478 
THF TROPICAL AORiOULTURlST. 
[January i, 1892. 
others can be placed nnder otbcr hens. Always set 
two or more hens at the same time when possible, 
that the chicks may all be placed with one o£ the 
hens and the other set over. Thia aaves in the way 
of two moThera for a few chickens. If your hens are 
sitting higli off the ground, where moisture is not 
BUtficient, sprinkle the efrgs daily for a week before. 
A day or two before hstchiug take a bucket of water, 
heated to about ouo hundred degrees, place the eggs 
in and let thom remain lor some five minutes. This 
will soften the shells and inside coveriusc and the 
chicks can come out of the shells with greater ease. 
Oh, yes, it is no trouble to set her, but you always 
find that the persons who take the most pains with 
their sitting hens always raise the most chickens. 
Coconut Torpy — Boil one pound of white sugar and 
two gills of water together, while boiling stir in two 
ounces of butter. Boil until it will pull between the 
fingers, add three ounces of grated coconut ; pour out 
to cool, mark in squires. 
Fbom the annual report of the Bast Java Agri- 
cultural Company, it appears that the crop of 
coffee haB been small and would not cover the 
cost of production. The proUt and loss account 
closes with a deficit o£ f. 88,982. Notwithstand- 
ing, the reports regarding the condition of 
the estates are satisfactory. The next year will 
not answer the high expectations which were 
formed, and the crop will not be more than about 
3,000 piculs. Although the prices made are not 
unfavourable, the quantity is too small to compen- 
sate for the loss. The president further informed 
the shareholders that, according to a telegram, a 
fite has broken out on one of the estates, causing 
considerable damage to the crop, and only the 
quantity harvested was insured. — L. and C. Exiness. 
Gebman Ea&t Afeican Pkoduce. — The German 
East African Company and its kindred associations are 
proceeding energetically with their work of develop- 
ing the natural resources of their territory. Following 
the example of their British fellew-organisation in 
securing the services of a practical Ceylon planter to 
superintend its new culture, the German East Afri- 
can Plantation Company have engaged a Mr. John 
Schrceder, an experienced Sumatra tobacco-planter, 
as expert adviser for their cultures. Mr. Schrceder 
has already commenced his duties and proBounced 
himself exceedingly satisfied with the produce and 
the capacities of the Lewa plantations. The German 
East African Company have been so unfortunate as 
to lose the services of their plantation-manager. Dr. 
HindorfF, who has had to resign through ill-health. 
A successor to that gentleman will be appointed 
shortly. Dr. P«ters, wlio is now commissioner in the 
Kilima-njaro district, reports that he is busy with 
plantation work, and has attained excellent results 
already.— 0/te»(isi and Drwggist, Nov. 14th, 
Cinchona in Java. — The report by Mr. 
van Bomunde, director of the Government cinchona 
enterprise in Java, for the third quarter of 1891 
Btates that with the exception of a couple of showers 
in the latter part of the quarter the three months 
bad been practically rainless. Night frosts were 
experienced, though in small degree, in places lower 
than any that have hitherto suffered; but the 
damage done was trifling. The severe and con- 
tinuous drought of the quarter caused considerable 
mortality among the plants put out during March 
and April of this year, in spite of the grounds having 
been kept moist by working the soil. This opera- 
tion was also carried out systematically in those 
gardens where it had not already been done in the 
second quarter. On the setting in of the rain, there- 
fore, a vigorous growth of the plants is expected. Of 
the crop of l«9l some 450,000 halt-kilograms of 
bark were gathered, of which by the end of Sep- 
i«mbei H^fili poviudu bad been despai^hed to 
Tandjong Prick. The crop of the last few months 
consisted chiefly of shavings from typical ledgerianai;, 
obtained by the scraping of second and third st'-ma 
and thick branches. The object of this method 
of harvesting was not simply nor chiefly to obtain 
bark, but the formation of single-stemmed trees 
and the prevention of the caterpillar plague by the 
sparing of the crowns. For it has been found 
that by means of a thickly grown plantation the 
increase of the insects is greatly hindered. The 
fact is worthy of notice, that the bark obtained 
by the scraping of second and third stems 
and branches showed a mean yield of some 
10 per cent sulphate of quinine, and that by this 
harvest of shavings about 200,000 half kilos of 
bark will be obtained. On 10th July and 3.J 
.Sept. sales of bark of the crop of 1890 were held 
in Amsterdam. The unit price for manufacturers' 
bark amounted at these two sales respectively to 
6J and 6 cents. At the end of the quarter there 
were 3,664,600 trees in the Government gardens, 
viz : — In the nurseries — 440,000 ledgeriana (including 
30,000 grefts) and 443,000 succirubra— total 883,000. 
In the open— 2,109,000 ledgeriana (including 270,000 
grafts and cuttings and exclusive of the 3,000 
more or less original ledgerianas), 2,200 oalisaya 
and hasskarliane, 621,000 succirubra and caloptera, 
47,900offioinalis, and 1,500 lancifolia— total 2,781,600. 
Cinchona Sampling in Amsterdam. — The 
Chemist and Drugqist of Nov. 14th says : — It is well 
known that for a long time the method of sam- 
pling cinchona in Amsterdam has failed to give 
general satisfaction. The plan hitherto followed has 
been to allow the analysts appointed by the importers 
and the agents of the buyers to take against payment 
each a sample of bark from every bale of Cfttiin 
parcel. Experience has shown that the analyses 
of the samples are not only often at variance with 
that of the bulk of the parcel, but absolute, or even 
approximate, accord in the results obtained from any 
one parcel by various analysts is exceedingly rare. 
This unsatisfactory result probably arises from the 
fact that the samples are always taken from the 
top of the bale only, whereas the contents of the 
package are made up of parts of various trees, differing 
in alkaloidal contents. In order to remedy these 
drawbacks a meeting of gentlemen interested in 
the subject was held in Amsterdam on October 
30th, under the auspices of the Kina-Etablissement 
or cinchona warehouse. Mr. Gustav Briegleb 
presided, and there was a full attendance. After 
some discussion it was decided, practically unani- 
mously, to adopt a fresh system of sampling 
manufacturing barks. The Kina-Etablissement will 
provide, at an estimated cost of from 400J to 500i, 
a 3 or 4 h. p. steam engine, mills and other plant 
required for drawing samples on the new system. 
Importers and merchants are still to be allowed, 
it they like to draw samples on the old plan, but 
it is thought that few, if any of them will do so. 
Under the new scheme the samples will be drawn 
by special instruments from every part of each 
bale forming a parcel. The whole ot this sample 
will be ground to powder, and a 150 gramme 
(about 5 cz.) sample of this will be furnished to 
each applicant. The cost of the new method of 
sampling to the Kina-Etablissement is computed 
at about 33 per bale, and to defray this the im- 
porters will pay 2d per bale sampled and a charge 
of 2d per 5 oz. sample will be made to all appli- 
cants. The quinine manufacturers declared their 
approval ot the scheme except the agent of the 
Frankfort works, who announced his intention to 
adhere to the old method. The Brunswick works 
stated that they would require samples unground 
as well aa ground. 
