496 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. i, 1895. 
COFFEE IN MEXICO. 
In 1893 the United States imported from Mexic o 
25,417,152 pounds of coffee, or more than twelve 
times the imports of 1873; four times those of 1878 ; 
three times greater than in 1863, and nearly double 
the imports of 1S88. That is a growth full of promise 
for the future. 
Mr. Allan Black, an ex-coffee planter of Ceylon, 
has given considerable attention to the cultivation 
of coffee in Mexico. In an article contributed to the 
Inter-State, Grocer, he says : — 
" Foreign enterprise receives all necessary en- 
couragement and protection of the Government of 
Mexico, and not only American but English capi- 
talists are putting their money into coffee and 
other products of the soil. The development of 
tropical agriculture is assuming very wonderful 
proportions. There are at present several well 
established companies now operating on the 
mus lands, such as the ' Mexican Gulf Agricul- 
tural Company,' the 1 Mexican .Land Improvement 
Company,, the 'American Coffee Land Company, 
etc. The Mexican Land Improvement Company, of 
which Mr. Louis Kunz is manager, assures us that 
one of their largest tracts, of some 13,000 acres has 
been all sold, and many houses, coffee and fruit clear- 
ings are now well advanced, and that 1,500 acres will 
be planted in coffee during the season. The settlers 
on these lands are all well satisfied with their in est- 
ments. They have had some hardships to endure, of 
course ; where are they not to be found ? but severe 
weather has not been one of them, nor ill health an- 
other. The climate of the isthmus is all that can be 
desired, being only 113 miles from the Pacific Ocean to 
the Gulf of Mexico ; a sea breeze is continually felt, 
which undoubtedly is not only the cause of the fine 
appearance of the natives, but of the settlers resid- 
ing in that section of the country. In conclusion, 
I would say that the key to the situation of success 
in the raising of coffee and other tropical productions 
in Mexico is sufficient capital to carry on every 
Work systematically, and a practical knowledge of all 
the requirements of the plantations from the time 
of forming the nurseries to the proper manipulation 
of the berry and bean in all its stages of picking, 
pulping and curing so that it will command the 
prices in gold, not only in the market of America, 
but Europe." 

CINCHONA AND QUININE. 
London, December 20th. 
The Imports into the United States from 1st January 
to 3Uth September hare been : — 
1894 1893 
Cinchona Bark 2,191,686 lb 1,917,5861b 
Quinine 1,931, 154 oz 2,395,314 oz 
The Shipments of Bark from Java duriug November 
were 890,000 Amst. lb. 
The Public Sales in London were, held on 11th instant, 
when a total of 2,479 packages were offered ; the quality 
was mostly poor, and a considerable portion of the Ceylon 
sold below Id per lb. The demand was dull and prices 
ruled in buyers' favour. The average value of the unit 
was id to |d per lb. 
On the 13th instant the large supply of 8,224 packages 
Java was offered at auction in Amsterdam, but only half 
sold at lower rates. The average value of the unit was 
quoted 2-80 cents per ± kilo (slightly over Jdperlb.) against 
3"50 cents at the November sale. 
In Quinine scarcely any business is reported during the 
past month. German on the spot Is quoted ll^d per oz. 
Stock of Quinine 1st December 2,840,816 oz. 
The present value of British Sulphate of Quinine (How- 
ards') in bottle is Is 4d to Is 5cl per oz. against Is 2d to 
Is 3d per oz last year. 
The present value of German Sulphate of Quinine (best 
ma.ks) on th espot is ll^d per oz. 
C, M. & C. VVOODHOUSE. 
THE BARKING OF THE MANGROVE. 
Sometime ago it was announced that an applica- 
tion had been made to the Ceylon Government by 
Mr. G. B. Murray for the exclusive right of col- 
lecting the bark of the mangrove growing on crown 
land, and it being understood that the Government 
are about to grant this concession on certain terms, a 
representation by Ji lin F. Peieia, Customs and Fisher 
Mudaliyar and the following tanners: W. D. Car olio, 
H. T. Perera, G. P. Perera, and A. T. Anuidcn has 
we believe, been foiwaidcd to Government throuth 
the Hon. W. W. Mitchell, pointing out that tr.e 
grant of such an exclusive concession is sure to affect 
two very important native industries, viz.. (1) the 
fishing industiy and (2) the tanning industry. As 
regards the fishing industry it is tinted that the 
hark of the mangrove is used very largely for the 
purpose of dyeing the nets. Unless this is done, the 
fishers say, the nets are liable to speedy 
decay. The peculiar colour imparted to the nets by 
dyeing them with mangtove juice also renders them 
less liable to the notice of the fish. Throughout 
the maritime provinces of the island, there are 
nearly 50,000 fisher people, and it is said that their 
interests will be seriously prejudiced by the grant- 
ing of this concession. 
As regards the tanning industry, in which hundreds 
of the native population are em ployed, the bark of 
the mangrove is largely used lor tanning and 
curing hides. The statement is: — 
" The hark i6 obtained thu3. The inhabitants of 
the districts where the tree grows obtain licences 
for which they pay to bark it where it grows on 
crown land. Having barked and prepared the laik, 
they sell it to people who go to the villages for the 
purpose of procuring it. These in their turn bring 
and sell it to the fishers and proprietors of tanneries. 
It is noted that the applicat ion is to be granted for 
barking mangrove on crown land in a district of 
the Island to be hereafter determined. 
" It is submitted that the tree doe6 not prow every- 
where but only in cert ain districts, If the district 
where it grows mostly is brought under the opera- 
tion of this concession, then iheie will te ncthirg 
left to find tLe native industries heie. As a matter 
of fact the tree not being cultivated fcr tiade pur- 
poses, but being onlv left to nentsrecus gicwtb in 
the whole island, ther e is really only baldly btfn- 
cient bark to be obtaiue d — just to meet the incustries 
of this island. If it is allowed to te expoited as 
proposed to be done, the industri es of this island ere 
sure to suffer." 
THE FARM SCHOOL, REDHILL, SURREY. 
(From an ex-Ceylon planter in London.) 
Towards the end of last century Howard's 
" State of Prisons " called attention to the treat- 
ment of criminals in England. In 1788 the Phil- 
anthropic Society was stalled for the reform- 
ation of juvenile erim inals. After being; built 
out of different suburbs of London the So- 
ciety in 1847 purchased 260 acres of land at 
Earlswood near Redhill, where they are now 
established. 
One afternoon. I called at the office, and asked 
for Mr. Trevarthen, the Secretary, who kindly 
consented to show- me the school. There are five 
houses each containing sixty boys. I was taken 
first to "the nursery." In the class-room there 
were about sixty boys betw een 12 and 14 — bright, 
happy-looking little fellows. They all looked up 
in hopes of catching the Secretary's eye, who is 
evidently a great favourite. The dormitories are 
all nea,t and plain, much like an ordinary barrack- 
room, and thoroughly ventilated. " What do 
you think of the boj s " ? I was asked. I could 
only say that they looked very honest. "Young 
thieves every one of them," was the reply. 
" Surely not that boy near the door, " a boy 
who had a beautiful face, full of simple honesty. 
I was shown his history afterwards. Before he 
was 13 he had been repeatedly convicted of theft ; 
and now was passing his five years at the Farm 
School. 
We then saw the cattle-sheds full of fine cows 
which were being milked by the boys. The milk 
is at once passed through a separator, the cream 
