Sept. 2, 1901.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
171 
PLANTING IN JOHORE. 
The fol lowing information respecting the State 
of Johore has recently heen received from the 
Corresponding Agent of the Imperial Institute, 
the Hon. Dato James Meldruin, F. R. G. S. : — 
The cultivatioa of gambler is beginning to lan- 
guish, owing to tho distance planters require to go 
iErom the water before they can iind virgin forest 
and fresh land for new plantations. This industry 
is entirely in the hands of Chinese. The destruc- 
tion of valuable forest trees is to be regretted — 
thousands of acres have been cut down by gambler 
planters, who, viheu the soil is exhausted, seek for 
" fresh fields and pastures new.'' Some have gone 
to Raja Brooke's territory, Sarawak ; some have gone 
to British North Borneo. 
The cultivation of tea has practically ceased, owing 
to want of cheap labour; otherwise, the frequent 
rains and heat are favourable for leaf crops. 
A new steam aaw-mill has been erected by Chinese 
assi ted by Johore officials. The Johore Steam Saw 
mills, erected in 1866, are ia full work ; supplies 
are now brought from greater distances. Ballow, 
sometimes called Johore teak, has become scarce ; 
this wood was admitted by Lloyd's for " all parts 
in ships of the highest grade " ; it is harder and 
heavier than Tectona grandis, and nearly double the 
strength. 
No planting of gutta percha trees has been at- 
tempted ; the supply cannot be kept up much 
longer. As regards forest trees, there are no private 
individuals in Johore to undertake such planting ; 
indeed it is only Government who can perform this 
important duty. — London and China Express, July 5. 
THE MANURIAL RELATIONS OF THE 
BOIS IMMORTFLLE AND CACAO 
TREES. 
Witli reference to the Analysis of Bois Immor- 
telle Flowers maile in the Government Laboratory, 
and recently published bv command of H.E. the 
Governor as a Council Paper (No, ,S8 of 1901), 
we quote as follows : I iiave the honour to add for 
the information of the A gricultnral Society that 
these flowers appear to supply all the Nitrogen 
permanentlt/ removed from the soil by the cacao 
beans. And in support of this I submit the fol- 
lowing figures : — 
Nitrogen per acre. 
250 Cacao Trees— 500 lb cured cocoti 
containing 2J per cent of Nitrogen 12^ lb 
50 Immortelle— 500 lb di-if flowers 
containing (say) 4% of Nitrogen 20 lb 
In making this estimate, I have allowed for a 
full yield of cacao ; and I believe I have not over- 
estimated the yield of Flowers. 
The Flowers lose their Nitrogen rapidly as the 
following results show : — 
Nitrr,gen % 
1st Analysis (fresh flowers) .. 6-32 
2nd do (2 days old) .. 5"16 
3rd do (5 days old) ... 4-14 
I recommend the attention of cacao cultivators 
to the-^e results which appear to me to be of con- 
siderable importance. 
BOIS IMMORTELLE AND OTHER FLOWERS, 
MANURIAL VALUE OF. 
Source of Flowers 
Saman fresh 
Do same sample older 
Poui 
Sugar Cane (old flowers) 
Hibiscus 
Water Lilv 
22 
% of Nitrogen in dry 
Flower.-. 
440 
3'55 
4-55 
143 
2-71 
4-68 
Immortelle (aaauca) from Tacarigua 6'30 fresh flowers 
Do same sample older 4 05 
Do do .. 3-96 
Do fiom Tortuga ... 6'32 fresh flowera 
Do same sample 2 days later 5'16 
Do do 5 do 414 
Do do 6 do 3'91 
Do from Botanic Gardens 4'21 fresh flowerg 
Do do Cascade Valley 4"S1 do 
Do do Caroni .. 3 -25 do 
Immortelle (Bocare) from Canipia 4'93(2or3d'ygold) 
Do do Caroni 3-84 fresh flowers 
Immortelle leaves ... 2'87 
Locust Beans (from Saman tree) 3'07 
P. Carmodt, Government Analyst, Trinidad. 
14tb March, 1901. 
BRAZIL AND OVERPRODUCTION OP 
COFFEE. 
THE LABOUR SUPPLY— RAILWAYS— GOVERNMENT 
PAPER— FOOD SUPPLIES— THE RUBBER INDUS- 
TRY—SUGAR AND HUM- COTTON AND WEAV- 
ING—AMERICAN FARMERS— GERMAN SET- 
TLERS— 11 ALI AN LABOUR— BRAZILIAN EX- 
CHANGE—PURCHASING POWER OF THE MIL- 
REIS. 
Great changes have taken place in Brazil dur- 
ing the past Aveuty five years. The coffee crop 
has doubled in quantity and improved in quality. 
Many of the coffee planters of Brazil have pat up im- 
proved machinery and take great pains to cure their 
coft'ee properly and endeavour, to improve prices. The 
great difficulty is that a large number of the planters 
still harvest tiieir crops in a slip-shod manner, strip- 
ping off the green coffee with the matured berries, 
and leave the cherry too long on the ground before 
laking it up and sifting the coffee from the rub- 
bish. The consequence is <,hat, however much 
trouble and extra expense the leading coffee plan- 
ters take to improve their prices, the small farmers 
undo all by their slovenly work and, instead of im- 
proved prices, Brazilian coffee still beais a bad 
reputation and the middlemen make capital out 
of the producer's want of co-operation and want 
of system in preparing their coffee crops for the 
markets of the worfd. 
Attractive labels are printed for the grocers, 
calling the ordinary Santos and Kio Coffee " Old 
Java" or rather '■'Old Government Java and 
Mocha " and the conservative old ladies in all 
parts of the world still believe they are using 
the genuine article and get quite angry if any- 
thing but " Old Government Jnva and Mocha 
Coffee " is offered to them. 
The origin of the brand "Old Government Java " 
was, i believe, brought about by the Java Dutch 
Government leasing lan<l to the farmers of Java 
on condition that the coft'ee crop was sold to them. 
The Dutch would in all probability receire 
ihe linlk of such coffee and, after Amsterdam 
a,hd Rotterdam were served, there would be 
y- <:\ little left for the United Kingdom, Canada, 
a;iu the United States of Ancerica. 
Then again tlie Brazilian planters call their 
pea-berry "Mocha" and it is duly shipped from 
Santos and Kio de Janeiro as Mocha coffee ! 
" What's in a name 't The rose by any other 
name would smell as sweet," and so does Indian 
and China tea when labelled Ceylon ! 
The overproduction of tea is a very serious 
thing and so is the over-production of coffee. 
Will the cheapness of coffee as compared with 
tea lead to the return of some of your tea-drinkers 
to coffee 2 
