April 2, 1894.J ' THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
16 is to be hoped that the warehoades will add to the 
figures of the preseat stock ihosa of the suppliea ia 
their charge on t'je oorrwspdudiiig dates of tho five 
years immediately preceding, as well as stitiatics of 
the receipts and deliveries dariog thit period. Such 
figures would be of K^eat value assho.viiiji tlie ratio 
of decrease of onrsiocke, for it is generally believed 
that the supply here has dwindled rapidly, at any 
rate since 1890. 
The 3,227,000 oz.now in tbeLondo'j warehouses form 
the bulk of what is known as the "aeoond-haud stocks" of 
quinine in the central markets. A certain quantity 
is held in small lots by private holders all over the 
world, but this ia probably not a very large one. 
Whit supply there may be oa haad at tno factories 
is a matter for conjecture, but it will not have an 
appreciable effect upon the inarkct. It is al=o impos- 
sible to state what relation tho stock in London Ijears 
to the average requirements of .the world, but judg- 
ing roughly by the total imports of quiniue salts into 
the United States (by far the largeisi consumer of tne 
drug), it ia estimated that the warehouse-stock in Lon- 
don would Sfttiaty those wants for about four months. 
The knowledge of tbe immiuant publioition of the 
quinine-returns " caused a good deal of excitement 
in Mincing Lane this week, and at the Coaamercial 
Sale-rooms "guesaing-oompeticions " we/e entered into 
freely by brokers, dealera and jobbers. It would be 
unpleasant to some of tbe gentlemen who took part 
in tbia amuaement to reveal their individual estimates, 
and as no purpose of general utility could be 
achieved by doing so wa refrain. It may ba slated, 
however, th it the estimates varied from 1,000,000 to 
5,000,000 oz., and that some of those who were 
believed to have the best opportunities for judging 
came nearest to the extremes ot under and over eaii- 
m&tion. But what of the Chemist and Druggist's es- 
timates? readers will ask. Well, we have no reason 
to hesitate in repriiitiag what appearjd in the issue 
of this journal of August 27, lb92 (page 345), under 
the heading of " What is our stocjs ol quinine h " 
It •will there be found stited that when the 
drugs stored at the old Feuotiuroh Street ware- 
house were removed to Crutohed i'riars in 
Jauaary 1890, the total quantify oi quinine trans- 
ported WftB 2,829 cases weighing 125 tons 16 cwt. 1 
qr., but that, owing to tbe steady diminution of the 
supply, the stock at the time of wriliug might be 
assumed to be little over 3,500,000 oz. La this note we 
only referred to the stock at tne l.>ock warehouses, but 
when our estimate was challenged by the agent for one 
of the German factories, who believed even 3,000,000 
oz. to bean excessive figure for the whole of London, 
we explained tnat we did not believe that Che stocks 
at the other warehouses werj large enough appreci- 
ably to affjct the total, which we tuen placed at 
blightly above 3,000,000 oz. Allowing for ihe shrink- 
age uf the stock which has aiuce taken place, our 
escimate was clearly correct. We claim no credit 
for this, inasmuch as our figures were basad upon 
official statistics suppliel to us, but we are justified 
in pointing to the moral that it is ta'er to trust to 
the unbiassed opinion of an independent organ th»a 
to the reports ot interested private persons. 
As will be seen upon a reference to our Trade 
Report, there has been a strong and active speculaiive 
movement in quinine thii week. It is to be hoped 
that this will not increase wheu the stock-statisiics 
become generally known, but that the drug will be 
allowed to settle down quietly at the figure justified 
by the evident smallness of its supply, — Chanint and 
Drugghi, 
BENTOTA : PLANTING AND NEWS llErORT. 
March 1. 
The weather is the general topic of conversation 
just now: "extraordinary drought," "scarcity of 
water," ^o., ia what you hear all around. No doubt 
the weather is very trying bat I do not think the 
drought is anything worse than usual at this time 
of tne year— 7 09 inob of rain to ead of February 
oocajptxed fficb 7-91 Itit yew. Tbete li a gQo4 deal 
of fever prevailing about the villages just now, but 
of a very mild typf>, mostly forerunners of colds; 
but I htar dysentery has broken out in an epidemic 
form in some villages near the sea coast, notably 
at Alutgama and Kulavilla. Tbe air is very still this 
mjruing and clouds are banking np. The paddy 
crop is now being reaped and the outturn very 
poor. Appuhami however givea his fields no yest, 
for no sooner is one crop ott' than operations are 
commenced for another. Poor fellow, he needs all 
he can get to keep up with the times. An out-of- 
the-way villager told ma the other day he spent 
B3-75 per month on opium, and brought me 12 baskets 
at a very cheap rate, as he wa? hard-up. I must 
have the drug at any price, Our roads are in good 
order, but if the powers tiiat-be will take a hint and 
put that piece of road from the Railway Goods 
Shed to the Rom»n C'a'.holio Church in shape before 
the rains set in, it would-be to every one's advantage. 
It ia very much out np and will be nothing but a 
bog in wet weather. 
DIVERSIFIED CROPS IN BRAZIL. 
The Rio News urges Brazilian planters to give more 
attention to the production of lood stufCa. It advo- 
cates this upon palriolio grcuads, rather than from 
th,j standpoint of profit ; frankly acknowledgiug that 
diversified crops may not be oi great advantage to 
the rich planters. Siucd the abolition ot slavery the 
home pro-luotion of fojd products for home consump- 
tion haa almost disappeared. This is a great d s- 
advantagp, for foreign importations must be paid fur 
in gold, a very expensive medium in Brazil. Tue 
News says: — "In the present emergency, the difficulty 
is farther increased by the risks encountered in 
foreign trade, and these riaka may giill be largely 
augmented. The gcvemment and the large land- 
holders could not render a greater and more patriotic 
service to Brazil, at this juncture, than lo give 
tne fullest encouragement to the production of food. 
Cattle-raising in the interior cannot fall to reauit 
profitably, while the production of maize, rice, beans, 
mandioca, potatoes and all kinds of vegetables and 
fruits would at once give employment to the thou- 
sands ot poor people who huve nothing to do, and 
who coula thus easily eirn a oomfortjbie living, it 
would be sound policy to give away small farms to 
those who will andert>ike to cultivate them, and 
special rates could easily be granted by t^e railways 
as an iudacemeut for them to send thuir proJucta 
to marke'. The permanent prosperity of the country 
depends more upon these small industries than upon 
the great ooffee and sugar plantations and the 
Government should use lis Lest efforts to enooarage 
them." 
Thirty yeira ago in the United States the South ^as 
dependent upon the Northern States for a large pro- 
portion of Its fojd supply. Cotton, sugar and rice 
were grown to ttie exulu»ion of other pruuucts. Since 
the war a great advance has been mide in the cultiva- 
tion of cereals, garden track of all sorts ot fruits. No 
section of the oouutry hts leaped forward with suuti 
strides as the Southern States daring the past twenty 
years. We have no doubt that diveraifiea industries 
coald be propartionatelv aa sdvauttigeous to the Em- 
pire of Brazil. Coffee planting will not always be aa 
profitable as now. Higu cost has placed a premium 
on ooftee growing in all ootlei'prodQciDg counines, in 
the course of a lew years we will enter a period of 
low-priced coifue, siiopiy because production will 
forge ahead faster than oonaumption iuoreases,— 
American Groctr. 
« 
LIBERIAN COFFEE. 
The Bosident of SeUiDgor notes with satisfaction 
that he has sanctioned two tyrants for blocks ol land 
of .>00 acres each for Libetiau Uoll'ee at Kajaug, the 
first bona tide applioaiioua for land out of ihu boma 
diaUiota ol Kuala Lumjpo; nad Kla,os — i'rat, 
