June  i,  1897.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
845 
Every  tree  iu  the  basins  of  the  Loglai  and  Taron 
is  known  and  their  x^ositions  are  pointed  ont  from 
father  to  son.  It  may  bo  taken  as  correct  that  tho 
rubber  collected  in  the  forests  north  of  the  Gedu 
coniluence  goes  to  Assam,  rvhilo  that  collected  in 
the  forests  south  of  tho  Gedu  goes  down  the  Ilukong 
Valley.  All  the  rubber  that  goes  to  Assam  is  carried 
by  Naga  coolies,  who  can  always  bo  had  after  the 
crox)s  have  been  gathered  and  who  are  probably  more 
efficient  when  working  in  their  own  country  than 
any  other  coolies  in  India.  Taronkn,  the  great  rub- 
ber centre  of  the  tract  under  notice,  is  situated  at 
the  Taron-Gedu  confluence,  and  the  most  valuable 
portion  of  the  forest  lies  up  the  Taron  river  to  the 
Ghaukkau  pass,  along  the  route  traversed  some  years 
ago  by  Colonel  Woodthorpe  and  Major  Maogregor 
At  Taronkn  a fee  of  Re.  1-8  or  three  seers  of  rubber 
is  levied  on  every  man  who  wishes  to  cut  rubber 
in  the  forest.  Besides  this  fee,  Mamyung  village  also 
collects  tribute  from  the  cutters  passing  through  it. 
Rubber  in  this  tract  is  getting  scarce  every  year,  as 
the  trees  are  overworked,  and  it  often  takes  a man 
no  less  than  forty  days  to  collect  a coolie  load  of 
rubber.  Most  of  the  trees  seen  by  Mr.  Way’s 
party  had  been  tapped,  and  up  the  Loglai 
and  Turong  rivers  the  trees  near  the  streams 
are  either  dead  or  dying  from  being  overworked 
Here  the  Singphos  entirely  control  the  Nagas 
and  stand  to  them,  says  Mr.  Thompson,  iu  very 
much  the  same  position  as  a tea-planter  and  his 
coolies.  Their  word  is  law  and  is  enforced  by  a 
very  few  Singphos  over  a great  number  of  Nagas. 
The  number  of  rubber-cutters  who  leave  their  villages 
for  the  Turong  forests  is  known,  and  even  if  they 
succeeded  in  evading  the  impost  of  the  Siugpho 
villages  through  which  they  pass,  they  would 
inevitably  in  the  long  run  have  to  x^ay  up.  The  rub- 
ber when  first  collected  is  fairly  pure,  but  the  Na- 
gas have  learnt  from  the  native  bunnias  the  trick 
of  adulterating  it  with  earth  and  stones,  and  so 
Assam  rubber  is  not  looked  on  with  favom-  by  Cal- 
cutta brokers.  It  may  be  added  that  the  same 
applies  to  the  rubber  that  finds  its  way  into  the 
Rangoon  market,  the  Chinamen  being  adexrts  in  skil- 
fully concealing  in  the  rubber  earth  and  stone,  x>rin- 
cipally  the  latter. — Itanrjoon  Gazette. 
TEA  PL,A.NTING  IN  .SOUrilERN  INDIA. 
We  continue  to  get  glowing  accounts  of  the 
region  which  is  being  (leveloxred  for  tea  in  North 
Travaneore  by  Sir  -lohn  Muir’s  Consolidated 
Company.  Tlie  e.vact  acreage  taken  up  it  is 
impos,siljle  at  present  to  say ; but  the  latest 
visitor  to  the  spot,  .so  e.vxrerienced  a [danter  as 
Mr.  K.  Morison  of  Kalutar,'?,  declares  that  his 
feeling  was  as  if  he  were  looking  over  D'mbula  in 
forest  with  a certain  number  of  clearings.  The 
land  runs  ux>  to  a higher  elevation  tlian  we 
have  in  Ceylon  ; but  tlie  bull<  is  between  4-, 000 
and  0,000  leet  ; and  Mr.  Morison  is  full  of  ad- 
miration of  the  forest  and  rich  soil.  Mr.  Milne 
has  got  his  work  cut  out  for  him  ; but  progress 
is  being  made  ami  there  seems  to  be  no  e.\- 
pectation  of  labour  going  short.  The  e.\])ectation 
is  that  within  a few  years,  30,000  to  40,000  acres 
will  be  planted  with  tea  in  this  region.  Not 
only  planting  ; but  sim'eys,  roadniaking  and 
railway  projecting  are  the  order  of  the  day  in 
connection  with  this  big  Company’s  North  Tra- 
vancorc  land. 
. _ ^ 
COCA  AND  COCAINE. 
Prior  to  the  discovery  of  cocaine  and  its  wonder- 
ful anaesthetic  x^ropertios,  which  promoted  the  deve- 
lopment of  the  export  of  coca,  its  consumption  was 
limited  to  the  demand  from  a few  provinces  in  the 
neighborhood  of  mining  districts  where  nothing  can 
be  accomplished  without  it,  for,  when  it  fails,  the 
laborers  refuse  to  work.  It  is  therefore  an  indis- 
pensable article  for  the  exploitation  of  the  mines  of 
Peru.  Thus  we  see,  that  in  order  to  work  the  mines 
of  flualgayoc,  it  is  necessary  to  take  there  coca 
cultivated  at  Cajabamba  and  Huanialcuchu,  situated 
on  the  banks  of  the  Maranon  River. 
Twenty  years  ago  the  culture  of  coca  wus  limited 
to  the  localities  most  favored  by  the  cli/imte  and 
tho  low  price  of  labor.  In  ihe  pi’oviuce  of  Otimco  it 
was  cultivated  on  a large  scnlc.  only  on  the  farms  of 
Choquisongo  and  S iniumas,  which  supplied  the  local 
consumption  and  tbai,  of  the  mining  districts  of  Salx:)0 
and  Sayapulh'.  But  an  important  change  has  since 
taken  place  iu  that  province,  which  is,  today, 
the  greatest  producer  in  the  north  of  Peru,  ex- 
ceeding Huamacho  and  Cajabamba  combined,  in 
quantity  and  quality,  notwithstanding  tho  fact  that 
most  of  the  trees  are  young  and  do  not  yield  a full 
crop ; that  is  to  say,  they  do  not  x^fo^uce  as  yet  a 
quintal  per  thousand  plants,  as  is  the  case  with 
those  over  six  years  old.  This  quantity  is  the 
average  of  the  crop  per  year. 
The  following  table  shows  the  actual  and  ax^xmoxi- 
mate  production  of  the  province  of  Otuzco  and  the 
number  of  plants  : — 
No.  of 
Annual 
Crop. 
Quin- 
Localities. 
Plants. 
tals. 
Choquinsongo 
. 200,000 
360 
Hirayobamba 
. 600,000 
80'J 
Cay.<,ncsal  and  Saiiiumas  . 
. 150,000 
400 
El  Rajon 
. 100,000 
210 
Llagrreda 
50,000 
100 
Sacamaca 
. 300,000 
300 
Las  Pampas  and  Callancas 
600,000 
1.000 
Compin  aird  Auexes 
, 600,000 
1,400 
Chuquillanqui 
. 100,000 
100 
Total 
2,700,000 
4,700 
It  w’ill  be  seen  by  these  figures  that  the  total  an- 
nual xn.'oductiou  amounts  to  4,700  quintals  (about 
200.000  pounds),  which,  iu  a few  years  hence,  when 
the  xolants  are  fully  developed,  will  reach  between 
ten  and  twelve  thousand  quintals. 
There  are  two  firms  in  Trujillo,  who  purchase 
coca  for  the  manufactories  of  Lima ; but,  as  they 
have  the  monopoly,  being  the  only  wholesale  pur- 
chasers at  auction,  they  put  up  or  lower  the  [)rioe 
as  they  please  ; and  as  the  firms  in  Lima  pay  ;-i0 
soles  per  quintal,  delivered  on  board  at  Salaverry, 
they  make  a very  profitable  transaction.  Mr.  Gemiro' 
Risco,  owner  of  a farm  at  Huayobamba,  and  Mr. 
Jose  Antonio  Delfin,  at  Cayanchal,  intend  to  estab- 
lish a manufactory  of  cocaine  on  their  property,  ao 
as  to  be  independent  of  that  intolerable  and  ruinous 
monopoly,  and  inaugurate  a wdiolesome  trade  com- 
petition. 
In  the  Review'  El  Tiempo  the  current  price  of 
cocaine  in  Lima  is  quoted  at  60  centavos  per  g]-am  • 
and  as  a quintal  of  coca  yields  from  8 to  12  ounces' 
according  to  locality  and'  quality,  it  results  that  a 
quintal  of  coca  leaves,  costing  between  Iu  .and  20 
soles,  pi'oduces  18 1 soles’  worth  of  cocaine  ; from  that 
amount  must  be  deducted  the  price  of  reactives- 
kerosene,  cautic  soda,  sulphuric  acid,  cai-bonato  of 
soda  the  cost  of  labor;  but  which  still  gives  a hand- 
some profit.  The  wages  vary  from  20  to  30  centavos 
two  meals,  and  a ration  of  coca  pm.’  day.  In  some 
places,  like  Huayobamba  and  Sacamaca,  the  cul- 
ture is  done  on  shares,  the  laborers  receivino-  half 
of  the  crop  and  delivering  the  coca  dried  and  in 
bales.  Excepting  the  farms  at  Chuquillanqui,  situated 
on  the  banks  of  tho  ^ river  of  that  name,  ah  the 
others  are  near  the  Usquil  River,  which  joiniimthe 
former  at  the  foot  of  Huancay,  form  the  Chicama 
River. 
The  best  condition  for  the  .successful  culture  of 
cocai.s  a temperature  not  lower  than  21  decrees  and  not 
higher  than  30  degrees.  In  regard  to  the^’idtitude  best 
adapted  for  its  development,  the  farms  of  Callancas 
Huayobamba,  etc.,  are  generally  at  a height  of  3 000  or 
4.000  feet  above  sea  level ; there  are  a few,  however 
at  5,000  feet,  but  their  products  are  inferior.  Those 
of  Chuquillanqui  and  some  others  arc  at  2,000  feet 
