Juke i, 1898.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 85? 
a3 it is to the extent, I think, of more than 70 mil- 
lion pounds, 95 per cent. of this import- 
ation gives most valnable employment to British and 
Irish industries. (Hear, hear.) In the second pl.ioe, 
although no douht the duty on tea is considerable in 
proportion to the value of the article, yet it nas been 
frequently reduced to its present point. The tobacco 
duty has remained the same as now — 3s 21 in the 
pound on unmanufactured tobacco — for a period of 
56 years except during the short iuterv.al in which 
it was attempted to raise it by' 41. in the pound, an 
attempt nhich, I think, practically failed. (Hear, 
hear.) The tobacco duty is so high in proportion to 
the value of the article that I believe it aotnally in- 
creases the prime cost of the unmanufactured article by 
as much as 500 per cent. For these reasons I prefer 
tobacco. (Cheers.) I have a reason also with regard 
to the revenue. There is no doubt that the consumption 
of tobacco in the country is very great, and it is largely 
increasing, and, in spite of the high duty, I believe that 
the adulteration of tobacco has largely diminished. 
CRITIChSMS. 
There were the usual criticisms of tlie Budget 
in tlie debate. The following are amu.sing : — 
The selection of tobacco as a commodity to be 
relieved in preference to tea. Sir James Lowther 
approved, assuming that it vvas right to make any 
reduction, because if they were to reduce the tea 
duty materially a large mass of the population would 
have no inducement at all to counsel economy on 
the part of Parliament. This opinion, he explained, 
was forme! quite imp irtially, for he was neithor a 
smoker nor a tea drinker. (Laughter.) 
Mr. Billson (Halifax) said he had no special com- 
plaint to make in regard to the reduction of the 
tobacco duty, but if he had to choose between tobacco 
and tea he should prefer to see the duty taken off 
tea rather than off tobacco. 
Mr. Gibson Bowles congratulated the Chancellor 
of the Exchequer on the reception which his pro- 
posals met from the experts. As to tea and tobacco, 
he thought that an excellent choice had been made. 
Of the two vices, he considered the smoking of to- 
bacco was much less injurious than the swilling of 
tea. (‘‘Hear, hear,” and laughter.) 
• 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Tea CuLTivAvioN in North Travancore.— 
“The Kanan Devan Hills Piodiice Company, Ld.” 
have now 8,750 acres of tea under cultivation. 
There are tliree “■ Chief Managers ” on the spot, — 
Messrs. L. Davidson, W. Milne, and J. A. 
Hunter. [Mr. Hunter has not yet joined, being 
in charge of Sunnycioft, Kelaiii Valley, until Mr. 
Forsythe return in Augu.st.] Besides these tlieie 
are ‘20 “ Estate Manageis ” and 14 “Assistants” 
as also tliree Surveyors and Engineers and two 
Transport Agents. Full particulars will appear 
in our forthcoming Directory. 
Improved Rice-husking Machinery. — A cor- 
respondent informs the Rangoon Gazette that “ a 
gentleman from Ceylon is on a visit to Rangoon 
with the object of introducing new iiatent 
machinery into rice mills. The new machinery, 
according to his description, is wonderfully 
simple, only one floor being required for the one 
proee-ss by which the paddy is converted into 
white rice. He states that verj' mncli less rice 
is broken in the new machine, which occupies 
very little space, and the distrilmtor attached 
to the machine separates and ejects the husk 
in one direction, the broken rice in another, and 
the coarse from the line in the must perfect 
style. Be.sides, tlie same liorse-iiower engine 
which a mill in Rangoon may now be using, 
will drive a number of these new mills, turn- 
ing out lifty per cent more white rice than had 
hitherto been done. Also, fewer hands are re- 
quired to these machines.”— Pfo/ieer, May ICh 
Planting Progress in the STRArs. -We 
extract from the report on the Kinta District 
for the year 1897, by Mr. R. D. Hewett, the Dis- 
trict Magistrate, a.s follow.s : — 
Agriculture is progressing sitisf.iotorily, and large 
areas are under coffee and other crops, the best 
estates being those owned by Mr. Osborne, Messrs. 
Dykes and Leong Fee, Messrs, Ephraum.s ani 
Crawford, Mr. W. Smith and Mr. Fu Chu Chooa. 
Mr. Ogilvie has about 310 acres under coconuts and 
coffee on the Ipoh-Gcpeng ro id, ani many Malays. 
Chinese and others are planting coffee on small 
holdings all over the district, the be.st being those 
owned by Ngah Ali at Tambun and Sini Ismail, 
near Gopeug. The Datoh Muda Wah.ib for the 
third time closed his dam at Pinji, which notwith- 
standing abnormally heavy rains which fell during 
the latter portion of the yetr shows no sign of giving 
way. Eight hundred and ninety-seven lots of agri- 
cultural land, measiu-Log 5,942 acres 3 roods 23 poles, 
ware alienated, so that up to the 31st Decomber’ 
1877, four thousand nine hundred and six lots’ 
measuring 18,463 acre.s 1 rood 34 poles, have been 
alienated. 
Floral Bh:autu-s of D.uueeling A Dar- 
jeeling correspondent^ writes as follows to the 
Rnglt.shnian : The w'ind scorched ami mercilessly 
shrivelled up the few lemaining rhododen- 
drons and magnolias, but, perchance, in a mea- 
sure, spared the stately Iris, which has this 
year, above all years, untolded her cool purple 
petals in dense hanks of ravishing beauty. Surely 
a gladsome sight to the weary eyes of the 
dwellers in the plains calling up wistful memo- 
ries of the distant Sister Isles. Ei'eri in these 
hills the Iris will not flower below an altitude 
of 5,000 feet. We would draw the attention of 
visitors to the Lloyd Botanical GanLns, which 
are well worth a visit. They are kept in most 
delightful order. The present is the .season of 
the pansies, wiiicli, however, do not come up 
either in size or in colouring, to those of last 
year, when they quite excelled themselves. The 
hot-houses are tilled with a gorgeous ariay of 
cineririas and calceolarias, of winch one 'may 
become the happy po.s.sessor for a mere trirtla, 
A wonderful blue wisteria, which droops Tn 
coiintle.ss cerulean clusters from the roof, i.s alone 
worth a visit. 
How TO Push Liberian Coffee.- -This is Mr 
Turing Mackenzie’s scheme 
First fix upon a field of action, and then concert 
a P an of campaign. I am inclined to believe that 
South Europe is worth a trial, and from what I 
have heard I would suggest commencing ouerarinno 
in Italy. [Poor Italy !-En. O.O.] The base of o^a 
tions ought to be one of the many towms at which 
mail steamers frequently call. 
(a) Let every 100 acres in bearing belonging to 
members of the Association contribute one pikul 
coffee /ree. puiui 
(b) Cost of transport to Eur.ipe to be borne by 
Planters Association. ^ 
(c) This presentation coffee to be delivered 
to the agent. 
price takes an equal quantity at a fixed 
ii. That he guarantees to spond in advertisin<^— 
cXe"" pre-eutatlon 
tw' the second year his /i.ryGg order doubles 
thit of the first year, he is still entitled to receive 
the same amount ot presoiuatiou coffee as he re- 
csived in the first year. “ 
lu the third ye.u- of course he is sniiposed to be 
able to stanc. on his own legs, and the Association 
can move on to anolher towu, that market having 
been capiured. imwug 
