444 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [Jan.  r,  1896. 
INDIAN  AND  CEYLON  TEA  IN  AMEEACA. 
Mr.  Mackenzie,  the  special  commissioner  for  Ceylon, 
who  is  now  in  London,  has  sent  us  tl>e  following 
particulars  referring  to  the  campaign  for  pushing 
Indian  and  Ceylon  tea  in  America: — •*  It  is  difficult 
to  say  anything  about  what  is  being  done  to  push 
Ceylon  and  Indian  tea  in  America  without  trenching 
on  other  people’s  business.  And  about  that  I have 
so  often  been  asked  to  be  discreet,  that  I think  it 
well  to  say  nothing.  “ But,  vaguely  and  generally,  I 
may  say  that  I found  much  more  interest  is  now  taken 
in  British-grown  teas  than  was  the  case  early  this 
year.  The  vigorous  efforts  a few  strong  London  firms 
have  made  to  push  their  packet  teas  appear  to 
have  convinced  American  dealers  that  ‘ contemp- 
tuous indifference  ’ is  not  the  best  attitude  to  assume 
towards  the  teas  (Ceylon  and  Indian)  chiefly  contained 
in  those  packets  ...  i ^ 
“ The  advertising  schemes  which  Mr.  Blechyndcn 
and  I propose  to  carry  out  were  somewhat  delayed 
by  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  amount  of  support  wo 
might  expect  from  Calcutta.  But  beginning  from 
December  (next  month),  short  pithy  advertisements 
are  to  appear  in  twenty-seven  periodicals  of  the 
weekly  and  monthly  order,  which  concern  themselves 
chiefly  with  ladies  and  household  matters. 
“ Besides  these,  we  advertise  in  the  principal 
trade  iournals  and  in  several  New^  York  and 
Brooklyn  Saturday  evening  papers.  \\e  have  also 
been  assisting  at  food  shows  and  in  many 
other  ways.  Half-hearted  measures  arc  of  no  use, 
and  are  merely  a grievous  waste  of  time  and  money. 
\Ve  should  strike  strongly  and  at  once.  But  unfor- 
tunately our  Indian  allies  are,  in  my  opinion,  too 
nitxaardly  with  their  funds.  Then  are  rich  enough 
an'd’  strong  enough  to  furnish  tirice  and  much  as 
Ceylon  does.  Yet  it  is  with  difficulty  that  hal/  as 
much  can  be  extracted  from  them. 
“ Several  good  firms  have  begun  to  handle  our 
teas  chiefly  because  they  have  heard  we  are  to 
assist  largely  in  pushing  them.  It  would  be  a pity 
Wfc^rc  tliGV  to  be  clislicflirtoiiGu  bccixiiSG  oi  fiiiiliUG  on 
our  part  to  do  what  they  expect  of  us.  Our  oppor- 
timitv  is  to  be  in  IH'.lfS,  and  all  our  strength  should 
be  put  forth  during  that  year.”—//.  # Mail. 
PUESEIIVATION  OF  BOOKS  IN  THE 
TROPICS. 
Tn  the  Kei'i  Bulletin,  1894,  pp.  217,218,  an  exti;act 
^ from  Indiiiti  Museuiti  \ol.  ui.  ISo. 
°”cfPS  of  insects  in  the  tropics.  On  this  subject 
thr'following  letter  has  been  received  from  Surgeon- 
Mnpral  George  Bidie,  o.i.n.,  formerly  m charge  of 
Iv,  rnvernment  Central  Mu.-eum,  .\iadras:— 
iwrv  View  Paignton,  South  Devon,  19th  March  1895. 
^ In  the  Veil)  Bulletin  for  1891,  p.  217,  there 
. .^.....indum  on  the  “Preservation  of  Books 
I®  Tropics,’’  and  I now  write  to  mention  that 
as  their  protection  from  insect  enemies  is 
the  subject  was  investigated  by  me  years 
concerned^  the  Government  Central 
Mndras.  and  the  practical  outcome  of  the 
iluseun  , ..pcorded  in  the  Museum  Annual  Reports 
p S and  for  1883  (p.  4).  Indeed.it  may 
toi  roox  +y,„  application  of  corrosive  sub- 
be  affirmed  that 
timato  devised  by  the  staff  of  the  Madras 
‘nsects  W‘  thereafter  regularly  used  for  the  books 
Museum,  public  libraries  which  it 
conShir' Before  bringing  it  into  use  it  was  carefully 
contains.  . and  papers  poisoned  with 
tested  by  P white  ants,  the  most  formidable 
"n  ^Bio  enemies  of  literature,  and  it  was  invariably 
Sat  the  articles  thus  exposed  came  out  of 
K’  o Sell  The  compoeitfou  of  the 
Medra?  P»..r..live  wa.  X-Ho™ 
Corrosive  sublimate  • • 
Carbolic  acid  (Calvert  s) 
(or  Thymol,  1 oz.) 
This^Slre*'  wa^' carefully  ‘a\id  freely  ‘applied 
With  a soft  bfush  about  the  bindings  and  ainong.st 
1 oz. 
1 oz. 
2 pints. 
the  leaves  of  the  books,  the  eyes  of  the  operator 
being  protected  with  close  fitting  goggles.  It  dried 
(piickly  and  was  perfectly  safe,  as  I have  never  seen 
or  experienced  any  disagreeable  effects  from  handling 
books  poisoned  with  it. 
IMy  impression  is  that  the  value  of  this  preser- 
vative was  made  known  to  all  public  departments 
by  Government  circulars,  but  apparently  these  never 
penetrated  so  far  as  Calcutta. — I am,  &c., 
(Signed).  G.  Bidie. 
W.  T.  Thisolton  Dyer,  Esq.,  c.m.g,,  &c.. 
Director,  Royal  Gardens,  Kew. 
COLOMBIAN  1 N D I A - R U B B E H . 
Through  H.  M.  representative  at  Bogota  (Mr.  G. 
■Tenner),  Mr.  Robert  Thompson  (who  was  for  many 
years  at  the  head  of  the  Government  Gardens  and 
Blantations  in  .Jamaica),  has  sent  hom^  a re- 
port on  the  agricultural  productions  ttf  the  department 
of  Tolima  (Colombial.  The  loUowing  is  a reference 
of  interest  to  our  readers : — “ A very  important  species 
of  Rubber  is  indigenous,  and,  I am  inclined  to  think, 
peculfar  to  Tolima.  Unlike  other  important  kinds 
of  Rubber,  it  grows  at  high  elevation,  viz.,  at  from 
0,000  to  8,800  feet  above  the  sea-level.  Some  thou- 
sands of  bales  of  it  were  exported  a dozen  years 
ago.  But  as  the  tree  was  only  locally  distributed, 
the  source  of  supply  was  soon  exhausted.  The 
authorities  at  Kew  have  named  this  plant  Sapiuin 
hi<ila)uhihmm,  a species  which  is  also  said  to  be 
found  in  British  Guiana,  where,  however,  it  seems 
to  be  of  no  value  as  a Rubber-producer. 
“ In  connection  with  the  ciuchoiia  plantations  above 
referred  to,  a plantation  of  this  Rubber  was  made 
about  10  years  ago.  The  trees  grew  with  remark- 
able rapidity  with  trunks  a foot  in  diameter  in  si.x  years ; 
but  this  plantation  shared  the  same  fate  as  the 
cinchona,  that  is,  it  was  abandoned  years  ago  be- 
cause the  cinchona  was  abandoned.  With  renewed 
attention,  however,  this  plantation  may  still  be  made 
important.  “A  few  years  ago  I directed  the  atten- 
tion of  the  Secretary  of  State  for  India  to  the 
advisability  of  cultivating  this  )ilant  on  a large 
scale  in  that  country.  My  letter  was  referred  lo  the 
Government  of  India.  1 think,  however,  that  no  pro- 
gress has  been  made.  'This  valuable  plant,  could  be 
cultivated  over  a wide  range  of  latitude  in  India, 
thus  extending  from  the  elevated  mountainous  regions 
of  South&rn  India  to  the  low-lying  valleys  of  the 
Himalaya  as  far  as  20°  north  latitude  And  this 
is  a great  advantage  as  compared  with  the  limited 
zone  in  which  the  other  important  tropical  American 
species  of  Rubber  introduced  to  .India  can  be 
cultivated.’’ — Jnilia  h’ulihrr  Journal. 
THE  SF.ISON  IN  MADRAS. 
Yesterday  the  Board  of  Revenue  telcgi-aphed  to  the 
Government  of  India  for  the  week  eliding  the  23rd 
Nov.  as  follows  “ Heavy  rainfall  along  the  East 
Coast  and  South  of  Nellore  and  moderate  falls  in 
the  remainder  of  the  southern  half  of  the  Presidency  ; 
showers  elsewhere.  Agriculturti,l  operations  are  pro- 
gressing St.inding  crops  arc  generally  good.  Har- 
ve.st  is  going  on  with  a fair  outturn.  Pasture  and 
fodder  are  sufficient  Cattle  is  in  good  condition. 
Prices  arc  falling  especially  in  the  Deccan,  Southern 
and  West  Coast  Districts.’  — M.  Mail. 
YEYANGODA  DESICCATING  COCONUT 
MILLS 
were  never  so  bii.sy  as  at  ])resent,  working  night 
and  d.ay  and  disposing  of  nearly  r)U,00irnuts  a 
day,  or  the  C(|uivalent  of  the  produce  of  over 
10, (HH)  acres  jier  annum.  'I'lie  mills  are  most 
]>opular  with  the  estat(>  pi‘oprietoi>.  .-ind  villjurej-s 
on  account  of  the  fair  (irices  tiiey  give  for  ''the 
crop.s  of  nuts.  Nearly  20(1  natives  too,  liud 
prolitable  employment  ui  the.se  mills,  an  immense 
boon  to  the  surrounding  district.  Native  capital- 
ists are  trying  their  hands  at  mills  on  the  Kel.-uii 
and  at  Negomho, 
