July i, 1 S 90 .] THP TROPICAL 
Out or sixtt-nine Collekies now being worked 
in India it is surprising to find that no fewer than 
sixty-two are in Bengal. Those employ a daily 
average of t’5,000 hands, and supply Calcutta and 
the railways to the west as far as Lahore. 
During the ten years ending 18S8, the output of 
Indian coal increased from 229 to 478 lakhs of 
maunds. During the next ten years the increase 
will probably be still more rapid. Upper Burmah 
possesses on the Chindwin river coal measures of 
great extent and value, and may be expected before 
long to add considerably to the supply. — Indian 
Agriculturist, May 10th. 
Tea eob Natives. — The Indian Tea Supply 
Company — we are glad to seo from the Fionecr — at a 
meeting in Calcutta, decided to continue operations. It 
is felt tf.iit the object of wooing tbe natives oi India to 
the use ol tea is of great importance to the welfare of 
the industry, and that it is not placed beyond the range 
of po8.sitjle achievement. The experiment will bo 
watched ith keen interest, and tire knowledge that 
it might l ave been brought to a premature close may 
stimulate a feeling of sympathy into active co-operation. 
It is known that natives will drink tea readily enough ; 
what they object to is the price. Anyone tl'.en who 
wishes to develop their taste can assist very materially 
by makii g gifts of tea amo jg his native friends. Only 
let the taste spread and take root and the m jney obsta- 
cle will soon banish. 
The ItAiNFALL OP Nouth Borneo for 1889 
ranged from 73 inches at the driest station to 
141 at the wettest, tho tigures for tbe capital, 
Sandakan, being 101 inches. Dr. Walker in his 
report stated: — 
The raiuf.'ill for the year has been on the whole 
about twi utj-flve inches below the average of the last 
eight ycirs. This is explained by the fact that the 
wet seas-in 1888-89 was early and that of 1889-90 late, 
so rhat a smaller proportion than usual of each of 
the wet seasons fell within the year. The fall of 
9 12 inches on 14th February is the second heaviest 
on record, being exceeded only by the 14th of January 
1887 with 14 47: both these falls took piece in fSanda- 
kaii. It may be pointed out that these returns, so 
far as tbc>y go, bear out the remarks made in my 
report fur 1887 as to the way in which tbe “Inter- 
mediate” wet season gets more marked the furthest 
west we go. In fact in some years the Intermediate 
wet season on the West Uoast gets prolonged so far 
that it practically becomes continuous with the succeed- 
ing true wet sea‘<on.— Official Gazette, May 1st. 
Madagvsoab Timbee iStrenuous efforts are being 
made to introduce timber from Madagascar into 
the English market. Hitherto the “ Great African 
island " has exported but little in this direction, 
and most of what has arrived, chiefly smuggled 
ebony, seems to command good prices. Until 
quite recently the Malagasy Government prohibited 
tne export of timber from the island, but at length 
a concession was granted to an Englishman, and 
a company has been formed to work it. This, 
the “ Madagascar Company, Limited,” entertained 
a large number of timber merchants and others 
at luncheon at the Cannon-street Hotel on Thurs- 
day, the 20ih instant, Mr. J. W. Shepherd (of 
Messrs. Seddon & Shepherc) in the chair, to in- 
spect samples of the wood. Amongst those present 
who referred to the timber resources of the coun- 
try were Mr. S. Procter (Consul for Madagascar) 
and Mr. T. Boe, M. P. The principal varieties 
exhibited were a kind of rosewood, yellow teak, 
mahogany, and a remarkable species of the last- 
mentioned called “ natte.” All were peculiar in 
being very heavy, and, at the same time not 
difiicult to work. Subsequently the party went 
to the docks and viewed the materials in bulk. 
Judging from imiuiries already made by merchants, 
it seems toleraoly certain that Madagascar wood 
will soon become a conspicuous feature in the timber 
trade. — Indian Engineer, May 3rd. 
AGRICULTURIST. 39 
Bangalore Mangoes. — Col. Mallock, who has 
settled himself in Mombasa, Africa, has planted in 
the dark continent a lot of kernels of the mango ha 
took with him from Bombay and Bangalore, which 
he reported were doing well. But time will shew 
whether they will flourish there. Six of the best 
grafted mango plants from Bombay were growing 
healthily. The cloudy prefers the climate of 
Mombasa with a “ nice breeze all day” to that of 
Bangalore. — Spectator. 
The Candle Plant. — In the Northern and Western 
p.irts of Mysore a species of cotton plant grows known 
to the natives as the deptathi mara or candle plant. 
The seed pod is about two or three inches in length 
and divides in three sections when ripe, each section 
containing a cluster of seed closely patched with cotton 
wool. It the narrow end of the section be lighted it 
wi 1 keep aflame for about ten minutes, the seeds giving 
off a large quantity of oil. Tbe cotton is of no use 
f'. r spinning, the yield from each pod being extremely 
small. — Bangalore Spectator. 
Sugar Cultivation in Tailing District of 
the Straits Settlements.— There are 22,414 acres 
alien., tedfor the purpose of sugar cultivation, distributed 
as lol'ows: — Krian river 10,781 acres, Kurau 5,379 acres, 
Gula t!,000 acres, Bagaii Tiaug 254 acres. Of this lana 
it IS ( stimated that 7,190 acres are this year under 
cultivation as against 7,120 in the previous year; a 
slight increase, and a sign that this industry is flourish- 
ing. The estates under cultivation consist of 3,745 
aor )S oa the Krian river, 2,477 acres in Kurau, 900 
acres at Gula, and 68 acres at Bagau Tiang. Estate 
owners have not found it so difficult to procure labour 
this year, as will appear from the fact that 1,199 Sin- 
kehs were registered this year as against 661 in 1888.— 
Official Report. April 1890. 
The Sago Palm. — The sago palm bears fruit but 
once. Its load of nuts is its final effort ; it has ful- 
filled its allotted task in the great round of nature, and 
there remains nothing for it but to die. The nuts 
becemeripe, and are strewn in thousands around the 
tree, until the fruit-stalk stands up by itself empty and 
bare. The great branches turn brown and drop one by 
one to the ground. Inside the trunk the work of 
decay is going on, until what at one time was a 
mas I of white sago and pith becomes nothing but a 
collection of rotten brown fibres. One day the trade- 
wind blows perhaps stronger than usual, and the leaf- 
less column of the trunk tails with a crash, destroying 
in its fall many of the young palms that are already 
springing from the nuts scattered some months before. 
— “A Katuralist among the Head Hunters^’ hj G. M 
IVoodford. 
Mh. Barrington Brovn evidently excites 
a good deal of intoreRt in London with the fine 
Geylon stone, a beryl ot 4 or 6 lb. weight — a true 
“oriental emerald ” — as well as other specimens 
which he was able to show at the Conversazione 
of the Royal Society. On page 36 will be found 
a brief account of the conversazione, and our 
London correspondent alludes to the large exhibit. 
This stone w'as found not far from Ratnapura 
and exhibited on velvet in an ebony case, it should 
m. ke a pretty show. It is rumoured that the 
stone is likely to be bought for the Emperor of 
Auotria, whose Crown jewels are specially emeralds 
and who has a London agent no doubt on the 
watch for any very fine or interesting emerald 
or beryl. In Nature of May 22nd we find the 
following reference : — 
Specimens of minerals brought from Ceylon by C 
Barrington Brown, exhibited by Prof. J. lY. Judd 
F B.s. Large perfectly crystallized and clear berly 
26oU grammes in weight. The specimen, though water- 
woiu, exhibits the crystalline form. The colour is 
intermediate between that of emeralds and aquamarines. 
The specific gravity is 2'703. Fine crystal of yellow 
oorumlrum (oriental topaz). Well developed crystals 
of oocuudum (sapphires, &o.). Crystal of chrysoberyl 
from the same district, 
