734 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 1, 1902. 
there, as the ultimate eifeot of this monopoly must be 
an advance in all markets. This announcement 
has, of course, led to an advance also on the London 
market, a)id sellers now ask 1G23 Gd per cwt, c i f, 
lor crude Japanese for Mttvch-April shipment ; but 
business is reported at slightly under this fi;|ure, 
and market here is quiet. — Camphor (Refiued). — 
English refined is so far unchanged at 2s l^d for 
ton lots of bells and flowers, but maik'-'t is firm in 
view of advance in crude, and should the German 
refiners raise prices, the English will in all prob- 
ability do so. 
Coca Leaves. — Green Truxillo leaves are quoted 
at lOJd per lb spot. In auction S bales of thin 
green Truxillo sold at lOd per lb. 
Oil, Oj-tronella. — Small sales on the spot have 
been made at lOjd per lb. 
Oil, Lejionghass is quiet, at 7d to 7Jd per oz. 
on tlie spot. A case of Hardouiu's brand from 
Penang sold at dd per oz., subject to approval. 
Croton Seed sold at lower prices, 25^ 6d per cwt 
being paid for fairly bright seed, but about half 
mixed with dark. 
! Kola.— t?or African quarters a bid of IJd is to be 
submit ted.— C/ieiiu'si and Druggist, March 8. 
MARKETS AT HOME. 
London, March 6. 
Annatto Seed. — Offered, 42 packages. Sold. 0. 
Bought in at 2d. 
Areca Nuts.— Offered, 42 packages. Sold. 6. These 
were of good good quality, and realised 20s, being 
lower. 
CocA Leaves. — Offered. 3G packages. Sold 10. 
Fine Ceyh.n Huanoco character sold at 9d to 9:fd 
and damaged at 31, and broken green Truxillo 
at lOd. 
Kola Nut.''.— Offered, 37 packages. Sold. 0. Bought 
in at 2id to 6d accordirg to quality. — B; & 0, 
Dnif/gisf, March 7. 
INDIAN PRODUCTS. 
Major W Malle.son has the following deliver- 
ance on thi.s subject in l^^^^rray's " Review" : — 
The chief existing organic products of India other 
than food grains are cotton, jute, opium, tea, coffee, 
indigo and tobacco. The demand for Indian cotton 
must always remain somewhat limited on account 
of its short staple, and efforts to acclimati.ae other 
descriptions in India have not yet met with much 
suc:ess. The Indian cotton mills, especially those 
in Bombay, are at present greatly depressed, partly 
on account of the recent complications in China, partly 
because of low prices and competition. Bloreover the 
cotton crop is largely grown in the districts which 
suffer m.- St from famine, and a failure of the rains 
would effect it just as much as the crops of food grains. 
The further extension of cotton growing is therefore 
BO remedy. Jute is growing in deltaic lands, and is 
conseqnenily practically unaffected by the vagaries of 
the monsoon. The industry, however, is probably 
as well looked after os any in India, and needs no 
special encouriigament. Opium is a Government 
monopoly and need not be further considered. The 
tea iLidustry has suffered considerably of late years 
from over-production, the demand rot havingkept pace 
with the supply, chiefly on account of the neglect to 
open up new markets. But sffort.s are now being 
made to introduce the tea-drinking habit amongst the 
native s of India, and energetic measures for pushing 
the mlu of Indian tea in countiies such as Persia and 
the United Statos aro already showing signs of 
promise. Coif jo in a comparatively small and un- 
certain crop, only grown in the hills of southern India, 
and offering no !:olution to the problem before us. 
Indigo has been much depressed of late, owing to 
low .oriaes and H)<; competition of thd synthetic sub- 
stance made in Ucrmiiny. There is every hope, 
h(jwi vcr, that improved methods of oultivation and 
jroauvlitfu will ouce moie place the iudigo industry 
on a satisfactory basis. Tobacco is largely grown 
throughout India to meet native rtquireinents. It is 
only in southern India and in parts of Tirhoot that 
any effort is made to cater for Anglo-Indian and 
European tastes. The time-honoured '•Trichy," so 
beloved of the Anglo-Indian of a dead and gone 
generation, is now seldom seen. Since the manufac- 
ture at Dindigul and other southern centre.^ has been 
largely tiiken up by Buglish firms there has been a 
very great improvement in the quality of the out-turn. 
Indian cigars and cheroots are now held in wide 
esteem, cousideiable quantities being sold in England 
and elsewhere. But there is ample room for further 
improvements, and only ctipital is needed to make 
India a very formidable rival to the chief tobacco- 
p;iowing countries of the world. The soil and climate 
of ceriain htlected parts of India are adniirKbly 
adapted for the growing of the best description of 
tobacco, and there i.i little doubt that if the cultivation 
of the variitits at present grown in Cuba, America 
and Turkey was seriously undertaken the result would 
be more successful. Within quite recent years the 
native of India has taken largely to cigarette smokiL'g. 
Jlost of these cigarettes are of American orii^in, but 
there is no good reason why India should not supply 
her own requirements in this respect. 
RUBBER OUIPUr OF THE AMAZON 
VALLEY. 
Writing from Para at the end of Deceniber, the 
U. S- Consul saysaboni 700 toii.s more rubber liian 
liad ever before •been shipped from the up| er 
tributaries of the Amazon in one season v.as tlien 
on the way down the river, and at least 200 tons 
more was expected to follow. After reviewing the 
situation in the mai kets, he concludes that there 
is every reason to believe that this season's lubber 
crop will exceed that of the jnevious year by a 
very considerable margin. — 6VW"s Commercinl 
Intelligencer. 
INCREASE THE ATTRACTION 
OF SHOWS. 
It is recognised by many, says the Live Stock 
Journal, that larger attendances of the general public 
are desirable at agricultural shows in order to meet the 
increased expenditure which the growth of these exhi- 
bitions has necessitated. There is a feeling also that 
the former attractions are not now sufficient to draw 
all the visitors, not directly associated with agricul- 
ture whi used to attend the meetings, because compe- 
tition has become keener, and other bodies who cater 
for the public have displayed greater enterprise in 
providing what is wanted. The agricultural shows are 
to a certain extent the modern substitutes for the 
ancient fairs, which have been in many places also 
superseded by auction marts. The old fairs had 
several days which were devoted to business, and one 
wa? given up to pleasure. This latter element, it ia 
thought, has ,,not received sufficient attention from 
the manngers of all our shows. 
The object of an agricultural show is the thoroughly 
practical one of improving the live stock and agricul- 
ture of the country. It would be a regrettable cir- 
cumslauce if this fact were ever to be overlooked in 
the slightest degree. Consequently, no one would 
suggest any curtailment or modification of the existing 
full classes for all varieties of breeding stock. Ad- 
dition rather than supersession ought to be the 
policy in increasing the attractions of shows to the 
public 
The horse department is that which is most likely 
to provide attractions for the gate-money public. The 
sections for breeding animals should bo maintained 
as at present, or extended where desirable, and if the 
cxtvoip'e of Ihe Shiro Horse Societj^ in giving prizes 
