June 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL 
A(4RI0ULTUPJST. 
859 
year by the ontstatLon Collectors or Assistant!*, 
Hence the force is not permanent and men aie 
always neiv. Cost of transport of goods via the 
•Shire * and Zombesi steamers is pretty hea\ y, 
plus the cost of overland carriage after that'. 
British Central Africa, is a great transport high- 
way for Central Africa, the lakes and surround- 
ing tertiiories — that is about all. — Yours faith- 
fully, H. STOREY. 
DESICCATED PLANTAINS AS A LOCAL 
INDUSTRY. 
A STEP ONWARD. 
May 17. 
Deab Sir,— 1 am much obliged for the 
interest you have taken, and the inforuiatiou 
yon have <?iveii me, regarding desiccated 
pi antains. 
I am going to write home by this mail, 
and ask for a large sample of, .and prices 
given for, desiccated plantains. On receipt 
of this I will be glad to conununicate with 
Mr. Van Der Poorteu, or any other low- 
country planter, interested in the product- 
It is a pity that there should be any waste 
out here in the better-flavoured plantains 
when a demand is ready at home. — Yours 
truly, ENQUIRER. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Age of Trees, — The best authorities on trees 
state that the English oak may live to the age of 
1,500 years, only cedars, sequoia, and baobab 
having a still longer life. Poplars reach only ^0, 
elms 335, maples 516, birches 573, oranges ^20, 
cypresses, walnuts, and olives 800, planes l.OUO, 
and limes 1,100 years. — Agricultural Journal. 
The Earth-Nut— or pea nut (Arachis hypogcea) 
— has come to be considered one of the bes^t foods 
tor poultry, whether laying hens or growing 
chickens, excelling maize, wheat, or oacs. Unlike 
the first two it does not over-fatten, and keeps 
the birds in good health. They are thrown with 
tops and all, and keeps hens busy all day. — 
Aqricultural Journal, 
" Desiccated Bananas' : a new Industry 
FOR Ceylon.— We trust a trial will be given 
by some one or other of our coconut desic- 
cating mills to the drying and preparing of 
Ceylon plantains as suggested by our corre- 
spondent " Enquirer " in another column. We 
omitted to quote one important paragraph 
from Sir John Grinlinton's letter. It is after 
he speaks of the large shipments from the 
islands " The bananas in the Canary islands 
and Teneriffe are not nearly so eood <as those 
produced in Ceylon." Since writing the 
above we have been favoured with the fol- 
lowing information from Sir Wm. Mitchell : 
— " Referring to the enclosed ("Enquirer " "s 
letter) Mr. Chas. Stouter (who went to 
Paris with the Commissioner) got a gold 
medal for his exhibit of pUintain flour. I 
had it analysed for him in Paris, and it 
was thought a great deal of, for its anti- 
septic properties amongst other things. 
Shipments were recommended, but I fear the 
cost of laying it down in Europe was too 
great to be covered by the price obtain- 
able. The desiccated plantains might well 
become a new industry, only 1 fear the cost 
will stand..in the way." 
TEA IN SOUTH AFRICA. 
It is ft pity that Mr. Arthur Green's important 
letter, which we publish on jjage 856, did not come 
some weeks earlier, so that it might iiave been 
considered at the Planters' Accociatiou meeting 
an l at that of the Chamber of Connnerce 
— both of these meetings having had very 
much of their interest taken from them at 
the eleventh hour. Although no resolution could 
be come to, the matter might still be noticed, as 
a sul)ject to be taken up at the very ne.Kt 
opportunity. It is agaiusc all but a very narrow 
reason, that a heavy — though not, of cour-e, 
prohibitive — iuty should be placijd on the East 
Indian grown teas in the interest of a com- 
paratively small acreage under tea in Natal- Ai 
Mr. Green shows, with all expenset aiid charge.s 
paid befoie he can sell tea in the Transvall, the 
article costs a preccy considerable figure ; am', if 
tea is to be popularised inSmih Africa it must 
be by cheape ning it to the unnosc possible limit. 
The Climate is not so far different from that of 
Australia that the new colonies would be unlikely 
to follovT its excellent example as the leader of 
the tea-drinking world. In order to attain this, 
however, heavy taxes must be lightened. The 
"Thirty Committee" and Chanjber of Commerce, 
we have no doubt, will do their part promptly. 
But that part will be neither so effective as would 
be a message to His Majesty 's Government from 
Sir West Kidgevvay, pointing out that the prin- 
ciples of inter-colonial free-trade are being inter- 
fered with, in favour of a very small .'^eetion in 
Natal; whilst the prospects of development of 
trade ia the new colonies for a large industry in 
India and Ceylon will be hampered by a 6J South 
Ahican duty on tea. Sir West Ridgeway's prompt 
protest against any proposed increase in the home 
tea duty on a previous occasion is well and giate- 
fuUy remembered , and speedy action in the pre- 
sent case might lead to re-^ulcs of which Ceylon 
would become increasingly conscious and full of re- 
cognition, when the present Governor is ruling — 
not so very many months hence— over the fortunes 
of those rich new colonies to which we have referred. 
COFFEE PLANTING IN BRITISH NEW GUINEA : 
THE LBAP FUNGUS AT WORK: EFFECT 
OF DROUGHT ON THE BEANS. 
THE PCTURE OF B. N. GUINEA. 
Mr. Donald Mackay sends us the follow- 
ing interesting "notes" from Singapore:— 
When at Pore Moresby I was shown 
COFFEE LEAVES, 
showisig Hemileia Vastatrix fully developed. These 
were from a plantation some 40 rades inland 
belonging to Messrs, Burns Piiilp & Co. of 
Sydney and many other places in Australia and 
the Islands. I took the liberty of reconnnending 
the Manager to send you the diseased leaves 
with the view of your obtaining expert opinion 
on the fungus growth and receiving suggestions 
as to the I'emedial measures that might be 
adopted. I felt that in the interests of a pioneer- 
ing industry in a new countrj' you would be only 
too glad to help the infant colony to whatever 
the (loaily bought experience of Ceylon could 
give, in an effort to extirpate the disease while 
in its lirst stages and before it had over spread 
and gone beyond remedies. I felt the more im- 
palled to suggest an appeal to yoni well-kaowa 
