686 
THE LTROPieAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 1, 1903. 
These tables further show original capitalisation 
cost of nearly $90 per acre, and from the ninth 
year annual operating expenses of rather more than 
llflO per acre. 
It should be stated, however, that the operating 
expenses are based upon a systematic and scientific 
management of the estate ; while the returns or 
income are based upon revenue from trees that are 
at the disadvantage of being without culture of any 
kind, and, while I ani of the opinion that theoriginal 
oost per acre of the plantation, nor its current 
operating expenses maybe much reduced below the 
figures given, I feel that there is a reasonable 
certainty that the crop product may be materially 
increased beyond the limit of two ' catties,' 
In Gameroons, Dr. Preuss, a close and well- 
krained observer, gives the mean annual yield of 
trees of full-bearing age at 4.4 pounds. 
Mr. Rousselot places the yield on the French 
Congo at the same figure. In tlie Caroline Islands 
it reaches 5 pounds afid in Surinam, according to 
M. Nichols, the average at maturity is 6^ pounds. 
In Mindanao, I have been told, but do not vouch for 
the report, of more than ten '■ catties ' taken in one 
year from a single tree ; and, as there are well- 
authenticated instances of record, of single trees 
having yielded as much as 30 pounds, I am not pie- 
pared to altogether discredit the Mindanao story. 
The difference, however, between good returns 
and enormous profits arising from cacao growing in 
the Philippines will be determined by the amount of 
knowledge, experience, and energy that the planter 
is capable of bringing to bear upon the culture in 
question, — Philippine Bureau of Agriculture, 
Farmers' Bulletin, No. 2, 1902. 
SWEET POTATO " SUGAR IN FORMOSA. 
[Why not in N. and E. Ceylon V] 
The Island of Formosa will soon become, under 
the wise economic administration of Baron Kodama 
and Dr Goto, one of the great sugar producing 
regions of the world. Sugar is made there from 
the sweet potato. There is an almost unlimited 
market throughout the Eastern world for sugar, 
and the Japanese administration in Formosa is 
wisely availing itself of the splendid opportunity 
for developing and supplying this market. It is 
estimated that at least one-half of the island is 
adapted to the growing of the sweet potato for 
sugar manufacture. The climate is moist and 
favourable, and the soil is as fertile as that of the 
Hawaiian Islands or of Java. The range of tem- 
perature is from 75 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The 
sugar section extends from the middle to the 
southern end of the island, and in this section rain 
occurs every day from May until the latter part of 
September, which is the growing season, and then 
there is no rainfall whatever until the following 
May, affording a perfect season for harvesting. The 
first sugar company was established about two 
years ago. In 1901 the product of sweet potato 
sugar was 20,000 bales, and last year it was esti- 
mated that it would reach 60,000 bales. The profits 
of the industry are encouraging, as one acre of land 
will produce 40,000 pounds of potatoes — worth 
about SO yen, or $40 (gold) — and manufacturing 
expenses is only 75 cents for 1,000 pounds of sugar. 
Wages are low, a labourer receiving only shout 12 
to 16 cents a day. In such circumstances there is 
no reason for astoni-lmient at the rapid develop- 
ment of the iadwstry.— Straits Times, Jan. 24. 
THE ACTION OF BASIC SLAG ON 
POOR PASTURES. 
It will only be after many years of conjinuous 
research that we shall know fully the real action of this 
cheap and comparatively new source of phosphate 
(Basic Slag) and the actual limitations to its use. At 
present we know that on many poor pastnies its appli- 
cation has an almost immediate beneficial effect, and 
that in such cases its influence is very lasting. The 
Bath and West of England experiments would almost 
lead us to regard the application of this manure as a 
permanent improvement to such pastures as benefit 
from it at all. The six years' experiments at Cookie 
Park indicate limits which are more in accordance with 
what we know to be sound and practical agricultural 
maxims. According to these North Country results, 
basic slag only indirectly benefit the grasses in a 
pasture. The slag is found to improve the white clover; 
the flourishing clover improves the soil by increasing 
the supplies of nitrogen; while, as a result, the better 
grasses are strengthened and the worthless bent is dis- 
placed. Basic slag, in point of fact, seems to be of benefit 
only 80 long as it maintains or increases the white 
clover; and during the whole of this time both the soil 
and the better grasses are being indirectly improved. 
But when the white clover ceases to be the predominant 
crop — usually from three to four years after the first ap- 
plication of slag — the use of this manure in any quan- 
tity should cease, and its use followed up by the appli- 
cation of a mixed manure. Farmyard manure can then 
be applied with good effect. If artificials are preferred; 
these experiments show that the best results are 
obtained by their application in two dressings. In 
November, cwt of slag and | cwt of bone meal, 
should be used. This should be followed in February 
or March by a dressing consisting of 1 cwt. of super- 
phosphate, i cwt of fish meal, and li cwt of kainit. 
These two dressings will cost about 15s and is enough 
to apply to one or two acres over such portions as need 
it — i.e., where the white clover is giving place to a more 
mixed herbage. Such dressings as these, especially if 
followed by cake feeding, will greatly assist the better 
grasses of the pasture, and cornplete the work of 
improvement commenced by the basic slag. — Land 
AoENTs' Record. 
COCONUTS: COSTA RICA'S POSSI- 
BILITIES. 
Every fool with his scheme, and we with outs- 
it been brought forcibly home to us that as 
very little is known as to utilising many of the 
riches in which our fertile soil abounds, and for 
the present we bring to the front Coconuts, which 
— if we were poets — we would compare to weeping 
willows who are mourning their misfortunes and 
abandonment. By order of the Governor of Limon 
a recount has been made of the coconut trees 
existing in the Comarca, and although not effected 
with any minuteness, it has been shown that 
there exist between 40, 000 and 50,000 trees of this 
class. Each one of these produces a minimum of 
50 nuts yearly, so that without exaggeration of 
any kind it can be assumed that two million 
coconuts represents the annual production. Each 
40 coconuts produce on an average one gallon of 
oil, and therefore the two million nuts would pro- 
duce 50,000 gallons of oil yearly which is less than 
halt the quantity of grease imported into this 
country for soap alone as will be seen from tlie 
figures : In 1901, 373,352 kilogrammes of grease 
for soap were imported with an invoice value of 
148,431.19. The 50,000 gallons of oil that we have 
calculated as the pioduct of the Limon coconuts 
would scarcely give 3703 quintals, or, say 170,338 
