April 2, 1900.] THE TEOPICAL AGRlCULTURiST. 
695 
MINOR PRODUCTS REPORT. 
Annatto Seed. — A bid of 3d per poand for fair bright 
Madras seed is likely to be accepted for a parcel of 
13 bags. There was little on offer today compared 
ith previous sales. 
Cinchona. — Oar Amsterdam correspondent informs 
us that the Vriessveen cinchona bark department 
reports the shipments from Java to Europe from Janu- 
ary 9th to February 12th, 1900, at 715,000 Amst, lb. 
Cinnamon Oil. — Leaf oil sold at IJd per oz., 
sbuject. 
Coca Leaves. — In auction fair gieen Ceylon leaves 
realised Is per pound for one bag. The shipments 
from Java from July 1st to November 30th, 1809, 
have been : — 
1899 1898 1897 1896 1895 
Bales 202 445 496 335 509 
Dark green Huanoco leaves are offered at Is 4d 
per pound, c.i.f. and light green Truxillo at Is Id. 
Quinine. — The exports of quinine from Java during 
November, 1899, were in one consignment of 133 
cases to the United Kingdom (opt. New York). 
The shipments from July 1st to November 30th, 1899, 
were 655 cases, against 614 cases for the corespond- 
ing period of 1898. — Chemist and Druggist, Feb. 17. 
DEATH OP AN OLD CEYLON 
PLANTER. 
Our obituary includes the name of a 
well-known former planting resident in 
Ceylon, but who has latterly been tea plant- 
ing in Natal, Mr. John -Eraser. He was in 
his day a very strong man ; but after en- 
during all the worries and trials appertain- 
ing to the life of a coffee estate proprietor 
in one of the wettest parts of Lower Dikoya 
. and then fighting away till he got the estate 
into tea and becasae Superintendent where 
he had been proprietor, his health broke 
down, and a succession of abscesses on the 
liver undermined his constitution ; indeed 
the late Dr. MacDonald was amazed at his 
repeated recoveries. A time of great weakness, 
however, arrived ; and on our advice, " Aber- 
deen" Eraser went to Carlsbad, and came 
back in four months looking and feeling as 
well as ever he did in his life,— a marvel- 
lous case of the waters taking effect when 
a man was very far gone indeed. No one 
could persuade Mr. Eraser not to go back 
to " Aberdeen " estate and he worked there 
for two or three years in good health until he 
moved to Brae estate, Matale— a still wetter 
region if possible !— and there also he did 
good work and kept well. After some years, 
there came the offer through a brother to 
go as Manager of a Tea place in Natal, and 
Mr. Eraser has been in the " Garden Colony" 
since January, 1897, well-pleased with his 
work : but here again he had a narrow 
escape of poisoning at the time his brother 
James, who was visiting him, fell a vic- 
tim. It is, perhaps, therefore, no wonder 
that the end has come to Mr. John 
Eraser in his 60th year. We do not 
know if he was touched by the war 
or had trouble therefrom ; but in his day, 
certainly Mr. John Eraser of Aberdeen, 
Bi^ae and Natal, had his full share of battl- 
ing with misfortune and with physical ills, 
while he always showed an example of putting 
"a stout heart to a stey brae.' Mr. Eraser 
has left a son in Ceylon, now Manager of 
Nicholoya, Matale. To him and other rela- 
tives, we tender sympathy on this sadevent. 
BOTANY AND THE INDIAN FOREST 
DEPARTMENT. 
AN APPEAL. 
(To the Editor "Indian Forester.'') 
Aaent the letter of Dr. Schlich in Nature, copy 
of which appears in your issue of December Ust 
regarding the above subject, every Forester, it is 
thought, of some staudinK and experience, will agree 
with ahnost everything he has said in answer to Sir 
George Kiog, with this exception: that it is not be- 
lieved that the lack of knowledge of botany displnyed 
by most Indian Forest officers is due so much to the 
want of well equipped bystematic botanical instructors 
at Coopers Hill as Dr. Schlich alleges. With the 
botanical instruction now acquired at the College, 
Forest officers, it is felt, should have been abl« to 
increase their knowledge of the subject in India if a 
real intere.st had been taken in the subject originally; 
what is needed it seems is that men must be re- 
cruited for the Indian Forest service from among 
those who are botanically inclined, and to attract such 
men, botany as even now taught, must not only be 
made compulsory, but placed in the forefront of the 
subjects for the entrance and after examinations of the 
College. By forefront is meant that a much larger 
Humber of marks should be given for botany than for 
any other subject. 
As far as can be ascertainsd the large majority of 
men who have joined the Imperial Forest Serrice 
during the past 10 or 11 years have relapsed into 
administrators pure and simple, and little difference 
is apparent between their present qualifications and 
those in the Indian Civil or Police. In fact as far 
as external appearances go their previous training 
might, to all intents and purposes have been the 
same, originally as the training of the former. 
A modification in the present system of marking at 
Cooper's Hill therefore is suggested in the manner 
explained, and more constant practical instruction in 
botany should be imparted to the students while at 
the College. Examinations, chiefly oral, should also 
be held in this branch of their studies, as well as in 
Forest organization, while on tour. The latter sub- 
ject is doubtless very valuable, and needs much 
attention but it can be acquired and improved upon 
in India to a very great extent because of officers 
being forced nolens volens, to study it. Working plans 
in fact can be drawn up by any educated Forester 
with the aid of Dr. Schlich's admirable works, and with 
a little previous practical continental experience such 
as most Foreyters ohtain. And if it could be ruled 
that no Forest officer of less than seven years standini? 
should be a working plans officer so much the bptter. 
Sir George King has done a service in drawing 
attention to the want of knowledge of even elemen- 
tary botany among Indian Foresters, and a discussion 
it is hoped in your columns will now follow, bearing 
on his remarks as reproduced by Dr. Sqhlich. The 
Forest Department is still practically in its infancy and 
by a discussion among men now out here, who have 
almost completed their time and who would be capable 
of giving an opinion as to how best to remedy the 
unsatisfactory state of things (as unsatisfa,ctory they 
must be termed), some valuable suggestions might 
be thrown out which would be of use to the authori- 
ties at home in coming to a decision in the matter. 
It is true, that we do not require men to be only 
botanists ; but those who enter the Forest service 
should display a greater leaning towards the study of 
trees, shrubs and small plants than the large majority 
especially from Cooper's Hill now do. D. C. O. 
25'th January, 1900. — Indian Forester, February. 
Trees.— The Governments of India have sanc- 
tioned the expenditure of sums not exceeding 
Rl.OOG in each case for tree planting in Wana 
and in the Tochi Valley. . 
