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THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
Feb.  i,  1893. 
ELEPHANTS  AND  IVORY. 
The  subjeot  cf  elephants  and  the  supply  of  ivory 
has  be?n  receiving  a good  deal  of  attention  of  late 
in  the  leading  English  papers.  Remarks  which 
had  b<=en  made  by  Capt.  Lugard  with  regard  to  the 
Afrioan  paohyderm  called  forth  an  appreciative 
letter  from  Mr.  Arnoldo  Girolamo  Povoleri,  f.z.s., 
in  which  he  gave  some  most  interesting  information 
and  pointed  out  a way  in  which  what  he  described 
as  "the  unnecessary  and  brutal  butchpry  of  vast 
herds  of  valuable,  inoffensive  and  tractable  animals 
which  takes  place  year  by  year  ” might  be  avoided. 
He  said 
“ The  African  animal  is  valued  in  his  native  land 
solely  for  the  sake  of  his  pair  of  tusks.  For  their 
ivory  alone  elephants  are  annually  slaughtered  in 
Africa  to  the  number  of  at  least  75,000  Since  an 
elephant’s  tusks,  which  are  solid,  can  be  cut  off  with 
a sharp  saw  without  causing  pain  to  the  animal,  and 
an  elephant  once  captured  by  the  methods  employed 
in  the  Government  Kheddahs  in  India  can  be  easily 
secured  for  this  process,  it  seems  to  me  that  the 
ivory  traders  would  gain  time,  save  labour,  and  avoid 
the  criminal  folly  of  exterminating  their  source  of 
revenue,  if  they  could  be  induced  to  resort  to  this 
more  humane  method  of  obtaining  ivory.  When  it 
is  remembered  that  reproduction  in  the  African 
elephant  does  not  commence  until  the  animal  is 
over  20  years  old,  and  that  the  period  of  gestation 
is  three  years,  and,  further,  that  the  female  elephant 
produces  but  one  calf  at  a time,  and  that  only  at 
rare  intervals,  it  will  at  once  be  seen  that  we  are 
well  within  measurable  distance  of  the  date  of  the 
annihilation  of  the  ‘ Ivory  King  ’ of  the  Dark 
Continent.” 
In  this  letter  the  Globe  saw  a further  argument 
for  the  retention  of  Uganda  and  said  that  by 
establishing  Kheddahs  and  adopting  the  methods 
suggested  by  Mr.  Povoleri  we  might  simultaneously 
preserve  the  sources  of  the  ivory-harvest,  and 
obtain  a means  of  transit,  which  will  be  almost  as 
efficient  as  a railway,  and  a good  deal  'ess  expen- 
sive. The  Standard  also  expressed  the  opinion 
that  the  taming  of  the  African  elephant  would  be 
one  of  the  most  important  steps  in  the  civilisation 
and  opening  up  of  Africa  which  could  possibly  be 
taken.  A correspondent  in  the  same  paper  was 
of  opinion  that  for  mo9t  practical  purposes  a 
smaller,  handier,  and  cheaper  animal  was  wanted. 
As  the  Afrioan  buffalo  is  tsetse  proof,  he  suggested 
it  was  worth  while  to  make  once  more  an  experi- 
ment with  his  Indian  congener,  and  find  cut 
whether  a domesticated  creature  so  useful  for 
draught  cannot  be  successfully  introduced  into 
Southern  and  Central  Africa.  If  it  could  be  done, 
Mr.  Ceoil  Rhodes  might  find  the  Indian  buflalo  of 
immense  service  in  the  development  of  Hashona- 
land,  and  it  might  go  far  to  settle  the  question  of 
Uganda. 
Another  correspondent  in  the  Standard  mentioned 
that  in  a Sheffield  trade  report  he  had  seen  it  stated 
that  the  scaroity  of  ivory  was  oausing  quiet  a stock- 
ing of  the  material  in  that  district.  In  one 
Sheffield  cellar  alone  was  ivory  to  the  value  of 
twenty  thousand  pounds,  and  it  was  further  stated 
that  the  annual  produce  of  eight  hundred  elephants 
was,  a few  years  sinoe,  required  by  one  firm  alone 
to  keep  them  supplied  with  ivory,  but  the  demand 
had  now  so  greatly  grown  that  they  required  no 
less  a quantity  than  the  tusks  of  one  thousand 
two  hundred  and  eighty  elephants  every  year. 
Referring  to  this  letter  Mr.  Povoleri  said 
it  might  be  worth  the  consideration  of  the  wealthy 
manufacturing  outlers  of  Sheffield  to  adopt  a sug- 
gestion which  h*  ventured  to  make — viz.,  that  they 
should  take  steps  to  Becure  tho  preservation  of 
the  Afrioan  elephant  by  purchasing  as  many  living 
specimens  of  the  animal  as  can  be  obtained  in 
Africa,  aid  conveying  them  either  to  Cape  Colony 
or  to  Algeria,  to  be  placed  upon  preserves  where 
their  safety  can  be  insured.  Thus  the  African  ele- 
phant and  the  ostrich  would  stand  side  by  side 
as  monuments  of  British  enterprise,  rescued  from 
exfinotion,  and  converted  into  va'uable  sources  of 
revenue  to  their  preservers.  The  ivory  oolleotors 
he  thought  would  probably  sell  a living  elephant 
for  very  little  more  than  they  now  require  in  pay- 
ment for  a single  pair  of  tusks.  A Mincing  Lane  ivory 
broker  in  an  interview  he  had  with  a representative 
of  Cassell's  Saturday  Journal  said  he  could  see 
no  indication  at  present  of  the  ivory  supply  failing. 
“Most  of  1 he  ivory  was  got  from  Africa,  and,  of  course, 
when  civilisation  spread  over  the  Dark  Continent, 
the  herds  of  wild  elephaDts  that  now  roam  in  the 
fores  s of  the  interior  would  be  annihilated.  That, 
however,  was  looking  along  way  ahead  ; meanwhile, 
the  extension  of  railways  would  enable  traders  to 
briDg  produce  more  readily  to  the  coast,  so  that 
for  a time  increasing  quantities  of  ivory  should 
come  into  the  market.  The  question  of  transport 
was  the  difficulty  at  present,  ivory  for  shipment 
haviDg  to  be  carried  hundreds  of  miles  on  the 
backs  of  negro  porters.  It  must  be  remembered 
in  considering  this  matter,  that  there  were  known  to 
be  hoards  of  ivory  of  immense  value  in  Central 
Africa,  apart  altogether  from  the  tusks  that  still 
remained  the  property  of  living  beasts.  He  had 
also  seen  ivory  offered  for  sale  in  London  that, 
from  its  condition,  mu3t  have  positively  been 
lying  about  in  the  open  air  for  oenturi.s.  Lindon 
was,  of  course,  the  principal  market,  although 
since  the  establishment  of  the  Congo  State  sales 
had  been  held  on  the  Continent.  There  were 
four  sales  in  Mincing  Lane  every  year,  and  during 
1892  the  total  amount  offered  was  423  tons.  In 
1891  the  total  was  430  tons,  but  between  that  and 
1865  the  quantity  Dever  came  up  to  400  tons  in 
any  single  year,  although  in  1884  531  tons  were 
offered.  The  temporary  falling-off  was  largely  due 
to  the  anarchy  which  has  prevailed  in  the  Soudan, 
aud  the  consequent  closing  of  trade  routes.  However, 
ivory  was  now  coming  forward  again  through 
Egypt,  The  demand  for  ivory  had  largely  inoreased 
and  the  price  had  also  risen  to  a remarkable  extent. 
He  had  seen  cut  pieces  for  billiard  balls  sold  in 
London  for  £40  the  hundred-weight.  They  had 
since  been  up  to  £120,  but  the  price  fell  away 
again,  and  at  the  iast  sale  the  highest  figure  was 
about  £80  the  hundred-weight.” 
The  Fijian  Banana  in  Australia. — Mr.  H.  Rieok 
of  Goff’s  Harbour,  in  ttie  Clarence  River  country 
(N.S.W.),  has  demonstrated  that  the  Fijian  banana 
can  be  successfully  grown  on  the  Australian  coast, 
He  lately  sent  a large  bunch  to  Grafton,  the  first 
taken  from  his  grove  raised  from  Fijian  plants, 
which  bore  217  fine  baDanas,  and  this  was  ex- 
exceeded  on  some  other  bunohes.  Hitherto  the 
Plaintain,  Lady’s  Finger,  and  Cavendish  were  the 
only  varieties  produced  on  the  Clarence  River,  and 
these  were  completely  run  out  of  the  market  by  the 
superior  fruit  imported  from  Fiji.  As  a conse- 
quence, planters  ploughed  out  their  groves,  some 
of  which  were  from  15  to  20  aores  in  extent,  as 
the  fruit,  at  3d  per  bunoh  net,  would  not  pay. 
But  if  the  Fijian  variety  can  be  successfully  culti- 
vated the  Clarence  farmers,  with  the  advantage  of 
near  proximity  to  market,  will  outstrip  the  Fijian 
planter,  and  cut  him  out  of  the  running.  It  may 
be  added  that  the  soil  at  Cuff’s  Harbour  is  of 
voloanio  formation,  and  not  so  fertile  as  the 
alluvial  of  the  Clarenoe  Valley. — E.  Mail. 
