6S4 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April a, 1894.* 
ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS ADMINISTRA- 
TION EEPORT FOR 1893. 
Db. Tbimkn is usually firat in the field with his 
Adminiatratioa Report which is always one of the 
most generally iafceresting. This year forms no 
ezoeption to the rule, and through tho courtesy 
of the Government Ptiater, we are enab'ed to 
issue all the mora important portions of the Ueport 
as a Supplement, and to be bound up with our 
Tropical Agriculturist. This baiog the case, there 
is less neoesiity for us to run over the contents ; 
but a vary few remarks may be permitted. The 
ereotion of the new larga Conservatory in the 
Peradeniya Gardens io noteworthy, as we'.l as the 
improvement of the Herbaoaou) Ground. In refer- 
ence to the removal of old trees, one would 
have liked to learn the dimensions of tha Ore- 
villea Bobusta originally planted in 1856, and to 
17 years old oq removal. This must have beea 
one of the oldest " silky oaks" in the country 
and a comparison with some of the Dimbula 
giants might be instructive. That 2,010 travel- 
lers from other countries should have visited the 
Peradeniya Gardens last year, is certainly worthy 
of record. Twenty years ago, the number per 
annum could scarcely exceed the odd 4G ! i:'everol 
improvements to the Hakgala Gardens are also 
noted, and Mr. Nook supplies a great deal of 
interesting aa well as useful details. His cure 
for a "black grub" will be noted by horticultur- 
ists; the damage done by the small moose-deer 
is annoying; the "rose gaiden" must now indeed 
be a sight when in flower, with an addition of 
96, varieties last year from Worcester. Heuerat- 
Ro a Gardens have certainly fulfilled their main 
function when we learn that no less than 75,000 
seeds of Heoea rubber have been sold to planters 
last year ; besides 10,000 plants Licerian Oofiftie, 
2,700 pods of Cacao, &a, Anuradhapura Gardens 
are doing fairly well and BaduUa Gardens have 
become quite an ornament to the town. 
Coming now to the part most generally looked 
for, the " Notes on Eoouomio Plante," Dr. Trimen 
has not much of novelty to relate this year ; 
but he emphasises his foar about the over-production 
of tea — the only danger he foresees to tho industry 
and would have the acquisition of new land for 
planting made as diffioult as possible ! He must 
reCnember, however, that in many cases land is 
wanted by existing holders as reserves for firewood 
As regards considerable blocks, it is evident the 
Government are acting in accordance with Dr. 
Trimen's advice. Very useful information i.s re- 
peated in reference to Helopeltis — " mosquito 
blight" being a most unfortunate name, for it is 
not a mosquito at all — and all tea planters 
especially in the lowoountry will carefully note 
what is said. Dr. Trimeo is as ea^er as ever 
for the extension of Liberian Cofiee and Oaeao, 
and he has also a good deal to say for the 
cultivation of certiin kinds of rubbar. He 
recommends the Brazilian Hevea when the culti- 
vators can wait 12 years for profitable returns ; 
the CastiUoa does not give promismg results so 
far ; but the Ceara might do in fields whera the 
trees could be cut down every 10 to II years, 
each tree giving 1^ lb. dry rubber or 1,500 lb. at 
1,000 trees(?) to the acre. If such a harvest were 
worth £1£0 or even £100 every acre, it might 
certainly bs profi'able to plant and wait a decade, 
aeeing tliat so little cultivatioQ is required in the 
interval. Of other minor products. Dr. Tiimen 
has a good deal to t^U us, tho most intar- 
esting refer nee bem..; perhaps to Nu.megg, of 
which, it is certainly strange an appreciable 
quantity does not appear in our exports. We 
euepeot the produce of the many trees scattered 
up and down the country ia all used up locally, 
findiDg a market in the town baziare '! Hit John 
Wilson hid a number of tiae teat, ou bii Nilambe 
plantation ; and Mr. Chas. Shand planted iboae 
which btve delighted so many Waveiera ia the 
Batnapura restbouEe grounds ; while Dr. TrimeD 
telle us, be has supplied 11*^,000 seeds during 
the past 10 years to inteadmg cultivators. We 
ought, therefore, soon to see, a s eadiiy increas- 
iag record of expjris. Mr. Nock'a auocees in 
potato culture at Hikgala is noteworthy and 
ought to encourage fresh efforts in Uva generally, 
with railway trausport available to eo good a 
market as Colombo. Mr. T. Uhii-tty'd new fodder 
pUnl ia to have a fair trial. Finally, we are 
pleased to loam of the progress m-ide with the 
second and tbird parts of tho " Handbook to 
the Flora of Ceylon," which when completed, 
will give this island (as Dr. Trimen believee) 
"an acaount of its native vegetation more detailed 
and complete than that of any other Colony." 
CINCHONA BARK PROSPECTS. 
Id their latest market report Measrs. Wudehouse 
& Co., Miucing Lane, give soma interesting 
statistics respecting Bark exports from Java and 
India and the imports of btirk and quinine inlu 
the United States. We quote as follows : — 
EXPOBTS FBOM JaVA. 
Jan./Juue. July/Dec. Tola': 
En,(. lb. Kn/. ib. Eng. lb. 
1893 4,155.900 3,732,000 8,187,900 
1893 2,8!J6.600 4,291,700 7,191,300 
lt-91 3,03o,tt00 5 608.900 8,«99,500 
1810 2,757,300 4,633,909 7,291,200 
TLo sbipments frjoi Java during Jauuary were 
974,000 Amsietdam It), agaiuat 980,000 lb. last year, 
but we uiideiAtaud that alout one-fourth of ttiis it 
comiog forward by sailing vefS»lB. 
ExPOBT FROM BaiTifiH India 1st jANt7AJBT to 
30th Novembeb. 
1893. . . .2,709.673 Ib. 1891. . . .2,627,440 lb. 
18;^2.... 2,254 786 ,. 1890. . . .1.9.-'1,837 „ 
Impobts OF Babk and Qdinine int.' UNrrtD States 
1st Ja.nuaby to 31sr Decrmukb. 
J893. 1892. 1891. 
lb. lb. lb. 
CinohoDaBark. . 2,138,128 3,144,281 2,861,000 
OZ. OZ. OZ. 
Quinine 2,777,567 8,486,932 2,527,000 
It will ba observed that the total from Java last 
year in 8,187,900 lb. really affords a lar^jer supply 
of quiuioe than the maximum export (15,301,912 ib. 
in 1885-6) from C.'ylon ; for the iaiter barely 
averaged 2 per cent of quiuine, while the Java 
bark last year gave the nigh average, according 
to Mr. Bohringer, of 4J per cent. Tlie compari- 
son then would be — reducing both exports to one 
per c nt— as 38.892,52 lb. for Java against 
30,729,824 for Ceylon, — apart from the greater ease 
in working off 4j as compared to 2 per cent 
bark and only haif the cost in freight. Java has, 
therefore, in every way beaten the cinohcna bark 
record, and ths future of the bark market, so 
far as we can sse, lies altogether ander the 
control of its planters. 
We are surprised to see that the consumption 
of quinine and bark has by no means made pro- 
gress io the United States during the past three 
years. In India, thanks to the enterprise and 
liberality of the Government in distributing a 
million and a half of packets through the post office 
for the benefit of people in f aver-strioken districts, 
the consumption is inorpasing steadily. There is 
an enormous field for the sale and use of quinine 
in Southern China, Northern. Burma, Siam and 
Tonquio which has yet to be exploited, 
