THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTUEIST. [Sept. 1, 1902. 
RUBBER ACCORDING TO THE 
CONSULS. 
Ceaea.— Mr, Acting Consul Williams report^ 
that the rubber exports of Ceara were small, owing 
to thehifih duty collected by the State on the rubber 
exported; part of what used to come to Ceara from 
the neighbouring States of Piauhy and Kio Grande 
de Norte was exported from the States that pro- 
duced it. 
Congo.— To the consular report of Mr Whitehead 
are added the following remarks : — Exportation of 
rubber has nearly trebled since 1898, and that com- 
modity is by far the Congo's most important article 
of commerce. During the year under review the 
export of rubber amounted to £1,758,638 in special, 
and £1,807,327 in general commerce, out of totals 
of £2,019,.536 and £2,160,302 respectively. The 
'special ' commerce thus differentiated from 'gene- 
ral ' means the exportation from the 'Congo of pro- 
ducts yielded within the territory of the State. Of 
the tottil ' special ' export of rubber, amounting in 
value to £1,758,638, Belgium's proportion was 
£1,713,926, and the United Kingdom's only £188 ! 
Of the 'general' commerce in rubber, amounting 
in value to £1,807,327, Belgium's share was 
£1,747,323, and the United Kingdom's but £1,162. 
Little woider that the importance of Antwerp as a 
mart for rubber has grown at a great rate since the 
Belgians set themselves to exploit the 'Indepen- 
dent' Congo State. From the report itself it would 
appear that the satisfactory development of the 
commerce of the Independent State of the Congo 
continues ; that it is largely, though not entirely, 
owing to increased exports of indiarubber, and that 
this trade is almost entirely in Belgian hands. 
Colombia. — The Colombian Consul-Ceneral in 
London has made the following communication to 
Reuter's Agency : — " A contract has been secnred 
from the Government for the navigation of the 
Caqueta and Putumayo rivers with their tributaries. 
The concessionaire (Mr. J Bidlake) is permitted the 
free introduction of boats and such machinery as he 
may require. He is to receive 1,250 acres of land 
for each vessel he puts upon the rivers. He has also 
the right to build wharves and necessary buildings 
on public domains. The contract is to continue in 
force for ten years. The territory covered embraces 
the larger portion of Southern Colombia, and in- 
cludes a vast rubber forest, the extraction of the 
product being the main object of the enterprise." 
Peku Bolivia.— H.M. Consul General at Callao 
remarks that the india-rubber industry is likely to 
progress, as, from all accounts, the forests of Peru 
contain innumerable rubber trees. From 1st July, 
1900, to 30th July, 1901, grants amounting in the 
aggregate to 1,240,000 acres of forest land, said to 
contain valuable rubber trees, have been made by 
the Government. These lands lie in the Depart- 
ments of Huanaco and Cnzco. The periods of the 
grants are either five or ten years The royalty 
claimed by the Government is 2s for every quintal 
of rubber which is exported. During the same 
period six other concessions were granted under 
somewhat different conditions. One of the grants 
comprised 4,942 acres and the others 1,235 acres 
each. These grants are divided into plots called 
'estradas.' Each 'estrada' contains within its 
boundaries 150 rubber tiees. The royalties levied 
in this case are 20 cents annually for each ' estrada ' 
and 20 cents for each hectare of land which the 
estradas cover,— India-rubber Trades' Journal, 
July 7. 
CAMPHOR MONOPOLY IN FUKIEN. 
On the authority of the Japanese Foreign Office, 
it is now stated (says the Kobe Chronicle) that 
the Chinese Government has decided to establish 
a Camphor Monopoly Otfice in Fukien, placing 
the manufacture and sale of camphor under the 
control of the Japanese. It is not correct, how- 
ever, to say that the monopoly right of the 
camphor trade is to be conceded to the Japanese 
Government. In future the Japanese may be 
a party to the camphor business by contributing 
a part ot the expenses of monopoly, but no definite 
arrangements have yet been made. 
« 
POULTRY BREEDING IN RUSSIA. 
Without any great exaggeration it can be 
said that there is no house, no family in Russia, 
where poultry is not bred. Peasants in their small 
izbas, big landlords on their estates, and even in- 
habitants of town breed poultry, mostly hens for 
laying and for supplying the market. Beside 
hens, other kinds of poultry are also kept, as 
geese, dncks, turkeys, guinea-fowls, peacocks, 
swans, and even certain species of non-domesti- 
cated birds — as partridges, turtle-doves, black-game, 
woodcock, etc. All possible species of hens can 
be found in Russian poultry yards, and am<)ngst 
them those native to England and America — as 
Cochin China, Brhamapootra, Langshan, Plymouth 
Rock, Wyandote, Dorking, etc. But the thorough- 
bred hens are to be found mostly in poultry yards 
owned by amateurs, The average country inhabi- 
tant, however, does not posses i any superior kind 
of poultry ; he owns generally mongrels, and at- 
taches more importance to the quantity of the 
birds than to their good qualities. But there 
exists in Russia two breeds of hens which are looked 
upon as national breeds. They are, firstly, tlie 
Orloff. and, secondly, the Paul species. Opinions 
are divided concerning their origin ; some attri- 
bute it to Count Orloff-Tcherniensky, and others to 
an Oriental stock from Persia, The Paul breed 
got its name from the village of Pavlolf, where it 
was first obtained in Catherine IPs reign. These 
two kinds of hens, bred in Russia for more than 
a century, are entirely unknown to the outer 
world, and they are so exclusively Russian as are 
the fighting cocks in England. The Orloff and Paul 
breeds are rather ."portive than utilitary breeds, 
although they are not wholly lacking in the latter 
qualities. Goose breeding is widespread. It is 
probable that formerly it attracted amateur!^, as 
there are still existing some special breeds pecu- 
liar to Russia alone, for instance the lighting geese 
of Toula, Arzamass, and Kolmogory, They have 
a round head, large forehead, and a very short 
but strong beak. Their flesh is savoury, they are 
very prolilic, and easy to breed. The duck is equally 
widespread, but we seldom meet superior breeds, 
as Rouen, Aylesbury, Pekin, etc. The same cam 
be said about turkeys ; the better species, as the 
Cambridge or the American one, are principally 
to be found in amateur aviaries. The peacock is 
exclusively bred merely as an ornamental bird, and 
has no economical importance. The samen)aybe 
said al)Dut she swan. Partridges, quails, woodcocks, 
and blackbirds are bred on big country properties 
for sporting pu 'poses, and not for the market. 
Pheasants are bred more abundantly, and there are 
some well-known estates as, for instance, Luamens- 
koe, belonging to Their Imperial Highnesses the 
Grand Dukes Nicholas and Peter Nicolaevitch, an4 
