358 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST, [Nov. 1, 1898. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
AcMB Tea Ciikst Gompavv, LiMirKo— we 
earn have jnsfc declared a dividend of 8 percent, 
for year endin;; 31st July laat and lias bril- 
liant prospeota before the Directors and Share- 
holders. Tliey have patented another clie-st and 
laid down an expensive plant— and are now 
turning out both tlie Acme ami the new one. 
Dr. Morris's new Department of Agriculture 
has naturally excited widespread coiiiinent, and 
his immediate departure for the Vvest Indies is 
followed with interest, but it cannot be said 
with any particular hope. It takes lime to 
work out ne* theories of agriculture for old 
planted colonies. It is so easy to say that if they 
cannot grow sugar at a prolit, they should grow 
Bometliing else. In former times other produc- 
tions were in vogue. The fertile hills of Dominica 
were covered with cofTee trees until disease swept 
them away. The cotton industry of Biitisli 
Guiana was rendered unprofitable by the cotton 
growth of the United States. Another attempt 
was made during the Auierican Civil War, but 
this was renderecl hopeless on any extended scale 
by the termination of the war. But the climate 
and soil of the West Indies have always been 
particularly adapted to sugar crowing. So stable 
and permanent has this industry 8eeme<l that 
•it has attracted an enormons amount of capital, 
whic'.i on the wliolc has been a [irolitable invest- 
ment. For hundreds of years in some parts this 
industry lias been carried on. It has survived 
restrictrive legislation, labour crises, equal competi- 
tion with slave-grown sugar, and for the last 
thirty years the bounty system of the European 
continent. And if the bounties were abolition it 
still would have a chahce ot a prosperous future, 
for it can be shown that cost for cost cane sugar 
can be produced as cheaply as the beet — nifire 
cheap'y, indeed, with stricter economy of work- 
ing, if Dr. Morris can do anything to assist in 
this matter his departmental expenses may be 
money well spent.— and 0. Mail, Sept. 16. 
Natal Tea Exhibit.— Mr. Hindson's letter to 
the Chairman of the Natal Committee of the Gra- 
hamstown Exhibition, a copy of which we publish 
in another column, contains a suggestion thftt we 
have no hesitation in saying should be adopted, 
not only in connection with Grahamstown, but 
with all futuie exhibitions or shows in South 
Africa at which Natal tea is entered for compe- 
tition. No good, but, on the contrary, much 
harm is done by the exhibition of samples of 
tea specially prepared for show purposes, and the 
sooner steps are taken, such as those suggested 
both by Mr. Hindson and Mr. Fraser to put a 
stop to the sample exhibit business, the better 
it will be for the industry. The judge at the 
last Durban show drew forcible attention to the 
matter, and, on the face of it, there is not the 
shadow of a doubt that the custom hitherto pre- 
vailing was wrong in every respect. The market- 
able article is what is v/anted, especially when 
the idea of exhibition at all is to advertise the 
industry and open up new markets. When the 
Customs Convention is ratified, Natal teas should 
find their way very readily into both the Cape 
and the Free State and the Grahamstown Exhi- 
bition will be a very excellent means of intro- 
ducing and popularising them, but it will he use- 
less sending exhibits of teas that cannot be 
supplied to buyers in bulk. The suggestion made 
is a capital one, and we trust the Committee 
who have to deal with the matter will see their 
>Yay to adopt it.— iVato^ Mercury, Aug. 26. 
Export Dutv ov Pjcbak Coffbk.— From 
tomorrow fhere will be a new export duty on 
coffee from Perak. When the price lielow 
819 export will be free; from §19 Ui 
1 per ciint. will be collected ; from »21 to »23, 
li per cent. ; from »23 to |2), 2 per cent ; 
over $25, 2i per cent —6' F. Prut. 
The D O.MOO Tea Company. —At the anna&l 
meeting hel.i «n Sept. 3u. a final dividend of 3 f)cr 
cent, was declared making 6 |ier cent, for the year 
which is not at all bad conMidering that there 
are 200 acres of young tea not in bearing, and 
we think the result of the year's working must, 
in all the circumstances, be regaided as satis- 
fiictory. The quantity of tea received fr m the 
two estates exceeded the estimate, but there was 
a falling-off in the price realised. It Lb hoped 
however that (he tea remaining unsold may fetch 
a hieher price. 
Para RunnFR Seed from Cevlox fob thk 
West Inoies.— There is a rather curions corre- 
spondence in the " Proceedings of the Agricultural 
Society of Trinidiul" just come to hand. It origi- 
nated in Jamaica with a strong protest from the 
Governor and other officials there, against 
Trinidad or any West Indian island receiving not 
merely coffee, I)ut amj, seed from Ceylon, for 
fear of introducing the terrible U. V. fungus. 
In reply Mr. Hart, of the Trinidad Gardens, points 
out this is going too far and he sums up a 
Report to his Colonial Secretary as follows :— 
Isl. There appears to be no snthority, or law under 
which the government are able to prohibit importa- 
tions of plants and seeds. 
2nii. The disease has existed virolenlly in Ceylon 
for over twenty years, during which time constant 
importations of seeds and plants have been made 
without introducing cofltee disease. The Botanical 
Officer in Jamaica states it to be capable of intro- 
duction by correspondence and by travellers, but the 
evidence in favour of their being emminent danear 
is decidedly weiik. 
3rd. The ineffectiveness of the prohibition policy 
ia shown. 
■4th. There ia little danger of infection from spores 
and it is argued that there is little danger of in- 
fection from plants, if they are "/ounrf hfolth^ w}ktn 
landtd from Ewjland" trgo : if found healthy when 
landed from Ceylon ? 
5th. If diseased they should andoubtedly be at obo« 
destroyed. 
6th. Any prohibition woald act very adverselr 
npon the new Eubber industrv : which must for some 
years be dependent on Ceylon for ita supply of Para 
Rubber seeds in quantity. (Receabranillitntii.) 
7th. A system of inspection should be institated 
with power to quarantine, destroy or pass in as un- 
infected, all plants from infected and non-infectad 
countries. 
8th. Attention is called to want of authority to 
declare Trinidad a non-infected place, for any disease 
of plants. 
9th. Power should be taken to deal with all pests 
hkely to be imported, the " San Joase Scale," a pest 
on American orauge trees ia to be specially guarded 
against. 
The specially interesting fact is that brono^ht out 
in number 6, shewing that Trinidad is, and (in 
Mr. Hart's oiunion) must continue for some 
years dependent on Ceylon for its supply of Para 
Rubber see.l in quantity ! And the Para re-^ion 
where Hevea hrasillicnsis is indigenous is com- 
paratively close to Trinidad on the adjacent 
South American Continent ; while Mr. Hart thinks 
it best to send all the way to Ceylon for a supply of 
seed, though our very oldest trees of Para Rubber 
do not exceed 22 years. This strikes ns as being 
very strange, and also significant of the way in 
which one British Colony helps another. 
