838 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[June  i,  1S96. 
place  me  on  the  same  terms  as  Formosa  shippers  as 
regards  duty.’  Unless  something  can  be  done  it  is 
patent  that  the  tea  trade  in  Formosa  will  increase 
very  considerably  while  that  in  China  will  corres- 
pondingly decrease.”— Herald,  April,  17. 
CAMELLIA  THE  A. 
(From  a paper  by  Mr.  D.  O'Sullivan,  read  be- 
fore ihe  Fharinaceutical  Chemists’  and  Apothecaries’ 
Assistants’  Association  of  Ireland.) 
Tea  is  referred  to  by  Confucius  (550  n.c.),  and 
by  Yo  Lu  (618  A.n.)  as  having  been  taxed  at  the 
later  date,  showing  that  it  was  then  in  general  use. 
In  the  seventeenth  century  tea  was  sold  m England 
at  60s  per  lb.  It  was  then  known  as  “ chaw  at 
that  time  the  yearly  import  under  100  lb.  In  1891 
the  figures  were  over  91,000,0001b.  per  annum  for 
the  British  Islands  alone.  Green  and  black  lea 
contain  26  per  cent  and  15  per  cent  of  tannin  re- 
spectively. Green  tea  causes  giddiness  and  numbs 
the  cerebral  nerves,  acting  as  a powerful  brain-irritant. 
Tea  alkaloid  resembles  siryehmne  in  its  effects. 
An  injection  of  caffeine  causes  tetanus  in  the  frog. 
In  Northern  Russia  ‘•brick  tea”  is  meat  and  drink 
to  the  people,  who  first  drink  the  infusion  and  then 
eat  the  leaves  with  mixed  tat. — Chemisl  and  Dru<j(jist. 
PLANTING  IN  PERAK. 
From  the  annual  report  (for  ISOo)  of  Mr.  A. 
T.  Uew  on  the  Matang  Hlstrict,  in  the  Perak 
Government  Gazette,  we  quote  the  following : — 
Estates  in  3Iatau(j.—Cq(ree.— There  is  a present  only 
one  estate  under  coffee,  that  of  Mr.  F.  A Stephens, 
at  Jibong,  of  6-10  acres,  of  which  about  150‘  acres  have 
been  cleared  and  90  acres  planted  up. 
The  young  coffee,  Liberian,  appears  to  be  doing 
very  well,  and  has  been  favourably  reported  on  by 
several  experts  who  have  visited  the  estate. 
There  is  also  another  estate  of  640  acres  adjoining 
Mr.  Stephens'  estate,  on  which  work  has  just  com- 
menced, that  of  Mr.  Allinson. 
An  application  has  also  been  received  from  Mr. 
C.  L.  Gibson  for  610  acres  of  land  in  Sungei  Tinggi 
mukim  for  coffee  planting. 
Swjar. — Messrs.  Stewart  A Kennedy  have  taken  up 
2,500  acres  in  Selinsing  for  sugar  planting  and  the 
work  of  clearning  will  commence  early  in  1896. 
A Manila  man,  Peter  Madrigal,  has  a very  well 
kept  little  estate  of  about  85  acres  in  Jibong,  adjoin- 
ing that  of  Mr.  Stephens,  which  produces  almost 
everything  that  can  be  grown  in  Perak.  Liberian 
coffee  being  the  principal  article  of  culture. 
He  is  probably  the  pioneer  coffee  planter  in  low, 
swampy  ground  in  the  Peninsula,  and  it  was  the 
nourishing  condition  of  his  coffee  which  induced  Mr. 
Stephens  to  open  an  estate  at  Jibong. 
TRINIDAD  ROYAL  BOTANIC  GARDENS. 
From  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Superintendent 
for  the  year  1895,  which  has  reached  us,  we  ex- 
tract the  following 
CACAO. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  young  plants  of  the  Ni- 
caraguan Cacao  were  imported  in  1898,  so  that  in  July 
1895,  they  were  two  years  old.  Shortly  after  tins  pe- 
riod’several  of  the  plants  produced  flowers,  b t none 
have  as  jet  produced  pods,  our  tallest  tree  iieing  about 
8 feet  in  height.  One  of  the  plants  of  Ceylon  Cacao 
that  was  imported  about  the  same  time,  has  also  flow- 
ered and  has  now,  at  the  time  of  writing,  (December 
1895)  two  small  pods  set  upon  it.  This  has  long  been 
desired  for  comparison  witli  our  own  varieiies,  and  to 
enable  our  planters  to  know  really  what  the  classing 
of  the  Ceylon  kina  should  be  in  comparison  with  their 
own  produce.  Tire  health  of  the  trees  ofthe  Nicaraguan 
and  C^ey Ion  varieties  is  everything  that  could  be  desired. 
Of  the  number  of  plants  of  Cacao  bicolor  only  one  is 
crowing  vigorously  ; but  several  others  are  growing 
slowly  and  may  do  better  later  on.  The  plants  of 
Theohroma  aii^ustifolia&ie  doing  well,  and  I trust  will, 
in  a few  years  be  large  trees.  During  the  year,  a case 
of  the  Nicaraguan  varieties  was  successfully  forwarded 
to  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Peradenyia,  Ceylon. 
These  plants  were  a part  of  those  hi  ought  by  the  Su- 
perintendent from  Nicaragua  in  1893. 
COFl'EE. 
Our  experiments  with  coffee  during  1895  were 
principally  directed  to  showing  cultivators  the  best 
method  of  culture  and  mode  of  pruning  for  the  or- 
dinary CoJ'ea  arahica.  Coffee  growing,  as  carried  out 
in  Ceylon,  Jamaica,  Costa  Rica  and  other  coffee 
growing  countries  is  but  little  understood  by  the 
planting  community  in  Trinidad,  and  few  can  yet 
be  induced  to  plant  coffee  by  itself  and  for  its  own 
yield.  Instead  the  usual  course  is  to  put  in  coffee 
where  cocoa  will  not  grow,  or  to  put  it,  in  fact,  in 
ground  that  is  useless  for  anything  else,  or  to  plant 
it  in  desultary  manner  through  and  amid  other 
crops,  or  by  the  roadside  of  estates. 
It  cannot  be  expected  that  coffee  planted  and 
treated  in  this  manner  will  thrive  or  pay  the  grow- 
er, oven  tor  the  small  amount  of  care  he  devotesto  it. 
To  show  what  could  be  done,  the  culture  of  a 
small  section  of  coffee  trees  in  the  Royal  Botanic 
Gardena,  was  persi  nally  undertaken  by  the  Super- 
intendent, the  Jamaica  system  of  pruning  and  cul- 
ture was  fully  adopted,  and  the  trees  kept  down  to 
a certain  height.  Although  the  practice  only  com- 
menced eighteen  months  ago,  the  trees  now  bear 
evidence  that  the  method  we  have  adopted  is  one 
which  should  be  followed  if  true  success  in  coffee 
culture  is  to  be  the  ultimate  result.  Trees  under 
this  system  have  given  over  lour  pounds,  and  one 
tree  gave  over  seven  pounds  of  clean  coffee. 
Lectures  were  given  on  the  system  during  the 
month  of  August,  and  the  trees  were  seen  under 
crop  by  those  gentlemen  who  attended.  Later  in 
the  year  I was  invited  to  the  Santa  Cruz  district  to 
see  the  working  of  a small  machine,  which  had  been 
imported  for  pulping  coffee,  called  the  “ Columbia 
puiper,’  manufactured  by  Messrs.  J.  Gordon  A Co 
of  Loudon. 
I foimd  coffee  was  being  grown  on  this  estate  in 
direct  compliance  with  the  instructions  lain  in  the 
Departmental  Bulletin,  No.  1-i,  July'  1891,  and  in 
December,  1895,  good  crops  of  juime  coffee  were  being 
reaped.  The  little  machine  was  doing  excellent  work 
in  pulping  the  coffee,  and  they  bad  in  use  also,  a 
small  “ Smouts  cleaner  and  polisher,”  manufactured 
by  the  same  firm  it  was  evident  that  these  two 
machines  are  all  that  planters  require  for  a small 
number  of  trees,  and  that  by  their  use  Coffee  can  be 
prepared  in  an  excellent  manner. 
Cofea  slenojyhylla.  From  seed  of  this  uew  variety 
of  Coffee,  sent  to  the  Gardens  from  Kew,  a number 
of  ijlants  have  been  raised.  Some  of  the  larger  plants 
have  been  planted  in  permanent  positions,  and  are 
now  over  three  feet  in  height,  and,  it  is  expected 
will  flower  in  a few  weeks,  for  the  first  time. 
VANILLA. 
In  December  wo  harvested  a small  quantity  of 
Vanilla  from  the  plants  of  Sion  House  and  Mauri- 
tius varieties,  Vanilla  planifolia.  And.  On  one  bunch 
we  ripened  (51)  fifty-one  ” bo«.ns  ” or  “ pods,”  weigh- 
ing considerably  over  one  pound  when  cut  from  the 
plant.  'The  bunch  of  flowers  from  which  these  were 
produced  were  hand  feriilized  by  Mr.  Lunt,  the 
Assistant  Superintendent. 
The  quality  of  this  Vanilla  leaves  no  doubt  that 
it  is  the  best  variety  or  species  obtainable  for  West 
Indian  cultivation. 
jiumnai. 
The  demand  for  plants  of  Castilloa  elastica.  the 
Central  American  Rubber  is  increasing,  and  we  have 
sold  all  wo  could  raise.  The  tree  tlirives  well  in 
Trinidad,  and  I trust  cic  long  that  we  may  have 
an  account  of  the  actual  yield  of  trees  ready  for 
publication,  for  the  further  guidance  of  planters. 
J.  H.  Hart,  f.l.s. 
Superintendent  Royal  Botanic  Gardens. 
