THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [Aug.  i,  1895. 
likely  to  be  less  for  another  ten  years  at  least,  there 
is  an  ample  return,  after  meeting  expenses,  to 
give  ItlOH  to  R150  per  acre. 
The  cultivation  has,  of  course,  to  be  carefully  carried 
on,  and  those  who  do  not  do  it  “ on  the  cheap”  will 
probably  get  nearly  double  the  above  yields.  In  poor 
soils  I would  advocates*  to  t>  ft.  apart,  and  in  rich 
soils  7 to  Hft.,  and  not  more  in  Ceiilou.  Good  2-ft. 
holes  cut  in  poor  soils  and  18-iuch ' holes  in  better 
land.  Surface  soil  conserved  and  filled  in.  No  dib- 
bling and  careless  planting.  Transplanters  freely  used 
for  vacancies.  Dadap  and  jak  sh.ading  should  lie 
commenced  early.  Coconut  or  cocoa  should  oJso  be 
put  in.  Much  will  depend  on  the  climate,  lay  of 
land,  &c.,  which  of  these  auxiliary  products  will  be 
selected.  In  some  cases  both  can  be  planted  at 
])ioper  distances.  Eventually  such  a thing  as  aban- 
doned plantations  will  hardly  be  knov. n.  Hitherto 
Liberian  coffee  will  be  the  favorite  till  some  hylnid 
takes  its  place.  It  is  not  necess.u-y  to  look  for 
another  variety  as  long  as  this  kind  gives  an  amiile 
yield  and  fetches  good  prices.  In  a year  or  two  more 
there  will  not  be  wanting  positive  proof  of  this. 
Judging  by  the  appearance  of  certain  fields,  the  ino- 
prietors  of  which  are  '*  ticking  down  the  costs,  Ac., 
to  a cent,”  and  when  found  eipially  paying,  or  as 
nearly  paying  as  the  jilantations  in  the  Straits,  Ac., 
then  there  will  he,  no  doubt,  “ the  rush”. — I am.  Ac., 
Panilwewa,  June  2‘.)th.  L.  nr.  S. 
VARIOUS  PLANTING  NOTES. 
FAI1.UP.1-:  of  THK  (JRANGK  CKOF  in  Fl.flPlDA.— 
One  of  onr  'I  jv/)ic(d  A;jrkultiirixt  readers  in 
Florida,  writing  by  bust  mail,  rep.)it.s  : — 
We  note  on  p.  (>ti8  that  mention  is  made  that  the 
orange  crop  of  Florida  will  not  be  over  2,.‘)0U,iKit) 
boxes.  We  oidy  wish  it  would  be  that  jlarge.  We 
doubt  if  there  will  be  50,(H)0  shipped  from  the  wl  o'e 
state.  As  to  lemons  there  will  not  be  1,000  boxes. 
Dr.  D.  Morri.s,  c.m.g.,  on  tiik  ('.\n.\pv  !s- 
l.ANDS.  — In  the  cotirse  of  an  interesting  letter 
from  otir  old  frie.ml  Dr.  iMorris,  w lio  i-ontinnes 
to  take  a great  interest  in  Ceylon,  lie  gives  ns 
the  following  nsefnl,  not  to  say  inleresting,  in- 
formation ; — 
“ T’he  ‘ fibre  lectures’  will  be  published  in  full  in 
the  ‘ Society  of  Arts’  .Tournal  ’ in  July  and  August. — 
I am  glad  to  say  1 keep  very  well.  I take  my  vaca- 
tion in  the  winter  and  have  lately  visited  the  Canary 
Islands.  ’I'bey  are  charming  places  to  go  to.  It  is 
wonderful  wliat  English  enterprise  is  tioing  there. 
The-  islands  supply  England  witli  nearly  all  the 
bananas  consumed  in  this  couittry  as  also  tomatoes, 
early  potatoes  and  green  vegetables.  Geograpliical 
nosition  is  the  essential  factor  in  these  matters. — 
We  were  very  sorry  to  bear  of  Ur.  Trimon's  ill-health. 
We  hope  be  will  pick  up  during  hi.5  stay  in  this 
country.” 
A ('.\*ii’HoR  Trki-:  iNDU.STifY.  — Fxac.My  the 
sum-''  sneering  obje.ciioms  a.s  the  local  “ rimes”  ven- 
tila'eal  on  Thursday,  were  ollered  at  the  heginning 
of  onr  ciiichoiia  enterprise.  “ Who  would  care 
to  cultivate  a medicine  tree?”  was  (lie  ery  ; Imt 
how  bitterly  the  secfler.s  regretted  their  allifnde 
when  the  illanters  wlio  put  in  a few  hundreds 
or  tbonsands  of  jilants,  cut  them  down  fir  har- 
vested the  bark  after  7 or  10  years— the  culti- 
vation costing  nothing— and  nettml  as  mneb  as 
lOs  to  20s  ])er  tree.  Now,  in  respect  of  the 
camphor  tree,  we  are  told.  Dr.  'I’rimen  some, 
years  ago,  discouraged  its  cultivation  by  nianfers  ; 
but  .surely  the  fact  that  there,  are  snecos.sfni 
eleariii"-s  »oir  of  the  tree  at  both  I’eradeniya  and 
llakgaUa  is  snilicient  to  indicate  that  Dr.  Trimen, 
wereliebere,  wonhl  proliably  alter  bis  opinion,  that 
is  //’bo  ever  e.xpresseil  liimseif  a-^  onr  contemporary 
says  In  any  case,  it  is  childish  to  discourage 
planters  who  are  bn.sy  juitting  out  trees  of 
various  kinds  on  their  bonmlaries  or  umong  their 
tea,  or  in  sc|>arate  iiatcbes,  from  giving  ti  trial 
to  the  h.andsonie  lanrel-like  eainplior  tree,  phants 
or  which  are  now  available  at  the  llot.anic  Gardens. 
In  this  journal,  our  reader.s  can  .see  wliat 
American  and  English  journalists — talcing  o]i- 
iiosito  views — say  about  the  jirospect.  Onr 
local  eontemjmrary  in  jilace  of  discouraging  ought 
to  feel  it  his  hounden  duty  to  do  all  in  his 
jiower  to  get  iilanters  to  add  any  likely  product 
to  their  one  string  “tea”;  and  tlie  fact  that 
the  Chinese  aiul  Japanese  have  been  cutting 
down  tlieir  store  of  imligenons  trees,  without  re- 
jilanting,  is  just  the  strongest  reason  why  Ceylon 
phuitei's  should  begin  at  once  to  ti-y  what  culti- 
\ation  can  tlo. 
Tka  Pi.antinc  jn  IfuR.viA  is  the  title  of  an 
article  in  the  Asian  whieli  discusses  the  question 
“ may  not  Jhirma  one  day  take  her  place  among 
the  tea-proilncing  countries  of  the  Fhist  ” ? The 
foll.iwing  is  the  concluding  iiaragraph  : — 
“ Planting  in  Rurmah  has  not  been  conspicuously 
successful  hitherto.  Liberian  coffee  did  W'cll  in  an 
experimental  g.ardeu  at  Mergui,  when  supervised  by 
an  energetic  Deputy  Commissioner,  but  attempt.s  at 
planting  on  the  Tavoj-  hills  proved  a failure,  despite 
the  liberal  terms  given  by  tiie  local  Government  to 
oiiteiprising  men  who  took  up  land  for  the  purpose. 
Tea,  if  we  mistake  not,  has  never  got  beyond  the 
purely  experimental  stage,  and  Mr.  Rruee’s  very  in- 
teresting report,  if  it  does  not  open  up  a rosy  vista  of 
opulent  possibilities,  at  least  ;iirvs  food  for  //loui/bt.’’ 
Tka  Factoriks;  Stfam  Engink.s  ; Turrink.s 
AND  EbF.CTRic  Irght  In.staij.atioxs.— A planter 
ill  sending  in  information  for  the  Directory 
states  ; — 
I don’t  know  whether  you  require  a memo  of  steam 
engines  A'c.  on  estates  which  perhaps  in  a Directory 
would  he  useful  and  if  so  .-—there  arc  two  here,  one 
(■>  h.p.  and  one  1-2  h.p.— and  water  jiowcr— electric 
installation  in  factory  and  bungalow. 
Now  the  fact  is,  we  shall  he  glad  to  have  a note 
of  the  power  of  every  Steam  Engine  and  'J’nr- 
hine  on  plantations,  and  .also  a note  of  wherever 
the  electric  light  has  been  installed.  We  trust, 
t lierefoie,  many  more  will  follow  the  example 
of  (he  above  correspondent.  We  have  already 
got  most  of  the  information.  We  have  always 
se)),arately  .specified  Tea  Factories  preparing  from 
.■)!((»,()()(»  11).  and  uiiward.s  in  onr  prefatory  review. 
Coi’i-K.K  IN  Binzin. — The  committee  of  coffee  fac- 
tors appointed  for  estimating  the  crop  for  the  year 
l.S!t')-n(),  reports  as  follows : — “ Heavy  rains  during 
the  last  three  months  have  contributed  to  hasten 
development  of  seasonable  and  late  fruit,  but  have 
hindered  the  production  of  co/e  das  ai/uas,  which  is 
almost  a total  fadure.  The  committee  accordingly 
believes  that  tin-  future  crop  will  be  of  good  quality 
unless  injured  by  rains  during  the  process  of  gather 
ing  and  drying.  The  quantity  of  available  for  ex- 
portation will,  it  seems,  hardly  exceed  1 .750.000  bags, 
.subject,  however,  to  be  increased  by  the  remainder 
of  the  pievions  crop,  whose  shipment  is  delayed  by 
various  well-known  causes.  In  addition  to  tlie  lack 
of  efficient  labour,  agriculture  continues  to  suffer 
from  insufficient  transportation  facilities  on  rail- 
ways, which,  although  they  t-egulate  their  freight 
rates  by  a sliding  scale  varying  with  the  fluctuations 
in  exchange,  fail  to  offer  safe,  speedy  and  regular 
means  of  conveyance  either  for  imiiorts  or  exjiorts, 
thus  increasing  the  cost  of  labour  and  even  occa- 
sioning ])eriods  of  famine  in  certain  loeiilities  in 
eonsciptence  of  the  death  of  food-stiiffs.  ’I’liis  com- 
mittee. then,  in  the  performance  of  its  duty  calls 
file  attention  of  the  proper  authorities  to  the  just 
complaints  of  the  ])lanters,  who  require  sure  and 
speedy  means  of  transportation  and  the  actual  res- 
])oiisii)i!ity  of  someone  for  the  immlicr  and  weight 
of  the  packages  delivered  liere  or  in  the  interior. — 
Rio  dc  Janeiro,  Iffarch  liith,  18S),5. — .Inoquun  dr  Mello 
I'raiiro. — (’esar  Deque  Kstrada  Co. — Miranda  Jordaq 
<(j  Co. — Araujo  JIaia  tC  Co, — Ifermano  Joppert." 
