Oct.  t,  1896.1 
THK  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
26j- 
sion  is  maintained  over  tlie  cultivation  for  the 
ne.\t  few  years  we  sliall  either  see  the  i)!aiitations 
kept  nj)  at  a cost  whicli  entails  an  annna.1  loss, 
wliicli  is  not  justiliahlc,  or  else  nei^lected  with 
the  result  that  there  will  be  a serious  deteriora- 
tion in  their  valvie,  which  would  be  de)ib)rable. 
There  is  a nappy  mean  between  those  two  coursi;s  ; 
Ave  have  no  doubt  about  it  ; and  we  are  eipially 
certain  that  only  a person  experienced  in  the 
cultivation  of  cinchona  will  be  .able  to  juirsue  it 
so  long  as  the  market  price  of  the  unit  of  (piinine 
remains  at  its  present  low  level. — M.  Mail, 
Sept.  4. 
« 
RHEA  CULTIVATION^. 
According  to  hast  years  report  of  the  Agri- 
Horticultural  Society  of  India,  the  culti\  aliou  of 
rhe.a  h.as  been  taken  u]>  extensively  in  Lower  ai.d 
Eastern  Bengal,  and  on  many  tea  gardens  in  As- 
sam. No  less  than  eighty-sev'  n persons  m.ade 
three  Iiundred  and  seventy-one  refcicnces  to  the 
Society  for  information  reg.aniing  cultivation, 
manufacture,  and  nnachinery,  but  the  greatest 
secrecy  has  in  all  cases  been  maintaineil,  both 
as  reg.ards  localities  Avhere  rhea  is  cultivated, 
and  the  m.arkets  to  which  the  liln-e  is  su])- 
plied.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  many  contem- 
plate taking  up  the  cultivation  of  the  idant  in 
very  unfavorable  districts.  It  is  curious  to  note 
that  thef  references  now  being  made  to  the  Society 
regarding  cultivation  of  fibrous  plants,  etc.,  are 
identical  with  those  submitted  thirty  and  forty 
years  .sgo.  Some  very  line  samples  of  uncleaned, 
cleaned,  and  l)leached  ribbons  and  floss  have 
been  submitted.  In  some  cases  it  has  been  men- 
tioned that  there  are  buyers  in  Europe  of  bleached 
ribbons  at  £4d  to  £.50  per  ton,  and  £,S0  per  ton 
for  degum med fibre, — Indian  Agriculturist,  Sept.  1. 
GERMAN  SANDALWOOD  OIL. 
Whatever  may  be  the  excellence  of  German 
cider,  it  appe.ars  that  sand.alwood  oil  “made  in 
Germ.any  ” does  not  meet  with  much  apprecia- 
tion in  the  East.  At  first,  its  cheapness  brought 
it  into  .some  vogue  in  Western  India  ; it  seemed 
to  be  the  right  thing,  .and  substantial  (irolits 
.accrued  to  its  imimrters.  But  discovery  was 
made  before  long  that  the  scent  h.ad  far  less 
permanence  than  th.at  of  oil  ni.ade  from  My- 
sore sandalwood.  The  latter  lasts  for  years, 
and  comes  in  very  usefully  to  iiup.art  the 
eculiar  perfume  to  other  woods  used  in  Bom- 
bay art  Avork.  There  is,  of  course,  something 
of  fraud  in  that,  but  it  is  of  very  .ancient 
origin,  and  only  the  guileless  believe  that 
article  labelled  “ sandalwood  ” are  always 
genuine.  The  erfterprizing  Teuton,  hoAvever, 
app.arently  c.ame  to  the  conclusion  that  there 
was  room  for  still  further  so])histication,  and, 
acting  upon  that  appetising  notion,  supplied  him- 
self Avith  inferior  sandahvood  from  other  countries. 
Whether  he  .added  other  ingrerlients  may  be  left 
an  open  (juestion  ; possibly,  the  knoAvledge  of 
applied  chemistry  on  Avhich  he  prides  himself, 
Avith  such  good  reason,  in.ay  h.ave  come  to  his 
aid  in  this  matter  also.  At  all  events,  it  is 
oflicially  reported  by  the  Mysore  Forest  Depart- 
ment that  the  introduction  of  this  Germ.an  decoc- 
tion diminished,  for  a time,  the  sale  of  the  genuine 
article.  But  the  Latest  report  from  Bombay 
states  that  the  spurious  oil  has  largely  gone  out  of 
favour  among  merchants  avIio  have  h.ad  experience 
of  its  inferiority,  and  we  m.ay  take  it,  therefore, 
that  imports  Avill  groAv  small  by  ilcgrccs  and  very 
beautifully  less,— x\ug.  22, 
THE  CUTCH  FORESTS  OF  UIT’ER 
BURMA. 
The  pco])le  of  Up|)er  Burma  are  beginning  to 
realise  what  a mine  of  Avealth  lies  in  the  cutch 
forests,  and  they  run  the  risk  of  punishment  by 
illicit  tr.aflic  in  the  product.  The  Last  Forest 
Administration  Report  shoAvs  Iioav  cleverly  the 
Burman  works,  and  Iioav  lenient  are  the  magis- 
trates in  dealing  Avith  him.  He  invariably  sets 
up  the  plea  that  he  has  simply  cut  down 
cutch  trees  to  make  a clearing  for  cultiva- 
tion, .and,  it  is  most  difficult  to  obtain  good 
evidence  ag.ainst  him.  In  the  Western  Circle 
the  number  of  oll'ences  is  steadily  increasing,  and 
until  forest  reservation  has  been  carried  out  on 
a large  scale  matters  will  continue  in  an  un- 
satisf.actorj  tatc.  The  Conservator  points  out 
that  the  ciu,.l  exports  from  this  circle  aie  Avorth 
eleven  lakhs  per  .annum,  .and  that  the  Govern- 
ment are  losing  a large  amount  of  revenue  OAving 
to  the  Avidespread  evasion  of  the  reguLations. 
Moreover,  it  is  remarked  that  the  jieople  are  now 
claiming  as  private  land  Large  tr.acts  over  Avhich 
they  never  dreamed  of  asserting  their  rights  be- 
fore, .and  these  claims,  if  not  upset,  are  likely 
to  give  much  trouble  hereafter.  It  is  suggested 
that  the  only  elfective  measure  Avould  be  the 
.absolute  prohibition  of  cutch-boiling  on  private 
land,  until  it  lias  been  decided  Avhat  is  private 
land  and  Avhat  is  not.  It  is  not  only  the  villager 
Avho  sets  the  law  at  defiance,  but  the  licensee 
also.  Tlie  demand  for  cutch  is  so  great,  and  prices 
rule  so  high,  that  the  men  avIio  take  out  licenses  are 
tempted  to  make  illicit  jirolits.  The  forfeiture  of 
bonds  of  R1,000  each  h.as  followed  in  c.ases  of 
detection,  and  this  should  have  a Avholesale 
efl’ect.  The  ordinary  offender  usually  gets  off  with 
a small  fine,  if  he  is  convicted  at  all,  and  this 
he  pays  quite  willingly,  as  his  gains  are  large. 
It  Avould  seem  that  the  m.agistrates  err  on  tlie 
.side  of  leniency,  and  the  cutchthief  is  encouraged 
in  his  evil  courses.  The  Burmans  give  trouble 
also  in  the  matter  of  forest-fires,  and  great  efforts 
are  being  made  to  save  valu.able  teak  forests 
from  dam.ago  due  to  incendiarism  or  to  careless- 
ness of  jieojilo  in  camp.  In  the  Minbu  Division 
the  forest  staff  have  had  an  unpleasant  expe- 
rience, as  the  Tichaungwa  reserve  Avas  twice 
ravaged  by  lire,  .and  in  one  instance  the  vill.agers 
refused  to  "ive  any  help  in  checking  the  flames. 
There  is  evidently  much  to  be  done  in  Upper 
Burma  before  the  forests  can  be  projierly  pro- 
tected, and  the  Government  have  acted  Avisely  in 
inci’easing  the  establishment  Avhich  can  make 
protection  leal  and  effective. — Indian  Agricul- 
turist, Sep.  1. 
♦ 
WANAnA.TAii  Tea  Company.— W'e  heartily 
congratulate  the  sli.areholders  u|)on  receiving  a 
dividend  of  20  per  cent  for  the  p.ast  year,  and 
trust  that  the  returns  nuiy  long  continue  to  be  as 
satisfactory  as  those  Avhich  Avere  presented  at 
the  meeting  tod.ay.  Tlie  directors  are  justified  by 
results  in  having  so  much  confidence  in  manur- 
ing, .and  it  is  to  be  hopeil  th.at  the  liber.al  out- 
lay Avhich  they  projiose  to  continue  to  m.ake 
on  this  work  Avill  prove  as  satisfactory  as  it  h.as 
done  in  the  ]>ast.  Tlie  figures  given  by  the 
Ch.airm.an  .are  interesting  and  instructive  .as 
shoAving  the  progress  th.at  has  been  m.ade  in  the 
field  of  crop,  and  the  jirospects  for  the  future 
arc  very  hopeful  indeed,  le.aving  out  of  sight,  of 
course,  the  coffee  yield  Avhich  is  diminishing  at 
such  a rate  that  it  is  expected  to  disappear 
altogether  shortly,  'riie  estates  are  admirably 
managed,  and  the  Company’s  affairs  Avell  looked 
after  by  the  agents  and  secretaries. 
