THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST. 
[April i, 1892. 
716 
qumtities, and, bo to Bpeak, become diitributors and 
retailers to provide the ri qiiiremeuts o' their hujere. 
Altbooiib ,the ebipmo ta to Europe and AmeriosliiVH 
iooroased to (be exlei t of some 60, (lilO tone, the sbtp* 
mentH to the Far East, SiraitB, China, and Japan, 
have fallen off to the extent of al oat double tliia 
quantity, wbiob ia almost entirely duo to the absence 
of demand from Japan, which diow bo largely on 
Burmah in the previous year. In oouaequcnce of the 
partial failure of the crop in tbat country. The course 
of prices has been generally a steady rn-e throughout 
the year, embracii'g an advance of alout Is bd per 
owt on ehippiug quantities of itangoon, while cleaned 
broken rice and rioe me 1 showed at one time an im- 
provement of 2a to 2s 8d per owt from the lowest 
po nt. Values ranged as follows; say, fair shipping 
qualities of Ksngoon, Baasein, and Neorausie, Ssfid 
to 10s, Patna 10a to 13a Bif, Japan 128 Ud 
to 14s. Japan; Contrary to general expectations, 
shipments were on a much smaller scale than 
foretold in our last review. Although the crop of 
1890-91 was undoubtedly very abunoaut, the troubles 
consequent on the I allure of the previous crop seem to 
have created a feeling of anxiety tbrooghout the ronntry 
wbiob bad the effect of maiutaiuing vatues at such a 
high level tbatexpurts were neoessaiily curtailed. We 
had the highest authority for stating in our Inst year’s 
review that quantity available for expert wonid be 
some 400,000 tons, but as a matter of faot, the actual 
shipments did not amonnt to moro than about 26 per 
cent of tbat quantity, and were distributed ns under; — 
Shipracuts to Europe, 60,000 tens ; America, 11.000 
tons ; Australia, 4,000 tans. The quality and condition 
were extremely aatiafaotery as a wbole, and the deli- 
veries of tbe rongb grain were without exception, 
qnile up to tbe sellii^g slandarda. Seme of the cleaned 
shipments were, on the other band, moat ni'.astroaa, 
and in some cases as much as 3a to 3a 6d per < wt. 
was awarded to buyers for uifference in sample. It is 
only lair to state, however, that these groat dilfer- 
euces Were due to damage by either sea or Iresli water 
and also to the pnsence ot worms which lufoated 
eome parcels. We attribute these troubles to the fact 
of the damage having taken place previous to ship- 
ment, most probably from being kept a long time in 
stock in Japau, and not from any fault in the aotual 
cleaning. Prices ranged from lO.S 3d tu lla 9d for 
rough and the oleaued, wbioh was chiefly sold on a 
fine slatioard, at about Ids per owt. For the coming 
Stoson OlI) aboutS.OUO lona have been sold at from lie 
to lls Od delivertd terms. The crop is said to be a fair 
aveiage one, bat the r^ cent di-artronsearihquake has su 
uoseitled tbe country, that it is extremely ditfli u,t to say 
what may be the result. All that is known is that prices 
remain very high, and the speculative element is 
quite master of tbe situation. In a conuiry where 
this felling is so rife, it is quite possible the present 
range of values may be mainiained, as last year, in 
spite of ample supplies, though the typhoon in the 
month of September ia said to have reduced the 
available quantity of export quality very considerably ; 
at tbe same time tbe Northern rice, which is not 
suitable fur export, and is entirely consumed in the 
oonntry, is said to be very abundant. Java : Ship- 
ments continue on a comparatively large scale, end 
exceeded those of tbe previona year by about 3,000 
tons. The quality was fairly good, though sume parcels 
shipped to Louiion were found to be oonsiderably 
unuer the standard of sale, being chtifly deficient in 
colour and containing tuo great a percentage of broken. 
As Dsual, the bulk of the imports were landed in 
Holland and prices are difiieuii to traoe. Tbe values 
of abipmcuts to London ranged frum about lla to 
14 b 3il per cwt. Siam and Saigon (Ooohin China) ; 
Shipments of both dosoripiioos were less than the 
previous year, especially from Siam, where tbe crop 
soffered very oonsiderably from drought, and the 
quantity direoied to Em ope was some 70,000 tons 
less Ilian in 1890. Saigon, on the other hand, con- 
tributed within about 4,000 tons of the total 
of the previous year. The qualities were fairly 
good, and the Saigon shipments were nearly 
*11 taken by i'tanoo, where tbe protective 
system favours this grain to a very marked deeree, 
coming, as it dots, from a French p ssession. Tbe 
rates obtained for cargoes ranged from abonl 7s o.i.f. 
for Siam, to 7s lid to 7 b 2Id for Saigon. 
The total ahipmenla of Siam to Europe were 9,950, 
against 80.6C'0 tons in 1890, and 69,000 tons in 1889, 
and 110,000 tons in 1888, and from Saigon 33,665, 
against 87.000 in 1890, 17,400 in 1889, and 71,800 
tons in 1888, 
New crop prospects in Siam are loss promising 
than last year at this time, when a partial failure was 
predicted. The reports so far S' em to point to there 
beiog no avsil»ble aopplies for Enrope, bnt on tbe 
contrary it wonid app' ar the crop has snfferad to 
sneb an extent, that there may not be sufficient for 
the internal requirements of tbe ooautry, Tbe crop 
reports from B-igon are good, and already over 40,000 
tons steam-milled, iuoluding some 4,000 tons pneu- 
matic shelled, have been Bold for shipment to Europe 
daring Febrnary, March, April and May. at about 7s 
4id and 78 3d c.i.f., shipping weights. 
COMPARATIVE SHIPMENTS FROM THE DIFFBBENT FAB 
EASTERN PORTS FOB TBE PAST TEN YEARS, 
1891. 
Snigon. .33,565 
Siam .. 9.950 
Java . .26,000 
1890. 1889. 
37,000 17,400 
80,500 69,000 
2,21)0 11,879 
7,000 16.8,800 
1888. 1887. 
71,600 25.000 
110,000 63,000 
21,966 17,330 
144,500 32,200 
Japan . .80,000 
— L. and C. J^xprtsu. 
C111CKF.NB IN Hot Wf.ather.— Attention has been 
recently called in tlie Poultry Yard to the fact that 
cliiokeiis suffer very much exposed to the sun when the 
weather is hottest. They will pant and manifest their 
fooling of discomfort as plainly as will the oxon when tug- 
ging at tlio plow. They will gladly avail themselves of 
the shade of a tree or wallow in the cool earth in the 
shadow of some building, stretching out their wings 
and legs to cool thomselvos. In the summer montlis, 
if they are confined to a bare yard, with no trees, 
no buildings large ouough to niake a protecting shade, 
nothing hut the bare coops, it may be seen that 
these get heated tlirough, being so small, and afford 
inadequate protection. Chickens thus exposed are 
certainly in a pitiable condition. They cannot thrive 
beoanso uncomfortable, and when night comes it 
hardly brings relief if they have to huddle in coops 
that are ill ventilated. The chicks should always 
have access to a good shade in tbe hottest weather. 
— J'foridti Agric^dturist, 
“The Fuel Supply ok tue Futube: A Novel 
Scheme.” — Such is the taking title of an account 
in the local '‘Times ” ot lbs alleged discovery of an 
‘‘interesting visitor,” a Mr. Edelmann, who has been 
everywhere and Ston everything and who has 
discovered a prooesa of distanoing nature soma 
thousands of years by oonvertiog poor lignite into 
true ooal 1 It is vaguely hinted tbat ohemioala 
are to bo added to the lignite, before pressure into 
dense and hard ‘‘briokets,” wbioh are to be the fuel 
ot tbe future, ” Just what we want for our tea 
factory furnaaes,” will oocur to many a planter ; 
hut uufortnuately though we are told that Mr, 
Edelmann thought of Texas, but decided in favour 
of Franco for tbe eoene of his factory (unpatriotic 
decision for a man with a German name.) 
Not a word ia eaid of the cost of the 
obemioals or the price at which the fuel of 
the future is to be turned out in France or at 
which it can be laid down in Oeylon. We know 
nothing of Mr. Edelmann ; but we oonfesB that 
tbe narrative of his alleged diecovery impresses 
us more with sceptical doubts than with san- 
guine hopes of poor lignite being converted into 
firet-rate ooal as ‘‘ the fuel of the future.” Wo 
should attach much more importance to an alleged 
discovery tbat the fuel of tbe futute is to be 
derived from water-power converted into eleotritioy. 
