April 2, 18^4.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
667 
by the Peruvian Cjrporation. Limited, who have ac- 
qnired an extensive grant of land along the Perene 
river in the so-.-alled Montana or forest region of 
Central Pern. From a note in a repeat issue of the 
" Kew Bulletin" it appears that the work of c'eariog 
and planting the land in question U bsing pursaed 
with great energy. Ooca wi'l fo m one of the staple 
prodaotB of cnltivation, and the"e is little doubt t'lat 
in ooiirae of time the corporation wil! become a regular 
importer of the leaf, if not of cociine itself. As the 
company's land is in one of the olaisic cinchona dis- 
tricts (although most trees have probably been dei«roypd 
by this time), it is not too maoh to expeofc that in 
time the cultivation of that no.v somewha'; discredited 
tree will be taken in hand. The chief place of the 
new colony is called Dantville after the ohairtnan of 
the corporation.— CAe;«is< and Druggist. 
A SUCCESSFUL COLONIAL INDUSTRY. 
The Natal Tanning Company, having expended 
£6,800 on site, buildings, and p'ant, and proluaed 
manufaotured leather to the value of £5,000 
within 18 months, hive jmt reoeivei the Gov- 
ernment reward of £1,700. The Company ia now 
Bupplying miohiae belting, which is used with 
every Batisfaotion on the N.G.R., the N.H B. coal 
mines and sugar estates. — Natal Mercury. 

DELI PLANTING RETROSPECT. 
List year, owing to favourable weather a d less 
prevalenoe of seedling disease, the tobaaoo orops 
turned out good both in quality and q iantity ; 
the yield being estimated at 165,000 piculs. The 
planters are highly satisfied with the quality, as 
the leaf generally happens to be light in colour. 
They also have another reason for satisfaction 
in that the cost of produotion has been very 
low owing to the fall in the dollar, and hence 
they look with confidence to the results of last 
year's crop whioh, by last advice, was rapidly 
being got ready for shipment. The crop of 1892 
brought to market in 1893 fetched fairly eatis- 
faotory prices whioh might have range i higher 
had not the currency crisis in the United States 
iDt3rfered with purchases there. The state of 
health on tne estates continued good throughout 
the year and the death rate among the coolies 
kept at normal figures. — Straits Budget, Feb. 6. 
» 
THE TEA OUTPUT IN NATAL. 
Mr. Drummond's report on the prospects of the 
output of tea for the season ehows that the estimate 
will in all probability be exceeded. Esperiunce has 
shown that the indnstry is one that h^B a future t 
before it, and with improved methods of production 
and manufactare, which we note with satisfaction 
Bie being contempUted by growers, we hope the day 
is not far distant when Natnl teas will be able to 
hold their own in torei^jn uin! colonial markets with 
the teas of other countries: — 
Mr. G. W. Drnmmond, of Kearsncy, favours as 
with the followinif gratif)inii report : — We have juet 
concliidi'd a vtry suiisfnctory month, taking it hII 
round. As regards qumitity, January has (liP reciud 
np to date, we haviug li;riied out over 73,U0U lb. iii. '. 
ttiis factory during the pii<t mcntb. With the qua- 
lity, too, w e have every reason to lie 8atis6ed, as it 
nndoulitedly shows a grea imjirovemeut. Tliie is 
due ti> a more rapid and better style of picking. 
Favoured, too, with good weatber, we have been 
able to wither well and miniifactnre rapidly. A 
little more raiu is now waulel Oae wet day a 
WGLk would suit ns exactly. As we now Btun 1, wi'li 
the neason half finished, we have no doubt ibat our 
tii-l itt e w II 'le re cii •!, u ilesa something uuInoUy 
happen 1 between this aud April. This also applies 
t • the estimate for the whole Colony, whioh wa* 
originally put down at 650,000 lb., or 700,0001b., 
if weather favourable On dit, a new tea faol;ory will 
be started next season in th's district perhaps tw j 
new fiictories. — Natal Mercuri/, Feb. 9. 
_ 
THE NEW BOOK ON TEA. 
We are disappointed in the non-arrival of a 
supply of Mt. Baraber's book, despatched on 8th 
Feb. from Calcutta and stiU (after 21 days) some- 
where in a B.I. steamer! Meantime Mr. Cochran 
has b9en looking over what is, we believe, the 
only copy of the book in the island and he writes 
of one part: — 
"I was disappointed with the table of rainwater 
analyses. There were so many mistakes in the cal- 
culations of parts per 100,000 into lb. per acre which 
one could check, that I felt distrustful of the figures 
which I could not check. So I have sent to the 
Director of the Alipore Observatory for copy of the 
original or of determination for some other year. 
It looks as if Bamber had simply taken the table on 
trust. Even the title of the table does not corre- 
spond with the table itself. The former says ' parts 
per 1(X),000 and grains per gallon,' the latter gives 
parts per 100,000 and pounds per acre." 
PLANTING PIONEERS IN CEYLON. 
One who prizes the Tropical Agriculturist and its 
varied contents, writes as follows: — 
I was much interestel in the chatty and clever 
sketch of old Andrew Nicol which I have just been 
reading. I remember his visit to the island in the 
seventies whsn I was in Kandy, and his manner of 
greeting old Fredk. Solomons irhicb caused intense 
amusement to the onlookers. He peeped into the 
Central Town Library — evidently in search of some 
Proctor, and espied his old friend reading some 
paper: — "Good gracious Solomons," was his excla- 
mation, "is that you? I thought yon had gone to 
heaven, long ago!'' The bystanders, I fancy, took 
in the humour of the greeting more readily than 
the octogenarian who had been addressed I 
1 had intended supplementing the sketch of R B.T, 
with a few reminiscences of my own ; for I carried 
a letter of introduction to the Patriarch from Lorenz 
when I went np to Kandy in "the sixties" to rep»rt 
my first P.A. meeting. My amusement at his topee 
and his environment was only equalled by my 
appreciation of his geniality and kindness when he 
asked me to be his guest at the P.A. dinner, then an 
annual function. I had however accepted the honour 
of attending as the guest of the Chairman, G. W. 
♦ 
THE DRYING OF COCOA. 
With reference to the letter of " Ooooa in Wet 
Districts," Mr. Maoguire of Messrs Davidson & Co 
of " Sirocoo" fame sends us the following whioh 
is ol interest to planters : — 
01C0A PEODUCTION. 
Consul Wtodham, in his report to Lord Salis- 
bury on the trade of Paramaribo for the past year, 
gave some details on the production of cocoa. He 
says that the production of cocoa advanced from 
€108 470 in isgo to ,£112,3S4 in 1891, or an increase 
of £3,8!S'i. This is in spite of a rainy teason. It 
is to oe expected that yearly more cocoa will be 
exported as the young plantations begin bearing, 
but the past two years have been very wet, and 
the crops have been largely damaged. The value 
of the exports in 1891 to America, France, Great 
Britain, Denierara, and the Netherlands amounted 
to nearly £8,000 more thiin in 1890. These are 
the chief experts. The balance was used in the 
colony or was held over the year awaiting ship- 
ment. Four different tystems of cocoa drying are 
in use or liave I een tried. 
First ;— Snn-dryiug ou large trays ti'sm.i run 
out from under sheds when the weather is favour- 
albe, land brought under cover in raiuy weallcr. 
