528 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURI8T, 
[February i, 1892. 
DRUGS FROM THE GERMAN COLONIES. 
The Pharmaceutischt Zeiiung publishes the first of 
what piomiBes to be a series of ezoeefiinglj intereet- 
iug articles on the progress which has alrcafiy been 
made in the onltivation of drugs and other Colonial 
prodnoe in the (ierman colonies, and on the ont- 
look for the further enoceesfnl propagation of such 
articles. Much of the information has been sappiod 
by the Ost Afrikanisohe Gesellschaft, which is the 
equivalent of our own British East Africa Company, 
and the territories of which adjoin the country nnder 
British infiuonce ou the African East ('oast. Parti. 
oulara have also been given by Dr. Iliudorf, who has 
been acting (or some time as the German expert in 
matters of produce-growing in East Africa, bnt who 
has bad to resign on acoonut of failing health, and 
is now in Germany. 
TRADE INCSnASIKO. 
The unfavourable reaction upon the trade of German 
East Afrlea oaueed by the recent disturbances in 
the interior has been partly allayed ; tbs Oernian 
trading establishments in Tanga, Pangana, Bagamojo, 
Dar-eS'Salaam, Kilwa, and Eindi, are again receiving 
a considerable amount of trade from the interior, and 
it is ezpeoted that at the end of this year the exports 
from German East African will show a very large 
increase. This, of coarse, it should be (nnderetood 
is the offioial view of the German company, and it is 
f iermissible to .assnme that it is to some extent at 
east exaggerated. Whatever increase may occur in 
(he exports from German East Africa will in the first 
place benefit British India trade, as Bombsy remains, 
as it has long been, the chief ontlet for all goods 
from the East Afeioan Coast. In fact, the German 
oompanf in their last report, just published, lay stress 
upon this fact themselves, and appear to acknow- 
l^ge that they can only advance the benefit of 
their territories by inoressing the facilities of oom- 
manioalion with Bombay. The principal plantation 
in German East Africa is that at Lewa, where the 
German East African Plantation Company are grow- 
ing tobaooo. Lewa has a good soil and a sufficiency 
of rnnoiog water, which secures the necessary amount 
of •moisture all the year round. 
TOBACCO AND VANIDDA. 
The first crop of regularly harvested tobacco from 
this plantation will be placed on the market this 
year. It will bo large enough to give a fair teat of 
the capabilities of this plantation. Another plantation 
company owns a eimilar tobacco-plantation at Ambooi, 
situated about one hour from Tanga. Amboni is a 
much-frequented market place and very favourably 
sitnatod. An area of 42 acres has already been cleared 
here and is mostly under crops. The harvest prospeots 
are described as exceedmgly satiafaetory. Quite close 
to Tonga, Mr. St. Paul Illaire has commenced a vanilla 
plantation. The possibility of the sucoeBaful cnltiva- 
lion of vanilla in n climate snob as East Africa is 
shown bj the excellent results which have been 
obtaioed in the Island of It^oion. lu German Baas 
Africa itself, at the French mission in Bsgamoyo, 
vanilla has already been produced of which two shipments 
have tbns far been sent to Europe. These two ship- 
menta, however, have not been suffioiont to indicate 
with certainty the prospects of success of this 
exceedingly sensitive crop. The beans of the first ship- 
ment are desoribod as being of excellent aroma, bnt 
too small in sixe ; those of tbo second, as having been 
sanbnrnt and defioient in aroma. It is hoped that bet- 
ter results will be obtained in more sholtored positions. 
The reqniremonta for a snccessful propagation of this 
plant ore principally a constant, hot temperature, and 
the existence of abundant shade. 
OOTTON, AND BOTANIC QAHDEN8. 
Thera is a aottun-plantation at Kikugwe, opposite 
Fangaui, which is the property of the German East 
African Company ; it had to be abandoned when the 
lata distarbanoes broke out, but has now been laken 
np again and considerably enlarged. It is under the 
raansgoment of an experienced Mexican planter, who 
holds out expectations of a floe first crop in the near 
Inture. If this first effort is saooessfui, special attention 
will bo paid to the propagation of various kinds of 
oottOD in the colony, with the view of determining which 
is most anitable to the soil. It will be necessary to 
make thocottuc-crop in the first place one for cultiva- 
tion by tbo natives rather than by Enrupean settlors. 
Tbo French mission in Bagamoyo ore also growing 
this naefnl plant. The German Government have 
given a oonsiderable sum of money for the estab- 
lishment of an experimental garden near the gover- 
nor’s house in Dar-es-SaUam. Governor von Sodon 
is said to take quite an exceptional interest in the 
growth of economic products. But the principal 
plantation of all is that of Deruma, which was 
established in August of last year by Dr. Hindorf, 
and upon which the highest expectations of success 
are placed. It is situated at an average altitude of 
3,20U feet ; the soil is rich in hnmna and possesses 
the physical qualities of a good loam soil. The 
plantation has been cstabliehcd on a clearing in thu 
virgin forest, and possesses an abnudance of runoing 
water, which at the same time provides the power 
fur working all the necessary machinery. There are 
abont 280 natives in constant occupation on this estate. 
The principal cultures here oonsist of 
TEA, COFFEE, AND COCOA. 
Tea is to be oullivated on the highest part of the 
plantation, as tho plants are believed to obtain a 
finer aroma (hero than in lower coil, and as, moreover, 
they are the hardiest of any cultivated. The seed for 
these tea-plants has been obtained ftom Ceylon, and 
oonsists of China as well as Assam varieties. The 
authorities do not appear to be very sangnine as to 
the success of tea-cultivation upon their plantations 
specially as they work at greater cost than the Ceylon 
planters. Tho coffee-seed has been obtaioed from 
Sumatra, where the coffee is less anbjoct to attacks of 
the Hemiltia veutatrix than in Ceylon.* The coffee-planta- 
tions are next in altitude to the tea-plantations. Tho 
first crop cannot be expected until after four years. 
Coffee growing in the present condition of the market 
oonld hardly fail to be satiafaetory from a finansial 
point of view, but it is doubtful whether the same 
favonrable oonditiona will prevail later. The planting 
of cocoa bus given rise to a great dual of tronble, as it 
was found that tho seeds bad lost thoir vitality npon 
arrival. Ezperimenta have been made to import the 
oocoa-beaua in oases between layers of powdered ohar- 
ooal slightly pressed, and also to impart seedlings in 
Wardian oases. The latter method bos proved the 
more sncooasful, although it is exceedingly expensive. 
Ooooa seed baa also been obtained from Ceylon and 
much is extmotod from this onltivation, as the demand 
for tbo arliele is said to be greatly ou the increase, and 
less labour is rognired for this crop than for coffeo. 
This list exhansts the number of staple produots. 
Among the ortioles which it is intended to cnltivate in 
tho first place only in an experimental way is 
CINCHONA, 
for which a small garden is now being laid out; bnt 
although it is intended to raise a few hnndred trees, 
tbore is no idea at present of endesvonring to enter into 
serioas competition upon the already overcrowded 
markets. A rather experimental cultivation is india- 
rubber. The plans of the ifsou JJiaxilimtu, wbioh 
yields tho so-oalled FaiA rubber, as well as of \Mmihot 
Gl<i:!iocii, from which (ho Ceara rubber is obtained, are 
now being raised. The tnbber hitherto exported from 
East Africa, which last year shipped abont 200 tons, is 
exclusively prodnoed by the wild Landolyhia varieties ; 
It realises a good price in the wholesale market, and ia 
Superior to the West African rubber by reason of its 
less pronounced odour. But quite lately there has been 
a great deal of oomplaint of the inorease of adultera- 
tion in this product. By Government order, however, 
issued last year, the trade in evidently adulterated 
tnbber has been prohibited under heavy penalties, 
FECIT, einCBS, AND Dauos. 
Fruit-plantations are also being established, though, 
* As coffee abounds in tho central African forests, 
where leaf diaesso has never appeared, it was 
urely great mistake to send to Snmatra, where (be 
disease tertninly exists, tot seed,— Eo, 2\ A, 
