May  1,  1897.]  THE  fROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST, 
761 
of  the  value  of  rubber.  “ If  the  traders,  ” says  the 
governor,  “ who  purchase  the  rubber  and  other  in- 
digenous products  would  inform  the  government  in 
what  direction  they  consider  reforms  should  be  in- 
troduced in  the  prevailing  systems  of  gathering  such 
produce,  the  government  would,  I feel  sure,  lend  an 
attentive  ear  to  their  sugestious.” 
Sierra  Leone  rubber  has  long  figured  in  the  English 
market,  and  is  regularly  quoted  in  New  York, 
although  Sierra  Leone  grades  have  entered  less  into 
consumption  in  the  United  States,  proportionately, 
than  Accra  and  some  other  African  sorts.  Kramrisch 
& Co.  (Liverpool)  have  supplied  The  India  Rubber 
World  with  the  following  statement  of  the  imports 
into  Great  Britain  of  Siema  Leone  rubber  tor  six 
years  past,  though  it  may  be  said  that  not  all  the 
rubber  thus  classified  is  the  product  of  the  Sierra 
Leone  protectorate.  The  figures  given  are  somewhat 
greater  than  the  amounts  credited  to  Sierria  Leone 
in  the  British  official  trade  reports ; 
Pounds.  Pounds. 
In  1891....  2,275,840  ....In  1894....  1,944,320 
In  1892....  2,076,480  In  1895....  2,222,080 
In  1893....  2,352,000  ....In  1896....  1,944,320 
Kramrisch  & Co.  further  report : “ Rubber  from 
Sierra  Leone  played  an  important  role  during  the 
past  year.  The  rubber  coming  from  that  district 
found  increasing  favor  among  manufacturers,  but 
contrary  to  expectations  the  receipts  from  Sierra 
Leons  decreased,  causing  a considerable  advance  in 
price.  The  arrivals  of  Sierra  Leone  rubber  [in  Eug- 
fandl  during  the  first  six  month  of  1896  averaged 
about  110  tons  per  month,  of  which  quantity  a goodly 
proportion  was  ot  the  “ red”  unsoaked  kind.  The 
average  arrivals  during  the  latter  six  months  wei’e 
only  about  35  tons  per  month,  of  which  only  a trilling 
quantity  consisted  of  that  red  quality  most  in  demand. 
Prices  for  the  latter  have  therefore  steadily  advanced, 
2s  44d.  being  the  highest  price  paid.” 
In  comparison  with  the  figures  given  in  the  last 
paragraph,  it  may  be  added  that  for  severai  years 
past  the  average  monthly  arrivals  in  England  of 
Sierra  Leone  sorts  have  been  106  tons  during  the 
first  half  of  the  year,  and  44  1/3  tons  during  the 
latter  half. — India  Rubber  World,  March  10. 
NEW  PRODUCTS  FOR  JAFFNA. 
The  raising  of  Tomatoes  for  sale  by  two  farmers 
living  in  the  Pt.  Pedro  district  has  suggested  the 
question  whether  it  would  not  be  desirable  to  en- 
courage the  introduction  of  new  products  into  our 
peninsula.  It  seems  that  for  a year  or  two  past  the 
missionary  living  at  Pt.  Pedro  has  started  a quantity 
of  young  tomato  plants  and  distributed  them  to 
different  men  in  the  district,  to  experiment  with.  As 
R result  this  fruit  has  been  plenty  in  the  vicinity 
of  Pt. Pedro  for  two  years.  The  plants  were  set  out 
in  good  soil  and  duly  cared  for,  and  with  January 
fruit  was  gathered  and  sold,  especially  to  Europeans, 
at  ten  cents  a pound.-  Whac  the  yield  has  been  this 
year  we  do  not  know,  but  during  the  past  month 
about  one  hundred  pounds  have  been  bought  at 
Udupiddi.  A still  larger  amount  must  have  been  sold 
during  January  and  February  when  the  fruit  was  at 
its  prime.  With  the  hot  weather  the  vines  die  off, 
or,  if  they  survive,  pro  luce  very  small  fruit. 
This  is  only  one  new  product.  Others  will  suggest 
themselves  to  our  readers.  New  fruits  and  vege- 
tables might  well  be  introduced  into  our  peninsula, 
and  with  profit.  There  is  no  question  but  that 
better  varieties  of  many  of  our  vegetables  might 
be  cultivated  to  the  advantage  of  all  concerned. 
There  are  new  kinds  of  Brinjals,  Squashes 
and  Beans  that  might  well  be . tried,  and  that 
would  be  an  improvement  on  the  present  varieties. 
Certain  kinds  of  vegetables  that  grow  in  the  tempe- 
rate zone,  might,  in  favourable  localities,  do  fairly 
welt ; such  as  are  now  raised  at  the  Kachcheri  and 
in  one  or  two  other  places. 
Then  as  to  fruit,  we  see  no  reason  why  the 
Florida  or  Sicily  oranges  should  not  be  grown  in 
Jaffna.  Why  should  not  the  Mangosteen  be  rai^d 
here  ? Why  should  wq  not  have  a better 
variety  of  the  Pine  apple  and  the  Guava  ? And  surely 
more  can  be  done  with  the  Grape  than  is  being  done 
at  present.  We  believe  there  are  several  varieties  of 
grape  that  might  well  be  introduced  into  our  peninsula. 
It  needs  a little  enterprise  of  course.  Nothing 
can  be  done  without  some  labor  and  cost,  and  un- 
doubtedly the  gains  would  be  small  at  first.  But 
in  time  it  would  be  seen  that  Jaffna  had  been 
greatly  benefitted  by  the  introduction  of  these  new 
kinds. 
Again,  the  Government  should  encourage  the 
farmers  to  experiment  with  new  things,  as  is  done 
in  civilized  countries.  Seeds  and  plants  should  be 
distributed  free  for  a year  or  two,  or  until  it  was 
seen  that  the  farmers  were  really  taking  an  interest 
in  the  growing  of  the  new  varieties.  Prizes  might 
well  be  offered  for  the  best  display  of  ihe  new  vege- 
tables and  fruits,  at  some  public  gathering.  It  would 
be  a good  idea  to  have  an  annual  fair,  or  at  least 
have  one  once  in  two  or  three  ye  irs.  It  would,  in 
our  opinion,  act  as  a stimulant  and  encourage  the 
people  to  go  out  of  the  beaten  track  of  the  dead 
centuries.  Prog-ess  would  be  the  watchword  instead 
of  custom.'"  Jaffna  Morning  Star,”  April  1. 
LIBELS  ON  B.  C.  AFRICA. 
PL\NTIXG  EXPERIENCE. 
Our  attention  hai  been  drawn  to  another  of  those 
malicious  libels  on  B.  0.  A which  we  regret  to  say 
have  been  so  frequent  of  late.  Tnis  one  which  dis- 
graco.s  two  pages  of  the  7th  November  issueof  “The 
Field”  and  is  written  by  some  worthy  under  the  non- 
de-plume  of  “ Falcon  ”is  one  of  the  worst  it  h is  been  our 
misfortune  to  peruse  as  “F.ilcon”  as  might  be  expected 
is  one  of  those  would-be  Nimrods  who  come  rushing  up 
the  river  determined  on  slaughter,  and  after  st.iying 
a month  or  so  principally  at  Chiromo  anl  Mlanje, 
get  a slight  touch  of  fever  and  then  clear  for  dear 
life.  After  getting  over  their  fright,  (if  this  is  ever 
possible)  they  consider  themselves  in  the  light  o,f 
renowned  traveller.s  and  quite  in  a position  to  criticise 
anything  and  everything  per-.aining  to  British  Cen- 
tral Africa,  although  it  is  100  to  1 that  they  have 
never  been  outside  a radius  of  30  miles. 
"Falcon”  after  attracting  the  readers  attention  by 
explaining  that  ho  wishes  to  tell  them  tlie  " plain 
unvarnished  truth,”  (which  by  the  way  would  be  quite 
impossible  for  him  to  do  considering  his  length  of 
residence  in  the  country)  goes  on  to  give  his  opinion 
onB.  0.  A.  Coffee.  “As  a matter  of  fact,”  says  the 
all-wise  “ Falcon,”  the  slopes  of  the  Mlanje  range 
ot  mountains,  once  covered  with  heavy  evergreen 
forests,  have  long  since  been  denuded  of  them 
by  the  Manganja  tribe,  who  have  for  ages  carried 
on  the  very  wasteful  system  of  cultivation  known  in 
India  as  koomree.  The  forest  has  heen  felled 
and  burnt,  as  fast  as  it  renewed  itself,  ant  a crop 
of  Indian  corn,  or  sorghum  obtained  from  the  soil 
at  intervals  of  from  six  to  ten  years.  The  humus 
and  more  valuable  soil  has  in  this  manner  been  re- 
moved, and  washed  away  ,by  the  annual  rains,  leaving 
behind  nothing  but  a verij  indifferent  subsoil.  It  is 
in  such  soil  as  this  that  many  of  the  planters  have 
planted  coffee,  and  the  wretched  appearance  of  the 
plants  is  sufficient  proof  of  the  worthlessness  of  the 
land.  But  even  elsewhere  the  appearance  of  the 
coffee,  under  the  most  favourable  conditions,  and  in  good 
soil,  is  such  as  to  convince  anyone  who  has  had  prac- 
tical experience  of  coffee  in  other  lands,  that  iu  Bri- 
tish Central  Africa  it  has  not  found  a congenial  home.  In 
some  plantations  borers  are  excessively  bad,  more 
than  50  per  cent  of  the  trees  having  been  destroyed 
by  them  ; in  others  ths  primaries  die  back  from 
the  cold  winds  that  blow  in  winter. — With  the 
development  of  mining  enterprise  wages  must  rise, 
and  sooner  or  later  leaf  disease,  which  is  rampant 
iu  the  coffee  estates  in  Usambara,  will  make  its 
appearance.” 
Such  is  a sainple  of  the  kind  of  twaddle  indulg- 
ed in  by  this  wiseacre,  and  from  it  our  readers  will 
be  best  able  to  judge  how  much  the  writer  knows 
about  coffee  iu  B.  C.  A.  Then  comes  the  usual  tirade 
on  Blackwater  fever  and  the  cruel  slaughter  of  game 
