Oct. 1, 1^03.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
THE EXPERIMENTAL STATION, 
PEUADENIYA. 
Before the Committee for Agi-icultural Ex- 
periments of the above st atioii at its regular 
meeting at Peradeniya, it was stated that 
A MOniiL FACTORY LABORATORY 
is being built at Gaugaioowa by Messrs. 
Brown and Davidson ; and a 
CONSTANT TEMPERATURE HOUSE 
also being erected, under the immediate 
Siipervision of Mr. Hi>rbert Wright, for 
curing products. 
HAKGAL\ GARDENS. 
THE NEXT SUPERINDTENDENT, 
The salary of Mr J Kiiigliton Nock, at present 
of Beiiachie, Watawala, wiien lie succeeds his 
father, Mr W Nock, in charge of Hakgala Ganlens, 
will be Ki.nO I, rising by biennial incremeius of 
R250 to R3,5U0 (nut KS.OOO— as <?iven last night.) 
Mr W Nock goes on three months' leave on the 
18bh April and on the 18tli July— at the c'ose 
of his leave — will retire. Mr J K Nock takes up 
preUiuinary duties at Hakgala on November 1st, 
lor six months' special traiuiog, which would have 
been necessary in the case of any one appointed. 
He put in two years' work in the Gardens some 
years ago, so is by no means new to his future 
occupation. 
CHINA V. CEYLON TEA. 
Our evening contemporary in a recent 
issue mentioned that Ceylon tea woiild 
always be in request for Russia to mix wiih 
China tea because the latter would not other- 
wise keep so well. This is strange news to local 
authorities, the fact being that Cliina tea is 
especially noted for its keeping qualities, 
while Ceylon is that which is so apt to go 
off in qualitv. 
SISAL HEMP IN BOMBAY PRESIDENCY^ 
The 11 plants— says the annual report of Mr. 
George A Genimie, in charge of the Botanical 
Survey of the Bombay Presidency — which flowered 
the previous year produced nearly 20,000 bulbils, 
of which over 12,000 were despatched to the 
Divisional Forest OHScer, Nasik, and the remainder 
were distributed to various applicants for ex- 
perimental purposes. During the year under report 
16 plants flowered, and they have produced 
38,800 bulbils. The plants put out in the Botanic 
Garden, Ganeshkhind, made tair progress, and 
those at the experimental plot at Nandgaon are 
also in a thriving condition. — Times of India, 
Sept. 9. 
CEYLON AND INDIAN GEEENS IN AMERICA. 
The rapid progress made in the United 
States and Canada by Ceylon and Indian 
Greens seems, from news to hand by this 
mail, to be causing a good deal of concern 
aiiiong members of the .lapanese Tea Trade, 
and a resolution has been adopted by the 
Tea Guild in Japan urging a cessation of 
late picking in order to maintain the present 
quality and price. " Such a proposal," say 
Messrs. W. J & H Thompson, "should be 
satisfactory to our Planters, as British 
growths are making way in America at 
present solely on a'jcount of their cheapness, 
and consequently it is to their interest that 
the high rates ruling for other kinds should 
be maintained." For some reason or another 
an impression seems to be abroad in Ceylon 
that the Green Tea industry is under a 
cloud. This, we need hardly say, is an 
rroneous impression, and enquiry among 
those most closely interested in the industry 
here reveals a strong confidence in its future. 
In support of this we may state that 
another large green tea finishing factory is 
well under way in the course of construction 
in Colombo. As Messrs. Thompson say; 
British Greens are making progress on 
account of their cheapness, and the fact 
that a Ceylon firm is at present executing 
a single order for one million lbs. of greens 
is ample testimony that Ceylon greens are 
considered worth their money. But while 
the general rule is that Ceylon tea fetches 
lower prices than Japan, we are glad to 
know that there are Ceylons which sell at 
a price quite equal to the bcst Japans. The 
green tea trade of Japan is now a waning 
industry and the prospect and probability 
is that ere long it will be ousted entirely 
fronj the American markets, when, if dis- 
cretion is shown by Indian and Ceylon 
exporters, the prices could be raised to a 
even higher rate than now prevails. The 
exhaustion of the bonus at the end of the 
year will no doubt affect our supplies, and 
cause a relative rise in prices. 
CEYLON TEA IN RUSSIAN WRAPPERS. 
In view of satisfactory results of experiments in 
tea planting on a small scale in the Cameroons, the 
Government has decided to go in for planting on a 
much larger scale. Good varieties from Ceylon and 
the Himalayan district are to be cultivated. Talk- 
ing of tea, I find that a good deal of " Russian " 
tea consumed in Germany is bought in London. 
There is a prejudice in fav uir of Russian teas, and 
the German dealers accommodate themselves to it 
by putting up Ceylon and Indian teas in wrappers 
printed with Russian characters. Thus the Teutonij 
consumer gets a very good article for his money, 
while at the same time his Russian bias is borne in 
mind. An East Prussian general dealer told me 
that he did quite '* a roaring trade" in Mincing 
Lane " Russian," I hope our tea dealers have noted 
that the tea duty in the new German tariS stands 
at I2s S^d instead of £2 10s lOd per cwt., and made 
preparations to work the German market directly 
the new advantageous rates come into force.— 
Home paper, 
BIRD'LIFE IN CEYLON. 
THE CASE AGAINST THE MUNGOOSE IN 
BARBADOS. 
Barbados seems to be much in the same 
plight as Ceylon in regard to the increasing 
scarcity of bird life. The introduction of the 
mungoose is blamed for this to a considerable 
extent, and the researches of the Rev N B 
Watson and H A Ballou, B.Sc, the GoverU' 
