720 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[May  i,  1893. 
tion  for  the  berry,  snd,  when  these  fail  to  attract 
the  requisite  shipments  hither,  there  is  no  help  for 
it  bnt  to  pay  the  utmost  raooey  for  the  best  assort- 
ment that  can  be  got.  la  times  of  dearth,  great 
inconvenience  and  difficulty  are  experienced,  and  that, 
too,  for  a whole  season  or  more,  as  the  coffee  plant 
requires  several  ytars  before  it  is  fairly  mature;!  and 
oapable  of  bearing  any  amount  of  berries ; and  let 
it  be  as  eagerly  and  urgently  wanted  as  may  be,  its 
cultivation  is  one  that  is  always  tardy,  and  which 
cannot  in  the  least  be  hurried.” — American  Grocer. 
COFFEE  IN  NORTH  BORNEO. 
The  Commissioner  of  Lands  in  British  North  Borneo 
says  that  about  330  acres  were  planted  with  Liberian 
Coffee  by  Europeans  during  1892  and  that  prepartions 
are  in  progress  for  planting  other  330  acres  in  1893. 
This  giveB  a total  of  660  acres  for  the  two  years 
not  including  laud  planted  by  Chinese  and  Natives. 
The  present  appearance  of  the  young  coffee  is,  we 
understand,  very  encouraging. 
Coffee  planting  is  being  pushed  on  the  West  Coast  of 
British  North  Borneo  by  Mr.  K.  M.  Little  the  Resident 
aud  by  Mr.  P.  F.  Wise  who  are  distributing  Liberian 
seeds  and  seedlings  among  the  natives.  Tne  system 
adopted  in  Java  ensures  the  planting  by  each  man  of 
at  least  fifty  coffee  trees,  the  produce  of  which  must 
be  sold  to  the  Government  at  a fixed  price. — Straits 
Times , April  5. 

SCIENCE  IN  PLANTING. 
The  question  which  is  just  now  agitating  the  plant- 
ing community  of  Ceylon  is  whether  or  no  it  would 
be  advisable  for  the  Planters  Association  to  engage 
the  services  of  an  Agricultural  Chemist,  in  order  to 
see  if  an  improvement  cannot  be  effected  in  the  quality 
of  the  tea  end  the  yield  per  acre  by  applying  ferti- 
lisers on  a scientific  plan.  It  has  been  very  noticeable 
in  Ceylon,  as  it  also  has  been  in  Travaucore,  and  we 
believe  in  every  other  tea  district,  that  the  leaf 
plucked  for  the  first  year  or  two  off  bushes  grown 
on  soil  that  had  not  before  known  tea,  oontained 
some  high  quality  which  it  subsequently  lost,  and 
which  no  cultivation,  however  high,  has  yet  been 
able  to  restore.  The  planter  not  naturally  con- 
siders that  science  ought  to  be  able  to  step  in 
here  and  to  say  just  what  constituent  in  the 
soil  has  been  exhausted  aud  how  it  is  possible 
to  renew  it.  Unfortunately,  agricultural  soience,  in  so 
far  as  tropical  products  ere  coueerned,  is  yet  in  its 
earliest  infancy. 
A Ceylon  planter  at  a recent  Association  Meeting 
held  in  Ceylou  concluded  a speech  strongly  in  favour 
of  employing  the  services  of  an  agricultural  chemist 
thus: — “ For  the  sake  of  our  cultivation,  I plead  for 
the  appointment  of  an  analyst  to  prove  to  us  that 
our  soils  are  liable  to  deterioration,  if  science  asserts 
they  are,  and  after  that  to  tell  us  what  to  apply  to 
preveut  it,  and  in  what  quautity,  according  to  the 
individual  requirements  of  estates,  so  as  to  safe-guard 
us  from  the  very  real  risk  of  over  stimulation.  Wrh- 
out  soientifie  direction,  experience  has  already  taught 
us  how  dangerous  artificial  manure  may  be.”  We  do 
not  question  that  an  analyst  would  be  able  to  tell 
whether  the  soil  had  deteriorated  or  not,  and  after 
that  he  might  be  able  to  say  what  fertiliser  cught  to 
be  applied — theoretically  ; but  it  would  not  ne.d  u.a  ay 
experiments  to  prove  that  the  efL  ct  produced  by  arti- 
ficial manure.”,  in  theory  and  practice,  are  by  no  means 
oue  and  the  same.  “Without  scientific  direc'ioD 
experience  has  taught  us  how  dangerous  artificial 
manure  maybe”;  bnt  experience  has  a so  taught  us 
that  with  scientific  direction  it  may  be  equally  if  nai 
more  dangeious.  If  a man,  fee'ing  seedy  and  out 
of  sorts,  were  to  consult  a chemist  and  to  be 
told  that  he  could  soon  be  cured,  only  that  he  must 
give  up  all  solid  foo  1 ana  take  nothing  but  tabloids 
and  lozenges,  he  would  look  on  that  chemist  as  a 
lunatic,  and  yet  this  is  practically  the  advice  that 
the  agricultural  chemist,  fresh  out  from  home' 
tenders  to  planters.  He  forgets  that  coffee  estates 
cannot  be  allowed  to  lie  fallow  every’  few  years,  or 
that  change  of  crops  cannot  be  practised  on  teafields, 
and  because  he  has  doubled  the  yield  of  some  acres 
of  turnips,  he  considers  that  similar  treatment  will 
give  a similar  result  with  tea  and  coffee,  which  is 
much  the  same  as  arguing  that  one  and  the  same  treat- 
ment will  cure  hayfevfr  and  malaria.  As  a matter 
of  faot.  at  the  present  time  the  practical  knowlelge 
of  planters  is  much  more  valuable  than  any  informa- 
tion agricultural  science  can  give.  But  it  should  not 
be  so.  If  a yoai  g fel'ow,  blesL  with  oommon  sense, 
were  brought  out  uow  either  to  Southern  India  or 
Oeylon,  who  thoroughly  understool  the  theories  of 
agricultural  chemistry,  and  if  he  were  allowed  to  ex- 
periment  here  an  1 there,  at  the  end  of  ten  years  he 
would  probably  have  killed  a few  acres  of  tea  or  coffee 
and  injured  a few  more,  but  bis  advice  wou'd  then  be 
most  valuable  and  he  would  be  able  to  furnish  with- 
out hesitation  that  information  about  fertilisers  whioh 
the  piantiue  industry  needs  so  badly  at  the  present  day. 
— Jfadras  ATail,  April  6. 
VARIOUS  AGRICULTURAL  NOTES. 
To  have  bright  lamp-light,  soak  the  wicks  in 
vinegar  before  usiDg  them  in  a lamp.  Wash  smoke- 
stained  chimneys  in  warm  water  and  soap,  and 
rub  while  wet  with  vinegar  or  dry  salt.  They 
oan  also  be  cleaned  in  warm  water  and  soda,  and 
then  in  warm  water  and  ammonia. — Progress. 
The  medical  qualities  of  nutmega  are  worthy 
of  considerable  attention,  on  account  of  their  value 
in  the  treatment  of  diarrhoea,  many  cases  quickly 
yielding  to  the  administration  of  half  a drachm  in 
milk.  Sleeplessness  may  be  effectually  relieved 
by  them  when  opium  fails  and  chloral  is  not 
advisable.  They  are  also  a sedative  in  delirium 
tremens,  and  oan  be  given  with  safety  and  marked 
benefit. — Progress. 
Tea  Freights. — The  arrarg'ment  sanctioned  at 
Tuesday’s  meeting  of  t' a shippers  is  as  follows: 
Agreeme  t wilh  the  Conference  liners  to  be  for  three 
years  cer’am,  terminating  at  the  end  of  that  period 
on  six  months’  no' ice  forom  shippers  wishin,'  to  with- 
draw : failing  such  notice  the  agreement  to  continue 
UDtil  six  months’  notice  is  given  on  either  side.  The 
rate  of  freight  to  be  15s  per  ton  as  customary,  above 
the  rate  for  whi  at  I'cserd,  ai  d jute  ruling  during 
the  previous  month,  subject  to  a return  of  5s  per  ton 
payable  as  heretofore  to  those  shippers  who  confine 
their  shipments  dur':n<  the  ye  iod  of  the  agreement 
exclusively  to  Conference  liners.  The  minimum  rate 
to  be  35s  gross.  All  returns  to  be  payable  up  to 
the  termination  of  th^agreemeut.  A'lrebat  s earned 
up  to  31st  July,  1892,  to  paid  in  full. — Statesman. 
Tea  in  Russia. — In  a paper  read  before 
the  Society  of  Arts  on  28th  February,  on  “Russia  as 
n Field  for  Tourists,”  Sir  Edward  Braddon,  k c.m.g., 
thus  referred  to  tea  in  Russia  : — 
Russian  tea,  as  it  is  drunk  by  prince,  and  peer,  and 
peasant,  is,  in  my  opinion,  a dismal  substitute  for  the 
cheering  cup  as  it  is  known  in  England  ; and  herein 
was  one  of  my  few  disappointments ; I expected 
great  things  of  that  tea  which  is  transported  over- 
land, in  brick  or  otherwise,  from  Kumaon,  manu- 
factured with  the  aid  of  a samovar,  and  served 
with  a slice  of  lemon  instead  of  cream — I realised 
so  little  of  my  anticipated  joy,  that  I abstained  from 
tea  altogether  after  the  first  day  or  two.  Nor  can 
I consider  it  a success,  as  tea,  with  the  Russians 
themselves  ; it  is  only  an  excuse  for  the  hot-water 
cure  recommended,  for  dyspepsiaos,  the  infusion, 
made  in  a small  tea-pot  of  a pint  measure,  being 
diluted  again  and  again  with  a gallon  or  two  of  hot 
water,  without  any  thought  of  adding  fresh  tea.  The 
tea  at  the  railway  restaurants  is  one  of  the  worst 
features  of  Russian  railway  journeys;  indeed,  it  is  the 
only  unfavourable  feature  that  was  impressed  upon  ns. 
