480 . THE TROPICAL AGmCULTURIST. [Jan. 1, 1903. 
ments (0 the Contiaent go to crucible manufacturers 
who complaia of the infiuitesimal margin of profit 
now obciiiuable on crucibles, largely owing to the 
comparatively high prices prevailing for the better 
qualities of plumbago. Trade generally in Germany 
is we all know, in a bad way and this holds good 
to no small extent in the iron and steel trades. 
When one sees firms like Krupp of Esseu working 
only half time, matters cannot be in a very pros- 
perous state. One of the oldest and at one time the 
largest firm of crucible manufacturers ia Germany 
has just thrown up the sponge and closed its woika for 
all time. The manager informed us that they .could 
no longer manufacture crucibles at a profit, and 
they would not go on working for the fan of the 
thing. Several others are working on the narrowest 
of margins. They do not care to shut down 
temporarily, as it would disorganize their la- 
bour, so they carry on hopinJK for better times. 
In America things are far from brit-k, and we now 
hear of an American mine capable of producing 5,000 
tons good crucible plumbago per annum. It is true 
that we have once or twice before heard of American 
plumbago, but that was the extent of it. When we 
asked for shipments there was ever some excuse ; 
but the matter has been p'aoed before us now in a 
much more definite way, and there may be something 
in it. We still have our doubts, but shall be better 
able to report on the subject in a few weeks' time. 
On spot, London, the following sales have been made 
during the week. Common lump, £18 to £12; good 
chippy dust, £7 lOs. ; medium chippy dust, £6 153. 
For shipment finest O. L. has been sold at £36 to the 
Continent. Good quality at medium at £25, and 
finest chips at £20. Several transactions have been 
made in plumbago from Southern India. The quality 
is poor, but it analyses well and gives an excellent 
polish. If this can be produced in any quantity it 
will interfere with the trade in Ceylon dust and flying 
dust. Common qualities of the latter are unsaleable 
but there is still a good demand both for England 
and the U.S.. for medium chippy dust at about £7. — 
Messrs Chapman, Anthony & Co.'s Report to Local 
"Times." 
« , 
; TRAVANCOKE FORESTS. 
We have received a copy of " The Mine of 
Wealth " in the State Forests of Travancore : and 
what young Travancore can do to create in- 
dustrieis — being a lecture delivered under the 
auspices of the Travancore Government Lecture 
Committee, by T Ponambalain Pillai, Acting 
Conservator of Forests, Travavcore. The lecture 
was a long as well as interesting one and 
M'ound up as follows :— " I shall now corclude the 
paper. I have told you how beautiful are the 
Forests of this State and how their fame lias 
reached other countries, I have als8 told you how 
they have made you independent of other countries 
by sending you eternal rain and by givng a suffi- 
cient supply of timber, firewood and other pro- 
duce. I have in a way tried to demonstrate that 
few species of trees in the Forests are worth 
25 years' revenue of the State, and the remain- 
ing species of timber are worth another 25 years' 
revenue. In fire-wood alone you have a third 
25 years' revenue. From the minor products of 
whicli I have spoken, you can obtain a fourth 
25 years' revenue. Tlius your Forests of which 
you liave every reason to be proud, contain wealth 
to Ihe extent of one hundred years' revenue of 
the State or more. Speaking of industries I 
spoke of fire- wood, of paper materials, of ex- 
traction of teali and sandal wood oil, of tar, 
varni.sh, gums, resins, dyeing and tanning ma- 
terials, fibres, arrowroot, gutta percha and other 
products of tubers, leaves, flowers, fruits and 
seeds of various trees both as edible and medicinal 
substances, and the preparation of Botanical 
specimens. Leaving the vegetable kingdom I spoke 
of the combination of the vegetable and mineral 
kingdom such as soap and saltpetre and referred 
to the various metals that can be worked. 
Lastly I spoke of the vegetable-animal products 
such as honey and silk. I also indicated how 
rare and useful trees and shrubs can be planted 
with advantage and how the water power can be 
used." 
QUARTERLY CINNAMON SALES. 
London, Nov. 25, 
Cinnamon. — The last quarterly auctions of the year 
were held yesterday with a total offering of 234 bales 
"worked" quill, 944 bales "nnworked," 101 bags 
chips and quillings, and 273 bales wild bark, com- 
pared with 825 bales in August, and 1,690 bales at 
this period, last year. 
There was a good attendance of the trade, and 
with satisfactory competition throughout, the bulk 
was cleared. 
The 234 bales " worked," fine and superior, met 
good competition and all sold. Firsts and seconds 
at fully Id per lb, average advance. Thirds at fully 
last sales rates, and fourths on the whole rather 
easier. Firsts realised Is 6d to la 9d, Seconds, 
Is ill to Is 8d ; Thirds, Is 2d to Is 5d; and Fourths, 
7d to llidperlb. 
Of 941 bales " unworked," 803 bales were cleared, 
a few small lots of Firsts at Id advance. Seconds to 
Fourths, irregular but fairly steady on average. 
Firsts at 7d to la. Seconds, 6d to lOd; Thirds, 5^3 
to 9J; and Fourths, 5d to 8Jd per lb. 
101 bags chips sold at 3|d for bright, and 2|d for 
common, and up to 9jd per lb for quillings, &c 
Wild Bahk. — 273 bags offered but met no ofiers. 
The limit was Id per lb. 304 packages of this rubbish 
was sold on 19th inst. ''without reserve" — quills at 
gd to §d, broken quills at id, and coarse bark at 
jd per lb. 
Stocks : — 
Plantation 2,689 bales, against 2,291 bales in 1901. 
Chips .. 730 bags ,, 3,154 bags „ 
Wild ., 1,829 bales „ 2,408 bales „ „ 
Wild Bark & 
Chips .. 6,426 bales „ 7,891 „ „ „ 
The next auctions are fixed for 23rd February, 1903. 
FOEBES, FORBES & Co., Ltd. 
The Price op Coconut Oii..— Apropos the 
information published by us from an out- 
station correspondent regarding the price 
of coconut oil, a European merchant writes : 
— " Your informant is quite wrong as to a 
rise of 10s in coconut oil just now. I had a 
wire from home yesterday. The prices 
offering in London are lower than they have 
been for at least this year." 
Indian Tea Area and Tea Cess.— The 
long letter addressed by the Secretary of 
the Indian Tea Association to the Finance 
Secretary of the Government of India, con- 
tains a good deal of interesting reading ; 
but the statistics it affords are disappointingly 
old, the area in cultivation being given as 
at the end of June 1901. We suppose that with 
fields abandoned the total area in te a in 
India does not much exceed 500,000 acres 
against 380,000 to 390,000 acres in Ceylon. 
