t)0 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug. i, i> 94 . 
of the cleanest. In my inner heart, too, I cursed 
tbe exaggerated tales of travellers about the road — 
side tea-houses of China— the prototype of Tonkin. 
Many of these were no bigger than a railway con- 
tractor's cooly lines with a square hole dug in the 
middle of the floor, on the bank of which the visi- 
tor sat down, his legs dangling over, or resting on 
the bottom. The tf a-housekef per's purse was always 
a hollow bamboo. "When trade was brisk it was very 
amusing to watch the airs that this moon-eyed 
barmaid gave herself. 
Our prunings would fetch a " power of money " in 
China and Tonkin, but probably we have got far 
enough on this line in our export of dust and red 
leaf. 
There was no trouble bringing up the " leaden 
discs " or sapegues, a few of which I am sending per 
this post. They came by steamer (Shallope), tied 
in U-shaped bamboo strings called ligatures. Each 
ligature represented ten tiens or 60K sapegues. A 
ligature (l-16th of a dollar nominally — in out-of-the- 
way places g) paid two coolies for one day's work. 
It was not much trouble handi g it to them after 
we had got the money to the paying place properly- 
tied into ligatures. A good cooly's load of sapegues 
only paid 40 labourers, and, having some days 100 
to pay, I required ten loads, say 120,000, weighing, 
I suspect, from five to six cwts. For a month's 
supply the "balance cash" ran up to seven or eight 
tons, and required a fairly-sized room to store it 
in. The mo.-t annoying feature about this wonder- 
ful currency was the easy manner in which the 
bambo strings broke away when a buudle was lifted, 
sending the coin in showers over the floor or roads. 
In this way we generally lost 5 per cent. " The 
ways that are dark and tricks that are vain " of the 
natives accounted for a lot of this. 
Cochin China is a pucka French coloi.y : the rest 
are held under a protectorate. Until this is done 
away with, the French, I expect, will have to return 
the sapegue currency. 
In conclusion, this nation can never do us much 
harm in tea-planting. They drink very little tea 
and are merely planting— I should say — to keep out 
the vile Chinese rubbi-h from their colonies. In 
this they are right. 
I saw many new things in Tonkin — one, silk rais- 
ing, particularly struck me. I do not see why we 
should not beat the Chinese here i ■ this "cultiva- 
tion " as we have already done in tea. I do not 
think it is more difficult than tbe manufacture of 
the leaf of this shrub was supposed to be. The 
introduction of silk-worms and mulberry is the duty 
of Government. Let them show in their botanic 
gardens that Ceylon can raise silk, and the planters 
will do the rest. Better begin now than wait until 
it becomes an absolute necessity. 
Apologising for the length cf this letter, — lam &c , 
P. O. Macmahon. 
Deanstone, Rangalla, May 23rd, 1894. 
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT 
NYASSALAND. 
Mr. E Woodhouse has placed at our disposal the 
following information received from Mr. H. P. 
Johnston in a letter dated 5th July.-- 
In regard to Nyassaland, land is ve y cheap at 
present ranging from almost nothing in the border 
districts to 2/6 in the settled country. The average rain- 
fall is 55 inches annually. The country is exceeding y 
well timbered and well watered by running streams. 
The morality at present among Europeans is 6 - 5 
per cent, though this proportion is coLsiderably 
reduced when the deaths of people killed in warfare 
or hunting accidents or in infancy are deducted. The 
deaths from malaria fever and dysentry — the only 
two diseases of any seriousness — amount to about 3 
per cent. 
The natural aspect of the country is exceedingly 
beautiful. The soil is nearly every where fertile. Na- 
tive labourers are very abundant and very cheap, waged 
ranging from about 2a (id to 3s a month besides food 
Which costs J s per week. Customs duties, taxea, Ac. 
are very low. Some of the planters reckon that with 
ordinary good luck and with present prices. Iiki 
per cent profit may be made on coffee directly the 
trees come into . bearing 
There is a direct line of Bteamers 'the German 
mail line) between Bombay and Tehinde {> hinde) a.t 
the mouth of the Zambesi. 
At Ti-hinde you change into small river steamer b 
by which you are conveyed to Katunga on the Shire 
and thence you ride up 2."> miles to Blantyre which 
is to all intents an \ purposes the capital, though the 
seat of administration is at Zunba, 40 miles near 
to Lake Nyassa. There are about 265 Europeans 
settled in the country. — Local "Times." 
IMPORTANT TO PLANTERS. 
Okchabds Planted on thk BlVlVMV System. 
The following table will show the advantage of 
the septuple over the square system. The minimum 
distance between the trees is the same, but about 
15 percent more can be planted:— 
ooooooo 0 
Es oooooo S 
2 ooooooo 
~ oooooo * 
ooooooo 5 
oooooo j 
ooooooo 
a 
Feet 
apart 
8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
Square Septuple 
Plants to Plants to 
Distance in Check 
an acre, an acre. Kowb. 
680 7H2 6 feet III inches 
5*8 619 7 ,. 9i 
435 500 8 „ 8 „ 
360 514 9 „ 0* 
302 347 10 „ 4f 
257 295 11 , 3 „ 
222 255 12 „ If ■ „ 
193 222 13 „ 0 
170 195 13 „ 10j 
150 172 14 „ 8| 
134 154 15 „ 7 , 
120 138 in „ 53 
109 125 17 „ Si 
99 114 18 „ 2J 
90 103 19 ,. 0| 
82 94 19 „ 11 
75 86 20 „ 91 
70 80 21 „ 7f , 
64 73 22 „ 64 
59 68 23 „ 4§ 
55 63 24 „ 3 
52 60 25 „ 1§ 
48 55 26 „ llf 
Trees grow much better when sheltered — a single 
tree will not grow nearly so fast as if planted in 
a clump or belts. 
This was well illustrated in the olive plantation 
at the Dookie Agricultural College farm, Victoria, 
where single trees did not make half the growth 
that those did which were planted in clumps, as the 
one sheltered the other. 
Never plant badly formed or unhealthy looking 
trees, such trees are dear at a gift. — J. L. Thompson. 
-^Australian Agriculturist. 
Prospects of Tea.— An experienced planter 
wriirs: — 'Our chief reliance must be a pen better 
quality nnd a decrease of 10 par cent, that s'osfcs 
may fail. This for the present; but meantime 
work up America." Undoubtedly, the latter advice 
is what every planter should take to himself ; 
for, if promptly attended to, the Fund now started, 
would grow rapidly ard a start be made in work- 
ing up America whioh might mean an incieasid 
price for our teas, before the year if out. 
