THE TROPICAL A(iRICULTURIST. [July 1, 190-i, 
from German cocoa manufacturers, it is 
hoped, buyeis will attend more to the 
*' breijk." than tlie appearance, and by paying 
a hifi;lier price for a good breakhig sample 
wean Lbe planters I'rom spoiling the inside 
for tlie outside. At one time it was liiiain- 
tained that it was impossible to rid the St. 
Thome bean of its bitterness, but ilie experts I 
sent samples to in the West Indies all said that, 
, given about twnce as much sweating, the 
cocoa would come all right, and certainly of 
late we have had some piles showing a 
marktd improvement in the break. 
H. Hamel Smith. 
— ^ 
CEYLON TEA IN RUSSIA 
AND WHAT A REDUCTION IN THE 
DUTY WOULD MEAN. 
With reference to the tea deputation in 
London to Prince Stcherbatchoff, presenting 
the importance of bringing about a reduction 
in the Russian tea duty, which received 
some prominence in our issue of last evening, 
we thought the opinions of local Russian firms 
on the subject would be of exceptional in- 
terest. We have, therefore, made enquiries, 
with the following results :— One firm which 
does not desire its name mentioned, says : — 
" We have read tlie articles in j^our paper 
on Ceylon and Indian tea, and tea duties 
in Russia. Our opinion is that, should the 
duty be reduced, the consumption of tea in 
Russia would be very largely increased. 
Cheapest kinds of tea are sold in European 
Russia at ;il)0ut the equivalent of Rl 70 per 
Russian lb. {'.Hi English ])ounds40 Russian), 
and ii suh^tantial reduction in tlie duty 
would mean that these kinds of tea would 
find their way even to the jioorest classes 
in Russia, who cannot now afford to indulge 
in tlie luxury of tea-drinking, and the pre- 
sent consumers of tea would probably buy 
more tea at the cheaper prices, or would 
take the same qmintity as before but of a 
better class of tea. 
"As regards the paragraph about a deputa- 
tion to Prince Stcherb.itchoff, we do not think 
it will have much influence on our Govern- 
ment, as they must have their own im- 
portant I'casons for not having reduced the 
duty on tea before this." 
Mr. W. P. Ampenolt' today favours us 
with the following statement:—"! am in- 
clined to think that a reduction of Duty in 
Tea will probably lead to a increased con- 
sumption of Tea in Russia, but I doubt the 
Duty will be reduced by the Russian (Govern- 
ment as it is not quite evident whether the 
increase of impcut will be in proportion to 
the loss to Government in Duty, if reduced.' 

TOOPICAL PPOUUCTS IN THE 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
From the leport by Mr. A. Rerrington, 
Commissioner of Lands and Mines, F.M.S., 
on tlic lands, mines ami surveys of the 
Federated Malay States for the year 1901, 
which lias just been issued as a supplement 
io the Negri Wenibilan Government Ga^tte, 
we quote the following review of their 
agriculture for the year:— 
Tlie reports of the Collectors only refer to tlie 
progress of af^iicuUiue incidentally, in connection 
witii the alienation of new land, and no doubt it 
is more a matter for Administration reports than 
for Land Office reports. iSiill, I may notice a few 
matters of interest in this connection. 
Padi. — III Krian, where the cultivation of sugar 
and padi has been long established on a consider- 
able scale, there has been a disastrous failure of 
the padi crop, though happily it does not seem to 
have afiecled the rent collections. Owing, as the 
Collector says, to the supiueness of the penghulus, 
in neglecting to see that the transplanting was 
done at the proper lime, the first nurseries were 
almost entirely ruined, and by the time that second 
nurseries were ready, and their contents trans- 
jjlanted, heavy rains came to retard the development 
of the young plants, which were then attacked by 
a wire worm and tiie greater part of the crop was 
spoilt. As a result, the export of padi from Kiian, 
which in 1900 was valued at $538,404, was in 1901 
worth no more than $190,533. In several other 
districts, however, the padi crop has been a fine one. 
Ill Kuala Kangsar, where it has been particularly 
good, I have heard the result attributed mainly to 
the influence of the peughulu-^, who understood 
what ought to be done, and took care that it was 
carried out. 
Sugar. — Sugar cultivation in Kiian produced an 
export of the value of $1,480,168, as agaiust 
$1,315,974 in 1900. At the large estate ac Suugei 
Geiong in the Matang districi, where over 1,100 
persons are employed, the crop is estimated to 
produce 55,300 pikuls of sugai'. 
PiNANGS.— From Selama it is reported that 
10,630 pikuls of pinangs were exported in tha 
course of the year, 
Coconuts. — In Lower Pevak, Kuala Selangor 
and Kuala Langat there has been a considerable 
demand for land for coconut plantations, but there 
are also many complaints of the damage done by 
beetles and by rats. Mr. Hale, the Collector and 
Registrar of Titles in Kuala Lumpur, thinks that 
unless rigorous measures are takeu it will soon be 
hopeless to attem|)t to grow coconuts within five 
iiiiies of the centre of Kuala Lumpur, owing to the 
number of heaps of stable and other refuse in 
wlich the beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) is allowed to 
breed undisturbed. 
Tapioca. — In Negri Sembilan, where tapioca has 
been largely grown for years, a considerable area 
of fresh land was alienated during 1901 for that 
cultivation, with a condition requiring the planter 
to introduce some " permanent " form of cultiva- 
tion [e.g., getah rambong ot cocouuia) pari passu 
with the jilantingof the tapioca. 
Gambier AND Pepper.— The price of both gam« 
bier and pepper has risen, and some fresh land 
has been alienated for their cultivation. 
Coffee and Rubber.— The prospects of coffe* 
have, unhappily, not improved materially, and a 
great deal of land planted with that product has 
been abandoned. Many estates, however, have 
been kept going, and nmy be expected to do well 
ill the future with the help of the para rubber 
which is now growing up between the rows of 
coifee. 
ToiiACCO.— In Ulu Langat tobacco is grown on 
small scale by Javanese settlers. 
