6oo 
THE  TROPICAL  AGlUCUL  PdRlS  P. 
[March  c,  1897. 
per  cent  of  filasse  is  produced,  so  that  to  import 
tilasse  instead  of  ribbons  would  save  forty  per  cent 
of  frieghtage.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed,  of  course, 
that  any  casual  person  can  go  and  make  his  fortune 
by  starting  a ramie-farm.  But  it  does  seem  probable 
that  much  of  the  tropical  soil  and  cheap  labour 
which  cannot  be  productively  employed  in  growing 
sugar  will  be  turned  to  this  account.  Practically, 
the  question  resolves  itself  into  this, — Gan  rhea- 
fibre  be  produced  chea  rly  ? And  does  any  exist- 
ing process  produce  it  cheaply  without  impairng 
its  qualities?  It  is  too  early  for  a final  answer. 
But  cloth  made  from  fibre  prepared  by  the  Gomess 
process  is  two  years  old  by  now,  and  shows  no  sign 
of  any  defect  ; nor  is  there  reason  to  apprehend 
any,  since  no  chemical  of  any  injuriou.s  power  is 
used  in  the  preparation.  And  as  to  the  cheapness, 
rhea-ribbons  can  be  brought  here  ‘for  about  £12  a 
ton,  leaving  a good  profit  to  the  grower  ; from  these 
filasse  can  be  produced,  which  will  fetch  about  £50 
a ton,  having  cost  in  all  perhaps  £:-5L)  to  turn  out. 
These  are  facts  which  every  one  would  do  well  to 
consider  who  has  an  interest  in  the  matter.  To 
put  the  case  concisely,  ramie  is  a fibre  which  can 
supplant  tlax  and  compete  with  silk,  and  it  can  now 
be  produced  almost  as  clieaply  as  -cotton.  If  that 
is  true,  as  a careful  inquiry  leads  us  to  believe  it 
is  can  the  tropical  colonies  do  better  than  cultivate 
ramie  ?— AS'pecfnfor,  Jan.  2.  [See  correction  on  page 
603.— Ed.  T.A.] 
PLANTING  IN  BRITISH  NORTH  BORNEO. 
The  average  crop  of  the  Lahat  D.ttu  Estate  is,  we 
learn,  8 piculs  per  field.  In  some  cases  9i  have 
been  gathered  but  8 is  the  average  of  the  whole— 
and  a very  good  average  too.  The  Kinabatangan 
Estates  also  are  not,  in  the  main,  dissatisfied. 
ItEPOUT  TO  2nd  NOVEMDEll. 
Sapong.— Tobacco  into  shed  30,533  trees  and  amount 
stripped,  weighed  and  stapled  17.21  pikuls.  I am  still  cut- 
ting and  hope  to  finish  some  time  next  month,  weather 
allowing.  Am  getting  a good  crop  of  second  growth. 
Directly  Mr.  Wheatley  comes  up  I shall  begin  to  cut 
rentises  and  give  out  jungle  cutting  for  next 
year’s  crop,  which  will  be  at  the  back  of  Amboi 
Hills.  Good  soil  and  free  from  floods. 
Ramie  looking  healthy  and  strong,  also  coffee. 
Ground  is  being  prepared  for  the  transplanting  of  the 
Ramie.  The  last  lot  sent  up  by  Mr.  Wheatley  are 
looking  in  goo  1 condition  ; the  climate  suits  the  plants 
up  here  exceedingly  well. 
Coffee  seedlings  sent  down  by  Mr.  Barraut  are 
looking  healthy.  I shall  plant  out  the  pods  sent  down 
from  the  North,  also  poppy  seeds.  I have  or  lered 
Oran-^  Kaya  Si  Bandar  to  procure  2 pikuls  of  “ Ting- 
aug”°Fibre  from  the  Peluans:— 1 pikul  of  the  raw 
stuff  and  one  pikul  of  the  prepared.  Orang  Kaya 
reports  that  it  grows  abundantly  at  the  Padas  where 
the  Pelauns  manufacture  it  into  coats  which  they 
use  when  they  go  on  head-hunting,  as  they  say 
that  it  resists  the  poisonous  darts.— A'rtHsA  Norlli 
Borneo  7Aru?(f,  Jan,  1. 
COFFEE  IN  THE  STRAITS: 
Mr.  Donald  Mackay,  Avell-known  in  Ceylon, 
first  in  connection  with  tlie  construction  of  certain 
sections  of  tlie  Ceylon  Government  Railways 
and  later  as  a proprietary  planter,  arrived  at 
Colombo  last  montli  from  the  Straits  and  tranship- 
ped to  the  “ Masillia”  sailing  on  that  vessel  in  the 
afternoon  to  Australia.  Mr.  Mackay  has  been 
to  the  Straits  iiisi)ecting  his  property  in  I’erak. 
Mr.  Mackay  has  GUO  acres  in  that  State  planted 
in  coffee,  cocoa,  and  pepper.  He  informs  us  that 
coffee  in  Perak  is  looking  np  wonderfully,  indeed, 
tliere  has  been  quite  a boom  in  it  lately  and  not 
only  are  Europeans  taking  it  nj),  but  wealthy 
Chinamen  have  also  begun  to  compete  with  them 
fts  planters. 
CEYLON  TEA  IN  RUSSIA. 
'Fhe  following  is  the  letter  from  Mr.  M.  Rogiviie 
to  the  Ceylon  IManters’  Association 
Moscow’,  10/22  Dec.  1896. 
Maroseika,  House  Lebedieff. 
A.  Philip,  Esq.,  Secretary  to  the  Ceylon  “ Thirty 
Committee,”  Kandy,  Ceylon. 
Dear  Sir, — My  last  report  was  on  the  18/30  July. 
The  Ceylon  7'ea /’aytYtoa  erected  in  Nijui  Novgorod, 
on  the  ground  of  Hotel  ‘’Franzia”  except  the  en- 
trance gate  of  the  Exhibition,  was  opened  on  the  1st 
of  July,  and  closed  on  the  17th  October  1896. 
It  was  built  at  relatively  very  high  cost  on 
account  of  enormous  rate.s  of  materials  of  all  kinds, 
labour  and  workmanship,  which  w’ere  ruling  there 
during  the  whole  time  the  Exhibition  was  in  prepa- 
ration, in  some  instances  more  than  three  fold  the 
ordinary  rates  to  be  paid. 
During  these  three  months  of  its  operation  the 
Pavilion  was  visited  by  the  regretably  small  number 
of  only  between  13,000  and  11,000  persons,  but  they 
came  from  all  parts  of  Russia  and  very  few  were 
foreigners.  Among  this  number  and  the  visitors  to 
the  F’air  were  distributed  tjrafLi  12,000  1/32  lb.  packets 
of  pure  Ceylon  tea  of  a good  middling  quality  re- 
presenting 375  lb.  and  over  10,000  persons  were  given 
tea  in  cu/)  representing  55  lb.  or  over  21,00 1 cups. 
Besides  sales  made  in  the  Pavilion  were  as  follows  : — 
896  of  1 lb.  Packets 
1.303  „ A 
‘2,035  ,,  i ,,  ,, 
2,670  ,,  g ,,  ,, 
340  „ 1-16  „ „ 
165  „ 1-32  „ 
7,709  packets  or  2,335  25-32  lb.  which  together  with 
the  above  12,000  packets  went  into  consum2Jtiou  all 
over  Russia. 
Ceylon  tea  was  also  used  in  many  of  the  hotels, 
tea  houses  and  restaurants  inside  the  Exhibition 
and  its  surroundings,  in  the  Fair  and  ui  the  town. 
Tae  apccinl  advertising  through  the  press,  placards, 
pamphlets  and  otherwise,  done  in  connection  with 
the  Pavilion  is  specified  in  my  Exhibition  account’’ 
which  I herewith  enclose,  under  a special  heading 
and  was  the  best  that  could  be  done  for  the  money 
spent,  viz.  R2,201'20. 
Now  as  to  whether  ail  this  advertising  done  at 
Nijui  at  such  a considerable  cost  of  R9,908’57  has 
been  successful  and  effective  and  will  bring  in  good 
results  is  rather  difficult  to  say  at  present,  the  future 
only  will  prove  it.  The  Exhibition  itself  has  been  a 
Jiasco  as  regards  the  number  of  visitors  which  has 
not  been  even  one-tenth  of  the  number  expected,  but 
I had  many  inquiries  and  orders  from  persons  who 
have  visited  the  Pavilion  and  I am  told  that  numbers 
of  wholesale  merchants  dealing  in  Ceylon  tea  had 
also  numerous  enquiries.  Unfortunately  for  me 
by  far  the  greatest  number  of  my  intending  pur- 
•'.lasers  asked  credits  for  three  to  six  months 
which  lam  not  in  position  to  give  as  being  too  risky 
a business  in  Russia. 
In  order  to  still  continue  the  advertising  which 
I considered  had  to  be  kept  constantly  before  the 
public  and  ought  not  to  be  allowed  to  drop,  I have 
since  the  above,  in  the  months  of  October  and  Novem- 
ber, inserted  several  further  advertisement  in  news- 
papers of  many  Governments  or  provinces  of  Russia, 
as  per  enclosed  cuttings  and  have  now  given  out 
a large  advertisement  samples  inclosed  in  a Christmas 
Supplement  issued  by  an  important  Pbrm  of  Pub- 
lishers 6)0,000  copies  to  be  distributed  with  the 
Christmas  newspapers  in  almost  every  town  and 
village  of  Russia. 
As  already  mentioned  in  my  last  letter  to  the 
Christian  of  the  “Thirty  Committee,”  I have 
ordered,  at  the  cost  of  Rl, 000— from  the  well-known 
Potteries  of  M.  S.  Ruznitgovv  A Co.,  Limited,  the 
leading  manufacture  of  China,  etc.,  in  Russia— 
5.000  pi’ctty  little  'Tea-pots  with  the  words,  Ceylon 
Ten  (largo)  and  Jf.  lloi/ivuc,  Jfoscow,  printed  in  red 
and  blue  colours  on  tho  sides,  aucl  two  upoon/'itll 
oj'  Ceylon  Tea  beiny  c<iual  to  three  simnjul  o/ 
