Aug.  I,  1^95] 
THK  TROPICAL  ACRICULTURIS  P. 
85 
It  is  probable  that  the  best  plantin;;'  land  is  to  be 
found  in  the  Kuala  districts.  It  is  more  tJian 
probable  that  the  UUt  districts  contain  a greater  pio- 
portion  of  land  generally  suitable  for  ]jlanting  purposes. 
I venture  to  urge,  as  I have  done  before,  the  neces- 
sity of  speedily  determining,  however  roughly,  what 
lands  must  be  reserved  on  account  of  their  metalli- 
ferous value  and  what  may  be  regarded  as  immedi- 
ately alienable  to  agriculturists.  All  lands  in  the 
State  are  liable  to  resumption  for  mining  purposes. 
No  gieat  harm  is  therefore  done  if  stanniferous  de- 
posits are  found  to  underlie  planted  land. 
Pepper  cannot  be  grown  at  any  considerable  rate  of 
profit  at  present.  It  is,  however,  to  be  found  in  a 
few  native  gardens,  and  may  be  .seen  to  better 
advantage  on  Weld’s  Hill  and  Batu  Caves  Estates. 
Gambier  and  tapioca  do  not  obtain  in  the  district. 
Coconuts  are  of  course  grown  in  all  parts  of  the 
district,  but  are  used  only  as  articles  of  consuinx^tion. 
The  largest  portion  of  land  applied  to  their  exclusive 
cultivation  in  the  district  is  on  tlie  Anqiang  Hoad, 
dO  acres  in  extent,  the  property  of  Koli  Kang  Keas,  v,  idow 
of  the  late  Captain  China,  Yap  All  liOy, 
'riiere  are  a few  line  specimens  of  the  toddy  palm 
(Kitul;  on  the  Weld's  Hill  Estate. 
Nutmegs  are  to  be  planted  between  coffee  trees 
on  a iiortion  of  Kent  Estate.  They  are  a lucrative 
though  risky  article  of  cultivation,  in  which,  owing 
to  the  time  and  care  required,  a Malay  peasantry 
is  neither  qualified  nor  disposed  to  indulge. 
Tea  has  been  planted  by  Mr.  T.  Hill  on  Weld’s 
Hill  and  Eveleen  Estates  in  small  quantities,  but 
with  such  success  that  I should  like  to  see  it  more 
generally  taken  up. — Schnirjor  Oovc.rnment  Ga-jette, 
COKK  TREKS  FOR  NATAl,. 
Air.  Riobert  To))ham  ha,s  asked  the  City  Rotanie 
Society  to  imjiort  a couple  of  tliou.sand  young- 
cork  trees,  as  the  country  was  [larticularly  suited 
to  their  cultivation,  'blie  same  benefit  was  to  he 
derived  from  the  hark  of  the  cork  tree  as  from 
wattle,  only  that  the  trees  when  stripped  were 
not  ilestroyed,  hut  hore  another  croii  in  about  live 
year.s,  In  .Spain  the  industry  already  henefited 
those  who  had  taken  it  u])  to  the  tune  of  about 
haU-a-million  jier  annum.  Tlie  suggestioTi  was 
ailopted,  .says  the  Natal  H'/Cow.s-. 
TEA  IN  TABLOIDS. 
It  sounds  somewhat  extraordinary,  does  it  not, 
that  so  few  housewives  succeed  in  making  really 
good  tea Rut  it  is  undoubtedly  true.  That  is, 
perhaps,  partly  the  fault  cf  the  housewife,  but  it 
is  still  more  the  fault  of  the  tea.  Fresh  tea  leaves, 
as  everyone  knows,  have  to  undeigo  a process  of 
“curing”  before  they  are  capable  of  producing  the 
beverage  with  which  we  are  so  familiar,  and  this 
process  is  generally  by  no  means  thoroughly  carried 
out.  In  old  days,  when  tea  was  a luxury,  and 
fetched  a high  price,  only  the  smallest  and  topmost 
leaves  of  the  plants  were  plucked;  but,  in  the  pre- 
sent day,  the  demand  foi-  tea  being  so  universal,  and 
the  price  so  low,  planters  in  order  to  gain  their 
profits,  find  it  needful  to  pluck  the  larger  leaves 
also.  Now',  the  inner  portion  of  these  larger  leaves 
is  usually  not  reached  by  the  “curing’’  process  at 
all,  and  the  uncurod  ])arls  produce  the  unpleasant 
and  bitter  taste  which  characterises  tea  W’hich  has 
been  over-brewed,  or  w'hich  has  'stood  for  a little 
while.  The  presence  of  this  uncured  portion  can  be 
shown  in  another  way.  If  you  take  a good-sized  tea 
leaf,  and  soak  it  in  'water,  so  that  it  uncurls,  tlie 
centre  of  the  leaf  will  be  found  to  be  quite  green. 
But  in  buying  ordinary  tea,  you  pay  for  this  un- 
cured, and  consefiuently  useless  portion,  and  also 
for  the  ii,i.h-*ih  of  the  leaf,  wl'.ich  is  also  useless. 
There  is  no  reason  whatever  why  joii  sl.ould.  If 
you  use  “Tabloids’’  of  lompiessed  tea  you  will 
succeed  in  making  a ptihii  .up  ol  tea,  since  the 
before-mentioned  useless  and  harmful  portions  are 
Pfirefully  reproved  before  conrpression.  If  comparison 
he  made  between  100  “Tabloids’’  of  tea  and  the 
qiiaiitity  of  loose  tea  possessing  the  same  amount 
of  virtue,  the  economy  in  bulk  will  be  found  to  be 
enormous.  Tea  |“  Tabloids” secure  economy  and  uni- 
formity, and  prevent  waste,  and  . they  enable  the 
eqirsuuijition  of  tea  in  the  household  to  be  regulated 
with  the  utmost  nicet}’.  They  are  very  specially 
adapted  for  tourists,  travellers,  picnic  parties,  Ac. — 
Colonies  and  India. 
COFFEE  IN  THE  WEST  INDIES. 
The  following  interesting  account  of  coffee  plant, 
iirg  in  the  West  Indies  is  an  extract  from  a private 
letter  of  a former  well-known  S.  E.  Wynaad  colfee^ 
planter,  wliicli  has  been  placed  at  our  disposal ; — 
I only  got  home  some  three  weeks  ago  having  been 
for  a yacfiting  cruise  round  the  West  Indian  islands, 
a pleasant  way  of  spending  nine  weeks  of  an 
English  winter  like  this  one  lias  been  ! W'e  went 
out  ria  Teueriffe,  then  across  the  ocean  to  Baiba- 
does,  where  we  met  the  cricketers,  some  of  whom 
I knew.  They  were,  1 think,  if  the  truth  wei-e 
known,  awluliy  surpiiseil  at  t.)ie  way  the  pepiesep 
tatives  of  that  island  walked  into  them.  Jlut  they 
had  only  jutt  landed  after  a very  rough  crossing 
and  wei’e  thus  greatly  liandicapped.  From  there  tp 
Trinidad,  one  of  the  finest  islands  of  the  lot,  and 
so  on  through  the  W'indward  Isles  across  to  .Jamaica, 
Cuba,  Bahamas  and  Bermuda  and  from  there  home 
via  Maderia,  landing  at  Rlymouth  on  one  of  the 
most  lovely  warm  Spring  days  (only  a sample  of 
two  vouchsafed)  imaginable.  England  may  have  its 
faults,  but  taking  it  all  round  it  is  a hard  place 
to  beat,  and  every  time  I get  there  after  having 
been  to  other  countries  I vow  I will  never  go  out 
of  it  again.  To  us  hardened  roi/ufieui's,  the  West 
Indies  in  many  respects  are  ti  e same  as  the  East, 
and  one  felt  annoyed  at  being  considered  lacking  in 
wisdom  when  one  refused  to  rave  over  the  masses 
of  tropical  and  tangled  vegetation  as  we  drove  past 
them,  or  take  an  active  interest  in  the  glimpses  of 
village  life.  As  through  clouds  of  dust  and  with  the 
glass  at  90  • we  bumped  over  bad  roads  in  vehicles 
built  in  the  year  1,  diawn  by  horses  foaled  about 
the  same  time,  it  was  very  like  doing  the  lowest 
part  of  your  good  city,  Madras,  on  a particularly 
hot  day  in  .July.  The  flora  and  tropical  growth  in 
none  of  these  islands  to  my  mind  touch  those  of 
Ceylon,  and  though  one  sees  marry  new  .species,  om» 
sees  a vast  number  of  old  friends,  though  not  nearly 
so  luxuriously  grow'u.  So  when  you  read  Eroude’s 
Elistory  of  the  West  Indies,  keep  a salt  cellar 
within  reach  so  as  to  take  a piucli  or  two  of  that 
proverbial  qualification,  and  apply  for  air  author's 
copy  of  the  new  edition  which  shortly  will  be  edited 
by  your  humble  servant. 
Were  it  not  for  that  terrible  scourge,  labour, 
even  worse  in  these  islands  than  with  >ou,  there 
would  be,  I think,  a wonderful  opening  for  capital 
and  English  producers,  perhaps  more  paying  than 
that  “Golden  lode’’  in  the  Londonderry  mine  of 
which  we  are  all  full  of  now.  (I’m  a shareholder  !j 
As  one  sees  those  miles  upon  miles  of  densely 
clothed  hills  which  run  up  to  5,000  feet  and 
over  on  which  grow'  many  of  the  trees  that  are 
found  on  our  best  collee  and  tea  land,  one  notes 
the  lovely  “lays”  and  the  abmrdant  streams  in 
every  creek  and  one  just  longs  for  a gang  of  Kurum- 
bers.  Yoir  irright  knock  dowir  thousands  of  acres  of 
forest  rrrixed  with  dense  bamboo  and  undergowth 
and  rrever  come  across  a ridge  or  bit  of  grass.  I 
went  to  many  of  the  botanical  gardens,  and  most 
of  them  had  tea  aird  coffee  growing  irr  theirr  hrxuri- 
ously.  At  Jamaica  I was  specially  struck  with  a 
patch  of  coffee  Arabica  growing  under  fig  shade. 
Though  utterly  uncultivated,  nnpiuned,  etc.,  and 
grown  in  what  must  have  been  very  poor  soil  com- 
pared to  that  inland,  it  looked  wonderfully  healthy 
and  lobiist.  It  was  “ wintering”  a bit,  but  Lhougli  I 
looked  carefully  at  the  leaves,  I could  not  detect  any 
signs  of  that  fatal  “lusset  " nor  trace  any  marks 
of  vastoti-tM  on  those  gradually  yellowing  leaves  so 
well-known  to  us.  And  shall  I own  it,  for  this 
