April 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
687 
kilogrammes, which are not, as we before said, 
even half of the 37.3, 352 kilogram mes of fat im- 
ported, among which, we do not incUule 28,035 
kilogrammes of macliiiie oil that are alro imported, 
which we could manufaclnre here— tiiking 
for the raw material the coconut or wild 
fig, for the oils of both plants are very good lubii- 
cants and only need a little mixing with petroleum 
for thinning it. la tiie calculations that we have 
made, we have taken into account only the 
Comarca of Limon, without considering the other 
extensive territories of the republic in which 
coconuts can be extensively produced. What is 
being (?one today with all these products? Only 
a few hundred coconuts are exported that scarcely 
pay the cost of picking and transportation. 
What can be done? Much — by arou'^ing the ex- 
isting apathy before nece-sity, which is I he sup- 
reme law, compels us by a mort paitiful process. 
We know that there exists in this country the 
necessary machinery for the manufaciure of 
coconut oil, machinery that cannot be uii'ised 
because the owner lacks capital for exploitiof; 
the business. Perhaps someone may be found 
with aptitude, having capital and lacking the 
material elements. Is it so difHcult to realise 
this result? We think not: and in whatever 
form it is effected it may be the base for a 
productive and regenerative industry, a germ of 
the future commercial emancipation of Costa Rica, 
— Limon Weekly News, Dec. 1902. 
^ 
MARKET VALUE OF VANILLA. 
Messrs Brookes & Green, the well-known firm of 
Brokers in London, writes : — 
Concernine; Vanilla market and artificial substi- 
tntea, we beg to inform you that owing to a very 
large crop of vanillas from Seychelles, the price 
dropped very considerably from September 1901 to 
Match 1902. 
At the time of writing this letter prices are 
rising, and we think will keep firm through the 
summer. You may contradict a'lthoritatively, that 
either ' Vanillin ' or any other artificial competitor 
was the cause of the decline. 
Referripgr to our letter of July 21st 1902, giving 
values of the sample vanillas you sent over, these 
valuations we repeat today, viz : from 3a to Ta- 
per lb, the mention of 6d per lb as a rumour, 
is altogether wrong.— Barbados Agricultural NeiL's 
Jan. 3, 
JAVA PRODUCTS IN 1902. 
At the opening of the first meeting of the Commer- 
cial Chamber of Amsterdam in the New Year, the 
President delivered the customary review of the trade 
in the preceding year. In general the results were not 
brilliant, the course of prices being mostly downward. 
Java coffee, which opened a* c.38, declined to c.34 for 
good ordinary and Santos from c.23J to c.lSJ. Java 
tea followed a downward tendency nntil July, and theo 
improved for the greater pa,rt. The Amsterd-.m 
market maintained its excellent position, and in the 
last ten years arrivals and deliveries are Hbout 150 per 
O ut. more. As regirds Cinchona bark, the larger 
supplies caused a fall in value from c.Ti to c.O per 
unit. The imports of rice were respectively c.lO and 
C.25 per cent, more compared with 1901 and 1900, but 
prices were maintained. The prices of Javi toliacco 
were on the average o.5 per half kilo, lower, which 
means a loss of fl.2,i)00,000 ou the *rop.— London and 
0/i»«« axpress Jaa, 16, 
" DEANE-JUDGE " SAMPLES OF 
GREEN TEA. 
We i-eceivecl a few days ,i,{?o (and regret 
we did not notice tliein sooner) a few samples 
of green tea, from Mr. Druniinond Deane, 
lianded to us by Mr. Grieve of Messrs. Brown 
& Co. These samples, we may mention, have 
been seen by several testers in (^Jolombo and 
were said to be very f^ood and very like in 
appearance to Chin.a teas. The teas are an 
original ordinary green tea sample and a 
polished sample made in the New Polisher 
called the Deane-.Judge Polishing Machine. 
They are, at viresent, at our office and can 
be seen by any callers interested. 
CACAO CULTIVATION IN THE 
PHILIPPINES. 
There crtn he no doubt of the rapid devel- 
opment of the Philippine islands under good 
Government, so_ soon as the Atneiicans 
establish " the Ilouian peace." A " Philip- 
pine Bureau of Agriculture '' lias already 
been establi-^hed ;ind we have just received 
its "No. 2 Bulletin," which deals with 
" Cacao Cirlture in the Philippines, by Wm. 
S. Lyon in charge of Seed and Plant Intro- 
duction," Mr. Lyon mentions that cultivated 
cacao already exists in nearly every province 
of the Archipelago ; but without much com- 
mercial success so far, while manuring is 
quite unknown. Very practical advice is 
given to intending planters, and an accom- 
plished Entomologist is already at work as 
to insect enemies ; while the following pava^ 
graphs are of interest in themselves, and a 
showing the good sense of the compiler : — 
The Philippine Islands appear to bs so far singu- 
larly exempt from the very many ciyptogamic or 
fungous diseases, blights, nuldews, rusts, and 
cankers that have played havoc with cacao-growing 
in many countries. That we should enjoy con- 
tinued imniunity will depend greatly upon securing 
seeds ov young piants only from non-infected dis- 
tricts or from reputable dealers, who will carefully 
disinfect any shipments, and supplement this by 
a close microscopical examination upon ariival 
and the immediate burning of any suspected ship- 
meats. 
Another general precaution that will be taken by 
every planter who aims to maintain the best con- 
dition in his orchard is the gathenng and burning 
of all prunings or trimmings from the orchard, 
whether they are diseased or not. Decaying wood 
of any kind is a field for special activity for insect 
life and fungous growth, and the sooner it is de- 
stroyed the better. On this account it is customary 
in some countries to remove the fruit pods from the 
field. But unless diseased, or unle>s they are to be 
returned after the harvest, they should be buried 
upon the land for tli"ir nr-inuiial value. 
The climate of the Piiiiippines, where cacao 
can be grown, is specially praised, and the 
fullowiiig contrast offered : — 
Malarial fever-s are relatively few, predacious 
anima'i- unknown, and insects and reptiles pre- 
judicial to huniau life or heaith exliaoidin.kriiy 
tew in numlier. In contrast with this we need only 
call attention to the eniire Caribbean coast of South 
America, where the climate and soil conditions are 
such that the cacao comes to a superlative degree 
