414 
THE TROPICAL AGBICULTURIST. 
[Dec. 1, 1900. 
number of European visitors to tlie Sliow would 
be about 250 including ladie.*, whose bright and 
cheerful countenances and handsome dresses added 
charm to the ecene. 
SIX CEYLON MEN 
sat down to lunch, the day of the sports, at one 
table — Anderson, Mogjifridge, Robins, Power, Gay 
and myself. There was only one absentee, Lloyd, 
who by the way turned up to the Concert on 
Saturday evening. I counted over 200 Europeans 
on the sports' ground and every one looking the 
picture of health, including two Doctors. One 
of the latter I asked if there was anybody in 
Hospital ? " No," was the reply, in rather a sharp 
tone ! ! — as if his professional services were not 
much required. He remarked, however, that 
the country appeared to be becoming more 
healthy. Notwithstanding the critics who as- 
sert tliat we are dying off like flies, and 
gambling with life, living in such a climate, we 
can live and do live well enough and enjoy life 
and wofk too. It was said, not long ago, that 
children could not live here. Why ? I saw 
FAT BABIES 
in Blantyre (by the way Mrs. Hardy's, a Mlanji 
one, was the fattest, but I must not say the 
prettiest or I rnay get hauled over the coals by tl;e 
parents of others) which would take a prize at 
any English Baby Show. What do you think ? 
There are also to be seen fat rosy-cheeked 
youngsters with big pith-hats on, the very 
pictures of health, playing about in the open in 
the sun all day ; surely with ladies and children 
galore, the climate cannot be so deadly as people 
would make out, 
Ceylon seems to be overstocked with 
CREEPERS OR GRUBBERS 
at present. Why not send some of them over here ; 
there is room enough in all conscience. Land and 
living is chea)), but I suppose they funk the 
climate, although thoy do not mind the glory of 
fighting the Boers. By the way I have a son who 
has been all through the war, and has not got 
wounded even, lucky boy: it is really marvel- 
lous how some escape. 
COFFEE 
is not looking over bright about Blantyre, There 
has been no rain for montli.-^, and tlie outlook is 
not promising by any means for the coming crop. 
We in Mlanji had 3^ inches of rain last month, 
which brought out a good blossom and set it well. 
This is a better tea than coffee country, the 
climate is so uncertain ; but one likes to stick 
to coffee as it is not such a tedious cultivation 
as tea. 
We have one great advantage here having a 
Sanatarium at our very door. In five hours or 
so I can get up to 6,000 or 7,000ft. elevation — 
perfection of a climate, but too cold and frosty 
when the sun goes north — May to August ; but 
it is cold and bracing enough down here then. 
I tried to kraal some 
ZEBRAS 
last month, but the men I sent to build the stock- 
ade built the gate on the wrong side, and the 
noise made in the changing of it drove the herd 
away. I am going to try again soon. 
I bought a horse out of a batch of about 20 
and it died from fly-bite within a week after I 
got it here, and the other horses all died, too, 
Having been bitten ou the journey here. H, B, 
VARIETY OF PRODUCTS IN MEDIUM 
PLANTING DISTRICTS. 
In mentioning the sale of Alpittikande in 
July last, we referred to the variety of pro- 
ducts cultivated on this old favourite pro- 
perty, namely tea, cacao, coconuts (growing 
remarkably well) and arecanuts ; but in addi- 
tion there are over 40 acres of cinnamon fit for 
peeling and 10 acres under paddy, in splendid 
condition ; while among minor products, 
there are pepper, erythroxylon, coca, cam- 
phor trees (prospering well), rubber and 
vanilla. Ten different products on the one 
property must be an unusual sight. Can 
this list be beaten anywhere else on a hill or 
low country estate? 
♦ 
SUGAR-PLANTING IN THE STRAITS 
SETTLEMENTS. 
DRAWBACKS AND DIFFICULTIES AS WELL 
AS PROGRESS. 
From an interesting letter from the Chief 
Manager of the large Sugar imdertakings 
in the Malayan Peninsula to which frequent 
attention has been drawn in these columns, 
we learn that the present undertakings 
there have not been such plain-sailing as was 
anticipated :—" On one estate, Geelong, lam 
glad to say that after fighting sickness 
amongst the coolies and staff, we have at last 
got over the troubles incidental to opening 
up new land. A fine new factory has been 
erected and starts working this week on an 
excellent crop of canes extending over more 
than 1,000 acres, which area should be 
quadrupled in two years. At another estate, 
Rubana, on the Perak River, misfortune has 
overtaken us in the shape of crowded hospitals 
from ordinary ailments, but latterly cholera 
which we have only just managed to stamp 
out. Then to crown all, the rats came 
swooping down on us and .ate down the 
whole of the canes— some 500 acres— which 
throws the estate back nearly a year. It 
has been most disheartening ; in fact a long 
night-mare to me, but I now begin to see 
daylight through it all." 
RUBBER FROM LEAVES. 
Dr. Axel Preyer treats in the German Tropen- 
pflamer of tlie practicability of extracting rub- 
ber from the leaves of rubber-bearing trees. He 
describes certain quantitative experiments made 
with the leaves of the ITe'ea hrasiliensis. In the 
first experiment the tree was aged 22 years ; 500 
leaves were treated ; the latex was expressed 
from the leaves by manual pressure and coagu- 
lated with citric acid. Kesult 0'325 gramme (about 
5 grains) of utilisable caoutchouc. In the second 
the plant was aged 18 months, same number of 
leaves and same process. Result 0"27 gramme 
(about 4 grains) utilisable caoutchouc. Dr. Preyer 
makes the following calculation with regard to 
cultivation on a commercial scale. Hevea plants 
of 18 months require but 10 centimetres (4 inches) 
of space between them ; each plant carries 40 to 
60 leaves, on an average 50, which aiiswers to 
•027 gramme caoutchouc : there would tlien be in 
a hectare (2i acres) 1,000,000 plants giving 27 kilo- 
grammes (.59i lb. avoirdupois) of caotchouc, even 
admitting that the yield could be doubled by me- 
chanical extraction, which is doubtful. Dr. 
Preyer considers that it would remain too insigni- 
ficant for remunerative culture.— /wcimn Garden' 
ing and Flanting, Nov. 1, 
