jULY 1,1903.] THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
1 
RAILWAY THROUGH RUBBER FIELDS IN 
AFRICA. 
A Decree of he Portngiaese Government dated 
November 27, 19 2, grants to Robert Williama. a 
British sabject, a concession to baild a railway 1400 
liilometrea [=870 miles] in length, fromLobito Biy, on 
the Angola seaboard, to Katanga, on the Eastern 
frontier of the colony, where connection can be made 
with the Oape to Cairo system. The concessionaire 
is required to deposit £100,000 as a gnarantes that 
he will form a company with £2,000,000 capital, with 
its head office at Lisbon, and complete the railway 
within eight years from January 1, 1903. Angola is 
the extensive Portuguese possession south of the Congo 
river, from which is derived the Benguella, L landa, 
and Ambriz grades of rubber. Of late years the 
export of these rubbers has declined, which fact is 
attributed in part to the exhaustion of the supplies 
near the coast, bat more particularly to the better 
transportation facilities to"and from the Congo Free 
State since the completion of the Congo railway. 
Angola is a fertile district, and with a railway it 
is believed that not only would the rubber trade 
revive, iiut the general development of the country 
would be promoted. 
Katanga, mentioned above, is a province in the ex- 
treme south-east part of the Congo Free State, which 
of late has begun to be developed in an energetic 
w^y by a strong Belgian company. This province 
is exceptionally rich in rubber, from all reports, 
which fact may tend to encourage ilr. William's 
railway project. Mr. Williams, by the way, is an 
engineer in the service of a British concern east of 
Lake Tanganyika, and some time ago he ioformed the 
Comite Special Katanga that while journeying through 
their territory he had found important sources of 
gold. The commitee have encouraged his farther in- 
vestigations, with results that have surpassed all 
expectations. This may prove to be a still further 
incentive to the building of the railway. All these 
details are mentioned for the reason that whatever 
tends to the opening up of any rubber producing country 
is helpful in making rubber more accessible and in 
placing the production of rubber under more intelli- 
gent supervision. 
The administration of the Oie. du Chemin de Fer du 
Congo (the Congo State railway), are reported to be 
about to invite tenders for the supply of a large 
electric installation and 30 electric locomotives, the 
latter to be employed on various small branch lines 
constructed to secure better communication with 
rubber producing districts. This railway, 241 miles in 
length, around the falls in the Congo river, between 
Matadi and Leopoldville, has now been in successful 
operation for several years. The net profits for the 
business year 1898-99 were 6,213,093-86 francs, for 
1899-1900 they were 8,001,500'43 francs, for 1900-01 
they were 7,778,397'90 francs. The capitalization is 
30,000,000 francs.— Mia Rubber M'orld. 
PINE APPLE CULTIVATION. 
By J. H Hart, Esq., f.l.s. 
Laid before the Society, 10th February, 1903. 
In the first issue of the handbook of J^-maica there 
appeared a short article by the present writer on 
Pine-apple cultivation. Since that time the cultiva- 
tion of this fruit has been much extended in Jamaica, 
and varieties suitable to foreign markets have been 
largely introduced. Gome of these varieties are now 
being offered to cultivators in Trinidad at reasonable 
prices. The variety known as Smooth Cayenne is 
highly recommended for cultivation, and justly so, 
as it is a very fine and full flavoured fruit. 
The soil in the neighbourhood of Kingston, Jamaica, 
has been found to be a very " suitable soil " as the 
present writer designated it 21 years ago, and from this 
district large shipments have been made. Pine-apples, 
however, cannot .be saccessf ally grown in any kind of 
soil. The soil occurring in the vicinity of Port-of-Spain 
is far from suitable, and in it Pine-apples could not 
be growQ with advantage or economy. lu districts 
which possess sandy or gravelly loams, with good 
drainage ; pine-apples might be grown in Trinidad 
to considerable advantage. The soils in some of the 
Montserrat, Siparia and La Brea districts are known 
to be especially suited for the cultivation of this 
fruit by the common occurrence of the Pineapple in 
a practically wild condition ; in fact, growing by tht 
wayside without cultivation. 
The well-known "La Brea " Pine-apple is a variety, 
which under good cultivation, would certainly pay 
to cultivate for export in districts where the soil is 
of the right character. 
Heavy clay soils or, indeed, any soil which is re- 
tentive of moisture is quite unsuitable. So also are 
soils which are deficient in moisture. It is, therefore, 
best in coramencing new cultivations to note the 
growth made by Pine apple plants in any givaa 
district, before going largely into a cultivation which 
cannot succeed, owing to unsuitable soil. Pine-apples 
do not require rich soil, but it must be well drained 
naturally, or of a porous character, and yet one 
which will hold sufficient moisture for the wants of 
the plant. What is known as a light sandy or gra- 
velling loam with plenty of depth, is the character of 
soil best suited. As to cultivation, I can find but 
little if anything to add to the directions given in 
the article I wrote for Jamaica twenty-one years ago, 
here reproduced : — 
'■Commencing the cultivation with a piece of 
" ruinate " the first work is to cut all bush, etc., 
and (possible, have it removed from the ground 
witho tlburning, as by burning the grass and weeds 
which are on the surface of the laud organic matter 
will be destroyed, and we shall see that this is re- 
quired in our method of cultivation. Having laid off 
the land in straight lines by placing stakes four feet 
apart at the ends, and straining lines between them 
we commence and hoe off all grass and weeds, ar- 
ranging them in the centre between the first two 
lines, thus forming a ridge. After two rows are 
thus formed we commence with pick and shovel and 
loosen the ground to the depth of six inches in the 
centre space between the rows of weeds and throwing 
half the soil thus stirred on the top of each row 
of weeds we proceed thus till the whole is covered 
forming, when finished, ridges about 18 in. wide and 
9 in. high with an interspace of 30 in. After allowing 
a few days for the weeds and grass to decay in 
some measure and the ridge to settle, the suckers 
miy be planted. These should be selected after the 
bearing season is over, or indeed any time between 
Ojtober and January, if the weather is not too wet 
for planting. The lower dry leaves of the suckers 
should be removed to allow the small roots in their 
axils ready access to the soil and then placed in the 
centre of the ridges to a sufficient depth to render 
them able to remain upright, to assist which they 
should be firmly rammed with a wooden rammer, 
leaving a small basin-like civity at their base to hold 
sufficient water to solidify the soil and fix the plant 
firmly in its place. 
" After the first or second watering no more is neces- 
sary unless a period of exceptionally dry weather 
is experienced. The plantation must be kept free 
of all weeds, and the hoeiugs may ba left in the 
trenches between the rows ; different kinds of vege- 
table refuse may also be placed there and will 
benefit the pines by its gradual decomposition, 
as well as by the moisture it affords. Pines are not 
however, as a rule benefited by large quantities of 
manure, a little may be applied at times, but gradually 
as it is apt to induce them to rot at the base, and 
thus spoil many a fine plant." 
It is not intended by these specific instructions to 
convey the idea that the writer's method is the only 
one by which aaccessfal oaltivatiou can be carried 
