MARCtt 1, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
627 
VAEIOUS AGRICULTURAL NOTES. | 
The Florida Lemon-crop this year is estimated 
at between 25,0l0 aui 50,000 boxes ; and as the 
United States uses a millioa boxes of Sicily lemons 
annually it will be a long time before Florida has 
any lemons to spare for making essence of lemon. 
The freight on a box of lemons from Sioily to New 
York is 32o, and from Florida to New York 50o. 
Florida has produced about five million boxes of 
oranges this year. — Chemist and Dnu/giat. 
OaCHiLi Weed. — This is a kiud o£ weed called in 
Tamil Marappasi. It growa on trees. It has now be- 
come au aiticlb of trade. At preseut tho trade in it 
is very brisk. It is tolJ in the markets iu ihsditfereut 
pirlB of the Peninsula, 'i'tie price of iho article ranges 
irom tour to six teats. It is being bought in 1 rge 
q'lant ties from the villages and sent to Colombo 
wueuce it is transported ti Eacopo whare they tx- 
t fact a kini of dye use 1 in ookurinij cloih. — Cor. 
"Jaffua Catholic Gurdian." 
Tea Manufacture. — We call attention to an 
extract showing how Mr. Bamber treats the subject 
of manufacture in his new book. He gives several 
valuable hims, and advocates a low temperature 
for final firing, while he insists that sufliuient at- 
tention is not given by teamakers and their 
oooliea to the importance of having diy fuel for the 
drying machints. There ia much in the book that 
tought ,to be read and duly weighed by all tea 
planters. 
North Borneo Advancing.— Mr, Gibbon has 
later advices from British North Borneo to the 
efieot, that all their revenue farms have been 
disposed of at much higher rates for 1891 than 
1893 and that a representative of the Arensberg 
Co 'one of the largest growers o£ tobacco in 
Sutnalra, has visited North Borneo, and is so well 
Bat.sfied with the crop o£ tobacco in 1893 that he 
has decided to open on a large scale a concession 
they own in the Kmabataugan in the Sandakan 
Piovinoe. 
The Jade Industry of Burma, owing to the 
increasin'^ demand for the stone in China, has 
room for°great expansion ; at present it is mono- 
polised by a Burman Chinaman, and the minea 
are worked iu the most primitive method by 
Kachins. The country ( Vfogouog) is covered with 
dense jungle and very rough, and renders prospect- 
ing diflioult. It only requires European experience 
and appliances to develop this industry, which the 
Maiidalwj Herald considers one of the most re- 
munerative undertakings in Upper Bmma..— Pioneer. 
New Products.— We rec;ret to learn that 
Cocoa is in dull djmand i'l the local market ; 
K55 to R58 per owt. for a product that hh^^ been 
as high as 1190, is not encouraging ; but we bhould 
think the depression is sure to be temporary. 
Oardamoms, on the other hand, are occasionally in 
brick demand for the Indian market, Bombay 
especially; but IU-50 to 112— a good pries locally 
at prtsent— compares but poorly with the RIO per lb., 
which Gey'on cardamom growers got when ihey only 
sent a Biviall quantity into tho market. 
Successful Tea Companies — The Yatederia 
Tea Company is certainly one of the most pros- 
perous in Ceylon with its wonderful crop of lb 
of tea per acre as an average yield for lastyeu 
over 579 acres 1 No wonder though tho fortunate 
shareholders wero able to get dividends aggrega- 
ting 30 per cent.— The Oastltreagh Company just 
shows the contrast which must often be presented 
between t?a on old ooITjo laud and on virgin 
forostland : but still the moJeat dividend of this 
Dikoya Company {'i per cont ) is not to be sneered 
Bt and the Ehareholdera miy hope there ia 
The Entomologist. — There is no use ia fur- 
ther forestalling what may be said at the meeting 
on the 17th Feb. ; but we cannot help mentioning 
that Mr. E. Green is precisely the very man Dr. 
Trimen would like to see as Assistant Director ol 
the Colombo Museum with special charge of the 
Insect Collection, It would t,e part of the duty 
of such an officer to examine into, and report 
upon, insects injurious to crops. Bat neither Dr. 
Trimea nor ourselves, of course, have any 
idea whether Mr. Green would be inclined, or 
ba able, to lake such a post, if Government were 
induced to offer it. Much would no doubt depend 
on the salary attached tD it. 
Tea Sales in Mincing Lane. — Two altera- 
tions are said to be on ttie tapia in connection 
with thess sales of importance to planters. First, 
it is proposed to increase the recognized size of 
breaks" of tei. But we hope due notice ol 
any approved change will be given to planters ; 
because it must be rather hard to start a new 
rule at short notice to planters — a rule moreover 
which might take effect in London before it was 
at all convenient to arrange for the change out 
here. The next proposed alteration is one certain 
to beneflt plunters, namely, permisdion to make 
bids by Jd of a peony in place of .^i as a 
m;nimum. Very olten, buyers would give 6^d for 
tea when they could not afford 6^d. The only 
drawback to the change is the increased time that 
it might take to get through a sale by multi- 
plying bids. We shall see how " Minoing Lane" 
deals with eajh of these propositions. 
Tea in Ajierica.— So far as we have been 
able to gaugj planting oyimon oa our recent call 
for united actiju in Americi, there is a disincli- 
nation here to make any move towards asking Indian 
planters to co-operate — a feeling that Ceylon may 
do its own advertising work and a determination 
to hear what the Commissioner has to say and 
to study his Report before making any new 
departure. At the same time, there is an equally 
decided feeling abroad, we bslieve, against any 
more individual or retail store subsidiz.ng, so 
far as America is concerned, and the Oeliet is 
growing fa^t that whatever is Uone with the general 
cess should be foe the benefit of all present dealers 
in our teas and all who may take it in hand, through 
the general, widerspread advertising of its qualities. 
Mr. Lipton is now regarded as a true benefactor, 
so far as his American campaign ia concerned, 
ani the fact that he — one of the largest" re- 
tailers in provisions — has confined himaell 
entirely to wholesale business in tea, ia 
regarded as very significant. Mr. Lipton ia 
now on his way to Calcutta ; he, like bir John 
JNIuir and Mr. V. 11 Buchanan has large interests 
in Ceylon and is very probable that if his opinionwas 
also ou the side of a joint advertising campaign, and 
a proposal came heie from the Indian Tea Asso- 
cia'ioD, it would ba favourably considered. We 
see a plea uiged once more for Ceylou manufac- 
turing greeu teas (of cjurse like the btst of 
Formosa) for America; but in view of the inferior 
aud "faced" (as well as the pure) green teas sent 
to the United Slates from the Far East, is it 
not wise policy to avoid such and to call the 
AmericaoB to turn to now and absolutely pure 
teas? The lime is ripe, we think, tj get tnem to 
leave off the Japan and China product altogether 
Bud to turn to pure British-grown teas ; and our 
belief is lhat a joint campaign oiul aa advertise- 
ment in every American newspaper repeating the 
information wliich confounded the Auetrulians in 
1881 would very speed. 1^ give India and Cjjlon a 
large proportion of the oO miliioQ lb. now con* 
I bumed ia KorlU Auiu'ica, 
