55^ 
THF TROPICAL AQRiCULTURIST. 
[February 2, 1891. 
wonderful tonic. AYith the gloomy accounts one hears 
from various coffee districts, it is cheering to have to 
record the fact that some new clearings for “ Coffea 
Arabioa” are to be opened up during the coming sea- 
son, thus proving that in spite of past y ears of leaf 
disease and short crops, there are some, at any rate, 
who have not lost their faith in the old King — “ So 
mote it be.” The steady increase in the yield of tea, 
and the good averages obtained are highly satisfactory. 
Further experiments in the manufacture of green teas 
have resulted in further successes ; but as these have 
already been chronicled in the columns of the Madras 
Times, I need not here further allude to them. 
* * • 
Our local shikarries have not done very much in the 
way of shooting lately ; but two visitors from Oeylon 
had very fair sport during a short stay of about three 
weeks, and sucoeded in bagging a couple of tuskers, a 
few bison, sambur and ibex and a leopard. 
p. s , — Since writing the above, there has been an 
extraordinary change in the weather, which can only 
be accounted for by some peculiar atmospherical dis- 
turbances in your part of the world; and which to have 
reached us must have been, I imagine, somewhat severe. 
The land wind has suddenly stopped, and we have bad 
very heavy showers, accompanied by thunder and light- 
ning most unheard of occurrences at this season of the 
year , — Madras limes, Dec 17th. 
♦ 
PLANTING IN WEST BORNEO. 
Sir, — The tobacco planters now in Sambas seem to 
pin their faith to the low alluvial land along the 
lower reaches of the Sambas Rivor, and none of them 
seem inclined fo give the Sanggauw district another 
trial, which, I think, is a pity as there can be no com- 
parison between the two soils— that of the lower 
land consisting of from 6 inches to a foot of humus 
on the top of a rather stiff subsoil, whereas in 
Sanggauw you have a rich chocolate colored soil of 
great depth and of volcanic origin, there being the 
crater of an extinct volcano close to the Simadrem 
Estate. Given a fairly dry season, and clearing on 
land less shut in and at a lower elevation (and there 
is any quantity of such land in the district) and I 
cannot but think that a finer quality of tobacco 
would be produced at only a slightly decreased yield. 
There are several contracts held in Sanggauw district, 
and one gentleman has a very successful pepper 
clearing near the Sanggauw Kampong, at au elevation 
of about 500 feet, and pepper and Liberian coffee 
have been also planted at “Sakong” near the foot of 
Gunong Baiang at .about the same elevation, and I am 
told both are doing well. 
Liberian Coffee grows well in this soil, and crops 
abundanty, although, when planted by the Sultan, 
it had little care taken of it, and I have never seen 
finer pepper of the same age than that growing in 
many of the native gardens in and about Sanggauw. 
The climate also is delightful ; and I may here 
mention that the healthiness of Sambas is one of its 
greatest recommendations to planters and miners — in 
fact the death-rate for the whole of Western Borneo 
is very low. 
One thing in connection with the planting enter- 
prize in Dutch Borneo surprises mo, and that is that 
the tobacco experts havo confined themselves to 
Sambas territory in selecting land, while only 100 
miles further south in llie Pontianak and other dis- 
triots there are hundreds of thousands of acres of 
equally good land along the Kapeeas River, and if 
anytliing more favorably situated wiih regard fo trans- 
port and cominuiiioation, there being three steamers 
running regularly between Pontianak and Singapore, a 
run of about 38 liours, while there are besides several 
large launches running up and down the Kapccas 
river, which is navigable by fair-sized s'eamers for 
between 300 and 400 miles from the moutli. 
The climate as far us J know, is the same as Sam- 
bas. If, as 1 hope, tobacco planting proves a success 
in Sambas, we will see all the land referred to above 
taken up; and I consider there is a great future for 
this part of Borneo in planting alone, to say nothing 
of the mining industry, which for the present 
attracts more attention than the planting. Next 
week I will send you a few notes on the mining 
concessions. — Yours &c., 
KAMBAR. 
West Coast, Dutch Borneo, Nov, 1st, 1890. 
— “ Times of Ceyion.” 
Seveeal expeeiments have this season been 
made in Virginia in growing teosinte the new 
southern forage plant. It is said that one grower 
has exhibited a bunch of teosinte which was very 
promising. Aooording to a report it was “ about 
7 feet in height and has some 30 or 40 stalks all 
from one grain of seed.” The producer calls it 
the greatest fodder plant he ever saw, and alleges 
that he has fed two milch cows through the sum- 
mer from less than half an acre ; and has still a 
quantity left . — Indian Agriculturist. 
kit Enoemous Tbee. — A correspondent of the 
Scotsman writes ; — There are at present ten skilled 
workmen busily engaged taking out a section of 
an enormous redwood tree in the Mammoth 
Forest, California. The section to be taken out 
will be 9 feet in height, and will be divided into 
three cuts. The tree, which grows 6,326 feet above 
sea level, measures 99 feet in circumference and 
nearly 33 feet in diameter. The saw used in 
getting out the section is 22 feet long, and re- 
quires eight men to handle it. Two months will 
be needed to complete the work. The sectiont 
are to be shown at the great World’s Fair as 
Chicago in 1893. Three flat cars will be neoessart 
fo transport them, as their total weight will noy 
be less than 20 tons. 
Artificial Coffee Berries. — The art of adulter- 
ation has made further progress. Many persons 
buy coffee whole, thinking that by grinding the 
berries themselves they avoid all risk of adultera- 
tion. It is so easy to mix with ground coffee 
chicory or other less inoffensive ingredients. M. 
Ludovio Jammes, inspeotor, reports, however, in 
the last issue of the Revue d’ Hygiene, that a 
number of commercial travellers are offering retail 
grocers coffee berries at a price which yields 60 to 
100 per cent more than the usual profit. Good coffee 
is at present very dear, and when the tradesman 
expresses his surprise, the commercial travellers, 
so as to cover their legal responsibility, explain 
that the berries are artificially manufactured, and 
to avoid detection should be mixed with real coffee. 
M. Jammes gives, however, minute details to 
facilitate the detection of this fraud. The slit in 
the false berry is neither so long nor so deep as 
in the real berry. Tho colour is well imi.ated, 
but the false berry does not feel so smooth; it is 
also much harder, cannot be so readily urokenwith 
the teeth, and is often hollow inside. A real coffee 
berry can be easily broEeu by introducing the nail 
in the slit, while the false coffee will resist very 
hard pressure. The false coffee has a somewhat 
faint and nauseating taste. It seems fo be composed 
of vegetable glancs and the flour of some cereal. 
A paste is made with some such mixture, placed in 
a mould, and torrefied. The fraud is therefore 
absolute; the berry does not contain even the 
smallest percentage of coffee. It is to be hoped 
that these revelations will put an end to this 
fraudulent trade, otherwise the French will soon 
lose the reputation they have so justly won of being 
the best ooffee-makers in the world.— LaHcef, 
