Sept,  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
203 
equally  well-snited  for  the  cultivation  of  half  a dozen 
different  plants,  and  we  believe  that  experience  will 
prove  that  the  cultivation  of  fourcroya  gigantea,  its 
latest  new  product,  will  be  found  not  the  leist 
profitable  of  is  many  agricultural  enterprises 
— Indian  Planters'  Gazette , July  23. 
[If  they  have  machinery  in  the  Wynaad  which 
will  profitably  prepare  the  fibre  of  the  green  aloe, 
they  have  succeeded  whore  Ceylon  planters  have 
failed. — Ed.  T.A-] 
Waterproofing  Walls. — In  order  to  prevent  water 
and  rain  p rmeating  walls  and  masonary,  a foreign 
oontemporary  recommends  the  following  : — The  in- 
terior surface  of  the  wall  is  covered  witha  solution 
of  soap  ; after  leaving  twenty-four  hours  coat  of 
alum  solution  is  applied  and  the  process  repaatrd. 
— Chemical  Trade  Journal. 
Is  Coffee  a Disinfectant  ?— At  the  ordinary 
moetiug  of  the  St.  George  the  Martyr  Vestry,  held 
at  the  Vestry  Hall,  Borough  Road,  some  discussion 
took  place  in  reference  to  the  disinfecting  of  the 
parish.  Dr.  Waldo,  the  medical  officer,  s'ated  that 
for  some  years  past  the  chemicals  used  by  the 
Vestry  for  disinfecting  purposes  had  cost  abmt 
£80  a year  and  he  was  of  opinion  that  the  money 
was  well  spent,  and  that  the  preient  system  should 
be  continued.  Mr.  Hennesy  asked  the  doctor 
whether  he  had  ever  heard  of,  or  tried,  the  plan 
of  disinfecting  ly  means  of  coffee.  The  system 
was  very  popular  in  Asiatic  oouotries,  and  was 
considered  to  be  very  effectual  as  a disinfectant. 
Dr.  Waldo  said  ha  had  travelled  very  considerably 
in  Oriental  countries  and  ha  l heard  of  the  pro 
cess,  but  had  never  seen  it  in  operation. 
He  was  of  opinion  that  it  might  act  as  a deodorant 
but  he  certainly  did  not  think  it  could  in  any 
degree  be  regarded  as  a disinfectant,  aud  therefore 
he  could  not  advocate  its  use  as  such — Chemist 
and  ruggist,  July  16th. 
The  Oriental  Bank  Estates  Co.,  Ld. — 
The  Chairman’s  speech  at  the  annuil  general 
meeting  of  this  company,  held  on  27th  July,  is 
given  on  our  last  page,  and  will  be  read  with  in- 
terest in  Ceylon.  It  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  Crichton 
denounced  as  utterly  baseless  the  oft  repeated 
statement  that  Ceylon  profits  paid  for  losses  in 
Mauritius;  nor,  on  the  other  hand,  did  he 
believe  that  the  management  of  Ceylon  tea  estates 
was  more  expensive  than  that  of  other  eatatas. 
The  suggestion  to  appoint  a practical  Ceylon  man 
to  the  board  of  management  was,  it  will  be 
notioed,  negatived.  The  Financial  News  of  28th 
Ju'y  has  the  following  remarks  on  the  meeting:  — 
After  all  the  misfortunes  which  have  lately  berallen 
the  colony  of  Mauritius,  in  the  shape  of  smallpox, 
a hurricane  of  unexampled  severity,  the  failure  of 
the  New  Oriental  Bank  (whose  troubles,  by  the  way, 
did  not  originate  there),  and  the  general  jeremiad 
raised  by  the  holders  of  securities  of  all  classes  in 
the  island,  it  is  refreshing  to  find  that  at  least  one 
important  concern,  having  very  large  interests  at 
stake,  is  able  to  take  a cheerful  view  of  the  position. 
The  Oriental  Bank  Estates  Company,  Limited  — a report 
of  whose  annual  meeting  will  be  found  in  another 
column— possesses  large  estates  in  Ceylon,  as  well 
as  in  Mauritius;  and  the  directors,  while  prudently 
declining  to  pay  a dividend  out  of  profits,  in  face 
of  the  damage  caused  to  their  property  in  the  latter 
island  by  the  cyclone,  were  able  to  assure  their 
shareholders  that,  so  far  from  their  sugar  business 
being  carried  on  at  the  expense  of  the  Ceylon  tea 
branch,  as  was  suggested,  the  net  profit  made  in 
Mauritius  during  the  past  year  was  over  R3,00,000, 
and  the  yield  of  all  the  estates  was  improving. 
We  trust  that  other  Mauritius  land  and  produce 
companies  \yill  be  able  to  shovy  as  good  a record. 
THE  OIL  SEED  CROPS  OF  INDIA 
are  only  second  in  importance  to  graiD,  and  their 
contribution  to  the  commerce  of  the  country  i3 
very  great.  They  are  the  subjeot  of  a memoran- 
dum which  we  have  received  from  the  Revenue 
and  Agricultural  Department  of  the  Government 
of  India,  in  whioh  the  effects  of  the  weather  and 
the  prospects  of  the  season  are  dealt  with.  It 
is  stated  that  “ the  present  memorandum  deals 
with  linseed,  rapeseed  and  mustard,  the  principal 
oilseeds  harvested  at  the  same  time  as  wheat. 
For  the  reasons  stated  in  the  memorandum  of 
last  year  rapeseed  and  mustard  are  shown  together.” 
It  is  added  in  a note:—'1  For  Bengal,  the  statistics 
given  are  for  all  the  oilseeds  grown  in  the  Province, 
as  it  has  not  been  found  possible  to  separate  the 
figures  of  linseed,  rapeseed,  aud  mustard,  which 
are  the  principal  oilseeds,  from  those  of  castor, 
sesamum,  and  a few  others  of  less  importance 
which,  however,  oover  but  a comparatively  small 
area.” 
Area  and  Outium.  — Excludiug  Bengal,  the  figures 
for  which  are  given  separately,  the  totals  of  area  and 
outturn  are  shown  below  : — 
Average  of 
1891-92.  1890-91.  last  five 
years. 
Area  (acres)  ...  16,936,400  17,169,200  16,895,660 
Outturn  ( tons)..  976,400  892,200  953,700 
The  area  is  thus  slightly  below  last  year’s,  but  a 
little  above  the  normal,  while  the  outturn  shows  a large 
increase  as  compared  with  both  the  normal  aud  last 
year’s.  This  is  due  to.  the  superiority  of  the  “mixed” 
crops  in  the  North-Western  Provinces  and  Oudh  and 
satiafact  Ty  yields  in  the  Central  Provinces  and  Berar. 
The  Pncjrb,  Sind  and  the  “pure”  crop  in  the  North- 
Western  Provinces  show  diminished  outturns. 
Export  Tra  le. — The  export  trade  in  oil  seeds,  though 
flnotuatiug,  has  been  of  considerable  importance  for 
several  years,  as  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that 
tlie  exports  of  oilseeds  of  all  kin  Is  as  compared  with 
wheat  are  valued  at  1,001  50  and  732'45  lakhs  of 
rupees  respective1}7.  Thes  : figures  represent  the  aver- 
age of  the  ten  5 ears  ending  1890-9L.  The  value  of  the 
total  exports  of  grain  aud  pulse  for  the  same  period  was 
2,104'45  lakhs  of  rupees. 
The  greater  part  of  the  oilseeds  exported  comprise 
linseed  and  rapeseed.  Taking  the  figures  for  the  past 
five  years,  the  percentages  which  linseed  and  rape  in- 
cluding mustard  exported  boar  to  the  total  seeds  ex- 
ports are  : — 
Linseed  ...  ...  52T7 
Rape  and  mustard  ..  17  02 
As  remarked  last  year,  broadly  sp  >aking,  the  linseed 
trade  belongs  to  Calcutta,  while  rape  and  mustard  are 
exported  ebiefly  fr.  m Bombay.  The  consignments  go 
in  the  largest  quantities  to  the  United  Kingdom,  France, 
Belgium  and  itie  United  States.  In  1891-92  Germany 
received  a large  share  of  rape.  The  period  of  active 
trade  is  from  March  to  July  inclusive. 
There  is  also  a considerable  Inter-Provincial  Trade. 
It  is  added  that 
As  is  well  known  from  the  reports  on  external  trade, 
the  despatches  of  vegetable  oils  as  compared  with  the 
foreign  exports  of  seed,  nre  insignificant.  The  oil 
chiefly  exported  is  castor,  which  goes  principally  from 
Calcutta  fo-  lubrication  of  machinery.  Small  quanti- 
ties of  o 1 expressed  from  coconuts,  groundnuts  and 
“ other  ” oilseeds  are  also  exported,  but  most  00m- 
monly  the  oil  locally  expressed  is  U3nd  for  culinary  or 
illuminating  purposes,  the  remaining  seed  or  ‘ cake  ’ 
being  used  for  feeding  cattle,  and  occasionally  for  manu- 
rial  purposes. 
The  inter-provincial  trade  in  vegetable  oils  is  not  ex- 
tensive, and  presents  anomalies  difficult  to  explain. 
Thus,  as  pointed  o:it  many  years  ago  iu  the  oxtemal 
trade  reviews,  castor  seed  is  exported  from  Madras  to 
Calcutta  to  be  made  into  oil  iu  the  latter  plaoe.  The 
inland  trade  returns  also  seem  to  show  that  mustard 
seed  sent  to  Calcutta  from  Assam  is  returned  to  that 
province  as  oil, 
