August i, 1891.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
97 
COFFEE IN EASTERN JAVA. 
In taking over from the Hingaiwre Free Press an 
interesting aooouut of a trip to the eastern portion 
of Java, the scene far more of sugar than of 
ootfee cultivation, we cannot help feeling surprise 
at the sanguine aooonnt given of coffee culture 
near Surabaj'a and the utter absence of any refer- 
ence to the existence of leaf-disease, although we 
know that only mote slowly but not leas surely 
jhan in Ceylon and India the deadly fungus has 
lessened the production of c life generally in the 
great Dutoli colony. Wo are also stiuok by the 
violent contrast in the production of oeffee estates 
*n immediately following years. For instance, 
Eiraburg Ml from 1 70'. pdiuls in 188-1 to 600 in 
1885, and from 5,700 in 1889 to 1,200 in 1890, 
and yet it was oonthlently anticipated that this 
p ace would give 11,000 pikuls this year. What, 
ai® I'® B.iy to Mingiu’s giving 6,020 pikuls 
L" I®®?, sinking to 632 in 1889 and recovering to 
^•831 in 1890. But surely leal diseace, as well as 
over-bearing, was at work to ace.unt for such an 
**’® ®aeo of Kati Mania as from 
in 1888 to 3,100 in 1889 and a miscr- 
aeia 530 (not equal to 1 pikul per bouw) in 1890 1 
rops varied greatly in good and bad years in 
^ejlon, but surely there never was sueh an t-x- 
petienee as thisj? Manure, it will be observed, 
an 1 u i" producing the larger crops ; 
i,rv.o volcanio soil could scarcely require 
pfM rr '^®®’^P®vate, we must attribute the in- 
and meteorological inliueuces, 
to ‘^i'i Pot operate A bouw is about equal 
Inti!* '*? iJeliove, and a pikul to 133 J lb. 
o® sago of Limburg, therefore, 11,000 pikuls would 
somewhat over 2 pikuls per acre. — The 
tn if ^ '® Pyi'i'OOt 30 feet long, which allowed itself 
in 'f ®®08ht as described and which lived in water 
is “*8® (certainly it must have been a big one), 
“ J'®*®®r more wonderful than the statements about 
of (h OP authentic figures. The author 
; . ^“® monkey* flesh and moq^tey soup practical 
Taf*' ^avc had original ideas of hospitality, 
thin '8 lively throughout.— Since writing 
fronl T..« .U-® figures tor the coffee exports 
a woeLfallinVcT°“ 
A PEER AT OOSTIIOOK (JAVA). 
(From a Roving Correspondent.) 
CovPEE IN East Java. 
—Urn Banka ^Strait Iro“ Singapore to Jav 
mats passage.^ Oo‘ue bv'u®T 
of land all tho way® .v“ 
deviou,g. For the iL’t ’® m®'^® ®s Us 
and after passing Ling„7m. fh" nT ' i°n 
on the loft you HbapeTcouU n, 
and l .vv.i tt« direct for Soerabav 
paL"fLVtpMnc“reaTb:rn. T 
On Wednesday we wwa toliM ^ . ■ 
*ere in sisbt at 10 a m n , ‘ ®ou"t*"' 
‘ill aftern?on. It was“ran“e' T 
got into shallow water thr“iBHne r"'’ !?®. ” ‘®'' 
th»» eiai.a** lino t!iat Rcpiiratef 
wai..,y ‘’®®P "O®, from the verv yellow shallo, 
proaihed A, Soerabav* is ap 
intiaht «r. i * strange looking craft appsa 
ft sW,, m“®i. I®''®,'' ‘Oil that looks lik 
Pl^blanket, o-hets have two tails which lool 
like broken butteiflies’ wings. Most of these belong 
to the island of Msdnra, just opposite to Soerabaya 
and which has a very largo fishing population. W« 
approached SoeraUayaby tho Western passage between 
Java and Madura. This has only a depth of 18(t. 
to that large steamers have to circumnavigate Madura 
and get to Scerabaya by the eastern passage, thus 
adding nearly 400 miles on to the run from Singaport. 
At fi p. m. wu were at Scerabaya, and before the 
anchors were down we were boarded and taken 
possession by n kind friend wbo would lake no denial, 
and carried us off to his hospitable abode. 
Soerabaya is a “ shimmy " looking place— narrow 
streets — lots of mud and the roads rutty and bampy 
enough to shako the liver out of one ! To the stranger 
passing along the streets two tbingsare especially 
noticeable ; first the marked absence of Ohineso (happy 
Soi-rabaya !) and secondly tho happy, contented and 
iutelligent look of the natives of the place — from a 
cursory glance I should say a much superior type 
to the Javanese we get in the Straits. 
In Scerabaya I vras given some coffee figures which 
fairly took my bri atb away, I have more to collect 
and will give the whole lot together. At present I 
am cvrrente catamo and currente jalano ! 
i was commisaioiied to take an invalid to the bills, 
and on enquiring was advised to go first to Prigin — ele> 
vatioii about 2 000 ft. From a subnrban station of Soera* 
bay a wo railed to Potroiig, leaving at 7-15 a. m., arriv. 
ing at 9-0 a. m. Thence in pony carriages a three 
hours' drive to Prigiu where wo arrived in time for 
tifUu. It rained nearly the whole way, but cleared 
up just before onr nrrivsl when we found the air to 
be just delicious. The railway fate, first olese, from 
Wonokumo (subnrban stalicii) to Poirong /'l.OO and 
tho pony carriage to Prigin is /4..80: each carriage 
enn tnke two passengers and one smell box or beg. 
The Hotel at Prigin is siniill, but clean and comfor- 
table ; and the food abundant and good. There is a 
fine swimming bath, nbout .Soft, long and 16 broad, 
but after tho water of tho plaios, tho first plunge givea 
one a decided shock. There arc always ponies at the 
betel, and lliore are snid to bo many pretty rides in 
the neiglibdiirhood, bnt I bad no timo to explore. 
The road fiom Porrong to Prigin is lined 
on either side with paddy aud cane fields. 
Both show a most luxuriant growth ; aud the 
soil in appearance is woiidorfnlly rich. The only land 
1 can compare it with is the very beat of the Feu 
oonnfry in England. 
The country appears to be very thickly populated, 
the markets that we passed beiug crowded with 
women buying and selling ; in some oases I should 
say there were over 2,000 present in one market. It 
is a quaint sight to see them riding along sitting 
astride their ponies, with n big pannier hang on 
either side. 
To show how these Javanese drivers rattle their 
ponies down hill, I give the following; — From Pro- 
rong to Prigin look ns three boors. The return journey 
was done in one hont aud twenty minutes ! Tlie steep 
portion of I ho ascent was done in ono hour and three 
quarters, with much whipthoug and bad Isoguage. 
The same on onr relnro was done smiling in twenty- 
three mientcH, 
Before 1 forget it the etiquette of calliog in 8oera- 
baya sconis curious. The correct hour is from 7 to 
8 p.m. and yon have to give notice if you intend to 
visit f(.r fesr of finding the ladies in sarong and 
kabaya. This iast was told me in a whisper, so please 
print aocoidiiigly. 
From Prigin my first point was tho mountain 
oalled the Kloet. I railed to Kediri, where I wos met 
by a friend. Onr programme was to take what is by 
courtesy called a dog-oart for 8 miles, and then ride 
12 miles on to the cotfoe lands, I/homme propose &o. I 
It was the Jsvanesa Now Year; and no dog-oart was 
to he got. After a long wait a carriage was seonred 
at double the logulat fare. When we got to tho 
end of onr wheel journey, one of the ponies was 
m-ssing, S3 we had to start a “ ride and tie." Dark 
Ml upon ns in the densest jungle I have ever seen. 
It was ])itohy black, and there wore sounds in the 
inuglo all round us, Pigs were strongly in ovidenec, 
