June t, 1891.] 1 HF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST* 855 
which olloweci some salphuric acid to run out of a 
spoou and ignite a miitch, which in turn lit a spirit 
lamp place! uadcr the coffee boiler. By the time 
he was dressed for a parade his coffee was ready. 
Rich deposits of phosphate of lime have been 
discovered by M. Philippe Thomas, s.iuth and north 
of the high p a'eaux of Tunisia, from the Ohotts 
to Modjerdab. Those ot the souih-west are the mott 
important, and will be very valuable when a ta Iway 
has been run to them. It is estimated that in the 
upland of Gafsa thoie are at least ten million tons 
ready to be removed. The beds of the north-east and 
the north-west also promise to repay their exploitation. 
The dei tal vibrator is an apparatus lor rendering 
the extraction of teeth painless. It is simply an 
application of the well-known electric shock utilised 
in medic ne and sometimes to be had at country 
fairs. An induction- coil giving a very rapidly inter- 
mitting current is the source of the electricity, and 
the patient reo ives the shock by grasping mctil 
handles connected to the poles of the secondary 
circuit of the coil. The forceps of the operator are 
also counected in the circuit of the current. The 
consequence is that the patient feels o.dy the peculiar 
sensation of “pins aud needles,’' produced by the 
intermittent current traversing his nerves, and the 
actual paiu of loosing the tooth is said to be masked. 
The vibrator has been introduced into the Iiittitute of 
Medical Electricity. — Globe. 
-■■- ■ » 
TJVA PLANTING REPORT, 
BADULL.t, May 1st. — April has been a singularly 
wet month : very little sun and very heavy plumps 
in the afternoons. 7'73 in. in 2^ hours on the 8th 
was the heaviest rain I ’have ever seen. Slips 
everywhere. Wash last week a common experience. 
Tea which did so well in March commenced well 
in April. Towards the end of the month it fell 
off owing to insufficiency of sun heat; a little sun 
would give most of us more than we can manage 
in the way of flush. May and June generally are 
our best months. The way tea is growing and 
better still flushing is most encouraging, and wa 
are all very hopeful aud confident of Badulla being 
second to no upoounlry tea district. Clearings in 
coming season are many, and a large acreage will 
go into tea next monsoon. 
Coffee crop is ripening well, and bug is absent 
and estimates will be generally exceeded. All 
lower estates which have coffee in good heart and 
duly cared for have had good blossoms for autumn, 
and if the rains had put in an appearance a fortnight 
later than they did^ this would have been the best 
blossoming season for some years past. Higher 
coffee is looking well and should do fairly in coming 
seasons. 
Cinchona, at present prices, is naturally looking 
particularly robust, that very little bark will be 
harvested this season, for the sufficient reason that 
it would not pay to do so, except when trees are of 
especially good character. 
LEASE OF VALUABLE PLUMBAGO LAND. 
RI5,100 PER ANNUM. 
The lease of a plot of land situate in Maduragoda 
Kurunegala district and known as Mepitiyakanda 
about 11 acres in extent was sold by public auction 
on Thursday atiernoon last at the Kurunegala 
Eachcheri by Mr. Allanson Bailey, Government 
Agent. There was a large number of intending 
purchasers present. Tenders were invited and it was 
notified that if they did not come up to the amount 
fixed on by the Government Agent, the lease ot the 
and would be sold by auction, The highest tender 
it appears was BP2, 000, aud the Government Agent 
having intiiiatol that he would not give the lease 
lor anything under 1116,000, bidding commenced 
at that figure. Messrs. Attygalla Mohandriam and 
Paulis Silva, both large plumbago merchants put 
in a bid of BlOO more and became the purchasers. 
In the whole land there is only an extent ot about 2 
acres which it is said to contain plumbago. Consider- 
ing the amount paid for the lease, what will not 
the land be worth ? It appears that Attygalla 
Mohandriam who owns a pit near this land, 
dug the land in question for plumbago and woiked 
for about a year when matters were represented to 
the Government Agent Mr. Murray, who de patched 
Mr, H. L. Ward to survey the land. This was 
done, and it was found that Attygalla Mohandriam 
was unwilling. After enquiry he was asked to pay 
up a sum of El, 200, aud the land advertized 
to be sold. 
AGRICULTURAL AND INDUSTRIAL 
ASSOCIATION OF FIJI. 
The fourth Annual General Meeting of this 
Association took pkee at the Mechanics’ Institute, 
Suva, on the evening of Tuesday last, 27th instant. 
Punctually at 8 o’clock, his Excellency took hia seat, 
being attended by Mr. Spence, Private Secretary. 
The Secretary read the tourtli Annual Report, as 
follows : — 
Coffee, — This product has become a thing of the 
past. Exports for 1890 were nil, against 5 tons in 1887. 
Tea. — Notwiihstonding the growing demand for mis 
product there does not appear to bo any satisfactory 
progress made in extending the acreage under culti- 
valion. Exports for 1890 were valued at Is 6i per 
lb., £140 2s 6d agaii.st 9^ tons in 1889. 
Sugar.— T his product has asserted fur itse.f no mean 
pAioiUluu amuugot _ . ...... 
prices still ruling. It is impossible however to say 
how long this export may continue. At present it 
would appear as not having yet merged from the 
position of being maintained entirely at the expense 
of the future. The Colonial Sugar Refining Company 
have m .do . arrangements for leasing a large area 
of native laud at Labasa on the Macuata coast, 
Vauualevu, for the purpose of starting a caue plau- 
taii.m. If the soil and climate prove equal to ex- 
pectations, and there ia no reason to douot otherwise 
operaiiona on a large scale will be commenced by the 
company during the present j ear in that distiiot which 
must unoloubiedly greatly increase this product. 
Exports for 1890 were 19.000 tons, value £16 per 
ton, equal to £260,729, against 13,178 tons in 1889. 
Copra. — There is an improveruent in this aiticle 
ot export as against that ot la,t year and there ia 
every prospect of a further improvement both in 
price and quantity aud quality. Exports for the nine 
mouths enuiug 80th Sepiember. 3,035 tons value 
£27,765 as against the year 1889, value 639 138 
There IS still a very large quantity of copra awa t! 
ing shipment at the port of Levuka. 
Bananas.— This product it is satisfactory to note 
has been steadily atsuming proportions which as an 
industry renders it first in importance to the Colony 
notwithstanding the perdstenoy wiih which the shin- 
pmg companies disregard ihs interest of the planters 
- Jrrrif bananas for 1890 were for 9 mouths.’ 
Cotton.— There is every probability of a hopeful 
resuscitation in the cotton i.-dustrv of the CoTouv 
The acreage under cuUivatitn .1 being extended both 
in sup rcessiou of other products and in fresh laud 
Tee unaccountable rise in price gave a stimulus to 
cu tivation so that next year’s exports may reason- 
ably be expected to largely e.xceed those ot the past 
year E.xportyor 1890 were 50 tons, 16 cwt., 3 qrs., 
1( lb. value £2,360 against 17 tons for 1889. ^ 
jMaizk. Tuo cultivation of this product lias been 
entered upon la.gely by the free Indian population 
aud It 18 probable it will figure as an export on a 
arger scale than heretofore during the eusuin g jeaj- 
