628 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[March i, 1895. 
heard one complaint of unattractive labels and general 
get-up, points in which the American packers still, 
except in a few cases, far excel the Australian. New 
Zealand lambs' tongues have also come into great 
favour in Ceylon. For tinned meats generally, 
and for delicacies in particular, the island affords 
undoubtedly a good market. 
Some Australian butter is also imported in 
tins and jars. One large firm takes all its supplies 
from the Newcastle district of New South Wales. 
However, there is competition from several quarters 
in the butter trade. First, there is the tinned butter 
from Europe. Next, there are several dairies on the 
tea plantations accessible to the railway lines ; on 
these, cows are kept for the sake of the manure, and 
the butter, of excellent quality, is sent by mil into 
the Colombo market twice a week, most of it being 
taken, stored, and retailed by the local ice company. 
Thirdly, the native plan of making small quantities 
of fresh butter for each meal simply by shaking up 
cream in a stoppered bottle suffices in Ceylon, as 
throughout India, for the requirements of many house- 
holds ; the system is inexpensive, and the article is 
by no means unpalatable. Fourthly and lastly, within 
the past year considerable quantities of fresh butter 
from Bombay have entered the Colombo market. 
This is a new and, in a measure, a startling deve- 
lopment of Hindu enterprise. The milk from the 
cows owned by the native farmers on the plains of 
Gujernot is collected, sent by rail during the com- 
paratively cool night time to Bombay, and there 
seperated by modern machinery and converted into 
butter. This article now dominates the Colombo 
market by reason of its cheapness. Moreover, Indian 
butter is not subject to the vicissitudes and heavy 
risks of exchange. The trade is carried on in rupees, 
while every fall in that coin means a higher retail 
price for the Australian article. 
Cheese from Melbourne has done fairly well in 
Colombo. There is a market for a smali quantity 
of fresh fruit — grapes, apples, and pears more par- 
ticularly, but the island grows fine fruits of its 
own, and consumption of the imported article must 
always, by reason of its cost, be restricted to the 
handful of Europeans in the island. Australian 
dried fruits have taken splendidly. One merchant 
complained of shortness of supplies ; he could sell 
double the supplies he can secure, and hopes Mil- 
dura will be able to meet his requirements. Jams, 
mostly from Adelaide and Tasmania, have also a 
ready, large, and rapidly increasing sale. The same 
remark applies to honey from Victoria Valley, Dun- 
keld Victoria, which is a most attractively-prepared 
article both as to the contents and outwards appear- 
ance of the tins. All these goods I saw on sale in 
the stores at Colombo. Australian wine, at first slow 
to take is now coming steadily into demand. Ten 
years ago every planter in Ceylon drank beer; now, 
malt liquor is almost wholly discarded in favour of 
whisky. The full-bodied Australian claret, however, 
suits the taste of the planter excellently well, and 
the retail price of 10 rupees per case of twelve bot- 
tles is low enough to capture the market. The wines 
of the Talumba vineyard, South Australia, especially 
seem to have become known in the island. 
Altogether, the prospects of opening up a general 
Australian produce trade with Ceylon of considerable 
volume are hopeful. It has to be remembered that 
the island Was never so prosperous as it is at the 
present moment. Within ten years the tea exports 
have risen from a few millions to nearly ninety mil- 
lion pounds per annum. Money is plentiful, and the 
European population is willing to spend goodly sums 
on taole delicacies. It may be mentioned that all 
tinned meats, jams, <fec, pay a duty of 6£ per cent., 
and wines a duty of 25 per cent. The heaviness of 
the freight, however, from Australia to Colombo ap« 
pears to be the great drawback. Only the mail 
steamers call at Colombo, and their rates are fox- 
some classes of good prohibitive. Thus, I was told 
by one merchant that he could retail any quantity 
of Australian potatoes at 10 rupees per cwt. or over 
£10 per ton, but the £3 per ton freight demanded 
renders the trade impossible. " So we have just to 
cut up with the trash from India," concluded my in- 
formant. Similarly, Bombay freight is but a fraction 
of Australian freight, bo that great quantities of pro- 
duce enter Ceylon from Western ludia. The »nip- 
ping problem is, of course, a difficult one, tor it its 
certain a direct service to Cevlon alone would never 
pay. Still, something might "be done to secure more 
reasouabl rates from the mail-carrying companies. 
In Colombo, I heard in two different quarters com- 
plaints against Australian firms as to carelessness 
and delay in answering letters and even in execu- 
ting orders. This petty cause of reproach, surely, 
should never have got the chance of making itself 
heard. The lax firmc should remember that their 
individual failings tend to damage the business re- 
putation of the colonies. 
Only one further point in Connection with Ceylon 
strikes me. but it is one of interest to Australian 
exporters. With a view to push their industry as a 
whole, the Ceylon tea planters submit to a self- 
imposed tax of 10 cents on every 100 lb of tea ex- 
ported. This is collected by the Government in ac- 
cordance with an Act passed at the request of the 
tea-growers. But during the past year the planters 
have got the consent of the Government to double 
the tax. By this levy a sum of £10,000 per annum 
is available for the purpose of pushing the Ceylon 
tea trade. The money is to be devoted for the present 
to exploiting the American markets, and two com- 
missioners selected jointly by the Government and 
by the planters are on the eve of starting for the 
United States with full powers to distribute samples, 
advertise, interview importing firms, and generally 
endeavour to popularise Ceylon tea. It appears to 
me that the frozen meat industry in Australia might be 
put on a much more extended basis if a similar fund 
were available. — Australasian Pastoralieti' lierieic. 
VARIOUS PLANTING NOTES. 
Mexican Onyx. — Mexican onyx has suffered a gra- 
dual decline in value for many vears past. It is ge- 
nerally becoming known that Mexican onyx is not 
true onyx, but a species of marble. It is really an ar- 
ragonite, and is composed of calcium, oxide of iron, 
and magnesium. The presence of these last two ele- 
ments gives it its beautiful colour. It wax used by the 
ancient Mexicans for masks, idols, and similar small 
objects. — Public Opinion. 
Toxs ok Caterpillars. — Thirty-six tons of cater- 
pillars and a large number of cocoons were destroyed 
in the effort to drive the pest from the young plan- 
tations of trees on Hongkong Island. They appeared 
on the pine trees with which the Government is try- 
ing to reafforest the island, and lasted for two months. 
Stations were established where the caterpillars were 
rece ved and paid for by weight ; this method seems 
to have been successful. It is estimated that 35.000,000 
insects were killed. — Ibid. 
Manuring Fruit Trees.— Old fruit trees need the 
ni'st assistance from manurial applications. Of 
chemical manures slow decomposing kinds are best 
applied in the autumn and winter. A mixture of 
bone-meal and kainit may be spread over the roots 
at the rate of 3 ozs. to the square yard, lightly 
pointed the surface first to admit of it being washed 
in equally. Good farmyard manure partly decom- 
posed and laid under the spread of the branches 3 
inches thick soon has its virtues washed into the soil. 
It also naturally attracts the roots to the surface. 
Fruit trees ought not to be too freely manured be- 
fore they begin to bear, therefore young trees that 
are growing vigorously in good soil should not at 
present be further stimulated at the roots. For such 
trees a mulching in the summer suffices, this con- 
serving the moisture in the surface soil and keeping 
the roots from descending too low. By these means 
the fibrous character of the roots is retained, fruit 
buds soon form and fruitfulness ensues, while at 
the same time adequate wood growth for extension 
is produced. When in full clearing condition the 
health a ad fertility of the trees must be maintained 
by periodical surface dressings.— Journal of Sortkul' 
tare , Jan. 10, 
