THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  i,  1892. 
536 
floor  prepared  from  plantain  and  banana,  many  varie- 
ties of  which  flourish  in  every  nook  and  corner  of 
the  oonntry.  Some  fine  collection  of  purified  oils  was 
sent  in,  but,  as  the  Judges  remarked,  the  value  of  those 
collections  would  have  been  greatly  enhanced  if  their 
medioinal  properties  had  also  been  indicated  on  the 
labels.  The  gums  and  resine  of  Travanoore  were  poorly 
represented,  though  there  are  countless  varieties  of 
them  in  our  extensive  forests.  Some  excellent  carpets, 
jamkals  aDd  grass  mats  were  also  on  view.  The  cotton 
checks  sent  from  Cottayam,  Qnilon  and  Nagercoil  were 
very  fine.  The  Mulagamood  tiles  and  drain  pipes  sent 
by  the  Very  Rev.  Father  A«  Victor  were  much  admired 
and  a model  of  the|Quilon  tile  factory  gained  a special 
prize.  The  newly  started  Paper  Mills  of  Poonuloor 
contributed  a representative  collection  of  various  kinds 
of  papers  manufactured  there.  If  improved  machinery 
and  larger  capital  could  only  be  secured  by 
that  Company,  the  inexhaustible  paper  mater- 
rials  of  Travanoore  could  supply  all  the 
paper-markets  of  Southern  India.  Tanned  hides 
of  superior  quality  were  sent  in  by  Messrs. 
Marse  and  Co.  and  B.  John  ; but  the  prizes  awarded 
were,  as  the  Judges  themselves  remarked,  dispropor- 
tionately low,  as  the  industry  of  tanning  which  is  at 
present  very  little  known  in  the  country,  deserves 
encouragement.  Speoial  prizes  were  awarded  for  a 
set  of  harness.  Some  exquisite  specimens  of  lace  and 
embroidery  were  sent  in  by  the  Nagercoil  andNeyoor 
Missions  and  the  Trevandrum  and  Quilon  Convents. 
The  first  prize  for  needle  work  was  oarried  off  by 
Miss  Eliza  Rodriguez.  Some  of  the  carvings  in  ivory 
and  cooonut  shells  were  specially  good.  Photographs 
in  opal  glass  and  bromide  enlargements  of  Mr.  L. 
D’Cruz  deserve  high  praise,  and  so  also  does  his 
ingenious  hand  organ.  It  was  disappointing  that  the 
extensive  coir  matting  manufacture,  for  which  Tra- 
vanoore is  carrying  a high  name  in  other  countries, 
and  whioh  brings  such  vast  wealth  to  her  people, 
was  so  miserably  represented.  Some  Travanoore 
muslins  of  delicate  texture  and  gold  lace  and  embroi- 
deries must  not  be  forgotten . 
Passing  on  to  machinery  it  is  to  be  regretted  that 
the  excellent  models  of  English  ploughs  shown  at 
the  last  Exhibition  have  not  been  adopted  by  the 
ryots.  Mr.  J.  Csrtner  was  awarded  the  first  prize 
under  this  head.  Wonderful  skill  and  ingenuity 
were  shown  by  some  of  the  native  blacksmiths  in 
Travanoore  who  produced  excellent  locks  in  imitation 
of  Chubb’s  locks,  one  of  which  was  rivetted  to  a tiny  box 
made  out  of  an  eggshell.  The  head  maistry  of  the  D. 
P.  W.  workshop  exhibited  a model  of  a fire  engine 
and  a garden  fountain.  The  prize  of  R50  offered 
for  a churn  was  not  awarded,  as  the  specimens 
exhibited  were  considered  by  the  judges  as  not 
up  to  the  mark.  A weaving  loom  started  by  the 
newly  established  firm  at  Cottayam  and  shown  in 
operation  attracted  great  crowds  and  fully  deserved 
the  speoial  prize  of  R40  awarded  it.  Dr,  H.  P.  White 
earned  a prize  for  a splendid  dog  cart  built  under 
his  supervision.  Mention  may  also  be  made  of  a 
working  model  of  a horizontal  side  valve  engine  and 
vertical  boiler  by  a Travanoore  artisan,  and  last  but 
not  least  of  the  many  interesting  artioles  on  view 
was  t n enormous  block  of  pure  plumbago,  weighing  j 
of  a too,  exhibited  by  the  enterprising  firm  of  Messrs. 
Parry  aud  Co.,  who  recently  started  the  new  industry 
of  plumbago  mining  in  Travanoore,  and  who  have  sunk 
a large  capital  in  the  conoern.  Extensive  fields  of 
plumbago  have  been  discovered  by  that  firm  near 
Trevandrum,  and  they  afford  occupation  to  quite  an 
army  of  workmen,  both  sons  of  the  soil  and  experi- 
enced Cingalese  miners.  A special  prize  of  forty  1 upees 
was  awarded  tor  their  exhibit. 
All  yesterday  and  today  thousands  of  sightseers 
have  been  flocking  into  the  Exhibition  buildings  apd 
returned  home  with  minds  enlarged  and  stocked  with 
information  and  with  useful  hints,  the  leaven  of  which 
will,  we  hope,  will  leaven  the  national  mind  and 
result  in  lasting  good  to  the  country.  All  honour 
therefore  to  the  liberal-minded  Maharajah  and  his 
Government  who  have  provided  this  method  of  edu- 
cating the  people,  and  to  the  Exhibition  Committee 
and  especially  to  their  Secretary,  Mr.  H.  S.  FergusoD, 
for  tbe  tact,  energy  and  zeal  which  have  made  the 
Travanoore  Agricultural  Exhibition  of  1892  a grand 
success  it  has  undoubtedly  proved  to  be. — M.  Mail. 
NOTES  ON  PRODUCE  AND  FINANCE. 
A New  Fibre  Company.— Under  the  title  of  the 
British  aud  East  India  Fibre  Company,  Limited, 
a new  company  has  just  been  registered  with  a 
capital  of  £75,000,  in  £1  shares.  Object. — To  carry 
on  iu  all  its  branches  the  business  of  manufac- 
turers and  dealers  in  fibrous  and  textile  materials 
and  substances  of  every  description ; and  to  acquire, 
sell,  license,  or  deal  with  patents  or  inventions 
relating  to  the  preparation  or  manufacture  of  textile 
or  fibrous  materials.  The  first  subscribers,  who  take 
one  share  each,  are : — T.  H.  Warland,  St.  Mary’s 
Lodge,  Catford ; W.  J.  Tomey,  24,  Granard  Road, 
Wandsworth,  S.W.;  H.  J.  Rumball,  16,  Ruvignay 
Gardens,  Putney;  J.  H.  Coulson,  76,  Oakley  Road, 
Canonbury;  H.  A,  Pullen,  21,  Great  James’s  Street, 
W.C.  ; W.  M.  Fmnis,  76,  Lausaune  Road,  Hornsey, 
N.  ; T.  B.  Liley,  68  Sandmere  Road,  Claph&m. 
The  Adulteration  of  Coffee  in  Canada.— Tbe  art 
of  blending  rubbish  with  coffee  is  practised  with  much 
success  in  Canada.  A Toronto  paper  says: — “The 
manufacturers  of  sophisticated  coffee  do  not  by  aDy 
means  confine  themselves  to  the  use  of  obicory.  Roasted 
peas  and  grain  are  also  ground  in  with  and  sold  as  part 
of  the  resulting  ‘ compound.’  There  are,  moreover, 
large  quantities  of  a substance  imported  under  tbe  name 
of  ‘ essence  of  coffee  ’ for  adulterating  purposes,  which 
is  a species  of  burnt  sugar,  and  from  its  containing 
dextrin  is  probably  made  from  some  of  the  bye-pro- 
duota  of  the  glucose  factories.  It  costs  in  New  York 
and  Philadelphia  from  3o  to  5c.  per  lb.  As  it  possesses 
no  organic  structure  it  is  apt  to  be  overlooked  in  the 
microscopical  examination.  It  contains  about  75  per 
cent,  of  matter  soluble  in  water  which  has  great  colour- 
ing power  and  a little  of  it  is  capable  of  imparting  a 
strong  brown  coffee  colour  to  water.” — H.  and  C.  Mail, 
Aug  5th. 
SPRING  VALLEY  COFFEE  COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
Directors: — John  Brown, Esq.  (Managing  Director), 
Edward  Conder,  Esq.,  Leon  Famin,  Esq.,  Henry 
Hart  Potts,  Esq. 
The  following  is  from  the  report  of  the  directors : — 
crop  1890-91. 
In  last  year’s  report,  shareholders  were  informed 
that  the  coffee  crop  of  the  above  season  was  esti- 
mated at  3,400  ewis.,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  tbe 
actual  weight  sold  in  London  amounted  to  3,464 
cwts.  3 qrs.  21  lb.  This  crop,  inclusive  of  inferior 
coffee  sold  in  Ceylon,  realised  £17,237  4s  8d,  the 
average  selling  price  in  London  being  98s  5d,  as 
compared  with  102s  4d  per  cwt.  obtained  for  crop 
1889-90. 
The  yield  of  tea  on  Spring  Valley  amounted  to 
156,866  lb,  the  estimate  in  last  report  being 
160,000  lb,  and  this,  together  with  57,328  lb, 
bought  from  neighbouring  estates  and  manufactured 
at  Spring  Valley,  sold  for  £9,556  9s,  or  au  average 
of  10Jd  per  lb.,  the  average  selling  price  last  year 
being  llid  per  lb. 
Oolsnakande  Estate  produced  21,205  lb.  of  tea, 
which  realised  £848  Is  lid  and  brought  an  average 
of  9Jd  per  lb.  as  against  9fd  per  lb.  last  year. 
Cinchona  bark  to  the  extent  of  13,556  lb.  was  also 
sold  for  £120  7s  lOd  the  average  selling  price  being 
2fd  per  lb.  or  Jd.  per  lb.  under  last  year’s  average. 
Tbe  total  proceeds  from  tbe  sale  of  produce 
amounted  to  £27,762  3s  5.1  and  deducting  from  this 
the  total  expenditure  in  Ceylon  and  London,  there 
remains  a profit  of  £7,297  2s  4.1  on  the  year’s  working. 
To  this  has  to  be  added  the  sum  of  £58  12s.  4d. 
brought  forward  from  last  year,  making  a total  of 
£7,355  14s.  8d.  at  the  credit  of  profit  and  loss. 
