256 
THE TROPICA! 
AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1903. 
During; the early part of the year, 8,000 
Coconuts were planted out, and suffered a 
great deal from white ants, which ate out 
the interior of the nut before it had time to 
send oub fresh roots into the soil ; in this 
way over 500 plants were lost. On the whole, 
the botanical department has a very satis- 
factory report to make. 
GUATEMALA COFFEE CROP. 
E J Bergf, of Cabau, was recently quoted in 
the New Oi'leans "Picayune" aa follows: 
" The Gnateinala coffee crop has been cnrtailtd 
about one-third by the earthquakes and volcanio 
eruptions on the Pacific side. The loss falls heavily 
upon the planters in that part of the country, aa 
many of them had drawn ahead on the crop and 
will be unable to produ3e any coffee for five yeari5. 
We produce the finest coffee in the world, but ship 
very little of it to the States because we get a better 
price for it in Europe." — Tea and Coffet Trade Journal. 
COTTON GROWING IN GAMBIA. 
EXPERT REPORT IlECOMMENDS CEYLON 
VILLAGE TANK SYSTEM. 
From the report on the Gambia Colopy which 
has just been issued as a Parliamentary p.ai)er, we 
learn that efforts are being made by the Govern- 
ment to encourage the eukivation of cotton as a 
second staple industry, and expert advice has been 
secured for the benefit of the people. The chief 
obstacles to the expansion of a cotton industry 
are the sparseness of the population and t'le 
superior profits attainable from ground nuts, tli3 
crop of which provides five months' bard work for 
the people. The question of irrigation has been 
before the Government for some time, and an ex- 
pert report on the subject has been furnished, in 
whicii a suggestion was made for the adoptioti of 
the village tank system of Ceylon. At present, 
in view of the expenditure such a proposal would 
necessitate, and the difficulty of obtaining labour, 
the scheme stands over for future consideration. — 
Egyptian Gazette, 
« 
MADRAS GOVERNMENT BOTANIC GARDENS. 
FIBRE AND INDIA ROBBER. 
The annual report of these Government 
Gardens at Oootacamund and elsewhere in 
the Nilgiris gives full particulars of the work 
accomplished during the year : — 
"By far the largest number of enquiries re- 
ceived were about rubber, and especially for de- 
tailed information concerning it. There is every 
indication that rubber cultivation is now begin- 
ning to receive the earnest attention of planiers 
in this Presidency which its great and con- 
stantly increasing importance entitles it to. In 
South-Western India, the climatic conditions on 
the ghauts up to 3,U00 feet elevation and in the 
low-country lying close t,o them, having a mini- 
mum rainfall of 80 inches a year, are specially 
favourable for the successful growth of rubber 
trees. 
The enquiries about plantain fibre were only 
slightly fewer than were those about rubber. 
Judging from the nature of the correspondence 
received, it is evident that considerable interest is 
being taken in this product. 
In paragraph 22 of last year's report, it was 
stated that three men who were^eot here by the 
Forest Department of the Travancore Govern- 
ment received a training in the work of extract- 
ing plantain fibre. It appears that the work of 
developing this new industry had been trans- 
ferred from the Forest Department to the School 
of Arts, Trivandrum, where the work of extracting 
the fibre and weaving it into fabrics of different 
kinds has been started as an experimental measuie 
with the object of introducing the industry among 
the people of Travancore." 
Three plants of Musa Ensete, the Abyssinian 
banana, raised from seed received from the 
Botanic Gardens. Hakgala, Ceylon, in July, 
1901, were planted in the garden during the 
year and are doing well. This species is re- 
ported to grow to a height of full 30 ft. in its 
native country. 
In the Kullar Experimental Gardens be- 
tween ten lines of rubber trees over 200 plants 
of Musa texHlis (Manilla Hemp) have beeiv 
planted with a view to utilising the land 
profitably for a few years till the rubber 
trees grow up. Ceylon planters should make 
a note of this. Over 100 trees of Bevea 
brasiliensis, the Para rubber tree, have been 
planted, and it is intended to plant more of 
this species (which is the most valuable of 
all the spec es of rubber trees) during the 
ensuing year. 
" In February, the ceara rubber trees at Bekki 
Kolley, Gadbrook, South-East Wynaad were again 
tapped ; and the failure in the plantings reported in 
last year's report were filled up. In February, 1902. 
44 Para rubber trees were planted .30 feet apart, 22 
plants of Castilloa elastica were planted, 20 feet 
apart, in a group; and one more plant of Hcus elas- 
tica was planted, making seven plants altogether, 
that have been planted in this plantation. It is 
most unfortunate that the best ceara rubber tree 
has died owing to the attacks of " borer " and 
"white ants." 
WIRE ROPEWAYS FOR TRANSPORT. 
In a recent number of Page's: Magazine Mr. 
Horace H. Gass, of the Indian Forest Service, 
discusses the utility of wire ropeways for transport in 
countries like India, possessing valuable products 
which are locked up for want of capital and enterprise 
to establish suitable lines for export over rough and 
inaccessible territory. The Anaimalais (Elephant) 
mouD tains of Southern India are an important centre 
of timber supply. The forests in this region, although 
much over- worked in the past, still contain a large 
supply of exploitable wood of valuable species, the 
principal of which is teak. The climate being un- 
healthy this range of hills is almost uninhabited by 
man, but is infested with wild animals. It is a long 
distanoe from the railway, and, though roads lead to 
the foot in various directions, there is only an in- 
different cart-track, with a very steep gradient leading 
up to the west of the outer slopes, and covering a 
distance of about 3 miles. The ghaut road has always 
been a serious obstacle to work on a large scale, aa 
the forests can only be worked in the rainy season ; 
but this difficulty has been overcome by setting up a 
wire ropeway or timber-run from the crest of the 
hills overlooking the plains. The ropeway between 
the terminals is 6,318 feet long, and the length of line 
actually traversed by the carriages 5,284 fc. The 
carriage of 20 cwt. of timber down the ghaut section 
of the road, inclusive of loading, unloading and re- 
turning, would occupy about two days, against, the 
half -hour of 4he wire ropeway. Once at the foot ol 
