310 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST  [Nov.  2,  1896. 
A dispatch  from  Victoria,  B.  C.,  says : Despite  th« 
arrival  in  the  held  of  Nippon  Yusen  Kaisha  as  the 
fourth  competitor  for  Oriental  trade  to  British 
Columbia  and  Puget  Sound  ports,  there  will  be  no 
cutting  of  tea  cargo  rates  this  year,  and  no  sailing 
ships  will  be  chartei’ed.  A combination  is  announced 
between  Central  Pacific,  Northern  Pacific,  Oregon 
Bailway  and  Navigation  companies  and  the  Japanese 
line  of  steamers,  and  a uniform  rate  of  li  lb.  has 
been  agreed  upon. — American  Grocer,  Aug.  19, 
MADAGASCAR. 
London,  Sept.  10. — Twenty  thousand  natives  are 
ravaging  the  northern  district  of  Madagascar. — 
Australian  Paper. 
British  Guiana  and  its  Resources.— By 
the  Author  of  “Sardinia  and  its  Resources.”  (G 
Philip  and  Son.)— This  is  a seasonai)le  book,  for  it 
tells  us  something  of  the  value  of  a country  about 
which  there  is  not  a little  trouble  just  now.  It 
produces  sugar,  but  not  to  much  prolic,  tliough  tlie 
writer  discerns  signs  of  improvement.  It  furnishes 
gold, and  that  in  no  small  quantities.  The  yield  has 
grown  from  250  oz.  in  1884  to  110,4:12  dz.  in  1894. 
Of  course  it  is  the  opportunity  of  digging  for  gold, 
not  of  growing  sugar,  that  our  Venezuelan  friends 
are  an. \io us  to  grab.  There  is  a timber  trade,  but 
it  is  not  flourishing.  As  to  the  natural  attractions 
of  the  place,  the  vegetation  is  magnificent,  espe- 
cially in  orchids  and  palms.  The  climate  is  inclif- 
ferent,  but  in  worse  repute  than  it  deserves.  The 
annual  rain-fall  is  80  inches ; the  thermometer 
never  falls  below  70  degrees  ; the  death-rate  is  38 
per  1,000. — Spectator. 
FOREST  ARD  SOILS. 
The  value  of  underbrush  must  not  be  underrated. 
Although  its  mothers  young  trees,  it  is  useful  to 
forests  of  larger  growth.  The  amount  of  mineral 
matter  which  a tree  absorbs  is  insignificant.  Water 
is  the  essential  element.  In  checking  evaporation 
and  retarding  the  flow,  undergrowth  is  often  neces- 
sary. But  the  smaller  amount  of  dead  wood  in  a 
forest  the  better,  since  it  breeds  many  kinds  of 
insects,  some  of  which  may  invade  the  living  trees. 
The  material  resulting  from  decay,  however,  en- 
riches the  soil,  so  that  it  is  better  to  burn  the  dead 
wood  which  cannot  be  utilised.  In  that  way  the  soil 
is  enriched  just  the  same,  the  insects  are  disposed 
of  and  the  underbrush  is  not  seriously  disturbed. 
Prof.  F.  H.  Storer,  in  Agriculture,  says:  “Within 
porous  soils  nitrate  are  doubtless  formed  rather 
freely,  and,  as  is  well-known,  the  nitrates  are  easily 
washed  out  from  soils,  and  are  liable  to  go  to  waste 
after  every  rain  that  is  long  continued.  They  are,  in 
fact,  leached  out  of  the  soil,  and  the  manure  from 
which  they  come  rapidly  wastes  away.  It  is  said 
to  be  a matter  of  old  and  familiar  observation  in 
Germany,  that  in  sandy  regions,  in  seasons  that  are 
particularly  wet,lthe  soil  may  finally  be  so  thoroughly 
leached  that  it  becoms  unfruitful.  When  we  consider 
the  facts  that  nitrates  are  easily  washed  out  of  the 
soil,  that  they  are  absolutely  essential  to  plant 
growth,  and  that  they  are  continually  produced,  dur- 
ing the  period  of  growth,  from  humus,  by  the  action 
of  nitrifying  bacteria,  we  canappreciate  the  damage 
to  light  soils  by  fire.  Land  thus  damaged  needs  very 
careful-  tillage  ' and  green  manuring  before  it  can 
produce  a crop  of  consequence.” — Journal  of  the 
Society  of  Arts,  Aug.  28. 
THE  DUMONT  COFFEE  COMPANY,  LTD. 
(Under  Acts  1SG2  to  1890.) 
This  Company  is  formed  for  the  purpose  of  ac- 
quiring, carrying  on,  and  developing  the  celebrated 
Coffee  Estates  of  the  Companhia  Agricola  Fazanda 
Dumont,  situate  in  the  district  of  Ribeirae  Preto,  in 
the  State  of  bao  Paolo,  United  States  of  Brazil. 
05  ^ Mortgage  Debentures  ,t*100  ..  i*400  000 
‘h  „ Cumulative  Preference  (as  to  Capital 
and  Interest)  of  flO  each  . . 400,000 
Ordinary  of  4:i0  each  . . • • 400,000 
200  000 
Directors  and  Friends  take  €50,000  of  each 150, ’OOO 
Present  Subscription,  26,66.5  Preference 
at  iTO  266,650 
26,665  Ordinary 
at  .£10  266,650 
26,667  Debentures 
at  £100  266.700 
Pref. 
Ord. 
Debs. 
£1 
£1 
£10 
£2 
£2 
£40 
£3 
£3 
£25 
£4 
£4 
£25 
£950  000 
Debentures  redeemable  1920  at  par  or  by  six  m'ontbs’ 
notice,  with  £15  per  h/-vnna  ■ — 
Calls,  &c. 
On  application 
On  allotment 
On  20th  October 
On  15th  December 
Directors : — P.  R.  Bucuu.uau,  Jijsq.,  unairman  ((Jhair- 
man  of  the  East  India  and  Ceylon  Tea  Company 
and  Director  Consolidated  Tea  and  Lands  Co.)  H. 
K.  Rutherford,  Esq.,  (Chairman  of  the  Ceylon  Tea 
Plantation  Co.,  Ld.)  Major  F.  B.  McCrea  (Man- 
aging Director  Army  and  Navy  Co-operative).  Hon. 
S'  (Director  Imperial  Ottoman  Bank). 
G.  A.  Talbot,  Esq.  (Director  of  Selangor  Coffee  Co.) 
Robert  Hart,  Esq.  (Chairman  of  the  Baraoora  Tea 
Company.) 
Bankers Messrs.  Glynn,  Mills,  Currie  & Co  30 
Lombard  Street,  E.C. 
Brokei-s:— Messrs.  Coates,  Sons*  Co.,  99,  Gresham 
Street,E.C. 
Freehold  Estate  110,000  acres ; 13,000  acres  planted 
with  coffee.  Statement  of  coffee  trees  in  bearine 
yield  and  profit:—  ® 
In  bearing.  Yielding  lb. 
’92 
•93 
’94 
’95 
’96 
i,:ioo,ooo 
1.400.000 
1.500.000 
2,069,700 
2, 476, .500 
3.897.000 
4.200.000 
5.107.000 
8.400.000 
Profits. 
£53,978  19 
£68,128 
£86,589 
£127,453 
9,000,000  (hist.)  £142,226 
Taking  the  profits  of  1895  as  a basis, 
although  not  half  the  planted  area  was 
yieding  crops 
Less  Debenture,  Int.  ..£22,000  0 6 
„ Preference,  Int.  . .£30,000  0 0 
0 
0 
3 
6 
6 
..£127,453  3 6 
£52,000  0 0 
..  £75,453  3 6 
Balance  .. 
for  Dividend  and  Reserve. 
The  purchase  price  has  been  fixed  at  £1  200  000 
payable  two-thirds  in  cash;  balance  and  debentures' 
preference  and  ordinary  in  equal  proportion,  * 
The  Company  take  over  the  estates  as  from  1st 
January,  1896,  and  are  entitled  to  the  prefits  earned 
during  the  current  year.  These  are  estimated  at 
about  £142,000,  and  will  be  used  for  providing  work 
ing  Capital,  for  forming  a Reserving  account,  and 
for  the  payment  of  interest  on  the  debentures  and 
a dividend  to  the  preference  and  ordinary  share- 
holders  from  the  dates  of  payment  of  the  instalments 
up  to  31st  December.  1896.  It  will  be  noted  that 
the  average  profit  of  1894  and  1895  is  sufficient  to 
pay  the  debenture  interest  and  preference  dividends 
more  than  twice  over. 
The  Bandarapoea  Ceylon  Company.— The 
first  we  believe  among  the  Ceylon  Tea  Com- 
panies in  London  to  declare  an  interim  dividemi 
Ii^M  been  the  Bandarapola  Ceylon  Company. 
rhediiector.s  of  the  Company,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  letter  which  we  juiblish  elsewhere,  have 
declared  an  interim  dividend  at  tlie  rate  of  10 
per  cent  per  annum  (free  of  income  tax)  for  the 
lialf- year  ending  June  30th  last.  We  heartily 
congratulate  the  shareholders,  ^ 
