Sept, r, 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
175 
and Brazil. The purchase price has been fixed by 
the vendors, who have agreed to buy the property 
from the Conde de Sao Clemente, in consideration 
of cash and of deferred shares. 
The properties are being worked on account of the 
Company from the 1st day of January, 1897, so that 
the Company is entitled to the crop now being 
gathered. Messrs. Zerrenner, Bulow & Co., of Sae 
Paulo and Santos, have been appointed agents for 
the Company in Brazil, and are arranging for the 
appointment of a competent resident manager. 
The debentures are secured by a deed of trust 
dated the 9th day of June, 1897, and made between 
the Company of the one part, and Bruno Schroder, 
Esq., and Walter Campbell, Esq., as trustees, of 
the other part, and which contains covenants by the 
Company, with the object of the debentures being 
entitled to the benefit of a specific mortgage on the 
cofiee plantations and other immoveable property in 
Brazil. The deed, of trust also provides that the 
debenture debt is to be a charge upon the Com- 
pany’s other existing properties, stocks, &c., as a 
floating security. Any new coSee plantations which 
the Company may hereafter acquire will not be 
included therein. By the deed of ttrust power is 
reserved for a prescribed majority to bind a minority 
of the debenture holders. 
EXTRACTION AND PREPARATION 
OF TALC. 
Talc is extracted on a large scale from the granite 
mountain of St. Barthelemy, in the French Depart- 
ment of Arriege, about 32 kilometres (20 miles) from 
the main chain of the Pyrenees. The principal quarry, 
atTremouin, is worked open-cast in three banks or ter- 
races, each about 15 metres (49 feet) high. The best 
rock is of a bright white tint, and feels greasy to the 
touch when reduced to fine powder. The quarried rock 
is brought by a tramway to the end of the quarry in 
the Axiat Valley, and then by wagons for a distance 
of 19 kilometres (11 miles) to Luzenac, where 90-horse 
water-power is taken from the Arriege river. The 
mechanical preparation consists of drying in a rotary 
oven, breaking up small, grinding and sifting, the 
grinding being effected in mills with steel balls. The 
larger portion of the product, observes an Ingenieur 
des Arts et Manufactures, who has communicated 
these particulars to the Chronique Industrielle, is con- 
verted into powder, only a small portion being sent 
away in the rough state, or cut into pencils for writing 
on metals. Besides its use throughout most parts of 
Europe and America, in soap and paper-making, talc 
enters into the composition of wagon-axle grease, while 
it also serves as an insulator for electric conductors.— 
Journal of theSociefy of Arts. 
NEW AREAS OF CULTIVATION OPENED 
DURING THE YEAR IN MATARA 
DISTRICT. 
The largest extension of cultivation has been in 
citronella. The high prices ruling early in the year, 
and probably the existence of contracts, led to good 
prices being realized at the Crown land sales, and 
induced private owners to open more land, and in 
some cases to extend their operations and buy in 
the Morawak korale, where there had been little 
hitherto. About 2,500 acres were planted in 1896. 
About 100 acres of tea were opened in the Weligam 
korale by natives and about 900 in the Morawak 
korale. In coconuts little, if anything, was done 
beyond small village patches of a few trees, and 
what I have previously referred to as planted by 
Mr. Le Mesurier . — Mr Vigors' Administration Beport 
for 1896. 
OPENING OF NEW CULTIVATED AREAS s 
S. PROVINCE. 
A very small extension of the area under jiaddy 
was reported ; all are turning their attention to 
tea, citronella, and coconuts. The Mudaliyar of 
Gangaboda pattu estimates that there was an in- 
crease of about 500 acre.s under tea in liLs pattu ; 
the Mudaliyar of Wellaboda jiattu estimates the 
increase under the same product at about 400 
acres. Citronella is advancing chiefly in the 
Talpe jiattu ; cinnamon in Bentota-Walallawiti 
korale and tlie Wellaboda pattu. Tire following 
table will show the principal products and the 
area of cultivation : — 
Product. Area in Acres. Product Area in Acres 
Coconut .. 94,000 | Tea .. 7,760 
Paddy . . ^ 43,000 | Cinnamon 4,680 
Citronella being a comiraratively new product 
finds no place in the Blue Book rcturn.s. This 
should be rectified.— flfr. TVace’s Administration 
Report Jor 1896. 
THE RUBBER INDUSTRY IN WEST 
AFRICA. 
From a paper recently read by Sir Gilbert 
1. Carter, k.c.M.g., before the Royal Colonial 
Institute, we quote rvhat bears on 'the Rubber 
industry, and the very jrointed comments of 
Dr. Morris in the discussion which followed : 
THE PRODUCTS OF THE COLONY OP LAGOS. 
Thi.- Paper would be incomplete without some re- 
ference to the products of Lagos. Until the year 1895 
the colony may be said to have relied almost en- 
tirely upon palm oil and palm kernels, which formed 
the bulk of the exports. In that year, however a 
flourishing rubber industry developed, a brief acconut 
of which will not be devoid of interest. For some 
years a considerable quantity of this valuable pro- 
duct had been exported from the Gold Coast, due to 
the efforts of Sir Alfred Moloney ; and he had 
so far back as 1882, suggested the possibility of a 
similar industry at Lagos. Through his initiative 
some experiments were made upon rubber-producing 
plants, but it is difficult to stir up the native mind 
to effort in a new direction, and no practical results 
followed. During my expedition to the interior 
in 1893, I had noticed the prevalence of a tree in 
certain parts of the Yoruba country, having a milky 
sap ; but as the tree was unlike any other rubber- 
producing plant which I knew, I attached but little 
importance to it. At that time there was in Lagos 
a political prisoner from the Gold Coast, who used 
to visit me occasionally to endeavour to obtain my 
co-operation in getting his release. On one of these 
visits he told me that he had learnt, from some of 
his Fanti surroundings, that the same tree whence 
the supplies were obtained on the Gold Coast ex- 
isted in great numbers in the neighbourhood of 
Ibadan. I at once asked him if he could get some 
people down from the Gold Coast who understood 
the process of collecting and preparing the rubber 
promising, if he did so, that I would put them in’ 
communication with the European officer at Ibadan, 
to whom I would give instructions to have the men 
p.fperly acciedited to the native authorities, who 
I lelt sure, would be glad to assist them in a enter- 
prise which would be a source of additional wealth 
to the country. He promised that he would do so, 
and as soon as practicable about forty Fanti rubber- 
collectors arrived from the Gold Coast. These men 
were despatched, as I had promised, and in a very 
short time samples of rubber were forwarded which 
convinced me that Lagos was on the eve of a very 
important addition to its exports. ^ 
A notice was issued apprising the merchants of 
the possibilities before them, and I will only add 
that my most sanguine expectations were more than 
realised. Indeed, the development of the industry 
was phenomenal. 'While, in 1893, the total expor't 
amounted to 5,867 lb., valued at i’324 6s 4d the 
following year it rose to 5,069,576 lb, valued at 
£269,893. Through the courtesy of the Colonial Office 
authorities, I have been able to obtain the li<^urcs 
for 1896, and learn that for that year the value 
reached the large total of £347,730. It is feared that 
unless means can be (Revised to prevent the trees 
