628 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1894. 
BoTAL Gardens, Kew.— BuUetia of Miscellaoeoas 
iDformation, Ojtuber aud Noretabur, Oonteuts : — 
fiotaniu»l Exploratioa of iSikkim-Tibet Froatier. 
Poling ia Agave Ptaota. Coffee CiiltivstioD Id the New 
World. Keaources of British U^nduran. (I->J) 
The Prieto Fibre Extracting Machine. Arrowroot. 
New Orctiida : DaoaJe 7. Jarr^ti Timber. Miscel- 
laneous Notes. 
East Africa. — Inquiries have beea made lately 
for Ceyloneae to take up subordinate posts on the 
estates of the Germaa East Afrioa Oonapaoy. The 
starting salary is said to be £5 per monib, with an 
annual increment of £12 until the expiration of 
the engagement. We ehould have thought that 
Southern India would have been a better reoruit- 
ing ground, and we note that there is a Tamil man 
among the three persona who have been actually 
engaged in Ceylon. — M, Times. 
The "Agbicultubal Gazeitb" of New South Walee, 
Vol. IV. Part 12. Dec. 1893 bos for contents :— Hemp 
(Cannabis aativa, Lino) by J U Maiden. Notes on 
Kxperiraents with hemp by O Valder. Native Bread 
or Native Trutfla (Pol>poru8 Myliitie, C. et M. Syn. 
Mylitta auetralis, Berk.) by J H Maiden. Boiauictl 
No^es by J BL Maiden. Expenmeats with Pulisss by 
G Valder. Heredity ia Beej by \V .\brain. Keport 
on the Manufacture of Coodeosad Milk by E 0 Wood. 
Orchard Maouree by A H Ben^o□. Poultry by 5 
Gray. Saasonabla Notes. Practical Vegetable Gtow- 
iog, Diveotious for the Month of Jauut^ry. OtcharJ 
Notes for January. GtueralNotes. Trade with Uauada; 
Analyses of Maunrial Matter ; Distribution of T<^- 
bacoo Seeds; Hawkesbury College. — Agricultoral So- 
cieties' [Shows, 1894. 
AGRIOCLTORAIi EXPERIMENTS IN BURM.\, — While 
Govetnmeut uudertakings in this direoiioa always 
Qpd in a loss, private ventures in agriouitucal 
pursuits appear to be remunerative. This fact is 
very oleirly pointed out in the last Report of the 
Land Beooris and Agricultural Department of 
Burma. We should like to see fuller details given 
in the report, treating on the diffdrent agriouUural 
implements used in the various experimonts, with - 
out which information we fail to see if any 
improvement can be made. We may remark that 
the Agricultural Reports of Burma, published 
within recent years, are gradually ioaing their 
interest and are cartainly wanting in this respeat 
to those published in bygone years. — Indian 
Engineering. 
An ENTOMOLoaisT for thb Tea Districts. — A 
proprietor who approves of the appointment of 
an Entomologist to help Dr. Trimen, writes: — "If 
the "Government refuse to make the appointment, 
I would suggest that the planters engage a com- 
petent man to be paid out ot the Customs cess 
on tea, in which case, ot course, his whole time 
ftnd Bervioes should be given to the tea plant 
Btions. Aa a scientific luspeotor attached to the 
Bjaff of the Association such an appointment 
could not fail to be banefioial." — It would be 
preferable, however, to have an official appoint- 
ment made and the services of the Eotomologist 
available for pests affecting native agriculture as 
well as tea, we think. 
Enterprising Malays: Progress in Taiping. 
— In Mr. Uuberly's Administration ilsport for 
December in this part of the Straits Settlement?, 
we read : — 
I regret that Mr. Ward, who has been eurveying 
muoti of ihe sugarland lately given out, left at; the 
end of the month, to take np his appointmeat in 
Ipob. Daring the four moaths he was here he aur- 
vejed nearly 3,000 acres, averaging about 300 a block. 
Much of thij land taken up is nseleas for caliivation 
wiihoat expansive bunds, wnich hithettj only (Jhiuete 
capitalists or the Govjrnmenl; could aliord to make. 
Ic is, however, significant ot the progress that is 
peiug luskde aad v{ ^rhskt can j^e done bj a little cg< 
operation amongst the Malays, that the Banjer im* 
aiij;rsut6 have now decided to conetruct a buud lor 
themselves, on (he cojet, near Kuala Eurau, on it 
being di8'iuc:ly explained to them that they must 
help tliemselveij in ihe-e ru-itterii, aud it is worthy of 
remark that tnis cane land was formerly occupied 
by Malays introduced by the late Mr. DenibOD, but 
was sub.sf-q ien ly a')andoiifd for wnut of a baud. 
The Debibuction of the PEBADii.MVA Factobv.— 
We iearu that Messrs. Walker Sou & Co. have 
taken a contract to repair the Teradeniya factory 
lately destroyed by fire for R.^4,000. We suppose, 
therefore, that this represents the total extent of 
the damage done to the building.— [Adding R12,0<>J 
for the tea destroyed that will make R46,000. — 
Ed. T.A ] 
A Leadinu FoacHow Tea Buyer passed 
through Colombo homeward this week and he 
declared to a Colombo merchant that hia ex- 
perience iu tea buying to China during the 
past two years was extremely favourable in respect 
of profits. But, he added, '°if you Colombo people 
are going to send 78 to 80 million lb. aud the 
Indian planters 1*20 million lb. to the London 
market; in 1891, I shall very likaly run down to 
the Auatraliin Colonies and endeavour to start 
a loo-il tea business of my own." Tois, certainly, 
doea not indicate mush confidjuae that even witta 
the advantage exchange gives, the China tea 
buyers expect to do batter busioeaa this oomiag 
season, 
Oi;r Tea Planters have need, not only of that "com- 
mon een-e " aud rare sagacity for which ttiey are 
di jtiogui^bed, but also ot the light of aoieuc to guide 
tbein in the intricate proces-et of tea manuiactare 
where common sense, far as it goes, djes not go 
far enough ! Tbi? is all the more neceisarv, seeing 
that our neigbours in India have already made 
great advaucei iu this respect, having employed a 
scientist lor some time past to iuvtssiigate the che- 
mical results of eich stage of the processea now ia 
usj, with a view to each modiiicttions as may coQ< 
duce to a supeii >r-quility of tea. We are couviuoed 
tba'i by meaas o( patient rc8*-arcb and strict aualybia 
the RonditioDS that conduce to excellence of flavour 
aud permanent retention of the aroma of the product 
will be eventually discovered. — L ical "Indepeudent." 
Coffee Crop Prospect.s— we regret to say — 
are not so good in th; Dimbula district as they 
were at toe same date lait year. Of courss very 
little of the old staple remains, Tillicoultry having 
the largest acreage perhaps, with certain fields on 
Davou, on some estates in the Agtas, notably 
Balmoral with 100 aorea and the St. George Group 
with about 60 acres. On Diya>{ama the oo£Fee is 
about all cut out. So far, on Tillicoultry and 
the Agra places, there is not the promise of blos- 
som one would like to see, although it is perhaps 
too early to speak definitely ot what the season is 
to be— March bloseoma in days of old were chiefly 
depended on. Every bushel ot coffee ia a year like 
this i3 a matter of importance. 
Victorian Produce. — We have already wel- 
comed Messrs. Rowe and K-lly and tendered our 
best wishes (by no means "uoselfish ones) for the 
success of their mission to this Colony. We now 
beg heartily to congratulate the great southern 
Colony on the selection made for their agents, gentle- 
men who, while true sons of Victoria (never having 
left its shores before) are so thoroughly equal to 
the duty devolved upon them. We feel sure that 
Messrs. Rowe and Kelly will make friends aud 
secure the attention of businees men wherever they 
go, and we are hopeful that in the case of Ceylon, 
the result ot their visit may be found in a large 
development ot our iijtercoloniul trade. Colombo 
merchants and ethers were invited to examine 
the samples of produce recently in the olBcjs, of thq 
WliarJ and Warehouse Comf auy, 
