8l2? 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May 2, 1892 
A CITY OF PALMS. 
Georgetown, the capital of British Guiana, may 
claim, with more right than anv West Indisii town, 
to he called a " Oity of Palms." Here, indeed, more 
than in any other place I have ever visited, do they, 
from their abundance and vigorous development, ex- 
hibit that majeaty aud g;randear, the story of which 
must have first won for the Oriter the title, "Prince.ss 
of the Vegetable Kingdom." Whitever part we stroll, 
on every hand they npppar, forming msjestic avenuep, 
rising at entrance gates in pairs with stately pilUr-like 
oolumns, or scattered singly or in groups, in gardens 
or hy road-sides, their pluming heads, tossing in the 
wind often a hundred feet aloft. West Indian townp, 
generally, abouod with plants, and lie, as seen from 
some elevated point embosomed in vegetation, but taking 
a general birds eye view of this city, nothing strikes 
the observer but the forest like abundaDoe of palms. As 
seen from any of the elevated towers the view is ex- 
ceedingly beautiful. To the back lies the Demerara 
river, which before the trade became monopolised by 
steamerB, was crowded beyond any of our Westlndian 
ports with shipping, and on the left the sea; while 
beneath and around, far stretching, are seen the white 
well kept, stores and houses over-shadowed and shel- 
tered by the canopy of palm foliage. Looked at in this 
way Bome p irts of the city that nre fully built over and 
occupied seem to be pure unbroken coconut planta- 
tions, the streets and h&uses bti;ig hidden beneath the 
trees. Most of the tree stems are naked hut others 
are clothed from ground to crown wiih the small repent 
fig, or with bright flowered free-growing creepers. It is 
Burpiising that this lichly tropical effect is produced by 
only two species, — Cocos nucifera, the coconnt, and 
Orcodoxa oleracea, the well ktiown cabbage palm of 
the West lodiea. A few other kinds of introduced 
palms are fouLd grown up in the town, but, excluding 
the public gardens, in numbers so few that they may 
be counted on the tiogers of one's hands. The coco- 
nut tree is grown only for the sake of its valuable nutf, 
and is never planted to form an ornamental feature. 
The cabbage palm on the other hand, though of in- 
comparably le.ss utility, is planted only for decorative 
effect, being one of the most stately and beautiful plants 
in the order. It is spontaneous here as everywhere 
that It once obtains a footing, and its prevalenre is 
probably as much due to its generative energy and 
{ onstitutional vigour as to any particular taste on the 
part of coloaista for its cultivation. — Demerara 
A rgoaij. 
IN PRAISE OF CEYLON TEA. 
Messrs. Gow, Wilson & Stanton write to us, 
under date 23rd Feb. : — ■ 
" The chief object of this letter is to forward the 
enclosed document which is somewhat unique, and 
the chief importance of which consists in its emanat- 
ing from one of the largest retail tradesmen in 
London. Whiteley's shop, as you probably know, has 
an enormous patronaga amongst well-to-do classes 
in England and, therefore, the circulation of this 
document may perhaps become very wide. Should 
this be the case, it may tend to still further increase 
the popularity and the sales of Ceylon Tea, and we 
therefore bring it to your notice as a step which may 
eventually prove of some benefit to the Ceylon Tea 
Trade." 
The enoIoBure is as follows : — 
AFTERNOON TEA AT WHITELEY'S. 
1 8 92. 
"Jinglia! Tinklia I" Teacup and Spoon! 
O ! the fjlad sound on a cold afternoon ; 
BefreBhin(; aroma watts all round me, , 
While Birpiuy at Wuiteley's liis " Pure Ceylon Tea ! ' 
Out on the pavement is nothing but snow, 
Here within Wliiti-Iey's I f<^el a warm glow; 
Dainties aru brought me, I sit at my ease, 
Partaking at Whiteley's of "Pure Ceylon Teas!" 
All should come early, who wish to bo served 
Here without waitlnti, no tables "reserved"; 
In comfort you Kit as louK us you please, 
Kojoyiiig at Whitoloy'a his " Pure Ceylon Teas! " 
How the wind blusters, and O ! how it blows ! 
Keen too it cuts through the thickest of clothes 
I leel impervious to any cold breeze. 
Refreshed so at Whiteley's by " Pure Ceylon Teas !" 
" Jinglia 1 Tinklia !" Teacup and Spoon ! 
O ! the glad sound on a cold afternoon 1 
Nothing can equal, O! do believe me! 
The flavour o£ Wbiteley's own " Pure Ceylon Tea 1" 
L. F. S. 
We ODly hope that Whiteley's tea is pure 
Ceylon. 
— . ^ _ 
It may not be generally known that a good 
substitute for tea can be obtained in the Australian 
bush. It is a glabrous climbing plant, with stem 
and branch covered with prickles. Many persona 
oall it Botany Bay tea, and others sweet, tea. 
It has good medicinal properties, besides furn'ehing 
a tasty andrefreehing drink. — Indian Agriculturi tt, 
Feb. 27th. 
The Maeket foe China Tea is not so strong, 
but the prospects are no worse, in fact, at low 
prices chances are in favour oE a largo spring ship- 
ping demand. In reference to next season's business 
the position is becoming clearer, for it seems to be 
unreservedly admitted that importing must be 
carried on very differently. A gei.eral improvement 
in quality may also be looked for, and that would 
undoubtedly go a great way to reinstate the China 
article to public favour. The great weight of in- 
ferior Indian and Ceylon Tea just now offering on 
the market is prejudicially affecting values, and it 
is a question whether such leaf would not be more 
advantageously prepared as brick tea. There is a 
largely increasing trade opening up via Tientsin in 
the north and north west of Asia. Oeylon could 
spare 15,000,000 to 20,000,0001b. of its increasing 
production to the benefit of all oonoerned. — L. and 
C. Express, Feb. 26th. 
The Wattle Industey. — Mefsrs. Angus, of New 
Hanover, are going in extensively for wattle 
cultivation. Their enterprise may be said to in- 
augurate a new era in the industry, the application of 
scientific methods to the preparation for commercial 
purposes. It marks, in fact, a new departure in the 
industry, nothing of the kind having been tried 
before in South Africa or Australia. The buildings 
include a drying room, capable of drying some four 
tons of bark in some eight or ten hours, a blast of 
hot air being continually driven through the room by 
means of lurnaoea and a large fan. la other sheds 
are the steam engine and chopping machine for out- 
ting up the dried bark together with packing and 
storing rooms, tanks, &a., the whole arrangements 
being so complete that the preparation of the mate- 
rial will doubtless go on in wet or dry weuther with 
the regularity of a manufactory. — Witness. 
CorFHB AT THE Steaitb. — It IS satisfaotory to 
know that at least one class of the community 
has benefited by the heat which most of us 
have found so trying during the past few weeks. 
We are informed that the blossoms on the coffee 
have Eurpassorl anything that has been seen in 
these parts before ; and that the exports of 
oofiee for 1892-93 may be expected to beat the 
record. Prices also confinuo firm, and are likely 
to do so ; the unsettled state of almost the 
whole of the South American continent making 
it impossiblo to obtain reliable information as to 
the probable output of that quarter of the globe. 
The tendency of belief at the same time being 
that the prevalent uneaeinoss there will tend to 
disorganise labour, a consequent diminution of 
production may be looked for. We feel therefore 
that we may confidently congratulate our Eastern 
coffee planters on the future before them. — S. i\ 
Pr*st, March 5th. 
