7 16 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  [April  r,  1897, 
Nkw  Joint  Stock  Evtf.rpiuse  During  Februauv. 
— ihe  ammnt  of  new  capital  offered  for  public 
mibacnption  during  Februar}'  amounted  to  £5,669,000. 
“f®  amount  j£98,000  was  asked  for  in  connection 
witn  tea.  During  the  first  two  months  of  this  year 
tne  capital  asked  on  behalf  of  new  tea  projects 
amounted  to  £203,000. 
Sampling  Teas  in  Bind. — In  the  coarse  of  a letter 
on  this  subject  a correspondent  writes:  “Recently 
I received  a parcel  of  tea,  and  the  first  three  chests 
which  were  opened  each  contained  from  one  pound 
to  two  pound  samples  worth  8d  per  lb.  less  than  the 
original  tea.  This  is  the  latest  instance  of  many 
similar  cases  which  have  come  under  my  own  observa- 
tion, and  it  is  high  time  that  this  kind  of  thing  was  dis- 
continued. There  is  something  seriously'  wrong  in  a 
warehousing  system  of  this  kind.’’ 
The  Adulteration  of  Produce. — A deputation  re- 
presenting the  Produce  Sectional  Committee  of  the 
Manchester  Chamber  of  Commerce  recently  waited 
upon  Mr.  T.  \V.  Russell,  Parlimentary  Secretary 
to  the  Local  Government  Board,  to  urge  the  ii'ces- 
sity  for  prompt  legislation  to  amend  the  Adultera- 
tion of  Food  and  Drugs  Act  in  a number  of  points, 
the  principal  of  w’hich  were  the  establishment  of 
a Board  of  Reference  for  standards  and  a change 
of  the  law  with  respect  to  warranty.  After  hear- 
ing views  of  the  deputation,  Mr.  Russell  said 
his  view  was  that  without  a properly  constituted 
Board  of  Reference  all  legislation  on  this  question 
must  fail.  It  was  very  unjust  to  allow  standards 
all  purity  to  be  fixed  by  analysts  in  different  ways 
fo  over  the  country,  and  it  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary for  the  safety  of  the  consumer  as  well  as  of 
the  trader  that  such  a Board  should  be  set  up  to 
settle  standards  of  purity  that  would  be  binding  up. 
on  the  whole  community.  A Bill  based  in  tbe  main 
on  the  recommendations  of  the  Select  Committee 
bad  been  prepared,  and  the  Departmens  would  lose 
no  opportunity  of  pressing  on  the  Cabinet  the  nece3- 
arTppr  By  the  way,  a Birmiugham 
grocer  who  wa.s  fined  the  other  day  for  selling 
peaded  that  he  did  not  know  he  was  doing  wrong 
Perhaps  he  thought  his  customers  had  a playful  way 
G;uatemai[,i  Coffee.— Mr.  Audley  Gosling,  Her 
Majesty  s Minister  at  Guatemala,  points  out,  with 
reference  to  the  season’s  coffee  crop,  which  he  esti- 
mates will  V ield  600,000  quintals,  value  about  £1,800,000 
that  Guatemala  coffee  continues  to  maintain  its  hi  ' i 
price  and  reputation,  nor  has  the  fall  in  “ SantoT’ 
(Brazilian)  affected  it.  It  is  believed  that  even  should 
over-production  ensue,  due  to  the  extraordinary  ex- 
tension of  the  industry  throughout  Centr  1 America 
and  Mexico,  Guatemala  coffee,  owing  to  its  excel- 
lent flavour  and  quality,  will  still  find  ready  buyers. 
Where  the  cultivation  of  the  berry  is  carefully  con- 
ducted the  trees  suffer  little  deterioration.  In  Guate- 
mala it  is  hand-picked,  berry  by  berry,  and  not,  as 
in  Brazil,  torn  from  the  branches.  The  competition 
which  Central  and  South  American  producers  chiefly 
fear  is  that  of  the  West  Coast  of  Africa,  where 
coffee-growiiig  is  fast  superseding  the  palm-oil 
industry. 
Cinnamon.— The  demand  for  cinnamon  is  fully 
equal  to  the  supply,  and  the  tending  of  prices 
is  in  an  upward  direction.  At  the  quarterly 
sales  last  week  there  was  a brisk  compe- 
tition, and  nearly  the  whole  of  1.2.50  bales 
and  43  parcels  Ceylon  realised  full  rates  cur- 
current  by  private  contract,  to  an  advance  of  id 
per  lb,  especially  for  the  commoner  qualities.  There 
was  no  material  rise  as  compared  with  ihe  prices 
established  in  November  last.  The  general  range  of 
quotations  was  as  follows:  First  quality  cinnamon, 
low  at  7id  to  O^d,  ordinary  to  good  at  lO^d  to  is 
Id,  fine  and  superior  garden  growth  at  Is  iJdtols 
6d;  seconds,  very  inferior  at  7d  to  9d,  common  to 
finest  at  lOJ  to  1s  2d,  choice  plantation  at  Is  4d  to 
Is  5d ; thirds  coarse  at  8d  to  9d,  middling  to  fine 
9J  to  Is  Id,  best  mark  at  Is  3d  to  Is  4d ; fourths 
and  fifths  from  6id  up  to  Is,  extra  fine  Is  Id,  and 
a few  broken  (in  boxes)  at  9d  to  lOd  per  lb.  ’ 
VARIOUS  PLANTING  NOTES. 
.S-VLKS.-\Ve  are  obliged  to 
Ml.  I liilip  for  .supplying  the  information  asked 
resnR  m a recent  i.ssue.  The 
lesulb,  in  II2o  per  cwt.  or  about  23  cents  a 
Mr  V®  considered  very  encouraging  ; but 
nmi  ‘V^*I  difficulties  to  contend  with 
for  liis'\aefn''T‘'‘’'''‘!® 
101  In.-,  tact  and  good  nianagenient. 
Tuk  Glasgow  Estate.s  Co. -A  home  share- 
bo  der  w'rituig  to  us  by  this  mail,  says  I 
ba\e  just  .seen  the  Glasgow  Estates  Renort  T 
see  nothing  about  the  Small  Re.serve  Fund  wbicb 
was  created  some  time  ago  ; it  seems  to  ha\’e  /.^e 
cln  “ -t'*e:Extension  Fund  Ac- 
G R » - ^ "ot  tbe  case,  where 
• fV  mention  of  a Re.serve  Fund 
m the  Director^  Report,  and  they  om-ht  to  have 
F*il'nd  ’‘*^  Our  co*^  Uie^Ex tension 
iind.  Oui  correspondent  is  in  error  in  statincr 
that  a Reserve  Fund  was  ever  opened  The 
sums  set  aside  from  profits  (over^  and  above 
tie  Usual  provision  for  depreciation  of  buildings 
and  machinery)  have  always  been  put  to  cred^? 
at  account,  whicll  was  opened 
Planting  and  Agriculture  in  the  Struts 
SRTTLEMENTs.-From  the  Report  for  iSfi  of 
Kuala  Kangsar  district  • 
Oil  the  Kamuniug  and  Waterloo  estates  ^67 
under  cultivation  is  greatly  increasT)  n u 
• big  clearing  has  bin  ..S'*  ffTr'’ 
the  coffee,  coconuts  and  pepper  M hoi 
Muse  s pepper  estate  has  become  the  prouiVlv  ^ f 
Government  by  purchase  and  PiVoKr  u of 
...  on  the  c«p.iLn  7th« 
latter  are  still  on  our  hands  bnf  r i' 
will  soon  be  forthoming  A ‘ ^ ^'^P®  tenants 
been  planted  on  the  linta  road  at^®  Chegor^Gl/’^ 
Mauura,  Lenk,  and  elsewhere,  and  some 
native  pepper  gardens  look  well.  ^ 
Towards  the  end  of  the  year  thoro 
tress  in  many  parts  at  BoU  Lamh7 
Buaya,  and  elsewhere.  This  is  accoun’t^*^^f^’  ^ 
by  the  people  not  having  been  Xwld 
secondly,  by  their  improvident  hahu^ 
by  the  awful  cattle 
the  district.  They  sell®  their  rice  1n^  though 
traders  for  a very  low  nrico  ^ advance  to 
jeweller,.  The  -nH 
and  rice  was  given  to  starving  families 
in  payment  of  work  done  or^  nn  ’ ®'ttier  free, 
be  hoped  that  they  will  take  advantage  of ’thJV® 
and  cultivate  more  hemlami  as  i 
no  ladariijs  will  be  allowed.  Tlie 
Government  could  adopt  to  prevent  ^^^® 
would  be  to  stop  the  export  of  rL-»  i 7®®“"'"^ 
and  by  charging  heavy  lLiis7  ®-*P®*'‘ 
At  the  Briias  a good  deal  t nf  Inri  i i nee. 
up,  and  much  timber  exported  t!  • '“f  ^^®“ 
that  the  'I'iniber  Farm  will  im  lip  r ®®  *mped 
We  suffered  for  .six  mouths  after  1^97. 
followed  by  one  of  the  highest 
longest  lasting  flood  on  record  w hich®®*i  ''i  ‘‘^® 
to  ‘I'*  r"C§ 
