644 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [March 1. 1899. 
The figures for the output of the fiscal year 1897.98 
Bhow a Bubataiitial arlvance on Ihose of IS'.lo 97. Tho 
exports were 288,593 cwt. as against 251,826 cvvt. 
Among the States the largest proaucer was Vera Cruz, 
with 106,184 cwt., and amoiift ihe districts, Cordoba 
witli 40,944 cwt. The figures given above are official; 
but in view of the extensive Hraugglinji which goes on 
from Soconusco into Guatemala, they cannot be 
held to lie quite acmuate. The high price wliich colTeo 
CDraniands at intervals has, of course, not be.^n 
without its elftict upon tbo value of coffee lauds ia 
Mexico. At C<jrdoba they are often worth §48 an acre. 
Very similar prices rule in Coiiepec and little in- 
ferior in liuatnsjo In Oaxaca, in the good districts, 
the price ia about $24 an acre. It is not improba'ile, 
however, that in view of the low price lor the berry 
which now rules we shall shortly witness a consider- 
able diminution in the numijer of Mexican plntations 
and a corresponding fall in the value of laud. 'I'he 
present price offers no ninrgin to planters worth 
talking about. It is plain, therefore, that plantations 
will be abandoned and the crop reduced until prices 
rise again. It will be remembered that fifteen years 
ago, under very similar circumstances, an extensive 
area went out of cuUivation. Ahhough Hrazii 
practically rules themaiket, it is, we beliexe, a fact 
that Mexican coffee is much more appreciated than 
Brazilian. A M''xican authority is rexponsiblo for 
the statement that the lowest class of llie Mexican 
article commands |2-.50 per cwt more than the lowest 
class of Brazilian. — //. and C. Mail. 
BALLADS OF IHK BROKERS. 
TllH COMIN't; OK TlIK I!.\LK. 
[On Wednesday, during the inspection of drug'i at 
Crutchod Friars wnrehouse, a solitary b«le of Rio 
ipecac, marked K. it and of direct import, was de- 
livered. This was the total shipment.] 
'Inhere was fever heat in Mincing Lane, 
And rage in Criitched Friars, 
The Brokers sulked, and to sell were fain, 
But broadly smiled the buyer.T ; 
For the news had spread tliat thn longod f Jr shi 
From Rio had come back 
With an orange-pip and a farthing dip, 
And one bale of Ipecac. 
The Great Man swore, and the Smnll Man laughed, 
And the Wise INIan chirped with glee ; 
The Bears the\ growled, and the Bulls they scowled, 
And jumped at thirteen three ; 
And some held firm, with a sidelong squirm, 
And tried another tack, 
But gave in quite at the thrilling sight 
Of that bale of Ipecac. 
The fatal day and the baleful bale 
Came soon, and the rafters rang 
With the frenzied shouts of the buyers pale 
With dread of the hammer claui,'. 
They fell on the man who li.id bought the lot, 
And stretched him on the rack 
Then strewed his grave with benzoin tears 
And sprays of Ipecac. 
— Chemist and Dniyijist, 
. ^ 
PLANTING NOTES. 
The Talagaswella Tka Company share 
holders are to have a dividend of 2^ jier cent 
and we trn^t this is the besinniof;- of belter 
things from thoir extensive, hut hitherto di-^ap- 
pointinfi property. In Mr. R. H. Ellis as local 
Siiperintendeiii, supervised by Mr. R. Morison 
as Visitinir .A-gent, the Company h.ive got the 
rit'ht men in the right place, while the Directors 
and all concerned are evidently well alive to the 
need of keeping down expenditure. 
Room iOR l3ii>iiovEMEN'r. — We hear, taye • writer iu 
a contemporary, who would doubik-ss hke to see 
a.i impiovenient iu the tea drinking shopF. liere, a gre^t 
deal about Japane-e lea-houcies— tbfir cleauliuess, 
their Beductive restfulnesii, their perfect situatiOB. 
The rooms are without fuiiiiture, aijd the vikitursita 
and reclines on the lioorwiih a tiuail law table or 
elevated tniy holding the refreshmeuts. A greater 
difference than that between the Jnjianese tea house 
and the London article could bcarcely bi* una- 
giued. No one would call the average iiistiLation ia 
London a "restful and seductive haren." An im- 
[irovonicnt iu the methods of infusing and servint; the 
ten, 80 as to render it decently (lattttable, would al&o 
lend to an increase ia the cousamption. 
SiNiiALK.sli ON South India Pi.amatioxs.— 
It i.s very iiiteiestin;; to rend the iiote.s lioiu a 
pl.uiter in Coiniliutoie wliicli ni.pfnr on \>Rf;9 
009; and aliliou^h Mi. K. S Fo.\ aud 
1 atoll of Sinhalese wlio went o»er the other day 
have not been a sueeess, it is very satisfalory to 
karu how well, those taken over hy Mr. E. J. 
.Martin when he itit the Kelani Valley, liiive 
tnined out. To fjo «n>l fell ^ole^t, and erect 
liiilldiiij,'s on pl;intiiti<iii.*, near to a dense pnjm- 
lution ill Southern India i^ for the Ary.iii Sinh.i- 
k.se to turn I lie tables on tlieir Dravidi.m c iUhiim 
to some purpose: We hope Mr. Martin's jiUiita- 
tion will 11 iiiris^h e.Xfeediiinly. 
TlIK M.VUKITILS StGAU I'l-A-NTEllS backii<i li/ 
the local tiMVcrnnieiit and Sir ChailcN Biuce, 
ti e (loveriior, asked Mr. Chanilierlain to obt:.in 
consent to a f.'iuO.OOO loan under the imperial 
guarantee, to enable £lfM»,000 to be devoted to 
le-afloiestation and £400,000 for loans to bo 
made to planter.s at low interes^t. There haa 
been inuch Kpeakui;.' iu the. Port Louis Council, 
Meiuoial)zin>i and Despatches ; luit linrtlly on 
.Sth iJeceiiiber last, Mr. ( 'lianiberl.iin dtciiled to 
lefuHC sanction to the |>iopossl, the last chtute 
of Ills despatch beinR a.« follows : — 
A , sudden catastiophe in the shape of a harricana 
overto.jk Mauritius iu 1892. Support was promptly 
given by the Imperial Government and the fact 
that it waa then given is a reison for not agaiu 
aj-king for assistance after so shor'; an interval of 
time, unless new conditions have nrisen of a very 
urgent inture. But I am not convinced that this 
is the ca?e, and 1 am not convinced that the cir- 
cumstances of Mauritius can be properly compared 
with those obtaining in the \Ve^t Indies'. Tlie 
Sugar liidustry in the West lo i-in Colonies has 
been continuously depressed for a much longer time 
than in Mauritius. It is only recently that bounty 
fed beet sug.n- his seriously competed with Mauri- 
tius cxae sugar in the Indian Market and the 
question of imposing a connterv..iling duty is alrearly 
receiving the attention of the Indian Governinei,t. 
I nm not aware that the ari a of production has 
decreased in Mauritius or that the sugar industry 
is carried on at an actual loss. Moreover, distress 
iu the West Indies h.is been aggravated, as you 
are u%vare, by a hurricane which has devastated 
Barbados and St. Vincent, caused great damage in 
St. Lucia, and injured in a smaller degree some 
of the Leeward Islands. The.=e Colonies were already 
impoverished, as far as I -jan judge, to a far greater 
extent than Mauritius and their case was more ex- 
ceptional. I do not admit that the Mauritius 
plant.rs have hitherto suffered iu any excraordiiiury 
degree, aud I am not convinced that if their re- 
quest for a loan v/ere granted, the rel:ef thus given 
Would be once for all effectual. On the contrary, a 
precedent would be afforded for turning to the St.ite 
whenever tiie pces.snre of competition was felt and 
whenever it v,as desired to improve machinery and 
introduce new appliances. The outcome would &2 
in my opinion a less energetic race of planters than 
have hitherto so largely contributed to the pros- 
perity of the Island and a more helpless community. 
