AiiG. 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
i25 
THE BANDONG QUININE FACTORY. 
Th« annual report of the Bandong quinine-factory 
expresses much satisfaction with the results of the 
Batavia quinine-auctions, and states that new con- 
tracts h'ive been mads with the planters, which 
ensure a fall supply of bark for this year. As the 
whole of the Company's capital ,is invested in the 
buildings, plant, and stock, it is proposed to issue 
six per cent debentures for 6,2oOZ., ledeemable in 
six years, in order to provide the necessary working 
capital ; the whole of this issue has practically been 
applied for. After allowing for depreciation there 
remains a net profit sufficient to pay a dividend of 
four per cent which the Directors propose. 
The Board refers to the great assistance i-endered 
by Mr. P, van Leersum, who superintends the work 
on behalf of the Government, and to whose advice 
the improvement in the manufacturing process is due. 
— Chemist and Dinggist, June 23, 
CARDAMOMS IN BRITISH CENTRAL 
AFRICA. 
{To the Editor of the Central African Times ) 
Dear Sir, — In Mr Hastings' very interesting article 
on cotton cultivation it is suggested to plant cotton 
between cofiee, which reminds us once more that np 
till the present no planter has given a proper trial 
to Cardamoms. 
It has been said that aoms Mlanje planters have 
gone in for them, but I gather it is only the wild 
specimen that has been exported. Prom the fact of 
their presence here in a wild state one may surely 
assume that the cultivation of the marketable quality 
is practicable. A circumstance to be observed in 
general produce reports is that Malabar and Mysore 
are the only qualities ever quoted, and this would 
lead one to the conclusion that countries such as 
Brazil and the West Cop.st of Africa cannot produce the 
Cardamom. A great drawback to a trial has probably 
been the difficulty of importing seeds from India, but 
it should be possible to obtain them from Kew. I 
regret I am unable to give statistics as to the yield 
per acre, but 1 have, in Calcutta, sold Cardamoms 
from Ceylon at prices from three to seven rupees per 
seer (2 andl-7th lb) ; home quotations are from Is 6d 
tJ 48 per lb. The plant is, I understand, of the vine 
species and is planted between six by six coffee. The 
picking season immediately follows the coffee crop. I 
am aware that this information is unfortunately very 
meagre ; but Mr Hastings having suggested that a 
few acres of cotton at an estimated price of 5d per lb 
will do no planter any harm, I think that cardamoms, 
at a possible 43 per lb deserve also to be experimented 
with, especially as owing to our present crude and ex- 
pensive transport methods only the higher-priced 
products can be profitably handled. Few more valu- 
able items than cardamoms can be found in the 
produce market reports. — Yours, etc., J W Kikk 
— ♦ 
INDIAN AND CEYLON TEA SHARES. 
"tea" on kecovery in values and speculative 
tendency. 
June 15, 1901. 
GENERAL Remarks.— As I said in my last 
Jepart, only those companies which have conserved 
their financial position are likely to see their 
way comfortably through the present crisis, 
fn the future a closer criticism of non-efifective 
charges must be made, and directors will be wise 
in limiting their dividend distributions in such a 
way as to leave something " up their sleeves." 
Some of the companies appear to be feeling the 
pinch of finance, as witness the Imperial Com- 
pany with its recent issue of debentures, and the 
Dooais Company seeking power from its sliare- 
holders to create fresh preference capital. In 
regard to the inunediate market prospect for the 
produce, it is satisfactory to note that from Ceylou 
the exports appear recently to be tending smaller, 
while in India, owing to drought in some of the 
districts, the opening of the season has been back- 
ward, and no great bulk of tea is likely to come 
to the maiket here until about a month later 
than usual. In regard to tiie question of shares, 
there appear to be indications to an increasing 
extents of speculative enquiry for the cheaper as 
well as for the more solid i.-sues, and shares on 
the whole are difficult to obtain. 
At the present juncture it is interesting to 
note that of Indian and Ceylon companies regis- 
tered in this country witli sterling capital, there 
are altogether nearly 150, WHth a siiare and 
debenture capital amounting to between fifteen 
and twenty millions sterling. The figures com- 
piled by Mr. George Seton, of 120, Bishopsgate 
Street, relating to the values of the shares of 45 
representative companies, and to which we refer 
elsewhere, will show the depreciation on a portion 
of this capital— some £9,000,000. On the whole 
amount tbe loss would probably be proportionately 
the same, or even more so. — Tea for Jane. 
FIBRE IM GERMAN EAST AFRICA. 
It is expected that the cultivation of fibre will be 
very profitable. There are at present over 800,000 
Fourcroya gigantea plants and 750,000 Agave 
sisalana. Compared to other products, the culti- 
vation of fibre is very simple and inexpensive. 
The only fear i% that, owing to over-production, 
the price will fall considerably, and the article 
will become a drug in the market. Within the 
last few months Fourcroya hemp has fallen from 
33s to 253 per cwt. The first Sisal Agave bnlbs 
were introduced by the German East Africa 
Company in 1891, forty-six being brought from 
Yucatan and planted in the Kikogwe estate. 
From the original forty-six plants over 700,000 
have been obtained in nine years. At Kikogwe 
alone there are 640,000 covering an area of 1000 
acres, whilst 65,000 have been distributed amongst 
the German East Africa Company's other estates. 
The Sisal Agave at Kikogwe only lives for five 
or six years when allowed to go to seed. When 
the leaves are regularly cut, the life of the plants 
will probably be considerably longer. The annual 
produce of each plant is about forty leaves, or 
2| lb of dry fibre. During the year under re- 
view a sample of 100 cwt of fibre was sent out 
and sold for SOs per cwt.— British Acting Vice- 
Consul at Dar-es Saleiam. — British Trade Journal, 
"ANNALS OF THE R. B. GARDENS, 
PERADENIYA " 
We have to give a hearty welcome to this 
new periodical, edited by Mr. Willis as 
Director and to be representative of the work 
of himself and the full scientific staff now 
attached to his department. We have al- 
ready published the prospectus, and the first 
part opens very appropriately with a succinct 
and interesting history of the Ceylon Botanic 
Gardens, from the days of Governor North 
onwards, from the pen of the Director. It 
is interesting to be reminded that J. G. Lear 
who was in charge of the Gardens from 1837 
to 1840 (and many of whose letters are re- 
produced m our Literary Register) planted, 
