Tune i, 1895.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
IN A TROPICAL FOREST.* 
Mr. Rodway was unable to dicover a single wind- 
fertilised tree in all the Guiana forest; so that all 
would have remained barren but for the intermedia- 
tion of insects. And even to secure this, the plant has 
had to resort to many ingenious devices, frequently 
involving an important modification of structure. 
A remarkable phenomenon is observable in con- 
nection with the fragrance of the flowers 
in these tropical forests, and that is that 
their perfume is distilled at certain times, 
and then only for short periods, this intermittent 
distillation being almost general in the white flowers 
of the tropics. It occurs almost to the minute, 
and this appears to coincide with the period when 
the fertilising agent — be it bee or butterfly — is on the 
wing. What is the explanation? Mr. Rodway tells 
us that " the flower can only be fertilised by a parti- 
cular kind of insect, and all its efforts are put forth 
when that insect is likely to be hovering around. 
Without the flowers the bee could not exist, and 
without the bee no seed would be pi-oduced." 
In one of the most striking chapters of the book, 
Mr. llodway reminds us that, of the five senses 
credited to animals, plants certainly possess three — 
feeling, taste, and smell — and their tactile sense is 
so exquisite that it compensates them for the ab- 
sence of vision, just as it does, to a considerable 
extent, in human beings who are unfortunately blind. 
Hoots are undoubtedly able to distinguish suitable 
from unsuitable food, and their sensitive tips go 
wandering in every direction, branching here and 
there, in search of proper aliment. As long as the 
soil is uncongenial they press forward, and only when 
a good feast is discovered do they throw out that 
broomlike mass of fibres so conspicuous on the banks 
of rivers and creeks.' Audit is the same when they 
are in quest of moisture. " In some c ises," observes 
Mr. Rodway, " it appears as if the roots smell the 
water at a distance, and move straight onwards until 
they reach it. Some ei iphytes that push their aerial 
roots down the trunks of trees in the forest, hang 
them quite free when above the water, only allowing 
them to branch out when they reach the surface." 
AVe speak of such acts a3 " instinctive " ; but this 
is only an epithet, and no explanation of them : and 
we should want a satisfactory definition of instinct 
before accepting it in this connection, especially as 
we find plants exercising something like judgment 
and discrimination Climbers, for example, in these 
tropical forests, " refuse to attach themselves to dead 
trees, and will have nothing to do with rotten 
sticks." IIow do they know that these will not 
afford them the stable support they require ? And, 
again, if a bough to which an orchid has attached 
itself begins to decay, the plant forthwith " throws 
out extensions in every direction to search for 
something better ; some of these attach them- 
selves to a living bough, perhaps several feet dis- 
tant, and the whole plant is moving off before 
its w< ft'c perch gives way. What is specially 
noticeable is the fact that it does not wait for the 
downfall, but ' takes time by the forelock.' " If a 
human being vacates a dilapidated hut before it 
tumbles about his ears, and removes to a safer habi- 
tation, we credit htm with reason and forethought, 
but what shall we say of the prevision and precau- 
tion of the orchid ? 
Then, again, the fruits of the tropics being pecu- 
liarly exposed to attack from hosts of ravenous insect 
eneni'es, have succeeded in protecting themselves by 
the thi kness o( their skins, which are impenetrable 
to anything smaller than hirdsor bats. "The orange 
family," observes Mr. Rodway, "have even gone fur- 
ther, and by means of bitter secretions and slinging 
essential oils have kept off all comers. Other fruits 
have not gone so far, Although many of them try 
their best, with thick >l<iiw impregnated with tannin, 
and in some easts poison ma milky juices, to preserve 
their edible seeds from destruction." — AifnlraleuiaL. 
\. 
«— ■ 
• An the (hiiUna boreal. —By Jamea Rodway, P.i .s., 
London : T. Fisher I'liwin. Melbourne : Melville. 
Miilhai, and Blade, 
1 
THE JOKAI (ASSAM) TEA COMPANY. 
Originally a purely Indian Company, its office was 
transferred to London in 1882. During the whole of 
its history it has been a steady absorber of neigh- 
bouring gardens, with the result that the cultivated 
area under its control has risen during the past ten 
years from 1,4(50 acres to 7,239, while the gross area 
of land it holds is as much as 35,5(58 acres. In the 
same time the outturn of tea has been increased 
from 295,000 to 3,137,000 1b. per annum. The rate 
of progress is shown in the following table : — 
Culti- 
Mature 
Outturn 
Divi- 
Year. 
vated 
area. 
of tea. 
dend. 
area. 
Acres. 
Acres. 
lb. 
% 
1883 
. . 1460 
295,(528 
4 
] 88 1 
.. 1(581 
1545 
600,064 
10 
1885 
. . 1847 
1722 
650,318 
10 
188(5 
. . 2072 
1766 
707.9S0 
10 
1887 
. . 2130 
1746 
791,727 
10 
18S8 
. . 4032 
3242 
2,135,177 
10 
1889 
. . . 509(i 
4408 
2,309,038 
10 
1890 
. . 5193 
4494 
2.298,115 
10 
1891 
. . 6588 
5405 
2,332,007 
10 
1892 
. . 6960 
5699 
2.389,783 
10 
1893 
. . 7239 
5800 
3,137,888 
10 
* Not 
stated in these yeais. 
Selling 
Cost of 
Net 
Yield 
Year. 
price 
production profit 
per 
per lb. 
per 11). 
per lb. 
acre. 
d. 
d. 
d. 
lb. 
1883 
. . 13 02 
11-95 
1-07 
# 
1884 
.. 1276 
1053 
2-23 
* 
1885 
. . 12-91 
1056 
2-35 
* 
188(5 
. . 11-89 
9-23 
2-66 
411 
1887 
.. 11-55 
8-52 
3-03 
456 
1888 
. . 9-59 
7-54 
2-05 
637 
1399 
. . 10-73 
S-58 
215 
563 
1S90 
. . 12-60 
9 46 
3-14 
525 
1891 
.. 10-77 
8-58 
219 
529 
1892 
. . 13-19 
10-65 
2-54 
445 
1893 
. . 10-30 
8-59 
1-71 
551 
While still a native Company it had to suspend 
dividends in 1878, 1879, and 1880, owing to the large 
area of unproductive plants, and in 1883 the Com- 
pany had only recently recovered from this state of 
congestion. Since then a good proportion of the 
money spent upon improvements has been placed 
to capital account, so that the Company is not re- 
latively so strong as the Jorehaut. Still, a great 
deal of the extension in planting, new machinery, 
and other additions, have been met out of re- 
venue ; and it must be borne in mind that the Com- 
pany is exceptionallv well equipped. No less than 
thirty miles of light railway, adequitelv furnished 
with locomotives, goods waggons, and other rolling 
stock, are upon its plantations, while considerable 
sums have been expended upon saw-mills, which 
turn out tea-boxes for all the needs of the Company 
and its neighbours. The tea-house at Tippuk is said 
to be the best of its kind in India, and altogether 
this Company, with its large acreage and outturn, 
is one of the most important in India. In 1893 no 
less thin 1,439 acres, or about 20 per cent of its 
cultivate.! area, were immature, nnd the Company has 
stopped extensions for the time. This should means 
that profits will rise, which is certainly needed, for the 
dividend of 10 per cent in 1893 was only paid after swal- 
lowing up £3,126 brought forward and taking £923 from 
reserve. The season, however, was stated to have been 
a bad one, which led to deterioration in quality and 
a consequently low selling price as will be seen in 
the table above. The Company will, however, have 
to pay interest upon £50,000 of six cent. Preference 
Shares recently issued. The Ordinary capital amounts 
to £250.000, in £10 shares, fully paid, and there is 
no mortgage or debenture debt. The reserve fund 
Stands at £41,330, but a good deal of it is composed 
of premiums on new shares. About £24,500 nominal 
of it is invested separately, but some £19,000 is re- 
presented bv rupee paper brought at a high price, 
and is now worth about £14,000. The capital, without 
including the new Preference Shares, represents £35 
per cultivated acre, which is low considering the 
