178 
THE TROPICAL AGrJCULTUPJST. 
[Sept. 2, 1901. 
TEA, RUBBER AND CLOVES IN THE 
STRAITS. 
A resident of Malacca, on a visit to Singapore, 
states that the tea industry is niakinj; headway 
there by leaps and bounds. It is now just over 
nine years ago since the first seed was planted upon 
the soil of the Peninsula, and the enterprise of 
those who have pioneereil the country has been 
well rewarded. The area under cultivation on one 
estate is 500 acres. Tea, tojiether with para rub- 
ber and cloves, which have a great tuture 
before them, will soon, it is said, form important 
items of export from Malacca. Already, fuur 
thousand pounds of tea a month are exported, and 
the demand for the leaf is growing. — I. P. G., 
Aug. .3. 
YIELD OF TEA PER ACRE IN CEYLON. 
The question has been asked us by Mr. 
Bamber:- Is the average yield of tea in Ceylon 
per acre increasing or diminishing? It is 
not easy to find out exactly ; but if we 
begin with 1896, the export of that year of 
108,141,000 lb. must h;ive come from about 
273,000 acres, making an average of 398 lb. 
an acre ; in 1897 our crop was 116,054 000 
from 288,000 acres, giving 403 lb. ; in 1898, 
we find 305,000 acres giving about 120 mil- 
lion lb., or very close on 400 lb. ; then 1899 
we had very nearly 130 million lb. from aSO 000 
acres which again works out as nearly as 
possible to .an average of 400 lb. ; while last 
year our crop of 148,431,000 lb. must be 
reckoned as from 350,000 acres which would 
give an average of 424 lb.— so that manure 
has not done much more than maintain the 
aTerage for the past five years, and evid- 
ently "fertilisers" will be required to keep 
up a large number of the older plantations 
especially. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Rubber.— The " India Rubber World " has 
been applied to, througli the consulate of Sal- 
vador at New York, for information be.'uing upon 
the suitability of the Ceara rubher tree for culti- 
vation in that republic. A late issue of the Salva- 
dor Bolttin de Agricultura prints an advertise- 
ment of Ceara rubber seeds for sale in San Sal- 
vador, and also mentions the planting at San 
Miguel of seeds of Sapium biglandulosum. an 
important rubber tree of Columbia. — India Bub - 
her World, July 1. 
Odontoglo.s,sum Crispum Pitti anum— is the 
name of the famous orchid, which was in flownr 
at, Mr. Borace Pitt't place, Rosslyn, St.imford 
Hill, when last mail left, and has won the highest 
prizes at home. It was discovered three years 
ago by the agents of Mr. John Corder, the col- 
lector, in the Columbian Woods, flo vered near 
London last year for the first time in Europe, 
and stands only second to Baron Schroder's 
anatum. 
Manure for Tobacco. — Where wattle aahos can bfl 
procured, they are said to form an excellent manure 
for tobacco. Mr. .J. M. Van Leenhoff, tobacco expert 
in Natal, states that they may be used for procuring 
a mild, good-burning tobacco. The ashes should be 
ploughed in very flhallow, four or fivp months before 
planting. — Queensland Afiricultural Journal. 
The Report on the Government Hor- 
ticultural Gardens, Lucknow, for the year 
ending 31st March 1901— does not contain 
much of interest to Ceylon readers; but we 
quote on fruit culture : — 
The principal fruit crop in the garden (from a 
revenue point of view) viz. the mango crop, was almost 
a complete failure. Pine apples were fairly good. 
Nearly all sections of the citrus family did well, the 
Sylhet oranges and pummelos bore good crops of 
fruit; peaches anil alul'ukhanig were moderate crops, but 
oluchas w(-re bad, loquatas wi-re a light crop, while figs 
and leechis were fair crops The seedling Malta orange 
trees again bore well, und a large amount of seeds 
was secured from the fruit and sown with the object 
of raising a good stock of seedlings, among which 
possibly new varieties may eventuahy be found. 
Cinchona Bahk Prosprct.s. — Meifrn. C. M. 
and C. Woodhouse report on 9th July, favourably, 
as follows : — 
In spite of the temporary depression in the Quinice 
market, the present -itatistical position, taken aa a 
whole, cannot be considered unfavourable. On the 
one hand, the exports of Bark from Java for first six 
months show an increase of about l,l(iO,0('0 Amst. lb. 
compared with last year, and l.W.OOOlb. compared with 
1899, but this is probably more than balanced by decrease 
in exports from British India. It will be noticed that 
during the last three years the exports from Java 
during the last six months of the year have been ntsvrly 
the same as a total, though they have differed very 
much moiith by month. They hive averaged slightly 
over 1,000,000 lb. per month. The Stocks of Bark in 
London (which are now 11,107 packages, against 16,598 
packages in 1900) were reduced by 7,600 packages last 
year between lat July and 31st October. A similar 
reduction this vear would not leave London with much 
stofk. The Stock of Quinine is now slightly the 
largest of recent years, but as Importations pince 1st 
January are 200,000 oz, less aud deliveries l(K)000oz. 
more, it is evident that it mua compire more favor- 
ably with last year n w than it did on Slst December. 
After all it only represents about three months of 
world's consumption, and in the absence of stocks of 
Batk it foims the ovdy reserve to meet any extra 
deman d that- might arise. Consumption shows a marked 
increase this year, especially in United States, British 
India «nd Italy. 
A Colonial Garden at Paris.— Do English- 
men appreciate Kew ? What is certain is that 
foreigners envy them their superb botanical garden. 
The Dalham Gardens at F'ostdam are probably 
known to German tourists, and an interesting 
brochure about the Kolozsvar Gardens (Hun- 
garian University) was distributed to the members 
at the Pans 1900 Botanical Congress. The Paris 
Jardin des Piantes is a small, starved affair. 
The Colonial Garden at Nogent-sur M«.rne, near 
Paris, is a new and interesting experiment by 
the French Government. M Dybowski, the superin- 
tendent, is an African exploierand an ex-director 
of agriculture in Tunis, Many interesting studies 
and experiments are carried out in his pleasant 
leafy gardens, near tlie Bois de Vincennes, 
Naturally there is a laboratory, to which any 
explorer from the French colonies has only to 
submit his specimens and a scientific analysis will 
be made gratis. The results may be exploited by 
the explorer, and the Garden does not interfere 
with his commercial rights. As a consequence 
of this, it is reported that two kinds of wood 
from the Congo were shown at the 1900 Exhi- 
bition, and examined by the laboratory. From 
these a new perfume is now made, which, if 
properly pushed and advertised, may be worth 
a fortune. We have Co igo soap : why not Congo 
perfume? — Chemist and Druggist. 
