THE THOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. I'^ov. 1, 1%^. 
Again you can ship by these A 1 mail 
steamers to Japan, a voyage of under 20 
days, at R20 per ton, whereas to Adelaide, 
Melbourne and Sydney (tliree ports which, I 
believe, the Colombo tea market is stronglv 
dependent upon) you again pay R50 per ton. 
I have seen this subject mentioned from 
time to time in the proceedings of the 
Planters' dissociation or the "Thirty Com- 
mittee," and I should like to know if there 
is any prospect of this glaring anomaly being 
"gone for" again, and more energetically 
than in the past. 
Why should the struggling tea industry 
have to pay Id per lb. freight to one of its 
largest and increasing consumers, when for 
one-third of this freight you are offered 
steamers of the same Companies for countries 
to which our exports are almost nil, and 
which even in the future are not likely to 
take our products, no matter how cheaply 
you could ship them? On the other hand, 
these very countries I refer to, viz :— China 
and Japan, can send their teas down at a 
freight of id per lb. to the Australian 
markets, ^d (three cents) per lb. on Ceylon 
■teas would be a welcome addition to the 
income of many who hold 
TEA SCRIP. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
The Great Vine at Hampton Court is 
often referred to as showing how long a 
plant will live and bear pruning and cultiva- 
tion. This vme is supposed to be over 
one hundred-and-thirty years old. The latest 
report is from a London paper dated Sept- 
ember 24th : — 
The greab vine at Hampton Conrfc Palace, 
which is now 134 years old, is this year only 
bearing 700 bunches of grapes, nearly 3,000 
bunches having been thinned out to give the 
tree a rest. 
The Effects op Fuel Oil— in reducing 
freights, in the Western World principally, 
are fully dealt with by Sir Marcus Samuel 
in an article reproduced elsewhere from 
a home paper. The advantages associated 
with the substitution of fuel oi) for 
coal are so apparent and manifold that 
it is surprising that in Eastern lines it is 
not more universally used. Its adoption in 
the West has literally revolutionised ship- 
ping freights : similar advantages would be 
welcomed in Ceylon and we trust these 
satisfactory results are but the precursor of 
•what we will shortly experience through 
the adoption of liquid fuel by Eastern lines. 
In Pursuit of Parasites— Mr Geo. Compere, 
the entomologist of the Department of Agricul- 
ture, departed yesterday on a journey to various 
portions of the globe in search of the parasites 
of certain noxious injects. He will proceed to 
Sydney, thence to Uhina and Japan, where he 
will endeavour to get the parasite of the red 
scale. From Asia hb will cross to Washing- 
ton, and after a brief stay in the United States 
he will continue his journey to Italy, in which 
country he is hopeful of securing the parasite 
of the fruit fly, a pest which has caused heavy 
losses to fruitgrowers in several parts of the 
wovli,— Australian paper, Oct 4. 
Manuring Tea.— Mr. W. D. Bosanqu«t 
has undoubtedly conferred a special benefit 
on his brother planters in tea by his very 
practical and sensible observations on this 
subject. He shows how the "forcing manure," 
most commonly in vogue, is open to con- 
demnation, and he clearly indicates how 
each planter may do much better for his 
estate and work more economically as well 
Mr. Bosanquet's motto must be " Science 
with practice." We wish he had told us 
something on the value of burying tea 
prunings. He speaks highly of the usefulness 
of albizzia trees among tea ; but Mr. Bam- 
ber's recommendation is in favour of 
cultivating a leguminous plant like Crotolaria 
striata, a herb (2 to 3 feet high) common on 
waste ground in the low country and about 
Kandy : it flowers in December-February a 
dull yellow veined purple ; pods long and 
plenty ot seeds. We trust Mr. Bosanquet 
will have more to say about his manuring 
experiments ere long. 
The Total V:ield op Gold from the 
British Isles (says Mr. J MacLaren, p.g.s. 
in the Mining Journal) may, with the ex- 
ception of the quota from the Leadhills, 
in Scotland, be computed with sufficient 
approach to accuracy to give considerable 
yalue to the estimation ; — 
£ 
England (North Molten, 1852-3) .. 581 
Wales (Dolgelly area, since 1844) ... 281,497 
Scotland (Leadhills area, 15111616) ... lOu.OOO 
Sutherland (1868 1869) .. 3,000 
Ireland (County Wicklow, 1795-1879).. 21,855 
Total gold yield of British Isles ... 413,933 
Of this sum it will be seen that neai-ly 
all, with the exception of that from the 
Leadhills, has been obtained during the 
last century, and slightly more than half 
of it (£208,855) during the last 14 years. 
Arbor Day, — It is gratifying to find that active 
steps have been taken to give practical effect to the 
suggestion made in the Agricultural News, of 
establishing an Arbor Day in the West Indies. 
At Trinidad Mr J H Hart reports that a tree was 
planted on Coronation Day (August 9), in the 
Queen's Park Savannah by His Excellency the 
Acting Governor, Sir C C Knollys, K C M G. Mr 
Hart continues :—' It is a practice which would 
tend largely to the benefit of the community acd 
in which the poor as well as the rich may sliare ; 
and August 9 each year (a specially suitable time 
in Trinidad) might well be commemorated by the 
planting of fruit, timber, or ornamental trees.' A t 
Grenada His Excel ency the Governor planted a 
Geiiip-tree immediately after tiie Coronation 
service in the presence of a large number of the 
officials and other residents of the island. Mr 
Broadway, the Curator reports that in all eighty- 
five trees were planted some on July 2, the re- 
mainder on August 9. At Tobago and other 
islands also, several trees were planted on June 26 
and several further Coronation trees on August 9. 
— Gardeners' Chronicle, Sept 27. 
