76o 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 1892. 
Before the reduction, the opponents of the tea 
duties oonicudcd ihst the effect of oven a part at 
redaction mu't to t) give the consumer better 
quality at a reduced price. They poiuted opt. at the 
close of IrtSO, that the duty was then equivnient to 
130 per cent upon average OIudop, to 100 per cent 
on average Indians, to 80 per cents on average Ceylon ; 
that any apprecisble reduction must enable smaller 
capitals to engage in the tea trade, and that, as a 
consequence there would bo keener tompetition be- 
tween seller*, with the probaLle result that the public 
would got even more than the lull money bcuelit 
conterrod by the reduction. ..tt.,..,.. 
To measure of the moaning of an increase of uome 
Consumption'’ in 1891 over 1889, it is useful to note 
that. In view of the future produotiou of British- 
grown teas, our Indian and Ceylon planters are 
congratulating themselves on heiiig able to dispose 
of 9.000,000 lb ot leaf, annually, in the Australian 
markets But tho reduction of duty has given 
them already a fresh field of consumption <i‘0»t 
Britain equal to two AuHraUtoi. Ihe 17,000,000 
increase — ctfeoted nudor singularly adverse circum- 
sfcaucoB— ie about equal to twice tho total cousump- 
tion of an entire continent whose iuhahitauts drink 
more tea per head than the inhabitants of any other 
country in ilio universe. 
Consider, from the producer’s point oE view, the 
position at the end of 1889. A fast-rining rate if 
produotiou in India and Otylou was mot by a tome 
ooDBumption tending towards the stntioiiury stage 
as regsrds quantity of leaf. “Bond” values for tea 
were rapidly declining to a non-paying level. The 
new teas were inoie ccononiioal in use than the old, 
and the prospect before producers was that tim sup- 
planting of the old teas by tho new would bo ac- 
companied by an aclnal decrease in the quantity of 
leaf consumed, becaiiso of the 50 prr cent, greater 
strength of the teas To supplant 80,000,000 lb. of 
the old teas only 54,000,000 lb. ot tin new teas would 
be required. 'To the ludino and Ceylon producer 
the prospect spelt ruin, unless ho restricted his out- 
put or else corfiood his manufacture mainly to high- 
class teas. Kither alternative would have betn in- 
jurious to himself, still more so to the consumer. 
For cheap teas the latter would have had to revert 
to common China Congous, or if, after having 
acquired a taste for tho new teas, the prospect was 
unbearable, ho would have had to content himself 
with a smaller allowance of new tea— 50 much the 
worse for the cause of temperance and morality ! 
If notwitlistaudiag a fortuitous combination of ad- 
verse circumstances, tho reduction of twopence has 
already proved an important benefit to tho public 
and to the producer, we muy hope for vastly more 
favorable results from the remission of the tcmaiiiiug 
fonrpeuce- ItoWK. 
I’KHAK I’LAXTIxXCi XOTICS. 
(A Short Ileport on the Agriculture and Agricul 
tural I’rospects in Perak, by lilr, O. Marks, Supieu- 
tendent Government Plantations, formerly ot Ceylon.) 
Perak ie a comparatively new fidd for agricultural 
enterprise, and although i ow planters are bpgiiuiiiig 
to see the advantages offered to snecosafully cultivate 
Buoh products ns Arabian and Liberian coffee, cocoa, 
tea, cardamons, &o., there are still thousands of 
acres of magnificent virgin land as yet untouched. 
Unlike Ceylon tho land is not divided into dialiuot 
low country and up country districts, llangcs of 
hills of 1,000 to 5,000 foot traverse tho country in 
all directions, with valleys of great fertility lying 
between them. These hills, and in fact tho greater 
part of the country, nro covered with jungle of very 
fine growth. The trees growing on tho ridges point 
to the fact ot there being no wind as they are quite 
unstunted and free in their growth ; hut in the eastern 
• diatriots tfftceH of tlio nor(b *01181 mopfoon aro to be 
found, the trees here having a toudoiioy to loan to 
the •outh-weet. Tlie abundauce of undergrowth and 
PttmboT of orobids ia all tho forests preclude tho idea 
of severe droughts, so detrimentnl to coffee where 
leaf dif)ea90 is liabio to attack tlie trees. 
The rainfall i evenly distributed during the year, 
the greattst raiiifnll being iu October, November and 
Docimber, and may betaken at an average of about 
120 iu. This vnries considerably, and runs as high as 
180 in. unar high ranges of hills, which attract the 
clouds. 
Krian comes first at present as thcagriculturuldistrict 
of tho State, there being upwards of 20 fine nugar 
estates, coveting an area of 21,603 acres, cultivated 
mostly by Chinese, who, ns a rule, have only primitive 
nmohinery furorurhirg tbe cane ; in spite of this, 84,282 
pikiils of sugar were exported from this district 
last year. Gula estate is uudot Kuropean manage- 
ment, and there only tho latest improved maohiues 
are ured for cru:<hing the canes and refining the sugar, 
Besidea tbofe e‘‘lates there are huge tracts of land 
uudor paddy cullivatior., and for miles round Parit 
Buutar eume of the finest paddy land may be seen. 
This district is almost eiiti’’nlj devoid of hillv, ai.d 
the soil is very lioh dark to m, which, when deeply 
drained, becomes most fertile. Tbe rainfall iu this 
district ie about 140 inches a year. 
In Lrrut, paddy cultivation is also larffcdy under- 
taken ,by natives and Cbiiieae. Pepper is also very 
successfully grown in this district, nod may be seta 
on the estate belonging to Mr. Light, who has also 
successfully experimentel in silk-worm reariug. Tboro 
is a largo quantity of suitable Isnd near Tsiping where 
the in ui berry tree grows well, and as tho Chinese have 
also taken up this employment, it is hoped that 
it will become one of tho chief industries of tbe State 
in tho Do»r future. Tho rainfall in this district runs 
at about ISO to 2C0 indies. 
Kuala Kaugsar district has a future before it as an 
agricultural district. Coffee of both variet'es is very 
successfully grown, ard tLo natives are cultivating 
popper aud oolTi e. 
Waterloo estate, the property of Sir G. Klpbiutitone, 
ia under Arabian coffee, and some of the younger 
cuffeo could not look better. This estate is on tho 
Tuiping range of bills, which extends away to Upper 
IVrak, and on which several fine blocks of laud are 
available for Arabian cofl> o cultivation. Waterloo 
ruLS to between 3,000 and 4.000 ft. above sea level. 
Being theonlybill estate iu the dietiiot whore Tamils 
are employed, some difficulty has been experienced with 
labour. 
Government snccot>8fully grew coffee, cin- 
chona and tea on the Hermitage and Cicely 
estates which arc now k-asel out to Mr. 
L. Chin Ifoh. Mr. Watson manages tho estate, 
on which Chinese labour is employed, and tbe tea 
turned out compares very favourably with Ceylon tea 
grown at oven a higher elevation. 2 he soil on tboRe 
estates is ricli red loam of great depth, and would 
compte favourably with estatis iu Dimbula and 
Dikova. 
At Kuala Kangt-ar there aro Fomo Government fruit 
gardens whtro < rangt'S, pomoloes, lemons, lime?, 
piueappU’s, and other fruits are largely grown, and 
wliere nurseries are kept of gat ta, cocoa and all kinds 
of fruit trees for distribution uud sale aniotig people 
requiring them. 
Kbinaning estate shows bow succeFsfulIy Liberian 
coffee can be grovsn. Nothing could look better tliau 
tho trocp, which are bearing very heaily, and this year 
give promise of a very largo crop. The soil here is very 
rich, and the fiucst fields are these nour tbe Hmestono 
bills iu the centre of the ebtato. A large number of 
these limestone hills are to bo found both iu ibo Kuala 
Kaugsar and Kiuta districts, and tbe soil near them 
is osptcially suitable for Liberian coffee. Several 
large native Chinese pepper gardens are near Kuala 
Kngsar, and tbo natives are aleu boginniog to 
cultivate cofTco. 
Kinta is a large district with a very rich soil, and 
scverrtl rauges of hills run through tbo district. The 
Kinta Village is cultivated princijially by tho Malays, 
who me plimtiug up cofi'eo as quickly as posbible, the 
demand for tbo reed being very large. Bajah 
Mahowed has a garden of over 100 acres planted 
