640 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[March i, 1892, 
put before the bunouR' growers of the West Indies’ 
who send thoassnda of pounds worth of this fruit (o 
England rach year, any eystem which will do for ti e 
bananas what ia now done for the flg, the grape, or 
the oorinth, commonly known ns “ dried ourra' ts,” 
or who can snoocod in treating that fruit as well ns 
noachoa, apricots, and prunellas now are, will find 
himself the posasaaor of a wenlth-produoing inven- 
tion. And the same may bo asfely predicted of any 
syatem which will succeed in putting into the meal 
or flour state a fair portion of the msryf lleua ens- 
taiuing and nourishing powers wh'ch makes the 
banani the king among fruits. The improvements 
which this century has seen, that lead up from the 
rude mandiocn meal of the Brrziiian native to the 
beantiful pearl tapioca of commerce, have developed 
for the cassava, Manihot utilianima, a foreign 
oonaumption which now runs high into the miili ins 
of dollars annually. The same period has seen the 
crude blsok oaeao of the Csrribbcea and northern South 
America develop into the chocolate, breakfast rocos, 
and broroa ot today, and now the tree Tkeohroma 
caeao vies with coffee in yielding nenriehment and 
producing wealth in many countries. So may it he 
with the binana, if inyentivo skill will liiit turn its 
at’eutiou in that direction. — II, and MitiV, Jan. 1. 
-w- — 
THE TAMBKACIIERY ESTATES 
COMPANY. 
The tenth annual meeting of the sliareholdcrs of 
tho above company was held on Monday at the Can- 
non Street Hotel E. C.. Mr. danios Ijaboucliere in 
tho chair. Tho notice convening the meeting liaving 
been read 
Tho Chairman submited the report for ndoption. Tho 
directors reported that the profit and loss acc unit showed 
a loss on tbs sensun's working of ilS.lfili lls Hid and 
after doduoliiig tho amount brought forward from the 
previous year, XT, 1*17 12s -Id tho hslsnco carried for- 
ward to tho present year's acouuut is A’2,016 19s fid. 
The expeuditnre of the sosson showed a onn.siderable 
diminution on that of llio previous year, aud tho aban- 
donment of unprofitable land and the reduction of 
staff would enable the ourrent season’s outlay to ho 
further reduced to abiiot A6,000. Tho Loudim expenses 
would also bo considerably reduced. I’ha direct' re 
regretted that their appeal {nr tho luhsoiiption of 
debentures roaulted in applications for i'1,600 only, 
and as it was absolutely uecoss'iry to pay off the 
balance of loan, £1,750, seenrot by the Nclimiinda 
Estate, now the moat valuable estate of tho company, 
they trusted shareholders would at onoo, in their 0 '*n 
interest, come forward with further snhsoriptions.nnd 
thereby enable this estate to ho included in the 
security for the debentures. To furnish also a little 
working ospital, whicli is imperatively required, 
a further snm of £."i|400 shonld be snbsoribed, 
and the directors would be glad to receive 
applications. The hopes of the directors, based 
at the time npon actual results, that the 
entire capital of company would by this time have 
been incouneof rapid redemption by tho proceeds of 
bark alone, had been nlterly falsified by the excessive 
proluotion ot Ceylon and latterly Java, and there ap- 
poared to be little hope of improvement in prices until 
supplies showed a material falling off. This was 
generally expected to be the case in two or throo yeare, 
and the diruoloH wore therefore anxi usto keep up 
tho planting of cinchonas, particularly liodgerianaa, as 
far as means would allow, in order to have a reserve 
in hand when needed. It was important to utilise 
some of the spare laud if tho company with a view 
to profit, most of it being sntlable for lea. The snooess 
obtained in Ceylon and Travancore by planting old 
coffee estates with tea, offered every indneement to 
extend its cultivation in Wyiiaad, and tho directors 
hoped early in the coming year to he in a position to 
place a definite sohemo before the shareholders. The 
season in Southern India has again born one of 
abnormal weather. To this cause must be attributed 
some injury to tho prosout crop of coffee by keayy 
(ajoB in July and September. The first estimate 0* 
70 tons would not be realised, and the directors could 
only hope for 60 to 65 tons, and about ESS, (100 lb. bark. 
Tho cofffo had been sold for arrival at iHs. per owt. 
Ian led terms, and at this price slionld more than cover 
tho outlay of the year, leaving the hark available 
against the defieit brought forward. 
Themo'inn for adoption having been seconded by 
Mr. H. Tolpult, it was agreed to, aud tho prooeedings 
Icrminated with the usual vote of thanks.— //, a/ul 
0. Mail, Jill. 1. 
0 
USEFUL FOR HOUSEKEErERS. 
TAIn.K OF MEASIIKKH. 
Two pepper spoonfuls make one salt spoonful. 
Two salt spoonfuls one coffee spoonful. 
Throe teaapocmfuls one tablespoonful. 
Four tahlospoonfuls one wine glass. 
Two wino glassfuls one gill. 
'I’wo gills one cupful. 
I’wo cupfuls one pint. 
Twenty-five drops of lupiid make ono toaspoonful. 
One tablospoonfni of salt ono ounce. 
Olio tahlespoonfnl (heaping) of brown or granulated 
sugar ono ounce. 
Two tahlospoonfuls of powdered sugar one ounce. — 
Florida A^ricultiiri.it. 
Tiik jarrah wood of Western Australia has lately 
been coming into great favour in Europe, principally 
for Blreat paving purposes. Jarrah ia a good wood 
as hard and durable as oak, and it will be found 
of use in other ways than for the laying of 
Btreets. It has a deep rioh colour, Bometbirg like 
mahogany or very old oak, and is very suited for 
carving ai d panelling. There is only one other 
wood at the Antipodes which is superior to it— 
the Fijian rest, but this is comparatively scaroe 
and hard to get at. It grows abundantly enough 
in the thick forests on tho large island of Vanna 
Lovu . — Colonies and India, Deo. 26lh. 
WiSDiNCt rp OF THE Cevi.on Tobacco Com- 
pany, (Ltd,): “ENmNa :n Smoke”?— As a sombre 
contrast to the bright aud oboetful reports ot tho 
various Ceylon tea companies published from lime 
tn time, the report of the [nn] “happy despatch” 
of tho tobacco company is startling. Personally 
wo are no believer in tob.aoco onliure ; we object to 
fertile soil being rendered barren that men may 
puff smoke in their neighbours’ faces and taint 
the pure air of heaven. We oannot afleot grief, 
therefore, at the collapse ot the attempt to grow 
the naicotio on a large soale. Rut really it was 
not grown on a large scale ; its cultivation according 
to tho figures being so small in proportion to 
tea ai d other products that the name of To- 
bacco Company seems inappropriate. Coconuts, 
Liberian coffee, tea and oaeao preponderated ; 
and with so much ouUivation and so much valu- 
able land, the mismanagement whioh has ended 
in the necessity of winding up must on the part 
of the Manager or the Directors or both have been 
lamentable and discreditable. The esse is a dis- 
grace to the colony and calculated to injure its 
interests. The blame therefore ought to be definitely 
fixed on some person or persons, and not left to be 
vaguely inferred. Mr. Borron’s absurd theory, that 
Directors can bo personally estimable and yet 
blameable for suoh disoreditable consequences as 
have resulted from what ought (tobacco out of the 
question) to have been a sueoessful enterprise, will 
not bo accepted. Did Mr. Ingleton do justice to 
the interests entrusted to him ? If not what sur- 
veillanoe did the Direotors exercise 7 In view 
of the extraordinary report, people will be sure 
to ask suob (jues lions. 
