Oct.  I,  1896.J 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
267 
The  life  history  of  IlemUeia  Vantatrix  is  all  very 
ntei'esling,  ljut  it  is  its  dcaih  we  most  dcsicleraie. 
The  life  history  of  iiilluenza  or  smallpox  would 
be  of  small  accont  without  a suggested  remedy, 
The  poor  Matabele  chieftains  as  they  struggle 
manfully  against  the  British  brigands  might  be 
interested  to  the  life  history  of  their  enemies,  but 
they  naturally  desire  something  more  than  this. 
They  have  their  fly  but  that  seems  not  sufficient 
to  protect  them.  Neither  will  the  ladybird  save 
our  coffee  bushes.  A poor  result  surely  of  all 
our  boasted  researches  and  resources  if  at  this 
time  of  day  all  we  can  do  is  to  simply  place  our 
implicit  faith  in  a pretty  little  beetle ! 
THE  SUPPLY  OP  PEARLS. 
When  we  .speak  of  the  profusion  of  jewellery 
at  the  present  day  we  refer  to  diamoiul-s.  Otlier 
gems  are  scarcely  more  common  than  formerly, 
e.xcepting  those  of  a low  class  such  as  garnets, 
topazes,  peridots.  Fine  pearls,  they  say,  are 
not  to  be  procured.  Why  does  not  Spain  work 
that  enormous  bank  which  stretches  hundreds 
of  miles  to  the  north  east  of  Borneo,  now  that 
she  has  possessed  herself  of  the  Sulu  Islaiuls  ? 
Its  wealth  is  beyond  dispute.  For  ages  it  has 
been  the  last  resource  of  ruined  gamblers  and 
desperate  men  wlio  braved  the  risk  of  working 
there — upon  the  high  load,  as  one  may  say  of 
the  pirates;  and  if  they  saved  their  heads  they  com- 
monly retrieved  their  fortunes.  “ The  pearl 
banks,”  says  8ir  Spencer  St.  John,  “ are  per- 
haps more  numerous  there  than  in  any  part  of 
the  world,  .and  rf  properly  developeil  would  no 
doubt  be  e.xceedingly  productive.”  When  Mr. 
Edwards  w.as  Governor  of  Labuan,  he  bought  a 
pearl  found  there  “ which  w.as  pronounced  by 
all  who  saw  it  in  the  East  as  the  best  that  had 
ever  been  brought  under  their  notice.”  Historic 
specimens  nave  been  traced  to  the  spot.  The 
terrible  Ijabuan  jiirates  are  homeless  wanderers 
now.  The  Sulus  arc  subject  of  Spain.  But, 
still,  so  far  .as  we  have  heard,  no  European  has 
visited  those  banks. — Torres  ‘itraits  Pilot,  Aug.  8. 
BETEL  BLIGHT. 
Dr.  George  Watt,  who  was  deputed  to  enr|uire 
into  the  cause  of  the  blight  whicli  attacked  the 
betel  plantation  in  Eastern  Bengal,  has  completed 
an  exhaustive  Report  on  the  subject,  which  will 
shortly  pass  through  the  press.  He  has  ascertained 
th.at  the  blight  is  caused  by  a very  low  parasitic 
organism  which  by  some  specialists  is  considered 
an  animal,  by  others  a vegetable  growth.  No 
satisfactory  remedy  has  yet  been  ili.scovered. — • 
Madras  Mail,  Sept.  7. 
— — «■ 
NATAL  TEA  GARDENS. 
We  recently  baa  occasion  to  mention  the  interesting 
fact  that  coffte  planting  was  a growing  industry  in  ilio 
Shire  Highlands  of  South-East  Central  Africa.  In 
this  marvellous  continent  the  cultivation  of  tea  has  not 
been  neglected,  and  a certain  measure  of  success  has 
attended  tea  planters  in  Natal,  which  might  easily 
have  been  greater  had  the  Government  extended  its 
assistance  to  them,  had  they  not  been  quite  so  jealous 
of  each  other,  and  had  they  named  their  teas  properly 
and  sent  only  the  superior  sorts  to  market.  Despite 
these  drawbacks  they  have  managed  to  do  fairly  well, 
although  those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  size  of 
Indian  ami  Ceylon  garden.s  will,  doubtless,  smile 
when  they  learn  that  there  are  barely  3,UU0  acres  of 
laird  under  tea  cultivation  in  the  entire  colony,  and 
that  tire  number  of  tea  gardens  is  five.  It  i.s  only 
since  1891  that  tea  cultivation  in  this  part  of  the  world 
has  made  any  perceptible  progress,  although  a com- 
mencement was  made  so  far  back  as  1882.  The  tea 
district  lies  within  six  miles  of  a place  called  Stanger, 
amid  beautiful  scenery  and  a fine  view  of  the  sea  can 
be  obtained  from  many  points  in  the  plantation. 
As  regards  the  total  output  of  tea  from  the 
colony  for  the  present  season,  the  Tropical 
Agriculturists  states  that  the  result  will  be  below  that  of 
last  year.  In  December,  1895,  the  colony  experienced 
sad  disaster  in  the  burning  of  the  large  central  factory 
at  Kearsney,  by  which  one  hundered  thousand  pounds  of 
tea  was  destroyed  at  the  same  time.  It  cannot  after  this 
loss  be  responsible  for  more  than  300,0001bs.  for  the 
season  of  1895-96,  and  so  the  total  crop  of  Natal  tea  this 
season  will  not  be  more  than  700,0001bs.,  but  next  year 
they  hope  to  reach  so  high  as  one  million  pounds  weight. 
The  greater  portion  of  this  tea  is  consumed  in  Natal 
itself.  Fields,  further  ahead,  to  the  South  and  inland, 
are  yet  practically  untouched  ; but  those  who  would 
secure  them  must  do  so  at  once,  as  the  industry  with  all 
its  drawbacks  is  rapidly  spreading.  It  must,  however, 
be  some  consolation  to  Indian  and  Ceylon  growers  to 
learn  that  their  own  trade  does  not  appear  likely  to 
suffer  from  this  competition,  for  Johannesberg  does  not 
take  to  Natal  tea,  and  it  is  mentioned  that  Indian 
and  Ceylon  teas  are  getting  very  firmly  established  in 
all  parts  of  South  Africa.  Like  other  planters,  those 
of  Natal  are  troubled  concerning  their  coolies.  Their 
discomfitiu'e  does  not  appear  duo  to  the  causes  that 
vox  and  irritate  planters  in  this  part  of  the  world,  but 
to  the  cost  of  oooly  labour  which  is  far  too  expensive, 
and  no  wonder  if  the  coolies  ai'e  imported  from  India. 
It  is  very  interesting  to  hear  of  this  budding  industry, 
but  it  is  somewhat  doubtful  whether  it  will  ever  attain 
sufficient  proportions  to  bo  included  as  an  important 
factor  in  the  tea  trade  of  the  world. — Madras  Times, 
Sept.  5. 
INDIAN  PATENTS. 
Specifications  of  the  undermentioned  inventions 
have  been  filed  under  the  provisions  of  Act  V of  1888: 
—Machine  eou  Plucking  on  Cutting  the  Leaves  or 
THE  Tea  Bushes,— No.  319  of  1895.— Henry  Fischer, 
manager  of  the  Central  Duars  Tea  Co.,  Ld.,  in  the 
Alipur  Dual-  sub-division  of  Jalpaiguri,  Bengal,  for  a 
machine  for  plucking  or  cutting  the  leaves  of  the 
tea  bushes  and  for  collecting  the  same.  {Siiecification 
filed  9th  June  1896.) 
♦ 
THE  KLANG  PLANTING  AND  ESTATE 
SYNDICATE  (LIMITED) 
has  been  registered,  by  Timbrell  and  Deighton,  with 
a capital  of  jt6,000  in  T1  shares.  The  object  is  to 
enter  into  an  agreement  with  J.  E.  Rodgers,  and  to 
carry  on  business  as  tea,  coffee,  cocoa,  tapioca,  and 
pepper  planters  and  growers  in  the  Straits  Settlements 
or  elsewhere.  The  directors  are  to  be  elected  by  the 
signatories.  Qualification,  TIOO.  Remuneration  to  be 
fi.xed  by  the  company.  Registered  office  : 25,  Bochurch- 
lane,  E.C. — L.  di  C.  Exjjress,  Aug.  14. 
Ceylon  Sets  an  Example  to  South  Indian 
Planters.- The  Madras  Times,  after  quoting 
remarks  made  by  Mr.  Rogivue’s  recently  published 
letter  regarding  Ceylon  tea  in  Russia  adds 
Remarks  of  this  kind  should  be  of  interest  to 
South  Indian  jilanters,  who  are  understood  to 
have  recognised  the  necessity  of  developing  all 
available  markets  for  their  Tea  ami  Coffee.  It 
is  to  be  hoped  that,  like  their  Ceylon  brethren, 
they  will  provide  funds  sufficient  to  back  up 
enterprise,  and  wdll  thus  find  a way  to  improve 
the  already  large  demand  for  their  products. 
The  example  that  Ceylon  Tea  has  set  in  Russia 
and^in  Anieiica  is  a capital  one,  and  the  progress 
of  Ceylon  tea  there  should  be  closely  observed 
by  South  Indian  planters. 
