March  2,  1896.J  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
631 
weat  out  to  kill  them,  A large  species  o£  Sorghum, 
known  as  Mapeira,  also  grew  and  attained  a lieight 
of  about  14ft.  Some  species  of  Indiancorn,  cucum- 
bers, pumpkins,  and  tobacco  were  available.  No 
other  vegetables  were  grown  there.  Tobacco  was 
grown  only  to  a limited  extent  for  the  con.suuiptiou 
of  the  natives.  Ground  nuts  and  giagelly  oil-seeds 
were  also  obtainable.  Castor  oil  was  not  cultivated, 
although  it  grew  luxuriantly  in  the  wild  state.  Near 
the  houses,  Cassava  is  a good  deal  planted.  Fruit 
trees  are  not  grown  anywhere,  but  a few  lime  and 
orange  trees  are  found  in  one  or  two  places.  The 
valley  of  the  Shire  River  is  extremely  fertile.  The 
soil  is  annually  enriched  by  the  inundations  during 
the  rainy  season,  and  several  crops  are  reaped  in 
succession  from  these  alluvial  lauds  after  the  sub- 
sidence of  the  floods. 
Gold  Spells  Ruin  to  Coffee. — Then  with  regard 
to  gold  there  were  three  companies  who  were  now 
prospecting  for  the  metal  in  British  Central  Africa, 
If  gold  was  discovered,  then  the  country  must  at 
once  develope,  and  the  wages  of  labourers  go  up. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  coffee  industry  would 
be  almost  ruined  by  the  discovery  of  gold ; because 
the  Ka(jirs  working  on  coffee  xhantations  receive  only 
a rupee  and  a half  per  month,  where  as  the  labour- 
ers working  in  gold  mines  were  paid  from  three  to 
four  pounds.  If  gold  was  found  in  British  territory, 
coffee  plantations  would  cease  to  attract  the  labour- 
ers, nor  would  it  be  profitable  to  the  planter  him- 
self in  view  of  the  increasing  wages  he  would  have 
to  pay  to  the  labourers,  and  therefore  the  industry 
would  inevitably  decay.  African  coffee  was  superior 
to  Indian,  and  brought  better  prices  in  the  London 
market.  The  labourers  working  in  the  mines  at 
Johannesburg  receive  £'6  or  T4  per  mouth  as  against 
only  one  rupee  and  a half  in  British  Central  Africa 
for  working  on  coffee  estates.  Therefore,  natives 
from  places  like  Senna  on  the  river  Zambezi  and 
Mashonaland  and  Beira  went  Johannesburg  to  work 
in  gold  mines  ; and  there  was  no  manner  of  doubt 
that  this  tendency  to  desert  the  coffee  fields  would 
be  increased  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  protec- 
torate. Even  at  present  coffee-farming  was  not  an 
easy  task. 
Difficulties  of  fLANTuas. — It  w.is  impossible  to 
get  manure  because  in  the  first  place  cattle  was  very 
expensive  and  most  of  them  which  were  found  near  lake 
Nyassa  died  from  cattle  disease.  Artificial  manure  was 
also  quite  out  of  the  question,  because  the  cost  of 
freight  was  very  high.  The  difficulty  of  navigating 
the  Zambezi  river  was  great,  and  the  cost  was  ab- 
solutely prohibitive,  being  .i'(>  from  Chindc  to  Katun- 
gas,  although  the  distance  between  the  two  places  is 
not  more  than  3l>0  miles.  Again  there  is  another  most 
discouraging  factor.  Longicorn  beetles  are  very  com- 
mon in  the  Mlanji  coffee  district.  They  live  upon 
tlie  roots,  and  they  destroy  about  fifty  per  cent,  of 
the  coffee  plants,  in  which  they  lay  their  eggs.  Again 
the  soil  in  the  Mlanji  District  and  over  the  Shire 
Highlands  has  greatly  deteriorated  on  account  of  the 
system  of  cultivation  adopted  by  the  natives.  It  is 
similar  to  that  which  is  called  Cheena  in  Ceylon 
and  Koonifce  in  India.  Again,  humus  or  surface 
soil  is  frequently  washed  away  by  the  water, 
and  the  soil  is  greatly  impoverish  d in  con- 
sequence. After  relating  various  other  causes  for  the 
impoverishment  of  the  soil  and  tho  deterioration  of 
crops,  Mr.  Morgan  observed  that  in  Certain  Districts 
of  Natal  and  German  East  Africa  loaf  disease  ex- 
ists, and  said  if  it  once  got  into  Central  Africa  it 
will  ab.5o:utely  ruin  the  coffee  estates. 
CoJi.MU.N'ioATioNs. — As  to  tlio  future  prospects  of 
tho  cou.n'.ty,  Mr.  Morgan  referred  to  the  projected 
railway  to  Blantyre  for  the  development  of  the 
re.sourco.i  of  the  country.  New  roads  were  being  made 
from  Chiromo  to  Blantyre,  but  whether  I'ailway  enter- 
l)iise  would  be  successful  was  quite  a different  matter. 
For  his  part  he  did  not  think  that  the  railway  would  be  a 
suoces.i  there  because  there  were  not  sufficient  pro- 
ducts in  the  country.  If  the  coffee  plantations  ceased  to 
exist  there  would  be  nothing  in  the  country  to  be  trans- 
mitted by  rail  that  would  pay.  The  protectorate  was 
not  at  all  adapted  for  colonisation  by  Europeans  on 
accounts  of  its  extreme  unhealthiness. 
Readers  must,  however,  bear  in  mind  that  Mr. 
Morgan  visited  the  country  for  sport,  which  appa- 
rently from  his  scornful  remarks  on  the  butchery  of 
game  by  Europeans  and  natives  alike,  he  did  not  find. 
His  ill-success  may  possibly  have  biassed  his  judg- 
ment on  the  economic  advantages  of  the  district.  * * * 
Last  of  all,  as  a sort  of  bonne  boucite  (!)  we  give 
the  following  extract  from  the  Calcutta  Planter:— 
A private  letter  from  a friend  in  the  coffee  region 
of  East  Africa  bears  unexpected  testimony  to  the 
fact  that  tho  early,  and  seemingly  incredible,  trials 
of  planters  in  India  are  now  being  endured  with  un- 
conquerable determination  by  Bcotsmen  and  English- 
men in  the  Dark  Continent.  The  writer  says  that 
he  never  saw  Europeans  in  a more  miserable  condi- 
tion, Having  no  connection  with  the  authorities,  and 
being  there  simply  to  stake  their  lives  on  coffee, 
several  Scotsmen  are  living  in  the  most  veritable 
native  huts,  with  boards  to  sit  on  and  eat  off,  with 
scarcely  a change  of  clothing — one  was  actually 
shirtless  owing  to  some  exigence  of  life  out  there— 
and  with  nothing  to  read  and  nothing  to  do  accept 
to  watch  their  coffee.  Locusts  come  up  and  cat 
the  seedlings,  when  the  men  patiently  sow  the 
held  over  again.  More  than  one  planter  have  sown 
their  holds  thrice  in  the  last  season.  Such  men  will 
succeed,  or  be  followed  by  others  who  will  succeed. 
They  are  the  sort  who  have  made  India  what  it  is, 
and  who  alone  can  carry  it  on  as  it  is. — Planting 
Opinion,  Feb.  15. 
TEA  IN  AMERICA, 
New  York  Jan.  29th. 
Buyers  have  the  advantage  on  .nearly  every  grade 
but  the  better  sorts  of  Formosa  Oolong.  The  demand 
is  slow — in  fact,  ultra  conservative.  Japans  are  weak, 
and  despite  low  prices  of  other  sorts,  the  market 
droops,  droops,  droops.  Cause : Too  much  trash. 
India  and  Ceylon  sorts  steady. 
Today  at  noon  the  Montgomery  Auction  and  Com- 
mission Company  will  sell  12,132  packages,  viz.: 
2,(193  half-chests  Moyuue,  including  desirable  chops ; 
4,093  half-chests  and  boxes  Pingsuey;234  half-chests 
Japan;  93  half-chests  ,Tapan,  basket-fired;  ],, 530  half- 
chests Congou  ; 35  boxes  scented  Capers ; 78  packages 
India,  Java  and  Ceylon;  1,103  half-chests  Foochow, 
new  crop ; 2,213  half-chests  and  boxes  Formosa,  in- 
cluding new  crop. — American  Grocer. 
DRUG  REPORT. 
(From  the  Chemist  and  Druggist.) 
42  (Jaimon  Street,  H.C.,  Feb.  6. 
Arkcanuts — Sixteen  bags  sold  at  unaltered  prices— viz., 
from  10s  for  damp  to  11s  6d  per  cvvb.  for  sound  quality. 
IlAEL-FRUiT,— 'I'wo  cases  of  whole  peeled  fruit  from  Bom- 
bay were  offered  ; tho  appearance  was  good,  but  owing 
to  the  neglected  state  of  the  market  the  parcel  only 
realised  Id  per  lb. 
Calumha.  Of  114  bags,  imported  iv'a  Bombay  and  Ham- 
burg, a of  ordinary  dark  (pialitv  sold  at  the  low  figure 
of  9.S  per  cwt. 
Crotox-.seud  easier.  Twenty  bags  of  rather  dark  seed 
from  Colombo  realised  from  40s  to  41s  at  todayls  auctious- 
OiLS  ('Bssential).  Citronella  oil  is  quiet  ; two  drums 
shown  at  auction  were  bought  in  at  2s  2d  per  lb.,  but 
no  bid  of  2s  per  lb.  could  be  obtained.  The  quotation 
for  arrival  is  Is  Od  per  lb.  c.i.f.,  shipment  within  the  next 
six  months.  Cinnamon  oil  was  bouglit  in  at  from  Is  8d 
par  oz  ilown  t.)  9d  per  oz.  Tliree  cases  leaf  oil  wore 
bought  in  at  .5d  per  oz. 
Guafils  Grown  in  Colomuo.— Mr.  C.  Drieberg 
lias  shown  us  the  liistfruits  of  the  vine-growing 
experiment  at  tlie  Agricnltnral  College,  in  the 
sliape  of  .some  dozen  small  cdnster.s  of  gr.ape.s, 
nio.stly  white  ones,  hnt  a few  of  a red  variety. 
I’liese  are  fi'om  vines  only  eighteen  months  olli, 
and  only  si.x  months  in  (Ceylon  ! The  fact  is, 
however,  that  the  heat  of  Colombo  has  caused 
tho  grajies  to  ripen  too  rapidly.  Nevertheless, 
considering  the  poor  soil  in  'which  they  ivere 
grown,  .and  other  drawbacks,  the  result  is  asto- 
nishing, and  gives  good  hope  of  the  .success  of 
Mr.  Zanetti’s  experiment, 
