Aug. 1, 1902.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
135 
views and reconimendeil that facilities for prospect- 
ing; ill the tract, which exhibits indications of 
an auriferous reef, may safely be given by 
assi;;riing a plot near the Coononr Kiver and 
another at the top of the Burliar Valley. Tlie 
Government has accordingly sanctioned a license 
being granted to Mr Herklots on the terms pro- 
posed by the Board of Keveuue. — M. Mail, 
July 15. 
^ 
TEA IN FORMOSA. 
The Osaka Asahi publishes an interesting 
letter from Taipeli, as follows : 
Seven years have now elapsed since Formosa was 
acquived by Japan. The liist three or four years 
were spent in investigations, and it is only reosntly 
that practical experiments were made and public 
works started in earnest. Experiments for the improve- 
ment of the tea plants are still being made. The ex- 
amination of manure was taken in November last. 
Tea-culture experimental stations are established at 
Bunsanbo and Tokmbo, under the charge of Mr Fujie, 
an ex pert. Last year 1,880 yen was appropriated to 
this department, and all the arrangements required 
were completed. This year 3, .500 yen has been 
granted, and the testing of manure has been com- 
menced. People of the island who are interested 
in tea cultivation say that the plants, given manure, 
produce more leaves, but they lose the natural 
flavour of the Formosa tea, so that they are unfit 
for making the best Oolong variety. II the results 
of the experiment be a=i anticipated, the pror!a';tioa 
of tea can be doubled, and as it is iutbuded to use 
machines for preparing the leaf, the result will be 
a reduction in the price and in the manufacturing 
expenses, Formos?^ tea may compete in price with 
the tea market of the world. The expenses appro- 
priated to the four agricultural experimental stations 
in the island amount to 24,259 yen. — Ilonrjkong 
July 16. 
. 4^ . 
PLANTING NOTES. 
' ABlue Rose— grown by a head gardener named 
Maedonald, in tlie United States— has been sent to 
Kew Gardens. As a rarity it may claim rank 
with the choicest new orchid, and it is therefore 
not surprising to learn that on the way over the 
Atlantic it rec^^ived the most careful attention, 
and was protected in a specially constructed 
miniature griienhouse — a care which was rewarded 
bv its arrival with blooms in excellent condition. 
—B Weekly, June 26. 
Cyprus— is one of the most beautiful and inter 
esting of our possessions, and at one time it was 
the richest and most luxurious spot of the jlassical 
world. It is even yet exceedingly fertile, and 
possesses, moreover, a fair climate ; but, tor all 
its natural advantages, it seems to be held of 
little account by the Government, which, how- 
ever, has recently constructed some excellent 
roads between tlie principal towns along the 
coast, whereby travelling is rendered much 
easier than it used to be twenty years 
ago. At present, unfortunately, there is 
only one dtcent hotel in tlie i^^land— that 
at Larnaca, which, by the way, Mr Haggard 
says (in " A winter pilgrimage through Pales- 
tine, Italy, and Cyprus," just published) is 
"absurdly cheap," a distinct advantage in these 
times. Larnaca, where we have our Consulate, 
niipht be made the headquarters for an interesting 
tour of the island, including Faniagusta, and 
the Ruins of Colossi, Amathus, Curium, Nicosia, 
{i,ncl Kyrenia.— ifomc paper. 
Ensilage.— The Board of Agriculture desire 
to acquaint persons desirious of making silage 
that copies of a leaflet containing information on 
the subject of ensilage may be obtained, post free 
and free of charge, on application to the Secretary, 
Board of Agriculture, I, Whitehall-place, London, 
S.W. Letters of ai/jilicaiion so aildressed need 
not be stamped.— London Times, June 27. 
Brooke Bond& Co.— This famous tea dis- 
tributing Company s annual meeting will be 
found reported in on page 121. A dividend 
of 15 per cent, with 2^ per cent bonus— and 
another £18,000 to the reserve which is to be 
brought up to £150,000, the original capital ! 
— shows how little it has been affected by- 
trade depression. Mr. Hector Forbes, the 
Chairman, protested against producers 
having to pay £6,000,000 in duty on a 
total value of £7,500,000 ; but he had no con- 
fidence in any 'reduction of output ' scheme. 
The Manufacture of Fapaix.— In the course 
of a notice on the paper on this subject, wliich 
appeared on page 4 of the Agricultural News, the 
Montserrat Herald says : — This article is pretty 
well exported from here. There are not less thaa 
three dryi'.ig stoves in the islaiid of Mr. Watts' 
description, so the mode of preparation is not new 
to thuse who are engaged in its manufacture. 
B it we do not think that it is generally known 
by those who sell the juice that "it is essential 
that no iron knife or iron utensils should be 
brought into contact with the milk. Wood and 
bone should be employed, and the milk should be 
collected in earthenware ba^-ins or cups, or in 
glass vessels, and not in tins which are sure to 
blacken it."— IF. /. Ac/ricultural Ne^vs, June 7. 
Synthetic Ruisbbr.— A process for the manu- 
facture ot " synthetic rubber " from cotton-seed 
oil and (ibrs has been invented by Messrs John 
Burdon & Company, which should, if it proves to 
be commercially of the value claimed for it, do 
much towards cheapening the cost of all manu- 
factures involving the use of rubber in auy shape 
or form. The inventors assert that a mixtuie 
containing 25 per cent, of pure rubber produces at 
a considerably lower cost an article of equal value 
for almost all commercial purposes, and if this 
assertion can be made good by the test of actual 
working there is certainly room for the new indus- 
try which will arise. At present the cost of pure 
rubber is 4s per lb, or £20 per 100 lb, whereas it 
is estimated that the new discovery can be pro- 
duced for £6 17s 6d. per 100 lb, including £5 for 
25 lb of Para rubber. — Investors' Review, June 21. 
Vanilla in Tahiti.— The Journal of the Board 
of Trade for January 23, 1902, reports that the 
French Government; has fixed '1,OjO Kilograms 
[22,046 lb] as the quantity of vanilla produced in 
Prench establishments in Oceania {Tahiti and its 
Dependencies) which during the period from July 
1, 1901, to June 30, 1902, is to be allowed a 
reduction of 50 per cent of the ordinary import 
duty on importation with Prance. In 1899 Tahiti 
exported 130,1131b of Vanilla. The price realised 
was very low, only 4s 5|:d per lb, owing largely to 
faulty preparation. The Consular Report on the 
Trade of the Society Islands for 1899 says that 
'Tahiti vanilla properly cured before shipment 
generally finds a fair market, although it cannot 
compete in quality with that from Bourbon, Sey- 
chelles, Fiji and the West Indies,— Agricuturai 
Nem, May 24. 
