938 
THE TROPICAL AQRICULTURI8T. 
[October i, iSjti 
According to the Conservator of Foresti (Mr. F 
Bchoeplin) was asked to report, and bo recommends 
the ropolntion being taken into special consideration, 
becanso tbo question concerning the qualification 01 
some fast»growing exotic epccies for timber is ap- 
parently 
UfiOENT AT THE PREfiUNT TIME, 
and of general interest for the country. The com- 
paratively small amount of timber, which the native 
forest will bn able to yield continuously in future, the 
natural difficulties of Its utilisation on the one 
haui, the large planiatioDB of exotics on private land, 
which have passed the stage of a mere eiwriment. on 
the other hand, show It as escnllal part of the work of 
a forest department, to devote special attention to 
futnro plantations on Crown lands. The preceding 
work of private enterprise facilities the selection 01 
Buitable species of wood* Before entering plantation 
work on a large scale It will be necessary to certdy to 
the value of tho woods by means of a scientino ex- 
amination of their technical qualities- Spetios that 
ought to be examined are F.uoalyjiius globului^ F, 
dalinat E, morffinataf Pimta ingignist Acacia deeurrtna. 
Suitable specimens could be provided from private 
plantations. 
The General Manager of Railways and the AoUng 
Engineer both deprecate immersion, the fact being 
that unless the creosote is inject into the wood under 
pressure, it is almost of no value as a preservative. 
Mr. Shores does not consider that tho cost of send- 
ing home 600 sleepers aud creosotii-g them will amount 
to more than £lo0. 
METAIi V. IRON 8I.EEPRU8. 
Mr. Hunter, in forwarding tho correspondences 
states : I prosuruo ihoso who aro ioi crested in the 
colonial liiuU r trade, aud have timber really Hiiitablo 
for the purpohC, would not object to cut and furnish 
Government with say, 600 sleepers for exporiniental 
purposes, and in that case tbo Ooverumout might, I 
think, send homo tho sleepers to bo propated for 
trial. As. however, the hubject of metal v. timber 
sleepers is rapidly coming to the front— seo may report 
dated July Uth—itis possible that any expenditure 
of this kind would be reuderod of little value. 
COMMISSION APPOINTED. 
Dr. Sutherland M.ii.c., Capt. G. T. Nioholls, j.p., and 
Mr. J. W. Shores, m.i.c.e , arc in this week’s Gazette 
appointed a commission for the purpose of consider- 
ing and advising the Government ou the question of 
making a fair test of colonial woods for tho purpose 
of railway slcepors, — Natal Mcicurji, 
NOTES FROM PEERMAAO. 
After two months of persistent rain, we have bad 
a week ol flue bright weather, and although, as I write, 
there are sigue of a return of bad weather, the worst 
of tho monsoon is undoubtedly over, aud we may now 
reasonably anticipate a fair percentage of eun for the 
next mouth or eo, in foot until the advent of the North- 
Ksst monsoon, which wo Kinoeroly hope, will, in this 
district at any rate, be light, as wo have already been 
blessed with considerably more rain than wo requite. 
From statistics received from one of the most central 
estates in the dietriot, I find that the raiurnll in ,Iuue 
amounted to inches 60-85 ; in July, to inchea 39-20. 
In April we had inchea 14 60, and in May, inches 24-48, 
making a total for the year up to the endof July, of 
137’30. The heaviest falls of ram ooonrrod ou the 20th, 
21st and 22od July, amounting to 12-46. 
From the above it will be seen that we had a favour- 
able Bt.Bon for planting, and tho young clearings, 
chiefly ten, are looking well. Nor ^ 
tion of the Pepper, of which some 40,0011 vines have 
been planted out on two places on tho ghatH, auil 
are coming un nicely, as also a Hiuail clearing of 
Liberian coffee. Leaf disease as expected, has inado 
its appearance, and when crupa are heaviest the attacks 
are ot course moat severe, but with a fine dry September, 
we shall not, I trust, suiPer muoh; of this, however, 
f must wiite later on, 
Your correspondent ‘*St. Louis” in his interesting 
"Planting Notes" gives you such full particulars of 
tho sales of Trivuncoro Tos, that I need allude but 
•lightly to them ; 1 may, however, bo pardoned for 
noticing the good price realised by a pared of "B in 
Ami” Golden Tip, and the fair averages tor most of 
the leas from lliis dUtriot. For the half-year ending 
June, "Bon Ami” made over 100,000 lb of tea, and will 
probably make from 160 to 200,000 lb more by the end 
of the year. Thearrival of a new 20 hortC power engine 
will facilitate matters considerably. "KudjwaK.tuuin,” 
wbioh has also a fine factory and very perfrot mschinery, 
among which is a Duwu-dranght Sirocco Ibnt gives 
great satisfaction, probably oomes next to "Bon Amt” in 
output ot tra for the past half-year, hut 1 have not 
nsrtioular. at band luflicient to iustif y my giving figures. 
"Glen Mary,” mentioned in my la»t iiutis, has sUrted 
Steam Machinery, and fuither sdditicns are shortly c_x- 
pectod. Other estates will, doubtless, »oou follow suit, 
and the only fear now is that our reads will bo unable 
to bear the itraiu of the ever increasing inffle. Our 
Ohief Engineer, lam told, thinks our reads are good 
enough, and can tee nothing wrong in them, prob.lly, 
if he were a osrt owner, or even a shareholder iu s 
tea concern, ho would both think aud see differently. 
" Roads ill ahorkiug order,” “ Considerable difficulty 
in gutting oartmen to take away crop," are anme of 
the remarks one hears. 
Our popular Duwaii, when on a visit here last May, 
evinced great intcroet iu the T' a enterprise and in 
planting generally and would nudouh‘edly sen that our 
interests in the matter of roads are belle t attended to, 
if they were brought more promiueutly and persistently 
to hie untie®. The A-aoeiation should see to this. Ai ■ 
other matter, and that a seiiuus one, that requires tlio 
attention of tho P, A., is I he rtduolion in co.t of pluck- 
ing ; the rates now iu vogue ute too liberal, end tau 
well hear roduolinu. Tlio prices paid by purobssera of 
gceeu leaf, on tbu other hand, have been anything 
hat liberal, and moru equitable rates should be fixe,'. 
Tlio paddy oropq ou tho lower slopes of the hills, 
are not expeewd to he up to average, this seniiou. 
Small quantities ol tho rariy paddy have already been 
reaped, but the regular harvest will not be in full 
swing until the end of aoxt mouth . — Madras TimCK. 
COFFEE CULTURE IN HAWAII. 
W'e are glad to lovrn of the iiiorensed attenlioii paid 
to ooffec planting on Hawaii. Mr. Barnard, of Laupa- 
boeUoe writes that he has 12 0 0 yonng trees growing, 
and we hoar that Mr. J. M. Horner, of KiikaUn, has 
thirty acres planted, while Mr. Win. Ifotuer, of Ku- 
kuihaele, has ton acres. All thofo intend increasing 
tho extent of their plantings as rapidly as they can. 
Mr. Rnfus A. Layman hes purchased a largo tract iu 
Puna, located near Bast rape, niwl including tho lands 
of Puna, Kula and Pohoilti, with some leB.scd Iricti 
adjoining, which embrsrr s- me of ihe richestcoffioluinls 
in that district. There ij room for a targe plantation 
there, and wo trust tbeenUrpriso may prove HucceBafiil. 
The want ot roads in that district is a drawback and 
aud we trust some measures wdt ha taken to secure thoni. 
The high price of ooff o thronglmut tho world ought 
to stimulate our planters to imsh this and any other 
coffee enterprises, so SB to obtain as oaily returns as 
poBsihlo.— /‘lunttrs’ Wontlili/. \ All right, if tho le.if 
liingua is absent and can bo txcluded.— Kn. T, J.j 
CpcitoN.t IN Bknoai.. — Tlie statistics of oiiicbona 
cultivation iu Bengal for tbo year 181)0-91 have rce.on‘ly 
boen published. During that period Ihe total number 
of plants, ouitiags aud seedlings in tho (rovernnient 
plsutaiioiis amounted to 4 740,801 divided as tollows; 
plants iu permanent tiUctHlion, l.Slfi.BO! t slock plants 
for propa:,atimi, I,t,Oo ; and seedlings 2aO,00(). Tlio 
quantity of bark in suire at the bogiiming of tho 
year was 426,25(1 lb. while the nntlnrn of hark of tho 
year ending April last was 293,073 H). making a totil 
of 720,247 lb. Frt m the latter amount has boe-ii 
issued for manufue-uro of cinchona ftbiifuge ami sul- 
phate of quinine, 2.')0,330 lb. leaving a balaneo iu stock 
at the end of the year ot 469,917 lb.— -U. Mail, 
