ii8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1891. 
Six months ago I did not know how the practical 
application of remedies was to be managed. Sponging 
the leaves over took from 15 to 20 minutes per tree, 
spraying with a syringe took from 5 to 10 minutes 
and was not thorough. Laboring under this difficulty 
I did not consider that any practical good was to be 
gained till this point was settled. For as Mr. Ward 
said it is not the most difficult thing to find a sub- 
stance to destroy the fungus, but it was somewhat 
difficult to comply with the other conditions laid 
down, but I managed even that. And in February 
last two spray machines were sent from England 
by Messrs. Matheson & Co. : these fulfilled all the 
conditions necessary for practical work. 
All that is now required is to test the remedy and 
method of application on a wholesale scale. 
I have been engaged in practical work, ever since 
I left school,, and I can honestly say that leaf disease 
is preventible" toy practical measures, if there is labor* 
to carry through the work at the rieht time. 
WILLIAM PRINGLB, m.s.c.i.. Late Agricultural 
Chemist to Messrs. Matheson & Co., in Coorg. 
<«>■ 
WYNAAD PLANTERS' ASSOCIATION. 
ProceediQ?8 ofa general m';etiag held at Vayitri J u- 
bilee Hall, 3'rd June 1891. 
Leaf Disease. — Revenue.—" The Government oou- 
siders that it would be very desirable to comply with 
the request of the Wynaad Planters' Associ.itiou (that 
Surgeon Major Barclay be sent to the coffee districts 
of Southern India on tliespeoiui duty of iuvestigatiug 
Hemileia Vaatatrix) aud the Government of India will 
acoordingly be addressed."— Recorded with fatisfaociou. 
Read H.jnornry Secretary's letter of March 10 h to 
Professor Gillowsy, Bareau of Vpgetable Pathology, 
Wai-hi'igion, to which no answer has been received. — 
Read leiter from Mr. Pringle, it. s. c. i. nfferin.? his 
services as a scientist and analyst : the Honorary Se- 
cretary was instructed to thank Mr. Pringle, aud to in- 
form him that the proposal to give a large reward for a 
practical cure for leaf disease was still under discu'sion. 
Tea.— Mr. Hockin stated that five Eisays had been 
received. Resolved ;—" That Mr. G. L. Yonge be re- 
quested to act as Judge of the Essays." 
_ ^ 
THE TEA MARKET AND VARIATION 
OF PRICES. 
Sjj Every year, when the tea market i.s low aod 
prices' poor, one hears a great deal said about the 
poor quality of the tea sold, and only in one or two 
cases are good prices realised. Now it appears tome 
that a good tea has no chance at all if sold when 
the market is low, as I will show. In January I had 
in the factory between 8 and 9,000 lb. tea, but, being 
unable to send it all forward in ono invoice, I divided 
it as equally as I could and seat the first lot for- 
ward to London by the 8th of the same month valua- 
tions on samples giving, for Broken Pekoe Is Ifl, for 
Pekoe lid Pekoe Souchong 9^1, for which I got— for 
Broken Pekoe Is -Id Pekoe Is, Pekoe Souchong lOid, 
average Is lid. Through one delay and another tne 
geoond lot did not go forward to London before 
March This was valued in Colombo at a higher 
fianre than the other half (though the same make)— 
Broken Pekoe Is 3rd, Pekoe lid to Is, Pekoe Souchong 
lOd while the prices realized were Broken Pekoe lO^d, 
Pekoe Hi<i, Pekoo iSouchong 8^, average 9lI, the same 
teas from' one invoice fetching Is l^d and 9d average. 
June 24th. Ooiuikspondent. 
—Local " Times." 
» And Money.— En. T, 4. 
Thu Choco is a new plant or vine well known 
in the island of Samoa, which is creating great 
interest in Santa Barbara. The fruit weighs on 
tha average about three pounds and has the flivor 
of a chestnut. It ripene in about 90 days 
and has been known to grow to weigh 20 pounds. 
— Rural Californian. 
Tea in Japan. — Ihe Japan WeeMy Mail of 
ISthfJune says: — 
A large business has been done in Tea, and settle- 
meats to the 10th instant totsl 132,323 picnls. The 
leaf now being mostly handled is said to bs not quite 
80 good in cup as th'j same grades lass season. Prices 
are well maintained, und second pickings are coming 
in. 
The same paper in its issue of 20th June says : — 
The Tea trade has not been quito so active, bn^; 
prices have been well maiatnined. Second crop leaf 
is HOW ill full supply, md total sett emyuts to data 
are 20,000 piculs more thin at saoie period last ye*r 
The Colony of the Leeward Islands. — The 
text of Mr. Morris's lecture on these islands baa 
just been piinted in the journal of the Royal Colonial 
Institute. It comprises a description of the natural 
features of the islands and their agricultural resources. 
As in the case of agriculturists nearer home, the 
colonisti have manifesced a tendency to put all their 
eggs inio one basket, and with more or less disastrous 
results. Thanks to the initiative of Kew, and the 
energy of Mr. Morris, " botnical" stalioas, which 
should rather be called agricultural stations, h'^ve 
beon instituted for the purpose of introducing and 
distributing tropical and other plants likely to be of 
economic importance and suitable for ciiUivation in 
particular district', such as Coffee, Tea, Caoutchouc 
in various forms, Cinchona, f-pices, fibre-plants, and 
soon. A great federation ot bo:anical snd agricultural 
stit ons, with Kew at ths centre, has be^ n theiJeal of 
successive directors, and now the i'Jeai ia be ng realised 
Perhaps in the future the AVest India Islands, or 
other suitable localities may be utilise 1 as nurseries 
for Orchids and other tropical plants, whence the 
homo market may be supplied, somewhat as the 
propagating houses at Kew furnish the decorative 
plants for the show houses. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 
3KVk Cinchona Estate Dividends. — The annual 
general meeting of snareholders in the Java Cin- 
chona Planting Company, " Melattie," was held in 
Amsterdam on June 3rd. A dividend of eleven per 
cent was deolarad for the working of the year 
1890, while, in addition 2,000t. was written o3 for 
depreciation of buildings, 3,000f. carried to the 
reserve fund, and a balance of profit of 1002'54f. 
carried to new account. The name "Melattie," 
does not occur among our list of Java estates. There 
is however, a Goenoeng Melati estate, which is one 
of the best in the island, anl produces an equiva- 
lent in bark of 4,000 to 6,00J kilos, sulphate of 
quinine per annum. It does not follow by any 
means, however that the dividend was not obtained 
from produce other than cinchona, — Chemist and 
Druggist, June 13. 
The Name of Ceylon and of its chief products, 
especially tea, — has probably been m&ie known more 
widely through tha Tropical Agriculturist than even 
through the Tea Fund or its agents. Wa get lettera 
from the most out of-the way corners of the world in 
appreciation of the T. A .and its contents. One of the 
latest is from the editor of " The Telegram," Colon, 
Central America, who thinks so highly of the 
periodical and of its usefulness to the agriculturists 
in bis State, that he his begun advertising it without 
waiting for our iorderl The filing of the Ceylon Tropi- 
cal Agriculturst in the AgticuUucal Department, 
Washington, makes reference to it not infrequent 
iu the oiljoial papers which are issued by the 
Secretary to all the States of the Unions And bo 
the name of Ceylon and its planting enterprise 
becomes IcQown is^x and wide. 
