THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
[May  i,  1893. 
700 
NEWS  FROM  JOHORE:  PLANTING  &c. 
The  Malay  Peninsula  ought  to  be  opened  up  by  rail- 
way as  soon  as  possible  to  unite  Australia  and 
India  and  help  on  the  consolidation  of  our  Colonial 
Empire.  It  is  just  over  2,000  miles  from  here  to 
Calcutta,  and  it  is  just  under  2,000  miles  from 
Adelaide  to  Port  Darwin  ; from  there  to  Singapore 
six  days  steam  or  less.  I suppose  the  Australians 
have  made  about  600  miles  from  South  to  North  and 
from  Port  Darwin  South  about  130.  Every  mile 
would  be  taken  up  in  the  Johore  territory  as  soon 
as  made.  I mean  the  land  on  both  sides. 
Gambier  planters  are  hungering  and  thirsting 
for  new  lands  whereon  to  grow  gambier  and  it  grows 
nowhere  better  than  in  Johore — it  is  a leaf  crop  and 
the  frequent  rains  suit  its  nature  well.  Here  the 
Chinese  are  welcomed.  Our  good  Sultan  gives  them 
every  encouragement  and  leaves  them  to  themselves 
as  much  as  possible. — I mean  by  this  he  does  not 
harass  them  by  unnecessary  rules,  laws  and  regu- 
lations and  they  being  guaranteed  security  for  life 
and  property  thrive  wonderfully  in  Johore  cultivating 
gambier  and  pepper.  Many  come  and  go  to  and  fro 
— passage  $4  to  China  ; by  steamer  it  is  only  $0  to  $7. 
The  coolies  at  the  saw  mills  constantly  visit  their 
native  place  in  the  Amoy  Province.  Singapore 
would  be  nothing  without  the  Chinese.  Malacca  is 
their  paradise.  They  are  a wonderful  people,  can 
live  where  the  European  would  starve— it  will  be- 
come a great  problem  what  we  are  to  do  with  them 
or  as  it  has  been  said  what  they  will  do  with  as  1 
Our  policy  is  to  be  friendly  with  them,  they  are  great 
in  point  of  numbers— led  by  a Gordon  they  would 
go  anywhere  and  do  anything. 
* 
SALE  OF  A COCONUT  ESTATE. 
Mattekelle  Estate  situated  at  Wellariwadia  in 
Pitigal  Konle,  South  Ohilaw  District,  containing  in 
extent  139  acres,  partly  planted  with  occonut,  be- 
longing to  the  estate  of  the  late  A.  R.  W.  E'aris 
Perera,  was  put  up  for  sale  by  public  auction  this 
afternoon  by  Mr.  A.  Y.  Daniel  at  his  roims  in 
Baillie  Street,  It  is  said  that  there  is  a dispute  as 
to  a part  of  the  property,  and  consequently  very  few 
pot  in  an  appearance.  There  were  prescnt  Messrs. 
Arnold  Dias,  Proctors  Muttu  Oumaru,  Arthur 
Alwis  and  J.  Koerts,  J.  D.  Vanderstraaten, 
Dadhaboy,  Simon  Silva,  Malleappa  and  some  natives. 
After  the  reading  of  the  conditions  the  sale  com- 
menced with  a bid  of  R1,000  by  Mr,  Malleappa  and 
within  a few  minutes  Mes.-rs.  Dadhaboy  and  Van- 
derstraaten raised  the  bid  to  R2,000.  At  this  mo- 
ment Mr.  Siman  Silva  put  in  a bid  at  once  for 
R5,000.  The  bidding  was  then  continued  between 
Messrs.  S.  Silva,  Dadhaboy  and  Vanderstraaten 
until  it  was  knocked  down  to  Mr.  Simon  Silva  for 
R7,500.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Silva  bought  the  pro- 
perty for  Mr.  N.  D.  Paulus  Silva,  the  famous  plum- 
bago merchant,  and  if  the  title  is  safe  he  has 
made  a very  good  bargain,  aa  it  has  cost  him  only 
R54  an  acre,  for  which  price  even  good  waste  land 
cannot  be  purchased  now. 
0 
INDIAN  PATENTS. 
Specifications  of  the  undermentioned  inventions  have 
been  filed,  under  the  provisions  of  Act  V.  of  1883, 
iD  the  Office  of  the  Secretary  appointed  under  the 
Inventions  and  Designs  Act,  1888.  Copies  have  been 
sent]  to  the  Governments  of  Port  St.  George  and 
Bombay,  the  Chief  Commissioner  of  Burma,  and  the 
Director, Department  of  Land  Records  and  Agriculture, 
North-Western  Provinces  and  Oudb.  A copy  of  every 
specification  is  open  to  publio  inspection  from  It  a.m. 
to  4 p.m.  at  the  Office  of  the  Secretary  appointed 
under  the  Inventions  aud  Designs  Act,  1888,  in  the 
Imperial  Secretariat  Buildings,  Government  Place, 
We»t,  Calcutta,  upon  payment  of  a fee  of  one  rupee. 
A certified  oopy  of  any  specification  will  be  given  to 
any  person  requiting  the  same  on  payment  of  the 
expense  of  copying: — 
No.  347  of  1891. — Eusen  Reverdy,  of  No.  14  am 
Markt,  Bremen,  in  the  Empire  of  Germany,  Factory 
Manager,  for  a new  improved  machine  for  sorting 
hulled  grain  from  unhulled  gTain  and  chaff.  (Filed 
7th  March  1893.) 
No.  73  of  1892. — Edward  Lennon  CaDtwell,  Civil 
Engineer  and  Patent  Agent,  5 Old  Post  Office  Street, 
Calcutta,  for  an  improved  huller  for  rice,  coffee  and 
grain,  and  for  scouring  and  cleaning  rioe,  wheat,  and 
every  description  of  gram.  (Filed  1st  March  1893.) 
Thu  fees  prescribed  iB  Schedule  4 of  Act  V.  of 
1888  have  been  paid  for  the  continuaDoe  of  exclusive 
privilege  in  respect  of  the  undermentioned  inventions 
for  the  periods  shown  against  each  : — 
No.  16  of  1888. — John  Charles  William  Stanley,  of 
6 Dewhuret  Read,  West  Kensingion  Park,  Gentle- 
man, aud  Leonard  Butler  Wrightson  of  John  Street, 
E C.,  Merchant  both  in  the  County  of  Middlesex, 
England,  for  improvements  in  tea  cheats,  boxes  or 
the  like,  applicable  for  containing  other  goods  or 
articles.  (From  1st  March  1893  to  28th  February 
1894.)  — Indian  Engineer,  March  25, 
VARIOUS  AGRICULTURAL  NOTES. 
A New  Mission  has  been  started  in  the  Shird 
Highlands,  under  the  title  of  the  Zambesi  Indus- 
trial  Mission.  The  moving  spirit  is  a Mr.  Joseph 
Booth,  an  Australian  colonist,  who  has  obtained 
the  support  of  the  well-known  Meesrs.  John  and 
Richard  Cory  and  others.  A large  tract  of  land 
has  been  purchased,  to  be  laid  out  in  coffee- 
'ations,  for  it  is  intended  that  the  Mission 
utually  become  self-suppoiting.  Several 
Volunteers  are  already  proposing  to  join  Mr.  Booth. 
— C.  M.  S.  Gleaner. 
Wet  Boots. — Wh6n  the  boots  are  taken  off,  fill 
them  quite  full  with  dry  oats.  This  grain  has  a great 
fondness  for  damp,  and  will  rapidly  absorb  the  least 
vestige  of  it  from  the  wet  leather.  As  it  quickly  and 
completely  takes  up  the  moistuie,  it  swells  and  fills 
tke  bo -t  with  a tightly-fitting  last,  keeping  its  form 
good,  and  drying  the  leather  without  hardening  it. 
In  the  morning,  shake  out  the  oats  and  hang  them 
in  a b3g  near  the  fire  to  dry,  rialy  for  the  next  wet 
night. — Notes  on  Tea. 
J arge  Spider. — The  Nephila  Jfadagascariensis  is 
a large  “ orb-weaving  ” spider  of  very  industrious 
habits  apparently,  for  the  Rev.  P.  Cambone  writes 
from  Madagascar  to  the  Revue  des  Sciences  Na- 
utrelles  Appliqutes  to  say  that  in  27  days  one  of  the 
species  spun  4,000  metres,  or  over  three  miles  of 
golden  yellow  silk.  Ho  also  Bends  a drawing  of  an 
apparatus  for  winding  it.  But  if  spider  silk  is  to 
beoome  b commercial  commodity,  how  are  the 
spiders  to  be  bred  and  kept?  A vast  colony  of 
Nephila  Madagascariensis  is  rather  an  eerie  notion, 
— Colonies  and  India. 
Charcoal  in  Sikkim  for  Tea  Drying.— Mr,  J, 
C.  White,  Political  Agent  of  Sikkim,  recently  made 
an  inspection  of  the  sal  forests  on  the  banks  of  the 
great  Runjeet  aud  Rumman  rivers  aud  reported  to 
Government  that  the  timber  of  late  years  in  the  sal 
forests  on  the  north  bank  of  the  great  Runjeet, 
above  the  cane  bridge  and  the  North  bank  of  the 
RummBn,  had  been  used  to  make  charcoal  for  the 
tea  gardens  near  Darjeeling.  No  system  what  ever 
had  been  followed,  and  the  charcoal  burners  had  been 
allowed  to  cut  any  trees  within  reach  of  their  kiln. 
The  consequence  was  that  the  foreatB  had  been  all 
but  ruined,  This  year  the  Durbar  stopped  this  reck- 
less cutting,  and  allowed  no  trees  to  be  cut  without 
(emission.  Mr.  White  suggests  that  a notice  should 
be  given  now  to  the  Darjeeling  planters,  stating  that 
from  next  year  no  ch  ro  al  will  be  available  from 
the  forests  named  ami  the  proposal  has  been  recoin- 
in'tided  by  Mr.  Paul,  D puty  G mmissioaer  of 
Darjeeling,  who  adds  that  it  timely  notice,  be  .given 
to  tha  planters  they  will  have  ample  time  to  mike 
Lot  r arrangements  for  obtaining  cbarooal  or  to  im- 
port the  latest  improved  machinery  lor  making  tea 
without  the  use  of  open  fireplaces  and  charcoal- — 
Statesman, 
