828 
THE TROPICAL AdftldULtUr^lSt. [May 2, 1892. 
thoroughly explained to them by an inflasntial 
body ? We should like to add to ' Merchant's ' 
proposal, that head representative teamen from the 
country should be invited to attend the conference. 
It is to the interest of the Cantonese lo keep us 
apart as long as possible from direct communication 
with the upcjuntry men, and here ia a chance and, 
good reason, for our trying to break through a 
custom which suits our Southern friends so well. 
From an upoountry teaman with whom we are well 
acquainted and who has come down to see after his 
unsold stock here, we learn that several of the 
teamen are very much against the proposal to make 
small chops next season on the grounds that it 
would add so much to the expense of preparation. 
We do not quite follow his explanation as to how 
this comes about, but as he asserls that a large pile 
of tea can be fired at the same expense as a smaller 
one, both being contracted for as a day's work, we 
suppose we must accept the statemeKt as correct. 
We were glad to have our information on the subject 
of early firing, lately published, confirmed. loetead 
of allowing the tea to stand about for a long time as 
-heretofore, it is to be fired as soon after picking as 
practicable. On the subject of supply, he stated, in 
reply to our enquiries, that the quiatity woul 
depend upon the extent of the advances made by 
the Hongs here, but he had reason to believe that 
it would fall considerably short of last year, as 
neighbours in the country had told him that they 
weife auable to get their customary advances made 
them. He .aearf' that loans, and credit generally 
will be greatly restricted this year. — EcJio. 
Pkotection or Destruction of Birds in 
iNDii. — Our correspondent Jas. H. B. will be .iu- 
terested in what follows : — 
Mr. W. L. Sclater contributes to Indian Museum 
Notes an interesting little article on the ecoaomic 
importance of birds in India, with special i-eference 
to the question whether legislation is necessary to 
protect insect-pest destroyers. Of the birds destroyed 
in this country for plumage or food, very few, if any, 
he states, are insectivorous ; while, with regard to 
to those of mixed diets, it would be unadvisable to 
protect them, " since they may do much greater harm 
in devouring fruit and grain than they do good in 
destroying insects," as is especially the case with 
crows and starlings. The principal birds killed for 
their skins and feathers, which are exported at high 
prices, are egrets, and the cattle egret, the pond heron 
and the blue heron, while the snake-bird has feathers 
of a certain market value. The lengthened scapular 
feathers of this bird, which are the only ones sold 
for export, are looked on, we learn, " as a badge of 
royalty by the Khasias, and were once the badge of 
one of the Bengal regiments of irregular cavahy." 
Of pheasants, many are exported in large quan- 
tities ; the bulk of the specimens brought down 
to Calcutta being shot in Bhootan and Ne- 
pal. The Sikkim and Simla Argus pheasants 
are probably largely exported, taut, as the 
writer says, neither is the true Argus, which is a 
bird found only in the Malay Peninsula. Indian 
parrots, the blue jay, the kingfisher, and jungle- 
fowl are the only other birds which are exported 
in large quantities. Mr. Sclater quotes from Mr. 
Hume's " Gleanings from the Calcutta Market," for 
the list of birds commonly eaten in India, and sold 
in the markets of Lower Bengal. They include 
the snipe, snippet, plover, teal, and the red-crested 
pochard. Of the birds shot by European sportsmen 
and eaten, but which are not common in the Cal- 
cutta bazaar, are the green and blue rock pigeons, 
the bustard, the florikin, the Sarus crane, the beef- 
Btcak bird, the ortolan, the sand-gronso, the peacock, 
jungle fowl, gray fowl, the red spur fowl, black part- 
ridge, painted partridge, the kyali partridge, and 
the gray qiuiil. Mr. Sclater adds a list of purely 
insectivorous birds Init none of those wo have men- 
tiWfcd Ml withiu tbia category AyrmlturUt, ' 
The Fan Palm.— Eev. C. B. Henry states that 
the fan palm of China grows only in the San Ui 
district, twenty miles long by ten miles wide. The 
trees do not yield leaves suitable for fans until 
six years old. Home trees are said to be over 100 
years old, but the tallest measure only about 
twelve feet. From April to November the leaves 
are cut monthly, one to three being taken from 
each (.lant. From 10,000 to 20,000 people are 
employed. — Florida Arjriculturist. 
Coffee and Cocoa in Panama.— Attention 
is being paid (.my a the London G/wc/,) to the plant- 
ing of cocoa and coffee, etc., in Panama, one oom- 
any haying a large number of the young plants of 
the various classes mentiooed, and which are in a 
cauditioQ of vigorous growth. Gcod tobacco has 
already been produced by this company, and the crop 
well cured, was manufactured into cigars of a fair 
quality. There is scarcely any doubt as to the sue- 
oesa of the experiments in the cultivation of cocoa, 
although several years must elapse before the results 
can be properly estimated. With coffee, of which 
about 15,000 plants have been set out during the year 
and carefully attended to, the outcome is more doubt- 
ful, as the conditions of soil and climate are not 
favornble. The ground on which this essay in coffee- 
growing is in progresi ia only about 250 feet above 
sea level (an elevation not snflBcient in this latitude) 
while the soil has but slight dep'-.h of lojse vegetable 
mould, resting upon a stratum of red friable clay, 
which has for its base the talpetate of the country — 
a compact indurated clay or rock, impervioas to water 
and into which the roots of the plants cannot pene- 
trate. A company has also been formed for the 
cultivation of sugar-cane and the manufacture of its 
products, but it has not yet passed beyond the stage 
of mere organization. It is doubtful if there are good 
lands for the growth of sugar-cane in the immediate 
neighbourhood, although there are in the department ; 
but tobacco, rubber, cocoa, and textile and medioiual 
plants may be cultivated to considerable extent at 
groat profit. 
Tea, Coffee and Cinchona in Java are 
thus referred lo in the Straits Times of 26th March : — 
Last year has been disastrous to tea planters m 
Java owing to a prolonged drought which resulted 
in the young plants, from one to three years old, 
dying in hundreds of thousands- It will take years 
to repair the damage done. The crop fell in conse- 
quences far short of that of the previous year. The 
planters as a set-olf against this stroke of ill luck, 
have managed to persuade the Government to order 
the supplying of the army in Java with locally 
grown tea. This has aroused the attention of the 
Chinese to that hranch of planting industry. They 
consequently have got hold of several estates by 
entering into contracts with the owners to enable 
these Chinese to prepare and bring to market 
Java tea. It seems that small estates have 
larger working expenses than bigger and more 
productive plantations, and, hence, have need to 
call in Chinese aid, as the Chinese can draw larger 
p.Tofits from estates under their control by means 
which few Europeans will resort to. Another result 
of this passing over of estates into Chinese hands 
is that the European capital and labour expended 
on them now benefit Chinese owners. In West Java, 
Liberian coffee is coming into greater favour for 
cultivation tlian the Java article owing to climatic 
conditions giving the African berry the advantage, 
provided the ground be not too high lying. Liberian 
coffee now readily finds buyers at Amsterdam, and 
also in America. Fair Java it is said brings at the 
utmost 54 to 54| guilder cents per picul while Liberia 
fetches .56 cents a picul. Cinchona growing in Java 
has proved highly unprofitable from the heavy fall 
in prices. Experts differ whether the decline is due 
to overproduction or to speculation for a fall, but agree 
that its continuance will prove calanjitoua to this kin^ 
of citUivatiou, 
