July  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
The  destruction  of  this  pest  is  extremely  simple, 
but  from  the  persistence  with  which  impregnated 
females  seek  the  spots  that  contained  former  nests, 
an  equal  persistence  and  careful  watching  is  needed 
to  keep  the  ground  clear.  Where  cultivation  is  con- 
ducted in  proximity  to  a large  area  of  forest  lands 
the  matter  becomes  a very  difficult  one  indeed,  for 
not  only  have  the  local  nests  to  be  destroyed  but  also 
those  in  the  distant  woodlands,  and  especially  _ the 
large  nests,  a raid  from  which  will  frequently  do  irre- 
parable damage  to  a plantation  in  a single  night. 
There  are  many  methods  in  use  for  compassing  their 
destruction,  the  most  common  being  that  of  digging 
out  and  puddling  with  water.  Some  forms  of  destruc- 
tion are  suitable  for  one  locality  and  some  for  an- 
other. Where  a constant  watch  for  new  nests  is 
regularly  kept,  as  at  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens, 
they  do  not  become  of  any  great  size  before  they 
are  discovered,  and  a dose  of  coal  tar  poured 
into  their  nest  effectually  disposes  of  them, 
once  and  for  all  at  that  particular  spot,  as 
they  never  again  return  where  coal  tar  has  once  been 
applied.  Other  nests  can  be  best  attacked  by 
using  the  fumes  of  sulphur  driven  in  by  bellows  or 
fan.  A handy  machine  lately  introduced,  known  as 
the  “ Asphyxiator,”  can  be  used  with  sulphur  or  any 
other  chemical  producing  deadly  fumes.  These  ants 
will,  when  on  raid  from  a large  nest,  make  a track 
10  or  12  inches  wide  (from  which  every  portion  of 
herbage  is  carefully  cut  away)  for  the  purpose  of 
carrying  home  t©  the  nest  the  leaves  they  cut  from 
the  trees,  and  several  large  trees  are  often  completely 
cleared  of  leaves  and  flowers  in  the  space  of  a single 
night.  Each  ant  is  able  to  carry  a piece  of  leaf  half 
an  inch  in  diameter,  and  hold  it  in  its  mandibles 
above  its  head,  resembling  when  on  the  march  the 
sails  of  a fleet  of  liliputian  schooners  dipping  and 
swaying  to  the  wind.  Belt,  in  the  Naturalist  in 
Nicaragua,  studied  these  insects  and  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  leaf  is  not  used  primarily  for  food, 
but  is  chewed  up,  and  placed  in  a position  where  the 
mycelium  of  certain  fungi  at  once  attack  it,  and  form 
food  for  the  ants  and  their  larvae.  Certain  it  is,  that 
a peculiar  mycelium  is  found  permeatiug  the  inside 
of  every  nest,  and  gives  to  it  a peculiar  odour  of  its 
own,  which  once  recognized,  is  again  easily  distin- 
guished. 
Plant  lice  and  wood  ants  are  mentioned,  and  what 
ought  surely  never  to  be  allowed  to  infest  culti- 
vated trees,  loranthacecc,  cuscuta  or  dodder,  and 
orohids  ! But, — 
The  squirrel  is  a great  enemy  to  the  Cacao  planter, 
and  it  is  always  found  that  he  selects  the  best  class 
of  pods,  not  alone  on  account  of  the  thinness  of 
their  pods,  but  also  owing  to  the  greater  amount  of 
sweetness  that  the  pulp  of  the  Criollo  varieties  possess. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  in  some  instances  the 
Forastero  or  thick  podded  varieties  are  planted  instead 
of  the  finer  sorts,  and  the  same  argument  applies 
to  the  damages  done  by  rats  and  mice,  which  are 
lentiful  in  some  districts.  The  ratlike  opp' ssum, 
nown  locally  as  “ Manicou  Gros  Yeux,”  is  similarly 
credited  with  doing  much  damage  to  Cacao,  and  is 
invariably  destroyed  when  found,  on  that  account. 
There  is  a chapter  on  export  of  oacao,  value  of 
estates,  buildings  required,  labour  &c.  We  have 
already  Dotioed  that  Trinidad  exports  about  22 
millions  of  pounds  of  cacao  per  annum,  valued  at 
about  £600,000.  As  an  incentive  to  Trinidad 
planters  to  improve  their  culture,  Mr.  Hart  again 
reverts  to  the  example  set  by  Ceylon,  but  curiously 
contradicts  his  own  previous  utterance  — 
The  Ceylon  planter  has  succeeded  wonderfully 
well  in  obtaining  the  highest  price  in  the  market, 
but  it  is  questionable  whether  bis  Trinidad  confrere 
does  not  obtain  from  bis  Forastero  trees,  a better 
return  per  acre,  than  his  Ceylon  brother  does.  Prom 
Dr.  Trimen’s  Report  it  appears  almost  certain  that 
the  quality  of  the  bean  as  imported  from  Trinidad 
is  improved  by  Ceylon  culture.  Now  with  us  the 
better  the  bean  the  more  tender  the  tree,  and  the 
less  the  crop  we  obtain,  and  it  is  possible  that  the 
decrease  in  yield  and  vitality  of  the  tree,  will  also 
follow  the  improvement  of  the  bean  in  Ceylon. 
Cacao  estates  are  deemed  permanent  invesiments, 
the  trees  coming  into  bearing  in  their  ninth  year 
and  continuing  to  bear  for  periods  up  to  a oen- 
tury  : — 
I he  yield  per  tree  will  b9  ee^n  to  depend  entirely 
upon  the  quality  of  the  land,  the  Bize  of  the  trees 
an  1 various  other  attendant  circumstances,  but  is 
generally  considered  that  a yield  of  P6  11).  per  tree 
which  will  be  10  bags  of  165  lb.  each  to  1,000  trees, 
is  a first-class  yield,  5 bags  per  1,000  trees  or  0 8 lb. 
per  tree  would  be  considered  a poor  yield. 
Taking  our  trees  to  be  planted  at  15  feet  apart, 
there  will  be  193  .trees  per  acre  nominally  (of  course 
it  is  never  possible  to  maintain  this  regularity,  on 
account  of  roads,  drains,  &c.,  but  for  the  take  of 
method  in  the  estimate  we  accept  this  number)  and 
tbe  yield  p°r  acre  will  be  193  x 1‘6  lb.  = 308'8  lb.  which, 
valued  at  SO/  per  cwt  , will  produce  the  sum  of  £11 
per  acre.  Calculating  the  trees  at  12  feet  apart  we 
get  302  to  the  aore,  and  these  at  1-5  lb  per  tree,  the 
value  per  acre  would  be  £16  3a. 
Into  the  question  of  “ buildings  required  ” we 
need  not  enter,  as  we  suppose  Ceylon  planters 
have  little  or  nothing  to  learn  from  Trinidad  in 
that  respect,  while  the  conditions  of  labour  are 
essentially  different,  wages  in  Trinidad  varying  from 
21  to  60  cents  of  a dollar  per  diem  or  over  60  to 
160  oents  of  our  currency.  The  chapter  on  chemi- 
cal composition  and  manufacture  of  chocolate  are 
not  possessed  of  much  popular  interest.  We  there- 
fore make  only  one  quotation  : — 
From  tbe  fact  that  clean  fats  have  a remark- 
able affinity  for  the  volatile  or  essentia)  oils,  it  ap- 
pears probable  that  a large  pioportion  of  the  aroma 
of  chocolate  is  lo*t  by  tbe  removal  of  the  Cacao- 
butter,  and  this  fact  would  alone  account  for  the 
superiority  of  Ike  flavour  of  that  Oacao  in  which  the 
natural  fat  is  all  present,  ever  that  from  which  it 
has  been  removed.  Which  way  the  manufaotnrer  must 
make  it,  the  public  must  say,  but  tho  less  the  manu- 
facturer adulterates  a pure  article  the  better  as  a 
rule  will  he  please  the  public  and  the  better  are  ki3 
prospects  for  the  future  of  his  business. 
Here  our  notice  of  a very  valuable  work  desoriptiva 
of  the  culture  end  preparation  of  an  important, 
agreeable  and  nutritious  food  product  must  olose  ; 
and  we  feel  sure  our  readers  will  agreo  with  ns  that 
Mr,  Hart  Las  performed  his  task  of  preparing  a 
Handbook  of  Cacao  with  great  ability  and  dis- 
crimination, and  so  aa  to  render  planters  in 
Ceylon  as  well  as  in  Trinidad,  the  West  Indies 
generally  and  South  America  largely  his  debtors. 
THE  SAPPHIRE  AND  RUBY  MINING 
COMPANY  OF  MONTANA. 
It  was  but  natural  that  with  the  evidence  of 
failure  present  among  our  own  community  with 
respect  to  associated  gemming  enterprizes  wa 
should  take  an  interest  in  similar  UDdertakinsg 
started  to  work  in  quarters  outside  of  our  own 
island.  When  that  bearing  the  title  quoted  above 
was  started  strong  doubts  had  arisen  as  to  tho 
issue  to  our  own  local  speculation  of  the  same 
character,  and  we  can  now  realize  that  the  doubts 
we  then  expressed  as  to  the  amount  of  success 
which  would  attend  upon  the  application  by  its 
direction  for  public  subscription  towards  its  capital 
seems  to  have  been  fully  justified  by  the  result 
which  we  learn  from  the  report  of  a legal  case 
cited  in  our  London  Letter.  It  is  very  evident 
that  with  the  examples  of  the  Burma  Ruby  Mining 
Company  and  cur  own  multifarious  companies  of 
a like  description  before  it,  the  British  public  h ad 
become  exceedingly  shy  of  investing  in  matters  of 
the  kind.  From  this  case  we  oan  ^realize  the  shift 
to  whioh  the  promoters  of  Montana  Company 
| were  driven  in  the  attempt  to  raise,  in  the  faceq 
