May 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
755 
glad to learn for what purpose — besides 
paddy, palmjTas and possibly in more 
favoured parts coconuts — land ca2i be ex- 
pected to be taken up in lots exceeding a 
hundred acres, within the bounds of the 
North-Ceutriil Province, or to begin with, 
alongside the Railway line between Kurune- 
gala and Anuradhapura ? 
PEPPER-CULTIVATION IN ASSAM. 
The Assam Government has recently issued ^ 
note on tlie cultivation of black pepper in th'^'t 
province, with tiie idea of inducing the people 
to cultivate it extensively as a commercial pro- 
duct. At the present time it is only produced 
in sufficient quantities to supply local require- 
ments. The pepper-vine in Assam, it appears, 
is generally reared on betelnut trees, and the 
average yielrl of a single vine is said to be 
about three seers (40 seers = '2i lb.) of cured 
pepper. An acre of betel-niit plantation holds 
about 500 trees. — Chemist and Druggist, March 11. 
RUBBER AND THE CONGO. 
A telegram from our Brussels Correspondent to- 
day indicates that fresh effort is being made to 
develope the natural resources of the Congo State. 
The suitability of its soil and climate for the 
growth of trees producing caoutchouc, or india- 
rubber, has often been insisted upon by travel- 
lers iluring the last few years, and systematic 
eftbrts are to be made to foster the industry. 
The King of the Belgians has just signed a Decree 
prescribing that a certain number of the trees 
yielding rubber are to be planted every year in 
the forests in all parts of his Domain. It goes 
on to establish a staff of inspectors and other 
officers to look after tlie culture. In a climate 
favourable to the rapid growth of rank vegeta- 
tion, and among a " happy-go-lucky" folk like the 
native races, the young trees would have a poor 
chance, and those which reached maturity would 
be destroyed by the reckless collection of their 
produce. To cut them down causes least trouble 
and gives the largest immediate supply of rubber, 
but it is killing the goose which lays the golden 
eggs ; a proceeding which seems to commend 
itself to the savage mind, and is not always 
without attraction even to the partially civilised 
intelligence. The crop of rubber, if we may use 
that phrase, is obtained by tapping the tree, and 
there are right and wrong ways or seasons for this 
process ; so that the oHicials are not likely to 
find their posts a siaecure. Forty pounds of the 
juice, it is said, can be taken from a tree during 
the period of its yield, so that in a few years the 
output from the Congo State ought to be largely 
augmented. India-rubber is not obtained from a 
single tree. In Central Africa alone it is to be 
found in more than one siiecies ; in India it 
comes from the Ficus cla^tica, a tree allied to the 
banyan, and known in our greenhouses as the 
india-rubber plant ; while the most noted variety, 
from Brazil, is got from a tree called siphonia, 
wiiich is related to the spurges. Probably the 
last-named kind will be selected for systematic 
cultivation, for of late years several experiments 
have been made to acclimatise the Brazil or I'ara 
india-rubber tree in other countries. —London 
Standard, Feb. 28. 
EIGHTY YEARS AGO AND NOW. 
The following table gives a comparison ot ap- 
proximate prices in England in 1819 and 1899 : - 
Tobacco, per lb. 
Tea, in canister 
Sugar, moist 
Do lamp 
Cheese 
Salt 
Candles 
The figures point their own mer a.l.—Pla7iting 
Opinion, March 25, 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
6 
i 
per lb. 
7 
4 
1 
8 
do 
10 
do 
1 
1 
2 
do 
10 
8 
do 
5| 
u 
do 
11 
4 
!r cwt. 
11 
6 
2 
6 
THE TOUTOISESHELL TRADE. 
Last week's Nature contains an article on the 
trade in tortoiseshell. It is largely ba«ed upon 
trade ciculars of Messrs. Lewis & Peat. The 
article deals with the origin of the shells, the 
quantities annually consumed, the different varie- 
ties, and the i)riee obtained for them. Great 
Britain, France, Japan, China, and the United 
States are the principal consumers of this com- 
modity, of which enormous quantities are con* 
sumed annually, but it is believed by this autho- 
rity that there is no real danger of the reptile 
being exterminated. The uses of tortoiseshell are 
also referred to. It i.s worked practically in the 
same manner as horn, and is exceedingly amen- 
able to steam, heat, and pressure ; indeed, it 
seems to be more easily moulded than horn, be- 
cause the dust and scrapings are collected, 
.^teamed, and remoulded into solid pieces, from 
which articles may afterwards be turned or carved. 
—Chemist a)ul Druggist, March 11. 
The China Tea Season foe 1898-9 may be 
considered to be closed and here is the result : 
TEA. 
C.vNTON, 2nd March.— The market ia closed, and 
there is nothing further to be shipped. 
EXPORT OF TEA FKOM CHINA TO UNITED KINGDOM 
.\ND CONTINENT. 
1893-99. 1897—98. 
lb. lb. 
Hankow and Shanghai . . 12,230,663 15,099 727 
Foocbow .. .. 12,545,346 I2' 160*708 
Amoy ., .. 688,318 685,651 
tJan'on •• .. 5,149,722 5,889,288 
30,614.019 33,836,374 
EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO UNITED STATES 
AND CANADA. 
1898-99. 1897—98 
lb. lb. 
Shanghai .. ,. 16,621,547 20,836,000 
Amoy .. .. 15,036,413 15,861,506 
Foochow .. .. 7,297,412 7,126,264 
38,956,372 43,523,770 
EXPORT OF TEA FROM CHINA TO ODESSA. 
1898—99. 1897—98. 
lb. lb. 
Shanghai and Hankow . . 22,783,272 19,462,293 
EXPORT OF TEA FROM JAPAN TO UNITED STATES 
AND CVNADA. 
1898—99. 1897—98. 
lb. lb. 
Yokohama .. .. 26,517,085 26.414,353 
Kobe .. .. 13,658,363 15,ti02.288 
39,176,118 12,016,611 
