THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Dec.  2,  1895. 
41 2 
Unfortunately,  however,  in  too  many  instances, 
such  manure,  which  has  entailed  a large  outlay  to 
make,  is  allowed  to  remain  several  months  before 
being  applied.  Large  sums  of  money  have  been  spent 
by  proprietors  in  the  erection  of  expensive  cattle- 
sheds,  in  the  purchase  of  cattle  and  cake;  and  yet. 
when  the  manure  has  been  made,  it  is  left  rotting 
in  a heap,  sometimes  entirely  exposed  to  the  com- 
bined action  of  sun  and  rai)i,  and  nearly  always 
liable  to  depreciation  by  drainage.  I regret  to  state 
it,  but  frequently  during  my  tour  did  I notice  a dark 
stream  wending  its  way  from  the  manure  heap  to 
the  nearest  watercourse.  It  is  unnecessary  to  point 
out  that  such  dark  fluid  contains  most  valuable  ferti- 
lising constituents.  Voelcker.  in  his  capital  paper  011 
“Farm-yard  Manure,”  mentions  that  the  drainings 
of  dung-heaps  are  more  valuable  than  the  urine  of 
domestic  animals,  such  as  the  cow.  horse,  piig.  c^c. 
Coolies  probably  dislike  carrying  manure  for  many 
reasons,  and  it  requires  considerable  energy  on  the 
part  of  the  resident  Superintendent  to  carry  out  this 
application  of  cattle  manure  at  regular  and  frequent 
intervals. 
TK.\  IX  AMERICA. 
New  Yoitiv,  Oct.  !». 
There  is'  no  improvement  in  the  demand  for  in- 
voices. Xew  crop  Moyimc  Greens  are  here  and 
show  very  good  cup  quality,  but  in  style  of  leaf 
are  a trifle  deticiont.  They  bring  very  high  prices, 
owing  to  small  supiply.  Low  grade  Jaijans  are  very 
firmly  held  ; also  low  grade  Blacks  i)articularly 
Foruiosas.  On  everything  else  it  is  a buyer's  mar- 
ket. India  and  Ceylon  tea  is  growing  in  favour. 
The  aggressiveness  and  persistency  of  the  cam- 
paign to  introduce  these  teas  is  bearing  fruit  in  an 
enlarged  demand.  One  cannot  help  hut  admire 
the  pluck  and  courage  of  Ceylon  and  Indian  planters 
in  pushing  for  a market  in  this  country. 
Today  at  noon  the  Montgomery  Auction  and 
Commission  Company  will  sell  8,219  packages  of 
teas,  viz 817  half-chests  Moyune,  new  season’s 
;i,r)08  boxes  Pingsuey,  new  season’s ; 8i>  half-chests 
Japan,  new  season’s  ; 189  half-chests  Congou,  in- 
cluding new  season’s;  7t>  packages  India,  Java  and 
Ceylon;  510  half-chests  and  boxes  Amoy;  U25  lialf- 
chests  Foochow ; 2,108  half-chests  and  boxes  For- 
mosa, including  “ Fancy  ” invoice,  seasons  1895-90. — 
American  Oroccr. 
TEA  AND  ROADS  IN  THE  WVNAAD. 
Oii.icut-Gudaiaiu  Hoad. — Extract  from  letter  from 
the  Honorary  Seci'etary,  "Wynaad  Planters’  Associa- 
tion, to  the  Chief  Secretary  to  Government  dated 
24th  Septembor  ISO:')  to  which  no  answer  has  as  yet 
been  received. 
With  regard  to  para  0,  the  Executive  Engineer 
states : — “ With  regard  to  the  coffee  industry  I believe 
that  many  of  the  estates  have  been  abandoned  and 
that  the  traffic  along  these  roads  is  small  and  light 
compared  to  that  anticipated  when  the  improvements 
to  these  roads  was  first  commenced.”  1 am  again 
instructed  to  question  the  accuracy  of  this  statement. 
As  a matter  of  fact  the  great  abandonment  of  coffee 
estates  occurred  before  1885  when  very  low  prices 
for  their  produce  prevented  planters  from  coping  with 
leaf  disease.  In  1885  the  price  began  to  rise  again 
and  since  then  we  doubt  if  there  has  been  any 
falling  off  in  the  Coffee  trade  (except  yearly  fluctu- 
ations; and  at  the  present  moment  the  abandoned 
coffee  estates  are  gradually  being  planted  up  with 
tea  (as  has  been  done  so  successfully  in  Ceylon)  and 
prosperity  is  fast  returning  to  the  district. 
In  para  7 of  the  Executive  Engineer’s  report  he 
says:— “I  do  not  think  they  would  have  mucli  dilfi- 
cu'lty  in  maintaining  these  roads,  now  that  they  have, 
been  thoioughly  made  in  an  eflicient  state  for  light 
traffic.  " We  would  point  out  that  the  Executive 
Engineer  speaks  only  of  light  traffic  and  lie  makes 
no  mention  of  the’ very  large  timlier  trade  which 
has  sprung  up  since  the  road  was  constructed  from 
the  foot  of  the  ghaut  [28th  milestone  1 into  Calicut 
which  cau  certainly  not  be  termed  light  traffic. 
We  venture  therefore  to  submit  that  the  statemeut 
of  the  case  by  the  Executive  Engineer,  West  Coast 
Division,  is  not  verified  by  facts  and  we  further  ven- 
ture to  state  that  the  circumstances  in  existence 
when  the  road  was  commenced  are  in  existence  now, 
and  that  the  traffic  along  the  road  has  not  dimi- 
nished during  the  last  few  years  and  will  now  steadily 
iucrciise  owing  to  the  tea' trade. 
ECHOES  OF  SCIENCE. 
The  *\mericau  “ snow  plant  of  tlie  Sierra.s  ’’ 
(Sarcodes  sanguinea),  which  rears  its  tliick  .sub- 
tro])ical  sjiike  of  red  (lowers  out  of  the  snow,s 
of  t!ie  mountains  is,  according  to  Mr.  Meehan, 
an  American  ))hysiologist,  wlio  lias  specially 
studied  it,  not  a [lara.site  (like  the  Balanophores. 
uhicli  it  resemliles),  but  a sajirophyte  : that  is 
to  say,  it  is  nourished  by  dead  organic  matters. 
It  is  an  annual,  germinating  on  the  radicles  of 
conifers,  but  afterwanls  drawing  its  fooil  from 
the  groumi,  into  which  it  thrusts  very  deeply. 
Ladybirds  are  .sometimes  killed  by  persons  ig- 
norant that  they  are  a good  friend  to  the  gar- 
dener, liecause  they  eat  small  vermin.  The 
dragon-lly,  or  “ needle  case,”  is  another  useful 
insect,  wiiicli  is  killed  in  some  districts  under  the 
belief  that  it  has  a sting.  He  is  an  enemy  of  house 
and  other  Hies. 
Mr.  Walter  Hough  recommends  the  following 
eomjiosition  for  preser\ing  specimens  of  natural 
history  from  the  attacks  of  insects  : — .qTU  grains 
of  a saturated  solution  of  arsenic  acid,  .570  grains 
of  essence  of  iietroleum,  140  gr.ains  of  alcohol  at 
9.5°  of  proof,  I grain  of  phenic  .acid,  and  1 gr.ain 
of  a 10  percent,  .solution  of  strychnine.  — Globe. 
Dr.  Rackhau.s’s  .irtilicial  human  milk  is  cow 
milk  caiefully  and  cleanly  collected,  then  fer- 
mented by  rennet.  T'lie  serum  produced  is  steri- 
lised and  cream  added  according  to  the  quality 
of  “ human  ” milk  required.  Dr.  Backhaus 
strongly  recommends  dairies  to  sterilise  their  milk 
before  sending  it  out  to  customers.  To  show 
the  importance  of  cleanliness  in  preparing  milk, 
Herr  Baekliaus  states  that  the  inhabitants  of 
Berlin  eonsume  .500  cwt  of  cow -dung  with  their 
milk  every  day. 
Some  of  the  shade  trees  in  Ameiican  cities 
are  being  killed  by  electricity.  American  electri- 
cians are  far  from  being  jis  tiily  and  scientilic  in 
their  operations  .as  British  or  Gontinental  ones, 
and  it  is  c.ommon  enough  for  them  to  run  wires 
through  the  trees.  The  result  is  that  in  wet 
weather  the  electricity  escapes  from  the  wire  .and 
destroys  the  tree.  On  the  other  hand,  weeds 
aie  now  killed  on  American  lailw.ay  tracks  by 
watering  them  and  giving  them  a powerful  shock 
of  electricity. 
THE  MERGUl  REARL  ELSH FRIES. 
As  a result  of  the  report  made  by  the  Queensland 
expert  on  the  Pearl  Fisheries  in  Mergiii,  a batch  of 
thirty  .Japanese  pearl  fishers  have  been  engaged  by 
the  Burma  Government  for  employment  there.  The 
revenue  during  the  past  year  trom  this  service  was 
B29,247.— A’.  /•'.  Peees. 
TEA  IN  WVNAAD. 
Some  correapomhmee  has  lieeu  taking  jdace  in 
i’linitiiit/  Ojtiuion  concerning  the  cost  of  production 
and  the  yield  |ior  acre  of  coffee  and  tea.  gentle- 
man, writing  over  the  nom  ih  ■iihime  of  " Wynaad," 
.stated  that  in  that  district  planters  get  tlOO  lb.  per 
acre  and  can  put  the  tea  on  the  ijondon  market  at 
•Id  per  lb.  “ Not  (juito  a Novice  ” now  writes,  in  a 
(louutiug  spirit: — If  this  is  so,  Wynaad  planters 
