Nov. % 1903.1 THE TROPiOAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
323 
station during the next year, and if so, for what 
length of time approximately. 1 may say that the 
Jamaican Governmeac is lieartily in sympathy 
with the enterprise, and will co-operate to a very 
iinpurtant exteut, funiishiii^i facilities tor growintj 
plants under the widely different climatic condi- 
tions ottered by the gardens at Oinchona, Hope, 
and (Jastleton, the use of the large botanical labo- 
ratory and herbarium at Hope, and the use of 
visitor's Cables in the laboratory at Hope. 
As regards Cinchona, I quote the following 
from Professor Undervvood's account , of his 
work in Jamaica from the -July issue of the 
Journal of the New York Botanical Garden : — 
" Not the least important of the results of 
the expedition was a possible solution of the 
problem of a suitable location for a tropical 
laboratory, which has long been under con- 
sideration by American botanists. At the time 
of the visit of the com iiictee appointed some 
years ago to investigate the subject, the plant 
at Cincliona was occupied by the Government 
botanist, and was consequently out of the question. 
A one-story six-room nouse, three or tour low 
buildings suitable for laboratory work, with two 
greenhouses of sufiBcient capacity to conduct ex- 
perimental work under glass, could be had of the 
Jamaica Government at a nominal rent, Cinchona 
is nearly a mile above the sea, with a delightful 
climate (the extremes of temperature for the past 
twenty years Deing45° F. and 79° F,), a delightful 
outlook, and as closely accessible to virgin forest as 
could be obtained. Within three miles, nearly on a 
level, is Morce's Gap,whose tropicalconditions I have 
described above ; close to Morce's Gap you make 
the ascent to John Crow Peak (6,0U0 feet), through 
a forest of tropical luxuriance, below is Mabeis 
River (3,0J0 leei), with similar bat lower-level 
vegetation. At about the same distance from Cin- 
chona (three miles) is New Haveu Gap (.5.500 feet), 
with a similar but Uigher-altitude flora. Still higher 
altitudes are accessible at Portland Gap and Blue 
Mountain Peak at a distance of eight to ten miles. 
" There are no Unman habitations above Cin- 
chona, so that the Clyde itiver, which supplies it 
with water, is pure and without source of contami- 
nation ; a more healthful location could not be 
founu in all the American tropics." 
Briefly expressed, the above scheme offers the in- 
vestigator residence accommodations and laboratory 
facilities at Cinchona under the most pleasant 
and aUvantageous conditions, from which place 
he may quickly transfer his work to more pro- 
nounced tropical conditions at Hope in a dry 
climate, or to Oastleton in an extremely humid 
locality. The marine flora is equally accessible. 
The locality furnishes easy access to an immense 
number of species of plants ditt'erent from those 
available at any other similar institution ; travel- 
ing and living expenses are very reasonable, and 
Jamaica may be reached at intervals of only a 
few days by numerous steamers from England, 
Germany (Hamburg;, and nearly all ports of 
eastern America. — Yours sincerely, N L Briton, 
New Yoik Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, 
New York City, Aug, 13.— Nature. 
PEARL SHELL PISHING IN AUSTRALIA, 
(From the Northern Territory : Government 
Jiesident's Report.) 
The total quantity of pearlshell exported during 
the year 1902, was 138 0-20 tons, of the declared 
value of £20,497. The figures for 1901 were 141 
tons, valued at £17,168. Mr Dasliwood remarks: — 
Tiiere are 50 boats engaged in the tradeas against 
44 for the last year. The value of pearlshell has 
gradually increased during the last three years and 
the best shell now realises a high price. It will be 
noticed that though 2 11 20 tons less were exported 
this year the price realised on the total export was 
£3,329 more. I believe that the pearlshell produced 
in North Australia commands the highest price in 
the London market, and the yield is reducing year 
by year in Torres Straits, which is the largest pro- 
ducer of pearlshell. With the employment of Asiatic 
labour, shell at its present value, and the existing 
average yield per boat maintained, no doubt the 
industry is a profitable one if worked on proper 
lines. 
Additional regulations made under " The North- 
ern Territory Crown Lands Act, 1890," provide 
that the area from which the discoverer of a new 
natu'-al pearl shell bsd shall be entitled to the reward 
provided by regulation No. 4, made on November 8, 
1899, shall be 10 square miles. In the event of a 
dispute arising as to the boundaries of any new 
natural pearshell bed, or as to the locality from 
which any pearl-shell has been raised, the decision 
of the Government Resident is to be final. — Ade- 
laide Observer. 
THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN THE EAST. 
PROGRESS IN CEYLON AND BURMA, 
Mr. James Piunock writes in a home paper as 
follows : — " Considerable interest has been taken 
in Burma, in the Malay Peninsula, as also in 
Ceylon, since 1898, in the cultivation of rubber. 
The variety chiefly planted is the Hevea Brasi- 
liensis, the Para rubber of commerce. Roughly 
estimated, there have been about 4,000,000 trees 
of this variety planted in the East within the last 
decade, all of which origin ited from the plants 
sent from Kew to the Botanical Gardens of Pera- 
deniya, near Kandy, in the island of Ceylon. 
During my visit to Moulmein I met a Yorkshire- 
man (Mr. W S Todd) living at Amherst, near 
Moulmein, who started the planting of Para rubber 
in 1899, and has now fifty acres fully planted with 
14,0u0 trees, which from young plants have deve- 
loped into fine trees. There is every prospect of 
its being a great success, and a return is expected 
when the trees shall attain the age of eight years— 
that is, in another five years hence. The plants 
referred to as having been sent from Kew to the 
Botanical Gardens in Ceylon were sent out at the 
expense of the British Government in 1876, A 
cultivation of this variety of Para rubber was 
started about two years since by the Government 
of India on land in the southern extremity of 
British Lower Burma, known as Mergui, and also 
on the adjacent King Island, which is situated 
about 12 deg. 30 min. north latitude and 98 deg. 
30 min. east longitude." 
FINE RUBBER FROM CEYLON AND THE STRAITS, 
"When the rubber trees at Amherst i.nd other 
parts of Burma arrive at maturity the markets of 
Europe will receive a supply of nearly pure rubber, 
which will only lose 1 per cent in the washing. This 
has been proved by recent samples sent home of 
cultivated rubber both from Ceylon and the Straits 
Settlements. The seeds of the Castilloa elastica, 
the variety now planted on a large scale in Mexico, 
have been also successfully introduced into Burma 
by my friend, Mr, W S Todd, who imported thq 
