938 
THE tROPTCAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, i8gi. 
According to the Conservator of ForeBts (Mr. F 
Sehoeplin) was asked to report, and he recommends 
the resolutioa being taken into special consideration, 
becanse the question concerning the qnalification of 
Bome fast-growing exotic specieB for timber jb ap- 
parently 
tJEGEKT AT THE PBESENT TIME, 
and of general interest for the country. The com- 
paratively small amount of timber, which the native 
forest will be able to yield continuously in future, the 
natural difficulties of its utilisation on the one 
hand, the large plantations of exotics on private land, 
which have passed the stage of a mere experiment, on 
the other hand, show it as eeential part of the work of 
a forest department, to devote special attention to 
future plantations on Grown lands. The preceding 
work of private enterprise facilities the selection of 
suitable species of wood. Before entering plantation 
work on a large scale it will be necessary to certify to 
the value of the woods by means of a scientific ex- 
amination of their technical qualilies. Species that 
ought to be eximined are Eucalyptus globulus, E. anvyfj' 
dalina, E. mai'ginata, Pirns insignis, Acacia decurrens. 
Suitable specimens could be provided from private 
plantations. 
The General Manager of Railways and the Acting 
Engineer both deprecate immersion, the fact being 
that udIsfs the creosote is inject into the wood under 
pressure, it is almost of no value as a preservative. 
Mr. Shores does not consider that the cost of send- 
ing home 500 sleepers and creosotiijg them will amount 
to more than £150. 
METAL V. IRON SLEEPEKS. 
Mr. Hunter, in forwarding the correspondences 
st-ates : I presurue those who are interested in the 
colonial timbt r trade, and have timber really suitable 
for the purpose, would not object to cut and furnish 
Government with say, 500 sleepers for experimental 
purposes, and in that case the Government might, I 
think, send homo the sleepers to be prepared for 
trial. As. however, the subject of metal v. timber 
sleepers ia rapidly coming to the front — see may report 
dated July 14th — it is possible that any expenditure 
of this kind would be rendered of little value. 
COMMISSION APPOINTED. 
Dr. S'ltherlacd m.l.c, Capt. G. T. Nicholls, .i.p., and 
Mr. J. W. Shores, m.i.c.e., are in this week's Gazette 
appointed a commission for the purpose of consider- 
ing and advising the Government on the question of 
making a fair test of colonial woods for the purpose 
of railway sleepers. — Natal Mercury. 
NOTES FROM PEERMAAD. 
After two months of persistent rain, we have had 
a week ol fine bright weather, and although, as I write, 
there are signs of a return of bad weather, the worst 
of the monsoon is undoubtedly over, and we may now 
reasonably anticipate a fair percentage of sun for the 
next month or so, in fact until the advent of the North- 
East monsoon, which we sincerely hope, will, iu this 
district at any rate, be light, as we have already been 
bleFsed with considerably more rain than we require. 
From statistics received from one of the most central 
estates in the district, I find that the rainfall in June 
amounted to inches 60-85 ; in July, to inches 39-20. 
In April we had inches 14 60, and in May, inches 24-48, 
making a total for the year up to the eadot July, of 
137-30. The heaviest falls of ram occurred on the 20th, 
21st and 22Dd July, amounting to 12'46. 
From the above it will be seen that we had a favour- 
able Bftcson for planting, and the youug clearings, 
chiefly tea, are looking well. Nor must I omit men- 
tion of tlic Pepper, of which some 40,000 vines have 
been pliuitcd out on two places ou the ghats, and 
are corning on nicely, as also a smail clearing of 
Liborian coll'ec. Leaf disease as cx;:colcd, has made 
itK fippenrnDce, and when crops are heaviest the attacks 
are oi course most severe, but with a fine dry September, 
wn shall not, I trast, eulTer much ; of this, however, 
1 rnuat wcito later on. 
Your correspondent "St. Louis" in his interesting 
"Planting Notes" yives you such full particulars of 
the sales of Travancore Tea, that I need allude but 
slightly to them ; I may, however, be pardoned for 
noticing the good price realised by a parcel of "Bm 
Ami" Golden Tip, and the fair averages for most oi 
the teas from this district. For the half-year ending 
June, ''Bon Ami" made over 100,000 lb of tea, and will 
probably make from 150 to 200,000 lb more by the end 
of the year. The arrival of a new 20 horse power engine 
will facilitate matters considerably. "KudawaKsrnum," 
which has also a fine factory and very perfect machinery, 
among which is a Down-draught Sirocco that gives 
great satisfaction, probably comes next to "Bon Ami" in 
output of tfa for the past half-jear, but 1 have not 
particulars at hand sufficient to justify my giving figures. 
"Glen Mary," mentioned in my last notes, has started 
Steam Machinery, and further additions are shortly ex- 
pected. Other estates will, doubtlesF, Foon follow suit, 
and the only fear now is that our roads will be unable 
to bear the strain of the ever increasing ir.i£&c. Our 
Chief Engineer, I am told, thinks our reads are good 
enough, and can see nothing wrong in them, probably, 
if he were a cart owner, or oven a shareholder iu a 
tea concern, he would both think and see differently. 
" Roads in shocking order," " Considerable difficulty 
in getting cartmen to take away crop," are seme of 
the remarks one hears. 
Our popular Dewan, when ou a visit here last May, 
evinced great inte^e^t in the Ti a enterprige and in 
planting generally and would undoubtedly see that our 
interests in the matter of roads are better attended to, 
if they were brouijht more prominently and persintcntly 
to his notice. The A-soeiation should see to this. An- 
other matter, and that « serious ono, that requires the 
attention of the P, A., is the ro duelion in cost of pluck- 
ing ; the rates now in vogue me too liberal, 6nd can 
well bear reduction. The prices paid by purchasers of 
green leaf, on th(3 other hand, have iicen iinythin:^ 
but liberal, and more equitable rates shouid be fixe '. 
The i^addy crop--, on the lower slopes of the hills, 
are not expected to be up to average, this season. 
Small quantities of the early paddy have already been 
reaped, but the regular harvest will not be in full 
s'lving until the end of aext month. — Madras Times. 
«. — . 
COFFEE CULTURE IN HA^'AII. 
"We are glad to leirn of the increased attention paid 
to oofiee planting on Hawaii. Mr. Barnard, of Laupa- 
hoehoe writes that he has 12 0- 0 young trees growiutJ, 
and we hear that Mr. J. M. Horner, of Kukaiau, has 
thirty acres planted, while Mr. Wm. Horner, of Ku- 
kuihaele, has tea acres. All these intend increasing 
the extent of their plantings as rapidly as they can. 
Mr. Rnfus A. Layman hps purchased a large tract in 
Puna, located near Eagt c/\pe, and including the lauds 
of Puna, Kula and Pohoiki, with Fome leased tr.iet^ 
adjoining, which embraof some of the richest cofftelanns 
in that district. There ii room l-x a large plantttiou 
there, and we trust theenlirpriso may prove successful. 
The want of roads in that district is a drawback and 
and we trust some measures will b'? taken to secure them. 
The high price of cofTje throughout the world ought 
to stimulate our planters to push this and any other 
coffee enterprises, so as to obtain as early returns as 
possible. — Planters' Monthly. [All right, if the leaf 
fungus is absent and can be :xcluded. — Ed. T. a.'] 
Cinchona in Bengal. — The statistics of cinchona 
cultivation in Bengal for the yeai- 1890-91 have recen'ly 
been published. During that period the total number 
of plants, cuttiugs and scei^lings in the Governoient 
plantations amounted to 4 749,861 divided as follow.s; 
plants iu permanent pl>»!it'ition, 4,515,861 ; stock plants 
for propagation, 4,h00 ; »nd seedling-o 230,000. The 
quantity of bark iri sLore at the beginning of the 
year was 426,^56 lb. wljile the outturn of bark of the 
year ending April last was 293,972 lb. makintr a totil 
of 720,247 lb. From the latter amount has been 
issued for manufac'uro of cinchona ftbiifuge and stil- 
phato of quinine, 250,330 lb. leaving a balance in stock 
at the end of the year of 409,917 lb,— J/, 3Ia,U. 
