6o8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Uki^ch i. 1894 
way, and only to show that there is eome need 
for Oeylcn planters pulling tbemEelves tOKetber, 
and cot ignoring each fresh suggeetion for a 
united ({fort towards improvement. 
Now, in respect of InEeotEnemies on Tea or other 
plantation products, the suggestions made to UB 
have taken this form : — (1) that a Board of Re- 
terenoe should be oiSoially established consisting 
of the Director of the fiotanio Gardens, the Chair- 
man of the Planters' Association and a skilled 
Entomologist to be appointfd from home (Dr. 
Trimen has given so much good advice in his day 
in reference to insect peste, that many forget, 
us be himself complains to us, that he is not an 
Entomologist); (2) that legislation should be pro- 
vided directing, under penalty, SuperiLtendeuts of 
estates when any insect or other trouble is seen 
attacking his product or products to any extent, 
to report the same (confidentially of course) to the 
Board (this would ensure attention in ttie early 
stages of any at(aok) ; (3) that the Entomologist 
should then visit the estate and advise what 
ought to be done and see that precautions 
and steps for the destruction of insects, &o. were 
at once commenced. The great advantage such 
a systematic arrangement in coping with 
helopeltis would be found in the seeurity for prompt 
and simultaneous deslruotios. At present, one 
planter may be doing his best to get rid of the 
insects, but, through his neighbour's do-nothing- 
ness his tea will be favoured with fresh visitations ; 
f )r again, at present, th^re may be denial of the 
existence of auythiug to be killed in a district 
although certain owners more watchful than the 
generality are busy at the work of extermination. 
Of course, Ihs Entomoli gist when not specially 
engaged, could make the round of the planting 
districts and investigate as to several puzzling facts 
connected with ineect visitors, noted by planters ; 
why 6ome fields or plantations escapu altogether, 
while adjacent ones are troubled ; wtiy some have 
only short, and others prolonged, at'.aoks ; and, aided 
by Dr. Trimei, bo cou'd no doubt carry on useful 
investigations in other desirable directions in re- 
ference to the life history of helopelti=, red-spider 
and any other similar pest. 
One indirect advantage to the Ceylon Tea Industry 
from the establishment of such a Board as he 
suggested, our friend pointed out, would be the 
increased degree of security which abeeutee pro- 
prietors and mortgagees would feel in reference 
to tea property in Oeylon. It would, in this rejpect, 
be like an Insurance Board. Absentees would 
feel that a new and most important check on the 
neglect of property had been devised, officially 
sanctioned and legislated for. This would give 
them special ooofidenoe in their Ceylon estate 
securities and make tea and other planting invest- 
ments out here all the more popular. 
We do not know how far this may be ; but we have 
done our duty in laying these several suggestions 
before our planting community at this time. 
There is no denying the great service which an 
Entomologist atlaohed to the staff at Peradeniya 
could render to the Colony, It is not alone on 
tea and caoro, ihit insect pests appear. Only the 
other da? we had specimens of betel leaves eaten 
by an old and somewhat persistent enemy, and coconut 
beetles of different species, would of themselves afford 
an impor'ant subject of investigation to an expert 
of the right stamp. We do not want an un- 
practical recluse of the type satirized by Wendell 
Holmes — the man wbo refused to be called a 
Scientist or even an Entomologist, nor would he 
be thought to have mastered the Coleoptera — 
all he could pretend to be by way of title was a 
Scarabeist 1 What ia required is a shrewd observant 
and generally interested man of sciaDer, with tba 
needful training in Entomolo^, bnt with th« 
wide and practical views (o which Dr. Trimen 
himself has so long aocustomed our Planting 
Community. 
THE SUPPLY OF QUININE. 
The quinine market was very lively last we^k. 
due mainly to the ftct tbAt yieible etocks at the 
warehouses and dncks of London were very low. 
Instead of about 7,0OCi,O0O oz., the wboU Ptook, 
excepting those in private w*r«}ioaee8. wre be- 
lieved to be less than half th>s total. There han 
been a sharp riee, and the situation is intensified 
by rumours of a drc'ine in the cultivation of 
cinchona in Ceylon, and a falline off in tbf> ezpnrt 
from Java. It is ssid that £2.j.000 or 1:30,000 
would bav the rntire visible stock in London. — H. 
and C. Mail, Feb. 9. 
THE PRICK OF STANDARD SIL\^R. 
The following important table, giving the avorage 
yearly price paid per onnee for silver bullion pur 
chased in the market for coinage purposes, was 
inadvertently omitted from onr almanaok. Mr. 
Bnohan, manager of the National Bank, baa kindly 
supplied us with the monthly average! for last 
year, and it is interesting to notiee the almost 
continuous sinkina gradation in the fluctuation 
of prices since IH83, and this year has experienced 
BO tar an additional decline to Vj^. per ounce. The 
price of silvrr is doomed, apparently to continue to 
decline and if in the same ratio as it bee done 
within the last ten years, it is only a matter of 
calculation — not a very cheering one ! — when we 
shall be able to purchase onr silver or rupees almost 
at the price of old iron ! 1 
pd 
1883.... 5('a lg«7....4i| 
1884.... .lot 1888. . . .42 L'.-l«th» 
1885....48P-lGtllB 1889... 12 13-I6lh« 
1886. . . .46 9-I6thB ISVO. . . .48 ll-18tbi 
^ILVEB AVEBAOES 1803. 
d d 
Jannarv 38 31 July 88* 9 
February 38-36 August 3S-6'. 
March 38-11 SeDteml>er »4-14 
AprU S'-Ol October 23 73 
May 4 38-09 Hovember.. ..32 22 
Jane 37-11 December .. ..3T0* 
Average.. 36-60 
TEA IN AMERICA. 
A planting correspondent writes : — " I don't 
think Ceylon will gain by joining India in adver- 
tising in America ; it would only be giving India 
the benefit of the Ceylon energy without any 
compensating advantages. Ceylon has worked 
successfully hitherto in pushing her teas indepen- 
dently, and I think the same, policy should be 
continued in getting a footing in America and 
BuBsia." 
In fighting against 90 million lb. of Japan 
and China " trash,'' it would be well that the 
producers of pure teas should present a united 
front and not seem to be rivals against eaeh other. 
At present, many American dealers u^a Indian tea 
to oppo'e Ceylon, and vice versa and do harm to 
both. Whatever tel s in favour of Ceylon (or India) 
should tell also in favour of all British-grown 
tea?. In Melbourne, it was by the Indian and 
Ceyl n tea reprfs-^nt itivea filling the press with 
scientific analyses and showirig the great saperiority 
