494 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan.  1,  1896. 
LAND  IN  SELANUOK.  INDIAN  TEA  EIDUIIES  FOR  1895. 
In  tlie  Sctani/or  fioz'  ltc,  Mr  Holmes  \Miies  from  Kuala 
Si.laugor I received,  diuiug  the  mouth,  l(i  applications 
t'oi  i . lid  from  Eun  pe  ais  and  others  for  blocks  vary- 
i'lg  ;ii  area  from  b‘2  1 to  1,00.)  acres,  each  applicant 
proposing  to  plant  c<  free.  The  Resident  has  since 
given  instructions  to  the  Cliief  Surveyor  to  have 
20  blocks  laid  out  in  accessible  parts  of  the  district, 
and  tbe.St'  u ill  be  put  to  auction  at*  an  early  date. 
I have  every  reason  to  believe  that  the  district  will 
piove  to  be  a planting  one,  and  the  fact  of  its 
having  a port  and  its  proximity  to  Penang  should  be 
in  its  favour. 
Mr.  Skeat,  on  the  same  subject,  in  his  re- 
port on  Kdang,  says: — Tlie  land  demarcated  dur- 
ing October  comprised  101  lots,  aggregating  .llo 
acres.  The  balance  of  land  nndemarcated  bus 
now  been  reduced  to  l,by.5  acres,  'll!'.  E.  V- 
Carey  took  np  500  acres  on  the  Sungei  Riiijci 
Road,  and  an  application  for  i!20  acres  was  also 
received  on  behalf  Mr  T.  Eairliurst  for  land 
adjoining  Mr  Carey's  application.  T’he  land  in 
the  vicinity  has  been  very-  favourably  reported 
upon  by  all  who  have  seen  it,  the  soil  lying 
nearer  to  the  surface  and  being  less  fibrons  than 
some  of  the  laud  on  this  side  of  the  river.  The 
Sungei  Binjei  Road,  if  carried  through  to  Ijoh,  should 
have  as  bright  a future  before  it  as  either  the  Lan- 
gat  Road  or  the  .Talan  Kabun  ; applications  were 
also  received  from  Mr  Cropley  for  5t)  acres  and  from 
Yap  Ah  Boon  for  25  acres,  of  miziing  land  ai  Bukit 
Kamuning. 
EKUTECTION  UE  INSECT-EATINE  BIRDS. 
The  extraordinary  fluctuations  in  the  figures  of 
Indian  lea  as  published  monthly  surely  require  some 
explanation.  Various  reasons  are  given  for  these  fluc- 
tuation.'’, hut  we  have  been  unable  to  get  a sensible 
(‘xpianntion,  and  we  do  not  pretend  in  this  lo  solve 
the  difflculty  nor  to  attempt  it,  but  merely  wisli  to 
draw  more  attention  to  the  i-ubject  as  it  is  bound  to 
have  an  unsettling  effect  on  the  markets.  Havin  ' 
before  us  the  Brokers’  circulars,  we  quote  from  them 
the  following  figures  dated  2nd  October.  E.xpoits 
from  Cacutta,  to  Great  Britain  to  date,  from  begin- 
ning of  the  season. 
(As  per  Customs  passes.) 
lS<)5-<)(i.  ]S'.)4-95,  bSH.^DI. 
('■2.S7(),708lb  02, 01U5, 1031b  50,738,723 
E.xndings  in  Ijondou  during  Ser'tember. 
181)5.  181H. 
11,000,000  18,802,000 
181)5. 
1),  100,000 
181)5. 
DF.LIVEItlKS. 
STOCK. 
1891. 
8,931,000 
1891. 
.33,911.000  31.435.000 
Then  going  on,  the  same  cirnilar  gives  for  four 
months,  1st  June  ti  30tb  September — 
IiMl'OIlTS. 
KS95.  1891. 
38.732,030  ,30,910,000 
and  deliveries 
1895.  1891. 
33,628,900  33,981,000 
The  following  letter  l)as  been  addre.ssed  to  the 
editor  of  The  Anjua-. — 
Sir, — I have  read  with  much  intciest  the  letters 
from  Mr.  C.  French  ami  Mr.  F.  R.  Godfrey  in 
your  columns  pleading  for  the  Artemidiv,  or  w'ooii- 
8wallow.s.  Are  tliose  gentlemen  aware  tliat  the 
birds  in  que.stion  .are  among  tlie  worst 
l>ests  tlie  bee-keeper  ha.s  to  contend  against 
They  are  now  in  very  great  numbei’s  in  this 
district  and  may  be  seen  Hying  about  tlie  or- 
chards .and  gardens  feeding  upon  bees. 
My  attention  was  drawn  to  this  fact  some  years 
ago  liy  a neiglibonr,  who  !iad  a large  miiiilier 
of  liives,  sliootiiig  the  binls.  On  my  remoiistraliiig 
with  him,  I was  sliouTi  a bird  just  .sbot  \vitlino  loss 
than  17  liecs  inside  it-.  1 w.atclied  t lie  birds  for  some 
cnnsiderable  time  in  my  own  orchard  and  saw  tliem 
feeding  on  the  bees,  often  Hying  wit liiii  a couple 
of  feet  of  a hive  to  seize  a weary  liomeward- 
boniid  worker,  evidently  preferring  tliose  well 
laden  with  honey.  I .shut  seieral  and  always 
found  them  full  of  bees. 
This  year  tlie  birds  are  far  more  numerous, 
consequently  the  a)darist  suli'ers  to  a greater 
extent.  1 am  well  aware  of  tiie  fact  that  tliese 
birds  also  destroy  iio.xious  insects  in  \ery  great 
numbers,  but  wlieii  an  aiiiarist  lim’s  Ids  idies 
becoming  weaker  and  weaker,  and  at  last  dis- 
covers tlie  wood-swallow  to  b(>  tb('  cause,  can  it. 
be  wondered  <at  if  be  proteids  liiiii.self  liy  destroy- 
ing tliem?  I slioiild  iiiiicii  like  tn  learn  if 
apiarists  in  other  districts  have  siiirered  in  a 
similar  manner. — J am,  Ac., 
EllWAIM)  A.  I,.  VlKU.S.SICUX. 
(Irammar  Scliool,  llerwick. 
( iLOSET^t,  I'rinals,  Night  Commodes,  fktables, 
J Kennels,  Ac.  slionld  be  lightly  ilreilge<l 
(after  cloaiisiiig)  wdlli  (bVi.VKKTzs  1,7  per  ceiu- 
CakhoMC  Row  iii;i!,  to  destroy  had  odours  and 
to  kill  or  keep  away  insects.  'I’li''  most  cHoctive 
preparation.  In  Hi..  I lb.  and  2Hi.  dredgers,  at. 
6d.,  Is.',  & Is.  (id.  each,  from  Chemist.s  ami  Stores. 
r.  C.  CALVERT  & Co.,  Manchester. 
Dining  the  period  any  one  will  observe  that  the 
deliveries  this  year  are  slightly  under  those  of  1891 : 
the  imports  have  increased  by  about  one  million 
and  three  quarters  whilst  the  landings  in  September 
were  about  million  less  than  in  1891. 
'Take  October  again,  the  e.xports  h\-  f'ustoms 
passes,  were  81,500.189 lb.  agiinst  78  300.11511).  the 
landings  in  London  19,000.000  against  17.724.000  1b. 
in  1891  Imports  were  57,744,000  against  .'>4,005,000 
in  1894  And  Stock  on  1st  November  stood  at 
41,500,000  for  1895  and  in  1891  37,0.88,000. 
Can  anyone  reconcile  these  figures?  Please  note 
the  landings  in  September  were  2J  million  lb.  less 
than  in  1891;  the  deliveries  were  practically  the 
same,  .still  the  stock  increased.  Again,  for  Novem- 
ber fjoiidon  Imports  were  for  1895,  15,890.0iX)  lb. 
for  1891,  17,088.031)  lb.  dfliveiics  12, 10(), 000  lb.  against 
11,932.701.  Stock,  45,271.000  Hi.  against  13,413,024. 
During  tlie  period,  the  exports  from  Calcutta 
from  an  increse  of  less  than  a million  jumped  to 
close  on  live  million  lb.  the  figure’ l)cing  as  under  on 
2nd  October— 1895— 02, 870,7U8  Ui.  1891,  02, o:!'!. 103  0th 
December  101,175,250  1b.,  90,701.720.  iiiul  Stock  stands 
very  iimcb  as  before.  We  are  w II  aw  uc  that  all  this 
inci-easo  cannot  be  shown,  but  tbo  leaps  and 
bounds,  which  the  crop  takes  every  now  and  then, 
show  that  the  present  system  of  checking  figures  is 
wrong  somewhere  or  else  ihat  figures  and  teas  as  well 
are  suppressed  for  some  ulterior  reason.  Taking  the 
figures  of  the  Indian  Tea  Association,  the  amount 
available  fjjr  export  is  established  at  121  million,  rut- 
ting this  into  the  mamifactming  months,  say  8.  would 
give  an  average  outturn  of  15  millions  monthly. 
Now  Seplenilier,  was  a notoriously  had  month, 
and,  the  presumption,  judging  from  a li'-t  of  gar- 
dens in  front  of  ns,  is  tliere  was  loss  tea  made  in 
September  this  year  than  last.  And  October  was 
not  by  any  means  extra  favourable  in  the  eaily  part; 
although,  undoubtedly,  tlie  weather  was  more  genial 
towards  the  tnd,  yet  these  hardly  could  base  been 
manufactured  during  that  time,  say  a fortnight. 
This  gives  an  iiicrea.se  of  30  odd  per  cent ; aiul 
the  coueliisioii  that  iiiu.st  occur  to  any  oi.o  is,  that 
tea.s  wore  held  with  a viow  to  forcing  the  market, 
it  not  for  what  other  reason?  Had  this  occurred  in 
tlie  early  part  of  the  season,  one  could  have  found 
plenty  of  reasonable  excuses,  but  when  the  season 
for  floods  and  storms  bad  long  passed,  tlio  matter 
assumes  quite  a different  pbaso,  and  we  should  be 
glad  of  some  reasonable  explanation. — Indian  riantera' 
Gazette,  Dec,  28. 
