April 2, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
decided saving in favour of Aome tea chests and 
we have no oomplaint of any kind from the trade 
or any where alje. MEROHA^T NO. 2 
[We thought in reading the repor. appended to 
" Merchant " 's letter that every pjBSibla ani im- 
possible drawback to the acme cheats was brought 
together. We have seea a testimonial today from 
an agent in a big way speaking on the Aome cheats 
in very high terms : — 
" The tea packed in the Aome cheEts has arrived 
in first-olaas condition and I am of opinion that 
tea 80 paoked is received by the L-^ndon dealers 
as readily as if the product were paoked in wooden 
obests." 
An advertisement for the benefit of " Merchant " 
appears in another column.— Ed. T.A.] 
VAEIOUS AGEICULTURAL NOTES. 
Coffee in Java.— Messrs. James Cook & Co. 
learn from Java that the weather is less favour- 
able ; recent figures to hand ettimata the Govern- 
ment crop at 310,650 piouls, and the Private at 
rather ovcr 500,000 piouls. 
The Cultivation and Manufactuee cf Ganja in 
Madkas by 0. Bjuson, E=q., m.r.a.c, Deputy Diiea- 
tor, Agricultural Branch is the latsst pamphlet 
to reach us from tha Daparlmeat o£ Land Becords 
and Agrioulture, Msd as, AgricuKural Branch. 
Prices of Home-Ghown Timber in BEDroEDSHiaE.— 
Mr. A.- D. Webster reports that the following prices 
were realised for hoiue-growii timber of fair quality 
at the recent auction sale on the Woburn estate :— 
Oak, 1». M per foot ; Ash, Is. 6Jrf. ; Elm, Sid. ; 
Spanish Chestnut, llrf. ; Poplar, lO^d. ; Willow, lid. ; 
Maple, ll^rf. ; Larch, l.s. Id; Beech, M. ; Lime, 
lOd.; Sundry poles and tops, Is.— Gardeners' Clironide. 
OocoNUT Cultivation at Veddukado. — The soil of 
Veddukidu seems to be well adapted for the cultiva- 
tioQ of the cooouut palm. Already hundreds of 
acres have been planted. In some parts the trees 
have already begun to bear. The nuts are larger than 
those of the Pachohilapaly estates. Applications 
have already been made to the G. A. for fresh Crown 
land. He has given directions to the local Survejor 
to survey the land iu ailotmoDtd of 22 acres each. 
Cor., " Jatfua Citholic Guardian," 
Cocoa-Stealing, — There is not the slightest 
doubt that in the Matale and Panwila districts at 
least, the native cultivators are deterred to a coo- 
biiierable extent from planting cacao, by the special 
liabiliiy of the fruit to be stolen by thieves as 
mentioned by Mr. Westlaccl at the Annual Meeting 
of the Planters' Association. In a letter Mr. 
Westland further endorses hia ' statement ; but 
in this respect as in regard to the employment 
of more watchers, we do not think there has been 
any flaw shown in the planters' case by any of their 
QliliOB. 
A New Geeem Pigment in Plants. — Mr. D. 
Hooper, of the Laboratory, Ootacamund, writes as 
follows: — "In the issue of the Gardeners' Clironide 
for July 2'i, notice is made of a discovery by pro- 
fessor Tschirch of a new green colouring m atter in 
Trichosanthes pubera, which he has named tricho- 
santhin. 1 should like to point out that the green 
colouring matter of the pulp of some of these plants 
was isolated by ine in 18S'.), and the colouring prin- 
ciple of Trichosanthes palmata was especially investi- 
gvted as spectroscopically by BIr. Micbic Smith, of 
Madras, who read a paper on the subject before the 
Royal Society of Edinburgh in 18'JO. An account 
of these plants, their chemical composition, and a 
comparisuu of Lho .•>pi;ctium of the colourin" matter 
with that of chlorophyll, may bo found in Plianuaco- 
(jraphia Indicu. vol , li., pp. 70-71. It will be Hcen that 
the term ' triohosanthiu ' was applied by nie, not to 
the pigment, but to the bitter glucoside, the active 
priuciplo of the plant." — GardciKiss' Cluvmctc. 
A Handsome New Species of Bauboo has beoa 
discovered io Burma, and has been botanioally 
nameu after its disoovorer, Mr. J. W. 0 iver, Oon- 
servacar of Forests. Large quantities of the seed 
are being planted in Northern India. — Western Star. 
Revival of Cacao Cultivation ni Colombia 
South Amekica. — Mr. Robert Thomson — whose 
name is familiar in connection with the Cinchona 
Enterprise in its early days in the East and also 
as a contributor to our Tropical Ar)ricuUurist—h&8 
been addressing (iu Spanish I) the President of 
the Espublio of Colombia, S. America, on the need 
of reviving and encouraging the cultivation , of 
caoao within his State. Mr. Thomson gives a 
good deal of ueeful information, and having got 
a traaslatioa of tha paper, we shall republish it 
in full in our T.A. — Meantime it remains to be 
seen if the Colombian authorities will lay to 
heart, and take action on, the advice tendered by 
Mr. Thomson. 
Jamaica's New Industry : Ceylon Beaten. — 
A great deal of interest and ceremony has 
attached to the inauguration of the West Indies 
Chemical Works, Limited, at Spanish Town, 
Jamaica. Never, perhaps — says the local Glaner — 
has a new Jamaica industry been inaugurated under 
more auspicious circumstances. The foandation stone 
(or rather stake) was formally laid by Mrs. T, L, 
Harvey, wife of the Hon. T. L. Harvey, to whose 
energy and enterprize the Company owes its exist- 
enoe. Prior to the ceremony, Dr. Emile Bucher, 
founder and managing Director of the Company, 
gave a conversazione at the Hotel Rio Oobre, to 
which a largo number of guests were invited. Dr. 
Bucher said : In future years when they saw all 
this waste land cleared, the noise of the factory 
and the smoking chimneys they would remember 
that day. There was one gentleman in that gather- 
ing who through his unflagging perseverance, 
his energy and his intellect, had brought that 
undertaking to a successful close. They all knew 
that he spoke of the Hon. Thomas Lloyd Harvey, 
Hon. T. L. Harvey said : — This is I believe, a 
personal undertaking ; it must be considered the 
private enterprise of the gentleman I call Dr. 
Bucher and his friend Mr. Sohweich, You know 
Dr. Bucher, you have seen him, but I am sorry 
Mr. Schweich is not here today, Mr. Scbweich 
is a cultured gentleman, is a man of refined taste, 
is a man whose presence in Jamaica would add 
immensely to our society and to our business 
talent, but unfortunately for this oommunity and 
unfortunately for this company, Mr. Schweich ia 
absent from ill-health. Mr. Schweich will, however, 
act for the Company in the markets of 
Europe and will convince the sellers of the world 
that good extract can bs made from Jamaica 
roots only, Dr. Bucher is not a financier ; Dr. 
Buoher is a man who has taken up chemistry 
as a study. With Mr. Schweich, he carried on 
this business in the City of Manchester. He has 
come to this island not once, but three timeH, 
and I hope it we have not conquered him that 
he has conquered us. They examined the water, 
analyzed the air and burned red lights. I thought 
they were Obeahmon (laughter). Dr. Buoher 
satisfied himself that Spanish Town was central 
for the trade, satisfied himself that Europeans 
could live in it and thrive, and satisfied himself 
— best of all — that such an enterprise oould be 
run by local labor and by Jamaicans. Mr. S, L. 
Sharp said that standing there and speaking in 
the name of many logwood growers and agri- 
culturists ho winhfd the new company a htarty 
success. It wouid not injure the trade, but would 
on the contrary inuiaaso il. Thirf industry was ono 
like many other ijood reiulta of ilio latu usliibiliou. 
