162 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUEIST. [Sept. 1, 1900. 
As in the rnanufacture of bhick tea variations 
of the above process are found everywhere, and 
I do not presume to say that the one mentioned 
here is better than any"other. In the (irst with- 
ering in tlie pans the leat is steamed in the 
moisture given oflf from itself, and in the case 
of web leaf the steam arises in clouds from the 
pans so that any application for a patent for 
the use of steam in the withering; of green leaf 
cannot seemingly stand. The aroma given off 
by the steamed "leaf is quite different from any 
obtained in the manufacture of black tea and 
is an extremely pleasant one.— Yours, &c., 
Holta, 24tli July. G. C. DUDGEON. 
CAMPEOR-TREES IN CALIFORNIA. 
According to the New York Commercial the 
camphor-tree has been grown in California for 
many years as a shade and ornamental tree, 
but no effort has been made to produce camph* r 
commercially. At the Stale University some 
years ago a small sample of camphor was made 
from the twigs and foliage, and was exhibited 
at the fairs. The trees are widely distributed 
over the State of California, both along the coast 
and in the interior, and everywhere are much ad- 
mired for their thrifty growth and natural beauty. 
These trees are probably nearly forty years of age, 
sixty feet in in height, and three feet in dia- 
meter at the base. 
COFFEE AND CACAO IN THE 
CAMBROONS. 
It appears that coffee growing has practically 
had to be abandoned in the German colony of the 
Cameroons owing to the ravages of a beetle 
which attacked the roots of the trees, but that 
cacao cultivation has succeeded admirably, and 
most satisfactory progress has been made by the 
industry. At the present moment all the southern 
and western slopes of the mountains are studded 
with plantations, on which about 4,000 labourers 
are employed, as against 2,000 last year— 3,000 
of these are natives of the colony. About 150 
labourers were imuorted from Togoland by State 
aid, and a hope is expressed that labourers from 
that colony will by degrees take the place of 
the Liberian labor which has had to be iraportad 
hitherto. The labour question remains au im- 
portant one, more especially in view of the late 
troubles in the Rio del Rey district, since the 
increased requirements of the plantations will 
demand at least 6,000 labourers tor the present 
season. The cacao plantations produced a crop 
of the value of about £15,600 in 1898-99, and it 
is expected that this will be largely increased, 
although the amount is already over £9,000 more 
than tiie value of the crop brought to the market 
in 1393 96.— //omc ayid Colonial Mail. 
THE PRICKLY PEAR AS FODDER. 
Poverty, one has been told, n.akes strange bed- 
fellows, but that the famine should drive cattle 
to the prickly pear for food is a new develop- 
ment. We read in an Indian paper that the 
following instructions regarding the use of prickly 
ijcar as food for cattle have been published by the 
Political Agent at Kathiawar for general informa- 
tion under the orders of the Bombay Government : 
"The instructions how to prepare the leaves 
prQ iifj follows :—Tlie instruments consists of a 
knife, a pair of tongs, ai d a ptncer. The tongs 
are intended to hold tlie leaf and tlie knife to cut 
it, and the pincers to pluck out the thorns, 
after this i.-s done, the leaf should be washed in 
water, to remove any stray thorns that may be 
sticking to the {;uinmy matter iti the leaves, and 
then have the leaves cut into pieces of one inch 
square, and sprinkle a handful of horse-gram or 
chenna-gram flour mixed with a little salt over the 
pieces, when the cattle usually will take to it 
without any difficulty. But in the case of such 
cattle which do not take to it willingly, a few 
pieces may put into their mouth, and the two lips 
be held together, till they chew the pieces and 
acquire a taste for Ihcni. By this means even 
new cattle can be accustomed to this fodder 
within two or three days. An ordinary woman 
cooly for a payment of two annas can bring pre- 
pared leaves of about 100 lbs. which can feed 
three or four starving cattle to keep them alive 
till prosperous times occur." 
BRAZIL COFFEE NOTE.«.' 
The planters in various Sao Paulo districts are still 
publishing unfavourable reports of the new crop, 
and are advising the holding of coffee for higher 
prices. 
A S. Paulo telegram of the 27th ultimo sayB, the 
commercial firm of Leite Ribeiro is about to be 
transformed into an association composed of planters 
for the purpose of extending the coffee propaganda 
in Europe. 
Naturally the rise in exchange means lower cur- 
rency prices for coffee, which will be unfavourable 
to the planter as the costs of production will not 
be reduced for some time to come. We may there- 
fore expect protests against forcing up exchange 
before we are many weeks older. 
The negotiations between the minister of foreign 
affairs aud the ministers of France and Italy in re- 
gard to the import duty on coffee in those countries 
terminated on the 27lh ult. The two countries con- 
cede a reduction of twenty francs and twenty liras 
per one hundred kilogrammes in the duties now 
levied in their custom houses on Brazilian coffee 
while Brazil engages not to impose maximum rates on 
their products imported into this country. The accord 
can be terminated only by six months notice. 
Though less than what she claimecl, the accord is 
a victory for Brazil, for she secures a reduction of 
about thirteen per cent on the French tariff rate 
without the cost of a single concession. — From 
the Bio News, July 3rcl. 
COCONUT CULTIVATION IN S. AFRICA. 
Mr. Hulley, magistrate, Umlalazi, in his district, 
report to the Natal Agricultural Journal, says: — 
It is surprising that no attempt has been made 
to cultivate the coconut palm on the Coast lands. 
The reason probably is that the tree is said to 
take very many yeais to come to maturity. lb 
would be interesting to know the age of the one 
on the Tongaat estate, the only one I believe 
in the country which I think 1 was told, bore 
fruit this year for the fir. t time. The Dutch, 
when Ceylon was in their po.?session, compelled 
the villagers to plant tracts of country with the 
palm from Colombo southwards, and since then 
the Sinhalese, alive to its value, have kept 
opening up fresh coconut land, until now there are 
about 600,000 acres under cultivation. It is said 
that only one-third of the crop, which in good 
years is worth £1,00C,000, is exported in the 
shape of coir fibre, oil, nuts, &c., the rest is used 
as food, and for other purposes by the people.— 
Natal Mermry, July 23. 
