Feb. 1, 1902.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
555 
answers infinitely better than slave labour or any 
kind of forced ©r conUact labour. We have now 
about 200 free labourers on the plantation. Since 
obtaining their freedom they have greatly in- 
creased both in bodily and mental power. They 
have not become idle, insolent or thievish since 
becoming free as was so confidently predicted. 
As far as I can see, the system of contracting 
wi' h freed slaves to work three days per week 
for the Aral) or other planter in lieu of rent of 
such land as he likes to cuUivate on the other 
four days is a failure. 
We have recently planted out 300 rubber trees 
(Hevea hrasiliensis) which are doing remarkably 
well. Over ],C0 ) young coconut palms have been 
planted out, but the white-ants destroyed large 
numbers of them. Can you recommend any thing 
to prevent the ravages of this pest ?— Yours faith- 
fully, THEODOKE BURTT*. 
Just as I finished writing, a neighbouring 
missionary planter called ; he tells me he recently 
planted over 50 coconut palms and the white-ants 
have destroyed 40 of them already. T. B. 
* Planting in Zanzibar —The letter- of 
Mr. Theodore Burtt is full of charm to 
all interested in Iiidustiial Missions and 
who desire to know how their neigh- 
bours in other lands are progress- 
ing. The labour question is present 
in Zanzibar, but appears to have been suc- 
cessfully solved by Mr. Burtt who advocates 
"free paid" labour. Special interest will 
be attached to this efforts (albeit on a small 
scale) in this quarter to cultivate rubber 
trees and coconut palms. The former ap- 
pears to do well, but the latter have suc- 
cumbed to the destructive incursions of 
white ants. Mr. Burtt wants a prevei^tative 
against these ravages : has he referred to 
our " Coconut Planters' Maimal " where 
several remedies or rather preventatives are 
given : here is one of the simplest : — 
Forest or old chenas are not generally infested 
vrith while ants, bub land that has bean for 
any considerable time either completely or 
])arcially open is full of them ; they are not 
partial to dry coconnt husks, but they attack 
with areat avidity 'ueh as are attached to young 
plants, and have been buried from six to nine 
months in the soil. When a yonng plant i.s trans- 
planted, it requires a greater or less time, accord- 
ing to the weather, to throw out fresh roots into 
the surrounding soil, and is in the meantime 
supported and nourished by the husk. If, however, 
those insects take afancy to it, tiiey devour the 
husk in a few hours, and the plant inevitably 
perishes. The best way to deal with .such land i« 
to put down plants already two or three ye rs old, 
but if it !>e necessary to plant ?eed!itig,%, to dis- 
solve eight quarts of -•iiiltin a tub of water, thicken 
with fre-rli ciiw dun;^', cover the husks with a 
coating of the mixture and let it dry before 
planting. 
A perusal of the meteorological observations 
shews an ample and fairly well distributed 
rainfall. We are gratified at Mr. Burtt's 
appreciation of our Tropical Aftriculturist 
and glad to know lie finds it useful. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATION? TAKEN AT 
BANANI, ISLAND OF PEMBA, EAST AFRICA. 
1901. 
January .. 
Febi uary 
March 
April 
May 
June 
July 
August ... 
Sept. 
October 
Nov. 
Dec. 
(t ._ 
73- 80 
71-90 
74- 23 
70- C2 
76-05 
58-10 
07-10 
67-26 
67-38 
69.50 
71- 48 
73-00 
90-0 
85- 0 
90 6 
870 
840 
830 
80-0 
820 
83-9 
86- 0 
87- 0 
87-0 
70-0 
68-0 
72-6 
70-0 
680 
66-0 
6G-0 
66-0 
650 
670 
70- 0 
71- 0 
13 
13 
12 
23 
25 
16 
14 
H 
5 
8 
13 
13 
P3 
4-CO 
1209 
6- 54 
26- 79 
27- 40 
3-23 
3-06 
'93 
•90 
2- 73 
7- £0 
3- 61 
Year ..81-80 70'37 90 5 
65 0 166 92-78 
Years, 
1899 
1900 
1901 
His;hest temperature in the sun 171°. 
Inchei 
...83-03 70 02 92-0 6r.'0 149 U5-24 
..83 05 7103 95-0 66-0 16 J 90-.S5 
..81 03 70-37 90-5 05 0 106 92-78 
Theodore Burtt. 
TEA PLANTERS BEWARE! 
A LFSSON FKOM WINEUKOWEKS. 
London, Jan. 5. 
Dear Sir,— The present position of "Tsa" 
is not very dissimilar to that which obtained 
in the early months of 1899 and whick 
tempted so many estates to go in for "quan- 
tity." It is sincerely to be hoped that th» 
mistakes of the past three years will not be 
repeated. To judge by enclosed cutting from 
last night's Globe, tea growers have not 
been the only ones to fall into the fatal 
error of thinking that the market for com- 
mon stuff cannot be over-loaded.— Yours 
truly, TEA MERCHANT. 
Tli.« extract is as follows: — 
TUB FRENCH WINF ClilSIS. 
The crisis in the French vineyards of the south 
is aeknowledf'ed to be really serious and the causa 
of it is generally considered to be over production. 
But there is another thing to be taken into a«- 
count, and that is the abandonment of other cropa 
for wine growing. Of late years immense energy 
has been »hown among the wine growers of Southern 
Prance, and new and improved methods of cultur« 
have been introduced. But not content with forc- 
ing the products of their vineyards, the proprietors 
have, in too many instances, taken land which 
was formerly used for cereals or pastui-e and hava 
turned it into vineyards. Old fashioned growers 
warned the innovators that they were going tea 
fast, and that more than sutHoient wine would be 
produced without planting any more vineyard.', 
but their protests were not listened to. The result 
has been nn enormous production of inferior wine, 
many of the braiid.^ having nothing wine-like 
about them except their colour. At first the whole- 
sale wine merchants bought largely, but as so3H 
as they found that they were buying stuff which 
would become undrinkable when" the hot weather 
began, they only offered absurdly low j)rice«, and 
merely bought enough to fill tiieir orders. To 
compensate for the poor prices the wine growers 
produced still more wine, and so the vicious circle 
