Dec. 1, 1903.] 
the yTkopical agriculturist. 
Colonial Secretary offered a site of 20 acres 
behind Buller's Koad on terms to be subse- 
quently conimunicatedii This site is still avail* 
able and is only one acre and a half less 
than the area of the larger portion of the 
licgent's Park Zoo, exclusive of the block 
beyond the Kegent's Park Canal where 
the Elephant house is situated. The lie 
of the land is verv suitable and has 
been visited and approved by a foimer 
Secretary of the Calcutta Zoo who 
considered it much better than the site of 
their Zoo. Tiie idea tlien was to foi^m a 
public company for the Zoo with two Govern- 
ment Officials permanently on the Board 
and on application to the Legislative Council 
for a subsidy, a committee was appointed by 
the Governor to consider the question of 
establishing Zoological Gardens in Colombo 
and at a meeting of that committee held in 
June 191J2, I was asked to furnish a draft 
prospectus of the company— which was done. 
Smce then the subject has been in abeyance 
until last month when Dr. Willey, who has 
started a small collection of animals at the 
Colombo Musem, suggested as an alternative 
to the Company that the Gardens should be 
started and maintained by a Zoological 
Society composed of Founders, Life Members 
and Members— according to the amount of 
their subscriptions to the Society. It is 
understood th it the Government will give 
the laud on certain favourable conditions. 
At an interview Dr. Willey and I had with 
the Lieut. Governor, it was promised that 
K12,000 should be placed on the estimates for 
1904 as a preliminary step pending dicussion of 
the schemes. Any one interested in thesubject 
can see the draft prospectus of the com- 
pany and the j.roposed scheme of member- 
ship for the Society should they care to 
call on me, and, it is hoped, if the vote 
is carried, to obtain the sanction of 
Government to one or other of the schemes 
and at once to start the Gardens on a 
small scale with the animals now at the 
Museum and other animals in private col- 
lections Colombo which have been promised 
to the Zoo as well as some animals upcountry 
which are also destined for the Zoo. 
Directly the scheme is approved by 
Government money will be collected for 
shares in the Company, or as subscrip- 
tions to the Society, as the case may be. The 
situation of Colombo as a calling port for Asia 
Africa and Australia gives great advantages 
for the collecting of aniaials from these 
countries. On tiie other hand it may be well 
at first to confine the scope of the under« 
taking to indigenous animals only. Tlie 
climate retiders all costly heating apparatus 
and a doul)le set of houses for winter and 
summer unnecessary, The large number of 
passengers calling here, with time on their 
hands and not much to amuse them, 
should furnish considerable gate money 
whicli would go towards the cost of feed- 
ing of the animals and general upkeep. It 
the public will subscribe the money neces- 
sary for erecting and enclosing the build- 
ings on a proper scale there is no reason 
why Ceylon should not have the cheapest 
and best Zoological Gardens in the world — 
I am, Sir, yours obediently, 
V. A. JULIUS. 
CARDAMOMS IN SWEDEN AND 
NOKWAY. 
liangala, Nov. IS), 
Sir, — I enclose copy of a letter from Mr, 
Renton and will be much obliged by your 
publishing it.- Yours faithfully, 
WILLIAM SINCLAIR. 
My Dear Sinclair,— I wrote you last fiom 
Hamburc', and have now returned from Skandi- 
navia. There is a good consumption of cardamoms 
in Sweden and Norway, as tiie arlicle is largely 
used iu the bread. You taste it iu all the white 
bread. The imports for consumption were last year 
Sweden .. 52,526 kilos = 1,150,672 lb 
Norway . . 11,257 do = 247,654 lb 
Denmark . . 89,336 Danish lb 432,696 lb English 
The total population of the three co'intries is 
only some 7^ million inhabitants, so they do well 
and would do more if the duty was not so high. 
In Sweden and Norway it is Is Igd per lb a i 
kilo. Importers do not think the consumptiou 
will increase. Within the last 10 years it has 
fjrowu about 10 per cent, more particularly iu . 
Sv\eden. The importers and retailers made a big 
profit on the article. It is sold somewhere about 
33 to 4s per lb. In Norway I see the (Ju.stoms 
v.aluation of the article is just over 6^ per kilo ; 
this includes duty. 
All supplies are drawn from London and Ham- 
burg, and dealers there make their profit on the 
article. The biggest dealers in Sweden are now 
buying freely, as they do not think they will go 
lower and are stocking the article, as it is cheap. 
I don't think there is much chance of increasing 
the consumption, in these countries, but if the 
public could obtain the article cheaper, they would 
probably waste more of it, if direct exports were 
made. The London and Hamburg dealers sjive the 
Swedish importers three mouths credit. 
The Skandinavian importers are of the opinion 
that the only way to raise prices is to limit the out- 
put. Naturally they are pretty happy, as the public 
so far has not shared much of the benefit of the drop 
iu prices. The Hamburg importers, whom I also 
interviewed, are strongly of opinion that there can 
be no marked increase in consumption ; advertising 
or a propajj-anda would in their opinion be of no 
use. The only way to increase the price is they say 
to restrict output. 
The German custom figures puzzle me a little. 
Duty paid to end of August on 
in 1903. in 1902, in 1901. 
46,200 kilos 45,100 kilos 38,200 kilos 
Of which fiom 
British India 15,100 kilos 19,000 kilos 13,500 kiloa 
Ceylon 21,200 do 18,000 do 9,000 do 
36,300 do 37,000 do 22,500 do 
Where the balance of 9,900, 8,100 and 5,700 kilos 
respectively came from is not explained. Can you 
not do anything in Eugland itself to increase the 
consumption of the article by the Public, in say 
oaUes and pastry ?—Your^ sincerely, 
(Signed) J. H. PiENTOM. 
SLAUGHTER OF WILD BIRDS FOR 
SKINS. 
Nov. 19. 
Dear Sir,— T was much interested in a 
letter iu your columns the other day by Mr 
Donald Ferguson on the subject of the salo 
of wild birds' skins in England. His letter 
