526 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb.  r,  1897. 
olid  good  work  for  the  advancement  of  the  so  much- 
needed  knowledge.  Whatever  works  they  initiate  are 
done  with  a purpose,  and  directly  tend  to  fruit 
bearing  in  due  course.  No  haphazard  sloveutly 
methods  are  adopted,  but  the  latest  systems  in  vogue, 
and  the  most  recent  discoveries  of  the  scientists, 
the  world  over,  are  employed  in  the  analysis  and 
synthesis  of  the  work  in  hand.  For  the  outdoor  i.e., 
garden  work,  men  who  have  graduated  in  some 
standard  agricultural  college,  and  have  also  made  a 
study  of  entomology  are  the  class  most  needed  ; for 
factory  work,  men  who  h ive  gone  through  a course 
of  study  in  the  laboratories  of  well  known  chemists 
and  scientists,  in  which  scientific  e.xperiments  have 
been  systematically  carried  on.  It  may  be  urged 
that  this  class  of  men  can  always  find  ample  con- 
genial work  at  home  and  would  not  care  to  come 
out  to  tea  gardens.  They  certainly  would  not  on 
the  meagre  pittances  at  present  apportioned  to  the 
young  men  sent  out.  But  if  sufficient  inducements 
were  held  out  doubtless  advantage  would  be  taken 
of  them.  iMen  who  have  received  years  of  special 
training  and  education  at  a heavy  outlay,  will 
certainly  not  come  out  to  this  country  on  small 
salaries.  But  to  engage  the  services  of  such  men, 
at  whatever  cost,  will  repay  the  industry  a hundred 
fold  in  the  future.  The  old  and  experienced 
planters,  whose  services  ai’e  being  dispensed  with, 
yearly  to  make  room  for  the  new  importations 
of  raw  j'ouths  from  home,  would  not  have  such 
just  reason  to  complain  if  the  recruits  were  special- 
ists but  when  they  have  to  give  away  to  young 
sters,  whose  only  recommendations  are  rich  or  in- 
fluential relatives  at  home,  their  cup  of  woe  is  not 
only  filled  to  the  brim,  but  runs  over.  The  draught, 
bitter  enough  at  the  best,  is  made  all  the  more 
poignant  by  the  knowledge  that  their  places  are 
being  filled  by  others,  who  are  not  as  competent  as 
themselves  to  fulfil  even  the  most  ordinary  duties 
on  an  estate;  others,  who  cannot  “hold  a candle” 
to  them  in  respect  to  their  abilities.  The  industry 
undoubtedly  suffers  from  the  dismissal  of  old  and 
experienced  hands.  Introduce  “fresh  blood”  by 
all  means,  but  not  at  the  sacrifice  of  old  and  faithful 
servanis,  who  have  devoted  their  whole  lives  to  the 
cause,  and  who  have  been  instnuneutal  in  bringing 
up  the  industry  to  its  present  pitch  of  prosperity. 
These  men  but  require  scientific  men  to  help  them, 
and  as  in  the  past  they  have  done  their  duty  and 
gradually  worked  up  the  industry  to  its  present 
greatness,  so  in  the  future,  they  will,  with  tlie  assis- 
tance of  competent  men,  raise  tea-planting  to  the 
status  of  a science.  The  jjrogress  will  be  from  within, 
and  developed  by  the  men  iu  the  ranks  themselves, 
and  although  help  from  exterior  sources  will  be 
gladly  welcomed,  planters,  as  a body,  will  not  need  to 
look  to  outsiders  to  advance  their  interests.  Their 
hands  strengthened  with  the  right  stamp  of  men  from 
home,  they  will  be  in  a position  to  cope  with  all  diffi- 
culties, surmount  all  obstacles,  and  build  up  the  tea- 
industry  on  a broad  and  solid  foundation. — Indian 
Planters’  Gazette,  Dec  19. 
BOTANICAL  STAFF,  CEYLON. 
The  Koyal  Gardens,  Kew,  Bulletin  of  Mi,scel- 
laneou.s Information.  Ai)perulix  III.  1896,  has  for 
contents  List  of  stall’s  in  Botanical  Departments 
at  Home,  and  in  India  and  the  Colonies.  For 
Ceylon  we  quote  : — 
Ceylon. — Department  of  Boyal 
Director 
Curator 
Clerk 
Draughtsman 
Superintendent 
Clerk  & Foreman 
Conductor 
Peradeuiya 
Hakgala 
Botanic  Gardena  ; — 
♦.John  C.  Willis,  m.a. 
fHugh  McMillan 
J.  Ferdinandus 
W.  de  Alwis 
tWilliam  Nock 
M.  G.  Perera 
Henaratgoda  Conductor  S.dc. Silva,  Arachchi 
Anuradhapura  ,,  D.  F.  de  Silva 
Badulla  „ D.  A.  Guneratne. 
* Recommended  by  Kew.  f Trained  at  Kew. 
We  are  glad  to  see  worthy  Mr.  Macmillan  made 
“ CtirQ.toj,” 
THE  TEA  MARKET. 
In  the  Tea  market,  though  business  at  this 
period  of  the  year  slackens  down,  prices  rule  at 
so  moderate  a lange  there  seems  no  margin  for 
a further  dro]> ; indeed,  good  li(iuoring  Teas  en- 
courage competition.  The  inferior  qualities  from 
all  sources  are  in  exce.ss.  The  machine-made 
China  Teas  promise  to  make  headwa}',  and, 
with  a demand  created,  must  interfere  with  the 
Ceylon  industry ; meanwhile,  deliveries  of  the 
latter  for  the  twelve  months  show  a marked 
increase  over  1895. — L.  and  C.  Express,  Dec.  18. 
MARKET  FOR  TEA  SHARES. 
Thur.sday  Evening,  December  17,  1896. 
A fair  busine.ss  continues  in  many  of  the  Tea 
companies’  shares,  though  the  range  of  price  is 
a little  lower,  and  the  lines  sold  are  not  quite  so 
large.  Many,  how^ever,  of  the  best  rej)uted 
shares  still  stand  at  high  figures. 
Mincing  Lane  has  again  gone  a little  easier  for 
the  lower  grades,  but  sales  are  now  beginning  to  be 
curtailed  in  quantity  for  the  Christmas  closing. 
Calcutta  advices  by  mail,  just  in,  show  further 
increased  absorption  for  Australia,  Central  Asia, 
and  other  i)ort.s. — H.  and  C.  Mail,  Dec.  18. 
PLANTING  PROSPECTS. 
HRITISII  CKNTR.VL  AFRICA. 
At  a meeting  of  the  Royal  Colonial  Institute 
on  Tuesday,  Sir  Harry  H.  Johnston  read  a paper 
on  England’s  work  in  Central  Africa.  The  chair 
was  taken  by  Lord  Loch.  Sir  Harry  Johnston 
said  that  the  administration  of  British  Central 
Africa  was  begun  in  1891,  wben  the  total  trade  of 
Great  Britain  with  that  part  of  the  world  scarcely 
reached  £39,000  annually.  At  the  present  time 
it  w'as  over  £100,000.  The  local  revenue  had 
risen  from  £1,700  to  £22,000.  There  was  reason- 
able hope  th.at  before  long  there  would  be  a 
continuous  line  of  railway  from  the  East  Coast 
of  Africa  to  the  lie.ilthy  districts,  where  the 
cotl'ee  planters  were  establisheil.  Besides  coffee, 
tea  was  grown  to  a sliglit  extent  and  cinchona. 
Tobacco  was  cultivated  liy  one  linn  ; cotton  was 
orown  on  one  or  two  estates  ; another  linn  was 
developing  various  fibres  ; and  gold  miners  were 
already  busy  in  the  western  districts,  where 
gold  was  believed  to  be  present  in  paying  quanti- 
ties. There  were  also  several  valuable  deposits 
of  coal  ; hematite  iron  was  very  abundant  ; and 
tlie  forests  alforded  valuable  timber,  indiarubber, 
and  gum.  A young  planter  going  out  to  the 
healthier  portions  of  the  protectorate  ran  no 
more  risk  tlian  he  would  in  going  to  Brazil, 
while  he  could  start  with  infinitely  less  capital 
and  would  find  abundant  and  cheap  native 
labour.  Sir  11.  Johnston  said  he  did  not  believe 
in  the  eventual  colonization  of  tropical  Africa  by 
the  white  uiim.— London  Times,  Dec.  11. 
PLANTING  IN  ; AND  CLIMATE  OF. 
NYASSALAND. 
Mr.  J.  \V.  Moir’.s  paper  on  the  climate  of 
Nyassaland  accepted  for  the  British  Association, 
is  promised  to  us  for  the  Tropivul  Agriculturist, 
In  a letter  dated  Edinburgh,  28th  November, 
Mr.  Moir  writes  : — 
“ Your  Iropical  Agriculturist  I have  taken 
from  its  beginning,  as  Manager  of  the  African 
Lakes  Corporation,  and  have  found  it  most  useful 
and  stimulating.  It  was  a remark  of  one  of  your 
contributors  that  started  me  on  Agricultural.s 
Chemistry.  Now,  I am  spending  my  whole  da  y.^ 
analysing  my  own  coffee  soils,” 
