, ootton, fibre, 
&c. We trust it may be all kept under British 
auspices and we anticipata that both native emi- 
grants from India and young planters from Oeylon 
will ba require! and utilized in developing the 
regular and properly ouliivated plantatiBna whioh 
atE bound to be established, 
♦ 
NOTES ON PRODUCE AND FINANCE. 
Tea Cultivation in the Caucasos.— The Unssian 
authoritieB, who buv ■ not hitb rto done much with 
their tea plan'ing experiments in the Oauoaens, leem 
de ermined to give the enterprise a fair chance. They 
allege that up to now the abeenoe of expert who 
und'Tstai d Ciiinete methods h^sbeen the stamblicg- 
block, thH conditions and the natur^^ of tbe soil in 
certain regious of tl e Caucasus being favourable to 
tea cn'ture. A lnrg^ co.isignmmt of young plants, 
with the soil still attached to tbn roots, and carefully 
packed in woodrn cases, has just been landed at 
Batoum, direct from Hankonr, This shipment is aocom. 
paui. d hy fifteen Chinese plantern and an English- 
man, who has had a lone experience on Chinese 
plaatations.— 3; and C. Mail, Dec. 29. 
ENEMIES OF TEA. 
Ksd Spider ia very bad in the Nilgiria and deep 
trenching and forking do not seem to help tea to 
throw off the diaesse. The sulphur treatment ia 
recommended : but there appears to be some doubt 
on tbe subject ambng some planters. A writer to a 
Southern conieiHporary on the flush worm says 
the pei^t is ao serious that an organized agreement 
nmongst planters to burn tbe whole flush for a 
fixed period from first observation, ia the only 
method of praotioally exterminating the insect. Ia 
not this like toaking a dog with kerosine and 
setting fire to him to kill tbe fleas? — Indian 
Planters' Gazette. 
« 
CEYLON TEA " THE FUTUEE TEA 
FOR AMERICA." 
The Commercial Enquirer of New York gives promi- 
nenoe to ihe loUowii.g : — 
A private letter from Mr. S- Bierach, on the staff 
of the Special Commissioner for Oeylon, assures ua 
that eyion teaii are on top and " were the talk 
of the Columbian Exposition." " In less than 
four and ouo-half mouths 459,649 cnpa were served 
and lvij,iii'd packets sold, and no eud of medals 
awardod to tbe various estates of tha island.' 
" Ceylon tea ia the future tea of America." 
[So may it prove.— Ep. I. A.] 
