"546 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Feb. I, 1898. 
as his inforniatiotl went, the climate of the district 
generally was comparatively healthy ; there did 
not appear to be mucli malaria ; and the out- 
breaks of cholera which had been recorded were 
due more to preventible causes such as careless- 
ness of the coolies themselves, than any un- 
healthiness arising from situation, soil, or climate, 
or water. Continuing Mr. Adam said : — The 
total acreage planted on Glen Nevis and tlie 
neighbouring estate by the same proprietors, up 
to the end of 1897 was about 1,400 acres of 
ivhich two-thirds are in bearing. OJT this 
acreage the gross value of the crop for 1895, 1896, 
and 1897 was £35,000 sterling. 
ARARICA AND LIBERIAN COFFEE. 
Our experience is that we obtain much more 
favourable results from colTec Arabica than 
Liberian coffee. Liberian coOee lias been planted 
in these concessions experimentally but our 
attention is devoted to Arabica. Liberian cottee 
experimentally is doing very well, but the 
Arabian is wiiat we dejiend u|ion. We argue that 
as long as we can find good land to grow Ar.abica 
it is better to grow that variety. As a fancy 
coffee it lias very few competitors and we think 
it much better to leave alone Liberian which 
may be classed among the coffee of the many 
and not of the few. The wisdom of our doing so 
is evident from the f.act that during the recent 
drop in coffee, such rough varieties as those of 
Brazil, Santos, Liberia, &c., experienced a very 
heavy fall, while the fall in fancy coffees such 
as Java, Ceylon Plantation, Guatemala was not 
appreciable. In fact since I came to Ceylon I 
have seen a quotation of bold, coloury, yellow 
Liberian in London at 44s per cwt. while Ceylon 
Plantation, which is very much the same prepara- 
tion and quality as Java private estate coffee, 
was quoted in the same market report at 100s to 
11)23. Comment ujion that I think is needless. 
GEOGRAPHY. 
Java, for agricultural purposes, is practic- 
ally divided into tivo portions. The Uestern 
portion which is nearest Batavia and the niain 
lines of sea communication is the part which is 
mostly seen by the globe-trotter. The^ climate 
of this part is very humid and the soil, upon 
which tea in the uplands is principally grown, is 
stiff and reil. The east end of the island which 
very few people take the time to run down and 
Bee and widen is remote from the main steamer 
lines, is the Garden of Coffee in J,ava. There is 
direct railway communication from Batavia to 
Djemoei quite close to the extreme east and the 
line has been surveyed for a further extension 
from Djember (tunnelling through a mountain 
range) to Bangoewangte one of the principal 
stations of the Pastern Telegraph Company and 
the most easterly port in Java. It is from that 
port that the Glen Nevis coffee is shipped, the 
distance between the estate and the port 
being 38 miles, 25 of which are over a good 
Government post road and the balance over a 
good riding track. As regards 
THE POPULATION 
it consists in the first place of Siindanese (Abori- 
gines) inhabiting the west or tea districts of 
the islaml. They are less hardy than the inha- 
hitanls of the east end of the island who are 
composed of Javanese (also indigenous) and Ma- 
durese who crossed over to -Java from the island 
of Madura immediately adjoining. There are 
also Malays in Java on the western sea coast, 
the descendants of Malay pirates in days gone 
by. These people are not employed as labourers, 
but .03 household servants, coachmen, &c. The 
total of the po]mlation is about 23i millions. 
The labour supply is very good. We h.ove our 
own labour difficulties, like the planters in 
every other part of the East, but these have 
been reduced to a minimum. When Sir 
Stamford Raffles was in Java in 1810 to 1812 the 
population was somewhere about six millions 
and the figures now show Iiow the natives have 
increased and multiplied under the Dutch rule. 
In regard to 
THE WORKING OF THE ESTATES 
we find it better to have that done by Dutch- 
men and according to Dutch methods with an 
Englishman at the head of the whole affair. 
The system works better than employing English- 
men who are not acquainted with Dutch 
methods, customs and language. The wages of 
a cooly on a coffee estate average about 40 to 
45 giiilder-cents per day. 
EXCHANGE 
is on a bi-metallic basis and therefore we do not 
have the fluctuations to which silver countries in 
the East are subjected. 
THE ROADS 
are amongst the finest in the world and for the 
most part beautifully shaded on both sides with 
tamarind trees. 
OTHER PRODUCTS. 
The land grows sugar very well indeed ; but owing to 
the continental bounties during the last few' years 
and the change in the tariff duties of America 
that industry is in a very precarious state. 
Indigo grows very W'ell in mid-Java on a 
limited area.. I may mention that at an agri- 
cultural exhibition in Calcutta some seven 
or eight years ago I remember to liave 
seen that five prizes were given for Indigo. 
The first, second and third fell to 
Java and the third and fifth to India. Java 
also produces tobacco which is grown on a 
limited area naturally on account of tlie humid 
climate which it, like tea, requires. It also 
grows tea, as I have indicated, also cacao, 
vanilla, nutmegs, cinchona, &c. In the west ot 
Java there is some of the finest table rice in the 
world, and throughout the whole island, there 
is the ordinary native rice. Of late years pet- 
roleum has been discovered, piincipally in mid 
and east Java, and some of the Companies 
have obtained splendid results. 
TRIP IN SOUTHERN INDIA : NEW 
NILGIRI RAILWAY. 
Hill Grove Hotel, Coonor, Nilgiris, 
South India, Jan. 11th 1898. 
We arrived here yesteiday at noon having 
come by kind pei mission to the foot of the 
Ghat by the newNilgiri Railway. This railway, I 
am told, has been somel2 years in construction, but 
it IS hoped that it will now be (yiened for traffic 
in the course of a few months. It is a very diffi- 
cult piece of work. It is a narrow-gauge railway 
with cog metal in the centre after the fashion 
of some of the mountain raiBvays on the con- 
tinent. The engine goes up behind the train, 
and the cogs secure the train from slipping 
back in case of any breaking of coupling irons 
etc. The line is now' complete with the exception 
of seven miles which as I have said, it is hoped, 
will be completed all the way to Ootacaniund in, 
a few months. It is almost certain there will he 
