386 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  i,  1892. 
Wattle  ]3arl<s.—  The  Australian  aoacias  or  wattles 
introduced  iu  the  hills  many  years  ago  hare  firmly 
established  themselves,  but  nothing  seems  to  be  done, 
as  in  Australia,  in  collecting  the  bark  as  a commercial 
article.  It  is  true  that  the  common  forms  of  wattle 
(A.  melanoxylon  and  A.  delabata)  are  more  plentiful 
on  the  hills  than  these  species — A.  decurrens  and  A. 
jjycnantha—  which  yield  rich  tanning  barks,  but 
wherever  the  better  species  have  been  planted 
they  have  grown  vigorously  acd  will,  and  the  bark 
is  equally  rich  in  tannin  as  that  from  trees 
growing  in  Australia.  The  price  of  good  wattle 
bark  is  £10  per  ton  in  the  English  market,  and 
the  market  is  eupplie  i exclusively  from  Australia.  A 
sample  of  bark  from  some  Acacia  decurrens  grown  on 
the  Nilgiris  was  forwarded  a few  months  ago  to 
London  for  valuation.  The  reply  stated  that  ihe 
sample  of  bark  was  in  good  condition  and  rich  in 
tannin,  but  as  buyers  wern  in  the  habit  of  procuring 
their  ba  k from  a certain  country,  in  regular  quan- 
tities, there  would  be  a prejudice  m receiving  it  from 
a new  source  such  as  the  East  Indies,  and  there  is 
nothing  to  guarantee  Iheir  reejiving  a regular  supply 
of  the  same  quality.  Tanners  do  not  like  changing 
the  materials  they  employ,  and  English  and  Conti- 
nental firms  after  obtaining  wattle  barks  from  the 
Australian  Colonies  for  nearly  a century  are  apt  to 
look  with  suspicion  upon  other  wattle  barks.  I have 
obtaiced  the  following  rosul's  in  analysing  the  barks 
of  the  Nilgiri  grown  acacias  : — 
A.  pycnantha 
A.  decurrens 
A.  melanoxylon 
A.  dealbata 
33'8  per  cent,  tannin. 
33  4 „ 
28  6 „ 
17-8  „ 
The  sjmples  of  pycnantha  and  decurrens  were  from 
a private  estate  near  Dodabettn.  The  melanoxjlon 
Was  from  a gcod  sized  tree  after  it  had  been  cut  up  in 
logs  for  firewood,  and  represents  the  strength  of  the 
bark  found  on  the  majority  of  the  fuel  used  in  Ootaea- 
mund.  The  dealbata  was  a fresh  sample  from  some 
young  bushes  of  the  very  common  yellow-flowering 
Bpecies.  All  these  have  an  astring' nt  principle  of  the 
same  chemical  characteristics,  which  I feel  assured  is 
the  same  ss  that  found  in  the  trees  grown  iu  their  own 
native  oountry.  I have  also  made  extracts  or  “tan- 
nage” from  these  barks,  preparations  which  hold  the 
virtues  in  a concentrated  form,  and  mnch  better  than 
the  crude  bark  for  exporting.  There  is  a good  market 
in  Europe  for  well  prepared  wattle  bark  extract,  and 
the  demand  has  been  on  the  increase  during  the  last 
few  years.— M.  Mail,  Nov.  4. 
^ — 
GOVERNMENT  PLANTATIONS  IN  SELANGOR. 
A memorandum  for  establishing  Government 
Plantations  in  Selangor  has  been  drawn  up  by  Mr. 
E.  A.  Watson  and  appears  in  the  last  Gazette. 
estimates  of  expenditure  have  been  drawn  up,  of 
which  we  append  the  totals. 
The  State  of  Selangor  contains  a very  large  area 
of  virgin  forest  suited  to  the  cultivation  of  tropical 
products,  especially  coffee,  which  will  not  only 
yield  large  profits  to  the  investors,  but  will  be  a 
source  of  steady  and  permanent  revenue  to  the 
State.  Coffee,  however,  is  comparatively  a long 
time  in  bringing  in  a return,  which  to  a great  ex- 
tent makes  capitalists,  especially  those  knowing 
nothing  of  its  cultivation,  hesitate  before  venturing 
on  what  they  consider  to  be  a risky  investment, 
whereas  they  might  not  hesitate  to  purchase  at  a 
good  price  an  estate  in  bearing  shewing  good  re- 
turns. Unless  the  State  takes  an  active  lead  in  the 
matter,  I am  afraid  it  will  be  a long  time  before 
planting  will  take  the  prominent  place  it  should. 
At  present  the  State  is  chiefly  dependent  upon 
tin  for  its  revenue,  and  at  the  present  rate  at  which 
thefte  alluvial  deposits  a,re  being  worked  it  is  only, 
in  my  opinion,  a question  of  time  for  the  large  tin 
fields  to  be  exhaused.  Should  the  Government  com- 
mence planting  operations  on  a comparatively  large 
pcale,  I believe  that  in  the  course  of  a few  years  all 
the  fine  upland  grounds  in  the  State  will  be  con- 
verted into  flourishing  coffee  districts,  and  the 
Government  would  never  have  any  difficulty  in  getting 
any  plantations  taken  off  their  hands  at  a good  profit; 
the  value  of  the  remaining  forest  land  would  also  be 
considerably  enhanced.  With  carefully  kept  Govern- 
ment books  recording  expenditure  and  returns  on  the 
different  estates,  capitalists  would  have  little 
hesitation  in  investing,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
they  would  be  cautiouB  in  accepting  figures  given  by 
private  individuals,  especially  as  the  Government 
need  never  be  anxious  to  part  with  their  estates. 
The  labour  and  other  conditions  are  so  different 
from  Ceylon  and  other  Planting  countries,  that  if 
planters  do  not  fail  entirely,  the  amount  of  money 
they  throw  away  is  so  considerable  that  they,  and 
others  who  may  have  joined  in  the  venture,  get 
disheartened,  and  the  State  gets  a bad  name  as 
regards  planting  prospects. 
I would  suggest  that  a district  be  selected,  and  that 
the  land  be  cut  up  into  blocks,  one  mile  long  by 
half  a mile  wide,  giving  an  area  of  320  acres  to  each, 
and  if  possible  every  block  should  have  a river 
frontage  as,  for  coffee,  water  and  especially  water 
power  is  of  great  importance,  and  does  not  seem  to 
have  received  sufficient  attention  in  the  estates  al- 
ready opened  up.  When  the  land  is  blocked  out, 
I would  recommend  that  in  the  meanwhile  only  al- 
ternate blocks  be  granted  to  planters,  the  Govern- 
ment reserving  each  alternate  block ; and,  when  all 
the  available  land  in  the  district  is  taken  up,  it 
might  then  be  advisable,  should  planters  apply  for 
these  reserved  blocks,  to  put  up  annually  a certain 
number  at  public  auction,  as,  if  the  district  is  a 
flourishing  one,  planters  would  not  hesitate  to  pay 
$50  an  acre  for  good  land  adjoining  their  own  pro- 
oerty  when  no  other  land  is  available  close  by. 
1 would  recommend  that  on  all  main  ridges  ou  the 
mountain  ranges  a Government  reserve  of,  say,  10 
chains  he  kept  on  each  side  ; this  does  not  apply  to 
spurs  brai  clrng  iff  the  main  range. 
When  the  land  is  blocked  out,  applicants  might  be 
allowed  to  take  up  any  block,  excepting  those  reserved, 
on  the  usual  terms  and  pajiug  survey  fees. 
Should  any  individual  or  company  apply  for  the  pur- 
chase of  any  Government  Estate,  the  Government 
might  consider  the  proposal  and  sell  the  estate  on  re- 
ceiving, say,  not  lesa  than  25  per  cent  over  and  above 
what  the  property  has  cost  to  plmt  and  develop- 
This,  I think,  would  attract  capitalists,  who  might  be 
inclined  to  invest  in  a property  that  they  can  see  for 
themselves  is  an  assured  success  aud  bringing  in  im- 
mediate returns. 
A very  iportant  pomt,  and  one  on  which  the 
greatest  care  and  judgment  should  be  exercised,  is 
ti  e selection  of  seed  for  planting.  1 attribute  the 
hold  the  Hcmileia  vastatrix,  or  leaf  disease,  took 
on  the  cetfee  in  Oeylcn  due  to  a great  extent 
to  the  want  of  discretion  on  this  point,  as  year 
after  year  seed  was  taken  from  young  diseased 
trees,  instead  of  importirg  good  seed  from  picked 
trees  from  other  countries  ; and  in  proof  of  this,  I 
can  say,  from  practical  experience  in  OeyloD,  that 
old  coffee  in  other  districts  stood  the  disease  tnd 
gave  better  crops  thsn  the  youDg  coffee  in  the  newer 
districts;  and  from  personal  experience  in  the  Straits 
I can  6tate  that  seed  imported  from  Liberia  has 
alwajs  produced  a superior  olaes  of  trie  of  that  ob- 
tained locally. 
When  one  district  is  fairly  started,  the  Govern- 
ment could  then  take  up  others.  In  fact,  the  Plant- 
ing Department  would  practically  prospect  the  land, 
and  the  intending  investor  would  merely  have  to  get 
a block  plan,  at  a email  cost,  from  the  Survey  De- 
partment and  go  over  any  block  marked  out,  which 
he  could  take  up  on  the  usual  terms. 
1 consider  that,  should  this  or  some  similar  scheme 
be  taken  up  by  the  Government,  the  State  of  SelaDgor 
will  in  the  course  of  a few  years  be  a very  flourish- 
ing planting  country. 
I herewith  enclose  very  carefully  drawn  out  esti- 
mates of  expenditure  and  returns  for  Liberian  cof- 
fee, which  I think  will  be  found  to  he  pretty 
accurate. 
