344 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURISl . [Nov.  2,  1896. 
resemblance  to  the  common  house-fly,  but  much 
smaller,  being  about  a quarter  of  an  inch  in  length 
These  flies  come  from  the  eggs  deposited  by  the 
parent  fly  under  the  skin  of  the  caterpillar,  and 
they  have  undergone  all  their  changes,  from  the  egg 
to  the  perfect  states,  within  the  caterpillars  case,  to 
the  complete  destruction  of  their  host.  It  would 
be  interesting  to  know  how  the  parent  fly,  with  its 
soft  ovipositor,  is  able  to  lodge  an  egg  with  success 
under  the  skin  of  the  caterpillar.  Perhaps  it  is 
effected  while  the  caterpillar  has  its  head  and 
shoulders  out  of  its  tough  case  when  on  the  move, 
or  in  feeding.  There  is  also  an  ichneumon-fly  that 
destroys  the  caterpillar,  but  being  armed  with  a 
strong  sting-like  ovipositor,  it  would  probably,  in  urg- 
ing its  egg,  be  able  to  pierce  the  tough  case.  No 
living  caterpillar  was  discoverable  among  those 
sent  by  Mr.  Roberts.  All  had  miserably  perished, 
so  that  it  is  to  be  hoped  thejf  will  be  kept  well  under 
through  the  attacks  of  their  insect  enemies,  and 
that  the  tea  tree  will  never  be  seriously  damaged 
by  them.  The  fly  lays  a single  egg  under  or  upon 
the  skin  of  its  victim. — Colombo,  2nd  Oct.” — Ed.  2’. A.] 
SCOTTISH  CEYLON  TEA  COMPANY 
LIMITED. 
16,  Philpot  Lane,  London,  Sept  19. 
Sir, — We  beg  to  inform  you  that  the  Board 
of  Directors  of  this  Company  have  declared  an 
Interim  Dividend  at  the  rate  of  10  per  cent,  per 
annum  (free  of  Income  Ta.\)  for  the  half  year 
ending  30bh  June  last,  on  the  body  shares. 
Your  obedient  servants, 
LYALL,  ANDERSON  & CO. 
Agents  tk,  Secretaries. 
EDERAPOLLA  TEA  COMPANY  OF 
CEYLON,  LIMITED. 
16,  Philpot  Lane,  London,  Sept.  22. 
Sir, — We  beg  to  inform  you  that  the  Board  of 
Directors  of  this  Company  liave  declared  an  in- 
terim dividend  at  the  rate  of  10  per  cent  per 
annum  (free  of  Income  Tax)  for  the  half-year 
ending  3oth  June  last. — Your  Obedient  Servants, 
LYALL  ANDERSON  & CO. 
Agents  <i-  Secretaries. 
SILK  CULTIVATION  IN  CEYLON. 
We-uda,  Oct.  lOUi. 
Dear  Sir, — Those  of  your  readers  who  are 
interested  in  Sericulture  will  be  glad  to  learn 
that  the  opinion  expressed  in  my  letter  of  25tli 
July,  with  regard  to  the  Bengal  silkwoims,  has 
proved  correct  : worms  recently  reared  in  Dimbula 
have  produced  finer  cocoons  than  in  the  low- 
country  and  without  any  falling-off  as  regards 
their  brilliance,  the  special  characteristic  of 
Bengal  silk.  It  remains  to  be  seen  what  diminu- 
tion in  the  number  of  broods  in  a year  is  caused 
by  the  colder  climate,  but  even  if  the  reduction 
is  considerable,  it  will,  I think,  be  fully  com- 
pensated for  by  the  increased  weight  of  the 
cocoons. 
I hope  soon  to  be  able  to  distribute  eggs  or 
young  worms  of  the  linest  varieties  of  the  an- 
nual .silkworm  from  Japan.  My  stock  of  mulberry 
trees  is  limited,  and  is  required  for  se^t-ral 
sjjecies,  an<litis  desirable  to  ascertain  by  actual 
experiment  at  what  elevation  tlie  annual  worms 
will  give  the  best  result.  Willi  lliis  object 
in  view  I shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  anyone,  in 
any  district  over  oUO  feet  elevation,  who  is 
willing  to  make  a trial  with  this  species. — Yours 
faithfully,  PERCY  N.  BRAINE. 
THE  NICARAGUAN  RUBBER  DECREE. 
A decree  of  the  government  of  Nicaragua, 
restricting  the  exportation  of  India-iubber  to  the 
produce  of  cultivated  trees,  has  been  translated 
for  I lie  United  IStates  department  of  state  by 
Vice-Consul  Henry  E.  Low,  at  Managua,  as  fol- 
lows : — 
To  prevent  the  extinction  of  the  India-rubber 
trees  in  the  national  forests,  and  to  develop  their 
cultivation  in  plantations,  arranged  with  the  bounty 
law.s,  the  president  of  the  republic  decrees: 
1.  From  January  1,  1897,  it  will  be  prohibited 
in  all  parts  of  the  republic  to  export  India-rubber 
which  has  not  been  cultivated  in  plantations,  ar- 
ranged in  acconlance  to  the  laws  of  March  6, 
1883,  and  March  23,  1887. 
2.  The  foregoing  prohibition  will  last  for  ten 
years  from  the  date  indicated,  and  whosoever  shall 
act  contrary  shall  be  fined  in  accordance  with  the 
regulations  concerning  fraud  upon  the  treasury, 
shall  lose  for  the  benefit  of  the  treasuiy  the 
India-rubber,  and  besides  be  fined  to  the  amount 
of  four  tunes  its  imluc. 
3.  India-rubber  can  be  exported  only  coming 
from  i-egular  plantations,  formed,  as  before  said, 
in  conformity  to  the  bounty  laws  of  1883  and 
1887,  but  to  verify  it  the  exporters  must  register 
their  rubber  forms,  tirst,  in  the  oflice  of  the  tax-col- 
lector of  the  district,  expressing  the  number  and 
age  of  trees.  This  registration  w'ill  be  gratuitous 
and  must  be  made  every  year  in  the  first  days 
of  January,  to  j)roduce  the  desired  effect.  The 
exporters  must  receive  from  the  tax-collector  way 
bill  (a  certificte  on,  and  to  go  with  the  produce 
forwarded ) made  out  to  order ; in  older  that 
this  document  may  be  endorsed,  they  must  pre- 
sent their  registration  certificate,  and  forward  a 
copy  of  botli  documents  to  the  minister  of 
finance. 
4.  Anybody  found  extracting  India-rubber  from 
tlie  national  forests  wall  be  considered  as  a 
smuggler  ( contrabandist ) and  will  be  .sentenced 
and  fined  as  such  by  authority  of  the  judicial 
or  police  department 
5.  To  be  pre.sented  in  the  next  .sitting  of  the 
legislature,  to  be  published. 
Interview's  with  Mr.  William  A.  De  Long,  Avho 
was  for  some  years  engaged  in  the  India-rubber 
trade  in  Nicaragua,  and  w'ith  other  rubber-men 
in  New  York,  ha^’e  elicited  only  expressions  of 
tlie  opinion  that  the  enforcement  of  the  above 
decree  will  be  practically  impossible.  In  some 
quarters  it  has  been  intimated  tliat  the  government 
of  Nicaragua  can  ill  afford  to  lose  the  revenue 
derived  hitherto  from  the  export  duty  on  India- 
rublier,  amounting  to  4 cents  a pound,  or  about 
§40,000  a year. — Indiarubbcr  and  Guttapcrc/ia, 
Journal,  Sept.  10. 

THE  AMSTERDAM  DRUG-MARKET. 
Onr  Amsterdam  coi  respondent  reports  that  the 
public  auctions  lo  be  held  on  October  1st.,  will  in- 
clude .'),128  Calcs  and  2i!7  cases,  weighing  together 
498,5;W  kilos,  of  Java  cincliona  bark.  The  total  quan- 
tity of  fiuli.'hate  of  quinine  represented  is  28,(310 
kilos.,  giving  an  average  of  5'83  per  cent  for  the 
Manufacturing  bark.  The  supply  includes  14,288  kilos 
of  Druggists’  balk,  with  402  kilos  of  sulphate  of 
quinine. — Chemist  and  Divijgist,  Sept.  20. 
