Nov.  I,  1895.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURL^'H. 
bably  be  neeeed  about  one  person  to  the  acre.  Wo- 
men and  children  M'ould  siniply  this  need  to  some 
extent,  if  men  with  families  could  be  induced 
to  immigrate  and  settle  here.  If  there  should 
be  within  the  next  few  years  20,000  acres  of 
land  under  coffee  cultivation  on  Hawaii  alone, 
there  would  be  needed  in  the  picking  season, 
according  to  the  above  estimate,  nearly  20,000  labor- 
ers including  women  and  children.  According  to 
returns  received  at  the  office  of  this  Commission,  the 
number  of  laborers  employed  on  all  the  sugar  plan- 
tations on  December  31st,  1894,  was  between  20,000 
and  21,000.  Such  an  increase  in  the  coffee  acreage 
would  therefore  require,  during  part  of  each  year, 
as  many  laborers  as  are  now  employed  in  the  great 
sugar  industry  of  the  country.  The  demand  for 
laborers  on  the  coffee  plantations  is  now  readily  sup- 
plied by  the  Japanese  whose  contracts  with  the  sugar 
planters  have  expired.  The  demand  for  this  labor 
IS  as  yet  limited,  but  it  is  evident  that  with  the 
present  rate  of  increase  in  acreage  there  must  in- 
evitably develop  a competition  for  laborers  between  the 
sugar  and  coffee  planters  which  may  prove  disas- 
trous to  both,  or  may  result  in  the  irreparable  losses 
before  referred  to  as  experienced  in  Demarara  and 
the  Strait  Settlements.  There  is  no  doubt  that  in 
those  countries  the  labor  question  was  allowed  “ to 
take  care  of  itself,”  and  with  the  most  disastrous 
results.  A similar  experience  here,  caused  by  a want 
of  laborers,  might  be  regarded  as  a national  disaster 
in  more  ways  than  one.  The  subject,  therefore, 
becomes  one  of  supreme  importance  to  the  State 
and  community. 
The  Coinmi.ssioners  proceed  to  put  a valuation 
on  tlie  coffee  plantations  in  the  following  manner: — 
Regarding  the  coffee  industry  as  a source  of  Go- 
vernment revenue,  the  Commission  is  informed  that 
in  the  island  of  Ceylon,  the  coffee  plants  have,  when 
in  full  bearing,  for  some  purposes,  the  value  of  one 
dollar  a tree.  It  seems  to  the  Commission  that  the 
same  valuation  may  be  justly  placed  on  the  plants 
here,  if  the  planters  meet  with  anything  like  the 
success  they  expect.  For  purposes  of  sale  coffee  laud 
with  full  bearing  trees  upon  it,  would  be  worth 
j|(500  per  acre,  allowing  only  500  trees  to  the  acre 
and  calling  the  land  nothing.  On  this  basis  the  value 
of  20,000  acres  with  coffee  trees  in  bearing  would  be 
110,000,000,  and  at  the  present  tax  rate  of  one  per 
cent.,  if  taxed  at  that  value,  the  annual  revenue  to 
the  Government  would  be  $100,000.  This  estimate 
is,  however,  only  suggestive,  it  being  most  likely  that 
the  coffee  plantations  would  be  valued  for  purposes 
of  taxation,  at  considerably  lower  figures.  The  annual 
product  of  the  crop  from  the  moderate  area  named, 
allowing  800  trees  to  the  acre,  which  is  less  than  the 
average,  would  be,  at  one  pound  to  the  tree,  16,000,000 
pounds,  which,  at  the  price  of  fifteen  cents  per  pound, 
would  amount  to  $2,400,000,  or  about  one-third  the 
value  of  the  present  sugar  crop.  This  gross  return 
of  $2,400,000  would  give,  if  equally  divided,  $1,000 
each  to  2,400  families,  or  $500  each  to  4,800  families. 
Estimating  four  persons  to  the  family,  it  appears 
that  nearly  20,000  persons  could  derive  a comfortable 
living  from  this  moderate  acreage,  and  with  more 
comfort  than  the  average  moderate  farmer  in  the 
United  States  is  able  to  get.  The  value  of  other 
home  products  is  not  here  taken  into  account.  Small 
independent  proprietors  would  produce  for  their  own 
consumption,  and  by  their  own  labor,  vegetables, 
fruits,  poultry,  and  meats,  the  value  of  which  should 
be  added  to  the  income  from  the  coffee  crop.  The 
value  of  these  products,  even  if  not  sold,  is  of  great 
importance  in  the  economy  of  life.  This  estimate, 
if  correct,  shows  again  the  importance  and  value  of 
this  industry  in  reconstructing  the  social  and  political 
situation  in  the  Islands.  If  twenty  thousand  acres 
of  land  should  be  successfully  placed  under  coffee 
cultivation  within  the  next  two  or  three  years,  there 
is  no  reason  why  30,000  or  60,000  acres  more  should 
not  be  put  under  cultivation  at  no  distant  period. 
No  article  known  in  the  world’s  trade  as  a staple 
article,  saleable  in  all  markets,  has  been  up  to  the 
present  time  produced  in  these  Islands,  besides 
sugar  and  rice.  The  production  of  coffee  now  adds 
{bnother  staple  article, 
323 
The  Report  goe.s  on  to  deal  with  tlie  labour 
question  in  detail.  It  is  a question  of  wdiether 
occidental  or  oriental  countries  are  to  be  ta))))ed 
for  ^ labour  supjily.  Sentiment,  it  is  stated,  is 
against  eastern  labour,  a fact  which  by  no  means 
siniplihes  tlie  position. 
INDIAN  GOVERNMENT  BOTANICAL 
GARDENS  NEAR  MUSSOOREE. 
We  have  received  a copy  of  the  report  of  the 
progress  of  the  Government  Botanical  Gardens  at 
Saharanpur,  Mussooree.  The  financial  results  are 
satisfactory  and  considerable  work  has  been  done  in 
the  way  of  improvement  The  Garden  still  continues 
to  supply  the  Medical  Department  with  drugs,  but 
the  demand  during  the  year  was  less  than  usual. 
The  Ceylon  medical  stores  are  at  present  doing 
something  in  the  way  of  preparing  ointments,  tin^- 
ures,  &c.,  by  which  a considerable  saving  is  no 
doubt  being  effected,  and  the  idea  of  “growing” 
some  of  their  own  drugs  might  with  advantage  he 
borrowed  from  North-West  India.  We  note  that 
there  is  a good  sale  of  fruit  from  the  Gardens,  as 
much  as  Rl,306  having  been  realized  during  the  past 
year.  The  American  Dewberry  is  again  reported  to 
give  excellent  results,  but  we  have  not  yet  heard 
of  the  plants  at  the  Hakgala  Gardens  or  those  with  Mr. 
J . W.  Ebert  at  Demetegoda,  as  bearing  fruit.  Mention 
is  made  of  the  introduction  of  the  “ Red  Ceylon  Peach” 
into  the  Gardens  from  Florida,  which  however,  turns 
out  to  be  no  stranger  to  Saharanpur.  The  report 
mentions  the  despatch  of  cow  pea  seed  to  the 
Superintendent  of  the  Colombo  School  of  Agri- 
cultrrre,  who  has  already  reported  in  his  “ Agricul- 
tural Magazine ’’—see  file  of  Tropical  Aqnculttirist 
—of  the  success  of  his  trials.  Sisal  'Hemp  is 
stated  to  be  making  excellent  progress,  growing  on 
raised  embankments.  Regarding  Teosinte,  another 
fodder  plant  successfully  introduced  into  Colombo  by 
the  Superintendent  of  the  School  of  Agriculture,  and 
grown  at  the  School  and  a few  other  places,  we  are 
told  “ the  plant  yields  a nutritious  and  excellent 
green  forage,  so  it  cannot  be  made  too  widely  known 
or  be  too  often  brought  to  the  notice  of  all  who  re- 
quire to  grow  forage  in  large  quantities.” 
OFFICIAL  IGNORANCE  ON  PLAN  G 
MATTERS  : 
A CLEVER  AND  ORIGINAL  SPEECH. 
The  following  speech,  which  was  delivered  by 
Mr.  J.  W.  Hocking,  of  Wynaad,  in  moving  the 
adoption  of  the  address  to  the  Viceroy  at  the 
last  general  meeting  of  the  U,  P.  A.  S.  I.,  but 
which  was  inadvertently  omitted  by  our  reporter 
deserves  publication  as  it  exemplifies  clearly  tbe 
ignorance  prevailing  on  planting  matters:— 
A great  deal  had  been  said  about  the  necessity 
of  educating  Government  to  a knowledge  of  their 
position.  He  could  give  an  excellent  instance  of  how 
one  person  had  been  educated  to  a knowledge  of  the 
planter  s position.  His  wife  was  brought  up  on 
“ Uncle  Tom’s  cabin  ” idea  that  all  planters  were 
slave  drivers.  She  had  lived  in  the  midst  of  a lare-e 
labouring  population  and,  through  continually  hear- 
ing  their  grievances,  she  became  an  ardent  Radical 
in  regard  to  improving  the  position  of  the  labour- 
ing classes.  But  she  met  with  the  same  difficulty 
plaiRers  are  met  with.  Planters  are  recommended 
by  Government  to  solve  all  their  difficulties  by  rais- 
ing  the  rate  of  pay.  Talking  over  this  subject  with 
a Radical  friend  of  h6rs,  'the  village  mason,  the 
same  difficulty  met  Mrs.  Hockin.  It  is  quite  true, 
she  said,  that  you  ought  to  have  more  wages,  but 
if  they  were  raised  higher  than  they  are  now  who 
in  this  parish  could  afford  to  employ  you  ? The  man 
scratched  his  head  and  said  That  is  so,  I never  thought 
of  that.  Apparently  the  Government  of  India  also 
had  never  thought  of  that.  Planters  had  to  make 
two  ends  meet ; they  paid  their  coolies  as  much  as 
they  could  afford  which  wRiS  a y§i’y  large  increase  QQ 
