396 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Dec. i, 1897. 
Estimate of Expenditure and Returns. 
August 1st, 
1897 To Expeudi- 
tiue 2,621 17 6 
1898 To Expendi- 
ture for 1 year 510 0 0 
1899 To Expendi- 
ture for 1 year 540 0 0 
Balance £2,858 2 C 
d August 1st. £ s d 
1897 By returns 1,460 0 0 
1898 By returns 
60 acres com- 
ing into bear- 
ing 1,400 0 0 
From 60 acres 
old Coffee 700 0 0 
1899 By returns 
new Coffee 1,400 0 0 
60 acres 1st j-ear 900 0 0 
60 acres 2iid year 700 0 0 
£6,560 0 0 
(to July 31st 1899) 
£ s 
£6,560 0 0 By Balance* £2,858 2 6 
* Hereto to he added value of Plant at ion and Improve- 
ments. 
(Sil.) S. Israel. 
Blantyre, August 16th. 1897. 
—A. C. Ajrica Gazette, Sept. 7. 
^ - 
COEEEE IN BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA. 
Blantyeeand CholoDistkicts.— Mr. Jonathan Dun- 
can, the pioneer coffee planter of British Central Africa, 
states that the coffee crop for 1897 is good, and that 
the amount exported from B.O.A. is sure to increase 
year by year, as a large quantity of fresh land is 
being opened up all over the country. He states that 
cofiee is a somewhat precarious crop, and that one 
thing to be avoided is that the young trees should 
be allowed to bear too heavily. If this is done, he 
states, the result will be no crop for two or three 
years following the first heavy one, as it takes that 
length of time for the plants to recover themselves. 
Mr. Duncan is an advocate for shade. 
From Messrs. Lamagna we hear that the Mapemba 
and Ntonda Hill Estates, gave a crop of 40 tons in 
1896. The same trees are giving a better crop this 
year, and are looking healthy and strong. 
About 120 acres more were opened up on the two 
estates, 80 at Mpemba and 40 at Ntonda Hill. Close 
to these two estates the firm has the Portenope 
Estate opened in 1896, on which 120 acres are planted. 
On the slopes of Miohiru Mountain facing the 
Upper Shire, they have the Tumbulumbo Estate, 
which in 1896 gave a crop of 9 tons from 60 acres. 
The same trees this year are giving about the sanie 
crop, perhaps a little more, Mwalanouzi Estate in 
Cholo (belonging to the same firm) gave 6 tons last 
year and 10 or 12 tons are expected this year. 
On their estate at Nkawa (Cholo) they opened last 
year about 100 acres and were expecting this year 
only a maiden crop of some 4 tons from 40,000 plants 
which were planted in 1895. 
Messrs. Lamagna tell us that the export of coffee 
will show a steady increase from year to year, and 
they also state that : — 
“Although nobody is yet able to lay oown a single 
rule, we mean a hard and fast rule, much less auy 
fixed laws about coffee planting in tnis country, for 
the simple reason that the industry is too young yet, 
and we are without sufficient data extending over a 
number of y^ear to go on, still from the experience of 
these last 3 years, we may safely say that coffee 
planting in B.C.A. is or can be made to be a perlectly 
safe, steady, and paying enterprise, a thing that 
cannot hcnestly be said of many colonial under- 
takings. • j 
“ One main advantage of course is the abunda'-ce 
and comparative cheapness of the labour supply 
and the soil is at any rate modciately fertile and 
as yet micxhausled, so that for a few years to 
come it will, unaided, yield fairly satisfactory crops 
—but naturally we must look ahead of us, and en- 
sure a continuation of these crops j which can b 
done by mamire and shade, — those two most neces- 
sary helps to nature, which are being tried on 
various estates. Several kinds of shade trees are 
being given a trial; and in the course of the next 
two or three years we shall be able to determine 
what are the best shade trees for this country, and 
also what effect manures have on the growth and 
yield of our cofiee bushes, and what sorts it is ad- 
visable to use ill preference to others. Conscientiously 
we think this is all that caa be said at present on the 
matter of the coffee growing industry, which how'- 
ever, should be highly satisfactory to any who in- 
tend starting plantations here or so investing their 
monej'. 
“ Although it might be said that the export of 
coffee in B. C. A. is increasing yearly simply because 
every year new estates come into their first bearing, 
still at the same time the same estates have 
proved to be able to bear crops for a succes- 
sion of years. We think that with careful manage- 
ment and hard work an estate can be made to pay 
from 12 to 20 per cent, on the capital invested. 
“ Now, as far as regards ourselves, the follow- 
ing is a statement of onr estates with their acreage 
(of course all at various stages of growth) and their 
estimated crops; — ” 
Mpemba Estate (I. Lamagna & Co., and others) 
acres planted, 400 ; crop expected in 1897, 30 tons. 
Ntonda Estate (I. Lamagna & Co., and others) 
acres planted 3'i0: crop expected in 1897, 25 tons. 
Partenope Estate (I. Lamagna <& Co.,) 120 acres 
newly planted. 
Mwalamduzi Estate (Lamagna and McKinnon) 
acres planted, 200 : crop expected in 1897, 10 tons. 
Nkawa Estate (I. Lamagna & Co.,) acres planted, 
200 ; crop expected in 1897, 4 tons, (from 40,000 
plants. 
Tumbulumbo Estate (I. Lamagna & Co.,) acres 
planted, 200; crop expected in 1897, 10 tons. 
Makungwa Estate (Messrs. Josseliu do Yong & 
Visser) acres planted, 170 ; crop expected in 1897, 
17 tons. 
Mr. J. Lindsay, the manager for Mr. E. Ch. A. 
Sharrer, and also a planter himself, states that the 
prospects of crop are somewhat injured by the fact 
that when the blossoms were setting last year they 
had prolonged drought, and also locusts did con- 
siderable harm by settling on the primaries and 
destroying both flower and bud. 
The extensions planted out in the early part of 
this year amounted to 300 acres, bringing the total 
amount of land under coffee cultivation by this firm 
to 1,800 acres. It must be understood that about 
half of this has not yet reached the bearing stage, 
and that 200 acres have only reached their maiden 
crop. 
Mr. R. S. Hunter, the late manager of the firm 
of Buchanan Brothers, and also the owner of plan- 
tations in the Blantyre and Cholo districts, esti- 
mates the 1897 crop at 450 tons or a little less. 
He states that about 10 new plantations have been 
opened up, though very few new planters have come 
into the country during the last year. Thus he con- 
siders must be due to the deaths of the two Buchanan 
Brothers, whose names were so widel}' known that 
the fact of their deaths — both in the same year 
has given a worse impression as to the unhealthiness 
of the climate of B. C. A. than it actually deserves. 
Mr. Hunter states that about 2,000 acres have been 
opened up in the past year, a large portion of which 
has been done in the Cholo District. He thinks that 
the 1897 Cl op would have been much heavier had it 
not been for the unprecedentedly hot and dry weather 
duiiiig the last blossoming season. Mr. Hunter in- 
forms us that planters generally in B. C. A. seem to 
have come to believe shade to be a necessity, and in 
certain districts which have a short rainfall he thinks 
it most essential. 
Shade has been lai'gely planted in the various dis- 
tricts of the country, the Grevillea Eohuata, and va- 
rieties of the Ficus apparently being the most po- 
pular, although the Albi^^ia has also been largely 
planted, 
