July  I,  1895.1 
THE  TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
9 
PLANTATIONS  IN  CEYLON  AND 
LAHOCU  SUPI’LY. 
It  was  a (leciiled  relief  to  road  tlic  two  very 
sensil>le  letters  from  tlie  Chairman  of  the 
Planters’  Association  and  Mr.  Charles  Young 
(sec  I'iige  17).  'I’hey  oiler  a strong  contrast 
to  the  theoretical,  and,  in  onr  oinnion,  im- 
]iracticahle  schemes  advanced  from  two  or  three 
((uarters  during  the  [»ast  few  months.  Mr. 
IVIelville  White  at  once  sejtarates  the  Planters’ 
Association  from  any  Cooly  Agency  Scheme 
and  fully  ju.stilies  the  attitude  we  assumed  on 
thi.s  point.  He  imlicates  moreover,  after  a very 
jiractic.il  fashion,  some  of  the  risks  incidental 
to  any  private  Agency  Scheme,  which  will  no 
doubt  he  duly  con.sidered  hy  ])lanters.  At  the 
same  time,  there  is  no  intention  oHicially,  to 
interfere  with  any  such  Agency — only,  it  would  he 
well  to  gi\'e  existing  means  a full  trial  before 
going  to  the  expense  of  establishing  new  Agencies. 
In  this  connection,  we  cannot  help  drawing 
special  attention  to  the  letter  signed  “Planter” 
. which  appeared  in  our  issue  of  Tuesday  last  ; 
because  tliougli  dated  from  a Coconut  district, 
it  gives  the  opinions  of  a gentleman  who, 
more  than  any  other  in  Ceylon,  is  entitled  to 
be  listened  to  with  respect  on  any  point  affect- 
ing Cooly  Immigration.  \V'e  almost  Avisli  that 
“ Planter  ” had  given  his  name,  to  carry  home 
his  counsel  more  forcibly  to  his  brother- 
planters.  He  advises  a careful  study  of  Mr. 
Edward  Young’s  Report  ; and  he  expresses  the 
belief  that  the  old  established  Firm  of  Messrs. 
Adamson,  Mactag'jart  Co.  at  Negapatam  can 
do  better  for  Cepon  i)lanters  than  any  new 
Agency.  He  would  have  them  established  a 
branch  Agency  at  Salem— to  tap  the  districts 
of  Tanjore,  Arcot,  and  Salem — and  this,  we 
have  no  doubt,  the  said  Firm  would  be  pre- 
pared to  do,  if  they  get  sufficient  encourage- 
ment from  individual  proprietors  or  managers 
in  Ceylon.  We  would,  therefore,  recommend 
any  of  those  short  of  labour  and  unable 
to  trust  their  kanganies  to  recruit— after  such 
experience  as  “a  Central  Province  Planter” 
gives  today — to  communicate  with  Messrs.  Adam- 
son, Macta^gart  it  Co.  It  has  been  stated  that 
the  partial  failure  of  the  operations  of  this 
F’irm  in  the  p.ast,  has  been  due  to  the  want  of 
a trustworthy  leader,  guide  or  kangani  to  keep 
the  coolies  together  until  they  reached  their 
future  emploj'er  or  the  estate.  Rut  this  does 
not  seem  at  all  an  insu)terable  difficulty,  espe- 
cially where  one  employer  is  prepared  to  indent 
for  a consiflerable  number  of  coolies,  so  making 
it  worth  while  to  give  a responsililc  leailer  to 
the  gang. 
In  reference  to  immigration  generally,  can  thei(; 
be  any  doubt  as  to  the  great  value  which  through 
Kailv’ay  communication  wouKl  afford,  after  the 
picture  given  to  us  of  the  hardships  and  extor- 
tion to  which  coolies  are  exposed  in  travelling 
any  distance  at  |iresent?  “When  the  Railway 
is  made  to  Paumben” — writes  “Planter” — and 
he  knows  Paumben  ami  Southern  India  almost 
as  well  as  Ceylon— “ami  from  Manaar  on  the 
Ceylon  side,”  (still  more  with  the  viaduct  and 
through  unbroken  carriage  !),  “ Inhour  dlfprulth’s 
mill  raiiish.”  Surely  then,  the  pi-actical  work 
which  the  jtlanters  of  Ce'ylon  ought  to  take 
up  through  their  influential,  representatiie  Asso- 
ciation is  that  for  which  Mr.  E.  J.  Young  has 
'dven  them  so  good  a lead — the  urging  on  of 
Thk  Indo-Ckylon  Railway.  No  other  work 
can  have  so  gx’eat  and  beneficial  an  effect  in 
increasing  our  supply  of  coolies  from  Southern 
India. 
o 
. ORCHIDS  IN  DAIUILINfl. 
A Darjiling  jjaper  says  that  the  Deputy  Com- 
inissioner  has  passed  an  order  to  the  effect  that 
Orchn  dealers  are  not  in  future  to  sell  ferns  or 
Orchids  in  Darjiling,  on  the  ground  that  the 
surrounding  forests  are  being  denuded  of  them 
— 1 hoiu'cr.  May  4. 
irir.  r .v.-sh  ui-  Mr.  CHARLES  LEDCER. 
The  naiuh-Uhlwl  of  Amstentun,  one  of  the  leadir"' 
(holy  paper.s  m llolhuul,  has  taken  no  onr  mm-  1 
b<*d.«vr,  the  eZl,,Z-nh^  I,’; 
cUi  ulitoiidl  .uticle  in  its  i.ssno  of  Anril  I’ltli  liw*  Hmh 
takes  for  its  text  onr  assertion  tZt  “ ,Zti« 
eoums  foi  somethin"  in  the  government  of  tlie  world  ’ 
to’.  n Z‘^vr '"“'Ch  (l.ivernment 
to  allow  Ml.  Ledger  a pension  of  elOO  a year.  We  shall 
he  asreeahly  snrprised  if  this  appeal  .slioilld  he  responds 
to.  lo  agree  to  it  would  certainly  he  an  aer  of’  .'e„e- 
ioMt>  on  tlie  the  Dutch  (Jovcrnuient,  wliicli  would 
pnt  onr  India  Ofhee  to  .shame,  and  a mark  of  hroad- 
iiiiiidediicss  sncii  as  few  nations  show  in  the  ea.so  of  in. 
dividnals  not  eoiiiieeted  with  ruling  faiiiilie.s.  In  prZ,,t. 
mg  Its  ease  foi-  Mr.  Ledger,  the  fhindelMad  gives^a  slWt 
^*^"1**0  .‘^"‘'■■''O'l'i-cnltivatioii  in  .Java,  and  expres.ses 
the  hehef  that  a propo.sal,  on  hehalf  of  the  Mini.strvZf 
the  Colonies  to  give  Mr.  Ledger  ,£100  a year  would  he 
accepted  by  the  Dutch  parliament.— C/ieiiiwtmid  Druqgist 
CINCHONA  AND  (^TNINE. 
The  following  translation  and  figures  from  a 
Report  on  cinchona  and  quinine  of  the  well-known 
Diesden  birm,  IMessrs.  Celie  iS:  Co.,  i.s  of  much 
interest : it  will  be  observed  that  stocks  of  bark 
(as  al.so  quinine)  are  low  in  London,  but  lar<m  in 
xAimsterdam  : — 
Stocks  in  London  ;Hst  Dkckmukil 
1804 
Dkgs. 
South  American  20,065 
From  other  conntrie,s  11,981 
1893 
I’kgs. 
23,245 
14,590 
1892 
I’kgs. 
23,014 
15,879 
Total 
32,060 
37,841 
38,895 
Imports  London 
South  American 
Otlier-  Conn  tries 
1804 
19,401 
18,713 
1 
» ” ^ 
! 1 
i 
1892 
12,897 
33,404 
Total 
29,174 
37,027 
46,361 
Deliveries 
South  American 
Others 
1894 
12,741 
21,378 
1893 
8,501 
29,580 
1892 
10,746 
39,843 
Total 
34,119 
38,081 
50,589 
Export  from  i'kylon  fro.m  I.st  Jvnl'vry 
TO  I7TII  DkCKMBKI!. 
Ih.  |] 
I’.JSS,!)!):!  "OSl  0 1)0.5  101 
ISh"  ..  ;l,.5i5„022  IS-U  .5  0PK339 
Exports  from  to  AM.snoiorM 
1.504  lnlos;5,:ilo,Ti;)  cont.iiiiing  kilos  157, S2o  (.jninine 
1S03  ,,  3..J(in,.5(lO 
1S02  .,  2.03.LS20  ,,  ” 
1801  ,,  3.431, .530 
1800  „ 2,001,301 
18S9  ..  2,073,339 
Sold  in  ten  Auction  Sale.s 
FROM-2.7TH  Jan,  to  RItii 
I nit.  Kilos.  Kilos  wi 
^ f Z'r  im’sm  7p''^a  Pf  " hich  Sold  22,2CHj 
149,.540 
1.30,491 
133,721 
103,400  „ 
(7,000  ,, 
IN  Amsterdam 
Dec.  1894. 
4.4  1 Mar.  3.30,310 
4 7-10  5 April  513,454 
10  May  349,090 
14  .Iiine  418,012 
19  .Inly  279,407 
30  All".  429,.55S 
4 Oct.  003,140 
3 Nov.  512,590 
2^-  13  Dec.  090,035 
fi 
3 
3 
10,437 
24,025 
10,403 
19,.5.54 
12,  ,5.54 
20,270 
23,334 
24,031 
31,202 
15,831 
20,382 
14,1.5.5 
18,481 
12,288 
18.757 
7,070 
11,789 
10,807 
lotal  sales  kilos  Quinine 
Against  1893  kilos 
1892 
1891 
1890 
1889 
n 
)) 
0 
157,829 
149,. 540 
130,191 
133.-721 
108,400 
77,0130 
