328 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov.  T,  1895. 
Planting  in  North  Borneo.— The  August  crop 
from  the  Byte  Coffee  Estate  was  piculs  33.35.  Some 
ripe  cocoa  pods  were  also  gathered.— Aor//i  Borneo 
Herald,  Sept.  16. 
North  Borneo  Cotton.— A sample  of  Dusun  cotton 
was  picked  last  month  at  Looug  Piasow  after  being 
subject  to  two  or  three  days  rain  when  ripe;  the 
sample  was  sent  to  Hongkong  and  is  reported  as  being 
of  “fine  quality,  long  staple,  very  clean,  free  from 
seeds,  and  of  good  colour.”  It  is  valued  at  184—19 
per  picul  as  against  a quotation  at  the  same  date  of 
China  cotton  174  to  19i  and  Indian  at  14-16.— Ibid. 
The  “Agricultural  Gazette”  of  New  South  Wales 
Vol.  VI.  Part  8 for  August,  1895  has  for  contents; — 
Honey  ; Its  Composition  and  Adulteration — F B 
Guthrie  ; The  Honey  Bee — Foul  Brood — K.  Helms  ; 
Bee-keeping — The  Inmates  and  Economy  of  the  Hive 
— The  Queen  Bee — Albert  Gale  ; Irrigation — H G 
McKinney ; Harvesting  in  California — J Martin ; 
Fruits  to  Export  and  How  to  Export  Them — A II 
Benson ; Comparative  Experiments  with  Sugar 
Beets — G Valder  ; Poultry  Notes — S Gray  ; Practical 
Vegetable  and;  Flower  Growing — Directions  for  the 
month  of  September  ; Orchard  Notes  for  September  ; 
General  Notes — Cure  of  Black  Spot  ; Gamming  in 
Lemcfn  Trees  ; Sending  Specimens  to  Department  ; 
Agricultural  Societies’  Shows,  1895. 
Electricity  Sent  to  a Distance.— Electric 
power  transmission  for  a tlistance  of  105  miles  is 
proposed  by  tlie  Kern  Kiver&  Los  Angeles  Elec- 
tric Power  Co.,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  Mr.  H. 
Hawgood,  M.  Inst.  C.  E.,  is  the  Consulting  En- 
gineer, and  lie  now  has  a party  in  the  field  se- 
lecting the  most  feasible  route  for  the  transmis- 
sion line  between  Kern  liiver  and  Los  Angeles. 
The  scheme  contemplates  the  develo]iment  and 
transmission  of  from  10,000  to  40,000  H.P.  The 
plant  recently  installed  at  Fol.som,  Cal.,  generates 
about  G,200  H.P.,  and  transmits 5,000  II.  P.  to  Sacia- 
mento,  a distance  of  U)  miles,  at  a tension  of  11,000 
volts.  — Engineerin(j  News. 
Breaking  a Monopoly.— With  reference  to  the  re- 
port that  the  Travancore  Government  has  decided 
to  abolish  the  cardamom  monopoly  against  which 
the  planting  community  has  been  agitating  for  years 
past,  the  Western  Star  states,  that  although  the  Go- 
vernment contemplated  the  abolition  of  the  monopoly, 
it  has  been  strongly  advised  against  giving  effect 
to  its  intention,  as  it  would  be  practically  impos- 
sible to  assess  each  holding  correctly.  It  would 
therefore  be  the  source  of  regular  loss  to  the  Go- 
vernment, and  this,  our  contemporary  learns,  has 
been  satisfactorily  explained  to  H.  H.  the  Maharajah. 
The  cardamom  gardens  were  all  surveyed  last  year, 
and  a regular  assessment  will  be  fixed  on  each  hold- 
ing, which  it  is  expected,  will  amount  to  the  average 
income  obtained  by  the  Government  from  this  source. 
^Indian  Engineer. 
The  “Indian  Forester  ” for  September,  1895  has 
the  follow'ing  contents  : — Original  Articles  and  Transla- 
tions— The  Chemistry  and  Physiology  of  foliage  leaves 
by  Dr.  Leather ; The  Cause  of  the  dripping  of 
Water  from  Forest  Trees;  A Note  on  Ceroplastes 
Ceriferus  (white  insect  w'ax),  by  E.  Stebbing  ; How 
to  get  rid  of  blight.  Correspondence — Privileges  and 
Ri^ts,  letter  from  B.  H.  B.-P. ; Seeding  of  the 
Thorny  Bamboo,  letter  from  M Kuppusawmy  Chetty ; 
Jadoo  fibre  : plants  without  earth,  letter  from  A W 
Peet.  Official  Papers  and  Intelligence— Budget  Esti- 
mates of  the  Poorest  Department  for  1895-96  ; A Note 
on  Plant  Assimilation  of  Nitrogen,  by  Dr.  J W 
Leather  ; Peculiarities  in  the  distribution  of  certain 
Indian  Leguminosoe,  by  Dr.  G Watt.  Reviews— 
Annual  Forest  Administration  Reports  of  Assam  and 
the  Central  Provinces,  for  1893-94;  Report  on  Re- 
venue Administration  in  the  Central  Provinces  for 
1893-94  ; Report  on  the  Botanical  and  Afforestation 
Department,  Hongkong,  for  1894 ; Report  of  the 
Agricultural  Chemist  to  the  Government  of  India  for 
1893-94.  Extracts,  Notes  and  Queries— Man-am  Grass 
in  Australia;  Wood-pulp  Mosaics  ; Chemical  Wood- 
nip;  Woodlands  in  Sussex.  Timber  and  Produce 
radei  J3xtracts  from  Official  Gazettes. 
The  Possibilities  of  the  Cow-Pea.— A planter  who 
was  aware  of  our  interest  in  the  subject  of  green-man- 
uring has  drawn  our  attention  to  the  cow-pea.  This 
lant  certainly  has  a future  before  it  in  our  coffee 
istricts,  judging  from  the  excellent  work  it  has  ac- 
complished elsewhere.  Some  years  ago  a few  plants 
were  casually  inti-oduced  in  Queensland,  where  its 
value  was  promjitly  appreciated.  Now  it  covers  the 
best  part  of  that  province,  where  it  is  utilized  in  a 
three-fold  manner,  the  most  important  of  which  is 
manuring  the  heavily-taxed  sugar-cane  fields.  It  can 
also  be  used  as  fodder  for  cattle,  and  the  seeds  form 
a valuable  food  for  man.  It  can  give  two  crops  a 
year.  It  has  been  cultivated  between  perennial 
plants  and  trees  with  the  most  satisfactory 
results.  The  yield  off  one  acre  is  put  down 
as  giving  almost  four  thousand  pounds  of  oi'ganic 
matter,  which  again  yields  very  nearly  65  pounds 
of  nitrogen.  We  should  like  particulars  of  this  plant, 
as  its  double  value  for  forage  and  green-manuring 
makes  it  take  a front  place  in  the  list  of  leguminous 
plants,  our  indigenous  plants  being  mostly  poisonous 
to  cattle. — Planting  Opinion. 
The  Tea  in  Lool  Con  dura  : The  olde.st  con- 
tinuously crotred  FIELDS  IN  Ceylon  ;- Weare 
very  pleased  to  have  the  following  corrobora- 
tive report  from  Mr.  J.  N.  Cani]iliell,  Manager 
of  the  Oriental  Estates  Com|)any  Limited  : — 
23rd.  Sept.— The  oldest  tea  on  Lool  Condera  viz. 
the  China  Jat  tea  planted  along  the  road  sides  is  now 
29  years  old,  and  the  oldest  field  20  acres  of  Assam 
Hybrid  is  27  years  old.  There  is  also  a field  of  80  acres 
of  tea  now  about  23  years  old.  The  whole  of  this  100 
acres  was  planted  in  virgin  forest  at  an  elevation  of 
nearly  5,000  feet  and  it  Is  now  as  healthy  and  vigorous 
as  ever  and  continues  to  give  a fairly  good  crop. 
This  report  and  that  of  Mr.  Bonner,  are  of 
interest  and  value  to  the  entire  tea  planting 
community  in  Ceylon.  How  often,  in  the  early 
day.s  have  our  Indian  planting  visitors  come 
back  to  us  from  the  Gampola  and  Dimbula  dis- 
tricts with  the  cry  : — “ Oh  yes,  the  show  is 
fine  ; but  it  is  not  going  to  last;  a dozen  years 
or  so  will  see  these  fields  worlced  out ;” — and  here 
are  fields  no  better  than  the  average,  still  yield- 
ing well  and  looking  \ igorous  after  2.3  to  20  years  ! 
Yatiantotta,  3rd  Oct.- Last  week  brought  us  a 
spell  of  fine  planting  weather,  and  those  with  plant- 
ing or  supplying  to  do  have  taken  due  advantage. 
Now  we  are  having  bright  mornings  with  wet  after- 
noons and  occasionally  the  Peak  standing  out  clear 
and  distinct.  Does  this  mean  the  North-east  mon- 
soon ? It  cannot  now  I think  be  far-off.  What  I 
have  seen  of  tea  in  the  district  looks  very  well.  The 
oldest  opened  fields  look  as  well  as  they  have  done 
any  time  for  the  last  ten  years.  Of  course  here  as 
on  upcouutry  estates  there  are  thin  poor  ridges 
which  are  always  more  or  less  backward  and  as  the 
surrounding  bushes  expand  they  give  to  the  casual 
observer  the  impression  that  the  bushes  on  the 
thin  ridges  are  falling-off.  The  same  inequality  of 
growth  and  spread  of  bush  takes  place  upcouutry, 
but  the  development  of  the  more  favoured  bushes  bi?ing 
slower  the  contrast  is  less  xironounced.  Referring 
to  the  question  of  weeds.  It  is  not  likely  that  we 
will  ever  attempt  growing  weeds  along  with  the  tea 
at  least  vei’y  generally ; but  the  other  day  I noticed 
a small  field  of  tea,  on  the  bank  of  the  Kelaui  Ganga 
with  a complete  surface  of  grass  such  as  grows  any 
where  from  hero  to  Colombo.  The  tea  belongs  to 
a native  and  is  about  eight  or  ten  years  old.  It 
had  been  lately  pruned  and  looked  quite  healthy  in 
spite  of  the  grass.  No  doubt  it  would  prevent  wash 
and  protect  the  roots  from  the  sun.  At  another 
point  on  the  river  I saw  a clearing,  or  rather  planta- 
tion of  arocanuts  (grown  trees)  with  the  space  between 
planted  with  tea  which  looked  quite  healthy  though 
without  much  spread. — I think  local  Postmasters 
might  use  more  despatch  in  receiving  letters  after 
the  ai'rival  of  the  mails  and  keep  the  receiving  box 
open  later  before  time  of  departure.  Fancy,  closing 
the  receiving  box  half  an-hour  before  the  advertised 
time  of  departure.— 1 notice  one  or  two  cultivators 
have  commenced  harvesting  kuri-akkan. 
