Oct. 1, 1900.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 281 
COFFEE AND PEPPER FROM WESTERN 
INDIA. 
We call attention to the annual Report 
of Mr. R. Tatham of Messrs. Arbuthiiot 
& Co., Tellicherry, giving the year's exports 
of the two staple products, colfee and pepper. 
It will be seen that apart from 127,331 cwt. of 
plantation coffee, no less than 81,000 cwt. are 
said to be native coffee; while 168,000 cwt. 
pepper are declared to be of a value 
exceeding 6,300,000 rupees ! — and the 
planters, Mr. Tatham says, are more and 
more growing pepper as a bye-product to 
coffee. This is just what we have wanted 
the tea planters of Kelani Valley and other 
similar districts to take up. If they cannot 
do much in rubber or cinchona, they should 
do a great deal in pepper ; for Kegalla was 
a famous pepper-growing district 150 years 
ago, as also the upper portions of the Matara 
division of the Southern Province. We 
would therefore press more and more for 
a revival of the pepper-growing industry, 
among the lowcountry planters of Ceylon. 
PLANTING IN B. C. AFRICA : 
COFFEE. &c. IN NYASSALAND. 
(By an ex-Ceylon planter.) 
Mlanji, B. C. Africa, Aug. 16. 
This is supposed to be a country void of 
comforts, and inhabited by savages ; at least 
anybody reading the books written by most 
travellers would arrive at that conclusion. I 
myself came here expectint; to have to rough 
it and prepared to do so, even to the same 
extent as the savage races whom I expected 
to have to civilize. 
Now I find I was mistaken and that every 
comfort that the most fastidious appetite 
could desire is here ; also dwelling-houses not 
to be despised by the most ambitious orien- 
tals—brick houses with windows and doors 
of excellent finish ; and wattle-and-daub 
bungalows which would put some of the 
Ceylon planters' P.D. houses in the shade. 
To enumerate some of the 
VARIOUS PRODUCTS 
we have in cultivation, as well as the fruits, 
vegetables, and grains we luxuriate in, might 
surprise some of yourreaders. Of Ceara rubber 
we have growing trees 12 feet high, with adia- 
meter of one foot at only three or four years' 
age. This rubber is being planted pretty ex- 
tensively as boundary trees, and amongst the 
coffee on some estates. It may do better than 
it did in Ceylon, as the climate here is more 
like that of the home of the Ceara tree. At all 
events the troe seeuis to be a deeper feeder 
here, and does no harm to coffee planted 
along with it, as it did in Ceylon. 
CACAO. 
I only know of one plant in the country, 
and Mr. J W Moir, of Lauderdale, is the 
owner. This plant was imported about five 
or six years ago, and is now only about 
four feet high, and measures three or four feet 
across the branches, — not a promising speci- 
men by any means, especially to any one 
who has seen the growth of cacao in Dumbara 
and Matale. My opinion is that our climate 
in Nyassaland is not suited for cacao, unless 
near the rivers and lakes at a lower eleva- 
tion, but there the rainfall is much less— 25 
to 30 ni. We have too great extremes of 
heat and cold. We get frost in June and 
July and in October and November dry heat, 
reaching 96° to lOOo in the shade, which neither 
COFFEE NOR CACAO 
likes. Shade may mitigate those evils, but 
1 doubt if the rainfall is sufficient for cacao 
even with shade, but I may be wrong; at 
all events, it does not thrive here. 
CARDAJIOMS 
should suit our climate well. We have 
none here that I know of. I brought some 
seed with me from Ceylon, and gave them 
to the African Lakes Co.'s Gardener to plant, 
but I do not think he ever got them to grow • 
at least I have not heard of any in the 
country. We have growing wild here any 
amount of Amomum nieleguetta. Grains of 
Pariidise, which produce a seed that was 
much sought after in days of old, and 
largely exported from the west coast, but now 
superseded by Malabar andMysorecardamoms. 
I gathered and sent home to my London 
agents over half a ton of seed a few years 
ago, but they could not find a purchaser 
tor the consignment, and it was destroyed 
in bond. The undergrowth of our ferests 
in the wetter parts of this country is com- 
posed of this variety of cardamoms, with 
two other sorts nearly allied to this. Ginger 
grows well here, and is cultivated by the 
natives, along with Turmeric, as a condiment 
TOBACCO 
of an excellent quality can be and is grown 
here ; the soil and climate seem to suit the 
weed. And when grown from a fine variety 
seed is of excellent quality. I have made 
cigars equal in flavour to the best Havana 
but to get the nigger to manufacture a 
couple of cheroots of the same quality would 
battle an expert's patience and perseverance 
—nothing but machinery will keep the kaffir 
uniform. 
FIBRES. 
Fibres, we have galore in the bush, Sanse- 
viera of two kinds grow wild. We have a 
variety of China grass, as well as the real 
imported variety. A number of trees supply 
bark of which the natives make excellent 
rope, as also two " Momba " trees, from which 
the bark cloth to cover the savage is made 
as well as excellent cordage and binders for 
housebuilding, etc. 
Aloes are common all over the country.and 
nno or two indigenous varieties are found in the 
bu^ii. We have some excellent timber trees 
^"^.t'. Mahogany trees, 150 ft. high, and 20 
to .:i0 ft. m circumference. African teak and 
a variety of legnamsuti, as well as many 
other valuable cabinet woods are plentiful. 
AUSTRALIAN GUMS 
grow well, blue and red gums thrive 
splendidly. Robusta trees I have growing 
over 100 ft. high, and 5 ft, in circumference, 
at 6 years age— I have plants from the seed 
of those trees 8 and 10 ft. high at 18 months 
age. White ants do an awful amount of 
damage to gums, causing the death of many 
plants, and even well-grown trees. Annatto 
trees of enormous dimensions are here, and 
they bear very large crops of seed, but I 
never thought it worth while extending their 
cultivation as the price of the article is bq 
