.59* 
tHE TROPICAL AQR1OULT0R18T- 
[February I, 1892. 
Sobool of Agriculture foreshadow a scheme for ihe 
larger employmeut of Iiistruotors* The polioy of main- 
taining a Bcbuol of Agriculture and exptctiug that tho 
oduoatiug of a few lads in it will beuefit the 
through the poroulatiou to them of tho inatruotion 
afforded there, ia as ahortsightod aa the restoration 
of gigantic irrigation works in uninhabitatod waatea 
without improving moaos of transport, so aa to induce 
settlement under them and encourage tho raising of 
paddy beyond the personal wants of cultivators. IJoth 
undertakinia wilt not yield adequate tatnrns to Uovtrii- 
ment for too money expeuded. 
My principal object in writing this letter is to nt- 
toinpt to remove from your mind i the oouvictiou, which 
you say the perusal of the oommuoioation of *' AV , A 
D. 8. " has left ou it, that tho amall returns of padd 
eultivatioo is more often due to “ perfunctory husban- 
dry” than to soil Of to too much or too little water, 
lam sure your oorroapondont could not have intended 
to create in your mind an impression so damaging 
to his oountrymen. 1 am not a b'iud admirer of the 
goyiyct^ nor do I beliovo him to he a model of indus- 
try ; but this 1 do say, and say it with emphasis, 
that though bis molhuds may be primitive and un- 
scientibo, yet they cannot, in connection with paddy 
ouUivation, with truth be said to be “ perfunctory.” 
Surely, sir, you have seen aud admired tho csre 
and skill with which he prepares his rice fields, in 
your frequent railway travels along the main lino oi 
railway. B- 
[No doubt the mud is well worked and nicely 
smoothed ; hat query, if less water and mote “ elbow 
grease ” would not result in greater returns of better 
grain ? — Ed. T . .1.] 
CEYLON TEA SEED EXPORTED: 
GEUMIISATION RESULTS. 
Jan. 12th. 
Daan “ Obskbvbr,” — I promiaod in my letter 
to you of 27th July to let you know tho rosuUa 
of tea seed exported from tleylon compared with 
that from Assam wbioh has to much longer 
transport delay. Aa I said the seed 1 took with 
me to Java was only 10 days from my aood- 
boarers here (Ratnapnra) to the 'fi lands J'lantentuin, 
(Government Gardens) Buitenzorg. My adviocs 
from Batavia are : — " The long drought we have 
had baa been very nnfavourable to experimenting 
with new descriptions of seed, and planters' 
attention has been solely given to keeping their 
growing plants alive. The TJisulak report on 
the outturn of the seed not yet reoeived," Not- 
withstanding this unfavourable weather, ifco.,_ in a 
letter Dr. Treub, the distinguished botanist 10 
charge of the Government gardens, has favoured 
me with, he says ; — "The seeds wore sown (ItO each) 
on 26th July. The young plants were counted today 
(3rd Nov.) 
Lot A has produced 70 seedlings per 100 
Lot B „ „ 78 „ * 0 ." 
so 1 think I can safely guarantee 7,6 per cent plants 
for Java and say 80 for Singapore and the Straits 
Settlements generally ; and shall do so in my mxt 
blazet* in your 'Iropicul Agriculturitt (I'Vb. 1892 
number). My agents in Singapore (Meesrs. Paterson, 
Bimon & Co.,) can do the same in the Straits 
newspapers.— Yours truly, 
WILLIAM GRIGOR 8ANDIS0N. 
Sana Estate, Kntnnpura, Ceylon. 
PaoGBites OF BniilsH Nobth Borneo.— Mr. Henry 
Walker writes to ns ” North Borneo is going ahead 
and I am glad to say attention is being paid to many 
new produots. The Government ia stimulating the 
eultivatioo of gambler which has shown itself to 
be well adapted to our climate and of pepper by 
offering rewards for the cultivation and prop er 
* Blaze away !—En, 7’,./, 
keep of certain fixed areas, and cotton also has been 
introduced, the small sample so far obtained being 
remarkably fine and strong. Coconuts and fruit are 
also receiving attention. Those of your planters 
who are nervous and cannot meet the iluotuations of 
the tea market calmly, should come hero and seo 
our Liberian coft'ee — it would do their hearts good 
to see it." 
Focus THAT Benkph iue Soil.— O f all foods pro- 
curod off the farm and fed to stook, cotton seed 
meal possesses tho highest manurial value, as a 
too of cotton seed meal contains 135 pounds of 
nitrogen, 30 pounds of phosphorio aoid, 56 pounds 
of potash, bran oontainiug 30 pounds of nitrogen, 
28 pounds of phosphorio acid, and 5i pounds of 
potash. These eubstanoes are the moat evenly 
balanced of all foods tliat enrich the land, and 
tho farm will sailer but little loss if they are used 
as a portion of the ration for the stook, The 
farmer can, by noting the effects of certain crops 
on the Boils, and growing such orops ns may bo 
best adopited thereto, with judgment in the Bolee- 
tion of hii stook foods, return to the soil all that 
the heaviest yield of any crop may carry away from 
the intm.—Kxcliavge. 
The Ooppee Fboddoxion of Brazil. — According 
to a recent bulletin of the Bureau of the Ameriean 
Republics in Washington, the cofiee plant was 
imported to Brazil from Afties, and found there 
the conditions necessary for a marvellous growth. 
In 1800 Brazil expoi ted 13 bags of ooffee ; in 1817, 
60,986 bags; in 1820, 97,498, in 1830, 481,222 ; 
in 1840, 1,037,981 ; in 1876 3,705.122. The annual 
production now is about 6.000,090 bags of 1321 lb. 
each. The United States takes as muoh Brazilian 
ocffoa aa all Europe. For its ouUivation virgin 
forest lands on bill sides are preferred, as it is 
known that extreme heat and cold are unfavour- 
able to the growth of the plant. In four years 
the plant begins to produce, and from that time 
forward tho production oontinually increases. The 
tree attains the average height of about 10ft., and 
its head a diameter of 5(t. It reaohea its maximum 
productiveness at about uine years of age. and oon- 
tinuos ill bearing for 40 years if carefully pruned. 
There are three annual bloomings and ooireepond- 
ing crops of which one ia vastly more important 
than the others. The ooilce is gathered io baskets 
and carried to yards of hard beaten olay, whore 
it is dried in the sun, or in drying pans by arti- 
floial heat. The outer shell is separated from the 
beans by machinery and the thin, inner husk by 
other raaohincB, and the ocllie is then ready for 
market. Its quality is greatly improved by age, tho 
aroma increasing as desiccation goes on. The 
best Brazilian ooffee when dried is usually of 
a pale colour, while the new immature beans 
are green. 'J'he different variolieu poseosa 
different qualities, though from the same crop are 
obtained Mocha, Java, and other variolies that figure 
in the market reports. Tho beans of different sizes 
and weights are separated by machinery, and sold aa 
Mocha, Java, Arc , according to the taste or gulli- 
bility of the consumer. For those who do not kuow 
that a green colour is usually an evidence of 
immaturity the light aud spotted beans are dyed to a 
beautiful green, which is easily washed off in warm 
water, as it should be before using. It is probable 
that not a ton of tiue Mocha enters the United 
Hlates annually ; but thousands of pounds 6t 
Brazilian " pea-berry" are sold every month in tbo 
New York market aa genuine Mooha. The cbaractor- 
istio constituent of coffee is oal'foine, whose ohemical 
formula is identical with that of tbeine; of theo- 
bromino of cocoa, and of gnaranine,— London 
Times, Dec, 20. 
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