Sept. r, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
187 
where there were (wo tobaooo estates. A very rich 
goldfield at Madai was worked by the Chinese as long 
ago as 1812, but this fact was not known to their pre- 
decessors or themselves. The whole of their land was 
c vered with an uninterrupted giant forest possessing 
millions of tons of timber, hundreds of thousands of 
tons of cace, and tens of thousands of tons of gutta- 
percha, indiarubber, &c. All these things were very 
difficult to realize unless one had been in the country , 
but the shareholders — eaptcially those who had token 
an interest in the tobacco companies — were now be- 
ginning to realize what Borneo soil was. The<- bad 
20 million acres of land. The shareholders mignt say 
hat they bad waited a lnug time for dividends, and 
there was no doubt that they had hitherto been greitly 
disappointed with the results, as had al?o the direc- 
tors, but he nevertheless advised them to remain hope- 
ful in regard to the pro-peots of the undertaking. 
In the discussion which followed some comp'aiat 
was made with reference to the expenses, which were 
considered too high, especially in London. Mr. Wag- 
staff remarked that they had beard a good deal 
a' out hope, but they had ouly had one dividend in 11 
years. He had been glad to hear the cheerful state- 
men ccade by Mr. Cowie. 
The Chairman, in reply, stated that the present 
was the firs'- time ho had heard that the staff was 
overpaid, but the directors would do all they could to 
keep the expenses as low as possible. The defalca- 
tion to which reference was made in the balance 
Bheet amunted to about §20,000, and it was coon- 
mittted by a Chinaman formerly in their employ — 
their acrent for dealing with their copper coinage, 
especially in Labuan and Brunei. The defalcation was 
not likely to ooe.ur again. The revenue of Labuan 
was calculated to pay more than the pensions of 
which they assumed the responsibility when thev 
took over the island from the British Government, He 
did not agree that the London expenses were too 
high; and it would be moet impolitic to conduct the 
London busioess by means of an agency. 
The resolution was then adopted'. 
On the motion for the re-election of the retiring 
directors — Mr. Edward Dent, Charles J. Jessel, ' 
and Admiral of the Fleet the Hon. Sir Henry Keppel 1 
— a dircussion eneued regarding the holding ot the 
directois. 
The Chaikman, in reply, stated that Mr. Dent 
held more than twioe his necessnry qualification. At 
a critical time, too, that gentleman put a consider- 
able amount of money into otb.tr Born°o companies, 
although be might have done so by seliing tome of 
his shares in this company. The Bjetetn of paying 
directors by results did not work well, and he did 
not think that the board of this compar/y were over- 
paid. 
Eventually the retiring directors were re-elected 
on a show of hands. — London Times. 
PICKINGS WITH A LOCAL APPLICATION. 
Kainfall. — "templeton's wobkshop companion' 
oontains the following: — Tbo mean average rain- 
fall lor the whole ol England is 36 inches : at 
London it ia 24 inobes. The heaviest mean annual 
rainfall in England is at Stye-in-Borrowdale, 
Cumberland, where it is 165 inches, and the heaviest 
at any place on tbe ^.lofce is on the Khaeia Hills, 
Bengal, where it is 600 inches. The quantity of 
rain decreases with the elevation from the ground. 
Dr. Hebirden found the annual rainfall at the top 
of Weitmiusttr Abbey to be 12'099 inches ; at the 
top of a houee cloee by, of much inferior altitude 
1813!) inches ; and on the ground, 22'60^ iuches. 
A Florida grower, after making several tests, is 
of opiuion that the cause of Ob.vngf. trees dropping 
tboir fruit is deficiency of potash in the soil. 
Potash is the largest mineral constituent of the 
orange. Tbe Florida orchardist manured a part c* 
hia orange orchard, and left the rest alone. The 
troos in the one held their fruit, and those in the 
Other dropped thoirs. A revoroal of the order of 
treatment next season gave the same result, the 
trees that were treated in the first year and neglected 
in the second dropping their fruit while the others 
retained theirs, thus indicating that potash caused 
the trees to hold their fri"t ; but its effect lasted 
only one year, probably owing to the large amount 
o." the mineral absorbed by the trees. The absence 
of potash is said also to be the cause of oranges 
splitting open on the trees. 
In the Annual Report of the Department of Agri- 
culture, Brisbane; the following note appears under 
the head, Theobboma Cacao : — 
Theobroma Cacao. — A wardian case of Caoao beans 
w^re received from Ceylon during December. All or 
neirly all had germinated in transit, and most of 
them perished. All were given a chance in the bush- 
honse, but only twenty spindly plants survived. These 
are do ; ng fairly well and will be p anted in the open 
next wet season. This is certainly a start with what 
should become in tropioal Queensland a very important 
branoh of agriculture- To simplify trans't, I would 
recommend tbat the beans should be placed in a bed 
of coconut fibre reluse in bamboo cases about 2 
inches in diameter and 10 inches long. A large num- 
ber of them could be packed on end in a medium- 
sized wardian case with a lofty roof. Should the 
beans then germinate in transit they wonld have 
roothold in the coconut refuse, aDd room to grow 
above. The bamboo cases could be held in position 
in the usual way. 
English writers of Fiction are at times in the habit 
of referring some of the inoidents of their plots to 
Oeylor — as a place (like Africa) where anything may 
be said to have oocurred, without anyone beiDg in a 
position to contradiot it. The editor of that interest- 
ing little achcol magazine 
" oue boys " 
lately drew attention to a passage in Smedley's 
novA "Lewis Arundel," to wit: "Of the latter class 
Lewis Arundel had been one, since the day when 
Fraro, a stripling of seventeen, fought his rival, tbe 
cock of the school, for having thrashed the new- 
comer in return for his accidental transgession of 
some sixth-form etiquette. Ten years had passed over 
their heads siuce that day: the cock of the school was 
a judge in Ceylon, weighed sixteen stone, and had 
a wite and six children." But in this instance there 
is good causa for believing that the referenoe to 
Cevlon is founded on fact and that the Judge men- 
tioned was none other than Jndge Smedley, a close 
relative of the novelist. 
In the " Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' by that 
clever writer, Dr. Canon Doyle, reference is made 
in the opening sketch to " the tragedy of the At- 
kinson Bbothers at Trincomalee" whicb the deteotive 
—hero is mentioned as having investigated. So far 
as my memory can travel back I cannot remember 
any thrilling incident that might give warrant to the 
reference to the tragedy mentioned. Trincomalee, as 
far as my knowledge goes, is a peculiarly peaceful 
plaie ; and the reference would seen to be one of those 
stray shots which fall wide of the mark. 
«. _ 
ORIENTAL BANK ESTATES. 
SuGAn — Coffee — Cocoa &c- 
The eighth annual ordinary general meeting of the 
Oriental B. lk Estates Company, Limited, was held on 
July 26, at Winchester House, Old Broad-street, 
E.G., Mr. Qaiutin Hogg presiding. 
The Secretary (Mr. Henry Greey) read the notice 
convening the meeting, and the report and aooounts 
were taken as read. 
The Chairman" said : Gentlemen, as this is my first 
appearance before you as chairman of this company, I 
hope yon will be as patient as possible with me if any 
of the details are not quite at ray tiugers' end just at 
present. Indeed, the chairm mship of a company, deal- 
ing wild articles of production such as tot aid sngar, 
is by no means a bol of roses, as, I daresay those of 
