764 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
Coffee  Cultivation  in  B.  f'.  AFiiiCA.— The  liritUh 
Central  Afiica  Gazette  of  Feb.  1st  sayS  ; — xVlr.  John 
Buchanan,  c.m.o.,  has  been  asked  by  H.  M.  Coinrdis- 
sioner  to  forward  GO  pounds  of  seed  coffee  to  II.  M. 
Agent  and  Consul-General  at  Zanzibar,  for  experi- 
mental cultivation  in  British  East  Africa. 
The  Ilonkow!  Telegraph,  says: — We  have  received  a 
small  parcel  of  Liberian  collee  grown  by  Mr.  Korezki 
on  the  Victoria  estate,  near  KuJat,  North  Borneo. 
It  appears  to  be  of  very  excellent  qinlity,  and  is 
marketable  at  from  |10  to  l.'iO  per  picul  in  its  raw 
state.  Mr.  Korezhi  started  this  estate  a few  years 
ago,  and  it  is  now  in  full  and  regular  bearing.  He 
informs  us  that  he  will  shortly  add  considerably  to 
the  area  under  coffee  at  Kudat. — Hritiah  North  Jlorneo 
Herald,  March  IG. 
TTiK  HEALT1IINK.S.S  OF  TIIK  WvNAAU.— This  sub- 
ject is  again  dealt  wibli  editorially  in  the  J/aef/'rts 
Mail.  The  article  is  in  re])ly  to  criticism  by  Mr, 
J.  W.  Hockin,  a planter  of  Vayitiri,  South 
Wynaad,  who  seems  to  have  been  accusing  our 
contemporary  of  indulging  in  pei’.sonalities.  The 
concluding  pait  of  the  article  is  as  follows:  - 
We  have  given  it  as  our  opinion  that  tea  can 
be  successfully  cultivated  in  the  Wynaad,  basing 
our  conviction  on  what  has  hecn  done  with  im- 
))orted  labour  in  the  Dooars  and  the  Terai  in 
Northern  India  and  in  the  Kelani  Willey  in  Cey- 
lon. We  have  asked  any  Wynaad  planter  who 
di.sagreed  with  us  to  furnish  facts  and  ligiires  to 
controvert  our  statement,  but  such  gentlemen  as 
have  written  have  contented  themselves  with 
vague  generalities  and  gross  imputations  A snf- 
licent  acreage  is  now  under  tea  in  the  district  to 
prove  in  three  or  four  years  how  far  ive  are 
right  ; meanwhile  we  .adhere  to  mir  expressed 
belief,  supported  in  it  by  having  recently  seen 
it  stated  that  a planter  of  Mouth  Wynaad,  who 
has  been  reported  to  regard  malaria  as  fat.sl  to 
tea,  is  now  hi a'self  interested  ill  the  cultivation  of 
the  product. 
The  Futuue  of  British  Farming. — Pro'e  ssor  James 
Lon",  lecturing  on  this  subject  at  the  Society  0 
Artst  said  that  so  long  as  it  was  possible  for  every 
farmer  in  Canada  and  the  Western  States  to  provide 
bread  for  GOO  people  upon  every  acre  of  virgin  soil 
which  he  adds  to  the  world’s  great  farm,  so  long 
would  prices  remain  low  and  our  British  systems  of 
agriculture  remain  at  a disadv.intage.  So  we  must 
abandon  the  idea  of  grain  production  in  England, 
but  we  could  continue  to  provide  live  stock  for  meat, 
milk  for  our  congested  population,  butter  and  cheese 
of  the  primest  quality  for  the  thousands  who  would 
continue  to  pay  for  it,  malting  barley  for  our  brewers, 
poultry  and  eggs,  fruit  and  vegetab'es  for  sale  at 
our  doors,  and  even  hay  and  straw  where  good  crops 
were  available.  What  were  the  conditions  under 
which  these  products  could  he  succestully  turned  out 
in  the  future  '?  First  came  “ intensive  agriculture  ” 
upon  smaller  farms.  The  soil  scientifically  treated 
was  capable  of  yielding  vastly  more  than  at  present. 
Then  the  fanner  must  have  security  for  Ids  im- 
provements, and  less  restriction  on  his  cropping  and 
sales.  Extended  ownership  in  the  land  by  the  actual 
cultivator  would  also  simulate  production.  Professor 
Long  suggested  Government  loans  at  three  per  cent., 
with  repavments  extending  over  twenty  years.  Grass 
land  must*  be  improved.  Liberality,  skilled  manage- 
ment and  judicious  manuring  in  grass  farming 
would  enable  our  farms  to  carry  more  stock.  The 
arable  land  must  also  be  improved  by  scientific 
methods  and  in  this  connection  the  lecturer  referred 
with  hope  to  the  prospect  of  utilising  atmospheric 
nitrogen  for  the  improvement  of  manures,  The  cost 
of  production  migh  also  be  reduced  in  several  ways, 
and  the  breeds  of  dairy  cattle  be  iinpioved.  lie  em 
phasized  the  necessity  of  extenduig  the  smaller  in- 
dustries of  poultry  breeding  and  fruit  a,nd  vegetable 
farming  Personally,  he  had  every  faith  in  the  future 
regarding  the  present  period  of  tribulation  as  an 
“ experience  of  transition.”  Lord  Belhavon  and 
Stenton,  who  occupied  the  chair,  and  other  gentlemen 
took  p-U't  in  a subsequent  discussion. — Dailp  Chronicle, 
[.May  r,  1896. 
8 CwTS.  AN  .\cRE; — It  bas  been  said  that  though 
two  or  three  acres  could  be  made  to  yield  eitril- 
ordinary  average  crops  by  special  trcatnlent,  on 
large  a,reas  it  would  be  iiiipracticable.  The  aiisu'er 
of  the  intensive  school  has  been:  try  it,  and  we  iifay 
point  to  the  example  recently  cited  by  the  Coo'rg 
correspondent  of  a Madras  paper  as  a case  in  point" 
The  estate  is  157  acres  in  extent,  and  last  year  it 
received  about  half  a ton  of  artificials  per  acre, 
besides  cattle,  jungle  top  soil  and  lime.  Tbe  result 
was  8 cwt.  per  acre  of  crop,  witli  prospects  of  a 
similar  crop  this  year. — Planting  Opinion,  March  28. 
Books  on  Coffee  Cultivation. — A correspondent 
writes  : — “ One  of  your  correspondent  was  enquiring  I 
think  for  agood  work  on  Coffee  Planting.  The  following 
I have  personally  road,  and  I can  recommend  them  : 
— Graham  Anderson’s  ‘Jottings  on  Coffee,’  and  ‘Shade 
Trees  in  the  Coffee  Lands  of  Mysore’  by  the  same 
author.  ‘Gold,  Sport  and  Coffee  Planting’  by  Robert 
Elliott,  and  ‘ Coffee  Planting  in  Ceylon  and  Southern 
India’  by  Hull.  I may  remark  that  in  the  last  author’s 
book  the  important  item  of  digging  is  strangely  lost 
sight  of  and  omitted  altogether.  If  your  correspon- 
dent can  pick  up  some  old  volumes  of  the  ‘ Tro- 
pical Agriculturist,’  he  will  find  abundance  of  valua- 
ble information  in  them  on  this  subject  as  well  as 
other  products.” — Ibid. 
Leguminous  Trees  pok  Manuring  Tea. — We  would 
commend  to  the  notice  of  tea  planters  the  great  inte- 
rest that  is  now  being  taken  by  coffee-men  in  using 
leguminous  trees  as  shade.  The  loppings  and  leaves, 
Ac.,  form,  it  has  been  claimed  with  a great  show  of 
truth,  all  that  is  needed  for  the  plant-food  of  coffee, 
thus  dispensing  with  the  need  of  extraneous  manures. 
Tea,  of  course,  cannot  be  shaded  in  exactly  the  same 
way  as  coffee,  but  very  little  harm  would  be  done  if  the 
land  was  sp.irsely  planted  up  with  leguminous  trees. 
In  the  tea-districts  of  Northern  India,  the  merits  of 
shcshmnft  and  sa,  both  leguminous  trees,  are  freely  ad- 
mitted, the  only  danger  being  in  the  shade  growing 
tco  dense.  Most  gardens  on  these  hills  suffer  both 
from  poor  soil  and  exposure.  M ere  wind  belts  of  suit- 
able leguminous  trees — in  our  last  issue  we  recom- 
mended trying  “ black  wattle  ’ ■ — planted  systematically 
over  the  whole  area,  the  benefit  to  the  tea  would  be 
very  great.  'The  wood  itself  could  be  used  as  fuel,  and 
the  leaves  carefully  applied  as  manure.  Young  tea 
especially  is  said  to  be  benefited  in  Debra  Doon  by 
planting  Khesham.-.  belw'een  the  row's. — Planting  Opinion, 
March  28. 
Till-:  ITforosKi)  Duty  on  Tea  in  The  United 
State.s.— The  Washington  correspondent  of  tlie 
'A meric. mi  Grocer,  writing  on  February  25lh, 
says : — The  ell'ort  to  secnie  the  passage  of 
a law  levying  a diity  on  tea  is  meeting  witli 
much  opposition  fi'om  the  minority  of  the  M ay.s 
and  Means  Committee,  while  no  gre.'it  cnthusi:ism 
is  being  tlisplayed  by  flie  majority  members.  As 
1 have  before  ]ioiuted  out,  it  is  a ]>art  of  Demo- 
ciatic  creed  not  to  iinoke  the  taxing  power  for 
any  ])urpose  except  to  dei'ive  revenue,  ami  fids 
objection  is  being  used  .agaiiist  the  Idled  Cheese 
bill,  as  well  as  tliebill  to  ])lace  an  import  taxon 
teas.  There  is  an  advanttige,  however,  in  the  situ- 
ation, so  far  as  the  Tea  bill  i.s  concerned,  that  it 
provides  a customs  duty  which  would  net  from 
ten  to  lifteeii  million  dollars  per  animm,  and  at  a 
time  when  the  condition  of  the 'Treasury  demamls 
additional  revenue.  The  failure  of  the  Dingley 
bill,  which  has  been  discounted  for  some  time, 
necessarily  improves  the  ]»rospect  for  the  p.assage 
of  imlependent  measures,  ami  no  proposition  yet 
adv.anced  commends  itself  to  both  sides  of  the 
House  .and  Senate  with  as  much  force  as  does  the 
tax  on  tea,  regarded  from  a revenue  standpoint. 
'To  the  Democr.-its  it  is  accei)table,  for  the  reason 
that  it  does  not  su|>ply  protection  to  any  industry  ; 
while  to  the  Republicans  it  is  convenient  .alnl 
available,  as  it  does  not  open  up  any  industrial 
controversy,  which  would  till  the  halls  of  the 
Cai)iiol  with  representalives  of  less  favored  en- 
ter) irises. 
