56 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [ArarsT 1, 1898. 
addition of a quantity P'li'c rubber to n'lve it the 
requisite elasticity. A substitute for gulta percha ia 
obtained by boiling the bark of the bircii tree, es- 
pecially the outer part, in water, over au open fire. 
This produces a black fluid mass, which quicklv be- 
comes solid and compact upon exposure to air. E ich 
Riitta percha and India rubber factory has a formula 
of it own for making uu substances as nearly identi- 
cal with the natural product as post'ible, which are 
used to adulterate Ihe rubber and gutta percha used 
in the factory. No one has as yet, however, suc- 
ceeded in discovering a perfect substitute for either 
rubber or gutta percha. The history of chemistry 
contains many instances where natural products have 
been supplanted by artificial compounds possessing 
the saiie properties and characteiistics. One of the 
most notable of those i;i the substance known as 
alizarine, the colouring matter extracted from the 
madder root. ThiH, like India rubber, is a hydro- 
carbon. Prior to 18(!9 all calico-printing was done 
with the colouring matter derived from the iiiiulder 
root, and its cultivation wa'^ a loading industry in 
the eastern and southern portions of Europe. In 
1869 alizarine was successfully produced from the 
refuse coal tar of gas works and the calico-printing 
business was revolntionized. The essei ce of vaoilln, 
made from the vanilla bean, and used as a flavour- 
ing extract, has been supplanted by the substance 
chriateued vanilla by chemists, which possesses the 
same characteristics and is made from sawdust. 
Isoprene, from which Dr. Tilden produced India 
rubber, is comparatively a new product, as derived 
from oil of turpentinr, It yet remains to be seen 
whether rubber can be synthetically produced cer- 
tainly aud^cheaply, The results of further experiments 
will be awaited with interest, as the production of 
artificial rubber at moderate cost would be au event 
of enormous importance. — Scienlifie Amei-ican. 
CEYLON TEA IN AMERICA AND RUSSIA. 
If there is to be any contest on tiie question 
raised by a Colombo merchant a few days ago 
in our columns, we feel that it should be fouf,'lit 
out in the "Committee of Thirty"; but mean- 
time the following deliverance on the other side 
of tiie case, by a leading planter, i.s woriliy of 
careful consideration in Colombo, and wiiile our 
Commissioner is at work in America he must, 
of course, iiave nnanimous and cordial support 
to secure the fullest measure of success :— 
"I know Mr. Wm. Mackenzie's letters, and utter- 
ances, have left a soreness in Colombo, but to 
niy mind there never was a more opportune 
moment than now for ])ushingr, with increased 
energy and viKonr, our campaign in America, 
Ave have still 7^,000,000 lb. of green tea drinkers 
ta win over, and now that our teas have already 
commanded attention, and tiiose most opposed 
to us, are compelleJ to hold them, because they 
cannot resist the demand from their customers, 
it would be madness in my opinion to slacken 
one jot of our energy ; for, every pound of tea 
taken off tlie JiOndon market is a gain, and helps 
to maintain i)rices, and if Mackenzie was with- 
drawn, and the work left to go casually on, 
without anyone to check or watch how the 
grants-in-aid were applied, we should soon have a 
falling off in exports to America, and where would 
then be our London market? 'I'he IH niillion 
fiounds of British-grown tea taken in Ameiica 
ast year, was the saving of Ceylon, for with- 
out that additional market, our jjrices would 
have been fully id lower, w hich to many estates 
•would have meant a h ss on production. 
'■I quite concur with you that more should be 
done in Russia, audi believe the 'Thirty Com- 
mittee' are only awaiting letters from Mr. Chris- 
tie, who is to look out some reliable man, (vide 
published Report of Tliirty Comniiitee meeting on 
Jfilh Feb. 1898) to whom eaii be enlrustetl ih« 
advertising in all the large and im|iortaut tuwDs. 
This will lielp all inlerel^te«l in tea, and 
I hope be a means to increase direct orders from 
Coloinlw. Willi regard to publication of accountK 
I see from I<«;|Kjrt of Thirty Comniiitee ineeiing 
of ?Otli May that members .-ire to have a full aud 
dot.ailed statement for the pa-st year. Am cannot 
be given to the rmblic, as youcan easilyxeali/e, great 
jealousies would arinc if one man who was getting 
a (jriDitinaul from the Fund, learnt that 
another (|.eihai>s in tlir t-anie town) was getting 
more, and we nuut protiH our Coinniissioner, 
and tnijit him. I cuniend we must not stop our 
eHorts in America, linancialiy or otherwise, until 
we havf w) uecurcly got hold of the tea di iiikine 
public, that they will m.i go back U> China or 
Japan teas, which in my opinion ihey would ihi, 
if left Alone tioir, oral the end <if this year. Tlie 
Ciniimitte will iei|ui»e every ceiil of theCesK when 
thev really launch into Rus...ia an<i the Coniinent. 
ami I consider it would lje a very shurt sidiied 
policy to altemnt to reduce it. We must re- 
member that iu Mackenzie we have a very iodc- 
iiendent man, he liaa no need to work, but I 
believe liaii gone heart and soul into thik Ameri- 
can btisiutbs for the love of the old Colony." 

COFFEE IN COSTA RICA. 
A Maskeliya planter writeK : — " The following 
extract from a private letter from Mr. R. P. 
Mocfarlane formerly cf Cannavarella, may in- 
terest some of your readers. He (R. P. M.) ia 
now enjoying good health." We are *ery 
glad to have good news of this esteemed Uva 
proprietor and to learn about Costa Rica as 
follows The coflee I saw in Costa Rica 
beats anything I ever saw in Ceylon. They 
have no leaf disea.«e, and the soil "is very licfi 
and deep. Raniasamy would revel in it, as 
there are few stones, and it is very soft. How- 
evei the drawbacks are scant and dear labour and 
awful roads ; ihey drive laden carts over roads we 
would have thought a good many times abont be- 
fore attempting to ride over. It is a loveiy 
country with vegetation ahead of Ceylon. I 
never saw such a display of orchids in niy 
life. Everything appears to grow well there ; 
but being a Spanish Republic makes it a very 
different place from a British Colony." 
"Dairy Farming for Tea Planters," is the 
title of a long article in the Indian Planters' 
Gazette of course written with reference to the 
circumstances of Assam ; but we quote the con- 
clusion : — 
Apart from the snpgestions of prosecating th« indos- 
try of dairy farming in conjunction or as an adjunct to 
general factory work, there is the important matter of 
manure. The manure from cattle well nourished ou 
substantial food will be more valuable than from thote 
fed upon the scant herbage afforded by their usual 
grazing grounds; thus, a further incentive is given to 
planters and all connected with the tea districts, to 
accord support and encouragement to dairy farming ; 
10,000 head of cattle would yield abont 200 tons of 
manure daily ; thus the success of the gardens may be 
said to be secured. Many people have an objection to 
buffalo milk and butter, but it is seldom the latter can 
be distinguished from the product of the common cow. 
All things considered, we are of opinion that a dairy 
establishment set up, say, at Brahminbarrie or some 
other equally eligible site on the Assam-Bengal Rail- 
way, offers as promising an investment as anything in 
the agTiculturai line we know of, 
