266 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 1901. 
the finest round pearls in the world. The known 
pearling area in the Sulu and Oelebes seas possessions 
of the United States is 15,220 Rquare miles. More 
than double that area possesses the physical conditions 
necessary to the best form of pstirl oyster life and 
the nacreous shell which contains it. Siassi, in the 
Tapnl group of the Sulu archipelugo, is the strategic 
centre of the most active pearling industry in United 
States territory, and should be made the station. 
There are a number of fishing villages and several 
thousand fishers in the vicinity. The value of peark, 
in their natural state or split, imported into the 
United States for home consumption d n ing nine 
months ending March 31»t 1901 was §1 180. rank- 
ing next in value to diamonds. — Cliicayo H ord Herald, 
July 22nd. 
MOSQUITOES AND DRAUGHTS. 
Mr F Gr Aflalo writes in the Morninq Leader 
of August 19th : — The mosquito, malarial or 
otherwise, appears to have a dread of draughts 
and air-currents generally, and small punkahs, 
worked by electric motors of one-sixth hoise- 
power, are being used with excellent results in 
hotels and private houses in the States. The 
insect pests are found to a.void the rooms thus 
ventilated, and there is no reason why every 
bedroom in mosquito country should not be 
thus rendered immune. 
THE WORK OF LEAVES. 
Under the belief that the sun has a great deal to 
do with ripening fruit, many people remove the 
leaves of grape-vines and tomatoes lo allow the sun- 
light to reach the fruit. Meehan's Monthly says — 
Sunlight does usually add to the sweetness and 
general good character of the fruit; but ripening is 
a vital process, in which an abundance of good, 
healthy foliage is the prominent agent in the work. 
In short, a bunch of grapes ripening in comparative 
darkness would be far preferable to one grown in the 
full light with most of the vine leaves taken off. 
But the leaves themselves must be vigorous and 
healthy. They are not healthy when crowded. For 
this reason, the good gardener thins out the weak 
branches in the early stage, so as to have plenty 
of room for the development of larger ones later on 
— Queensland Agricultural Jonual, Augusl t. 
NILGIRIS BOTANIC GARDENS. 
We are in receipt of Mr. Proudlock's Ad- 
ministration Report for 1900-01 which is as 
full, varied and interesting as usual. The 
following refers to his recent visit to Cey- 
lon : — 
The Curator visited the Eoynl Botanic Gardens 
Peradeniya, and the Botanic gardens at Hakgala and 
at Henaratgoda, Ceylon, in January 1901, in accor- 
dance with the orders of Government, for the purpose 
of seeing these gardens, of gaining information about 
rubber trees in Ceylon and of obtaining such species 
of plants as were unrepresented here. A list of 
desiderata was made and submitted to the Director 
of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Paradeuiya. The 
seeds and plants asked for will be forwarded by him 
to Ootacamund from time to time as they can be 
spared in due course. Mr. Willis, the Director, very 
kindly showed the Curator, in the garden.^ and in the 
excellently-equipped laboratory at Peradeniya, the 
methods employed at Peradeniya and at Ileneratgoda 
in tapping the Para rubber tree Hevea [hrasiliensis], 
and in preparing the rubber for export. 
Judging from the rapid growth made by the 
Para rubber trees at Heneratgoda (about 33 feet 
above sea level), it is a tree of considerfible v^lue 
that is eminently suitable for extensive cultivation 
in suitable situa'.ioiis in Southern India ; while this 
opinion is amply confirmed by the growth made 
by trees of the same species at Burliyar (2,400 feet) 
on the Nilgiris. 
The Curator desires to acknowledge the kind help 
and courtesy which he received at Peradeniya from 
Ml- John C Willis, m a., the Director, from Mr Herbert 
Wriiht, Scientific Aseislaut, and from Mr Hugh 
Micmillan, the Curator; and at Hikgaia Botanic 
gardens from Mr VV Nock, the Superintendent. 
From the notes on the Experimental (iarden 
at Burliyar (we should like to know its 
situation, elevation, etc.) we quote some 
interesting paragraphs, which will be found 
on page 2i6. 
THE INDIAN TEA CROP AND ESTIMATE: 
FOR THE SEASON, 1901-2. 
We direct special attention to the remainder 
of the important statement issued by the 
Indian Tea Association, estimating the total 
crop for the current Season, the first por- 
tion of which we give on page 26.3 and 
in which we have only to make one 
slight correction— that the figure tele- 
graphed for Dooars was, we find, 11,430,509 
(not 11,435,109) lb. ; this will give the 
total of tea already manufactured (up to 
August 15th) as 72,166.-525, (not 72,171,125 lb.) 
On page 177 of our Directory it is shown 
that no estimate ot the current crop had 
been issued up to June .5th and the 
figures elsewhere are therefore the first of 
their kind for the 1901-2 season. Seeing how 
the market is rising week by week, thanks to 
smaller outturn and finer plucking, we 
trust that the Indian ditference of nearly 
5^ million lb between Revised Estimate 
and Actual Outturn, for 1900, will not be 
realised again this year. The figures in 
question read : — 
Actual outturn for 1900 ... 187,527,435 Id. 
Revised estimateofcropof 1900 182.144 874 lb. 
Difference : 5,382,561 lb. 
Now the current estimate is, to begin with, 
2,201,821 lb. ahead of the estimate last 
year, but with the considerable reduction 
of output that is taking place in India, 
we should hope that the actual outturn will 
prove quite within the estimate of 184,346,605 
— or a decrease of .3,180,830 lb. on the actual 
crop of 1900-01.— So may it prove. 
The Indian Tea Crop fok 1901-2 (season 
ending 31st March) being now estimated at 
184 296,695 lb. is expected to be 3i million lb. 
behind the actual crop of 1900-01 ; but for 
Great Britain, only 150 million lb. are esti- 
mated to be shipped this season or 10,753,157 
lb. less than were sent to London in the past 
season, according to the statement of the 
Indian Association, although another state- 
ment shews the deficiency at less than two 
millions. With some million lb. less from 
China as well as Ceylon, there ought to be 
a considerable difference in London stocks 
by the end of the year, 
