Jan. i, 1895.3 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
Two samples of citronella oil of very good quality, re- 
cently examined by us, and enumerated below, were found 
to possess a lower specific gravity than we had ever be- 
fore observed in the article. 
Sample A. Citronella oil is distilled by Winter, Badda- 
gaina, Ceylon :— Sp. gr. 0.3S7. Opt. rot. 1° i'. 
Sample ii. Citronella oil distilled by Fischer, Singa- 
pore :— Sp. gr. 0.891. Opt. root. 1° 10'. 
We had previously lound that pure oils varied in their 
specific gravity from 0.895 0.9J.0 ; samples of lower 
specific gravity always proved to be adulterated with 
kerosene oil. 'Jhis adulterant however was absent in the 
samples just referred to. These were both pure distillates, 
giving perfectly clear solutions with alcohol of 80 per cent. 
PLANTING IN TRAVANCORE. 
Mr. P. R. Buchanan says that the 'x'ravancore Govern- 
ment are very helpful in the way of making roads, and 
there is already a road leading from the Western 
side of the district he visited into the back waters, 
which he fancies would open up water communication. 
Of course, so long as transport is wanting, labour is 
more or less a difficulty. The labour at present 
employed in the district is Tamil labour obtained 
from Tinnevelly and, as he says, of course, there must 
be proper roads for the coolies to reach the district, 
and also they must be assured of getting regular 
provisions for them, and these cannot be secured 
without a fairly decent road. These are the two great 
difficulties that he noticed, but otherwise the country 
is a splendid one, he says. The soil is very fine, 
and both coffee and tea were doing well. Tuey also 
saw cinchona; theieare nine or ten planters already 
in the district which had been offered to Mr. 
Buchanan, and one of the most important concerns 
is the Tulliar Company, which is worked by an old 
Ceylon coffee planter Mr. Payne, who is doiDg 
splendid work there. That is entirely laid out in 
coffee, and the crops are excellent. There are a 
great many cinchona estates bearing very fine cin-. 
chona, and one or two tea estates, which look very 
well, indeed. In fact one of the tea estates he saw 
there produces as good tea as any high-country tea 
he has seen in Ceylon — and that was Mr. Davidson's 
opinion, and also Mr. Milne's. Mr. Knight's Moona- 
velly estate is also in this concession. Of course, 
if Mr. Buchanan's companies take over this land 
they would not attempt to run the estates already 
opened up, but would simply receive rents there- 
from. The concession, he says, was originally 
granted to a Ml* Ku!(, arc lie kid was fatn 
over from him by the Noith liavancoie land kud 
Agricultural Society, ard they have developed ahe 
country as far as their means have allowed them tto, 
but they cannot go far enoigh. Alott 40 miles of 
roads will be requiied to be cut to get to water com- 
munication. 'Ihe itucs is 1CU tquaic miles in extent, 
as already stated, end Mi 1 . 1 ulfr.m cays 1 1 at he 
thinks there are probably 10,U0 acies of geed iciest 
land hij.h-cci ntij , cr.d tLc grats kret arc ako veiy 
good. He is now making his lecommendation to 
the companies that he represents, in regard to the 
land, and, not having yet settled v. hether or not his 
companies will take over the place, he is not at 
liberty to state what that recommondation will be, 
but, judging by his tone all through the interview, 
Mr. Bucl ittjiftn was very satisfied with the result of 
his trip. The matter will develop when Sir John 
Muir arrive* the day alter to-morrow in the "Clan 
Mucu.lcw.h."— Iiocal " Times," Nov. '/8. 
ITEMS FROM BRITISH NORTH BORNEO. 
(! ovember 1.) 
Mr. S. A. Korczki brought 53 Chinese coolie* 
for the tobacco estates. 
The Hon. C. H. Strutt has com" out to see 
the tobar.cn estates o,f (be New London Borneo 
Co., of which he is Chairman, and will visit the 
Lahad Datu estates in which he is also interested. 
When Mr. Daly visited the Lvinabatangan in 
ISM be reported the gold was said to exist in 
the River Maluar. Hadji Dowd, the head man 
at Tatuoy, informs us lie obtained heavy gold 
from the main river bed just above the junction 
of the Maluar, and the red gravel in the river 
bank at Tamoy contains fine gold — both in small 
quantity. 
The news from Lincabo seed pearl banks is 
very satisfactory. The Bajows stopped work to 
allow the spirits to be propitiated by the Sherif ; 
this was done with much ceremony and the re- 
sult wai (?) that after a few weeks seed pearl 
shells from the size of a cent to that of a dollar 
were found on the banks. A large crop is anti- 
cipated. 
Mr. Wise got a record bag of snipe — six couple 
— early in October on the Papar padi fields. 
From Taritipan estate we have received a very- 
pretty sample of Arabian coffee, grown at an 
elevation of 300 feet and under light shade. It, 
is a small bean, but close, and of a good colour. 
We are informed that the crop is setting well 
and in good bunches, and that the trees are 
under two years old. This confirms our belief 
that the temperature in British North Borneo 
differs from Ceylon in being cooler at any given 
elevation and Arabian coffee planters will not 
require to plant at a great altitude or far from 
the sea. 
Captain Barnett had occasion to visit the 
slopes of Kinabalu in July, and of one spot 
called Sayap Pohon he writes. "It is a most 
fertile stretch of country situated About 3,000 
feet above the sea level, prolific with fruit 
trees ; there must have been some 2,000 coconuts 
alone. With very little difficulty a road could 
be constructed to its centre which would bring 
it within six hours side of Abai." 
A new clearing is being made for the plant- 
ing of gambier near the Sebooga River, ad- 
joining the Telegraph trace, by a Syndicate 
of Sandakan Chinese. — B. N. B Herald. 
PLANTING IN CENTRAL AFRICA. 
Although it is only between three and four 
years ago that Mr. Johnston was appointed first 
Administrator of what is now known as British 
Central Africa, the country around Lake Nyasa 
had been for many years occupied by both 
missionaries and traders — for the most part from 
Scotland — who had sown the seed which now 
under Mr. Johnston's skilful watering, is bear- 
ing such excellent fruit. When the history of 
British enterprise in Central Africa comes to 
be written, full justice will doubtless be done 
to the excellent pioneer work of the rarious 
missionary societies and of the African Lakes 
Company ; but it is impossible to read Mr. John- 
ston's report without realising that the introdu- 
ction of a central government and a regular 
administrative system has been an unmixed 
blessing to the country. 
The Eastern portions of British Central Africa 
may be roughly described as consisting "of an 
elevated plateau, broken here and there by the 
valleys oi large rivers, or accentuated by occasional 
heaths and elevated mountain ranges, rising to yet 
greater heights than the aveuige altitude of the 
plateau." This plateau, or. rail or, scries of pla- 
teaux, constitutes more than two-thirds of the 
area of the country, and Mr. Johnston tells us that 
for six months out of the year the temperature is 
delightful, though above a.uOOfeet the cold isaptto 
be somewhat trying. The lake and river system is 
described by Mr. Johnston in considerable detail, 
and the rainfall is illustrated by one of the excellent 
series of maps which accompany the report. Into 
