Sept. 1, 1903.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICUJ.TUKIST. 
m 
of 2'7 acres, which crop had been sold at the all 
round rate of 1 rouble per Eussian lb,, and there- 
fore had brought in a revenue of nearly £30 per 
aore to the owners of the land. It will be admitted 
that this result is exceedingly good. The prospects 
for the present year are, it anything, still more 
brilliant. The area of land under tea near Batoum 
is at the present time as near a? possible 1,134 acres, 
Caucasian teas possess a very agreeable aroma and 
a flavaur not unhke Oeylon and Indian teas, and 
some samples of tea furnished by the Imperial 
Domains have been valued by Russian experts as 
being worth from 4 to 5 r, (8s. 4d. to 10s. 6d) per 
lb. Tea samples from Batoum have been valued in 
London by experienced importers at Is to Is 2d per lb. 
Factories. — Two tea factories exist near Batoum. 
One of them, oa the estates of Mr K Popoff, of Mos- 
cow, and the other on the tea plantations belonging 
to the Imperial Domains at Chakva. Both these 
factories are corrugated iron buildings erected by a 
Belfast firm, and are fitted with the most modern and 
np-to-date appliances for drying, rolling, and in 
general otherwise manipulating the tea leaf- The 
Popoff factory only manufactures tea grown on the 
plantations of its owner, whereas the tea factory 
belonging to the Imperial Domains undertakes to 
manufacture, at a small charge, tea grown on other 
estates situated in the surrounding district, the quan- 
tity of which is, however, up to the present, not great, 
although it is becoming an accepted thing that all 
landed proprietors and owners of small plots in the 
neighbourhood should, either more or less, take up the 
cultivation of tea. Thus it will be seen that the action 
of the Domains is to encourage tea planting. 
Seed. — I learn that no more tea seed is being impor- 
ted into the Caucasus from the Far East, and that 
seedlings and plants locally grown are now being used 
on the estates of the Imperial Domains and on the 
property of Mr K Popoff for extending the area under 
tea. The Imperial Domains also furnish seeds and 
seedlings to any persons desirous of taking up the 
cnltnre of tea. 
In conclusion,' I may say that tea can be made to 
pay and pay well in the Batoum district, provided 
suitable land be selected. The difficulty is the lack of 
practical experienced men.— i. t£ C, Express, July 17. 
COFFEE CULTIVATION IN THE 
PHILIPPINES. 
There are many theories to support the belief 
that American capital and enterprise will find its 
principal scope in these islands in the coffee- 
growing' industry. There are obvious reasons why 
the cultivation of this plant will soon receive 
seriou^^' attention in the Philippines. Latitude, 
altitude, climate and all qualities of the soil 
necessary to the raising of coffee combine to 
attract investors. Lastly an amount equal to 
twice the value of our trade with China, goes to 
Brazil aunuaUy to purchase this commodity ; 
exports from tlie United States to iJrazil are m- 
linitesimal by the side of this importation. If this 
demand can be supplied from the Philippines, 
the coffee trade alone will amount to as much 
annually as our aggregate imports and exports at 
the present time. 
The immense hilly areas of the Philippines, 
where the ground is at once friable, well drained 
and enriched by the washing down of new soil 
by frequent rains, assuredly offered special induce- 
ments to the cultivation of coffee. The islands 
lie within the region of the tropics best adopted 
for this industry. The mountain slopes ranging 
from 1,000 to 4,000 feet above sea level, in lati- 
tudes lying between 15 deg. N and 15 deg. S., 
offer the most favourable inducements, although 
it is successfully cultivated from 25 deg. N to .30 
deg. S., where the temperature does not fall below 
55 deg. Fahr. 
An attractive feature of coffee cultivation is 
the short time required for returno on capital 
invested. The plants begin bearing in the second 
year and by the third year will produce a remu- 
nerative crop. 
Sufficient coffee is grown throughout the 
islands at the present time to demonstrate that 
it is already beyond the e.^periraental stage. 
There is no reason why as high grade coffee may 
not be produced in Mindanao and many of the 
southern islands as that which hia made Java 
famous. Mindanao being the same distance 
north of the equator as Java is south. Neither 
is there any reason to assume that the insect 
pests with which cultivators will have to contend 
will be more formidable in the Philippines than 
in other regions of the tropics in the same lati- 
tude. 
There are wonderful possibilities in the out- 
look for this industry in the Philippines. 
Tlie cultivation of coffee should receive more 
than ordinary attention. 
Every pound produced will find an open market 
in the United States. The investor in this line 
will rest secure from the thought of adverse tariff 
legislation. The same may be said of cocoa, copra, 
rubber and the forest products. 
With reference to the cultivation of rice, there 
is but little fear that fie product of these islands 
will seek a market in the United States. As 
this cereal constitutes the food of one-fourth of 
the population of the globe, and these islands arfl^ 
conveniently near the people who use it, there 
does not seem to be any reason why the produc- 
tion of this article should be restricted. 
With sugar it is different. The sugar industry 
of the United States is sufficiently powerful to 
control national legislation. If sugar is produced 
in the Philippines and placed on the home market, 
cheaper than the home product can be marketed, it 
will probably be only a matter of time until a 
handicap in the way of tariff legislation would 
reduce the profits of the Philippine sugar power. 
Everything being equal, investments in industries 
permantly free from duty will be more secure. 
The tobacco industry of the islands may have 
less to threaten. The Philippines produce an 
article that stands alone. It is altogether pro- 
bable that it may win such favour on its merits 
that it will have less to fear from the great tobacco 
interests. At any rate there is every reason to 
believe that it will always find a ready and pro- 
fitable maiket in the United States, after its 
first introduction. 
The available lands of these islands may easily 
be utilised to produce articles of export that will 
not arouse opposition at home. ~Ma)iila Times, 
J uly 9, 
RUBBER IN ANNAM AND CEYLON. 
Specially ti'anslated for "Tropical Agriculturist," 
DK. YERSIN'S PLANTATION IN 
NHA-TRANG. 
In the Journal d' Agriculture Tropicale for 
June 1903 is an account of an interview on tha 
above subject with J5r Yersin, the eminent 
bacteriologist, who has a trial plantation of Heveaa 
