THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
265 
Oct.  I,  1895.J 
Hero,  said  be,  is  Don  \Vandeioo  Hamy  again  sell- 
ing U8  0,000  bushels  good  garden  parchment  at  Is 
less  per  bushel  than  tiie  limit  sent  to  our  branch  a 
week  ago  and  at  which  the  idiots  aro  as  yet  unable 
to  operate ! 
Tne  matter  attracted  some  notice  at  the  time  and 
a Commission  was  talked  ot  whicii  I was  invited  to 
join,  out  it  came  to  little  and  soon  after  this  it,  more 
ii.siuiuus  t nemy  to  coffee  absoroed  our  atLention. 
Don  Waiiueroo  Hamy  is  dead  and  gone  to  the 
laud  of  ins  fatners ; Out  he  has  ieit  a marvel- 
lously proiillc  and  feaifiuiy  uegenerate  progeny  around 
Kauuy . 
INo  evidence  of  stealing! 
Let  me  in  the  plainest  possii.le  language  tell  my 
uuauorned  tale ; i have  only  been  in  tlio  island 
about  tliree  months  at  this  tune  ; but  my  experience 
has  alas  ! been  ample  to  quality  me  as  a tirst-class 
witness. 
lUy  lir.-.t  taste  was  from  a ‘•Contractor”  who  got 
heav)  auvances  and  unuer  the  impudent  pretence  of 
Clearing  lor  plaiun,g,  carted  oH  ana  soiu  ail  llie 
tiinner,  then  bolicu  with  all  the  esiato  tools  and 
nesei  more  was  ueaiu  Ox,  leaving  tlio  uOi'ay  to  pre- 
pare me  grouiiu  for  planting  as  iie  eesl  coUid. 
Cur  spexiai  caie  alia  pride  Was,  liowever,  our  nur- 
sery ol  the  hiiest  jat  which  we  watched  over  and 
watered  with  teiiuerest  solicitude  till  the  rains  came 
when  ho,  lor  planting  out! 
Imagine  if  you  can,  our  exasperation  at  this 
stage,  to  find  that  during  one  moonlight  night  the 
the  whole  of  the  available  plants  disaxipeared,  nobody 
was  supposed  to  know  how  or  whitlier. 
Not  to  be  baffied  by  this  we  at  once  sot  to  work 
to  purchase  and  germinate  the  best  seed  obtainable 
for  the  purpose  of  pila-nting  at  stake  ; but  on  taking 
a quiet  walk  last  Sunday  evening  I found  one  estate 
coolie  had  been  caught  carrying  off  germinated  seed. 
On  hfeariug  this  I returned  to  the  bungalow  and  sat 
down  to  dinner  in  no  very  thankful  or  Christian 
spirit. 
“Boy  1 “What  is  the  matter  with  the  curry  tonight  ?” 
“ No  coconut  sar.”  “Then  tclti/  not  coconut  ? Are  lUO 
trees  not  enough  to  supply  you  ” “ Only  koorumbas, 
sar,  thieves  take  all  ripe  nuts.” 
Well  : i wouldn’t  like  to  write  down  all  I said  and 
thougiit  on  this  occasion.  I plead  indigestion, 
and  hope  for  pardon.  1 do  not  blame  anybody  in 
purticuiar — except  the  devil,  who  seems  peculiarly 
at  home  in  ti,is  warm  island.  Least  of  all  do  i blame 
trie  xxieseut  very  able  and  paiiistakiiig  P.M.  who  vigo- 
rously endeavours  to  do  the  best  that  can  be  done 
with  such  poor  effete  and  pointless  tools  as  are  at 
his  command  ; but  pray  do  not  drive  me  desperate 
by  languidly  sa3'ing,  there  is  no  evidence  of  stealing  ! 
Nor  blame  me  if  i adopt  the  lemccly  recommended 
by  ll.B.T.  It  may  be  rough,  it  may  be  risky,  but 
meanwhile  it  seems  the  only  feasible  protection  for 
honest  industry. 
PLANTING  AND  PRODUCE. 
Jap.\nese  Te.\. — In  his  oflicial  report  on  the  trade 
of  Tokio  for  181M  Mr.  Consul  Troup  says  : “ The 
tea  export  of  last  year  amounted  to  lb., 
as  against  •2d,7dU,b9;i  lb.  in  189li.  On  the  whole,  the 
quantity  of  tea  exported  from  here  does  not  vary 
greatly  from  year  to  year.  Tlie  market  tor  new 
teas  opened  tow'ards  the  latter  part  of  April,  and 
a large  biismess  was  done  during  llie  following 
three  moiitlis.  The  quality  of  the  crop  was  supe- 
rior to  mat  of  l«yil,  ana  saver  prices  have  ruled 
from  ‘20  per  cent  to  ‘2o  per  cent  higner  than 
ill  that  year.  The  fall  in  excUaiige,  however, 
has  admitted  of  the  tea  being  laid  down  in 
the  American  market  at  lower  gold  prices.  An 
impression  appears  to  have  prevailed  there  that 
the  outbreak  of  the  war  between  tne  two  countries 
would  interlere  with  the  export  of  tea  from  both 
China  and  Japan.  This  has  ccriamly  not  been  the 
case  as  tar  as  tnis  country  is  concerned,  but  this 
notion,  together  with  the  more  favourable  conditions 
existing  in  the  United  States,  contributed  to  stimulate 
the  export  during  the  autumn  mouths.  The  result 
yyas  that  considerable  profits  were  realised,  and  the 
causes  above  enumerated  have  made  the  year  a good 
ono  for  both  exporters  and  producers.  Stocks  here 
at  the  end  of  the  year  were  low,  mostly  of  inferior 
qualities,  .and  very  dear. — 11.  & C,  Mail 

THE  AMSTERDAM  MARKET. 
August  ‘22nd. 
At  the  cinchona  auctions,  which  will  be  held  in 
this  city  011  August  2',)th  (writes  our  correspondent), 
(i,r)21  bales  and  151  cases,  weighing  together  600,510 
kilos,  will  be  offered  for  sale.  The  manufacturing 
portion  of  this  bark  consists  of  585,651  kilos,  with  an 
equivalent  of  29,63‘J  kilos  of  sulphate  of  quinine  (5'06 
per  cent),  the  druggists’  hark  of  14,889  kilos,  contain- 
ing about  347  kilos  of  quinine. — Chemist  and  Dnigyist, 
» 
TEA  BLIGHTS  AN  D INSECTICIDES. 
The  following  letter  from  Dr.  Watt,  dated  the  6th 
of  July,  was  read  at  the  Sixth  Annual  Meeting  of 
the  General  Committee  of  the  Assam  Branch  of  the 
Tea  Asaociation  : — 1 regret  to  say  that  I am  not  in 
a position  at  present  to  give  the  Association  any 
very  definite  statement  of  my  investigations.  So  far 
I have  found,  not  three  or  four,  but  perhaps  over 
100  blights,  the  majority  of  which  aro  at  present  of 
no  serious  moment.  Ono  or  two  are,  however,  very 
important,  and  certain  of  the  others  might  suddenly 
assume  alarming  proportions.  I think  it  therefore 
essential  that  every  enemy  of  the  tea  bush  should 
be  thoroughly  investigated. 
ADHATOD.V  VASICA. 
A.  special  feature  of  my  visit  to  Assam  was  to  in- 
quire into  the  value  of  Adhatoda  Vasica  as  an  insec- 
ticide. So  far  I have  found:  (1)  That  the  value  of 
the  plant  as  an  insecticide  varies  greatly  according 
to  the  climate  and  nature  of  the  soils  on  which  it 
has  been  grown — richer  in  dry  hot  climates  and  poor 
soils  than  when  allowed  to  run  into  large  vigorous 
plants  in  damp  rich  soils.  (2)  That  as  found  in 
Assam  it  does  not  appear  to  kill  mosquito,  though 
it  undoubtedly  stupifies  the  insects.  I have,  how- 
ever, met  a few  planters  who  speak  highly  of  Adhatoda 
in  the  treatment  of  mosquito,  and  1 mention  this 
circumstance  since  my  personal  experiments  have 
not  proved  very  satisfactory.  (3)  It  kills  red  spider 
as  also  not  of  the  minute  insect  pests. 
These  results  are  not,  therefore,  so  far  very  en- 
couraging, but  I would  caution  the  Association  from 
rushing  to  the  opposite  extreme,  viz.,  that  it  is  value- 
less. We  have  much  to  learn  as  to  how  we  should 
grow  the  plant,  when  it  should  be  cut  and  the  way 
in  which  the  insecticide  should  be  prepared.  I 
hold  as  strongly'  to  iny  original  opinion  now, 
as  I ever  did,  that  we  possess  in  Adhatoda  an 
insecticide  of  con.“iderable  value.  It  costs  nothing 
more  than  the  labour  of  using  it.  The  infusion 
possesses  distinct  manurial  merit.  It  is  quite  harm- 
less. I would  not  therefore  abandon  experimenting 
with  it  till  wo  have  conclusively  demonstrated  that 
it  is  less  valuable  thau  other  insecticides,  the  merits 
of  which  more  than  compensate  for  their  expense. 
an  ENEJIV  OE  I’URE  JAT  TEAS. 
The  members  of  the  Association  will  doubtless 
admit  that  it  is  a very  general  experience  that  pure 
Assam  jats  of  tea  are,  as  a rule,  pale  yellowish  green 
in  colour  and  flush  late.  When  this  yellowness 
becomes  abnormally  high  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is 
not  natural.  The  leaves  get  in  addition  a pinkish 
tinge  and  later  are  bronzed,  become  spotted,  dry 
and  unhealthy  looking ; the  bush  is  also  baiigled. 
This  is  especially  common  on  badly  drained  soils,  or 
during  exceptionally  hot  seasons,  and  on  dry  exposed 
situations.  I have  found  that  when  these  conditions 
occur  (say  in  April  and  May,)  such  leaves  are 
covered  with  a very  minute  parasite  that  belongs 
to  the  family  of  mites.  So  far  as  I can  discover 
this  pest  is  new  to  the  literature  of  Assam  blights. 
I do  not  say  that  it  is  exclusively  the  cause  of  the 
paleness  in  the  Assam  nlaut  (for  it  is  naturally  pale 
cploui’ed),  but  simply  that  I have  uevef  eeeu  verv  - 
