Aug. 2, 1897.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
lor 
PROGRESS IN THE KNUCKLES. 
THE MONSOON A FRAUD — NATIVE AND 
ABANDONED COFFEE LANDS OPENED WITH 
TEA — FINE CARDAMOM FIELDS— THE KNUCKLES 
ROAD. 
Knuckles, June 10.— Extraordinary weather 
here. The hills have teen quite distinct and 
weather as hot as possible for the last 4 days. Last 
night we had a very heavy thunderstorm, the 
rainfall measuring 2'60 inches, the thunder 
and lightning being grand. Considerable tracts 
of village lands are being opened for tea. This 
year especially several large clearings have been 
commenced both by natives and Europeans. Of 
abandoned coffee lands there must be still quite 
1,500 acres in the district and witli tea at present 
prices I dont think owners are very anxious to 
extend. The district has now some very fine 
cardamom fields and this product is being ex- 
tended wherever the land is suitable. The large 
new factory on Madakelle estate is now nearly 
completed. The Panwila-Knuckles cart road is 
in a very bad way and we are hoping the new 
Road Officer will put things in order. No gravel 
has been laid down for years. 
MR. LIPTON’S TEA MANAGERS IN 
LONDON WISHING TO IMPOSE A 
TAX OF £50,000 A YEAR ON 
CEYLON PLANTERS! 
What tea bulking in London would cost the 
Ceylon planters, if all their tea were bulked in 
the home warehouses as Mr. Lipton’s tea 
managers would seem to wish, may be shown 
as follows. On an average 20,000 packages of 
Ceylon tea are sold in Mincing Lane weekly 
and the cost of bulking in the London ware- 
housesmay be taken at Is per package. This means 
£1,000 a week or say a loss of £50,000 A year 
which the policy of Mr. Lipton’s Tea Managers would 
entail on the tea planters of Ceylon !— forjthecosto 
bulking tea in the estate factories is practically nil. 
Surely, after tliis demonstration of what it 
practically means to Ceylon, Mr. Lipton will cause 
the obnoxious circular to be withdrawn. 
DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Druggist.) 
London, May 20. 
Quinine.— On May 19th the prices of most quinine 
salts’, of Whififen’s make were advanced by Jd per oz. 
The present quotation.s of Sulphate in 100 -oz. lots are 
9d for bleached and SJd for unbleached ; 25-oz, aud 50-oz. 
lots are quoted jd ; in smaller quantities |d above these 
prices. The Hydrochlorate is quoted at from Is to Is 
fed per oz. These prices apply to salts in bulk. The pro- 
prietors of Pelletier’s quinine inform us that their quota- 
tion for vials is not Is 4^d, but Is 2 d per oz. for so- 
called “ English shape. ” The Brunswick factory has also 
raised its price for bulk quinine from 9d to 9Jd per oz. 
The position so far as the other makers are concwned 
is somewhat puzzling. Howard’s brand is still nominally 
quoted at 9 d per oz. for bulk, but the makers decline 
to sell to speculators. The B. & S, and Auerbach agents 
have no quotations, but are expecting early Instructions 
from their piincipals. About 30,000 to 40,000 oz. of second- 
bad German quinine are believed to have changed hands 
at 9 d to 9 Jd per oz. on the spot, and at 9id per oz. for 
June delivery. The accuracy of the List-mentioned trans- 
action is doubtful, and there are those who say that 
even now an offer of 9d per oz. would net be refused for 
fairly new spot stuff. The market, however, has certainly 
a very firm tone. 
Vanill.v.— All varieties remain extremely flrni, and there 
does not seem to be any likelihood of lower prices 
through eth summer. It depends upon the position in 
Mexico, where stock are extremely low. The supplies of 
Mexican vanilla in New York are also very small. 
Cocaine.— Firmly held, and not unlikely to be raised 
n price shortly. Sales of Hydrochlorate are reported to 
ave been made at 9s 6 d and 9s 9d per oz. There 
are now- (according to the British Consul) no fewer than ten 
cocaine factories in Peru. Of these, one is situated at Callao, 
two in Lima, five in Huanoco, and one each in the Puzuzo 
and Monzon districts. The following figures show the ex- 
ports of crude cocaine and cocoa-leaves from Peru during 
the last six 
: years 
for which 
statistics 
are available : — 
Year 
Year 
Year 
Year 
Year 
Year 
1895 
1894 
1893 
1892 
1891 
1890 
kilos. 
Cocaine : 
kilos. 
kilos. 
kilos. 
kilos. 
kilos. 
3,407 
Coeoa-leaves 
4,716 
2,357 
,4,550 
3,215 
1,730 
— 
372,360 
390,955 
388,465 
128,643 
-7 
Croton-seed continues to arrive, and the probabilities 
are that rather lower prices will shortly be seen, as this 
article is one of small consumption and can easily be over- 
supplied. The “ Staffordshire ” has brought 11 bags from 
Colombo this week. 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Cacao Disease. — A well-known planter thinks 
that we and others, in trea ting of tliis trouble, 
have not drawn a sufficiently wide distinction 
between the common Red variety (which is the 
one chiefly attacked) and the Forastero (which 
escapes or recovers). But our friend is mistaken : 
we especially drew the distinction in writing a few 
days ago. We quote from the letter as follows ; — 
In dealing with the matter you seem to class the 
two varieties “Common Red” and “Forestero” as one, 
or at any rate I don’t think you have shewn enough 
distinction between the two. I know of two or three 
persons who only cultivate the latter variety and as 
“ Forestero” is not affected to the extent that appa- 
rently “ Common Red” is, why should the value of a 
property in the one be lessened owing to the misfor- 
tune attending the other ? Forestero cocoa may get 
this “canker”or “poochie”or whatever you.liketocallit. 
So do jungle and other trees, but like them very 
quickly throws off the disease or is not affected to 
any extent. 
The “Australian Bamboo ’’Useful in Cey- 
lon. — We omitted to notice one interesting 
passage in Mr. Kellow’s letter : it is where he 
refers to what we think might be called popu- 
larly “ the Australian bamboo,” although it is 
known in South-Eastern Europe as “ the Danu- 
bian reed.” Here is the passage in Maiden’s 
book which Mr. Kellow wished to see quoted: — 
The Bamboo Method op Planting. — Mr. J. E. 
Brown advocates the raising of wattles in bamboos. 
The raising of trees by this means is common 
in India, and has been successfully carried out in 
South Australia. In India the true bamboo is used 
because it is abundant. In South Australia a large 
South European reed*) {Anmdo Donax, Linn.), which 
locally bears the name of “bamboo,” is used instead, 
The reed is cut to 4 inches in length, by means of 
a small circular saw driven by hand or water-power. 
Endeavours are made not to include joints in the 
pieces cut, but if one should occur it is bored 
through. The pieces are packed together upright, 
filled with soil, the seed put in and allowed to 
remain there till the planting season. The seed- 
ling is transplanted in the “bamboo” just as it 
stands, and in cases where the bamboo is not suffi- 
ciently rotted, they are split up, in order to allow 
the roots to expand. Hundreds of trees thus start 
their careers, and can be transported in one small 
box — a brandy case for instance. 
Mr. Kellow’s own experience of this “ Ariinilo 
Donax ” is : — 
The reed Arundo Donax referred to, grows here 
freely and when once established, will give an annual 
cutting of stalks from 12 to 20 feet along; besides 
being useful for plant raising, they make very neat 
temporary fences, warrachies for lines or split up 
into pegs for lining. 
Clearly this is one more useful introduction which 
ought to be generally known in the higlier districts. 
