Feb. 1, 1904.1 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
525 
Eule I. was for tliis purpose suspended, A very 
larfe number of ryols, boiU Indian and European, 
were present, and of the former fully 120 were 
men of influence and position. There were also 
present Mr H M Kuiglit, Chairman, Mr A B Milne, 
the Hon. Mr G L Acwoi th, (as visitor by request) 
and Mr J J Murphy, Hon, Secretary. The 
minutes of the last meeting having been talcen as 
read, tlie Hon. Secretary read the Keport [from 
which we quote ; — 
(Cardamom Kulfs,— An important alteration 
has been made in Eule XIV. under which ryots 
are now allowed to relinquish such portions of 
their land as are unsuitable for cardamom 
cultivation. 
Madras Industrial Exhibition.— Exhibits 
from the Cardamom Hills have been sent to this 
Exhibilion, 
THE HON. MR. ACWORTH'S SPEECH. 
The Hon. Mr. Acworth spoke as follows :— Mr* 
Chairman and Ryots, both Indian and European 
— t understand you intend to ask His Highness's 
Government for some concessions, and in this I 
consider you are justified. You must, however, 
remember that when you took up your land you 
accepted the very high tax of RQ^ per acre with 
your eyes open. Times were then good ; Travan- 
core was the principal producer of cardamoms in 
the world ; it did not seem likely that there would 
be any very serious competition against you and 
land was accordingly eagerly taken up. His High- 
ness's Government is a sensible and enlightened 
one, and I cannot but believe that it will do 
something to lighten your burdens now that 
times have changed, If not, I cannot but 
think that tlie cardamom industry in Travancore 
will be crushed and crushed in such a way that it 
will never revive. In India itself Mysore, Coorg 
and Wynaad are producing cardomonis under more 
favourable conditions than in Travancore. The 
same is being done in Ceylon. In the Straits 
Settlements cardamoms are being planted under 
the British flag, and in Java under that of the 
Dutch. I believe I am correct in saying that in 
all these countries the terms given by the respec- 
tive Goverments are more favourable than those 
given by Travancore. Undoubtedly the Travancore 
Government will realise all this and will grant 
you some relief from your burdens. 
The following was one of tie resolutions then 
put from the Chair and carried unanimously : — 
St, Louis Exposition.— That a sub-Committae 
consisting of Messrs. Robertson and Milne be 
appointed to receive samples of cardamoms from 
each estate and pack and forward the same direct 
to the Indian Tea i^ssociatioa. London Exhibits 
should be in 2 lb. boxes with duplicates. — Madras 
Mail, Jan. 4. 
_ 
QUININE IN 1903. 
From C, M. & C. Woodhouse's Cinchona Bark and 
Quinine monthly Circular, 17th Dec. we quote : — 
During the year now drawing to ita close the 
statistical position has improved to a considerable 
extent. Altliough the exports of bark from Java from 
Ist January to 15th December sliow an increase of 
abont 300,000 Amsterdam lb, this is mora than 
balanced by a deficiency of 900,000 lb from British 
India and Ceylon. As stocks of bark, both in Holland 
and London, are considerably less than last year and 
the stock of quinine in London has also been reduced, 
it seems evident that the supply of bark this year 
^aa not been sufficient for the reqairementa of the 
ride. And this in a year when conanmption, though 
apparently about normal, is up to the present, as far 
as statiatioa of distribntion are available, if anything, 
slightly below that of 1902. The visible supply now 
shows a deficiency of 1,330,000 oz as compared with 
1902 and 880,000 oz compared with 1901. There has 
been a very qaiot tone in tbe market during the past 
mouth, and only a moderate bnsineas is reported. 
There has been no feature of sufficient importance to 
induce speculators to operate, bat on the other hand 
holdera of quinine are firm, being contentto wait till the 
turn of the year, when the expoits of bark from Jav» 
usuafly are moderate and prices have a tendency to 
improve. The latest quotationa are ISJd per oz for 
spot, 12Jd per oz for March. 
INDIAN TEA PRODUCTION IN 1903. 
SOUTH AND NORTH. 
Southern as well as Northern India has gone 
fhead in tea production this season, but whereas 
Bengal and Assam have held back their 
produce from sale, Travancore, &c., have appa- 
rently pushed forward. The quantity of this 
season's tea crop brought to public auction from 
Northern India totals about 679,595 packages, 
against 686,513 to the same date last year, and 
from Southern India about 47,?64 packages, 
against 40,-573 last yean Southern India has 
shown a fairly heavy increase in production, as 
will be seen hy the above figures, while it has 
derived considerable benefit from the rise in price 
which has taken place in the class of tea gene- 
rally produced in that locality. — Indian Planting 
and Gardening, Jan. 2. 
^ 
GREEN TEAS IN CALCUTTA. 
Green teas having proved a success this season, 
and being likely to prove a still greater success the 
CDming season, if only manufiictured on a com- 
mercial scale, it is more than probable that a large 
number of gardens will take up the manufacture 
and make a serious business of it. In fact now that 
it has passed the experimental stage, and there is 
no possible doubt as to its proving remunerative, 
we fail to see how green tea manufacture on a 
largely extended scale is to be avoided,— //ic^«a?i 
Planters' Gazette, Jan. 2. 
^ SERIOUS COCOA PEST IN SURINAM. 
The cocoa cultivation contin\ies to be injured by 
the WitcJi Broom disease, and the estates have a 
deplorable appearance. Estates that used to 
yield 600 to 700 bales of cocoa per annum will not, 
it is estimated, produce more than 100 to 200 
bales this year. In some instances the salaries of 
the Managers have been reduced, while in others 
the services of others have been dispensed with 
altogether. — Daily Chronicle Mail, Dec. 2. 
RUBBER PL.^NTERS AND THE M.\NU 
FACTURERS, 
The closer the relations are between the plan- 
ters and the great consumers of rubber the better 
it is for the planter. The niatterreceives some notice 
in the pages of the /. R. Journal, Dec 7th, and as 
this is a matter closely affecting Ceylon growers 
we give some extracts, Tlie question of the use 
of acetic acid for coagulation is one of considerable 
importance, and the results of a thorough investi. 
gation of the matter would be useful to groweis, 
