382 
THE TR0PU5ICL /W!»mnil.TUR18T. 
[November r, 1890. 
aa honest men and argue the point. It is also hard 
to do any bnsiness with men that do not know the 
work to be done. No man can make a silk purse 
out of a sow’s ear; money must be first sunk and 
wait patiently for returns. Coffee and tea planting 
are uot like a crop of potatoes, more especially in 
a new country. Exotics must be acclimatized, and 
it takes longer in a new country for a new product 
to the country to come into full bearing. This is 
clearly shown by the Liberian coffee in Mergui, the 
same coffee only in full bearing in Mergui planted 
3, or you may say 4 years before mine here from 
seed. People ask me of course— Where is your coffee, 
where are your returns, is the thing a success ? This 
is the sympathy one gets as a pioneer. What is that 
fe-f Z-ow do-o-mg down there ; is he a planter I wonder 
or what ? Well, I fancy I know the ropes now. But 
in this climate and with such strong soil, the Planter 
has nothing to fear; onlyhemustbe prepared to wait 
for returns longer, than one would do in a poor but 
forcing climate. Coolies will flock to Burma wheneyer 
the demand comes. No fear of labour, none in the 
least. I have a command of labour ready at my call 
at any moment. Why rice here is only one half the 
price in Ceylon, now only Rs 1'12 per basket, a basket 
about the same as a bushel, and in Ceylon ifea is 
neyer cheaper with the planter than Rs 4, and it is 
impossible to predict a famine here although one had 
to get rice from Moidmein and carriage to the estate 
at a distance, it would neyer overreach Rs 3 here on 
an average. “ Curry-stuffs,” fish and fowls, and all 
QPcessaries are only about half the price from that In 
Ceylon, and the district is a healthy one. Opening 
up new land, of course, is not healthy for a short 
time, but much can be done by the planter to prevent 
sickness ; all depends on good pure water and an 
elevated place for their habitations. 
Besides, the Burmans work well when one once knows 
well their wavs and treats them kindly and does not 
bully them. Jack Burman won’t stand bullying; ha 
has some pride in him. This is a good part even in 
poor despised Jack Burman. and he delights to work 
in the rain, and keeps in good health. I have sometimes 
as many as 200 working at one time and never had 
trouble with them in their work. Women and boys 
get annas 3 per diem, the rest 6 annas, and I could 
get hundreds. 
Money is only wanted ; all the elements are ready at 
hand, and coast coolies are ready to be called to 
Burma at any mom»nt. Labor gives me not a thought. 
I see and know the way. Labor Laws, of course are 
much wanted for all Burma, but then you have to go 
to “ India ” to ask for this. This will come straight 
in due course. . 
Planters have nothing to fear here ; I have received 
the greatest kindness and consideration from all the 
beads of the different departments, from Sir Charles 
Oosthwaite downwards ; they are as good a set of men 
as could be found in any other part of the world, 
and over ready to give assistance and information as 
far as lies in their power, and Burma will ‘hang fire’ 
until power is given to the Head administrators, not 
only to the Chief Commissioner, but Governor of 
Burma or Lt.-G'ivsrnor with power to act on the 
spot. I have not the slightest doubt but that this 
liroject is near at hand, and tli6n Burma will move 
forward quickly and ataunchly. 
I trust this long letter will not weary you, and I 
shall be much obliged to you, if you do not put it into 
your waste, paper basket or give it over to your Devil. 
I remain. Dear Sir, VourS Sincerely, 
.lAME.S D. WAT.SON. 
4 th .September, 1890. 
— Unnyoon Times. 
^ 
A Meiiiou of clearing forests by poisoning the trees 
has been iiitruduccd in New Zealand. An auger hole is 
bored into the Irui.k, and filled with a ehemical com- 
position, of whiidi the s( cret is guarded. In two or three 
moiitliH tlio tree di.s and rots, so that it can be 
eu lily removed. In one of the trials reaontly made no 
fewer than 7'JO acres wore speedily cleared by this plan, 
\j it of courso, with the loss of tho tinibor.— GZooe. 
The largest wheel in the world is being constructed 
by the Dickson Manufacturing Company, of Scranton, 
Pennsylvania, for the Calumet and Hecla Cop]ier Mining 
Company, of Lake Superior. It is intended to dft the 
“ tailings,” or was‘e ore, from the minos of the com- 
pany, and discharge them into the lake. The wheel is 
54ft. in diameter and weighs 200 tons. On i's rim are 
448 steel buckets, which catch up the “ tailings ” as the 
whoel revolves. The velocity of the wheel at its tyre is 
600ft. per minute, and it is capable of elevitirg enough 
sand in 24 hours to cover an acre of ground with a layer 
1ft. deep. — GZoJe. 
Recent experiments by M. Georges Ville at Vincen- 
nes, and communicated to the French Academy of 
Sciences, show very clearly the value of nitrogen in 
manure for promoting the growth of vegetable.s. Plants 
grown with manure eontaiuing nitrogen were taller, 
heavier, and of a darker green than those grown in 
manure without nitrogen. The same plants grown 
in earth without manure were conspicuously dwarfish 
and feeble. The general result of his experiments 
is that the nature of the soil affects the plant in 
height, and shap", and colour, as well as in weight 
of the harvest. With regard to tho question of height, 
it has long being known that Jersey cabbag ts require 
a particu'ar soil in order to become very tall. — Globe. 
When Darwin and other naturalists made their 
experiments with so-called carnivorous pl.ants, the 
importance of micro-organisms was not realised, and 
hence their results are questionable. In 1875, M. 
Edouard Morren investigated the behaviour of the 
Pinyvicula and Drosera, and arrived at a conclu.sion 
quite different from the opinions of Darwin on these 
interesting plants. Another series of exper'ments on 
the Nepenthes has been undertaken by M Rapha el 
Durbois, whose results have just been communicated 
to the Acad6mie des Sciences, Paris. Sir Dalton Hooker 
considered that the carnivorous attributes of the 
Nepenthes was bevond a doubt, but M. Dubois ha-s 
found reason to differ with him. His observations 
were made on a great variety of these plants at the 
botanionl garden of the Tete d'Or, Lyons, for example 
the N. Roffesiana. Hookeriana, coccinea, phyllamphora, 
distil Latoria, hyhrida, and maculata. — Globe. 
“A Wail fbom Foochow” might well des- 
cribe the following which we find in the N.-C. Herald 
of Ang. 22nd ; — 
From Foochow we have the following tea news, urder 
date the 16th instant : — The shipments during the past 
fortnight have barely reached a million of lb. The 
calling steamers have been the “Palamed,” “Ajax” 
and “ Pakling.” The export to London and the Con- 
tinent stands today at lOJ millions against 11 millions 
last year and 17i millions in 1888. The ton e of the 
market remains quiet. The seti lenient of 21,000 chests 
Congou for two weeks is again very small; and, but 
for the demand for Au tr.dis, it would have been very 
much smaller, as the telegraphed advices regarding 
Foochow Congou in the Loudon market are sufficiently 
bad to cause a stoppage of shipment to that quarter 
altogether. Souchongs have continued in dewand and 
there has been some business in Oolongs and Scented 
teas. Comparing the latest prices paid with those ruling 
a fortnight ago, there is no change of importance to 
note. 'Tael prices, as lately remarked, are low ; but 
the laying down co=t, with the high exchange, is too 
near London quotaiious while that market is reported 
as declining. And in some ca.ses costs are distinctly 
above. Mincing Lane pric ’s ; common teas for example 
are Tls. 5 or 5^1 here, and in Loudon on'y 4^ to 4Jd 
per lb. As the iuaniniation in I his market grows mo. e 
prolonged, so the estimales of the total supply for the 
season become sraalhr. Whereas a fortnight ago a 
total approaching ,380,000 chests was thought likely, 
360.000 chests is now iroked upon as the probable 
season’s supply. The settlements of Congou to date 
are 177,000 chests. For the corresponding eleven weeks 
after the opening of the market last year 274,000 chests 
had been settled, and during the same period in 1888, 
330.000 chests. The stock of Congou today is 156.000 
chests against 168,000 che.sks last year, and 13,000 
cheats in 1888, 
