674 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April 1, 1902. 
startling combinations, pools and cliques which 
have entirely upset the most careful calcu- 
lations of the white commercial community 
in the Bast as well as in Europe. These 
combinations have comprised Spices, Drugs, 
and Oils, and all have in their turn cost us 
dear. Now, the latest attempt at screwing 
the European consumer is a combination of 
dealers and pit owners of Plumbago, which for 
its purpose has no other end than to arrest the 
steady decline of prices by refusing to sell 
their holdings below a certain level, the 
height of which has been agreed upon and 
to which all members of the clique have 
faithfully promised to adhere. As a result 
prices have advanced at a great rate and 
stand now several shillings above the range 
ruling just previously to the creation of 
the combination. To the satisfaction of all 
Concerned, America and Europe have paid 
the prices demanded, a fact which only seems 
to make the members more pretentious, but 
they evidently overlook that even among 
consumers of Plumbago there are some 
nervous individuals and that so little im- 
portant an article as Plumbago is not without 
its bear speculators, all of whom have still 
a vivid recollection of the extraordinary boom 
in 1900 and are therefore anxious to procure 
supplies and to cover at the least signal of 
danger. But to believe that these few buyers 
represent the Plumbago trade, or only a fair 
proportion of it, is a fatal error, which will 
be brought home to the combination shortly 
in a forcible manner. The Iron industry is 
bad everywhere, but particularly so in 
Germany, a large consumer of Plumbago, 
and there is still plenty left of the 24,000 tons 
exported to Europe and America last year to 
exclude famine prices. It would appear to 
us, therefore, that the natives have chosen 
a particularly inopportune moment for their 
move, and it is difficult to fathom the motive 
which prompted them to act, unless indeed 
it is the feeling that prices have been allowed 
to drop too low, and that something des- 
perate had to be done to arrest them. Since 
1895 values have not reached so low a level 
as this year, for the price of OIL was then 
K300, as against— 
R. 325 ia 1896 
„ 400 „ 1897 
„ 600 „ 1898 
., 750 „ 1899 
„ 900 „ 1900 
„ 375 „ 1901 
„ 300 ,. 1902 
Although on that argument the attempt 
is not altogether without justification, yet 
its instigators should not have lost sight of 
the all important factor—" no demand owing 
to bad trade." When business is brisk a 
combination has a fair prospect of success, 
but never in bad times.— London Commercial 
liecord, Feb. 14. 
RumuiR Growing is receiving the careful 
attention of the Senegal Government. Many 
pldntalioHH have been laid out at Casamance, and 
in the region of Mayes near the coast between 
DiikiiT and St Louis, v/here the soil is more favour- 
able- Produf;er« ulio are encouraged to prepare 
only the best (iualitiea for the m&xkst.-'Eubbcr 
journal. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Rubber Planting in Mexico.— A useful 
letter on this topic appears elsewhere, which 
deserves the attention of rubber-planters — 
now an increasing number — in Ceylon. 
Essential Oils of Lemon and Orange.— 
Mr E J Slieehan, of Utica, N. Y., is the inventor 
of machinery that is stated to furnish a better 
means of extracting oil from orange and lemon 
than any hitherto used. Mr Sheehan is think- 
ing of starting at Riverside, Cal., where he 
can find a plentiful supply of water power, 
convenient shipping facilities and plenty of fruit. 
Chemist and Druggist, Feb, 8. 
Timber Trees of Ceylon.— Mr. F. Lewis 
related many facts at the last meeting of the 
Royal Asiatic Society (Ceylon Branch)— some 
of which are reported elsewhere— of very great 
interest to the trading and planting com- 
munity. He has brought to our office today 
four specimens of woods usually deemed 
quite common (keena, mee, cassiafistula, 
etc.), but so sawn as to take a French polish 
which turns them into very handsome 
cabinet woods. We trust Mr. Lewis will 
deal with this matter in a short separate 
paper, at a future meeting. 
The Need of Tea Inspection. — A 
planting correspondent says: — "What is 
done with caffeine ? The firms in Col- 
ombo that buy red leaf and sweepings 
say they make cafi'eine of it. What is done 
with it after it is manufactured ? Some Aus- 
tralians told us they bought tea in the Harbour 
which was labelled Pure Ceylon Tea and 
was utter rubbish. It would be interesting to 
know where this tea came from." — Nothing 
but inspection of all tea without responsible 
(" Directory") marks at the Colombo Customs 
will, so far as we can judge, meet the require 
ments of the case. 
A New Cure for Dysentery.— Numerous 
applications from various parts of the world 
have been received by Mr H N Ridley, Director 
of the Botanical Gardens of the Straits Settlements, 
for seeds of a plant known as Brucca suma- 
trana, the seeds of which are said to be a spe- 
cific for the cure of dysentery. It is a shrub wich 
large leaves, with numerous leaflets, and is dis- 
tributed over Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Philip- 
pines, South China and Australia. Specimens 
have been recorded from Perak and Pahang 
only. The plant is being propagated from seeds 
and it is hoped that in a few months seedlings 
will be ready for distribution. — Chemist and 
Druggist, Feb. 8. 
Experience the only Safe Test of Climate 
FOR Tobacco.— Mr R S Nevill, Tobacco Expert 
of Queensland, says : — One must still judge, so 
far as the climate is concerned, mainly from the 
experience of others as to the class of tobacco 
to be raised, as the ordinary meteorological record 
will be of very little value in determining this 
point. The plant is far more sensitive to these 
meteorological conditions than are our instruments. 
Even in such a famous tobacco region as Cuba, 
tobacco of good quality cannot be grown in 
the immediate vicinity of the ocean or in 
certain parts of the island, even on what would 
otherwise be considered good tobacco lands. This 
has been the experience also in Sumatra and in 
our own country, but the influences are too 
subtle to be detected by our meteorological instru- 
ments. 
