68o 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April I, 1898. 
Dutch (Java) Publications.— W e are indebted 
to Messrs. G. Kolff & Co., the well-known pub- 
lishers at Batavia for two hanily little publica- 
ticns in Du ch — (1) “ As.-^aiii Thee. Haar Culture 
ten Bereiding op Java Dooi- Ch Van du- Moore” 
— an evidence (in its 109 pages/ if such were 
required, of liow' the general interest in tea cul- 
tivation is spreading in J./ va. The next is rather 
different: — “Lit Oud-Balavia : De Portugeesche 
Buitenkerk door Dr. F. de Haan, Uitgegeven 
Ten Bate van een fonds tot bet Restaureeren 
dier kerk” — an extremely neatly got up brochure 
with an engraving of an old picture of a place 
of worsliip and people entering. 
“ The Aoriculturai. Gazette ” of New South 
Wales, Volume IX. Part 1, has the following con- 
tents for January 1898 : — Wine-making— Fermenta- 
tion ; Useful Australian Plants ; No. 49. — The Pigmy 
Panic Grass (Panicum pygnmum, B. Br.) ; No. 50; 
— The Stringybarks of New South Wales; Botanical 
Notes — Fruit-tree and Vine Pests; Comboyne Brusoh 
Bees, and How to manage them. Part I. ; Fowls 
for Profit ; Export of Oranges ; The Improvement 
of N. S. Wales Stock; Ensilage up to Date; Bee 
Calendar for February ; Orchard Notes ; Practical 
Vegetable and Flower Growing ; General Notes; 
Replies to Correspondents ; List of Agricultural So- 
cieties’ Shows for 1898; Label for Specimens. 
Maueitius is not to be behind Barbadoes or 
any of the West Indian islands ; for, in Governor 
Sir Charles Biuce's “Council of Government,” 
on 21st December last — the full report has only 
just reached us in Port Louis papers of Jan. 
29th— the Hon. H. Leclezio after a long speech 
moved and carried the following resolution 
‘‘ The Council of Government join with the Cham- 
ber of Agriculture in the resolutions voted at its meet- 
ing of the 13th December intant, and beg that His 
Excellency the Governor be pleased to give them his 
support and to forward them to the Eight Honorable 
the Secretary of State for the Colonies for his favour- 
able consideration. 
“ The immediate measure of relief prayed for will 
largely contribute to keep up the Sugar Industry of 
the Colony which is now threatened with extinction. 
“ The Council think that the sum of £400,000 will 
be sufficient to meet the objects of the Chamber of 
Agriculture. 
“ The Council are also of opinion that, with the 
view of protecting the agriculture of the Colony against 
the effects of the frequently recurring droughts which 
visit it, and with the view of improving the sanitary 
condition of the Island the re- afforestation thereof be 
completed, and they recommend for that purpose that 
His Excellency the Governor be pleased to move the 
Secretary of State for his sanction to add the sum of 
£100,000 to the above loan to be applied to the re- 
afforestation scheme of the Colony.” 
The Sugar Industry of Mauritius would be all 
right if an “honest rupee” was observed — so 
Mr. Chamberlain has good reason both in the 
interests of Ceylon and Mauritius to withstand 
the policy of the India Office and to support 
the appeal from producers in the East led by 
the United Planters’ Association of India. Mr. 
Leclezio concludes his speech as follows : — 
No man understands better the wants of the 
Colonies than Mr. Chamberlain. It is well known 
that he himself selected the Post of Secretary for 
the Colonies in order to devote his great abilities 
and energy to their progress and expansion and to 
strengthen the bonds of Union between them and the 
Mother onntry. What he has already done has 
proved his desire to promote the welfare of those 
Colonies. We may therefore trust that an appeal to 
him will not be made in vain ; that the British 
Government will consent to guarantee that Loan 
and, that their generous assistance will enable this 
Colony to maintain its past honour, to be saved from 
ruin and to remain a not unworthy Jewel to the British 
Crown. 
The Conservators of Forests.— Mr. J. A 
Broun, wriies to tlie Madras Times denying the 
truth of the re))ort that his brother Mr. A. F. 
Broun, Consevvator of Forests, Ceylon, was 
wounded by him and iiad to apply for an exten- 
sion of leave. These facts are entirely incorrect, 
he adds : — “ Mr. A. F. Broun tvas not wounded 
by me, nor did he apply for an extension of leave. 
He was granted the leave which he applied for 
before leaving Ceylon. Had tlie“ Ceylon Standard 
taken the trouble of writing either to my brother 
or to myself before publishing this untrue report 
they would have saved themselves the nece.ssity 
of cancelling it.” 
The Pearl Fishery of Conway— says Sir 
Walter Besant— seems to interest many readers, 
if one may judge from the letters received. The 
following into' niation, the last 1 can promise on 
the subject, will enable everybody to go off 
fishing for themselves. There are two kinds of 
mussels found in the Conway river. The first, 
which is rare, is oi indies long by inches 
broad. The pearl found in this kind is said to be 
very fine, and in size and quality not inferior to 
the Oriental pearl. The other kind is much 
smaller ; it is found in great quantities on the 
bar of the river, where it used to be gathered by 
the sackful at low tide. The sacks were then 
carried to a place where great iron pots filled Avith 
water were hung up over fires. Here tlie mus.sels 
were boiled. The fish were then taken out and 
put into a tub, where they Avere stamped Avitb' 
hare feet till they Avere reduced to pulp ; water 
was then poured in ; the animal matter ffoated, 
the sand and pearls sank to the bottom ; Avhen 
the pearls had been collected they were sold to 
buyers in the trade at a price varying from 
eighteen pence to three .shillings an ounce. No- 
body, it is added, ever kneAv Avhat became of these 
pearls. 
Tea Bulking.— Mr. J. Buckingham, c.i.e., 
Chairman of the Assam Branch, Indian Tea 
Association, has addressed an important com- 
munication to the Calcutta Association on this 
subject, embodying the vicAvs of the Assam 
planters and what they tliink of bulking. The 
Indian ITanfers' Gazette tells us : — 
Mr. Buckingham sums up the advantages of bulk- 
ing in India as follows ; — (1) Saving of time in 
London in bringing tea to market ; (2) Saving of 
warehouse charges to the extent of about Is per chest 
says £73,000 ; (3) Prevention of risk of damage to 
leaf through bulking in England ; (4) Less liability 
to loss in weight, test packages only being weighed ; 
(5) The superior condition in which the packages 
reach the buyer, estimating at 1 farthing per pound 
only, would be equivalent to over £150,000 ; and (6J 
The absolute certainly of a sample from one chest 
being a genuine sample of the whole break, and thus 
obviating the possibility of the trade having parcels 
of tea thrown on their hands on account of irregularity. 
While the disadvantage are these : the slight delay 
occasioned in keeping teas until the requisite amount 
of tea to make a break was secured, and accompany- 
ing fire risk ; chance of tea deteriorating in bulk ; 
the cost of erecting air-tight bins for keeping tea in. 
The possibility of teas being damaged by water or by 
. any other cause during transit, which in the case of 
non-bulking in England would not be discovered until 
the tea was sold, and the utter impossibility in many 
cases of getting even tares to the boxes, Mr. Buck- 
ingham, however, disposes of these, and he says, 
there is no reason why gardens should not take 
united action in this matter, and have a registered 
mark for teas guaranteed “ ibulked,” the names of 
all such gardens being registered in London and 
Calcutta. From the planters’ point of view, there- 
fore, it appears to be in every sense desirable that 
factory bulking should be adopted. 
