THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Nov. 1. 18B8. 
of nutritious foraffe. It bears an abundant crop of 
seed auJ ia therefore readily profa;;ated. It may 
also, iu common with many other leguminous plants, 
possess the power of obtaining its nitrogen from the 
atmosphere, iind thus be adraiiably adai'ted for green 
crop manuring. How far it may be found superior in 
these respects to otbt-r plants it is impossible to say 
As it is now being carofuUy tested in various parts 
of the tropics, it would bfi well to await reports 
which will, no doubt, be shortly issued on the subject. 
Meanwhile it may be useful to mention some of the 
more prominent leguminous plants that have long 
been used in tropical countries, both eastern and 
western, as rotation crops for fodder and ;;reen 
manuring: (1) \'i//iia 'atianr/, the Cliowlee of India, 
the Tow Cok of China and the Cow pea of the 
West Indies ; of this there are several varieties with 
black and clay-coloured seeds (2) < a/anus indicut, the 
Pigeon pea (the small form is known as the No- 
eye pea and the large as Congo pea); this is univer- 
sally grown in St. Kitts and elsewhere iu tho West 
Indies as a '• green dressing '' on sugar estates ; 
(3) I'haseolus hinatun, the sugar or Lima beau known 
in Mauritius aa " Pois d'acht'ry " ; " it remains 
on the land for three years and produces large 
orops of fodder." The ripe beans are however re- 
garded as poisonous ; (4) DoUchon luhlab, the Mada- 
gascar or Lablab bean, this is known in Mauritius 
aa the " Antaque "; (5j JJolichon i>iii//uicu>i, probably 
a variety of the latter known in Queensland as the 
Poor Man's bean ; (0) I'lniiteolus ilamjo, the green 
fi'iim of India, known in Barbados as " Woolly 
'yroe." This is planted "after the canes are 
reaped and afterwards turned in as a green dressing. " 
— Froni Ken; Bulletin for August. 
N VASSAL AND COFFEE, CO. 
Tlie annual meetln«< of the Nyassaland CofTce 
Co., was iield on the 26th Supt. at the offiL-es of 
Messrs. rarson <fe Co. Baillie St. Mr. W P 
Metcalfe was in the chair an('. there were also 
present :— Messes G Kent Deaker, H Creasy, F 
Macindoe, A Oichnrd, W Shakespeare, E K 
Waldock, G. J Jameson (by his attorney Mr. 
F Macindoe) Carson & Co., (represented by Mr. 
F Macindoe). 
The notice calling the meeting was read, and 
the minutes of the last meeting held on 25th 
September, 1897, were read and contirmed. 
THE REPORT 
Tlie report was aa follows : — 
Acreage : 
10 acres coffee planted December 189.') 
240 „ „ „ 1896— Feb. 1897 
383 „ „ „ 1897— Feb. 1898 
633 acres under cultivation 
2,843 ,, reserve 
Total 3,476 acres 
Proguess of Wouk. — During the financial year under 
review 383 acres were felled, cleared and planted. 
The Directors however regret to report that owing 
to scarcity of labour and hea^y growth of weeds due 
to an abnormal rainfall, the clearings have not been 
a success, and will require much supplying. The 
poarcity of labour has been occasioned by disturbances 
in tho districts from which labour is recruited, but 
these having now been suppressed and the natives 
pacified, the Superintendent anticipates that he will 
not experience further difficulty in this direction. 
Estimate foh Season 1898 99. — Under the circum- 
stances reported above the Directors do not consider 
it advisable to attempt to open fuither laud this 
season. They have instructed the Superinteudent 
that last year's clearings must be fully supplied next 
rainy season, and nurseries for this purpose have 
been laid down, A crop of some three or four tons 
may be secured this year, bot it ia left to the dik- 
cretiou of the Superiutendeot as to wbellier ii i« 
advisable to allow the trees to bear any crop or not. 
Fi.sANCE.— The attached accounts close the Coni 
paay's Books to the aoth June, IH'iti. Tj this diiic 
1163,742 30 has been absorbed in developing the Com- 
pany's property, and there remain* a balance in hand 
of R28 .537-70, which will cover the expenditure for 
the current season. Store buildings and machinery 
Will have to be erected in season 18V9 I'JOO, but the 
crop of that season should more than provide for 
these and ordinary working expenditure. Prices of 
Nyassaland cofifee have been icell muotained uot- 
wilhsunding the general fall in price of coflee. 
Mr. F. Macindoe retires by lot fiom the board 
of Directors but is eligible for re election. 
The appointment of an Auditor for the ensuing year 
rests with the meeting.- By or*er of the Directors. 
Cabso.n & C-o., 
Agents and Secretarie*. 
On the motion of Mr. MKTC\t.FE, seconded by 
Mr. OKt'llARli, the directors' report and accoonla 
were adopted. 
THfc, DIKRCTORS. 
Mr, Orchard proposed, and Mr. Kknt Dka. 
KEU seconded, that Mr. Macindoe be le-elected 
a director. — Carried. 
THK AUDnX)a. 
The Chairman projmed, and Mr ORciiAnn 
seconded, that Mr. F W Waldock be appointed 
auditor for the ensuing year on a fee of K50 for 
each audit. 
RAMIE FIBRE. 
China.— The most important flbre-yieiding plant 
grown in Kwangsi is liotlmuria nivea L., from which 
rhea, ramie, or china-gnies is derived. The chief centre 
of cultivation lies between Wnchow and Knei lin, tb« 
capital of the prowuce. Eight years ago I forwarded 
to the Foreign Office and to the Government of India 
a report on the cultivation of rhea in Chiiu and on the 
extraction and preparation of the tibre. This was pub. 
lished in the journal of the Agricultural and HortR-ul- 
tural Society of India (vol. ix., Part I., Calcutta, lb9l) 
I mention this publication because I have rtceired 
numerous letters from Europe requesting copies of 
this report, which 1 have beenianableto supply. I have 
nothi g new to add to the report ; but since its publi- 
cation, great progress has been made in Europe iu in- 
venting process for extracting and prepariig the fibre 
and a Manchester house, in forwarding to me sampler 
ranging from the raw material to beautiful dreag' 
fabrics of silk and rhea and wool and rhea miztores 
and of rhea plushes, tapestries, damasks, and sail- 
cloths, explains that what is now required is not the 
fibie as prepared in China, bat the raw ribbons, that 
is, the ribbons as stripped from the stems without any 
further preparation except drying. I am informed that 
these raw ribbons can be laid down in London from 
India, etc., at from SI 9s a ton. Now the price here ot 
the cleaned fibre is from 9 to 10 taels per picul, equal to 
12* to 13 910th dol. or at an exchange of la ll<f per 
dol. to 1/ i.1 to ll e.f Hd per picul, or 20/ Is to 22/ 8« per 
ton. Add 2/ lOi per ton freight from Wuchow to Lon- 
don and the cost (without charges for commission and 
packing) would thus be 22/ ll« tc 24/ 18* per ton in the 
Lmdon m.irket. But the extraction of the fibre from 
the raw ribbons is the most expensive part of the whole 
process in China, and they should be procurable at less 
than half the cost of the cleaned fibre. I hope to be 
i'hle to put a price on this raw material daring the pre- 
se;.t _vear. — J//-. Alexander Hone's report on Tiuc^OP:, 
A Tea-Makixg Machine.— The Japan Slail 
s.ays : -A Japanese has " invented'' a tea-making 
machine " which takes the newly plucked leaf 
and performs all the iiecc-i-^aiy operations preli- 
minary to packing—rolling, roasting, and polish- 
ing." With one man and a boy it will manufacture 
1,666 lb. of tea in 24 hours. 
