420 
THE YRbPlCAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[December i, 1890. 
TEA-PLANTING IN NATAL. 
The Witness has interviewed Mr. L. H. Neall, for- 
merly manager of the Jorehant Tea Company cf Assam. 
Mr. Neall said he had come to Natal with a view to 
promote a company for tea cultivation on the coast. 
He has paid a visit to all suitable lands along the 
coast, from the Lower Tugelato the Lower Umzimkulu. 
With regard to the latter district, Mr. Neall says it is 
eminently adopted for tea plantations, and the lands 
are rich in every property necessary for healthy and 
vigorous development of the plant. Tea-planting can 
be made in some cases much more successful in Natal 
than in India. The plants here enjoy absolute immu- 
nity from several diseases common to them elsewhere. 
Recent failures he ascribes to insufScient capital and 
want of knowledge oi after-treatment and various 
processes of manufacture. He condemns the class of 
coolies at present imported, and is certain that the 
conduct of labour negotiations through proper sources 
in Calcutta, would procure efficient tea workers ; £20,000 
in £1 shares is the capital deemed necessary for the 
proper starting of a company and the initial expen- 
diture for a year’s rent of 2,000 acres, survey, buildings, 
stock plant, tea seed, &c., is estimated at over £1,200. 
Mr. Neall expresses the conviction that there is a 
greater opening for tea industry in this colony than 
many imagine, and that it only requires experienced 
men and careful management to render in the most 
paying of all colonial undertakings. — Natal Mercmy, 
Sept. 17th. 
♦ 
PLANTING IN THE INTERIOR OF 
MADAGASCAR. 
The following is from a contribution to the 
Madagascar News describing the interior of the 
island : — 
Leaving Andrangoloaka and climbing on up the hill 
the forest is entered. Away down in (he depths of 
the forest are some fine trees. For three hours Mr. 
Jukes was journeying through the forest, then the 
mountains abruptly terminate and a sudden descent 
is made into the beautiful and fertile valley of 
Lohasaha. On each side of the valley rise lofty moun- 
tains over whose slopes are spread waves of verdure 
indescribable of tint and inoonoeivable in grandeur. In 
the valley very fine tobacco is grown, and, it is said, 
His Excellency the Prime Minister has a tea-plan- 
tation there. The soil is most suitable for agricul- 
tural purposes, being a rich alluvial deposit, but the 
valley shut in by mountains on three sides is a cul 
de sac, and, consequently “as the summer breezes can- 
not waft readily through, is extremely unhealthy, so 
much so that it is only with the utmost difficulty that 
the natives of Antananarivo can be induced to go down 
there during the fever season. The valley is very ex- 
tensive and contains a great number of small hamlets, 
consisting of about five houses each. The tribe in-' 
habiting the valley is the Bezanozano. This race is 
becoming crushed in spirit and slothful under the 
weight of an oppressive fanompoana (forced service). 
So broken down are they under that hurtful and hate- 
ful system that they are unable to profit by the bounti- 
fulnesB of the soil upon which they dwell. Knowing 
that whatever crop they might pioduoe would be 
pounced upon by some harpy of an official, the Be- 
zanozano make no effort and pass tlieir lives in squal- 
onr and want, living in the merest hovels. Undoubt- 
edly 1 ‘ the time has come and the hour has struck 
for civilization to enter’ Madagascar, and ‘to create 
roads into the fastnesses of cruelty and ignorance.’ 
There are five churches and schools in the valley in 
charge of native evaugelisls aud teachers who are 
mostly Hova. How is it that these Hova evangelists 
and teachers do not raise their collective vice against 
tlio oppression of officials who, despite their fervent 
Sunday jirofeesions and imi)aBsionGd weekday prayer, 
are every whit as bad aud intolerable as “ the Arab 
kidnapper aud man destroyer ” of Africa. Is it be- 
cuasu that aonorouB aud solemn 18b5 Notifioatiou to 
the Provincial Governors was issued for the perusal 
of the Christian Powers rather than for that of the 
Provincial officials ? Otherwise how is it that “people 
who are guilty of nothing are threatened and ruined” 
and the Queen’s kingdom is not preserved but damaged 
by her provinoiul officials monstrously abusing the 
power with which they have unfortunately been en- 
trusted, or permitted to usurp wicheclced? 
NORTH BORNEO NOTES:— GENERAL. 
His Excellency the Governor accompanied by Mrs. 
Creagh and family left Sandakan for Labuan in the 
British North Borneo Cruiser “ Petrel ” on Saturday 
September 6th last. The Serang of the steam launch 
“ Kimanis ” was in charge of the “ Petrel.” 
Captain R. D. Beeston visited the Suanlamba Es- 
tate on September 6 th, in company with Mr. A. E. 
Turner of Messrs. Mansfield Bogaardt and Company, 
and transferred the Chinese and Javanese Coolies to 
difierent estates to work out their contracts. The 
whole of the coolies were perfectly willing to sign 
their agreements and acknowledged their debts accru- 
ing from advances they had to work off. Most of 
the coolies have been transferred to the Batu Puteh 
Estate on the Kinabatangan of which Mr. Breigtag 
is Manager. 
On Saturday September 13th, Captain Beeston 
visited the Segaliud Estate, managed by Mr. T. John- 
ston. Mr. H. St. J. Hughes as agent for the Com- 
pany having asked Captain Beeston to accompany 
him. The estate proved well worthy of inspection 
the tobacco being of capital quality and likely to go 
some seven piculs per field. Cutting had commenced 
some few days before and at the date of the visit some 
150,000 plants seen were hanging in the drying sheds. 
The tobacco plants had been cut and were very high 
averaging some six feet each, and in the fields it was 
difficirlt to see the coolies cutting, so high was the 
tobacco, A capital crop is expected from this estate as 
also from Mr. Kalfsterman’s which is close by end is 
aids to contain an equally good crop. 
■We are sorry to have to chronicle an accident that 
might have had serious results, which befell Baron do 
Lissa on Monday evening September 8th last. On that 
day a heavy thunderstorm swept over Sandakan, the 
rain coming down in torrents, and rushing down the 
main street like a water course. Baron de Lissa had 
mounted his horse and was leaving the Court House 
entrance. His horse placed his fore foot on the plank 
of a culvert, which was rotten. The horse fell and 
rolled over, his rider receiving a severe strain. We re- 
gret to say that the Baron has had a very painful time 
of it, but thanks to the care of Doctor Walker he is 
now recovered. 
We are happy to say that all reports from the various 
tobacco estates on the East Coast, namely in Darvel 
Bay, the Kinabatangan river, Sandakan Bay, the Sugut 
and Lahuk rivers show a state of affairs at once most 
promising and flourishing. The present year so far 
seems determined to make amends for the nnusua) and 
phenomenal year of rain and floods of 1889. On all 
sides we have news of good crops of first-class tobacco. 
We trust to see the best of results for the planting 
interest when the prices of the 1890 crop are known. — 
North Borneo Herald, Oct. 1st. 
“The American Girl’s latest restorative (says 
the L. cO C. Express) is quinine. She carries it 
in the form lot pills in an ornamental cut-glass 
bottle with a gold stopper. It has quite superseded 
morphia and strychnine lozenges. If she is tired 
she takes two pills ; if in a draught, one ; if hungry, 
four or five ; and if her feet get wet, ten are the 
correct number. Each pill contains two grains. Six 
are a cure for indigestion. The quinine bottle is. 
produced on all occasions and in all sorts of place ” 
There is great exageration here : 20 grains of 
quinine constitute a truly heroic does. 
