•the  tropical  agriculturist. 
[Sept.  2,  1895 
of  Tainan,  gives  the  following  sketch  of  the  business 
done  in  camphor.  Last  year,  1894,  he  says,  shows 
a satisfactory  development.  13'971  cwts.  having  left 
the  port,  as  gained  7'530  cwts.  in  1893.  From 
January  to  July  the  prices  ruled  rather  low.  In  the 
la’er  month,  camphor  fetched,  in  the  Hong  Kong 
market,  only  t‘3  2s.  per  cwt.  In  August,  however, 
on  the  outbreak  of  the  war  between  China  and  Japan, 
there  was  a boom  in  the  market,  and  the  price  rose 
at  one  time  to  £.5  14s.  per  cwt.  This  was  due  to 
apprehensions  entertained  in  Hong  Kong  of  a 
blockade  of  the  Formosa  ports.  The  market  quickly 
recovered  from  this  abnormal  figure,  but  prices  were 
well  maintained  throughout  the  remainder  of  the 
vear,  the  average  price  bsitig  about  €1  par  cwt. 
Daring  the  year,  two  more  British  firms  ( Farsees  ) 
have  started  in  the  business.  There  are  now  five 
foreign  firms  in  Tainan,  engaged  in  the  c imphor 
trade,  namely,  four  British  and  one  German. 
In  the  course  of  the  past  year  uevv  districts  have 
been  opened  up  at  .\ntoapo,  Chau-liu-Ping,  and 
other  nlaces  in  the  Kagee  district.  An  attempt 
wa^  wale  last  spring  by  the  Kagee  Magistrate  to 
compel  f 'reigners  to  convey  camphor  produced  in 
Chau-liu-Ping  by  a circuitous  road  on  its  transit 
t ) the  0 last,  instea  1 of  by  another  direct  road,  which 
shortened  the  journey  by  two  days,  on  ths  plea  tliat 
the  former  offered  greater  facilities  for  official  inspec- 
tion ; but  the  Taot'ai,  on  being  appea'e.l  to,  at  once 
admitte  I that  foreign  merchants  were  at  liberty  to 
convey  their  goods  under  transit  pass  by  any  route 
they  plea.sed.  The  camphor  produced  is  all  brought 
down  under  transit  pass;  71  passes  wore  taken  out 
in  1891,  as  agahist  .">7  in  the  previous  year. 
The  new  camphor  forests  are  situated  on  tho 
borders  of  savage  territory,  and  the  Chinese  opera- 
tives, when  cutting  down  tree^  and  campho.-  dis- 
tilling, are  liable  to  attack  by  ilu  savages.  The 
hazardous  nat  ire  of  the  occupation  suggoite  1 to  the 
Chinese  authorities  the  levy  of  an  impost,  known 
as  the  “ fang  fei  ” or  protection  tax,  on  all  camphor 
produced  to  pay  for  the  maiutena’ice  of  frontier 
guards  to  protect  the  camphor  workers,  llecenlly, 
owing  to  the  exigencies  of  c .>ast  defence,  the  cam- 
phor districts  have  been  largely  denuded  of  troops, 
whose  services  were  desired  elsewhere.  The  c.m- 
tinuance  of  the  levy  caused  a certain  amount  of 
discontent  on  the  part  of  the  foreign  mercha  ils,  as 
they  sail  that  these  opera' ions  received  merely 
noriiinal  protection.  Some  outrages  l)y  savages  had, 
at  the  time  of  writing,  been  rep  u-ti  d from  places 
in  the  dis'rict  of  Chip  Chip.  Tue  c imphor  states 
had  been  destroyed  and  the  oper.it  >rs  murdered, 
ami  the  savages  had  escaped  puiiislniient 
In  Chiiikiang  we  are  told  that  the  cliicf  item  among 
native  imports  is  wood  oil,  obtained  fro  u Aleurites 
cordata.  which  is  inva’uable  in  China  for  prese.ving 
or  xarnishing  woodwork,  and  was  impo.  t d to  the 
val'ic  of  over  £150  UOU,  though  it  is  not  exported  to 
Europe. 
A branch  of  culture,  which,  it  is  sugges'ed,  is  open 
to  fiuit  growers,  is  the  extended  grow. h of  a loud  of 
hawthorn,  whoso  fruit  is  known  in  the  north  of  China 
as  ‘‘S'lau  ch’a.  ” It  is  de.scrioo  I as  having  a very 
agreeable,  delicate,  acid  taste,  and  can  hs  used  either 
stewed,  dri  d,  or  made  into  a jelly.  Though  largely 
consumod  in  Chiiikiang,  it  i.s  m ire  especially  a native 
of  Sliang  Tang  mid  Coro.i,  and  appears  to  be  tho 
Crativfim  jiiituafa/ida,  Broiigo.  The  plant  is  described 
as  a very  omaineiital  one  iu  spring. — Journal  oj  the 
Societji  0/  -Irt.s. 

LADY  BIRDS  IN  THE  KONA  COFFEE 
district. 
K,vllu.\,  Kox.\  Hvwaii. 
June  6,  1895. 
C.  D.Mii,LKn,EsQ..  President  Kona  Planters’  Assoeiation. 
Sic Your  commitice  app  >in  od  to  iovestigat' 
the  blight  on  coiTee  and  the  work  of  the  lady  bud 
Cryptoiaeinus,  bog  to  report  a i fo  lows : About  three 
years  ago  this  blight,  a s)iecios  of  Fnivinaria,  made 
its  first  appOiirincc  in  K niu,  along  the  inauka 
govevnineiit  road  at  llolualca,  Tbcnce  it  has  spread 
and  IS  still  increasing  anl  spreading  until  to-day, 
it  has  posf.esBion  of  about  one  hundred  square  miles 
of  valuib'o  land.  It  not  only  infects  coffee,  but  a'so 
a larue  variety  of  trees,  shrubs  and  herbs,  including 
even  the  taro. 
Nearly  a year  ago  we  received  the  first  colonies 
of  the  lady  bird  Cryptoiaeinus,  and  during  the  five 
succeeding  months  many  thousands  were  sent  to  us 
by  tho  Hoii  .Joseph  Marsdeii,  Commissioner  of 
Agriculture.  All  of  these  colonies,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a few  that  were  placed  among  the  guava 
and  ohia-ai  trees,  were  liberated  among  our  young 
coffee  tr-es,  which  were  then  already  suffering  greatly 
from  the  effects  of  blight. 
After  the  lapse  of  so  many  months,  even  allowing 
for  a scanty  reproduction  during  the  winter  months 
a decided  increase  of  the  lady  birl  should  be 
noticeabD.  Instead  of  that,  iu  all  places  where 
there  was  no  restocking,  the  lady  birds  are  practic- 
ably extinct,  and  the  blight  has  increased  to  a 
frightful  extent,  particularly  upon  cultivated  coffee. 
Ou  the  other  hand  the  lady  birds  have  found  a 
more  suitable  habitat  upon  the  guava,  and  since  the 
beginning  of  summer  have  been  increasing  freely 
iu  those  localities  where  colonies  had  been  liberated 
upon  coffee  in  their  vicinity,  and  it  is  an  undoubted 
fact  that  the  larva  feel  upon  the  ogginassea  and 
thus  help  to  check  the  increase  of  the  blight.  The 
f ict  has  recently  b-  en  observed  that  the  scaled  off, 
curled  up  bark  of  the  guava  affor  is  such  favourable 
shelter  for  pupation,  seems  to  be  largely  tbe  cause 
of  the  increase  of  the  lady  bird  amongst  those  trees. 
To  the  fact  that  the  coffee  tree  dues  not  afford 
such  shelter  is  possibly  due  the  apparent  dislike 
of  the  lady  bird  to  these  trees,  and  the  suggestion 
that  artificial  shelter  be  afforded  is  in  this  connection 
of  value.  That  the  lady  bird  is  feeding  and  iucreas- 
ing  in  localities  makes  it  a valuable  addition  to 
tho  already  exis  ing  enemies  of  Pulvinaria.  The 
history  f its  work  so  far,  however,  and  particu’arly 
its  long  winter  rest,  makes  it  very  unsafe  to  say, 
at  this  time,  that  it  will  afford  speedy  or  perma- 
nent relief  to  coffee  planters,  and  we  do  not  advi-e 
that  wo  rest  satisfied  with  what  has  been  so  far 
attained,  but  that  while  acknowledging  the  valu- 
able work  that  has  been  inaugurated  by  Mr.  Marsden, 
we  should  urge  upon  him  that  further  efforts  he 
made  with  the  view  of  discovering  other  enemies 
of  the  Pulvinaria  to  reinf  rce  such  as  have  been 
already  introduced.  Whether,  iu  the  meantime  we 
resort  to  spraying  or  to  constant  restocking  with 
lady  birds  from  the  guava,*  we  trust  that  every 
member  of  this  association  will  agree  with  us  iu 
concluding  that  a well  managed  coffee  plantation 
i I Kona  will  still  prove  a profitable  investment. 
[iSigncdl  WoLUEMAit  Muuleu, 
Chairman. 
— Planters'  Monthhj. 
SEAWEED  AS  A MANURE 
“ There  can  be  no  two  opinions,”  a writer  in 
the  Afarl)  Lane  Express  says,  “as  to  the  value  of 
seaweed  as  a green  manure,  containing  as  it  does 
all  the  substances  required  for  the  growth  of  either 
cereals  or  green  crops.  I is  ash  is  rich  iu  salt, 
potash,  sulphuric  ac'd,  and  phosphate  of  lime.  In 
fact,  chemists  tell  ii.s  ih.xt  this  product  of  our  shores 
contains  at  least  twice  as  much  of  these  valuable 
matters  as  the  plants  which  are  ordinarily  grown  by 
farmer.s  as  green  manures.  When,  therefore,  it  is 
intelligently  used  so  as  to  conserve  in  addition  its 
most  important  nitrogenous  constituents,  seaweed 
is  a fertiliser  which  is  not  easily  beaten.  Con- 
sequently, those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to  farm 
within  easy  re  mb  of  the  coast,  will  be  very  unwise 
if  they  neglect  to  avail  themselves  of  such  a valu- 
able manure.  Farmers  so  situated  may  well  betake 
themselvis  to  the  ‘harvest  of  the  sea’  after  the 
harvest  of  tho  land  is  safely  gathered  in.”  In  Austra- 
lia, es]iecially  where  seaweed  is  used,  it  should  be 
cillier  quickly  ploughed  iu  or  made  into  a c impost 
with  any  vegetablo  refuse,  le.ivos,  stable  litter,  etc., 
and  soil  if  laid  upon  the  soil  and  allowed  to  dry 
before  being  covered  its  decomposition  when  it  is 
ploughed  iu  is  much  less  rapid. — Australian  Agri- 
culturist, 
