26a 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct.  I,  1895. 
Tokacco.— Diu-in"  the  first  half  of  the  present 
year  10(1,292  lb.  of  tobaccco— nearly  the  whole  of 
which  was  in  the  form  of  cheroots — were  shipnefi 
from  Madras  as  against  77,005  lb  for  the  same  period  in 
1894.- Ibid. 
Tnr.  Jute  Ixoustuy  is  increasing  by  leaps  and 
bounds  in  puts  of  the  Pnraeah  district,  and  in  a 
few  years  we  shall  in  all  in'obabilitv  see  a greater 
area  given  no  to  its  cultivation  than  is  at  present 
under  indigo  a crop  which  is  far  more  precarious. 
— Indian  linfiineer. 
Clux.v  Tk.v  Exports. — Our  special  telegram  from 
the  Ear  East  s’lews  a slight  comparative  falling- 
o ft' ill  the  cniToat  export  of  China  and  Japan  tea.s 
to  tlie  Uniteil  Kingdom.  The  impoitant  part  of 
the  seasoji  is  now  over  and  wo  cannot  expect 
nmcli  addition  to  the  figures  just  telegraphed. 
The  Tusskr  Silk  Ixnusray  was  once  a flourishing 
one  in  many  jiarts  ot  India,  but  it  has  practically 
disappeared  except  in  a very  small  way,  and  in  but 
one  or  two  district.  A cert.ain  difficulty  attends  the 
reeling  of  the  silk  from  a tiisser  cocoon,  and  we  are 
glad  to  he.u-  that  Mr.  Otto  Ana,  of  Hamburg,  has 
the  courage  t ) propose  to  start  a tusser  reeling  in- 
dustry in  India.  A parcel  of  20.000  cocoons  was 
lately  forwarded  to  him  from  Eilaspore,  in  the 
Central  Provinces,  where  a certain  amount  of  at- 
tention has  been  bestowed  upon  the  industry  during 
the  past  year.  Mic  .Vuz’s  opinion  of  them  is  awaited 
with  interest. — Indian  Emjineer. 
The  Calcutta  I’ea  Market.— We  understand 
that  the  losses  m.ade  hy  buyers  during  tlie  first 
few  niontlis  of  the  season — -^Liy  to  Jnfy — were 
simi»ly  apiialling.  Tlioii.sands  of  pounds  sterfiiig 
dropped  hy  individual  Iniyers  form  a very  serious  ex- 
perience. Tlie  cause  is  'found  in  tlie  coiuiiaratively 
had  quality  of  tlie  teas  of  tliis  season,  esjia- 
cially  as  compared  with  last  year,  and  the  Cal- 
cutta Imyers  in  absence  of  good  teas,  appraised 
tlie  value  of  tliose  available,  far  .above  the 
value  given  lo  them  in  Lomloii.  Teas  judged 
ns  “finest”  in  Calcutta,  were  ]mt  down  as 
only  “fair”  in  London;  “fair”  bec.anie 
“ iiicdiuui  ;”  “ nicdiniiis  ” were  classed  as  “com- 
mon,” and  “ common  ” were  deemed  worse  than 
“China’s”  or  e\en  the  poorest  “Ceylon’s.”  India 
lias  evidently  liad  one  of  tlie  worst  “tea”  sea.sons 
experienced  for  a long  time — hence  the  present 
firmness  of  our  Ceylon  average  in  tlie  home  and 
local  markets. 
Coa.st-lands  IX  M.uiaoascar. — The  following 
is  a pass.age  from  tlie  letter  of  its  Special  Corre- 
spondent (Mr.  Ixiiiglit)  in  tlie  latest  London  Tim.ns 
(Aug.  P2tli)  dusciipt ive  of  Ids  journey  along  the 
Sontli-East  CoaM  of  Madagascar  : — 
The  coast  scenery  wo  pisso.I  on  this  journey  is  as 
beautiful  as  any  I have  ever  seen.  Spurs  from  the 
inland  mountain  r.inges  forui  grand  promontories  eii- 
olosiim  lovely  bays.  Every  few  miles  some  fine  river 
pours  "its  waters  into  the  sea.  All  these  rivers  have 
narrow  mouths,  close  1 to  shipping  by  narrow  bars, 
but  open  out  inside  the  sand  dunes  into  extensive 
lakes  or  lagoons,  with  shores  winding  in  many  capes 
and  bays.  The  hills  that  slope  into  these  lakes  are 
clothed  with  tropical  bush  and  groves  of  palms  and 
traveller’s  trees,  while  the  plains  and  rolling  downs 
which  extend  to  the  distant  mountains  are  generally 
covered  with  fine  grass,  affording  excellent  pasture. 
But  this  magnificent  country  is  very  thinly  inhabited, 
and  the  greater  portion  of  it  lies  waste.  We  often 
travelled  all  day  without  seeing  a human  being  or  a 
ai<rn  of  cultivation,  and  it  was  only  around  the  rare  vil- 
lages that  small  but  Inxnriant  patches  ot  rice,  maizes, 
cassava,  and  svveet  potato  testified  to  the  riehnc.ss  of 
the  soil.  Sugar,  coffee,  and  all  tropical  produce  have 
been  proved  to  thrive  on  this  fertile  coast,  and  this 
would  ceitainly  be  as  good  as  any  country  in  the 
world  for  the  white  colonist,  were  it  not  for  the  coast 
fever  especially  deadly  at  this  season  of  the  year— 
the  termin.xtion  of  the  I'ainy  reison,  when  the  sal  aid* 
ing  waiors  leave  leagues  of  foul  mud  to  fester  in  the 
sun. 
M'iiat  has  been  said  of  |)arts  of  Ceylon  is  ap]di- 
eahle  : — 
Thon’rt  fatal  as  thou’rt  fair. 
Forest  Dklartme.xt,  Cev'lox.— Return  show- 
ing tlie  lieveime  and  Expenditure  of  the  Forest 
Department  for  the  five  years  1890  to  1894,  was 
called  for  hy  Mr.  (''oomaraswamy,  M. L.C.  It  is 
unexpectedly  satisfactory,  the  results  as  given 
hy  Capt.  Walker  being  as  follows  : — 
R. 
c. 
T jtal  Expenditure  f >r  the  last  5 years 
2,1‘.)9,H:;.7 
37 
Total  Receipts  for  the  last  5 years  ex- 
clusive of  value  of  free  grants  and 
of  stock 
2,131,801 
G7 
Total  deficit  .. 
07,833 
70 
The  sum  of  R200,826'74  incurred  during  the  five 
ye.ars  on  account  of  buildings,  surveys,  demarcation, 
lanting,  &c„  from  which  no  revenue  can  possibly  he 
erivod  for  many  years  to  come,  should  not  be  shown 
as  expenditure  against  the  year  in  wliiah  it  is  iiicnr- 
red.  This  should  appear  as  capital,  being  money  sunk 
and  invested  in  Government  forests,  the  uenefit  of 
which  will  be  derived  in  future  years. 
The  large  sum  of  R42.005T8,  being  am  cunt  of  free 
grants  of  timber  made  during  the  five  years,  should 
appear  as  a credit  to  the  Department,  hut  which  is 
not  shown  at  all.  Were  these  and  other  items  cor- 
rectly accounted  for  there  would  be  no  deficit,  but  on 
the  contrary  a large  profit  would  appear  to  the  credit 
of  the  Department  ; thus,  the  total  receipts  for  five 
years  being  112.151,B01'C7,  to  which,  if  added  the  value 
of  freegraut^  of  timber  amounting  to  Kt2,005T8,  will 
give  atotnl  of  E2,17:!,806'8,5.  And  if  from  the  total  ex- 
penditure for  the  live  yeai's,  viz.,  112,199,6;55'37,  is  de- 
ducted the  amount  expended  for  buildings,  surveys, 
demarcation,  Ac.,  viz.,  R205,82G'74,  the  total  expendi- 
ture would  be  reduced  to  R1.998,808'()3,  thus  sliowiug  a 
balance  in  favour  of  the  Department  of  R174,998'22  for 
the  five  years. 
New  Products  and  Retirement  oe  a 
Pioneer. — We  call  attention  to  tlie  interesting 
l)iiragi'a])h  headed  “ Matale  ” witli  the  announce- 
ment tliat  Mr.  Munton  lias  leased  his  Wiliara- 
gama  property  to  Mr.  (lordoii  Reeves  and  part- 
ners. Tills  jiractically  means  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Munton  from  a long-coiitiiined  series  of  ex- 
periments, struggles  and  successes  with  new  jiro- 
dnets.  Who  Speaks  in  Matale  now  of  coconuts 
and  arecannts  as  new  products— or  of  aniotlo,  ceara 
rnhher,  castil'oa  and  p.ara,  cloves,  nutmegs,  the 
sowing  of  sapaii,  lunumidella,  vanilla,  iicpper  ami 
plantains  forsooth? — Cocoa,  Jjiberian  coll'ee  and 
marogogipe? — and  yet  for  all  of  these,  in  his  day, 
Mr.  Munton  has  been  accounted  an  “eccentric” 
but  never  a “genius”  ! Nevertlieless  how  much 
valuable  pioneering  has  he  not  done  ; while  the  re- 
membrance of  many  failures  and  dislieartenments 
in  the  struggle  witli  le.af -disease  iloes  not,  we  feel 
sure,  prevent  his  present  giving  up  of  the  Matale 
property  being  any  less  a wrencli.  Wiharagama  is 
on  the  Siuliiganga,  not  many  hundred  yards  from 
where  Mr.  Munton  first  crossed  the  river  on 
horse-back  in  August  1859  ; hut  tlie  estate  was 
not  purchased  hy  him  until  about  18  years  ago. 
Mr.  Munton’s  previous  purchase  was  Lochnagar 
in  Nortli  Matale,  also  a vety  prulitahle  invest- 
ment. M'o  can  all  see  now  that  the  resolute 
sticking  to  ii  nv  products  was  in  liyegone  days 
and  e\’en  1111  till  today,  a real  and  comiiiendahle 
elloit;  hut  in  tlie  “se\onties”  and  early 
“eigliLies”  cliielly  .so, — as  the  struggle  tlieii  was 
fn“(|iienlly  a gliastly  one.  All  lioininr  to  Mr. 
Munton  and  further  success  to  Mr.  Cordon 
Reeves, 
