Dec.  r,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
387 
Expexdituee.  I 
1st  year.— Opening  and  planting  300  ac.  21,050 
2nd. — Do  do  300  ae. 
Weeding  and  upkeep  300  ae.  25,300 
3td. — Opening  and  planting  300  ac. 
Weeding  and  upkeep  600  ac.  31,000 
4th.— Opening  and  planting  300  ac. 
Weeding  and  upkeep  900  ac. 
Plant  for  dealing  with  coffee  43.900 
5th.— Felling  and  planting  300 
Cultivating 
6th. — Cutivating 
300  at  §60 
300  at  ,,  20 
COO  at,,  15  43,0(10 
000  at  ,.  60 
600  at  „ 25 
300  at  ,,  15  and  pulp- 
ing houses,  &c.  61,000 
7 th— 
900  at  „ 60 
600  at  ,,  25 
09,000 
S.h. — 
1,200  at  ,,  00 
300  at  „ 25 
79,500 
9 th.— 
1,500  at  „ 70 
105,000 
10th— 
1,500  at  „ 80 
120,000 
Total 
602,350 
STATEMENT  OF  EXPENDIT0BE  AND  BETDBNS. 
Cr.  or  Dr. 
Year.  Yield 
Receipts.. 
Expend. 
Balance. 
1 
... 
21,005 
— 21,050 
2 
25,300 
— 46,350 
3 
• •• 
... 
31,6C0 
— 77,950 
4 
... 
43,900 
— 121,850 
5 
900  cwt. 
23,400 
43,000 
— 141,450 
6 
2,700 
70,200 
64,000 
— 135,250 
7 
5,100 
132,000 
69,000 
— 71,650 
8 
7,500 
195,000 
79,500 
+ 43,850 
9 
9,900 
257,400 
105,000 
+ 196,260 
10 
11,400 
296,400 
120,000 
+ 370,650 
Yield  calculated  at  3 cwt.  fifth  year  ; 6 cwt.  sixth 
year;  8 cwt.  afterwards.  Produce  78s  in  London,  at 
3s=$26  per  cwt. 
This  table  shews  that  $140,000  is  required  to 
bring  into  beariing  1,500  acres  of  Liberian  Coffee. 
No  return  is  taken  until  the  fifth  year.  By  the  end 
of  the  eighth  year  the  whole  expenditure  on  the  pro- 
perty is  recovered  and  a profit  of  $43,850  left.  The 
expenditure  is  liberal,  and  sthe  estimate  of  returns 
moderate,  and  I consider  the  table  to  be  a safe  estimate, 
under  ordinary  circumstances  with  good  management 
and  Indian  labour.— 5.  F.  Press,  Oct,  31. 
[Mr.  Watson’s  proposal  is  in  direct  violation  of  all 
the  principles  of  political  economy.  The  business 
of  Government  is  to  provide  all  possible  facilities 
of  communication  and  for  the  provision  of  labour, 
but  certainly  not  to  plant  estates  in  order  to  sell 
them.  How  could  ordinary  planters  meet  such 
competition  ? Mr,  Watson  is  not  right  about  fresh 
coffee  seed,  too  ; for  seed  was  imported  from  various 
countries,  including  Liberia,  into  Ceylon,  and  the 
seedlings  were  scaroely  above  ground  when  they  were 
attacked  by  leaf  disease.— Ed.  T.A  ] 
BAMBOO  AND  ITS  USES. 
A museum,  and  neither  a small  nor  an  uninterest- 
ing one,  might  well  be  formed  for  the  single 
purpose  of  illustrating  the  innumerable  and  varied 
uses  to  which  the  Bamboo  is  put.  Exterminate  the 
Bamboo,  and  the  poor  Chinaman  is  deprived  of  his 
big  sun  hat,  and  the  wealthier  Chinaman  of  the  soles 
of  bis  shoes.  And  although  as  a rule  one  associates 
the  Bamboo  chiefly  with  the  Chinese,  yet  it  is  hardly, 
if  at  all,  less  important  to  the  natives  of  India,  the 
Malays,  the  Dyaks  of  Borneo  and  the  Japanese. 
The  gracefulness  and  beauty  of  its  growth  render 
it  one  of  the  happiest  subjects  of  the  Japanese 
artist.  And  in  a Japanese  landscape  what  fitter  frame 
to  a view  of  the  Peerless  Mountain  could  be  im- 
agined than  a cluster  of  slender  bamboos  gracefully 
arching  the  foreground.  Without  Bamboo  how  many 
screens,  fans,  and  vases  would  present  only  a blank 
surface.  Even  many  a Kensington  drawing-room 
would  be  deprived  of  much  of  its  decoration,  and 
perhaps  even  of  some  of  its  furniture. 
The  Chinese  cultivate  it  in  plantations.  They 
have  a method  of  keeping  the  shoots  cut  down  close 
to  the  ground  for  three  years,  not  allowing  them  to 
grow  till  the  fourth.  These  young  shoots  are  boiled 
and  eaten,  as  most  writers  say,  ‘ like  asparagus.’ 
But  besides  serving  as  fresh  vegetables,  these  shoots 
are  preserved  by  different  methods,  being  either 
candied  or  pickled.  One  of  the  medicines  of  Chinese 
physicians  called  tabachir  is  extracted  from  the  Bam- 
boo, being  developed  from  a fluid  secreted  in  the 
joints.  But  if  the  wonderful  property  claimed  for 
the  leaves  acted  as  it  ought,  there  would  be  no  need 
for  any  more  medicine.  A charm  against  sickness 
or  misfortune  has  only  to  be  written  on  a Bamboo 
leaf  which  is  to  be  burned  and  the  ashes  drunk 
mixed  with  tea.  Whilst  we  are  speaking  of  it  as 
food  and  medicine,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  it  i3 
applied  more  directly  and  externally  in  the  form  of 
bastinado  to  offenders  of  the  law,  a form  of  Bamboo 
Chow-chow  which  has  been  the  last  meal  of  many  a 
poor  wretch  who  has  perhaps  also  found  in  Bamboo 
the  staff  of  a miserable  life. 
In  some  places  Bamboo  forms  the  only  material 
in  the  construction  of  a house.  The  framework 
consists  of  poles  lashed  together  with  long  strips  of 
the  outer  fibre,  the  thatch  is  of  the  leaves,  and  the 
walls  of  matting,  while  for  the  floor  the  largest  poles 
are  split  into  narrow  strips.  This  is  the  case  in 
Borneo  where  also  the  same  material  is  used  for 
the  construction  of  pathways  round  the  faces  of 
precipices,  and  of  bridges  spanning  the  gorges.  Some 
of  these  native  bridges  are  formed  of  a single  Bam- 
boo for  a footway  and  a smaller  one  for  a handrail, — • 
truly  the  very  simplification  of  a bridge.  The  tobacco 
pipe  of  these  bridge-builders  is  a kind  of  large 
hubble-bubble  formed  of  the  same  material  as  their 
houses  and  bridges. 
More  than  thirteen  centuries  ago,  in  the  year  550, 
a small  hollow  bamboo  cane  (so  it  is  said ) formed 
the  packing  case  in  which  the  first  silkworms  eggs 
were  smuggled  from  China  to  Constantinople  by  two 
Persian  monks  in  the  service  of  the  Emperor  Jus- 
tinian. 
Some  of  the  oldest  Chinese  books  consisted  simply 
of  strips  of  Bamboo  pared  thin,  upon  which  the 
writing  was  scratched.  And  to-day  paper  is  made 
from  the  interior  part  of  the  stem  beaten  into  a 
pulp.  From  this  paper  the  thick  sole  of  the  Chinese 
shoes,  previously  spoken  of,  are  made.  From  the 
fibre  is  made  a very  light  material  which  not  only 
the  Chinaman  but  the  foreign  resident  uses  for 
summer  clothing,  the  difference  only  being  in  the 
fashion  of  the  garments. 
The  rain-coats  which  in  wet  weather  make  the 
coolies,  and  the  sampan  and  jinricksha-men  look  like 
strange,  big,  bedraggled  birds,  are  made  simply  of 
dried  Bamboo  leaves.  Its  use  is  as  frequent  afloat 
as  ashore.  Strong  ropes  and  cables  are  made  from 
the  fibre,  and  masts  from  [the  poles.  The  shavings 
are  used  to  stuff  pillows  and  beds  with,  and  the 
leaves  serve  as  bedding  for  cattle.  One  species  has 
so  hardj  a surface  that  it  can  be  used  for  a whetstone. 
On  the  busy  wharves  where  steamers  load  or  dis- 
charge the  weight  of  heavy  loads  is  distributed 
amongst  a dozen  or  more  coolies  by  an  ingenious 
but  simple  arrangement  of  bamboo  poles.  In  the 
same  way  large  blocks  of  stone  or  granite  are  trans- 
ported as  rapidly  as  one  can  walk.  Indeed  the 
almost  universal  method  of  carrying  burdens  in  China 
is  to  suspend  them  from  either  end  of  a bamboo 
carried  across  the  shoulder.  In  this  way  pigs,  poultry, 
and  vegetables  go  to  market,  and  in  this  way  too 
the  hawker  and  itinerant  restaurant  transport  their 
stalls. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  prettiest  and  certainly  one  of 
the  simplest  forms  it  takes  is  in  the  manufacture  of 
a Japanese  fan.  A piece  of  bamboo  about  a foot 
long  with  a point  in  the  middle  is  taken.  One  half 
of  this  forms  the  handle.  The  other  half  is  split 
down  to  the  point  into  numerous  fine  strips,  which 
being  spread  out  form  the  framework  of  the  fan 
