Jan. 1, 190-2.J 
THE TROPICAL AGKICULTURIST. 
463 
rabber, svith the Ceaia rubber trees, is to strip aff 
the thin outer bark, which is like brown paper, 
aad expose the greea barli. This luner bark is then 
scored across wiih a k.iife ac an angle, and the 
milky iuice or sap then exudes and dnei on in an 
hoar or two, and c in bp pee'.ed ofl and wound up 
ia balls, buc Llie process is so slow with the coolie 
women employed at 61 a day, that I found it 
would cost about 5s per lb. for the labour of collect- 
ing, and the product would be worth only about 
2s per lb Now it strikes me very forcibly that 
if a cheaper way of extracting the rubber were 
adopted it would pay well. The rubber is there 
of good quality, bub the question is how to get 
it out. My idea is this : To plant the trees lu 
rows, 12 or more feet apart, like large hcilges, and 
at two or three years old, when large enough, m 
the spring or euly summer, when the sap was 
rising, to slash otf the small branches and leaves, 
and crush them in a small steam sugar-mill, and 
let the juice run into a tank of water. The resi- 
due of branches and leaves would then be put into 
a hydraulic press, with steam outside, and pressed 
as long as the sap would Anv. The rubber juice 
would coagulate in the water, and could be raked 
out and squeezed by hand into balls and dried. t>y 
this niPthod the trees would be poUared ami 
dwarfed, and could be trimmed and cut once or 
twice a year, as f .und advisable. It would be 
neces-ary to keep the land well ploughed and 
scariHed between the rows, for all wouM depend 
on the cultivation received. The rows, if in liiUy 
land, would require to be run on the level, so as 
to cultivate cheaply with horses or mules. There 
are several other plants which would give good 
rubber if treated in this manner and well culti- 
vated. The Beiumantia, a wdite flowering creeper 
of ilie order " Aijocyndctiv, " the Borneo rubber 
creeper, grows well here in Natal, and I have no 
doubt many native plants would be found to pro- 
duce good 'rubber. If this plan of exiractuig rub- 
ber from the plant were found to answer, it would 
revolutionise the rubber trade in a few years, and 
rabber could be giown to any extent, like sugar. 
Moreover the supply of rubber, owing to the des- 
truction of the trees, is decreasing, whilst the 
demand for the article, which is now being applied 
to so many ditferent purposes, is steadily increas- 
ing and therefore there is no fear of the market 
beiD" over-stocked. India rubber being so valu- 
able"an article, worth £20) to £300 a ton, there is 
a large margin for protit. For an energetic 
youn^ man wanting something to do and to try a 
new industry, I would recommend it, but remem- 
ber the old American sage's saying : " Be sure 
you are right ; then go ahead. " I I eel pretty sure 
fchere is money in it.— Natal Mercury, Oct. 29 
NATIVE NOTIONS ABOUT TEA AND 
COPEEE. 
Tea planters in Indii, uiilo.s3 they can discover new 
markets for their produce, are in a pa-rlous way. Now, 
if it were coffde, Indians would take to it— as they 
have largely taken to it wherever po89ible----like a 
duckling takes to water. Coffee ia a seed and the poor 
oooly can uaderataad it coQi.ainini? some nutrim _nt. 
Bat tea— BthI "It is only a li-af, and the golden 
liquor obtained from it is neither sweet nor intoxicat- 
ing. Probably the way the dorminar drink it may 
make it good, but where is a poor cooly to get milk ? 
And sugar? That is seen, and tasted, only during 
festivals and when it ia offered to some great man as 
B, peace offering. Then, it is so expansive 1 .,Tea may 
ba bought for a few pies, or an auua in the baziar, it is 
Jftte, bHii it has q taaiia, n<) 909 m%V\ 
as well infuse blotting paper. The servants of large 
inafcitutions and hiuseiiolds gather up all the used tea 
leaves, dry them acid than sell them to bizaarmen, 
and with the proceeds buy cotfee of some kind, which 
they can make liriiikable at lea'^t. Tea is not in it. 
If tea is to be made popular it mu<S be tolerably good, 
made up into small pa^keti of aa ounce or two, and 
sold cheap. Ooffea is looked upon as a food by natives. 
A pound of coS )«, at say six annas, with half a pound 
o( coriander and half a pound of rice, all b liled, m ikea 
two pounds of powder, wUioh will last a man, taking a 
drink twice a i!ay, 15 to 20 days. A pound of bad tea 
can be got for six oc eight annas, but it cannot be 
adulterated and is not half so ta-ity as coff je ; and 
infinitely less nourishing. Ia Northern India coffee is 
not 30 easily obtained and tea is much more appreciated 
by the people, who are accustomed to drink hot 
drinks during intensely cold months. In regard to 
the tea habit, it may be interesting to speak of 
another community, the poorer members of which 
always driak coffee in preference to tea. I refer 
to he Eurasian and poor whites of this Presidency. 
Coffee is the staple drink, and is preferred — by the 
women and children at all events. The C )lombo 
amck which counts many victims in Madras is often 
given up for coffee. Coffee is a stimu'ant. Ooffee 
is a drink "U which one can stay. Some people 
make a compromise and use coffee in the morn- 
ings and tea in the afternoon. All this is to show 
that tea has much headway to make if it is to oust 
the favoured berry of Mooha, or to take the place 
of toddy or arrack. 
It is my conviction that among the pjopla of 
Sooth India tea will never become a favourite 
beverage. My reasons for this are that, in the first 
plice, the libouring classes ia the Districts are 
too poor ; in the next they are too conservative. 
There is one section of the South ladiaa population 
that may yield good results — the .Mahomedans. The 
richer Mthimelans are all tea drinkers, and thai 
being so, the pojrer members miy follow suit. Bat 
it is not goo i to despair. Very much depends on the 
way it 13 pushed. Coffee shops are common ia towns, 
and if tei is sedulously advertised, who knows but 
that it will succeed? — Madras MmI, Nov. 18. 
VANILLA CULTIVATION. 
In our issue of the 9th May 1901, we published 
a special article regarding an experiment in- 
augurated this year in the gardens of the Agri- 
Horticultural Society of India, Calcutta, with a 
view to demonstrate the practicability of growing 
the Vanilla planifolia on a commercial basis in 
India. This week we paid a visit to the gardens, 
and were much pleased to note that the experi- 
ment has so far proved a complete success. The 
cuttings put down in April last have all struck, 
and the plants have climbed up the stakes, and 
have taken a firm hold nf them. They have beea 
trained along the horizontal stakes, and Jire 
looking healthy and vigorous. One plant has 
flowered. In March next most of the plants are 
expected to set flowers and fruits. We congratu- 
late the Society on having established the facb 
that Vanilla cultivation canbe carried on in India 
with protit if planted on the lines of this experi- 
ment. An acre put down witb Vanilla would prove 
a valuable ad^lition to any tea estate in Assam, 
Cachar,Sylhet or Uooais, provided the manager knw 
how to fertilise the flowers to enable them to set 
fruit. Tlie process is a very simple one, and can 
be easily learnt in a few mi'iui.es. It should be 
remembered that the Vanilla planifolia lavea 
shade and moisture. These two conditions are 
ee-iential to successful cultivation. Both era 
always available on almost every tea estate in 
our norbh-easb province.— Gardaving md 
f'imtit^lg^ Nov. 31^ ^ 
