March 2, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AaRICULrURIST. 
633 
"SOIL BACTERIA AND BASIC SLAG." 
INTEENATIONAL COMPETITION : CLOSING IN 
THREE YEARS, 
In order to encourage investigations into the 
increase of fertility in soils by the action of 
bacteria and other micro-organisms, under the 
influence of mineral manures, with special refer- 
ence to manuring with basic slag, Verein der Tho- 
masphosphacfabriken (Association of Thomas's 
Phosphate Works) has instituted a competition 
with prizes amounting to a total of 40,000 marks 
(£1,950). Scieutilic essays and experiments con- 
ducteU by practical farmers will be admissible 
in the competition. The method of treatment of 
the subject is left to the discretion of each 
compecitor. The competition is to be open to all, 
without regard to nationality. The following five 
gentlemen have consented to act .as judges, any 
of whom will be pleased to give particular infor- 
mation to intending competitors ;— Government 
Adviser Dr L Hilcner, Principal of the Royal 
Agricultural and Bacteriological Institution, 
Munich ; Professor Dr Alfred Koch, Principal of 
the Koyal Agricultural and Bacteriological insti- 
tution, the University, Gottingen ; Professor Dr 
Keray, Principal of the Institute for Researches 
ami Bacteriology, the Royal Agricultural Univer- 
sity, Berlin; Professor Dr A Stutzer, Principal 
of the Koyal Agricultural Chemical Institute, 
the University, Konigsber ; and ^Professor Dr H 
Wilfartb, Principal of the Ducal Agricultural Ex- 
perimental Station, Bernburg. Competitors are 
requested to send in their essays written in German 
to the association not later than February 1st, 
1906, by registered post, the envelope to bear a 
motto in addition to the address. The name of 
the competitor in each case must be enclosed 
with the essay, but in a separate closed envelope 
bearing the same motto on the outside. The latter 
will not be opened until the judges have made 
their awards. The address of the association is 
Berlin, S W, Hafenplatz 4.— London Times, 
February 6. 
♦ 
RAINBOW TROUT OVA. 
BATCH BY THE " HAMBURG " A FAILURE, 
The batch of 20,000 Rainbow Ova, received by 
the Ceylon Fishing Club from the Wyresdale 
Hatcheries, and which arrived in Nuwara Eliya on 
the 10th Feb. after a delayed voyage out in the 
N.L.S.S. "Hamburg," have proved a failure as not 
8,000 ova out of the big consignment have hatched 
out, whether it is due to its remaining packed 
a longer period than usual, or whether it is due 
to She arrangement made by the Wyresdale 
Hatchery to get the ova to hatch out earlier than 
on previous years, it is difficult to say. Ova was 
not obtainable till the end of March in other 
years, but this year the consignment arrived as 
early as the first week in February. The failure 
of the consignment is a matter of serious concern, 
as two shipments went bad last year. In our issue 
of the 16tli instant we gave details of the date 
of shipment and the number of days the con- 
aignmcut had bocu on the voyage out, together 
with the further delay caused by the " Hamburg " 
arriving in port late on Saturday, the 7th Feb. 
It is to be hoped that the consignment of Brown 
Trout Ova, which arrived here this week also 
from the same Wyresdale Hatchery, will give 
better results,— iVit'/;«m Eliija Cor, 
TEA AND COFFEE IN SIERRA LEONE. 
In a report on Exotic Plants of Economic Interest 
in the Botanic Gardens at Entebbe, Uganda, 
Mr J Mahon status he has a number of 
seedlings of Sierra L -one highland coftee (coffea 
stenophylla) raised from Singapore seed. Tea 
grows with but moderate rapidity just here. Our 
rainfall is not great enough. When we have a period 
of rains it flushes nicely, If its cultivation were 
carried on here even on a moderate scale to meet 
some of the local demands it would be necessary to 
call in the aid of irrigation. Mr Scott Elliot, the 
naturalist and traveller, seemed satisfied from his 
explorations in the Ruwenzori country that large 
areas there offered a fine field for cultivating tea on 
a large scsile.— London and Oht7ia Express, J an. 30. 
A NEW RUBBER VINE. 
The U.S. Consul at Tegucigalpa (Honduras) has 
received information of the discovery in the Pijo 
Mountains of a vine growing in an uncultivated 
state which is said to produce rubber of excellent 
quality. The vines grow to 100 ft in length, vary- 
ing in diameter from 4 in i to 2 ft and they are 
said to belong to the African family of rubber vines. 
In Honduras no one seems to know the name of 
the vine or the botanical family to which it belongs. 
The discoverer (Senor Davadi, Governor of the 
Department of Comyagua) regards it as superior 
in quality to the Para rubber of commerce, and 
asserts that his convictions are borne out by the 
analyses made by American and European che- 
mists. The vine thrives at great altitudes as well 
as in the lower valley levels. Such luxuriance of 
growth has this plant attained that it is quite * 
capable of being cut in commercial quantities. It 
may be quickly propagated in the rich soil of the 
department by means of seedlings, and the growth 
being so much faster than that of rubber trees, 
Senor Davadi thinks the quantity of gum obtained 
would be large. The trees require six years' 
attention before sapping can begin. — India 
Euhher Trades' Journal, Jan, 19. 
WHAT DOES THE WORD "PLANTER" 
MEAN •> 
(To the E litor, Indian Planters' Gazette.) 
Sir, — Will you kindly inform me about the fol- 
lowing : — The word planter is frequently used 
both in your own paper and in the daily papers, 
in a very ambiguous way, and I would like to 
have the matter explained. Does the word planter 
refer to the manager, the shareholder or the pro- 
prietor of an estate 2 In short does it refer to the 
manager or to the owners of the estate. For in- 
stance, in your leader in Saturday's Gazette, " The 
planter's kith and kin at home are full of sym- 
pathy for him," this cannot exactly refer to the 
manager of an estate, for he gets his pay whether 
the concern is paying a profit or not. The same 
sort of reference occurs in Messrs. Brooke Bjnd'a 
letter ; does " lack of cnternrise refer to tho 
managers, or to the sliarcholdera of the estates ? 
Managing Proprietor. 
Jaipalguri, 3rd Feb. 1903. 
[X tea planter is a man actively engaged in the 
caUivEiition and mauufactore of tea. may b<9 a 
