Junk r, 1898. j 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTDRIST. 
84* 
Of cardamoms and cinchona the exports com- 
pare : — 
Cardamoms lb. Cinchona lb. 
..I'' 1897-8 .. 108, 9(U 3,056,769 
1896- 7 . . 65,969 321,478 
1893 6 .. 140,772 939,938 
So tliat thei’e has been quite a revival of cin- 
chona bark harvesting. Cardamoms are, of 
course, too mncli in demand in the Presidency 
towns to be shipped freely. Chillies, ginger and 
pepper are the spices chielly exported thus 
Chillies, Ginger. Pepper. 
1897 8 .. 8,154,144 8,272,489 9,688,990 1b. 
1896- 7 .. 8,126,173 10,708,223 13,601,520 „ 
189.3-6 .. 8,290, .346 10,802,988 9,852,112 „ 
Of coconut and castor oils the exi>ort is con. 
siderable : — 
Coconut Oil. Castor Oil. 
1897- 8 . . 1,046,225 1,953,.309 gallons. 
1896-7 .. 1,137,5.38 1,997,475 
1895-6 .. 2,205,727 2,016,461 
The export of cotton had greatly fallen ; that 
of jnte had increased ; manures were steady j 
so was the export of mica (talc) at 11,008 cwt. 
— For caoutchouc and coir (unmanufactured) we 
quote !— 
Caoutchouc. Coir. 
1897- 8 .. 5.563 60,994 cwt, 
•896-7 .. 6,213 39,200 „ 
1895-6 .. 7,154 43,289 „ 
Besides this, coir manufactured or partly, made 
up 277,194 cwt. last year, and cordage and rope 
(excluding jute) 37,504 cwt. Be it noted that 
the export of caoutchouc is steadily decreasing. 
FISH CULTURE AND HOTICULTURE ; 
AN INTERESTING VISITOR. 
Amongst the passengers from Brisbane to 
Europe by the ss. “ Duke of Devon.shire,” is Mr. 
D. O’Connor, who has been interested very largely 
in fish acclimatisation in Queensland. He has 
with him four Ceratodus Fosterii. This fish is 
one of three dipnoi, the two other species being 
Lepidoslrenparodoxii of South America, now nearly 
extinct, &w\ pwto^derous anneateus. The Ceratodus 
is confined to two rivers in Queensland, the 
Mary and Burnett, not being known to exist 
anywhere eke in the world. Willi a view to 
prevent its extinction Mr. O’Connor recently trans- 
ferred specimens to six different localities in 
Queensland, widely apart on the recommenda- 
tion of the Royal Society. Encouraged by the 
success attending his efforts in this direction he 
resolved to attempt the transportation of a few 
specimens to England. A month ago, on the 
15th April, lie took on hoard the “Duke of 
Devonshire,” four specimens which are now alive. 
Tliey extend from 2 to 3 ft. in length and 
are in as good condition as wiien they left 
Queensland. They are kept in two tanks, the 
water of which is frequently clianged, and fed 
twice a day. lie considers that the secret of 
the fish being kept properly is to have some 
one, wlio understands about tlieir care, being iti 
coiist.uit personal su|ierintendence. At Otago 
in the South and Wellington in the North 
they liave, according to Mr. Q’Connor, a revenue 
of over £500 a year from licenses nearly the 
whole of which is derived Irom trout licenses. 
The trout in Queensland liave grown to a weight 
of about 30 Ih. There are about six different 
kinds, hut the trout he recommends for a climate 
like Ceylon is the rainbow trout of California 
as ic stands the heat better than any other. 
He thought the (joummie, which was a 
very excellent fisli, might be acclimatized here 
luthont any ditliculty. The gouramie is a fish 
always kept iu captivity and tlie fish is taken to 
market alive and when it is not sold, it is taken 
h.ack to the pond. The species is ahuiulaiit in 
Batavia. 
With regard to horticulture in wliieli M/. O’Con- 
nor is also very mucli interested, he alluded to 
the cultivation of the mango and the manner 
in which the fruit might he served, and said 
a very delicious preserve, not jam, might he 
made of the fruit by taking it before it 
is ripe, peeling it, cutting it into slices, 
dishing it, piling sugar on it according to 
taste, and then baking it. Another very easy 
and ))leasant mode ot eating mangoes was also 
used in (Queensland, namely peeling them, cutting 
all the flesh off the stone, placing the fruit in 
a dish and mixing with cream and sugar, Tlio 
passion fruit was eaten in the same way, 
“SOURCES OF COMMERCIAL INDIA- 
RUBBER”: 
CANTOR LECTURES SOCIETY OF ARTS ; 
By Dr. Morris, c.m.g. ; 
Lecture I. Deeivered April 18th : 
{^Summary specially contrihuted hy the lecturer.) 
Since the days when Le Condamine first dis- 
crihed the rubber tree of Brazil and Don Jose, 
King of Portugal, in 1755 sent several pairs of 
his royal boots to Para in order that they might 
he covered with the water-proof “gum-elastic” 
the use of India-rubber has enormously increased. 
Besides the demand in .almost every department 
of arts and manufactures, tlie rapid development 
of cycling and of the use of rubber tyres for car- 
riage wheels has added to the increased consump- 
tion ot this interesting article. The quantity of 
raw Caoutchouc imported into the United Kin- 
dom in 1830 was only 23 tons Even in the year 
of the accession of our Queen it was only about 
200 tons. Last year it had increased to 20,000 
tons — exactly a hundred fold. 
The present value of the imports are about 
five millions sterling. The total trade is probably 
not less than ten millions sterling. More than 
one third of the imports is now receiveil from 
British possessions. In 1888 only about one-fifth 
was so received. It is estimated that the world’s 
consumption of rubber is 60,000 tons, of tlie value 
of 14 millions sterling. This stuneiidons quantity 
of raw material is laboriously extracted from the 
milky juice of trees and shrubs belonging to three 
natural ordeis, viz., the Spurges {Euphorbiacew), 
the Nettles {Urtkaceo}) and the Dogbanes 
{Apocyaacece). These plants are distributed over 
nearly every part of the tropical zone — none are 
found in the temperate zones — the most important 
being found in the vast basin of the Amazon, 
an ari'a almo.st as large as that of the Continsiit 
of Europe ; otlier.s are found on the E.ast and 
West Coasts of Africa, in .-issam and the M ilay 
Archipelago. 
Hitherto the prepar.ation of India-rubber has 
depended upon the crude liereditary art of a seii;i- 
savage people, tlie rubber-hunters, who explore 
the depths of tropical foiests and obtain the rub- 
ber mi k at the sacrifice of miliioiis ot trees, 
wliicIi owing to the recklessness with whicli they 
have been treated are yearly decreasing. 
