498 
THE TROPICAL AQRlCULTURiSl 
[JiMOARY X, 1891. 
CO]'FJ']E LEAF DISEASE. 
At a meeting of the Wynaad Planters’ Association on 
5‘Ai November Inst, among other business (Mr. J. F. 
JovvUt being in the chair) it was noted Leaf Disease. 
— The Honorary Secretary read a letter from his London ‘ 
agents saying that experiment.s with the hand power 
Strawsonizer were not as yet sufficiently complete to 
enable the makers to put it on the market. 
The Honorary Secretary stated that a member of the 
As'oc'atiou had recently returned from Naples where he 
had had an interview with Col. Giuseppe Novi, who haa 
recently e.vperimented on the Phylloxera, and was 
anxious to experiment on ths llemiieia Vastatrix, that 
he had brought back with him a ton of a mixture for 
the treatment of the Hemileia which he had placed at 
the disposal of the Honorary Secretary. Another mem- 
ber of the Association writing from Rotterdam promises 
the translation of a pamphlet lately published there on 
the propagation of the Hemileia fungus. 
THE AMSTERDAM CINCHONA AUCTIONS. 
Amstekdam, November 6th. 
At the cir chona sales held here today a large 
quantity of Java cinchona bark, containing the tnrrmous 
equivalent of 741,000 oz. quinine, was offered for rale. 
Tae greater part of the holders showed themselvfs 
willing to make concessions, and 4,281 packages sold 
at a decided decline, the average unit being only 8 
cents per half kilo., or about midway between ]§d 
and l-i'-l per lb., less by about 8 per cent, than the 
pjrice of Tuesday’s Loudon auctions. The following is 
the range of piicesp,uid: — Manufacturing barks, qnill, 
broken quill, and chips, 10 to 70 cents (=l|d to 12^d 
per lb.); ditto root, 18 to 58 cents (==3Jd to lO^d 
per lb.) ; druggists’ barks iu quill, broken quill, and 
chips, 8 to 78 cents (=ljd to Is 2d per lb.); and 
druggists’ root bark, 12 to 22 cents (=21 to 4d per lb. 
The principal buyers, in order of tbeir purchases, 
wore Messrs. 0. L. Sebepp & Koon, Rotterdam ; Messrs. 
Mattbes & Bormeeater, Amsterdam ; the Brunsw-ck 
Quinine Works; and the Amsterdam Quinine Works. 
— Chemist and Druggist. 
❖ 
ARTESIAN lUELLS AT QUETTA AND MADRAS. 
Artesian wells are being bored successfully in various 
parts of Quetta, and one in Sir R, Sandeman’s compout d 
is worked by a w'm.lraill (an American patent) much to 
the a.stcnishineut of the natives. 
A bore at Nr-g ipatam has been sunk to a depth of 
only 200 feet which in the country of Artoi.s itself would 
have been con.tidtred extremely moderate and far below 
the average. With a bore of this depth the water rose 
to within one foot of the gronud surface, thus practically 
demonstrating Ihit an aita.dan spring had been struck. 
In the Madras i’r sidency at le.ist wells have not been 
bored to any great depth and great advantages might 
accrue if Hie Negnpatam Councillors perrevered in their 
efforts to siuk the boic deeper, even though it may not 
bo clear to tli. in that better rernU.s would be achii-ved. 
The Governuio it order on Dr. King’s Report promises 
help from Provincial funds as an inducement to the 
Couucillvr.s to c jidinuG work. As it novr stands (he well 
is a succe'S in as far as the two essential requisites of a 
w.iter-.supply. i.ami-ly. (iiniritity and quality, have been 
s cured . — Indian UnguiCir. 
)I’ IS ru'uoured Ui.it the inis.sioii of the Director of 
riiblic Works, Mr. MacB idc; V, ho is leaving for India 
shortly, ii to iiisptc’ w.- rk done in Arlesian wells 
with rofciciicc lo Iho n quireim nls of the Jaffna Penin- 
uda and otli r jiaitsof Die island. — E d. T. A. \ 

I’k:i:i).vs ,\M) Hkk.s. Siiy.s a writoi’ in the 
latoBt Ci/niliill : — An Ameiican passenger p'gcon 
tlio Athiiitic Ocean i.i two days and two nigiits, 
flying .-it I he la’e of 1 (iCO nvlcs a day. A curious 
acenn! isi'ivin of a race between bees and pigeons, 
iu wliicb ibf first bee finishi (1 a quarter of a minute 
before tl e hist pis'con, lliroe otlior bcos bent the 
recond i.igeon, and eight Ixesand eight pigeons made 
a dead heat ovoi a course of a longue. 
THE NEW COCONUT PRODUCT. 
Paragraphs have been going the round concerning a 
new manufactured product of the coconut, which is 
spoken of wrongly as “ coconut butter.” Being re- 
garded as a butter, and produced at about half the 
average market price of ordinary butter, some writers 
have fallen into the error of regarding it as a new 
adulterant of dairy produce, and a rival to margarine. 
In the first place it is not a butter in any sense of the 
word, and in the next it is not at all likely to be em- 
ployed as an adulterant by reason of its peculiar flavour 
and colour. It is, in fart, a vegetable lard, and as such 
is intended to be used in cooking, and perhaps in 
pharmacy. The na' ives of India use a large quanity of 
fat under the name of “ghee,” answering in colour and 
quality to our “ lard.” It is the product of buffalo 
milk, and inasmuch as Hindoos will not use any 
animal fat, and the Mahomuiedans avoid (be use of 
hog’s lard, this ghee is the only article in use through- 
out India for culinary purposes, and it is rather dear, 
for there is a large dema' d for it, and the snpply is 
limited. The newly-introduced coconut fat is said to be 
both a belter and cheaper article which cann i fail to 
commend itself to the Hindoos and Mabomroedans, and 
so come into extensive use throughout India as a 
purely vegetable product. — Bargoyne's MontMy Prices 
Current, 
THE NEW DIMBULA COMPANY, 
LIMITED. 
REPORT, SEASON, 1889 90. 
The Directors have pleasure in presenting their 
Fifth Annual Report. 
The yield of coffee, cinchona, and tea, has in each 
case exceeded the estimate, and good prices have been 
realized. The quality of the tea is well maintained. 
The reports received by the Directors of the present 
condition and unfavourable future prospects of the 
coffee cultivation have induced thrin reluctantly to 
consent, as a precautionary measure to have a portion 
of the remaining coffee land interplanted with tea. 
Cinchona has been suffering from repeated attacks of 
caterpillers, which have caused some mortility among 
the trees. 'Tea is progressing sa*is'^actoriIy, and the 
Directors anticipate a substantial increase in pro- 
ductivenes.s during the present sin-on. The accounts 
now presented show a surplus of £4,661 after credi- 
ting “ Tea extension fund ” as usual, with a propor- 
tion of the cinchona pr iceeds, and af;er writiig off a 
dne proportion of the “ Factory and Machinery Ac- 
count.” The Directors propose a Dividend *t the usual 
rate of 8 per cent per annum, on the A Shares for 
the year ending 30th June last, one half of which was 
paid in March last. In accordance wi h the hope 
held out at the last General Meeting, the Directors 
were able to pay 2 per cent on the B Sharec iu March 
last, and they now propose a further payment in reduc- 
tion of the cumulative dividend acciuiog on these shares 
of 4 per cent. The Directors have much pleasure in 
recording their appreciation of the energetic and eflB- 
cient manner in which the Manafer and Superin- 
tendents continue to conduct the affairs of the Com- 
pany in Oeylon. Mr. Ciuver having retired from the 
Board, the Directors have elected Jlr. William Her- 
bert Anderson, late of Hoiyrood estate, to fill the 
vacinev. — By order of the Board, J. Swan, Secretary. 
52, Graceebureb Street, London, E. C., Oct. 27th. 
The New Dimbola Company, Limited. 
Working Account, 1839-90, for the Season ending 30th 
Juno, 1890. 
Dr. 
To Ordinary Expenditure in Ceylon — 
£ s. d. £ ». d. 
Coffee 3,194 7 7 
Tea G,565 18 H 
Cinchona 857 1 4 
10 537 7 10 
Two two-thirds of proceeds of Cinchona trans- 
ferred to “ Tea E.xtenslon Fund ” ... 2,016 0 0 
To amount written off “ Factory Account”.,. 1,600 0 0 
