Januauv I, 189a.] 
THK TROPICAL AQRIOULTURI8T. 
4^3 
to Boy enterprise connected with it. The follow- 
inR extract refers to a new venture of the kind : — 
The British North Borneo Development Corpora- 
Mon (L’mited) !■ a new coropeny, with a oapital of 
£300,000, divirled Into 299,500 Ordinary shares of £1 
eaeh and 500 Pounders’ share of £l faoh. The prereat 
is an Issue of 200.000 Ordinary shares and 360 
Pounders’ shares, of whieh 29.650 Ordinary shares and 
860 Founders’ share will be Issued as fully paid to the 
vendor in part payment of the purohaee-tnoncy, and 
the balance of 170,350 Ordinary shares are now 
offered for eubsoription. The company has been 
formed for the purpose of acquiring and developing 
several concessions of lands and other advantages in 
British North Borneo, at and ne'r Sandakan, oapital 
of that oountrv- 
— London Cor. 
^ 
the JAFFNA TOBACCO TRADE AND THE 
GOVERNMENT OF TRAVANCORE 
We quote the following from the Hindu Organ : — 
We referred at eoine length, in our issue of the 
98th ultimo, to the wretched plight iuto which the 
Jaffna tohaooo trade with Travacoore has been rednord 
by the Government of that Stale, reducing the duty 
on Coimbatore tobacco without at the same lime re- 
diiolng the duty on Jaffna tobacco also. Not content 
with the injnry thne caused to tho Jsffua tobacco, 
that Government, according to reecnt intelligenoe 
received here, is now oiiforoing without any previous 
notieo or warning, anotlu r now order, equally prejndi- 
oial to the intotrsta of the Jaffna tobacco. It has 
bceu the paractioe hitherto to store the tobacco im- 
porled into Travancote in the aevcral Government 
bauksballs and to weigh it for dnty when it is sold 
and removed away from them. The native Oovorn- 
•nent now insist that tlir (obsonci ehonld bo neighed 
immediatelv after lauding in the customs, and that the 
duty should be paid acconiing to this weight, and 
not ns heretofore sooording to tho weight at the time 
of its removal from the Iianksiuills. Tho Jaffna tobacco 
IS prepared here to suit the Trsvancore market, mots- 
teuod with tea water, and it will not become dry and 
fit for consumption tid after soine months of its land-og 
there. In tlie meantime, ovpry bale will be rodneod 
eeveral poiiuds in woight. Tho raerchnnts are, thero- 
f'lre, against en>tom and long ooiitimied prao, ice, nolw 
forced to pay dnty for woight whieh docs not aotuslny 
exist at the time of its removal from the Gnveriiment 
bsnkshalls. .Tndging from these proceedingr, it seems 
that the Government of Travancore are determined 
to lavonr tho Coimbatore toiracco at the expense of 
the >Janna prodnot The merrimnta who suffer these 
wrongs at the hands of that Ooveriimont axe lirt'Ish 
subjects, who have been enticed by the jnst and equal 
laws that had prevailed thi ro to invest their all iu that 
trade, but who now find themselves in a helplesecon- 
dition, those lows being suddenly altered to compass 
their ruin. IVo feel sure that if tho whole case were 
properly lai 1 bef-'ro the Colonial Government, • 
strong Topresentation will be sent hy tbein to the 
Government of India protesting against these question, 
able proceedings of the native State. 
SOME ACCOL’N’T OP THE Nl.’T.MEO AND ITS 
CULTIVATION. 
Bv Thomas Oxlev, Esq., A. B., 
f!e7iior Suiyeon of ike Settlement of ince of irul.es’ 
Mnmi, Singapore nml Ualaiv-a. ' 
(Prom the ".lourniil of the Iniliuii Archipelago nml 
Kaeteru Asia.") 
(I’oittinned from page tihJ.,) 
But althongh inauji-ing is the oh icfest i lenient in 
snccesafiil oultivalio:', there ar.i masy other matters 
i'.»' the Planter to at'oud to during the p.-riod that 
•".1 troM are gtowiiig. All had grassoj must ho oniv- 
t'llly kept out of Ihe pliutatuni, at lo.i8t from 
between the trees, and tho harmless grasses rather 
encouraged as they keep the surface cool. I have 
thb retteoled rays of the sun IVotu au uncovered 
whitish soil, regularly scorch tip the leaves althougli 
the plant was oovereJ over on two sides and the ton 
by the usual artiCoisl shade*. The trunk of the tree 
ought to bo carefully^ washed with soap and water 
“P*!® keep it clear of moss, this has been 
ndieidsd as being a work of supercrogaiion let those 
who think to, omit the operation. Po'asitica! plants 
of the genus Loranthiis are very apt to attach 
themsc'ves to Ihe branch's, and if not removed do 
great injury. In fact if altogether! unatlonded to, thoy 
will in time de -troy the tree. The enemies of the 
Nutmeg tree ere fortunstcly not numerous, but they 
have a few ; white ants among the number. I know 
of no remedy for these but cleanly and good ciiltU 
yatiou, they seldom if over attack a vlgoCs^nUnt . 
It IS upon the first sympioms of® decay** that 
tliey commence their depredations,— their nesta may 
surround a tree and tlieir iniall tunnels pierce the 
earth in every dlrectiou about its roots without the 
plant giving any indloaHoits of decay, but whenever 
1 have (UscoTereil them in such localitifs 1 have 
always endeavoured and often saeocssfully, to dislodge 
thfm by a do o of a solution of pig dung, an article 
apparently not at all to their taste, although fresh 
oow dung is a strong source of attradion, another 
leason to those I have already given for using this 
t“.an be waif 8tafe*when 
It can be well mixed up with the soil, and appears 
"'b btiraotion for thise destroctiv” 
inwi ts, which cannot be too jea'ously watched, for 
when once they attack a tree the case is lionolMs 
Tlie first notice a nlantcr h.s is the withuring *!,! “0 
leavce, and when he comes to examine he generally 
finds It necessary to dig up and uproot tho plant «t 
once,, rather than leave it as a nidus for thorn 
voracious d. predators; every planter must lay his 
account to lesiug occaiioiial trees by them, but ho 
who has his ground clearest and most free of old roots 
and stmnpsnf trees will lose fewest. 'There arc several 
Hpectes ot infects which lay their egg, „u the leaves 
hnt they are not all of equal importance; that which 
manifests itself by the discolorization of the leaf and 
the latvat of which arc embedded in tho su'istancc 
and l ot Oil the surface, appears tlio worst, but all 
onght to be osrefnlly watched ami removed or they 
h.voc amoncst the 
trees. l or this purpose it is uocevary to wasli tho 
le.-ivcs with a decoction of Tiibii ror>r “ w*''“.tno 
theiii hy means of a bamboo with Cliunam 'iimPwntfr 
riave'” and'tirM";'*’*'’ -“'Vliis adheres rthe 
leaves ana will remain even after several lioavv 
showers giving for tho time rather au IsZly 
"'.“king “mends by clefring 
It of the arrie already n'lnded to; another nueance 
IS the iic.st of the large retl ant; these collect and 
glU8 ioaTt‘8 to^othiir fonuinjf % cRtity for tho 
deposition of their larvio. All Icavi-s thus made use 
ot turn yellow and die; they do not that I have 
ohservo.1 olherwire injure the tree, but traes so infest, „d 
do not be.ar well and the ants bi’e th., eo ^ 
severely, and indeed any jiersoti inc iutioi,« on°o 
brush against the tree. *^Tbe bU u-od^ ^ 
of a pole the opposite extremit?' of‘l|,th D ‘afi®wfd 
jo pass through the branches, the ants will run alonr 
the polo and onlleot 111 immense quantities aroiimi tho 
b^ thousand/ Tb'-«‘*‘"‘^ ' 
mies rdnv 'f '•'■Pe-ted a couple ot 
times a day for a week or ao. will rid the tree of tbo 
invaders, their iie.sts should bs broken up by tllf 
collectors as they go their rounds, but this they aro 
^ry unwilhog to c]o seeiug thiifc theiearofow inMCcts 
morfl to revenge tliomeolves, and tho coolies 
never^ f»il of a goa! bitUig whftoever tlioy try the 
I'xperimtnt of diKturhing th- m. T have row made the 
plante* tolerably \ve I avarcof wlmt be has to do and 
of most of tho (lifficultieJ ho ha** to encoua er. 1 
Hball now endeavour to give some no iou of the prioes 
of labour und maler.'jvl, and Hpoak of the work best 
tlone by po-itnicb aud that which one hiii bettor 
perform with tho labourers on the oatnte 
The first operations of clearing g.onnd and digging 
the ho es can bo done moro olieaply by ([contract 
labor than by men on montblv hire, very IHUe 
