6o 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July r, 1897. 
COFFEE PLANTING IN THE PROVINCE 
OF COORG. 
We have before us tlie Administration Report 
of the Province of Coorg. 
The s|)ecial interest which Coorg possesses for 
ns is connected wiih its cultivation of our ohl 
staple. It was once a rival of ours in the pro- 
duction of coffee, and now that we have passed 
literally to the sere .and yellow leaf, Coorg for 
some time sup])lied us with what was believed 
to he fungus-proof seed. It is the fault neither 
of Coorg nor its coffee, that the life history of 
H&mehia vatslatvix does not encourage the hope 
that any variety of the coffee tree or colfee bush 
can resist the fatal attentions of the insidious 
pest. Whether in Coorg itself the coffee bush is 
free from the fungus, the Report does not state. 
We doubt if it is ; but there is no diminution there 
in the acreage under cultivation. The total 
area of land under coffee had increased, for the 
period under report, from 84,592 acres the jire- 
vious year to 84,991 acres. TTie increase of 399 
acres is not much ; but what is remarkable is 
that this product covers the largest acreage of 
all, so far as appeal's. Even the Met lands 
under rice cultivation fall short of the acreage 
of colfee land by 8,000 or 9,000 acres ; ■while 
dry lands under dry and garden crojis co'er 
only little over 1,500 acres. Nor is it staud 
that the figures relate chiefly to abandoned land, 
as we find the whole extent assessed — 424 Euro- 
pean estates covering 30,979 acres and 7,094 
native estates 54,012 ; but the yield, if the 
official figures are correct, must be very disap- 
pointing. The colfee crop for the year, though 
800 tons larger than for the previous year, 
amounted to only 3 650 tons which, according 
to the familiar local terms, are equal to 14,6 0 
cwt. ; and that works out one-sixth of a cwt. 
an acre. It cannot possibly pay to cultivate 
coffee for such returns ; and we susjrect that 
the a'^sessment continues to he levied on the 
full acreage of estates, the better part of wliich 
has gone out of cultivation. If so, we cannot 
but condemn the heartlessness and shortsighted- 
ness of a policy which does not take account 
of the ability of the land to bear the burden 
placed on it. Even taking the European estates 
alone, which represent tire smaller acreage, the 
total outturn "would give less than half a cwt. 
to the acre ! We are not surprised, in view of these 
facts, to learn that ,a movement is on foot to place 
the abandoned coffee estates on the .Sampaji Ghat 
under tea ; but, while sympathising with those 
who feel compelled to betake themselves to a 
new product, we are bound to note that the 
circumstances under which this island resorted 
to tea were different. Then tea sold from 2s 
to 3s a lb. ; British grown teas formed an in- 
considerable fraction of the world’s production ; 
and tlie supply was not in excess of the de- 
mand. Now, tea sells at a lower price than it 
ever did— Is would be a high average ; the cur- 
rent ju-ices leave only a small margin of profit 
to the majority of estates, though well-situated 
fertile plantations still yield gratifying returns ; 
and the supply being in excess of the demand, there 
is the constant appreliension of still lower prices. 
It is often better to bear the evils we know than to 
. fly to others we wot not of. Some of the Coorg 
lands — the extent fis not specified — appear to be 
under cardamoms ; and that is a product for which 
the prices and the demand are encouraging ; but it 
chiefly affects ravines and moist situations ; and 
spices can very easily be overdone, as many found 
to tUeir cost here with cinnamon, 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Bees’ Veno.m as a Remedy. — A novel undertak' 
ing in the manufacture of drugs has been begun by 
two young Pennsylvanians, who have commenced 
the extraction of the poison from honey-bees. 
They have two diflerent ways of collecting tlieir 
crop of venom. In the first, the bees are caught 
and held wiili the abdomen in a small glass tube 
until the ])oison sacs have been emptied. In the 
second, they are placed in a bottle on wire netting, 
and enraged until the tiny drops of venom fall into 
the alcohol which fills part of the bottle. This 
venom is said to be a remedy for cancer, rheuma- 
tism, snake-bite, and a hundred other ills of 
humanity. — CAc/hL< and Dyufjrjist, April 24. 
The Importation of Indian Tea at the Port of 
Batoum.— The Indian Tea Association (London has 
addressed the following letter), through tbe secretary, 
Mr. Ernest Tye, to the Secretary of State for Foreign 
Affairs: “I am desired by tlie committee of this 
association to address your lordship with reference 
to the prohibition issued by the Russian authorities 
against the importation of Indian tea at the port of 
Batoum, which was referred to in a telegram from the 
Secretary of State to his Excellency ihe Viceroy of 
India under date March 10, as follovv.s Batoum ; 
Impoitation of Indian Tea Prohibited.’— The port of 
Calcutta, from which Indian tea is shipped is, and 
has been hitherto, entirely free from any attack of 
plague, and is very distant from any place where 
the plague prevails, and my committee would res- 
pectfully invite your lordship’s attention to tho fact 
that tlie prohibition is regarded in India as the 
result, not so much of sanitary precaution, as of 
commercial jealousy of India and its industries. My 
committee fears that unless prompt measures are 
taken to have the prohibition removed other nations 
will follow the evil examp'e set by Russia, and that 
grave injury will result to the Indian tea industry. 
I am therefore directed by my committee to beg 
that your lordship will be good enough to take such 
steps as may seem to you 'expedient, with a view to 
bring about the removal of ttie restriction against 
the importation of Indian tea at Batoum or elsewhere.” 
— H. ft- C. Mail, April 23. 
Hemp Cultivation in Bologna.— One of the most 
important agricultural products of the provinces of 
Bologna and Ferrara is hemp {Cannabis Saliva). 
Bologna hemp is generally manufactured into yarns 
and canvas. The Ferrara quality is principally used 
for rope making. The former is a finer fibre than 
the latter, but not so strong ; they are both how- 
ever held in high esteem in textile centres abroad, 
according to the United States Consular Agent at 
Bologna, chiefly in Germany, France and Spam. 
The cultivation of hemp has greatly developed in 
Bologna and Ferrara, owing to the favourable con- 
ditions of the climate and soil, which are not easily 
found in other countries. Hemp may be cultivated 
between the equator and (10° latitude. Chemically the 
land must be siliceous, argillaceous, calcareous and 
rich in azote. Physically it must be soft, fresh and 
deep. In addition the land must be abundantly 
manured. Sowing generally takes place in the spring, 
owing to the necessity of a temperature of 46'4° 
Fahrenhit, and a moderate degree humidity. It is 
preferable to sow by machine, this system saving seed, 
and the sowing being much more regular. The land 
must be previously deeply ploughed. After sowing 
the land requires to be hoed, and much other work 
is necessary, such as the extirpation of weeds, &c., 
in order to obtain an abundant crop. The crop 
ripens in August or September according to the 
weather. It consists of stalks about three metres 
long. These stalks are placed in bundles and put 
into ponds expressly constructed, where they remain 
about a week. They are then dried and scutched by 
means of a complicated process, which produces the 
fibre ready for market.— /ok? liaZ of the Society of Arts, 
April 9. * 
