October i, i*?9o.] 
THP" TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
2S7 
the estate has been fortunate, the average obtained 
being l$5.76 per picul as against S4.80 in 1888. Owing 
however, to a great scarcity in the supply of labour it 
has been found impossible within the 12 months to 
take a crop from the whole area of 615 orlongs, which 
it was stated in last report represented the crop for 
1889; in addition to this the manager considered it 
advisab'e, in the future interests of the estate, to throw 
back the autumn cropping a month, so as to bring 
the cultivation more in accordance with the recognised 
rules of sugar planting in the Straits. Owing to these 
causes the area cropped has onlv been 484 orlongs, the 
short fall cf 130 orlongs being left over to be cropped 
during the earlv part of the present year. 
Eitate Exie.nsion . — Owing to the labour difficulties 
already alluded to, it has only been found possible to 
add 85 orlongs to the cultivation during 1889. The 
area in cultivation is now 694 orlongs, of which it_ is 
estimated that 650 to 675 orlongs will be planted with 
cane for the 1890-91 crop. 
Cfqntal Works . — With 'the exception of the small 
addition to the estate above-mentioned, and some 
necessary additions to the coolie lines, there has been 
no important expenditure under this heading. It is 
however in contemplation to replace the present launch 
and sugar boat, with a larger launch which will combine 
the work of both. The estni-e is even now too large 
for the existing transport arrangements. 
Plant . — The mill has done its work well during the 
year. The boilers need repair, and this will be attended 
to when the present crop is worked off ; it has been 
necessary to work the boilers at reduced pressure for 
the past three months, which forms another reason 
for the short cropping in 1889. It may be necessary 
to supply a new boiler and a spare mill roller during 
the year, the estimated cost of which is S3, 500. Other- 
wise the whole of the platit is in good order. The 
additions to plant during the year have it will be 
seen been written off, for the most part, to depreciation 
Accohnts. — These, to 31st December, show a profit 
of TIs. 7.113.10, in addition to which it is to be noted 
the Company has paid TIs. 7,512.07, in interest, a 
charge principally made up by the 15 per cent interest 
pavahle on debentures. These two amounts together 
makn a total of TIs. 14,625.17, which represents the 
actual earnings during the year over and above the 
expenditure necessary for the working of the property 
or say nearly 6 per cent on the present capital. If 
the sums borrowed are added to capital, as they pro- 
bably will be hereafter, the percentage of earnings is 
over 4^ per cent, which it is to be remembered is 
from a crop of only 484 orlongs. These figures, how- 
ever, do not convey an accurate impression of the 
actual position, for on the closing of the campaign, 
with a crop taken from further 252 orlongs, it may 
confidently be anticipated that the present apparent 
profit on working account will be at least doubled. 
For the adioumed meeting a complete statement of 
accounts will be prepared and issued to shareholders 
which will show the actual results of the campaign. 
With regard to the debentures it is be noted that the 
first batch falls due in December 1891, when it is 
hoped that they may bo replaced by a new issue of 
capital, or by a loan on very much easier terms. 
Director. — Mr. B G. Low retires in rotation as 
required by the articles of association but offers him- 
.self for re-election. 
Auditor . — The re-election of Mr. G. R. Wingrove as 
the Company’s auditor requires the shareholder’s 
confirmation. W. V. Dbummond, 
Ohas. .1. Dodgeon, Chairman. 
Secretari/, 
— IV. ('. Herd (I . 
BF/PBL LB.VA'RS OIL, A POWERFUL 
B.UCTERIA POISOX. 
Such i.s tlu* iuir))ort of ii paragraph in the 
American < Irorcr ; - - 
At the Niturforsclier meeting in 1888, says the 
Phannaci titical .foiirnal. I’rofnssor Eykman reported that 
among the constituents of the essential oil distilled 
from fresh betel leaves he had found a characteristic 
compound, having the odor of the leaves and the 
constitution of parallyl-phenol, which he designated 
“ chavicol.” About the same time Messrs. Schimmel 
announced that the phenol present in the higher 
boiling fractions of the oil distilled from air dried 
betel leaves corresponded completely with eugenol, 
though subsequently they made the modified state, 
ment that the phenol obtained by them was not 
eugenol but an isomer. With a view to clearing up 
the apparent contradiction, Professor Eykman has 
re-examined the oil distilled by himself from the fresh 
leaves and some distilled from dry leaves by Messrs. 
Schimmel. with the result of confirming the presence 
in the former of ohavlcol, boiling at 236° to 238° C., 
and in the latter of the isomer of eugenol, boiling 
at 254° to 266°, which proved to be ortliomethoxy- 
chavicol (Berichte) It would seem probable, therefore, 
that both phenols occur in the leaves, and that ch.wicol 
being the more volatile bad practically disappeared 
from the dried leaves, while the method of distillation 
adopted by Messrs, Schimmel favored the more 
complete removal of the higher boiling enmoouad. 
Some experiments male with chavicol are siid to 
have shown it to be a powerful antiseptic, it being 
five times stronger as a bacteria poison than carbolic 
acid and twice as strong as eugenol. — OiL Paint and 
Drug 'Reporter. 

TEA DUST. 
To the Editor of the “ Home and Colonial Mail ” 
Sir, — May I ask space in your paper to draw atten- 
tion to a considerable source of annoyance and ex- 
pense which tea dealers experience when dealing in 
tea dust. Whether it is that the ancient art of ma- 
king tea chests has been lost, or that the mateii'l of 
which they are fashioned is now of a more britHe 
nature than formerly, the fact remains that scarcely 
any carrier will take delivery of a chest of dust un- 
less the package is cased in canvas to prevent leakage. 
The reason assigned by the carrier is that the pack- 
ages will not hold in their contents, and hence a claim 
for loss in transit is a certainty unless the aforesaid 
precaution is taken. The coat of casing and cording 
is very nearly fd per lb., and as the country buyer, 
in almost every instanoe, refuses to bear it, contending 
that the seller should deliver his goods in merchant- 
able condition, the loss falls on the wholesale dealer, 
and it is out of his power to recover it from the 
importer. It may be contended that the dock com- 
pany is paid by the importer a oonsolidated rate, which 
is supposed to cover everything, and hence to deliver 
the packages in good condition. But the warehouse keep- 
ers are also accustomed to canvas tea for the dealers, 
and as they make a profit on the operation they are 
interested in the system which renders casing neces- 
sary. The carriers are also engaged in the same 
business, and the consequence is that when a car- 
man appears at the tea warehouse to take delivery 
of a lot of tea, and the delivery foreman calls out 
" It is dust.” there is an immediate halt in the pro- 
ceedings. The oarman drives ofif without the tea, and 
sends to the wholesale dealer the following notice of 
“ stop.” “ We find these packages contain dust, so we 
cannot take delivery unless they are cased,” The 
dealer may insist on delivering the tea as it is, but in 
that case the carrier declines to give a binding receipt, 
thus secures himself against claims for loss in tran- 
sit. This state of affairs has been on the increase for 
years past, and makes it impossible to deal in tea dust 
without constant annoyance and expense. The whole- 
sale dealers naturally admit the force of the country 
buyers’ contention that it is incumbent on the seller to 
provide a merchantable package for his goods. It is 
now time that planters would look to this matter. It 
is no part of mv present design to advocate the use of 
anybody’s patent metal cistern or papier mdehe casket, 
although I decidedly think those packages will answer 
the purpose of holding dusty tea far better than the 
ordinary lead lined wooden chest. All I wish to say is 
that the package in which tea dust is sold ought to be 
fit to hold it in till it reaches its destination, PlanUrs 
