THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[March  i,  1893. 
562 
Bbould  say,  the  tea  tree  flourishes  above  ground  in 
branch  and  flush  in  a raio  directly  proportioned 
to  the  space  occupied  by  its  roots  in  fertile  soil , 
In  shallow  soils  manuring  is  necessary,  and  must 
be  continuous;  but  one  generation  is  not  long  enough 
to  exhaust  the  riches  contained  in  soils  of 
great  depth. 
•“Artificial  Manures”  (we  quote  again  from  the 
bools)  poeEees  the  advantage  of  presenting  a large 
quantity  of  fertilizing  material  in  a small  bulk. 
Some  artificial  fertilizers  contain  only  one  valu- 
able ingredient  and  are  thin  spoken  of  as 
‘‘Nitrogenous,  phosphafio  or  potash  manures,” 
as  the  case  may  be.  Others,  Euch  as  Peruvian 
Guano,  contain  more  than  one.  Then  follows  all 
about  Peruvian  Guano. 
Fish  Manure  is  the  refuse  of  fish  curing  estabf 
lishments,  and  consists  of  fish  cffal,  sometimes  o 
whole  fish,  dried  and  ground.  This  “ Fish- 
guano”  yields  from  8 to  10  per  cent  of  Am- 
monia, and  from  10  to  15  per  cent;  and  even 
more,  of  phosphate  of  lime.  They  often  con- 
tain fish-oil,  which  renders  them  less  serviceable 
as  manures,  beoause  it  delays  decomposition.” 
“ Bones  are  essentially  a phoepbatic  manure. 
Coursely  crushed  bones  decompose  but  slowly  and 
oooupy  some  years  in  yielding  up  their  fertiliz- 
ing ingredients.”  And  so  on  in  great  detail  con- 
cerning to  various  kinds  of  manures  natural 
and  artificial. 
«, 
PLANTING  IN  GERMAN  NEW  GUINEA. 
Tobacco— -Cotton. 
(From  a Correspondent.) 
German  New  Guinea  or  the  territory  of  New  Guinea 
Company  may  be  divided  in  two  principal  parts : the 
mainland  of  New  Guinea, and  the  Bismarck  Archipelago 
and  Solomon  Islands.  Colonisation  in  New  Guinea 
proper  is  still  in  its  infancy.  After  many  experiments, 
the  New  Guinea  Company  decided  to  open  up  the 
country  around  Astrolabe  Bay,  where  the  commodious 
and  land-locked  harbour  ‘‘Friederich-Wilhelms-Hafen” 
presents  a favourable  base  of  operations,  and  where 
the  soil  gives  promise  to  yield  first-rate  tobacco. 
The  first  experiment  with  Sumatra  tobacco  was  so 
favourable,  that  at  once  a German  Company  was 
started  under  the  name  of  the  “ Astrolabe-Bay- 
Company  ” and  work  was  commenced  about  a 
year  ago.  The  results  have  so  far  proved 
successful ; the  tobacco  of  this  year’s  crop  is 
regarded  as  far  superior  to  the  best  Deli  tobacco. 
Preparations  are  at  present  being  made  for  bringing 
four  stations: — Jomba,  Gorima,  Erima,  and  Stephanort 
in  proper  working  order.  The  great  difficulty  has 
been,  and  still  is,  the  unhealthy  state  of  the  country. 
Fever  and  dysentery  are  prevalent,  and  about  50  per 
cent  of  the  imported  Chinese  and  Malay  labourers 
have  died  of  these  diseases.  Besides  the  tobacco 
plantations,  a cotton  plantation  is  started  at  Constan- 
tinhafen  where  the  Sea  Is'and  variety  is  grown.  The 
Bismarck  Archipelago  has  been  colonized  since  about 
1875.  Two  German  firms,  Hernsheim  & Co.  at 
Matupi,  and  a branch  station  of  the  German  firm 
in  Samoa  at  Mioko,  as  well  as  the  American 
firm  of  E.  E.  Forsayth  at  Balum,  have  for  many 
years  carried  on  business  in  those  parts  for  the 
purpose  of  collecting  copra,  tripang,  and  other 
island  produce.  The  firm  of  E.  E.  Forsayth  has 
also  large  plantations  in  New  Britain,  where  first 
class  Sea  Island  cotton  is  grown.  The  plantation 
comprises  at  present  about  900  acres  planted  with 
cotton,  between  which,  at  intervals  of  32  feet,  coco- 
nuts have  been  planted.  These  latter  already 
begin  to  bear.  The  plantation  employes  about  400 
labourers  and  has  a complete  set  of  machinery  for 
cleaning  and  packing  the  cotton  and  shipping  it  r ady 
for  the  market.  A few  years  ago,  the  New  Guinea 
Company  also  started  a cotton  plantation  at  Herberts- 
hohe,  which  still  is  in  its  infancy.  The  labour  ques- 
tiqn  is  not  beset  with  so  many  difficulties  in  the 
Bismarck  Archipelago  as  in  many  other  countries. 
The  islands  are  densely  populated,  and  the  natives 
like  to  go  away  for  a space.  It  is  still  the  ques- 
tion whether  they  will  continue  to  go  to  New  Guinea 
when  news  of  the  unhealthy  effect  of  the  climate  spreads 
to  the  different  islands.  Protestant  and  Roman  Catholic 
missionaries  labour  among  the  natives,  who  to  a 
great  extent  are  still  very  dangerous  and  opposed  to 
colonisation.  Not  a single  year  passes  without  murders 
by  the  natives.  The  firms  in  the  Bismarck 
Archipelago  sometimes  suffer  severely  in  this  way  as 
their  traders  on  outstations  are  killed,  the  stock  in 
trade  robbed,  and  the  produce,  already  gathered, 
burned.  Very  little  is  done  to  punish  the  offenders ; a 
German  war  vessel  will  run  down  to  the  place,  fire  a 
few  shells  into  the  village,  land  a number  of  men, 
and  burn  the  houses.  The  natives  are  so  accustomed 
to  these  tactics,  that  they  invariably  leave  their 
villages  as  soon  as  they  see  a war-vessel  approach, 
and  quietly  return  after  it  is  gone,  knowing  that  they 
will  be  left  in  peace  in  future.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, it  is  easily  understood  that  many  parts  of  the 
island  are  too  unsafe  for  settlers,  and  the  authorities 
openly  acknowledge  this  by  proclaiming  that  they  are 
unable  to  protect  settlers  in  certain  parts  of  the  islands, 
notably  so  in  parts  of  New  Ireland.  On  the  other  hand, 
settlers  are  not  permitted  to  protect  themselves  in 
such  cases,  and  not  long  ago  a trader  was  kept  im- 
prisoned for  about  six  months  because  he  had  fired 
upon  natives  in  order  to  recover  a certain  qua  tity  <>f 
trade,  which  had  been  Btolen  out  of  his  bort.  The 
man  was  eventually  acquitted  as  being  perfectly  in- 
nocent of  any  guilt  or  offence,  but  it  is  not  a very 
satisfactory  thing  for  a trader  to  be  imprisoi  ed  in  case 
of  any  complaint  being  made  against  him  justly  or 
unjustly,  aDd  then  to  wait  the  decision  of  the  Court, 
all  the  while  I eirg  a prisoner.  The  taxes  and  duties 
levied  by  tl  e New  Guinea  C<  mp«Dy  are  not  exorbitant. 
The  firms  and  settlers,  however,  complain  that  they 
in  many  oases  are  hampered  with  petty  restrictions  on 
trade  and  communication,  and  that  tie  taxes  and 
duties  go  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  New  Guinea 
Company,  which  latter  in  noway  does  anythirg  for 
the  benefit  of  the  islands.  Even  the  stt  am  c<  m- 
munication  which  on  every  occasion  is  set  forth  by 
tbe  Company  as  a great  boon  is  not  ot  so  great  a 
benefit  as  it  on  first  sight  might  appear.  The  German 
firms  get  their  supplies  by  eaibng  vessels  direot 
iiom  Germary.  The  American  firm  of  E.  E.  For- 
sayth deals  with  Sydney,  and  the  only  benefit  is  a 
comp 'ratively  regular  mail,  although,  thr  u^h  the 
nature  of  the  business  carried  on  in  the  Bismarck 
Archipelago,  a regular  mail  certainly  is  a conve- 
nience hut  not  a necessity  to  any  of  the  firms.  Lately 
a small  trade  has  been  opened  up  with  Singapore  but 
as  far  as  the  Archipelago  is  concerned,  we  do  not 
th'nk  tbst  it  will  be  of  any  consi  qnence. 
There  is  ui  questionably  great  scope  for  future 
undertakings  • specially  in  the  plantation  linp,  bnt 
German  capitalists  have  up  to  date,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  been  very  reluctant  about  investing  money 
in  their  own  Colonies,  and  considering  that  a great 
deal  of  red  tape  is  still  in  use  bere,  foreign  capital 
is  not  likely  to  be  invtsted  as  long  as  better  chances 
offer  in  other  countries. — Straits  Times. 
NETHERLANDS  INDIA. 
The  Locomotief  calls  attention  to  the  prevalence  of 
adulteration  of  iood  among  Chinese  dealers  at  Sama- 
rang.  Butter,  for  iustance,  is  mixed  with  plantain 
flour  and  the  aerated  waters  are  of  the  foulest  kind. 
All  the  falsified  articles  are  in  tins  and  bottles  pio- 
vided  with  counterfeit  labels. 
Papers  just  laid  before  the  Netherlands  Parliament 
give  particulars  of  spice  growing  in  the  Moluccas, 
showing  that,  in  some  of  the  islands  clove  cultivation 
has  been  given  up  owi  g to  unremunerative  prices. 
In  Banda,  tbe  nutmeg  plantations  still  yield  heavy 
prefits.  In  south  and  central  Halm*beira,  the  nutmeg 
tree  grows  wild  aDd  so  high,  that  only  tbe  fruit  easily 
wuthin  reach  is  plucked.  On  tbe  north  coast  of  New 
Guinea,  as  well  aa  on  the  western  portion  of  the  south 
