8?8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Junk i, iSqI 
guard against these and other rascally practices and 
enable them to keep dishonest men out of their trade, 
for retail and wholesale dealers’ best interests lay in 
that direction. 
Moke Tea Deinkeks. — The growth of temperance 
and the increasing consumption of tea are facts which 
mast be taken together. When the labouring classes 
renounce beer they usually take kindly to tea. The two 
last reports issued by the Registrar of Friendly Socie- 
ties show that the Independent Order of Rechabites — 
the well-known temperance friendly society — is also 
rapidly increasing. The recent rate of increase is no 
less than 10,000 adult and 5,000 juvenile members per 
year, a degree of accession probably unprecedented. 
The total membership is now over 100,000 adults and 
62,000 juvenile members. — H. and, G. Mail, April 17th. 
^ 
IMPORTANT APPOINTMENT TO ABER- 
DEEN MEN. 
We understand that the Peruvian Corporation 
(Limited), of which Sir Alfred Dent, k. c. m. o. 
of Messrs Dent, Brothers, & Co,, merchants and 
commission agents. Old Broad Street, London, is 
chairman, have just arranged with Mr. Arthur 
Sinclair, Meadowbank, Cults, with whom is associated 
Mr. Alexander Ross, to undertake a piece of very 
important survey work for them in Peru. To the 
general reader it may be necessary to explain that, 
in consequence of grave financial difficulties into 
which it had got, the Government of Peru ceased 
to pay interest on its public debts (amounting to 
about £56,000,000) several years ago. And after 
protracted negotiations, a powerful British-Peruvian 
Corporation came to the rescue, headed fay Sir 
Alfred Dent, who had done excellent work in con- 
nection with the British North Borneo Company of 
which he is still a director. Amongst the many 
concessions made to this company by the Peruvian 
Government, one was the right to select and utilise 
some 10,000,000 acres of land in the valley of the 
majestic Amazon river. The eommissicn that has 
now been entrusted to Messrs Sinclair and Boss, on 
very handsome terms as to remuneration and other- 
wise, we understand, is to fix generally the locality 
lor this very large selection, with a view specially 
to the adaptation of the land to tropical agriculture. 
For this purpose situation, climate, and the general 
capabilities of the prevailing soils will all have to 
be carefully noted and reported upon to the di- 
rectorate of the Peruvian Corporation ; and the 
work, including the passage to and fro, is expected 
to occupy not less, we believe, than five months. 
While it is not a little gratifying to find two 
local men selected, and appointed practically on 
their own terms, for such an important mission, 
no one who knows the career of either will doubt 
the wisdom of the choice made by Sir Alfred 
Dent and his co-directors of the Peruvian Corpora- 
tion. Both have had ample experience of tropical 
agriculture as planters in Ceylon. In the case of 
Mr Sinclair, the fact of his having been bred to 
the occupation of gardener, with a good knowledge 
of practical botany, enabled him at once to take 
to the work in which he was engaged for a score 
of years, or thereby, in the “ spicy isle ” with 
the greatest advantage ; and for a good many years 
he acted as general superintendent of a large 
number of coffee plantations with the highest 
efficiency, his duties in that way giving him an ac- 
quaintance with the conditions of tropicalsgriculture, 
generally, as well as with a large ))art of the area 
of Ceylon, such as few men have had opportunity 
of acquiring. And in addition to this Mr Sinclair 
spent over a couple of years in Australasia, ohielly 
in 'I'asmania, where ho had further opportunities 
of observing sub-tropical agriculture. Mr Ross, 
whose Ceylon experience as a successful planter 
also extended over a long series of years, and 
who goes to Peru on the same terms as Mr Sinclair, 
is a native of Stonehaven . — Aberdeen Free Frees. 
BARK AND DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, April 16th. 
Areca Nut. — For 5 bags good quality the very high 
price of 30s per cwt. was paid today. This drug is ex- 
ceedingly scarce. 
Coca Leaves. — Seven packages of Ceylon and Java 
leaves, both equally badly harvested, dark mould and 
dull, offered without reserve, no higher bid than jd per 
lb. being obtained ; this was refused, as it was stated 
to be insufficient to cover the charges. In New York 
holders of Huanoco leaves (of which an arrival of 5,000 
lb. took place towards the end of March; are very 
firm, and quote la 6|d per lb. c.i.f. for ‘fine dark green. 
Light green Truxillo (Maranon) leaves may be had at 
lid per lb. c.i f. 
Kola.— O f about 35 package.?, only 2 bags mouldy 
grey dried West Indian sold at the high price of 6d 
per lb. 
Quinine.— No business is reported on the spot this 
wi-ek, second-hand German bulk being quoted at lOd 
sellers, and ,0^d buyers. At today’s auctions, however, 
4,000 oz. of Whiffen’s brand, warehoused m March 1885, 
sold Jd llto l.|d; and |2,0U0 oz. of .Zimmer’s quinine, 
warehoused in 18-8, realised 9Jd per oz. ; this beating the 
previous lowest quotation on record. Howard’s quinine 
is quoted by the makers at Is 2d to Is 3d in bulk, and 
Is 4d to Is 5d for bottles. The quotation for New York 
comes at 20 cents per oz. A sale of 10,000 oz. German 
bulk was reporied on Tuesday at lO^d per oz. The 
arrivals of quiuiiie in New York are falling off somewhat 
as compared with last year. Prom January 1st to March 
31st they were :— In 1891, 870,520 oz. ; 1890, 1,078,400 oz. 
O- 
MANA GRASS EXPERIMENTS— OPIUM, MAL- 
ARIA AND QUININE— THEAFOAM— ZAMBESI 
COMPANY AND MR. H. S. SAUNDERS— 
CROCODILE, IGUANA, SNAKE AND 
BUFFALO SKINS. 
Lon on, April 24. 
Twenty-two hundredweight of mana grass has 
just reached the Wrightson-Stanley Syndicate from 
Ceylon. A letter by Dr. Norman Evans has been 
shown to me where i ; that gentleman strongly recom- 
mends that laboratory investigation should first be 
conducted with samples of this fresh shipment 
before the expenditure of factory treatment be in- 
curred ; for, Dr. Norman Evans has written “ if it is 
as harsh as the last large delivery, it would be a 
waste of money to try and boil it with water alone.” 
Some delay may therefore occur before it will be 
possible for me to write you as to whether our 
hopes of the ultimate utilization of mana grass for 
coarse papermakiug are to be fulfilled or not. 
It is unfortunate that in the interval which has 
passed sinoe I reported the experiments eonduoted 
at the Poyle Mills, the proprietor of those mills, 
has had to wind up its conoerns. ' The experience 
Mr. Ibotson had gained on that oooasion would 
have otherwise been of great value in the further 
sets of experiment we hope to be tried ; although 
no doubt other mills exist at which these can 
be satisfactorily carried out. 
The following extract from the Echo contains 
prominent reference to the Idler wbioa Mr. John 
Ferguson addressed to the Anti Opium Society on 
the question which has lately received such dis- 
agreeable prominence in the House of Commons. We 
are wondering if the initials signed to this oom- 
raunication, W. W. G., can be a misprint for W. 
H. G., and if it can be due to the pen of Sir 
William Gregory. You may, however, recognize the 
individuality of the writer under the initials given. 
113,003) Opium. — “Oheeham Jaoko ” will find a 
genuine blend of quinine taken in place of the opium 
i will remove in a short time the depressed, weak feel- 
