Oct. 1, 1898.] *HE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
279 
Japan from father to son as valuable legacies. 
In one of the Museums was one roll two miles 
long by 120 ft. wide, and also a copy of the 
Polynesian Times printed on it, besides many other 
Specimens of its use. I must close now 
for tile mail. I sui)pose you have seen 
Dr. Morris' four lectures on Rubber 
before the Society of Arts, and will make 
use of them for the Tropical Agriculturist as also 
in the forthcoming new edition of your "Rubber 
Manual " ? E-H F. 
Ealing, August 19. 
AGRICULTURE AND PROGRESS IN 
MADAGASCAR : 
Madagascar already a Model Colony; 
Great Success of General Gallieni's Oper- 
ations ; (A Sir Edward Barnes and Sir 
Henry Ward Combined). 
(Translated from the Figaro of August IStli. 
We still coufcinne to receive excellent accounts of 
Madagascar. Our youngest Colony haa made a good 
start, which is a timely consolation for whal is taking 
place in the others. 
I wish to cite the example of M*d-igascar not only 
as a source of consolation, but also and abjve all as 
a ground for further hope. Why should not Fi-ench- 
mea do in other places what they are doing there ? 
There they are showing themselves to bj men of 
initiative and action ; soldiers and civil servants are 
working as hard as the colonist ; these three classes 
of men, whom one would have expected to be 
naturally hostile to one another, are there living 
side by aide in perfect understanding, and what 
is still more wonderful, the native complains of none 
of them. All forces are working in harmony united in- 
quest of the common welfare. It is an organic asso- 
ciation such as is dreamed of by the philosopher. 
And yet these public servants, these officers, these 
colonists, are all of the same race, have received 
the same education, and have been turned out of the 
same mill as those men in the other Colonies of 
whom we have only too often good reason to complain. 
What next ? Why this, that at Madagascar there 
is a guiding head, a leader ; and that this leader 
not only is prepared for his task by long years of 
colonial apprenticeship, birt possesses in the highest 
degree all the qualities of a leader. 
We could hardly expect the Government to place 
men of this stamp in all our colonies. Nature, alas, 
produces too few. But what one can demand is 
that the principles, methods and systems which are 
responsible for the pacification, organisation, and 
administration of Madagascar shall not remain the 
monopoly of this colony ; but shall be employed 
throughout all, with racial and local adaptations, of 
course, wherever necessary. 
A " Colonial Code " has yet to be made. For this 
■we must look to General Gallieui . He is the only man of 
the present day qualified to render this service to bis 
country. Meanwhile, he continues out there to astonish 
U8 by his prodigious activity. You call to mind the good 
old fable^ about the eye of the master. He is living 
it out in his capacity of Governor. The bad season 
he spends at Antananarivo looking ahead, making 
preparations, organising everything; he appoints for 
each man his task. But directly the season arrives 
when roads become practicable and the sea negotia- 
ble, ho 13 ofiE. He must see everything himself. 
With his presence he encourages the good feeling in 
every district. And all that he orders is thus per- 
formed by its appointed time. His subordinates 
take a pride in imitating the "example of their leader, 
whom they trust implicitly. They do their work. No 
task seems too difficult when the General has 
commanded it, If he orders a thing to be done, 
it is in their eyes, fii proof thalj i( can be done, 
and so it must be carried through. In this order 
and discipline, the true history of Bladagascar pre- 
sents the elements of an exceedingly inceresling stu iy 
for professors of physiology. 
In the Sakalava districts for instance on the 
Tsiribina and Manambaho, it was, with their weak 
resources, an almost superhuman task which was 
impo-ed on our officers who were charge! with the 
"pacification" of these immense new tracts of 
territory. The general demanded it. They performed 
the work. And when the leader congi-atulates thrm 
on their success, they reply " We followed oiu your 
iustrucsions.'' Instructions which we can trust ! That is 
evarything. Our France possesses for colonizing purpo- 
ses the most wouQerful instruments one can desire ; wa 
have soldiers, civil servants ; we have colonists, we 
have all necessary specialists ; when th"se instru- 
ments are united under sound administration as 
they are in Madagascar today, there comes a suc- 
cess so brilliant that all similar successes of other 
nations, including the Anglo-Saxon, grow pale besides 
it. (! — Translator). 
In places where we have occasion to complain of 
the rtsiilt, it is simply and solely because the Ad- 
ministration is bad. We know now what is required 
to render it sound. 
AGRICULTURE IN MADAGASCAR. 
Next to the pacification of the country, General 
Gallieni mikes it his chief business to assist towards the 
prosperity of agriculture. Moreover he encourages by 
all the means in his power the utilisation of the soil. 
To all the Agricultural Colonists which are capable of 
working it, he gives a grant of land. Wherever it is 
necessary and his '' budget " admits of it, he gives a 
start to the Trial Gardens, where work is done, not for 
the Maseum, but for practical colonisation. Around 
the military stations he causes " Plantations " to 
be started. In Emyrna which the Hovas had stripped 
of its timber-each station supports a nursery for 
the forest restoration " entrusted to the soldiers. lu 
every village he favours the cultivators by special 
measures, For this purpose he has revived old customs 
which had fallen out of use. He organises Rustic 
Shows." The Oficial Journal gives regular reports of 
these festivities. I have just read the account of 
the last one, held not far from Antananarivo. All 
the grandees of the city were present. Numerous 
prizes were awarded to the native gardeners and 
cultivators. And let no one imagine a show, like 
what one sees in an operetta. No. The natives had 
brought thither 3,000 fatted oxen. The rest I will 
speak of later. 
And it is like this in every Province, — R, H, F, 
TEA, SUGAR AND FRUIT IN NATAL. 
{By an ex-Ceyhn Tlanter.) 
MR. JOHH ERASER AT SUGAR AND FRUIT 
PLANTING AS WELL AS TEA. 
Natal, 17th Aug, 1898. 
1 am sending you by this post papers with 
reference to our Natal Shows in wiiieh the writer 
has taken part with a certain amount of susces*; 
showing that his early Ceylon training has not 
been altogether lost ! Our colony has sustained 
a very heavy loss just now in the retirement of 
Sir Walter Wragg. The whole colony appears 
grieve very much over its loss. I am sending 
you papers reviewing his past life in Ceylon as 
well as Natal, which may interest some of your 
older readers at least. He was from all ac- 
counts a splendid type of a judge. I had a 
letter from Mr. Leonard Acutt, of Tongirat, 
Yictoria County to whom I had sent a copy of 
your Tropical Agriculturist and with \yhich he 
was very pleased, and intends ordering it. Send 
him oo])ie-i containiuy; letters ov paragraphs ou 
