684 
THE TROPICAL AtSRlCULTURIST. 
[March i, 1892. 
The Soit. 
"What is the nature of the soil ?" — “01 all 
possible kinds. We have alluvial soil, eoral soil, 
voloanio soil, and soil formed by the decomposi- 
tion of vegetable matter ; sandy soil, surfaoe soil, 
in foot, any sort of soil desired V/e have granite 
islands and voloanio islands, areas covered with 
dense forests and large patohea oovered with long 
grass or words. The euoalyptiis flanri'ih“S in portions 
of New Guinea, an ' hardwood can be found in any 
quantity from the Dutoh boundary to the Louieiade 
group." 
A PoilTHAlT OF TllK ParOAN. 
Ilow few in Great Britain have any oonoeption 
of what travilling is in a country which has 
never boon touched by the fo it of a white 
man 1 Since the island first " rose from the 
dark swelling flood,” Nature Has had most y 
her own way in New Guinea. The dusky inhabitants 
have lived in a primitive state, tilled their 
gardens, drnnk the milk of the oooonut, caught 
fish in the slrcaroe, and with the spear and bow and 
arrow hunted lor men and heaats over the wild 
woods and rugged mountains of Papua. They have 
learned to carve and to dance and to build castles 
in the air— supported by trees- and, standing in 
their frail canoes, to row with amezing agility. 
They have no knowledge of the art of writing, 
and their only attempt at drawing, so far as has 
been discovered, is a representation of a human 
figure, done in colours — rod clay and charcoal — 
which Sir William found on a palm leaf while 
exploring the Fly River. Their languages, or 
dialects, are olosely related, so it is clear that they 
have sprung from the same stook ; they love — 
platonically, paternally, and fraternally— as no other 
people love ; they believe in some districts that 
when the soul leaves the body it sinks “ into ths 
utter void of nothingness, " in other places that it 
takes refuge on a remote island ; and a large 
section bolds that the spirit takes up its habitation, 
on the tops of mountains. They bulieve that all 
spirits are bad, but they worship no gods, fear no 
devils, and acknowledge no Oreator. They have 
no vehicles, consequently they have made no roads ; 
and in trying to pierce this strange, untrackeil, 
and pictureequa land the experienoes cl Sir William 
Maogregor, its pioneer and apostlo, arc almost as 
adveniurouB as those of John Hanning Speke in 
his efforts to discover the source of the Nile. 
Travei.mno in Dabk New Guinea. 
The preparations made for travelling are simple 
enough. " We prepare some tea and sugar, rics, 
and tinned moat, arms and amiuunition, a fly and 
mosquito net," said Sir William. " Then wo 
have carriers and men to out the roads. We walk 
all day ; horses cannot travel, and camels would 
be useless to us. the country is so rooky and pre- 
cipitous. At night time I and my attendant lie in 
our little tent, and the natives sleep under the trees. 
We start again early in the morning. In this way 
we travel from day to day. When one of the party 
gets footsore he is left behind. A stock of medicines 
is always carried, with tonics for the fever-stricken. 
I Sir William is an m.d.] Travelling is very slow. 
I have travelled as little as a quarter of a mile 
in one day, being very bard at work to that. One 
of the hardest days I have ever had was in doing 
1 700 ft. The scrub is sometimes excessively dense, 
and it is often dillicuU to find a passage over the 
rocks and precipices. We have to get our baggage 
across rivers. Only one bridge, I think, has been 
found in New Guinea." At presiint the natives do 
not give explorers much trouble, but they put 
signals on the trees as a warning to strangers not 
to approach their villages. Grout diflioulty is often 
experienced on new rapid rivora , — Pnll MuU Oazetti-. 
The BritUk North Borneo Herald in reviewing 
the past year bolds that the tobacco industry there 
has fully asserted the fact that the country can 
grow a quality of tobacco equal to, and even 
superior to that of Sumatra, and dwells upon the 
alleged fact that Borneo has beaten Sumatra by 
at least 80 per oent in prices ; and that in 
addition Burneo tobacco is now being anxiously 
enquired tor. — Straits limee, 
" All about Coffee” iu the Quemslander has 
the (odowiug in ro uo ion : — 
That the coffee plant has found a congenial home 
III Queensland has heen amply demonstrated in al- 
most all the Northern coast districts, and recently 
in the BuJerin Mountain district, where the crops 
promise to be phenomenal. In the North the driest 
season soomed to affect the plant hnl little, judging 
by tlie luxiu'iance of its dark green foliage when that 
of most other plants was yellow, and by the unusually 
heavy crops of cherries prodneod. 
On whiou we have only to repeat the remark we 
have so (r^qusn.ly made: coffes will grow well in 
Queensland, but without cheap labour it will not pay. 
Milk of Elkphaxts. — The following is extracted 
from the VnU-Mtta Gmetle of Touteday, 2l8t Nov. 
181(i 
“Tiie following aiverliiement appeared iu a late 
KagUsh paper. The schsine of cuurerting milk into 
pills, is niiC the least onrioas part of the nostrum. 
The astonishing effect of the Milk of lilephants baa 
serioualy attracted the attention of the medical world ; 
by which mercury, that deleterious poison, which has 
Bwept milhona of nubappy wret<-hcs to their graves, 
is kotsllv Buperseiied and obolishtd for ev&r. Mr 
(Campbell, ot the Royal College of Surgeuns, No. 2P, 
Marlborongb-strset, Lundoii, is appointed to coiuluet 
this moiliciuo. The poor are lured of the most 
itangeruns diseases for 5 sliiih’iigs. The medicine is 
sold at 11 shilling the boltlo, or in pills at 28 t)d, 
with directions, whereby any prtson may cure htm- 
sdf most effectually, in esses of deblity, &c., &o. 
—To be had, if ordured from all moJieine •cllers 
tbreugout the Kicgdom. ' 
I’ali Coltivaxion in the Mslav Native Statebb. 
— The Governor of the .Straits Kot lements has 
directed a letter to the Ueeidtnts of the Native 
Btato.s on the subject of the rice-tupply of this 
Colony, which is published in the Peark Govern- 
ment Gazelle for the inlorraation of Members of 
the Council of States, Uiatriot Magistrates and 
others. It says : — 
While aware that the Uesiilonta of the Native States 
have not by any means overlooke I the iinportsuoo 
of promoting the cultivation ot padi. Ilia Kxeellenoy 
is of opinion that ths limo has cotno for renewed 
and perhaps more snstainod cH'orta in tiiosame direo- 
tiou : and he will bn glad, therefore, if the siibjeot 
sli nld engage the earnest aiteiitiou of the Perak State 
Connoil. 
Before, liowover, this is done llis Excellency desires 
tliat the District Officers be called on ^o report as to 
available laud and as to tlia steps necessary to get it 
opened tip. 
Wiih the body of infiirmation thii < obtained, takrn 
tdgetlier witli tlie knowledge and oxiierieuco of the 
Sultan and otiier Mombers of ihe State Cotiucil, His 
Excellency omisiders that it ought to bo practicable 
to improve the pxi.stiiig state of aff irs, and largely 
extend tlie cultivation nf pad: thronrh int the Penimnlar, 
and I am to say that it the (iovernuient can nssist 
in the way of getliog guod se.id psdi from places 
(iiiisida the Colony the necessary stops will readily be 
taken. 
1 am to add that the opportunity might be taken 
of considering thequestion of introducing tlio cultiva- 
tion of some of those grains, such as dhoil and 
ragi, which are in general use among the Indian 
population. — Singapore Free rets. 
