200 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept,  j,  1896. 
Balata  Concessions  in  Guiana.— The  United  States 
consul  at  Cayenne,  Mr.  Leon  Wacogne,  writes  in 
a recent  report : “ An  interesting  point  for  the 
future  development  of  French  Guiana  was  debated 
some  years  ago  without  any  practical  result,  viz. : 
the  working  of  balata  gum,  similar  to,  and  even 
better  than,  the  ordinary  India-rubber.  A scheme  of 
regulations  for  grants  of  concessions  was  elaborated 
in  1892  bj'  the  director  of  the  interior  ; but  they  were 
soon  found  to  be  defective,  and  a new  plan,  stimu- 
lated by  the  discussions  of  the  council-general,  is 
now  being  perfected  and  it  is  thought  it  will  answer 
all  the  requirements  of  future  grantees  in  helping 
forward  their  searches.  On  December  5, 1895,  thirty 
concessions  for  the  balata  industry  had  been  granted 
to  people  in  the  colony  and  two  or  three  granted  in 
France  and  F/urope.  A concession  has  just  been 
given  to  the  representative  of  an  important  company 
of  New  York  (Franco- American  Rubber  Co.)  under 
special  conditions  agreed  upon  between  Mr.  Joseph 
M.  Jean  and  the  director  of  the  interior.  Up  to  the 
present,  the  above  company  is  in  the  ‘ prospecting’ 
stage  ; however,  it  seems  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
first  results,  and  was  able  in  a very  short  time  to 
ship  to  New  York  about  308  kilograms  of  India-rubber 
[(fomme  de  balata).” — India  Rubber  IFor/fZ,  June  10. 
Cacao  Production  and  Planting 
Opini'rn  of  July  18  says: — The  pre.sent  jirice.s 
for  tills  product  do  not  make  its  cultivation  very 
alluring  to  planters,  but  though  tlie  profits  just 
now  are  small,  a cocoa  plantation  is  a thoroughly 
good  investment.  It  has  few  or  no  insect  enemies, 
and  planted  in  suitable  soil  and  climate  has  a 
bearing  life  almost  equal  to  that  of  tea.  People 
in  “the  know”  declare  that  the  low  prices  are 
artificial,  that  is  to  say  the  manufactured  article, 
cocoa,  chocolate,  etc.,  is  priced  so  high  that 
demand  is  much  restricted.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
it  is  a noteworthy  fact  that  the  demand  is 
almost  stationary,  while  cultivation  is  yearly 
extending.  Were  it  not  for  the  present  small 
crops  in  South  America,  where  a yearly  increased 
acreage  is  being  brouglit  into  bearing,  prices 
would  be  even  lower  than  tlicy  are.  If  cocoa 
ever  establishes  itself  in  South  India,  we  hope 
that  a chocolate  and  cocoa  factory  will  be  si- 
multaneously started.  Certain  it  is  that,  unle.ss 
organized  eilorts  are  made  by  the  growers  to 
stimulate  consumption,  no  rise  in  the  market 
will  take  place. 
Tka  Cultivation  in  Japan.— Mr.  James 
H.  Veitch,  of  the  famous  Chelsea  firm  of  nursery- 
men, has  just  printed  for  private  circulation 
his  notes  of  his  travels  round  the  world  in  1892  ; 
and  in  writing  of  Japan  he  says: — 
About  ten  miles  due  south  from  Kyoto  is  the  vil- 
lage of  Uji,  surrounded  by  tea  plantations,  long  fa- 
mous as  producing  the  finest  tea  in  Japan.  The  tea 
plant  is  cultivated  in  a way  different  from  what  I have 
Bsen  elsewhere.  In  nearly  all  the  fields  the  plants  in 
the  rows,  ranging  from  2j  to  4A  feet  high,  were  so 
old  and  so  inter-grown  that  each  row  was  a thick 
hedge  several  feet  through,  and  only  once  did  I notice 
solitary  specimens.  Picking  commences  the  second 
week  in  May,  after  which  tire  tea  is  cleaned  over  by 
girls  in  the  peasants’  houses,  and  then  subsequently 
rolled  between  the  hands  of  coolies.  There  are,  of 
course,  no  great  drying  or  cleaning  establishments, 
each  peasant's  house,  working  independently  in  a 
small  way.  Many  fields  were  entirely  covered  with 
straw  mats  on  a low  scaffolding  of  poles,  and  if  looked 
at  from  above,  such  as  from  a high  part  of  the 
road,  one  looked  down  on  several  acres  of  mats.  I 
assume  that  this  is  done  on  account  of  the  plants 
having  reached  a picking  stage,  and,  it  being 
impossible  owing  to  the  cost  of  labour  to  pick  all  the 
fields  at  once,  the  owners  endeavour  to  retard  the 
further  growth  of  the  young  shoots.  Rain  and  sun 
are  excluded,  and  almost  all  light,  for  even  from  the 
roof  of  mats  a row  is  hung  down  all  round  each  field,  the 
tops  of  the  plants  being  hidden  from  view.  One  of  the 
choicest  kinds  is  the  Gyokuro  (Jewelled  Dew),  varying 
in  price  from  5 to  7.J  dols.,  equal  to  11s  3d  and  21s 
3d  par  lb.  The  Uji  plantations  are  said  to  date  from 
the  end  of  the  twelfth  ceutui'y,  though  it  is  believed 
tea  was  introduced  to  .Japan  from  China  by  a Buddhist 
Abbot— Dengyo  Daishi — as  far  back  as  the 
year  805. 
The  Royal  Botanic  Garden,  Calcutta, 
— We  give  elsewhere  Ur.  King’s  report  on  this 
warden  for  the  year  1895-96,  which,  though  not 
lengthy,  is  interesting.  PToni  it  we  learn  that 
the  season  from  October  to  March  was  abnormally 
dry,  and  many  plants  and  trees  perished  or  were 
damaged  by  the  drought.  Steady  progress  has, 
however  been  made  in  improving  the  Botanic 
Garden,  not  only  as  a scientific  centre  for  bo- 
tanical students,  but  also  as  a pleasure  resort 
for  the  public.  The  steps  leading  to  Col.  Kyd’s 
monument  were  renovated  and  paved  with  marble; 
and  a cutting  from  the  sacred  Bo  tree  at  Bud- 
dha Gaya  was  presented  by  Mr.  Grierson,  late 
Magistrate  of  Howrah,  and  jilanted  in  the  Gar- 
den. Attention  was  as  usual  given  to  the  cul- 
tivation and  distribution  of  plants  of  economic 
value.  Among  these  the  skla,  a fibre-producing 
plant,  and  the  Adhatoda  vasim,  a decoction  of 
wliieh  is  popularly  believed  to  be  a powerful 
insecticide  in  tea  plantations,  were  cultivated  at 
the  instance  of  the  Reporter  on  Economic  Pro- 
ducts. The  decoction  of  Adhatoda  va.<tica  was 
submitted  to  a test,  but  the  results  are  reported 
to  have  been  of  a .somewhat  doubtful  nature.  In 
Ceylon,  says  Dr.  Trimen  in  his  Handbook  of  the 
Flora  of  Ccglon,  this  plant  is  much  cultivated 
by  the  natives  as  a fence,  and  is  largely  grown 
.about  Jaffna  .as  a green  imanure  for  tobacco  gar- 
dens. The  Sinhalese  names  are  agaladora, 
wanepola ; and  the  Tamil  udatodni,  pavetlaii  A 
jiortion  of  tlie  Sibpur  Experimental  Farm  was 
devoted  to  raising  whe.at  from  samples  of  seed 
supplied  from  the  various  wheat-growing  districts 
in  Bengal,  and  Dr.  Pr.ain,  the  Curator  of  the 
Herbarium,  is  now  preparing  a report  on  the 
races  grown  and  on  their  relations  to  the  names 
they  be.ar  in  different  districts.  The  collection 
in  the  Herbarium  was  incre.a.sed  by  more  tlian 
17,000  specimens,  the  chief  contributors  being  the 
Director  of  the  Royal  Garden,  Kew,  and  the 
Keeper  of  the  Botanical  Department  of  the 
National  History  Museum,  London.  During  a 
])ortion  of  the  year  Dr.  Prain  was  deputed  to 
the  whe.at-growing  districts  of  Upper  India  with 
the  object  of  emiiiiring  into  the  “ host”  or  vehicle 
by  w'hich  the  blight  affecting  whesit  and  barley, 
commonly  known  as  “ rust,”  is  propagated  from 
year  to  year.  The  matter  is  one  of  the  utmost 
importance,  and  it  i.s  lioi)ed  (hat  Dr.  Prain’s  in- 
vestigations may  render  it  jmssible  to  take  eflec- 
tive  measures  for  the  prevention  of  the.se  destruc- 
tive blights.  During  the  year  tw'o  volumes  were 
added  to  the  interesting  series  of  G.arden  Annals, 
containing  monograidis  by  Sir  Joseph  D.  Hooker 
on  Indian  Orchids  and  by  Dr.  D.  D.  Cunniii"- 
ham  on  the  obscure  phenomena  knowm  as  sleep 
and  sensitivity  in  plant,  most  of  wdiich  he  traces 
topurcly  phy.sic.al  proce.'^ses.  Both  Dr.  King  and 
Dr.  Plain  also  contributed  valuable  papers  on 
botanical  subjects  to  various  scientific  journals. 
The  Lloyd  Botanic  Garden  at  D.arjeeiing  was 
ill  charge  of  Mr.  Kennedy,  who  carried  out  various 
imiiroveiuents  in  the  roads  and  conservatories 
of  the  Garden.  A gigantic  .s])eeimen  of  the  beauti- 
ful Austr.ali.au  fein,  Todca  bai  bara,  weighing  up- 
w'ards  of  half  a (on,  was  pre.seiHed  to  tlie'tlar- 
den  by  the  distinguished  botanist,  Baron  Von 
Mueller,  iv.c.M.u  , e.r.s. 
