410 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  2,  1895. 
any  '.vends,  exvc))t  foi'  tlio  i)lants  near  their  liahi- 
tations,  the  re.sult  l)eing  tliat  tlie  weeds  and  para- 
sites, increasiiijr  with  all  the  force  belonging  to 
intertropical  vegetation,  often  linish  by  sudbca- 
ting  the  whole  plantation.  In  Kalla,  as  we  are 
tohl,  the  coll'ee  shrub  reaches  a height  of  from 
three  to  live  yards.  It  begins  to  bear  fruit,  as 
in  Arabia,  ai)out  a year  or  two  after  trans- 
])lanting,  and  three  or  four  weeks  after  sowing. 
In  the  lifth  or  sixth  year  it  attains  to  the  maxi- 
mum of  lU’oduction,  and  becomes  sterile  in  the 
sixteenth  or  seventeenth  year.  In  the  Antilles 
or  in  V'enezuela  the  plant  bears  fruit  till  tbe 
thirtieth  or  fortieth  j’e.ar.  It  is  probable,  how- 
ever, says  our  informant,  that  if  the  plants  were 
j)runed  at  the  base  they  would  bear  fruit  in 
Katl’a  for  another  live  or  six  years.  Contrary  to 
the  former  authority,  already  ([uoted,  Mons. 
Massaja  says  that  the  berries  of  tbe  wild  plant 
are  somewhat  larger  than  timse  of  the  cultivated 
ones  ; sometimes  tlie  ]>od  contains  but  one  grain, 
which,  being  free  to  develop  itself  at  pleasure, 
takes  a form  almost  round,  and  is  called  Moka 
by  the  coast  merchants  from  the  resemblam^e  it 
bears  to  tlie  coffee  of  Jemen.  In  Kalla  and  the 
ad  jacent  country  the  colfee  selected  for  the  con- 
sumption of  tlie  gi'cat  dignitaries  and  the  Court 
is  preserved  for  two  or  tliree  years  in  a dry  place, 
because  tbe  older  it  is  the  more  coffee  develops 
its  aroma  and  strength.  That  which  is  destined 
for  commerce  is  sold  before  it  is  quite  dry. — 
London  ''•Standard,"  Sept.  20. 
THE  PUTUPAULA  TEA  ESTATE  CO.  LTD. 
At  the  annual  general  meeting  held  by  the 
shareholders  today,  a ilividend  at  the  rate  of  10 
per  cent  per  annum  was  decl.ared 
(From  Directors'  lieport.) 
Tea  in  bearing  . . . . 391  Aci'es 
„ „ partial  bearing  . . 30  ,, 
Liberian  Coffee  . . . . 10  ,, 
Forest  . . . . ■ • 30  ,, 
Grass  Ac.  . . . . . . 2.5  ., 
Grand  Total  SPl  Acres 
Tbe  Crop  amounted  to  132,3.S9  lb.  Tea  (against  an 
Estimate  of  110,000  lb.)  and  771  bus.  Liberian  Coffee. 
The  nett  average  sale  price  of  the  former  was 
47.30  cents  per  lb:— The  latter  realised  11182.65. 
Tbo  net  profit  for  the  year  amounted  to  R22,635  16, 
and  the  Directors  recommend  a dividend  of  10 
per  cent  for  the  year,  carrying  forwar-d  the 
balance  112,635. 16  to  the  current  year’s  accounts. 
A sum  of  lll,567'01  was  spent  in  manuring'  a por- 
tion of  the  Estate,  the  benefit  of  which  will  be  felt 
for  a year  or  two,  but  the  Directors  decided  to  include 
the  entire  amount  111  the  season’s  expenditure. 
A small  Down-draft  Sirocco  was  purchased  during 
the  year,  the  cost  of  which,  R3,520.65,  was  added  to 
Capital  Account.  A further  sum  of  1U,278.()6  was 
spent  in  putting  the  existing  Machinery  in  good 
order,  and  therefore  it  is  not  thought  necessary  to 
write  off  anything  for  depreciation  this  year,  tbe 
property'  being  W'orth  more  than  the  amount  stand- 
ing^ at  the  debit  of  Machinery  account. 
A sum  of  111,500,  has  been  allowed  for  improvements 
and  repairs  to  the  Superintendent’s  bungalow,  and 
debited  to  capital  account.  ^ 
The  estimated  crop  for  1895-1896  13  1 10,000  lb. 
Tea  on  an  estimated  outlay  on  working  account  of 
R32  390  In  addition  to  this  expenditure,  a further 
suin' estimated  at  119,110,  will  be  spent  iu  exten- 
ious,  buildings,  and  manuiing. 
VARIOUS  PLANTING  NOTES. 
I’l-  V UuhKiNC  ON  E8TATK.S.— VViLh  refenmw  to 
the  remarks  of  the  Droeer  on  tins  subject  ■ 
see  elsewherc-would  it  nob  lie  possililc  for 
our  London  contemporary  lo  get  tbe  mioniiation 
Rod  publish  the  marks  of  yllomlers  ■(  1 he  fact  of  a 
threat  of  this  kind  would  lead  to  greater  care  and 
it  might  be  found  tliat  reiiacking  in  Colombo 
(after  a local  .sale)  was  to  blame. 
The  New  Di.mhul.v  Comp.vnv,  Limited.— The 
Shareholders  in  this  Company  may  well  be  con- 
gratulated on  the  Ile|)ort  which  the  Directors 
lire.sent,  a.s  given  elsewhere.  It  is  particularly  sa- 
tisfactory to  .see  the  “ C”  shares  coming  in  for  a 
good  tlividend  after  a long  period  of  \vaiting. 
The  Company  has  undoubtedly  gob  a valuable 
projierty  and  it  is  admirably  managed. 
TiieOedDumbau.v  V. alley  will  yet  be  a grand 
coconut  ])lanting  district,  a corresjiondeut  tbinks. 
He  has  seen  “ over  1,U0U  acres  in  coconuts,  on  one 
property — a very  wuse  planting.  We'll  live  to  see 
all  the  Valley  a coconut  grove  }'et— though  cacao 
may  still  go  on  for  a number  of  years,  but  the 
lack  of  moisture  is  against  it  and  so  can’t  com- 
pete with  Trinidad  if  prices  are  to  rule  the  same.” 
CooMES  IN  CooEG. — A writer  in  Phintintj  Ojunion 
says  : — It  is  estimated  that  Coorg  gives  employment 
to  at  le.ast  30,000  Canarese  coolies  in  addition  to  the 
local  labour  and  the  labour  from  the  coast.  Of  these 
Messrs.  Matlieson  A Co.,  on  their  7,000  acres  in  the 
Bamboo,  employ  5,000  or  thereabouts  from  six  to  eight 
months  of  the  year.  The  30,000  coolies,  with  their 
maistries,  draw  some  12  to  15  lakhs  per  annura  in 
wages  very  nearly  the  whole  of  which  eventually 
reaches  Mysore  either  in  payment  of  grain  Ac.,  or  as 
surplus  income  which  the  coolies  annually  take  with 
them  to  their  country.  The  prosperity  of  Mysore  is 
thus  largely  contributed  to  by  the  province  of  Coorg. 
— df.  Standard. 
The  New  Kubber  Tree  (Sapinm  biqlandn- 
losnm)  which  Mr.  llobcrt  Thomson  found  to  be 
indigenous  in  Colombia,  South  America,  at  ele- 
vations of  from  6, Obi)  to  H,000  feet,  is  one  about 
which  we  should  like  to  hoar  some  more  and  to 
see  tbe  seeds  made  locally  available  through 
Hakg.alla  as  soon  as  possible.  We  are  quoting 
Mr.  Thomson’s  interesting  Report  on  coffee, 
cacao,  cinnamon  &c. , as  well  as  rubber  in  full 
into  our  monthly  periodical  ; bub  meantime  may 
mention  that  thousands  of  bales  of  the  rubber 
have  been  ex}iorted  from  Colombia,  bub  Mr. 
Thomson  does  not  give  the  prize  realized.  He 
states  however,  that  in  a idantabion  formed  of 
this  rubber  tree,  the  trees  grew  rapidly — trunks 
a foot  in  diameter  in  6 years.  It  should  just 
be  tiie  tree  to  try  high  up  in  Ceylon.  Respecting 
the  genus,  we  may  quote  from  the  “ Treasury 
of  Botany”  as  follows  : — 
S.vpiUM — A genus  containing  about  a score  of 
trees  or  shrubs  of  the  order  Diijdiorhiur.ac,  found 
in  the  tropics  of  both  hemispheres,  and  all  of  them 
yielding  a milky  juice,  wliich  in  some  is  very  acrid 
and  even  poisonous.  The  leaves  resemble  those  of 
the  willow,  the  popular,  or  the  laurel,  and  at  their 
point  of  union  with  the  stalk  are  furnished  with 
two  round  glands ; while  the  small  grceni'di  flowers 
are  dis[)0.sed  iu  terminal  spikes,  the  lower  portion 
bc.aring  the  fertile,  the  upper  the  sterile  llowcrs. 
P.  imliriiiii,  a w'idfily  distributed  eastern  species,  is 
known  under  the  name  of  Boroo  in  Borneo,  where, 
according  to  Mr.  Motley,  the  leaves  are  largely 
used  for  dyeing  and  staining  rotang  of  a dark  co- 
lour. The  acrid  milky  juice  produces  a burning 
sensation  like  that  from  a capsicum.  The  young  fruit 
is  acid  and  eaten  as  a condiment,  while  at  the  same 
time  the  fruit  is  one  of  the  ingredients  used  for 
poisoning  alligators.  The  ripe  fruits  are  woody  tri- 
lobcd  cap.sules,  about  an  inch  across,  with  three 
cells,  and  one  oily  seed  in  each. 
The  Milkwood  of  Jamaica,  N.  lauri/’olium,  rocoivoa 
its  name  from  the  milky  juice  which  abounds  in 
the  stem,  and  is  a source  of  annoyance  to  sawyers 
and  others  when  the  wood  is  green.  /S',  .talieifoliitni 
affords  in  Paraguay  a hark  which  is  used  instead  of 
that  of  oak  for  tanning.  Most  modern  authors 
unite  this  genus  with  StilliiKjia,  from  which  thero 
are  no  reliable  characters  to  distinguish  it.  [A.  A.B.J 
