Oct. i, 1894.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
233 
1 have bf eo here 3i yeara and fiud the climate fairly 
healthy. Of coime planters must get fcvec now and 
again, which I have had my share of, in pioneer 
work ; but Mlaoji fever is of a mild type and usually 
yielda to a few mild doses of Epsom Sa'ts and 
Quinine, leaving no bad effects. I have had much 
worse fever in Ceylon. Some residents have been iu 
the Shire Highlands 7 years without having any 
fever, but they are not coffee planters and their work 
ie mostly indoors. 
The upper pUteau of Mlanji from 6,400 to 7,000 ft. 
elevation is within half-a-day's journey and affords a 
grand sanatorium. I have a house and garden at 
6,400 feet and the top of the mountain ia 9,200 feet. 
It much resembles the Kandapola Plains both in 
appearance and climate ; in fact the whole country 
resembles very much some parts of U?a. 
There ia any amount of labour in the Machinjero 
country. large numbers come over to the Mlanji 
plantations to work, so that the labour que»tion 
need give no alarm. Should we suooeed in 
floating a Company, operations could be extended 
to almost an uulimited degree. There is also an 
adjoining territory under the brothers of Narusa, 
my vendor, which could be purchased, if need be, so 
that a very large concern might be male. Labonr 
costs 8 yards, 6 j ards and 4 yards of 3d calico stuff 
which we used to as? for ceiling oloth in Ceylon — 
for men, women, and boys and girls per month— and 
food (fowls I a yard each, rice, potatoes and other food 
proportionately cheop. ) 
The mineral rights are included in the purchase, 
tut no prospecting has been done. If need be, a 
survey and independent report could be got iu the 
country by some of the Mlanji residents. 
On the map of Africa the Machinjero is marked 
betweeu Mlanji, Mount Clarendon, and Lomboca bills, 
although nesrer the Ruo than represented. Thereis a 
Fort on the Ruo bank on the British side, with a guard 
of Sikhs and a force of police under a European Agent 
of the B. C. A. Administration within 2 hours of my 
clearing. There is a cart road completed from the above 
Fort which is named "Fort Anderson" by mjself, a 
12 feet cart road to the Tuchilla river, 30 miles, at its 
confluence with the Ruo, and it is intended to continue 
this on to Cheromo, the Shire river terminus for this 
part of the country (a distance of about 20 more 
miles) where several steamers arrive and depart 
during every month to and from Chindi the Zambesi 
mouth, where Union 6teamers call regularly. Goods 
are carried up at £1 per ton, and much less down, 
bo that transport is nothing out of the way. It is 
expected that a ra'lway will soon be made into this 
country. H. M. Comroisti oner, who is 00 a visit to 
England, took tome B ( a f istics which will doubtlefs 
prove that a railway is mcefsary and will pay, and 
said before he left that he would return with a rail- 
way. The revenuo has more than doubled during the 
past 2 year?, 
We have no coffee leaf-disease here, and no black or 
white bug, an! only about as much gruo and borer as 
are met with in C»ylon. Coffee jields gool crops 
with clusters from 8 to 15 berries and Ins p'oved a 
success, bea ing at 3 years old up to 7 cwt. per acre 
after giving a maiden crop of 4 cwt. 
J came to this distrioi to open coffee for the 
African Lakes Co. and cleared and planted 200 acres 
in oue year, now called Lauderdale East, purchased 
from the Co. by Mr. J. W. Moir (who now resides on 
the property) a year ago; after which I opene I up 
land of my own, 160 acres, and am raakiug a further 
extension of 100 aores this year. I simply mention 
this to prove my confidence iu coffee here. 
If there is any difficulty about starting a Com- 
pany within the Portuguese sphere of influence, I 
have no doubt that authorities at Lisbon would 
acknowledge the purchase and gladly we'ooroe the 
development of the country alluded to, as beinir a 
1:1. -.in of enabling them to got a footing amongst 
the Machingeras, although I doubt they will 
erer iuterfere in the matter ; and as for governiug 
tho country the peoplo are averse to it and they 
oannot, and it must sooner or later become British, 
for planters won't study Portugal, when they be- 
ome more numerous, considering that according 
to the Ang'o-Portnguese Convention, the subjects 
of either Power are to Le at liberty to settle 
freely under either sphere ofiifluence. The Gov- 
ernor at Mozambique and Quilimane have both been 
informed of my action by both H. M. Commissioner 
and myself and have not interfered. It is some 250 
miles trom Quilimane, the seat of Government, Mr. 
Alex. Ross and Sir G. W. R, Campbell might be 
induced to take an interest in this matter, I am 
known to b >th, and the latter I see by late Observers 
is at present interesting himself in some Syndicates 
for tho d-ve'opment of South Afrioa. 
I woull not ask cash down except for the actual 
purchase of the land, a small sum indeed; but would 
accept shares in the Company and would be glad 
to take the management here. I have many year*' 
experience in planting, havirg commenced my 
career in 1873 iu Dimbula under the late Jas. 
Ryan whom I served for two years. 1 was after- 
wards in Udapu-<eellawa aud Matale and am very 
well known in Ceylon. 
Iu conclusion should I hear from you that there is 
a good prospect of raiping a Company I could send 
the dee i of purchasa home >vith sketch map of the 
property to my lawyers, or youreelf or come home 
myself : this latter I would not care to do at 
present as I would like to see my coffee estate in 
bearing ; further the winter would have to be faced 
aud I have not heen home for over 20 years. I oan 
assure you the prospeots in this country are good, 
not only for coffee, but also tes, tobacco and other 
product*. Laboar is abundant, soil aud climate 
su;tib'.e for elmost all tropical products. Tru-ting 
you will be favourably impressed wi*h the prospects 
and do whit you caa in the matter — I am, yours 
faithfully, HENRY BROWN. 
P.S — There has been no war in th's part of the 
country, and not likely to be ; peace and advance- 
ment only are the rule. 
We h iva no wind, and our blossoming season ia 
from August to November, both months inclusive 
so that there oan hardly be a failure of crop, — H.B. 
FIXATION OF MTROGEN IN SOILS, AND 
ALG^E, 
In continuation of this important Bubject, to which 
we reoently drew the attention of our readers, we 
see that the soientist " Kessowitoh" has been further 
experimenting (as reported in the Botanische Zeilung, 
May 16th, 1894) in order to determine " the 
amount of nitrogen present in a nutritive soil 
before and after the growth of pure cultures of 
two kinds of algte, Cystacoccus and Stichocoecus. 
In neither case was any sensible increase of 
nitrogen detected ; so that it appears that neither 
of these algaa alone have the power of fixing free 
nitrogen." Further experiments showed that 
Cystacoccus, even when mixed with pure cultures 
of t'oe bacteria whioh enable the leguminosie to 
assimilate free nitrogen, was found powerless in 
this direction ; whereas a mixture of EO:l-baoteria 
and Cystacoccus which also contained a small 
amount of other algre had the power of fixing 
free nitrogen to a large extent. Other experiments 
are referred to "with heterogeneous no.1x.1ues of 
algce and bacteria," showing how in eaoh oaee 
"the capability of fixing free nitrogen is greatly 
increased by the addition of dextrossa to the 
nutritive substratum." From thece results, and 
also from the faot that "suoh mixtures ot algao 
and bicteria which are oapable of fixing free 
nitrogen when exposed to light oannot be shown 
to assimilate it in tho dark, he concludes that 
although in no oaso has it been proved that algiu 
by themselves possess the power of fixing fne 
nitrogen, yet that they are in a symbiotio rela- 
tional with tho nitrogen fixing bacteria," 
