THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July ], 1900. 
-/NOam; -ON T[}E Citl UE i;UBBEU IN- 
TERL-y I'. 
Ul'Bliliji Pj,\NI'I.VG IX THE Wk.ST lAUIJJ.S.—Afc 
the scr'.iiid ^\'L'st liuliaii agricultural coiii'-'n-nce 
li'jl'l (Ml -fjiiiii.'iry (i ill Barb..i<los, the prusiik'nt, 
i>r. !);uLii_i .Miji-i'i's, c.M.G., who is tlie commissioner 
of i hi" iiiijicrial department of agriculture for the 
WesI liulics, said in his inaugural address: "A 
regular iilautatioii of India-rubber trees, the !ii-st 
in (lie West Indies, is being established at l obago 
,;b.y Mr. I-Niir' llo\\ard. The species selected is 
I ,;Ce)it r.i 1 .1 iuerk':i 11 rul)bL-]- iwc kuown locally as 
'ute' iir ■ciueho" {('tiM ilttia cfii-^fii-u). It was 
re(i'iiil>, ii'p'iried that tins tri'e was found 
wild in ( iilia. This is evidently an error. 
Kiibber (tlm s ai'e being jilanted in small plant- 
jitions and in isolated groups also in Trinidad 
and .hunaiea. The cultivation could be suecess- 
lully esiiiblislied in some localities in Britisli 
Huiaiia wiiere, already, one or moi.-e vahiable 
■ >|iei i.'s are found in a \rild state." 
i!ri!Lii:K i-i!(i.M (li'iK lA.v Ai'KK A. - The exports 
(it I iidi I ridilier i'l om two of t he tiernian colonies 
in AJr!<;i l'.:ive I. ''eel as foiiovvs in the last two 
j.-,ral -.e;;:--, in I'ae^lisli pounds: 
1«!)7-!:).S. 18f8-i)9. 
T.,.!>o ,., ... 191,918 ;«),.>^() 
Kanierun ... 960,738 l;4iS,r>-W 
The rnblfei- exported from Kameriin was valued 
■ at 1,177.710 marks in 1897-98 and 1.928,080 marks 
in U;98-;)'.). 
i!i'i;i;BK .FiiANi'iNG IN CosTA KicA.-— Mention 
has l)een made froin time to time in the India 
h'ubht r Warld of the experiments in India-rubber 
planting nnule in Costa Eica by Minor C. Keith, 
a former resident of Brooklyn, N. Y., and now 
first vice president of the United Fruit Co., who 
are i nt ereste'! so largely in the banana trade in 
Central America. Mr. Leith has more than once 
taken the liberal cash prizes awarded by the 
Costa Riean government to promote the planting 
of rr,l)!;er lu t li at I'e public. The India Bubber 
Ti'i.;;' \ in rcsjionse to an inciuiry, has received 
a leitei- iroe.i .iohn M. Keith, manager of the 
(Jdsia l\\cA ilivision of the United Fruit Co., 
., frcHii \siiieii the following extract i.s taken; 
■' We. have a large number of rubber irees on 
, our iiroperties thiit have actually been planted 
and are in a most flourishing condition. The 
■■•■■only dilTiC-ulty that presents itself, in the way 
•• 'of securing lucrative results, is the impossibility 
, rof preverrtiiig poaching. We planted our trees 
•c; when rubber was still at a low price, and scat- 
tereil them throughout all our farms, and the 
.; ..e,'reatPi- part of tlie rubber yield has since been 
. stolen, e.lUiough eveiy year we collect a con- 
siderable (iiiiuitity. 1 liave no doubt, however, 
that shunUl ,my one plant thickly on laud that 
could be eM ^ily guarded, the difficulty above re- 
' 'fHrred (o c^juld he overcome. As you are aware, 
■■ the greater ]'iart of tlie rubber in these parts is 
■ cut on, govei nnn.'nt (or unclaimed) lands. Conse- 
quently t he nibber cutters, v.'ho are, as a rule, 
a lawless set of men, dlsrega,rd any proprletarj'' 
■ .rights to 'i. rubber tree any '.vhere." 
,,. A r;LKiJ!;it Fj.AN'i'ATiON ■ IN Mkxico.— La Za- 
cualpa ftnliber Flantation Co., a California cor- 
. poration with a plantation atTapachula, in t'ne 
■ .state of Chiapas. Mexico, where t). H. Harrison is 
• ■'resident dii'ector, have favored the India Rubber 
\' World with considerable printed matter of 
r'' ihtorest in relation to the results of their work 
•;i and their p'O'-^pects. A recent pamphlet contains 
a co])y of a letter l)y Percy Christy, a son of 
Tliijinas (Jliristy, of i.,ondon, recounting his ini- 
pi e: sioiis on visiting the plantation. It appeals 
that the foimer owner of the estate, Jose M. 
Pelaez, for- several years collected and sold a 
considerable amount of rubber from the native 
* ■. tl'cts found I here. Mr. Christy, in his letter, 
-•• meiif ioii.*< flic native trees as still standing, besides 
i which lie «'as shown .'i number ot trees repi'e- 
seiited to him as Jaaving been planted ten years 
ago. He was told that these were about 5,000 
in liumber and he found them most liealthy 
looking trees, with a trunk diameter or 10 
to 12 inches; these trees have been tapped 
for some years, and in talking it over witli some 
of the Indian rubber gatherers, tliey assured me 
tiiat each of these trees would produce from 2 
to o pounds per year. . . . Froni tliis we 
visited ii plantation of last year's planting, en- 
tirely in tlie ojjeii and without sharie, and these 
all looked strong and healtliy. I understand 
that there are :Vj,000 ; also I noticed that along 
the fencing of t!ie property rubber trees had been 
planted. This it'ea jileased me exceedingly, as 
it \\ ill be a saving of labor, as the trees will 
serve as xjosts as well as being a source of profit. 
,';e 1 ■ f.i 
THE " THIRTY COMMITTEE." 
Minutes of proceedings of a meeting of the 
" Thirty Conunittee " held ai the \'ictoi-i;i Comme- 
iiioration Buildin'as, Kandy, on iSaturdaV. Ihe 12th 
day of May, at lialf-jiast seven o'clock (7';iO 
a. m.) in tiie mornin.g. I'resent : — Mr. Kdward 
Kosling (Chairman) Mr. X. Philip (.Secretarvj, Hon. 
Mr. .]. N. Camiibell, Messrs. Stanley liois, .J. B. 
Coles, O. II. Alston, R. A. Galton, A. -J. Denison, 
Hugh B Koljcrts, T. C. Huxley, .7. A. Cannester, 
G. K. Deaker, Joaeph Fraser, W. B. Cri!)ljon, A. 
Melville White. Edgar 'J'urner, .lames \VcstIand, 
.James Ryan and A. C. Kingsford. 
The notice calling ihe meet ing Vi'as read. 'I'h.e 
Minutes of proceedings of a meeting of the " Thii-ty 
Committee" held at Kandy, on Saturday, the 17th 
daj' of March, 1900, were submitted for coiiilrnia- 
tion. Resolved:—" That they be and they hereby 
are confirmed." Read letter from Messrs. Capper 
&Sons. 
CORRESPONDENCE &C. CIKfULA TLD. 
CEYLON -TKA IN AMERICA. 
Letters from Mr. William Maclcenzie to Mr. 
Lane, dated 21st Feb., Mr. Tiarkin to Mr. Mac- 
kenzie, 17th Feb., Journal of Commerci: and Com- 
mercial Bullet in to Mr. Mackenzie, do, Sir. Wm. 
Mackenzie to Mr. Lane, 2.0th Feb., do. 27fli, 2nd 
March and do. OMi. Mr. P. C. 'Larkin to Mr. Wni. 
Mackenzie, I'Tth. Feb;, Mr. Wm. Mackenzie to 
Mr. Rosllug 5tli April.- Table of revised tea sta- 
tistics, Mr. Wm. Mackenzie to Secretary, l,5tli 
April. 
UNIVERSAL IN'l'EBNATIONAL EHIUITION TO I3K 
HELD AT PARI.S, 1900. 
Letters from Mr. Renton to Mr. Ro.sling, dated 
9t1) March. 23rd March. 0th April. 
CEYLON TEA (NEW MARKETS) FCND. 
Sketch statement giving tlie yearly totals ex- 
pended in each country from tlie commencement 
of operations as per abstracts to 3Ist December, 
1899. Sketch memo, showing credits opened, pay- 
ments made, and available balances as at 5oth 
April. 
MEMtSERS OF COMMITTEE. 
Read letter from Mr. W. Saunders stating that 
as he is leaving for England he tenders the resig- 
natlonof his seat on the "Thirty (Committ ee." Read 
letter from the Secretary, Ceylon Chamber of 
Commerce, intimating that Messrs. G. B. Leech- 
mtin, G. F. Traill, and II. Tarrant, had been 
elected members of the Thirty Committee " in 
place of Messrs. ,J. A. Hender.son, .T. H. Renton 
and E. M. Shattock. The members representing 
the Chamber at present are Messrs. G. B Leech- 
man, E. C, Sk' ijie, G. F. Traill, G. H. Alston. H. 
'I'arrant and Stanley Bois. Rerul letter from JMr. 
G^^rgeKeuc Deai ur. siwad letter from Mr. Gor- 
don Pyper resigning liis seat on the Comrnittee 
a.-, lie Is leaviii.g Ceylon. iiesoLved :— ' Tiiat Messrs. 
E. H. Hutchinson and liobert Morlson l e elected 
members of the ' Thirty Committee ' vice Messrs, 
W, Saunders and Gordon Pyper," 
