August  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
”5 
For  collecting  ordinary  dried  insects  the  following 
will  be  sufficient : — 
Four  ounces  of  cyanide  of  potassium. 
A pint  bottle  full  of  dry  plaster  of  Paris. 
One  pound  of  camphor  (or  better  naphthaline.) 
A couple  of  wide-mouthed  bottles  with  corks. 
Three  yards  of  mosquito  net. 
A few  pieces  of  cane  and  bamboo. 
Some  small  tin  boxes. 
A packet  of  thin  white  brown  paper. 
A pair  of  forceps. 
A needle  and  thread. 
A ball  of  string. 
A yard  or  two  of  mulmul. 
A pocket  knife. 
If  larvae  and  other  soft  bodied  insects  are  to  be 
collected ; the  following  should  be  added : — 
One  quart  of  strong  spirit  (or  better  pure  alcohol.) 
Some  empty  bottles  with  corks. 
A little  wax  for  closing  bottles. 
If  very  small  insects  are  to  be  collected,  the  fol- 
lowing should  also  be  provided : — - 
Two  or  three  sheets  of  fine  cardboard. 
Two  or  three  packets  of  small  pins. 
An  ounce  of  gum  arabic 
Small  cardboard  boxes  of  various  sizes. 
Hough  Collecting. — The  above  list  contains  all  that 
is  likely  to  be  wanted  by  a collector ; but  a great 
deal  can  be  done  with  very  much  simpler  meterials  ; 
for  instance,  when  other  apparatus  is  not  at  hand, 
any  insect  can  be  killed  and  preserved  by  dropping 
it  alive  into  a bottle  of  alcohol  (or  even  whisky), 
though  its  colours  will  always  be  more  or  less  da- 
maged in  the  process,  and  it  will  consequently  not 
make  a good  cabinet  specimen  afterwards. — Indian 
Agrictdturi.it. 
<> 
COFFEE  IN  SIAM. 
It  ought  to  be  apparent  to  those  who  watch  the 
signs  of  the  times  that  coffee  cultivation  in  Siam  is 
likely  to  prove  a very  profitable  speculation  for  those 
who  make  a venture  in  that  direction.  We  do  not 
wish  it  to  be  understood  that  such  an  undertaking 
will  prove  a success  if  any  of  our  Siamese  friends 
make  the  essay  of  planting  coffee  by  deputing  some- 
one else  to  see  it  done  in  the  manner  that  is  so  often 
adopted  in  this  country.  No.  But  to  make  a suc- 
cess of  an  industry  which  has  yielded  enormous  pro- 
fits in  other  parts  of  the  world  notably  in  Ceylon, 
the  whole  matter  should  be  taken  up  in  a perfectly 
business-like  manner  and  the  management  put  under 
the  control  of  those  who  have  undoubted  experience 
of  planting  in  all  its  branches,  and  the  management 
of  that  very  important  factor  to  success  in  planting 
enterprises — labour. 
We  are  induced  to  revert  to  this  subject  by  a Price- 
current  of  Messrs  Rucker  and  Bencraft  which  we 
have  before  us.  This  so  completely  bears  out  every- 
thing we  have  written  about  the  position  of  coffee 
in  the  home  market,  that  we  cannot  do  better  than 
point  out  the  figures  which  must  at  once  strike  the 
attention  of  an  investor.  The  Brazil  crop  which 
was  estimated  as  the  largest  ever  known  has  only 
so  far  turned  out  some  400,000  bags  more  than  the 
crop  of  1888/89  and  the  present  stock  in  London  is 
actually  less  by  111,000  bags  than  it  was  in  1889. 
Then  let  us  look  at  the  market.  In  former  years, 
when  Ceylon  and  India  exported  freely,  the  difference 
between  the  two  qualities  ranged  from  10/  to  15/ 
per  cwt.,  and  when  it  rose  to  20  it  was  apparent 
that  either  Rio  must  rise,  or  Ceylon  fall,  at  least  5/, 
to  place  them  in  their  normal  position. 
But  at  the  present  moment,  when  good  well-cured 
coffee  is  scarce,  Brazil  is  selling  at  06/  to  72/,  whilst 
middling  Plantation  Ceylon  is  fetching  104/  to  105/. 
The  Central  American  bean,  which  is  cleaned  and 
cured  like  Ceylon  plantation,  is  quoted  higher  even 
than  Ceylon;  Costa  Rica  108/,  Honduras  110/,  these 
being  localities  where  the  plantations  are  yet  young 
and  where  the  leaf  disease  is  unknown  Siam  holds 
out  the  prospect  of  producing  coffee  under  the  same 
conditions  and  commanding  similar  values.  In  this 
connect  ion  it  is  worthy  of  notice  that  the  stock  in 
London  only  a month  ago  is  put  down  at  some  6,039 
tons  against  12,106  in  1890  and  10,454  in  1888.  From 
all  this  we  may  see  that  what  proves  the  rule  in  all 
other  markets  for  agricultural  produce  is  reproduced 
in  that  for  coffee — the  superior  kinds  (superior  only 
by  preparation)  always  command  a good  price,  whilst 
the  lower-qualities  produced  in  large  bulk  are  forced 
down  to  a low  level.  Brazil  may  produce  millions 
of  tons  of  coffee,  but  until  she  prepares  it  properly 
the  value  will  never  approach  that'  of  Ceylon — and 
we  may  add  Siam  too  if  she  follows  Ceylon  methods. 
Events  prove  that  we  have  been  correct  in  our  for- 
mer utterances  with  regard  to  the  cultivation  of 
coffee  in  Siam,  and  we  again  repeat  that  from  all 
present  indications  coffee  is  far  and  away  the  best- 
paying cultivation  of  the  present  day. — Bangkok  Times. 
ARABIAN  AND  LIBERIAN  COFFEE  IN 
THE  STRAITS. 
Sir, — It  may  interest  your  numerous  planting 
readers  to  hear  yet  another  opinion  on  soils  and  pros- 
pects of  coffee  in  the  Straits.  I therefore  give 
mine  for  what  it  may  be  worth.  The  grounds  on 
which  I venture  an  opinion  are  that  I have  seen 
soils  and  growth  of  coffee  in  all  stages  and  under 
similar  constitutions  in  both  Selangor  and  Perak. 
I refer  more  particularly  to  Weld’s  Hill  in  Selangor, 
and  Kamuning  and  Waterloo  in  Perak,  the  two  for- 
mer being  Liberian  and  the  latter  Arabian. 
It  is  not  my  intention  to  institute  comparisons  ; 
it  would  serve  no  purpose  and  might  be  misleading, 
as  I have  reason  to  believe  some  of  the  reports 
made  by  Ceylon  visitors  (unintentionally  no  doubt) 
are  ; and  in  this  connection  I would  take  the  liberty 
of  remarking  that  Ceylon  visitors  looking  out  for 
land  would  do  well  to  abstain  in  the  press  from 
slanging  the  Native  State  Governments  for  supposed 
illiberal  regulations,  and  go  in  rather  for  suggestions 
for  any  reasonable  desired  concessions. 
Weld’s  Hill  and  Kamuning  have  equally  fine  Li- 
berian coffee,  and  it  would  be  rather  bold  to  say 
that  the  soil  or  the  growth  of  one  is  better  than 
the  other;  both  to  my  mind  are  equally  encourag- 
ing ; the  only  difference  1 would  romark  on  is  that 
one  is  planted  closer  than  the  other,  perhaps  too 
close  considering  the  luxuriant  growth.  Comparison 
of  crops  there  is  as  yet  none ; for,  though  we  have 
the  return  of  “ average  per  acre  for  4 years  in  full 
bearing”  (nearly  9 cwt.)  from  Weld’s  Hill,  we  have 
none  from  Kamuning,  and  all  I can  therefore  say 
more  on  this  point  is  that,  judging  by  crop  appear- 
ances, 1 shall  be  much  surprised  if  the  average  of 
the  latter  is  lower.  Both  are  at  a very  low  eleva- 
tion— not  over  200  feet— not  much  difference  in  distance 
(30  to  40  miles)  from  the  sea,  and  both  are  probably 
equally  protected  from  the  little  wind  that  blows. 
The  future  alone  can  decide  which  is  the  best  State 
to  plant  in.  I am  confident  any  opinion  now  on 
that  point  is  premature. 
So  much  for  Liberian — now  for  Arabian.  Here 
there  is  no  ground  at  all  for  comparison  even  if 
it  was  advisable  to  make  it,  as  the  only  coffee  of 
that  jat  to  my  knowledge,  is  on  Waterloo  ; there 
you  have  nothing  else,  tf  a few  old  Liberian  trees 
(of  wonderful  growth  and  laden  with  crop)  at  1,800 
feet  round  the  bungalow  are  excepted.  The  history 
of  this  estate  is,  in  short,  that  it  was  opened, 
planted,  and  neglected ; it  is  evident,  however,  by 
the  size  of  the  stumps  that  the  bushes  had  a vig- 
orous growth  ; and  I am  assured  it  was  nothing  but 
neglect  that  brought  about  the  “ shuck  ” condition 
the  estate  was  in  when  the  present  proprietor  took 
it  over.  Since  then,  in  response  to  liberal  treat- 
ment, it  has  given  good  paying  crops,  and  the  re- 
sult of  efforts  to  resuscitate  this  badly-treated  coffee 
are  sufficient  to  warrant  the  hope  that,  without  any 
excessive  cost,  it  can  be  restored  to  good  health  and 
usefulness. 
But  it  is  of  the  younger  coffee,  150  acres  between 
two  and  three  years  old,  planted  by  the  present 
owners,  that  I want  particularly  to  speak  of  as 
