Feb.  i,  1893.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
53 1 
COFFEE. 
The  principal  feature  of  the  week  has  been  the 
sale  of  a large  portion  of  the  coffee  which  was 
damaged  by  the  recent  fire  at  the  London  Docks. 
Some  of  it  was  to  badly  damaged  that  it  was  com- 
paratively useless,  but  it  was  takeu  with  the  greater 
part  of  the  remainder  for  export.  The  few  lots  of 
Ceylon  and  East  Indian  that  were  only  slightly  injured, 
and  that  exterrally  fetched  prices  almoat  equal  to 
those  for  perfeotly  sound  coff-e.  In  the  terminal 
market  values  have  showu  a further  decided  fall, 
owing  to  continuous  heavy  receipts  at  the  Brazil 
ports,  and  low  offers  to  fell  for  forward  delivery  by 
Brazilians,  so  that  quotations  are  Is.  6J.  lower.  This, 
together  with  the  slackness  of  the  demand  from  the 
country,  whioh  is  always  the  case  during  Deoember, 
has  led  to  slightly  low<r  rates,  good  Central  American 
sorts  being  2s.  cheaper,  while  of  the  common  kinds 
only  lower  olfers  could  be  obtained  for  Santos,  whioh 
holders  would  not  accept. — Produce  Market  Review, 
Dec.  17th,  1892. 
PLANTING  IN  NORTHERN  AUSTRALIA. 
A gentleman  writing  by  the  last  mail  from  Pal- 
merston states  that  he  has  been  engaged  in  an 
experiment  with  coconut  pines  on  land  at  Fanny 
Bay,  and  has  now  eighty  trees  as  fine  as  any  planter 
could  wish  them  to  look.  He  has  also  some 
mangoes,  and  this  year  one  of  the  trees  is  bearing. 
The  writer  was  so  pleased  with  the  success  of  the 
coconut  trees  that  he  had  applied  for  a block  of  640 
acres  near  Night  Cliff  for  the  purpose  of  starting  a 
plantation  upon  a large  scale. — Adelaide  Observer. 
♦ 
YAEIOUS  NOTES. 
"Mocha,’  Coffee. — That  all  is  not  “ Mocha’’  that 
goes  by  that  name,  is  a fact  well  known  to  those 
engaged  in  the  coffee  trade.  Perhaps  the  following 
quotation  from  the  South  of  India  Observer  throws  a 
little  light  on  the  matter: — “It  is  a curious  coincidence 
that  native  buyers  secured  nearly  every  bean  of 
coffee  available  last  month  on  the  Hills  and  in 
Mettapollium,  and  the  largest  buyer  was  shipping 
his  purchases  to  Egypt,  the  prices  paid  being  quite 
above  the  equivalent  of  London  rates.”  Hitherto 
most  “Mocha”  coffee  has  really  been  grown  in 
Abyssinia,  but  apparently  India  is  entering  into 
competition. — Madras  Times. 
Artificial  Gum  Arabic.  — For  the  preparation  of  a 
so-oalled  artificial  gum  arabio  the  Rev.  de  Chem. 
Indust. — through  Nouv.  Remedes,  1892,  No.  13  sup- 
plem. — gives  the  following  process  : — 10  kilo- 
grammes linseed  are  boiled  with  80  kilogrammes 
sulphurio  acid  and  100  litres  of  water  for  three 
or  four  hours.  The  liquid  i3  then  filtered,  and 
four  times  its  volume  of  alcohol  is  added.  The 
preoipitate  is  colleottd,  washed,  and  dried.  The 
produot  is  amorphous,  colourless,  insipid,  and 
gives,  with  water,  a thick  mucilage. — Publie  Opinion. 
A Luminous  Tbee.— One  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  trees  or  shrubs  (says  the  Horticultural  Times)  gro  -s 
near  some  springs,  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Tus- 
carora.  It  is  about  six  or  seven  feet  high,  with  a trunk 
which  at  its  base  is  three  times  the  size  cf  an  oidinnrv 
man’s  wrist.  It  has  numberless  branches  and  twigs, 
and  resembles  somewhat  the  barbery.  Its  truly  wonderful 
charaoteiistio  is  its  luminosity,  which  is  so  great  thaton 
the  darkest  night  it  ean  be  plsiuly  teen  a mile  away.  A 
person  standing  near  could  rea  1 the  finest  print  by  its 
li^ht.  Its  : cli  ge  is  extremely  rank,  and  its  leaves  re- 
semble somewhat  those  of  the  aromatic  bay  tree  in 
Bbape,  size,  and  colour.  The  luminous  property  is  due 
to  a gummy  suh  stance,  which  can  be  transferred  to  the 
hand  by  rubbing,  and  whh  the  transfer  the  phos- 
phorescent light,  while  that  on  the  leaf  disappears. 
This  luminosity  is  thought  to  be  due  to  a parnsitic 
form.  The  Indians  regard  it  with  superstition,  and 
will  not  come  near  it,  even  in  daytime.  They  give  it 
a name  which  means  “ witch  tree.” 
BEITISH  NEW  GUINEA  AS  A PLANTING 
COLONY. 
ANOTHER  ATTRACTION  TO  OEYLON  COFFEE 
AND  COCONUT  PLANTERS. 
A recent  mail  brought  us  some  copies  of  a 
‘‘  Handbook  of  Information  for  intending  settlers 
in  British  New  Guinea,”  published  by  the  author- 
ity of  the  Queensland  Government  and  in  fact 
drawn  up  by  the  Administrator,  Sir  Wm,  Macgregor. 
the  very  beBt  possible  adviser  and  authority  on  the 
subjeot.  In  this  pamphlet  of  34  pages  there  is 
a great  deal  of  most  useful  information  and  a 
very  good  map.  It  is  quite  clear  that  British 
New  Guinea  has  now  got  to  such  a settled  ad 
ministrative  stage  that  there  is  a desire  to  hav- 
trained  planting  settlers  with  some  capital  te 
develop  the  resources  of  the  country.  Sir  Wmo 
Macgregor  in  faot  wishes  to  have  men  of  the  type 
of  Ceylon  planters  with  some  capital  to  back  them  ; 
and  it  is  for  them  primarily  he  has  compiled  this 
little  Guide.  For  instance,  in  an  introductory  letter 
to  the  Governor  of  Queensland  he  writes  : — 
As  tribes  become  settled  they  have  on  their  hands 
more  leisure  than  was  formerly  the  case.  It  is  very 
desirable  that  this  should  be  turned  to  some  use; 
that  they  and  the  European  settler  should  mutually 
benefit  each  other,  the  one  by  working  with  his  bauds  for 
the  other,  while  at  the  same  time  becoming  acquainted 
with  new  products  and  new  industries,  the  use  and 
advantage  of  which  he  would  learn  from  his  employer. 
The  difficulty  is,  howeve-,  that  it  is  not  easy  to  find 
in  quantity  the  practical  European  settler  with  a good 
head,  strong  srms,  some  c pita),  and  sufficient  ex- 
perience of  tropical  cuhivation;  and  when  met  with 
ho  has  such  a wide  range  of  choice  that  it  is  not  an 
6asy  matter  to  secure  him  for  such  a remote  asd 
little-known  plaoe  as  British  New  Guinea. 
He  then  prooeeds  to  give  needful  information  under 
the  following  heads  : — 
Position  and  Area  of  tho  Pcsttssion,  Political  Con, 
ditiOD,  Legislation,  Administration  of  Justice,  Police, 
Communication,  Health,  Domestic  Animals,  Sport- 
Land,  Labour,  Tariff,  Exports,  Meteorology,  Map, 
and  in  Apnendix  : — The  Crown  Lands  Ordinance  of 
1890,  Parts  1Y.,  V.,  and  VI.,  The  Native  Labour 
Ordinance  of  1892,  and  Tariff. 
As  to  position  and  area  it  is  evident  British  New 
Guinoa  is  well-fitted  to  develop  into  a great  tropical 
planting  colony  ; — 
According  to  a return  recently  prepared  in  the  office 
of  the  Surveyor-General  of  Queenslaud,  the  total  area 
of  British  New  Guinea  is  about  90,540  square  miles. 
It  has  au  approximate  coast-line  of  1,728  statute  miles 
on  tho  mainland,  and  of  1,936  miles  on  the  islands, 
giving  o to’al  coast-line  of  about  3,664  miles.  Its 
northern  boundary  lieB  from  5°  south  latitude  at  the 
west  end  to  8°  south  latitude  ou  the  ea6t  end  the 
southern  boundary  in  the  west  is  the  sea  and  the 
Colony  of  Queensland,  and  in  the  east  end  it  comes 
as  far  south  as  12°  south  latitude.  The  eastern  and 
western  boundaries  are  respectively  the  141°  and  the 
155°  of  ease  longitude.  The  western  boundary  meets 
Dutch  New  Guinea ; the  northern  boundary  meets 
Kaiser  Wilhelms-land. 
The  next  three  heads  show  there  is  settled  reliable 
Government,  and  then  we  come  to  a very  important 
matter  : — 
A contract  has  been  entered  into  belwsen  the  Go- 
vernment of  the  Possession  and  the  firm  of  Burns, 
Philp,  & Co.  to  run  a regular  mail  service  between 
Queensland  and  the  Possession  for  four  years  begin- 
ning with  January,  1893.  A round  trip  will  be  made 
every  eight  weeks,  starting  from  Oooktown  for 
Samarai  and  proceeding  thence  to  visit  all  ports  on 
the  New  Guinea  coast  from  Samarai  to  MabudausD,  and 
thence  by  Thursday  Island  toCooktovn.  Toe  vessels 
employed  cannot  be  hssthan  100  tons.  Other  vessels 
cross  at  irregular  intervals  between  Australia  and 
British  New  Guinea,  and  many  small  craft  trade  on 
