M AC KAY, Q U E EN SL A N D , T H E G R E A T SU G A R R E G IO N .

(W ritten fo r Ceylon Observer.)M a c k a y , Q ueensland, 4 th Sept. 1881.

On T uesday m orning, A ugust 31st (the da te , in 1606, of th e discovery of T orres S tray's' for w hich I am m aking), we w ere roused a t h a lf p a s t 3 a .m .(!) in o rder to leave th e “ A lex an d ra” steam er an d g e t in to th e sm all “ D ugong." O ur steam er, th e b ig one, w en t off n o rth an d we h ad to w a it not. only fo r th e steam er bound sou th an d take the passengers for M ackay, b u t also, a f te r th a t , u n til th e tid e enab led th e“ Dugong" to go up th e P ioneer r iv e r to th ew harves a t M ackay, a tow n w hich sugar has raised from no th ing to rapidly increasing im portance in ten years. Before b reak fast, how ever, w e lau d ed on F la t Top Island , w here th e re is a lighthouse and te legraph sta tion . H ence w e te legraphed , had a g lorious view of th e P ioneer river d is tric t, of th e sem i-circular m ountain ranges of sea and river an d land, sunsh ine and clouds, for clouds w ere g athering w h ich issued in a tru ly trop ica l ra in ­fall du ring th e n igh t. I t was welcome b u t tran s ien t, an d n o t-a d rop has fallen since, to our g re a t com fort as knockers-about, b u t to th e re g re t of th e p lan ters w ho have young cane in th e ground. A s soon as Is tepped on shore on th e beau tifu l l i t t le is le t (onelite ra lly of thousands, th ro u g h w hich our course has ru n an d w ill run) I w as face to face w ith trop ica l vegeta tion and m uch of i t com m on to Ceylon. On the shi.re was the g o a t’s foot ipomea, and festooning th e bushes th e very convolvuli com m on near Colombo. T h e screw pine w as ab u n d an t, an d in th e lighthouse- k eep er’sg a rd e n th e re w as a coco palm , vinca ro.-Y-rr,(socom­m on in our C innam on G ardens), &c. T here w eie form s n o t fam iliar to me in term ixed , how ever. G oing along th e ban k s of th e P ioneer riv er, I could alm ost fancy m yself on th e K elan i o r o th e r C eylon stream . H ibis­cus tiliaceus m ost conspicuous, an d th e sam e tree s as line th e road from th e Baidge of B oats to H auw ella festooned w ith th e sam e species of creepers. B u t m ixed w ith form s w hich 1 recognized w ere o thers new and in teresting . M ost conspicuous'is w hat th e people here call “ th e p a lm ,” or palm a elegans or th e A lex­an d ra palm , o r th e cabbage palm . I t resem bles a thorn less k a tu -k itu l, o r ra th e r a very lu x u ria n t areka palm , w ith m ore of a ten d en cy to bend. These palm s are iu m asses everyw here, beside rivers or lagoons and add m uch to th e b eau ty of th e scenery. T he inflorescence an d seeds are m uch like those of th e a reka , only th e seeds are m uch sm aller, lik e w ild dates, and of a b r illia n t red as th e y ripen . T his palm w ould be beau tifu l an d usefu l in Ceylon, so 1 go t Air. C harles Xlackinnon (b ro th er to th e A rg u s p roprieto r) w ho d rove me o u t to a g rand sugar es ta te yesterday, w hich he has ju s t purchased for £95,000, to g e t me some seeds. Also som e of w h a t he called “ quad- rongs ” o r Q ueensland plum s, an d some ripe Q ueens­land raspberries. T h is indigenous rasp b erry exactly resem bles th e cu ltiv a ted “ rasp ” in flower and foliage, b u t th e f ru it is m ore lik e a s traw berry , being alm ost round like a sc arle t ih read b u tto n . V ery p re tty i t is, b u t th e flower is n o t equal to th e t ru e th ing . If we can grow i t from th e seed, however, cu ltiv a tio n m ig h t im ­prove it.

M ackay (in 21° 10' south) has ab o u t th e clim ate of those p a rts of B engal w here 75 inches of ra in fall, w ith a fa r less severe h o t season, an d w h at grow s well here ought, I th in k , to do well in our h ill country . A ll th e w ay from Sydney h ith e r th e bougain v illea has been b laz ing ,—pink, m agen ta , an d b righ t scarle t. So w ith th e bignonia" w hich th e T am il coolies call th e tangapu or gold flower. On Sydney bay shores th e lan tan a , chiefly th e pink-blossom ed, abounds, a n d on to th is place w e have seen it. In d eed i t >

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th re a te n s to ta k e possession of la rge p o rtion of Q ueens­land, bu t th e co lonists a re m uch m ore tro u b le d abo u t a ju te - lik e w eed, sidus retusa, I th ink . I t covers w hole p la in s an d p rev en ts th e sheep g e ttin g a t th e g ra-s. T he once m uch d read ed th is tle (w hich grow s o n ly in good soil and opens i t up) is no th in g to th is “ curse of Q u e e n s la n d .” Of th e blue-blossom ed d u ra n ta and th e “ shoe-flower ” h ib iscus th e y m ake fences here, an d in g ardens I have seen nates, m angoes, coconuts, ficus bengahnsis, ficus rriigiosa ( th e bo-tree), poinciana regia and pines grow ing to g e th er. Some of th e p la n te rs ’ bungalow s a re beau tifu l. A t one w here w e m et Mr. an d M rs. H e w itt an d M r. an d M rs. R om illy th e v erandah opens o u t on th e river (P ioneer) bank, an d th e y to ld us th a t a lth o u g h a l i t t le low fev er and ague occurs occasionally in th e d is tr ic t th e banks of th e riv ers a re th e h e a lth ie s t p a rts ! T he clim ate, a f te r a ll, is a sem i-trop ical one, w ith o u t fro s t, a n d th a t i t is favourable to h u m an h e a lth th e looks of th e people shew . W e saw abou t a couple of h u n ­d red s of “ fa ir w om en and brave men ” a t a ball given b y M r. an d Mrs. D avidson (he a nephew of D avidson of T ulloch), and th e y a ll looked robust, a lth o u g h th e men w ere brow ned b y the sun, to w hich a ll expose them selves w ith im p u n ity . I w en t y es te rd ay to bu y a w h ite co tton um brella , and th e shopm an to ld me th e re w as absolu te ly no dem and for m en’s um brellas. W e saw l i t t le ch ild ren ly in g o u t b areheaded in th e sun a ll day , an d we w ere to ld th a t cases of su n ­s tro k e are unknow n. T h e gen tlem an sugar p la n te rs ,like th e p loughm en, go abo u t in tro u se rs and sh ir ts ,— coat and w aistcoat genera lly d ispensed w ith in w ork ing hours. A t Air. M ackinnon’s e s ta te y e s­te rd ay I saw th e hosp ita l for th e K anekas (Sou th Sea Is lan d coolies), an d i t w as em pty . Of la teyears th e re has been l i t t le sickness o r m o rta lity am ongst these people, an d th e y look w ell c lad , w ell fed , a n d w ell-to-do. E ach , w hen he goes back, is su re to carry aw ay a gun. T h is o ugh t to s tre n g th e n th e tribes to w hich th e y belong, b u t th e chiefs ob ­je c t to th e w ith d raw al of th e young m ales, a n d from th is cause an d th e islanders dy in g o u t I feel c e r t­a in t h a t u ltim a te ly , if n o t soon, H in d u cooly labour m u st be reso rted to . T here is a sum of £600 per annum on th e Q ueensland es tim ates fo r an im m ig ra­tion agen t, an d I believe th e necessary law has been passed , b u t th e w ork ing m en and o thers also are s trong ly p re jud iced ag a in s t th e in tro d u c tio n of im ­m ig ran ts o th e r th a n w hites. I f th e y prevail M ackay w ill nev er tu rn o u t, as i t is capable of doing, 300,000 tons of sugar instead of th e 10,000 now produced.

W7e saw opposite F la t Top Is la n d th re e schooners ju s t a rriv ed from Solomon Is le s w ith “ boys ” an d a few women. I n ever fe lt so inc lined to believe th e developm ent-from -ape th e o ry as w hen I saw th e K anekas ranged on deck, a lth o u g h th e y w ere well dressed, in “ jo l ly ” condition , an d m an y of them sm oking pipes. T heir bushy beads of h a ir were gen er­a lly dyed a b rig h t yellow w ith lim e or ashes, an d in th a t rcp ec t th e y rem inded us of th e R im alis a t Aden. B u t th e ir featu res are even m ore of th e negro ty p e , an d i t seem s to me they are th e sh o rte s t race of hum an beings I have y e t seen. A t th e sug- gestion of M r. Jaffrey , who is very largely in te re s ted in sugar, I spoke several sentences in T am il to th e “ coolies,” b u t th e y on ly g rin n ed a t m e. W h e n our steam er le f t th e y gave us a loud cheer w hich w en t off in to a yell, such as no d o u b t th ey u t te r when a ttack in g th e ir enemies. T hey make good c a rt drivers, b u t th e p loughing on th e sug a r estates is done by w h ite men, th e p ropo rtio n of an e s ta te force being 20 p er cen t w h ite m en to 80 p er cen t blacks. I t is ce rta in th a t w hites could not do th e “ tra sh in g ,” c u t ­tin g of I he canes, &c., o r if th e y could th e p u rsu it w ould n o t pay . F o r w hile th e K anekas g e t only £ 6 p er annum , w ith lodgings, ra tions an d m edical a tte n d -

ance,* th e w ages of w h ite men is 20s to 25s per w eek, w ith lodging an d rations. I f th e resources of trop ical Q ueensland an d A u stra lia genera lly are to be developed, In d ia n coolies m u st be in troduced . I t was very am using to see an experienced K aneka d ray m an push ing h is “ new chum ” countrym en o u t of I he w ay w ith an em phatic “ G et o u t of th a t , w ill y o u ? ! ” A s fa r as I could see th e b lack labourers are trea ted w ell an d w ork h e a r tily here. B u t m ore labour is w an ted , so th a t in stead of th e “ t r a s h ,” w ithered leaves, &c , being rem oved from th e field, i t is often se t on fire on dew y n igh ts. T he agents, one of a F ren ch sugar m ach inery com pany, th e o th e r of an E nglish firm , w ho a re trav e llin g w ith me, d id n o t approve of th is an d of o th e r exped ien ts, b u t good suga r is tu rn e d o u t and i t pays. M r. D avidson, w ho h ad experience in th e W est Ind ies, to ld m e i t « as a g re a t th in g h ere to have no p re jud ices to con tend w ith . H e sa id th is po in tin g to a p lough w ith th re e horses p loughing e a rth u p to th e row s of sugar. H e said if he v en tu red to su b s titu te p lough fo r hoe in th e W e s t Ind ies th e negroes would say : ‘ ‘ M e have g row him suga r ! m y fa th e r he grow s u g a r ; m y g ran d ­fa th e r he grow sugar. W h en you la rn grow su g a r?” T h e agents fo r im proved suga r m achinery , by w hich i t is alleged a large add itional percen tage of sugar can he obtained, now say th a t M r. D avidson h im self is likew ise p re jud iced . B ut people have to be cautious. T hey have before th em th e “ d read fu l e x a m p le ” of M r. T ooth (b ro ther of th e r itu a lis t clergym an), w ho ru in ed him self by b uy ing every new m achine he read of. M r. V an de V elde, th e agen t of th e L ille firm, te lls m e th ere is a m achine for separa tin g th e fibres of sugarcane before i t is pressed betw een th e ro llers, w hich ensures a large add itio n a l percen tage of juice. T he difficulty w ith th e cane in its o rd in ary s ta te is th a t i t has a siliceous skin and k n o ts a good deal like th e bam boo (one cane is called th e “ rose b am ­boo” ), and i t has, m uch of it, to be passed tw ice u n d e r th e ro llers. M ost of th e esta tes, rang inga b o u t 5,000 acres e a c h ,t have been m ade from“ open fo res t ” lan d —p ark -lik e expanses of rich a lluv ia l land of a rich black colour, deposited by th e river b u t ow ing its orig in to volcanic m ountains. O thers have been opened or are now opening onw h a t is strangely ca lled ‘ ‘ scrub land, ” rea lly w hatw e w ould call fo res t in Ceylon. On such lan d th e cane w ill y ie ld a firs t crop an d six ra toon cropsw ithou t renew al. T h e canes a re a t firs t ra n k andy ie ld juice largely in p roportion to sugar. T h e w eight of cane p er acre decreases, b u t th e percen tage of saccharine m a tte r increases as tim e goes on. T h a t was th e experience of a p la n te r who h a d ta k e n e ig h t crops off th e sam e land . M anuring is n o t en tire ly neglected, b u t m ost of th e “ megass ” (exhausted cane) is used fo r fuel, w ith coal an d wood. T he la t te r is a lready scarce, an d firewood in M ackay is very expensive, i T he average y ie ld of cane is over a ton an acre, say up to 30 cw ts , an d 15 tons cane give 1 ton sugar.1J ton p er acre is a fair average, and th e sugar canbe sold a t M ackay fo r £22 10s p e r ton . M any sm all p lan te rs , w ho canno t afford th e very expensive m achine­ry necessary for th e m anufacture of Sugar, sell eane to th e m ill ow ners, a t 11/ per to n on th e field, th e p u rchase r cu ttin g an d carting i t to h is m ill. A t a la rge e s ta te called Y engarie, in an o th e r d is tr ic t, th e small grow ers crush th e ir cane in common m ills, a n d th e juice, w hich is pa id fo r by s tren g th , goes 5 m iles in pipes to th e cen tra l factory . Mr. V an de V elde te lls u s th a t iu Belgium b ee t ju ice is th u s conveyed for a d istance of 45 m iles ! M r. Jeffray has

* Passages bo th w ays also pa id , t B ut none fu lly cu ltiv a ted .J A s are m ost o th er th ings, for l i t t le besides suga r

is grown.

got a m ost com plete set of m achinery fo r a new e s ta te , T he P alm s, an d am id st th is m achinery , and no d o u b t to in au g u ra te th e g re a t m ill, th e ball w as given, to w h ich M r. Je ffray procured in v ita tio n s fo r m e an d m y com panions. N o th in g could exceed th e k indness of th e D avidsons. M r. D avidson, th e lead er of th e sug a r p lan te rs here, is a fine energetic fellow : I to ld h im th a t th e jo k e in th e H ig h lan d s w hen I was a boy w as th a t T u lloch sp e n t th e m oney w hich h is b ro th e r H en ry D avidson, the London m erchan t (fa ther of o u r host), m ade. I heard M r. Je ffray say th a t from one e s ta te he d id n o t expect a sh illing of re tu rn u n til he h ad spent £40 ,000 ; b u t th en he looked for a m in im um re tu rn of 20 per cent. Mr. M ackinnon asked M r. P ato n y es te rd ay w h a t a se t of best m achinery to ta k e in2,000 to n s of sugar p e r annum w ould be. T h e answ er w as £25,000, w ith 15 p er cen t ad d ed fo r fre ig h t. W h a t w ith se ttin g -u p and a ll, I suppose th e cost w ould be £30,000 to £35,000, so you w ill see th a t only m en of cap ita l can se t up large m ills, and sm all ones w on’t pay so well. There is room, how ever, for men who only grow th e cane and sell it. A t P ioneer es ta te , w here I w en t yesterday w ith th e purchaser, M r. M ackinnon, M r. B randon, th e banker, to ld me th a t Mr. Spiller, th e p ioneer sugar p lan te r of the d is tr ic t, w ho in consequence of bad h ea lth had sold th is m agnificent e s ta te for £95,000, began w ith £35, an d g rad u a lly added to h is m achinery as be go t on. M r. Jaffrey' hav ing in tro d u ced m e to Mr. D avidson, th e la t te r m ost k in d ly m ade o u t a m ap of th e d is tr ic t, la id ou t th re e day s’ d rives, an d gave u s le t te r s of in ­tro d u c tio n , four of us going. O n th e fo u rth day (yesterday) M ackinnon drove m e to an d over h is m agnificent estate , an d up th e P ioneer t i l l we cam e to scenery like th a t on th e F ind lio rn r iv e r. T h e v isit to th is d is tr ic t has been a m ost en joyable one, and as I te leg raphed to A lbany th e success of sugar is certa in an d g rea t. B u t th e re is only one experi­m en t w ith coffee abo u t 15 m iles off. T h a t I canno t m anage to see, b u t I ’ve h ad a long ta lk w ith Mr. C ostello, a candid , sensib le Irish m an , w ho sa id he w as n o t responsible fo r th e over-sanguine s ta te m e n ts w h ich appeared in th e M a cka y S ta n d a rd a n d w ere copied in to th e Observer. T h e re su lt has been one le t te r to th e ed ito r, Mr. B lack, whom I have m et, and ano ther to Costello, from Ceylon. T h e la t te r w as from a Ceylon p la n te r w ho proposed to come a t once w ith his coolies. Costello advised him to come and see first. H e te lls me he w ill persevere, b u t th e th in g has nev er y e t pa id . H e is tro u b led w ith borer" in th e stem s, an d tree s a re dy ing from th e sm all fungus, so fa ta l in M askeliy'a, e tc . B u t th e te rrib le expense is in w e e d in g : six tim es a y ea r a t £1 p er acre each tim e. H ig h er u p on th e m ounta ins an d n earer th e eq u a to r coffee m ay y e t do well. B u t if an y m an brings coolies to th e M ackay d is tr ic t an d is a w ise m an he w ill em ploy coolies an d cash on w hat is know n to p ay —sugar. I t has h ad i t troub les in th e aspect of sugar an d coffee esta tes. Some of the M ackay sugar esta tes are on low hills, and I was m uch in te rested by trav e llin g over a h a rd wood ra ilw ay of 3 m iles ex ten t on th e C edars e s ta te w hich cost only ±'120 per m ile. B u t in stead of one expanse of perenn ial green as in th e case of a coffee es ta te , a sugar p la n ta tio n is, lik e a corn farm , in all stages of g ro w th , from a few inches to a dozen fee t high, while w hole fields are bare an d ly in g fallow or being ploughed. B u t m ost of th e es ta te s h e re are on p erfec tly flat land, and these, no doubt, are th e cheapest to w ork . Ou one of th e estates w e saw “ th e firs t locom otive in M ackay,” one of F ow ler’s in connection w ith h is po rtab le narrow -gauge ra ilw ay . M ost of th e carriage is done in ca rts an d drays, p u lled by from one horse to six o r e igh t, w hile eight p a irs of bu llocks in a d ray a re q u ite com m on. On a large sugar

es ta te abo u t a h u n d red horses req u ire stab ling , feed­ing an d a tten d an ce . T he anim als are fed on th e tops of cane passed th ro u g h a chaff c u tte r , m aize and molasses. It. is said th e molasses so in ju re th e ir tee th th a t th e horses do n o t la s t m ore th a n 6 years. I t is obvious therefore th a t m achinery , even to steam ploughs, is lik e ly largely to supersede horse as well as hum an pow er on th e big es ta tes rang ing up to15,000 acres. I suspect th a t M r. M ackinnon w ill n o t long delay th e experim en t of steam ploughing. H orse ploughing, itse lf, is a g re a t saving on hoe w ork. T he soil is generally so deep as w ell as »o rich, th a t I suggested to M r, M ackninon th e p rob ­ab ility of a renew al of his soil by m eans of a steam subsoil p lough . Fallow ing or expensive m anuring w ould th u s be avoided or delayed.

M ackay, w ith i ts lack of chim neys, looks m uch like a tow n in N o rth e rn In d ia , only th e houses are a ll b u ilt of wood w ith galvanized iron roofs. So all over A ustra lia : b a rk an d logs, tim ber an d sheet iron come first, and brick and m o rta r, stone and o rnam en ta l iron w ork come subsequen tly , as w ea lth increases. Selection had been stopped here fo r a w hile, b u t is again allowed under new rules. A llo tm ents are re s tric ted to 1,280 acres (2 square miles), an d th e prices per acre , to be pa id in ten an nual in sta lm en ts , are doubled , 15s. p e r acre and 20s. according to position. Conditions as to residence (self o r bailiff) are la id dow n, and a certa in am ount of im provem ent, b y cu ltu re , house erection, etc. T he conditions are s til l very easy for bona-Jide se ttle rs . B u t th e re is a good deal of eva­sion and w h a t is called “ dum m yism , ” M r. M ack in ­non shew ed m e a place y es te rd ay belonging to Mr. Jaffrey , on w hich a so-called house of sheets of iron w as erected and a paddock enclosed. T h a t w as all!

C o f f e e in Q u e e n s l a n d .M onday, Sept. 5 th , 1881.

T he follow ing is from Mr. Costello regard ing h is diseased coffee :—

“ T he A lexandra, S ep t. 5 th , 1881.“ D ear S ir ,—I send you p er favor of M r. D avidson

th e specim ens you asked me for, v iz .—b ran ch of a h ea lth y coffee tree, b ran ch of a diseased tree, also th e stem an d roots of a tre e th a t has d ied ou t. I w ould ta k e i t as a g rea t favor if you give me you opinion of sam e;— B elieve m e to be, fa ith fu lly yours,

“ J . M. Costello. ”I w rote h im th a t th e leaves h ad no sign of hemi-

leia vasta trix . N either had a tree w hich I saw w ith a good few red berries a t M r. K in g ’s. T h a t tre e was n o t pro-ned, b u t grew n a tiv e fashion, an d as th e y have h ad n early th ree years o d ro u g h t a good m any of th e b e r r es w ere shrivelled .

T h e stem shew ed th a t h is tre e had d ied from th e m in u te fungus, generated by dam p. I asked h im to le t us k n o w fu rth e r about his experim ents, b u t I su s ­pect t h a t fa rth e r n o rth (tow ards th e equator) a n d h igher u p th e m ountains w ill be th e place for coffee, if labour can be got-

Off the N orth Coast of Java , between Surabaya and Batavia, 28th September, 1881.

I w ro te you la s t from M ackay, o r Sugaropolis, as i t o ugh t to be called, being ac tu a lly founded on sugar. O ur voyage from M ackay w as a d e lig h tfu l one. over a calm sea, am id st “ sum m er isles of E d e n ,” and sh e lte red by “ th e g rea t b a rrie r ree f ,” n a tu re ’s b re a k ­w ater, th e w orkm en being th e coral insects. “ W h it­sunday Passage ,” th ro u g h w hich we passed before reach ing P o r t D ennison and Bowen, is supposed by some to be m ore b eau tifu l even th a n S ydney Cove. T here are lite ra lly thousands of is le ts sc a tte red about th e shores of th e Pacific along the w estern coast of Q ueensland, b u t unless th e y con ta in m ineral w ealth , w hich p robab ly th e y do (for m inerals, from coal to gold and opal, seem to be everyw here), th ey 6an sel­

dom be u tilized . T here w as a good-sized one in K eppel B ay, on w hich a sq u a tte r resided, an d th e re a re o th ers of th e larger islands w hich y ie ld grass for ca ttle . T hen in th e n o rth th e re a re m ountainous islands—em in en tly H inch inb rook Is lan d , on w h ich probab ly coffee, c inchona an d o th e r tro p ica l produce can be successfully cu ltiv a ted . B u t genera lly th e re is b u t l i t t le good soil on th e islands o r on th e m o u n t­ain ranges. G ran itic p o rp h y ry is too com m on, th e tre e s are generally euca ly p ti w hose leaves do n o t y ield m uch hum us, an d th e ra ins, th o u g h heavy enough in th e n o rth , fa ll generally in one half of th e year, d ro u g h t d istingu ish ing th e o th e r half. T he com pensa tio n is in fine e lastic clim ate an d m inerals. T h e re is some fever in th e trop ical p a rts , b u t n o th ing to com pare w ith th a t of Ja v a , C eylon an d In d ia . People o u g h t to g u ard them selves m ore from exposure to th e sun th a n th ey do, how ever.

W e landed a t Bowen and had a look a t th is fine tow n w ith grass-grow n stree ts . I t is one of a class p re t ty com ­m on in A u stra lia— tow ns w hich rise rap id ly and th e n su d ­d en ly go dow n again before a rival w hich a t tr a c ts trad e , or because gold o r o th er m inerals give ou t. Bowen has a fine port, being so superio r to o th er places on th e coast, b u t T ow nsville is now th e g rea t and rising to w n of N o rth e rn Q ueensland. Bow en m ay recover im portance when connected w ith th e tran s-co n tin en ta l ra ilw ay w hich is p ro jec ted to P o in t P a rk e r on th e G ulf of C a rpen taria . L and ing a t T ow nsville I w as s tru c k w ith th e resem blance of th e Bay (C leveland Bay), to th a t of N aples, C ap ta in Cook’s “ M agnetic I s la n d ” stan d in g for Sorren to . C astle H ill too, on w hich v illas are b u ilt, resem bles M alabar H ill a t Bom bay. F o r i ts age th is is a w onderful place. L ike m ost Q ueensland tow ns as yet. th e houses a re chiefly b u ilt of wood an d iron , th e q u a n tity of galvanized iron used in A ustra lia being enorm ous. Of course, as w ealth is accum ulated an d tim e a d ­vances, sto n e an d b rick ta k e th e place of wood.

T h e Q ueen’s H o te l, a t which we stayed, is one of th e n icest in A ustralia . T here a re long w ide verandahs be ovv and in fro n t of th e second sto ry , th e u p p e r one being filled w ith bamboo lounging o r sm oking chairs. Facing th e beach and bay, th e re is a fine breeze and a beautiful view of th e Bay, M agnetic Island , &r. I t s tru c k m e th a t residence here fo r a tim e a t th e best season m igh t be good for consum ptive and o th e r deb ilita ted patien ts. T he clim ate is a tro p ica l one, b u t more lik e t h a t of N o rth ern In d ia in th e cold season th a n an y th in g else—only superior. Cases of fever are no t unknow n, bu t th ey are m ild.

W h ile s tay in g a t th e hotel, p rep a ra to ry to s ta rtin g w ith M r. Je ffray to th e d e lta of th e B urdek in river, d e ­stin ed to be th e scene of ex tensive sugar cu ltu re , I m et a M r. L ya ll w ho to ld me th a t th e H e rb e r t r iv e rd is tr ic t was th e very queen of Q ueensland, a n d a ll th e accounts I have heard an d read agree as to its b eau ty an d fe rtility . B u t w hile m y fellow -voyager, Mr. V an de V elde, w ent to th e H e rb e r t river, I w en t in a steam er p ro ­vided b y M r. Je ffray to th e de lta of th e B urdek in .

On th e beach a t Tow nsville, w hich is h a rd enough to enable horses au d carriages to d riv e and rid e on it, we found th e goat-foo t ipom ea grow ing, b u t m uch m ore sobust in th e stem s th a n ours in Colombo. A floating rub stan ce on th e sea, com ing from th e g rea t b a rrie r reef, form ed th e su b je c t of discussion in the new spapers w hen w e were there . I t w as p opu larly know n b y th e o u t­rageously absurd nam e of “ w hale’s spaw n ,” b u t I th in k a w rite r was co rrec t who identified i t as th e sam e vegetable grow 'th w hich gives its nam e to th e “ R ed S ea.” T he soil in th e im m ediate neighbour­hood of Tow nsville is no t rich , b u t th e place is th e centre of m uch m ineral and p as to ra l en terprize , au d g ran d sugar lan d s are w ith in easy reach. M r. Jeffray took m e in h is steam er, as I have ind ica ted , to see th e rich d e lta of th e B urdek in , a river w hich has a

course of 700 miles and carries dow n fe rtile m a tte r from volcanic and o th er form ations. To get to our destination w e steam ed back o u t of C leveland Bay, rounded Cape Cleveland, and landed , a f te r a n ig h t’s steam ing, on the banks of a creek betw een Cape

i Bowling Green aud Cape U p s ta rt. A buggy and horses w ere w aiting fo r us, an d w e bow led aw ay over coun­t r y w hich in Ceylon w ould be considered im p ra c tic ­able. F rom sw am p covered w ith sa line grasses (which c a ttle greedily devour and g e t fa t on) we cam e to raised terraces of rich b lack soil, in tersp ersed w ith creeks and lagoons. M ost of th e creeks aud lagoons were bordered or covered w ith m angroves, red and w h ite—th e red m o s t . valuable as fuel for suga r m ak ­ing, as w ell as o th e r purposes. I h ad five o r six clays d riv ing and rid ing over th is w onderfu l co u n try ; of w hich we go t a view from a range of curious san d ­h ills. As we journeyed , th ro u g h rich grasses, several feet high, or ju s t s ta r tin g a f te r being b u rn t by th e blacks to enable them to ca tch the ir gam e, we s ta rte d hundred^ of kangaroo an d w allaby , w h ich , a f te r s ta n d ­ing up an d sta rin g a t us, bounded d,way to s ta n d up and sta re again.

Of aquatic b irds, pelicans, s to rks, ibises, geese, ducks, laugh ing jackasses (th e g rea t kingfisher of Q ueensland has sp lend id plum age), we saw im m ense num bers. W e w en t on m angrove trees over a creek vvhich I su p ­pose hum an beings had scarcely ever before v isited , for we could not f rig h ten some beau tifu l B urd ek in duck s w hich w ere on th e m ud below ua. T he trees,• >ther th a n gum s an d w attles , w ere m any of them fam iliar to me. V ery common on th e banks of creeks w as th e tree nam ed a fte r Leichavdt, w hich also grow s in Ceylon. I t som ew hat resem bles w h a t w e call “ th e co u n try alm ond ” in Ceylon, trees of which, by th e w ay, w ere grow ing on th e beach a t Tow nsville, in ­troduced , I was to ld . I saw n large lily , th e fellow of th a t which grow s on banks of rivers in Ceylon, an d th e b eau tifu l place of o u r good friends th e G raham s was called L iliesm ere, from th e abundance of w ater- lilies, p nk , w hite, b u t specially blue on th e lagoon or ra th e r lake beside w hich th e y reside. H ere I was d e lig h ted to see a sp lend id o rch ard of oranges, m an- geos, &c., w hich , a lthough only five years old, is already bearing heavily . T he qufestion, ere long, will be whut to do w ith th e oranges, m angoes, pineapples, bananas, &c., produced so ab u n d an tly in th is soil and clim ate. T he long spells of d ry w eather, i t is certa in , g re a tly im prove th e flavour of th e f ru it . I never saw m ango trees in C eylon so loaded w ith f ru i t a t five years old, and as for oranges, few a re ob ta ined in Ceylon from trees u n d er five years old. A round M r. G raham ’s house w ere specim ens of num erous foreign trees and p lan ts, including th e cinnam on o fC e > lo n a n d C hina, th e tam arind , sisu, &c. B u t sugar, sugar, is th e absorbing cry here, as m uch an d as exclusively as coffee once w as th e c ry in Ceylon.

Mr. Jeffray, w ho is th e head of th e agency firm of Sloane & Co., of M elbourne, Sydney , Brisbane, an d Tow nsville, h ad come to “ th e B u rd ek in ” d e lta to sec an e s ta te of abo u t 20 ,000 acres of fa t a lluvial, of w hich 1,000 acres a re to be covered w ith sugar in th e v e iy sh o rte s t period on record in th e annals <»f th e en terprize . To effect th is M r. M acm illan (form erly G overnm ent engineer an d roadm aker, born in M ull and educated in th e Inverness Academy) has g o t a steam plough, 4 ‘ su lk y ” p loughs (on which a se a t is p repared for th e ploughm an), an d a ll k inds of im proved im plem ents. I t w as a s ig h t to see th e steam plough, d raw n successively by tw o engines, nearly a q u a r te r of a m ile ap a rt, tea rin g th e v irg in soil and th row ing up th re e furrow s. B u t Mr. M acm illan (who calls h is place A rdm illan) was not satisfied. The steam power was sufficient for a six-furrow plough, and th a t he was in ten d in g to get. T he only d raw ­back to th is g ran d place is possible prolonged drought,

j such indeed as ex isted . B u t th e rich deep black soil i was re ten tiv e of m oisture, th e re were heavy dew s, an d | th e re are w onderfu l facilities fo r cheap irrig a tio n . B y

th e w ay, a F renchm an , on h earin g of an ex perim en t in th is d irec tio n , w en t abou t exclaim ing : “ i)e sugar on de B urdek in vill nevare be, bekase M r. M acm illan , he do arrogate .” B u t w hat M acm illan “ a r ro g a te s”he w ill do. A fter years of h a rd work, in th e course of which he has m ade his way (fighting i t som etim es) th ro u g h thou san d s of m iles of track less forest an d scrub, he is as fu ll of s tre n g th an d energy as ever. A nd he is a tho ro u g h ly scientific m an as well as being o therw ise qualified to be m anager for th e com pany of w hich he, G raham and Je ffray are m em bers. M r. G raham is an Irishm an, whom I h a d previously m et

i a t a lodging-house in S y d n ey . T here we h ad a long 1 t a lk abo u t th e lab o u r question , l i t t le th in k in g e ith e ri of u s th a t w e should again m eet where th e question1 w as so p rac tica l and u rg e n t a one. i T h e sugarcane in N o rth e rn Q ueensland does n o t

grow so m uch m ore lu x u ria n tly th an in Ceylon,| bu t th e p roportion of saccharine m a tte r in th e

ju ice m u st be m uch g rea te r. E ig h t p e r cen t is agood resu lt, b u t in an experim en t a t w hich I a ssistedwe g o t from 10 to 11£ p e r cent. T he in tru m e n t, (Beaum 6’s) w as exactly on th e p rincip le of th e la c to ­m ete r : a glass tu b e g radu a ted . The m ore w ate ry th e ju ice (w hich w as pressed from pieces of caue in a

j vice au d received in to a jug) th e m ore th e im tru - 1 m en t sank . Sugarcane has its troub les as w ell as j coffee. In 1875 th e e s ta tes in th e M ackay d is tr ic t i w ere nearly snuffed o u t by a v isita tio n of a fungus | like red ru s t. B u t sugarcane can be u p roo ted and j rep lan ted an d be ready for c u ttin g in abo u t 15 m onths,I an d th e re a re ab o u t 100 k in d s to select from . T he I Bourbon w hich w as so liab le to th e ru s t has been | superseded b y th e “ Rose bam boo” and o th er k in d s :

a t p resen t th e re is no pes t of consequence. As w ith th e coffee in Ceylon, so, probab ly , w ith suga r here , i t w ill be found th a t v as t unbro k en areas of one p la n t p resen t conditions favourab le fo r p lagues, in sect and fungoid. I th in k I m entioned in w ritin g from th e

j M ackay d is tr ic t (nam ed a f te r a Scotch eea cap ta in , who is sa id to be s til l engaged in th e K an ek a trade) j th a t th e average y ie ld of suga r p er acre is 1J t ° n $I an d as i t tak es on an average 15 tons of cane to p roduce ! 1 to n of sugar, th a t u eans 2 2 £ to n s of cane per acre.

M uch g rea te r w eigh t of cane is produced per acre on new lan d redeem ed from “ sc ru b ” ( th a t is fo rest), b u t th e percen tage of sug a r is n o t so h igh . T he p e r ­cen tage has been know n to increase up to th e 8 th year. I th in k I w rote from th e M ackay abou t th e large n u m ­ber of horses req u ired to w ork a sugar e s ta te . T he p loughm en a re a lm ost a ll w h ite m en, th e p roportion on m ost es ta te s being 20 p e r cen t w hites to 80 per cent b lacks o r “ coloured persons.” T here are large acres of availab le suga r lan d s to be h ad on a n y te rm s, an d persons w ho have n o t cap ita l to se t up a m ill can cu ltiva te and sell cane to th e m anufacturers . I canno t now re la te all th e inciden ts of th is m ost in te re s tin g jou rney to th e g ran d d e lta of th e B urd ek in , som e p a r ts of w hich , I believe, we w ere th e firs t to explore, seeing as w e went fine “ p o ck e ts” of land . On our jo u rn ey back, w hich w e m ade b y road (?) and ra il, we s tru ck th e banks of th e riv e r a t several po in ts an d adm ired its b road and in some p laces rocky bed, lin ed w ith casuarinas an d w ith scarle t an d w hite blossom ed “ b o ttle -b ru sh ” trees. T h e sc a rle t b los­som ed ones gleam ed o u t lik e ironw ood trees w hen th - foliage is young.

T he G erm an elem ent w ill here rap id ly m erge in to th e j English , although th e G erm ans do associate to g e th er and I have th e ir own new spapers, concerts, an d so on. T hey j a re an in dustrious and th r if ty people, an d th e E nglish I w orkm en com plain of them as “ liv ing on th e sm ell of an

oiled r a g W h a t w ith cheap G erm an labour and cheaper

Chinese and K aneka , th e case of th e B ritish w o rk ­m an and labourer is no d u h t often a h a rd one. B u t h is destiny , if he w ould but see it, is to d irec t labour o r to perform i t by m eans of such fatigue-saving expedients as “ su lky” p loughs &c. I 11 re tu rn in g ,M r. G raham drove us 56 m iles in g ran d sty le , over some m ost difficult cou n try . T he la s t 35 m iles to Tow nsville was on a ra ilw ay w hich is being pushed on to th e rich gold m ines of C h a rte rs T ow eis and to H ughenden . I t will u ltim ate ly join th e tra n s ­co n tinen ta l line to the G ulf of C arpen taria . I t is like a ll th e Q ueensland railw ays on th e 3 feet 6 inches gauge, w hich answ ers fairly for th is co u n try and its traffic, b u t u ltim a te ly I should th in k a ll th e A u s tra ­lian Colonies w ill adopt the English gauge of 4' 8 £". I noticed that, there w as scarcely any ballast, and th a t the sleepers (tim ber being p len tifu l) w ere la id very close together. W e had the hill ranges close by us a ll th e way, and we g o t back to Tow nsville a w eek a f te r leaving i t , having seen m uch of in te re s t. I t was very fo rtu n a te for m e th a t M r. Jeffray , so largely in te re s ted in the sugar en terp rize an d so ready to help me to see ev ery th ing , w as m y fellow-passenger.

T he ranges of m ountains w e sk ir te d in sa iling from Tow nsville to Cooktown seem to me m ost lik e ly to be th e scenes of coffee, cinchona an d o th e r trop ical cu ltivation : th e C ardw ell d is tr ic t, opposite w hich is H inch inbrook Island , th e Bellenden K er ranges &c. W e could n o t lan d a t C ooktow n. and so I missed seeing a tow n w here th e Chinese largely ou tnum ber th e E u ro ­peans. T h a t is w h a t is d read ed a ll over A ustra lia , b u t I th in k th e d read a needless one. Jo h n C hina­m an comes w here he can g e t gold on th e surface to carry a way, bu t 1 have seen a notice of only one case w here th e C e l stia ls have boldly tack led a reef. W h a t w ith d iam ond drills , borers and o ther m achinery, m y belief is th a t m ining ere long w ill cease to be a precarious p u rsu it, becom ing steadily a n U a rgely p ro­fitable. I do n o t th iu k so poorly of our race as to suppose th a t i t cannot assert a d re ta in its su p e rio rity over th e olive-skinned M ongolians as well as over th e b lack races of A u stra lia an d th e F a c ile Isles. B u t th e a id of th e H in d u cooly is w anted in N o rth e rn Q ueensland a t lea s t—w here suga r can be cu ltiv a ted w ith o u t risk of frost, b u t w ith r isk of fever (to some ex ten t) for th e w hile man.

A m ongst our passengers from Tow nsville w ere a M r. C hester, Police M ag istra te of T h u rsd ay Island , an d a Mr. E llio tt who was proceeding to com plete surveys of th e recen tly discovered port a t P o in t P a rk e r on th e G ulf of C arpen taria . T h a t p o r t prom ises so w ell th a t G eneral f ie ld ing an d p a r ty are now su r ­veying a line for a tran s-co n tin en ta l ra ilw ay to i t , in ­s te ad of the one orig inally p ro jec ted th rough S outh A u s tra lia to P o r t D arw in. T he m erits of th is line to Q ueenslanders are th a t i t w ill ru n en tire ly th ro u g h th e ir ow n te r r ito ry w hile opening access to th e In d ian Ocean. T he S outh A u stra lian G overnm ent have re ­solved to co n s tru c t th e ir line a t th e ra te of £ 200 ,000 p e r annum a t th e u tm ost, from revenue or b o r­row ed m oney. T h is means ten years delay. T heQ ueensland G overnm ent on th e o th e r hand, have sanc­tio n ed th e princip le of paying a p riv a te com pany (who have em ployed G eneral F ielding) by a lte rn a te blocks of lan d on each side of th e railw ay . I t w ill th u s be th e in te re s t of such a com pany to in troduce population to cu ltiv a te th e ir lan es . T he ra ilw ay now finished from Brisbane to R om a w ill be con tinued to th e G ulf of C a rpen taria on th e one h an d an d to th e junction w ith th e N. S. W ales lines on th e o ther, th e lines from R ockham pton, Tow nsville, & c , being jo ined on to th e m ain line. T h e com pletion of such a com pre­hensive schem e w ill give an im m ense im petus to th e p ro sp e rity of every en terp rize in Queensland. I am only giving th e bare outlines of a m agnificent scheme. I f a good p o r t is se ttled , th e on ly o th e r objection is

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th e sw am py n a tu re of th e shore of th e G ulf, from th e confluence of so m any riv ers th ere . On th e v as t sw am ps th e tru e rice p la n t oryza sativa is said to be indigenous, an d M r. A rm it describes m illions of pigeons as feed ing on th e grain . Mr, C hester to ld u s th a t these pigeons, o r o th e r pigeons, flocks of w hich w e saw off th e coast of A ustra lia , cam e across from New G uinea. From th is g re a t island we were only 70 to 90 m iles d is ta n t w hen we landed on T h u rsd ay I-lan d .

M a l t a M e l o n s —A correspondent sends us six m elon seeds received by him from M alta , an d asks u s to give th em a t r ia l in Colombo. W e sha ll do so and report th e resu lt.

G o l d .— T he follow ing s ta te m e n t of th e approx im ate ex p o rt of gold from A u stra lasia , shew s how g rea t has been th e fa lling off in th e S outhern Colonies in the o u t­p u t of th e precious m etal

1873 ... £9 ,369,1201874 ... 7,662,9251875 ... 6.949.5161876 ... 5,793,3741877 ... 7,295,8681878 ... 5,667,0841879 ... 2,403,302

1865 ... £9,553,6401866 ... 9,618,4421867 ... 8,783,4891868 ... 9 351,1911869 ... 10,382,9551870 ... 8,237,3671871 ... 7,605 8981872 ... 7,597,021

L a s t y ea r th e ex p o rt w as la rg er th a n in 1879, b u t i t fell fa r sho rt of th e £10,382,955 of eleven y e a rs p rev io u sly .—M adras M ail.

E n e m y o f L e d g e r ia n a : t h e “ K u -u k .” — In M r. M oens’s rep o rt for 1879 on th e G overnm en t cinchona en terp rize in Ja v a he s ta te d th a t ha lf a bouw of L edgeriana a t R ioen-G oeuoeng h ad been “ e n tire ly d estroyed by th e koe oek, th e larv a of a chafer, w hich h ad chosen th e fine roo tle ts in th is p la n ’a tio n fo r its food.” W e expressed reg re t in a fo o t no te to th is s ta te m e n t th a t th e scientific nam e of th is insect was n o t given. In R igg’s Sundanese D ic tionary w e find th e follow ing exp lanation of th e w ord :— “ K u-uk, a big fu ll-grow n onggret. A lso th e beetle w hich is often found am ong old horse or buffaloe-dung : in th is la t te r sen-e i t is a geofrupes.” “ OnggrU, th e g rub of th e L tg i , a cockchafer called M elolontha vulgaris. T he onggrSt lives in th e ground, and it is a so ft w h ite g ru b w ith sharp red jaw s. I t is one to tw o inches long an d is very destructive to young p lan ts , th e bark of th e roots of w hich i t feeds upon, and in t h e hum ahs, or u p land rice p lan ta tio n s, i t som etim es n ea rly d estroys th e w hole crop by e a tin g off th e young and te n d e r roo ts of th e p a d d y .”

P a p e r P l a t e s . — T he la te s t ap p lica tion of pap er is th e adoption of paper p la tes by some of th e g rea t re s ta u ra n ts an d cafes in Berlin. T he innovation w as firs t in troduced d u rin g th e sum m er of la s t y ea r by th e ad v en tu ro u s lan d lo rd of a m uch frequented open- a ir re s ta u ra n t. E v e ry custom er w ho o rd ered bread an d b u tte r , rolls, cakes, buns, o r sim ilar artic les, had th em se rved to him upon a l i t t le p aper p late , m ade of a lig h t paper-m ach6, adorned w ith a p re tty bo rder in relief an d hav ing a t th e firs t glance a g re a t s im ila rity to porcelain. G uests, w aiters, and hosts w ere a ll p leased w ith th e novelty ; i t saved th e w aiters m any a deduction from th e ir w ages on accoun t of breakages, w hich th e d e fte s t an d c leverest can scarcely avoid w hen he handles hu n d red s of pieces of crockery d u rin g a single a fternoon an d evening. T he paper p la te s w ere so cheap th a t th e lan d lo rd d id n o t care to a sse rt his ow nership over th em , an d his custom ers w ere allow ed to c a rry them aw ay, like th e p re t ty se rv ie ttes of th in pap er used in so m any re s ta u ra n ts in H olland . T here w as also a considerable saving of th e tim e lo s t and th e chance of acc id en t in cu rred in th e cleansing of earthenw are p o tte ry . T he success of th e e x p erim en t has been so m ark ed th a t th e new species of p la tes is like ly to be in troduced in to a g re a t n u m ­ber of re s ta u ra n ts .— The P ap er World.

CINCHONA “ P U B E S C E N S ” : IM PO RTA N T IN FO RM A TIO N .

W e have been reading th e very elaborate and valu­able R eport, ju st published, by Colonel Beddome on the Government N ilgiri p lantations, in which he enters fully on the question of the disputed “ Pubescens,” and comes to the conclusion—in agreem ent more or less w ith Mr. Cross—th a t th is Cinchona is no t a hybrid a t all as supposed by Mr. M clvor, no t even a variety of Officinalis as surmised by Mr. Howard, bu t th a t it is more nearly allied to Succirubra, and will, in reality , m ost likely tu rn out to be identical w ith C. M agnifolia. T he question will shortly be set a t rest, since Colonel Beddome has sent dried specimens of both m agnifolia and the so-called Pubescens to be compared w ith the typical specimens of the various species in Kew H erb­arium . A( first tr ia l shipm ent of “ Pubescens ” bark has also been made by th e M adras Governm ent, the report on which is now due and will be full of in terest. “ Magnifolia ” grown on the Nilgiris has given a favour­able analysis, and so has “ Pubescens,” as shewn by Mr. Howard. Colonel Beddome says of the la tte r (which he believes to be a slight variation of the “ M agnifolia ” species) th a t it is “ very strong growing, and will certainly yield far more bark in a given tim e th an any o ther,” and probably prove to be longer lived ; i t will also grow very high up, flourishing vigorously above7,000 feet a t D odabetta. This is all good news for “ T eja ” and others who are cultivating “ Pubescens ” or “ Magnifolia ” trees ; bu t Colonel Beddome fears th a t a good m any Ceylon planters got seed off Succirubra trees very like th e “ Pubescens,” when they applied for the la tte r. There is a great deal of very valuable inform ation in th is Report extending over some 30 pages foolscap.

CINCHONA C U LTIV A TIO N IN BORNEO .Mr. Loyalty Peake w rites to us from S araw ak :—“ I sha ll be m uch obliged, if you -will give m e th e

follow ing inform ation :—A verage q u a n tity of d ry b a rk from up-"| 2 rg old roo ted succirubra tree J *

q

33 33 >> 3 > 33 ^ f > a\K33 33 > ' 33 33 [V 33 33

also annual q u a n tity lik e ly to be tak en of renew ed b a rk d ry from 6 years of age t i l l 10 years. I am getting on very w ell w ith m y nurseries and hope to have som ething w orth show ing in 18 m on ths’ tim e .”

I t is very difficult to answer Mr. Peake’s enq u iries: p lanters do not uproot or even coppice or strip succi­rubra trees before they are 5 or 6 years old, and as to ‘ average results,’ a great deal of experience will yet have to be p u t together, before we can speak w ith certainty. W e should be inclined to pu t the average yield per tree for succirubra over a large clearing a t from 4 lb. to 5 lb. of dry bark, a t five years old. W e know of 100 trees 14 years old which, when dug up, gave over 16 lb. dry bark on an average (although they had been coppiced twice before). T hen six year old succim bras (choice trees no doubt) have given 12 lb. dry bark each ; while in another case 4,000 trees 6 to 7 years old only gave 12,000 11). dry hark, or 3 lb. each, but these were probably only coppiced. Taking 5 lb. of dry bark as the standard a t five years old

(including root bark) for succirubra trees, Mr. Peake cannot be fa r wrong in counting one pound off o r on for each year. As regards the crop to be got from stripping th e stem between the 6 th and 10 th year, we should be inclined to p u t i t a t an average of £ lb . per tree per annum , if a considerable area were tak en in to account. Selected trees would no doubt give m uch more.

FR O M A D A M 'S P E A K TO M IN N E S O T A :

A C e y l o n P l a n t e r ’s E x p e r i e n c e i n t h e F a r W e s t .

H ero n L ake, Ja ck so n C ounty, M innesota, U .S .A .A ugust 30th.

D e a r S i r ,— I have been in ten d in g to le t you know how w e are g e ttin g on in th is p a rt of th e w orld , an d if you can find r>om, i t m ay, perhaps, in te re s t your readers to hear of some of th e ir Ceylon friends dow n here. I le f t C eylon in N ovem ber 1SS0, tho ro u g h ly d isgusted , a f te r six years’ w ork, w ith bad crops, 1 af disease and reduced screws, an d after s ta y in g a few m onths, in E ngland , decided to t r y m y luck in th e g re a t N orth-W het, an d accordingly sailed by the “ B o th n ia ,” C unard Line, in com pany wdth ano ther Ceylon num. A fter being ro lled about for abo u t n ine days, we a rrived in N ew Y ork, an d a f te r a ve ry sh o rt stay proceeded to St. P a u l’s, th e cap ita l of M innesota, w here w e w ere forced to rem ain abou t tw o weeks, on account of th e severe ra in s an d th e floods caused by th e m elting of th e v as t quan tities of snow, an d th e lines being curried away th ereb y . A fte r n early com m itting su icide several tim es, we a t la s t w ere able to p ro­ceed to H eron L ik e , a sm all tow n 160 m iles d is ta n t, w here mv frien d ’s p a r tn e r had a lready purchased lan d an d b u ilt a good house. On a rriv in g a t H eron Lake, w e found we had s tru ck a tem perance tow n, w ith a good ho tel and bar b u t no liquor. N ever sha ll I fo rget the feelings I experienced on d riv ing o u t th e four miles, th e w hole p ra irie u nder w ater, and slush u p to th e axle-tree, and in very t r u th I agreed w ith th e m an w ho had to ld me his firs t im pression of th e locality w as th a t “ it w as th e last place commenced ju s t before knock ing off w ork on th e evening of the s ix th day, an d th a t th e A lm ig h ty had n o t th o u g h t of finishing i t since .”

On arriv ing at th e m igh ty river Des M oines (usually a s tream some 8 f t. wide), w e found a s tre tch of w ater abou t half a mile b road and had to g e t our baggage and selves across in a p u n t by m eans of a pole. On arriv ing , we found ourselves well repaid by th e sp lendid accom m odation p rov ided us by M r. K .’s house­keeper, a nice A m erican lady . N e x t day , we w ent and called on M r. P ., an o th er C eylon m an who had purchased a nice farm , w ith some fine heavy tim b er a r u u d h ish o u se . H is h ab ita tion was b e tte r th an m any a S. D .’s bungalow , b u t as he w as liv ing by h im self in th e house we could h a rd ly co ngra tu la te h im on its appearance, though he inform ed us be h ad been “ p u ttin g i t to r ig h ts a ll th e m orn ing .” I t consisted of tw o rooms, th e o u te r one being used as a sto re for In d ian corn. T he w in ­dow s of th e bedroom w ere, in some cases, ig n o ran t of th e existence of glass, an d w hile conversing w ith th e w o rth y p ro p rie to r a hen flew in an d la id an egg in h is unm ade bed. T he co lt took a s tro ll in to th e o ther room , and, h av ing been satisfied w ith a good round feed of corn re tired . A w ren h ad b u ilt i ts nes t in a p a ir of trow sers bung behind th e door, and was qu ite happy. In fact, everyone and ev ery th in g seem ed to be on the m ost friend ly footing.

As spring advanced th in g s began to look b e tte r , and th e dead grass having been b u rn t off gave place to a rich green fo r m iles round you. H av in g tho ro u g h ly investigated m a tte rs , I cam e to th e conclusion th a t one m igh t w ith care m ake m oney an d live happ ily here. So I in v ested in a piece

of land conveniently s itu a ted w ith regard to th e railw ay, and have since been jo ined by a friend, w ho in tends tak in g a share w ith m e. I can thorough ly recom m end th e co u n try to young fellows of sm all cap it­a l (say £ 1,000 ) and steady h ab its, an d w ho are no t a fra id to rough i t a b it a t first. I have a m an to h e lp in th e farm w ork, aud h is wife ru n s th e house. Society, as m igh t be expected , is in a very p rim itive s ta te . A d ir ty p longhboy (know s n o t th e use of a fork and commences his a ttack on th e b u tte r b y firs t c leaning h is knife in h is m outh), a shoeless and stockingless in d iv id u a l called a wom an (who does not possess such an a rtic le as a comb), and a species of verm in designated a child , m ake u p th e num ber around the festive board . D inner in th is co u n try is cooked in ten m inutes and consum ed in th ree-and- a-half m inutes. A nother-one-and-half m inu te m ay be allowed for cleaning up , afier you have finished the m eal th a t has been th row n a t you about 12 o'clock. These are, perhaps, d isadvantages. On th e o th e r hand, th e re is p len ty of s p o r t : duck, geese and p ra irie chicken abounding in th is locality , and a decent shot m ay alw ays du ring the season procure his five or six b irds of an eve­n ing after work. U nbroken p ra irie land may be procured from the R ailroad Com pany a t §0 ( £ 1) V? acre, and im proved farm land w ith buildings, a decen t house, barn, a n d g ranary for ab o u t §10 (~~j per acre. W e are m ostly going in for stock-raising , for th is line of farm ing is m ore rem unera tive th a n grain, w hich re ­quires more hired labour, which is ex trem ely expensive, a m an h ired by th e m onth receiving from $'20 to $25 p e r m onth, and ano ther d o lla r an d a q u a r t r for his team . In h arv est tim e, these figures rise considerably. T h e re are now in th is v ic in ity live Ceylon men, besides tw o previously in th e O. B. C. B ank in C a l­c u t ta and M auritius, and tw o or th re e o th er E nglish­m en. W e are g e ttin g along very w ell, an d here one alw ays has a hom e, w ith good sp o rt and good h ealth , and can alw ays m ake a liv ing a t th e w o rst of tim es, w hich is m ore th a n one can say of Ceylon. W e hope soon to see m any friends from th e o ld island an d E ngland, and I hope you will le t some of those 400 p lan te rs o u t of b ille ts know th a t th e re is such a place as H eron Lake, an d th a t with n o t less th an £ 1,000 , and a l i t t le d iscom fort perhaps, one can be very jo lly in th is ben ighted country .

W e w ill le t you hear from tim e to tim e, and in some fu tu re le t te r I will fo rw ard you an es tim ate of ex­p en d itu re an d re tu rn s . M eanw hile, w ith salaam s, yours tru ly , D o t a l a .

C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N IN C E Y L O N : G O V E R N M E N T VS. P R IV A T E A N A L Y T IC A L

C H E M IST S .THE MADULSIMA COMPANY TO HAVE TH EIR OWN CHEMIST.

K andy, 1st O ctober 18S1. [T he Secretary to th e P la n te rs ’ Association of Ceylon

sends us for pub lication “ copy of th e correspondence on th e sub jec t of th e pronosed ap po in tm en t of a G overn­m e n t cinchona bark an a ly st a t H akjjala w ith a view to carry on experim ental cu ltiv a tio n . ’]

T he H on. th e C olonial Secretary , Colombo.S i r ,— I have th e honor to inv ite th e a lten tio n of

G overrim eut to th e annexed copy of a resolu tion passed a t a recen t m eeting of th e P lan te rs’ Association, and t r u s t th a t i t m ay receive th e ea rly and favorable con­side ra tio n of H is Excellency th e G overnor.— I am , &c.,

(Signed) A. P h i l i p , Secretary. Resolution referred to :— “ T h a t in view of th e large

area of land now p lan ted w ith cinchona, and of the fa c t th a t th e clim ate and soil in m any p a rts of Ceylon are well su ited to i ts successful cu ltiva tion , G overnm ent be requested to appo in t a b a rk analyst a t H akgala , w ith a view to carry on experim ental c u ltiv a tio n .”

C olonial S ec re ta ry ’s Office, Colombo, 13th O ctober 1881.S ir ,—W i th reference to yo u r le t te r of th e 1st

in s ta n t, I am d irec ted to tra n sm it to you th e enclosed copy of an ex tra c t from a le t te r from M r. T hi=elton D y er.— I am . sir, y o u r obed ien t se rvan t,

(Signed) G eo, T . M. O ’B r i e n , f o r Col. Secy.A . P h ilip , E sq ., Secre tary , P la n te rs ’ Association.

(E xtract referred, to.)D r. T rim en is undoubted ly c o r r c t in th in k in g th a t

no a t te m p t shou ld he m ade to com bine th e d u ties of th e a ssis ta n t d ire c 'o r w ith those of a chem ist. T here can be no d o n b t th a t in th e p re se n t s ta te of th e cinchona industry , th e services of a chem ist on th e spo t w ould be of g re a t advan tage to th e p lam ers. M r. K arslake , one of th e D irecto rs of th e M adulsim a C om pany, has com m unicated w ith Kew upon th e su b ­jec t. B u t i t w as obviously im possible to g ive him any encouragem ent in th e idea th a t th is w as a m a t­te r in w hich th e C eylon G overnm ent could be ex­pected to bear th e expense. T he C om pany have th e re ­fore in tim ated th e ir in ten tio n of send ing o u t a chem ist to receive a sa lary of £600 a year w ith a house an d free passage, a u d M r. K arslake has been p u t in to com m unication w ith one of th e lead ing officers of th e C hem ical Society in o rd er to se lec t a su itab le person. I am m ere p a rticu la rly to m ention th is circum stance in o rd er to show the ra te a t w hich th e m a rk e t value of scientific services is e s tim ated b y p riv a te em ployers.

I t is obvions, of course, th a t only m en w ith large cap ita l can offer te rm s such as these, 'th e m em bers of th e P la n te rs ’ A ssociation m igh t, how ever, com ­bine to em ploy a chem ist for th e ir jo in t asei-tance ; an d S ir Joseph H ooker has a lready suggested th a t , if th is w ere done, th e G overnm ent m ig h t assist by affording labo ra to ry accom m odation in th e Colombo M useum .

S A L E O F L E D G E R IA N A S E E D IN COLOM BO.T h is day (12th O ct.) M r. Sym ons h ad an o th e r sale

of J a v a L edgeriana seed w ith th e follow ing re su lt :—

5 boxes, each contain ing 2 gram

53 »> a a3 „

H a a a

3 ” ” ”6 II H 11

53 boxes.

an d a t an average of P.47'50 p er tw o gram s, i t w ould be R712'50 p er oz. troy .

A fter the sale of L edgeriana seed, th e following lo ts of o th e r cinchona seeds w ere sold to -day 3 | oz. officinalis a t R 6 per oz., 1J succirub ra a t R31 p e ro z . from th e sam e G ardens.

E . R ,65 p er box 32555 5554 27052 26050 15046 13845 22544 13243 47342 16841 12340 ,, 200

R 2,519troy , an d say

T h e I n d ia n T e a C r o p . — T h e K um aon co rre sponden t o f th e D elhi Gazette w rites :— “ T he te a crop will, I b e ­lieve, be w ith in th e average, ow ing to th e te rr ib le sm ash­ing so m any es ta tes go t from th e hailsto rm s in M ay last. One in particu la r, abo u t w hich I w ro te a t th e tim e, stan d in g ra th e r high, has never recovered th e m auling i t th e n got. '1 he expected o u ttu rn p er acre w as 2 J m aund ; th e ac tu a l o u ttu rn w ill n o t exceed I f m au n d .” *

CARDAMOM CUTIVATION

is rapidly extending, and with good reason, in both high and low country d istric ts in Ceylon. R e turns of close on 400 lh. per acre of a crop which sells a t from 5s to 8s per lb., m ust leave a m argin of profit sufficient to induce a general rush in to th is m ost pro­fitable of new products. Cardamoms are among the best-prized of spices in th e world—far-fam ed as “ grains of paradise ”— and they will always continue to be much valued. B u t even if the average price fell to 2s per lb., the cultivation will pay well. W ith care and under favourable circum stances, it is believed a crop up to 600 lb. per acre can be gathered in our p lan t­ing districts in Ceylon. H itherto th e great cry has been for “ bulbs,” and high prices have been paid for these w ith considerable expense for transport, and trouble and uncertain ty about the transplanting . B ut i t is now found th a t propagation can be m ade quite as readily, indeed, w ith bette r results from seed, which are from one-fourth to one-tenth the cost. Bulbs have •old as high as 25 rupees per 1,000; indeed, we have heard of an estate in R akw ana against which, includ­ing carriage, the cost of a thousand bulbs ru n up to nearly n inety ru p e e s! Now, thanks to local enterprise and careful experim ents, germ inated seed which can be sen t per post anywhere in sm all tin-boxes are available a t no more th an three rupees per 1,000! H ere we have another illustration of the success which is likely to a ttend th e cultivation of new products in Ceylon under E uropean skill and enterprise. The Mysore native who had been ‘ cardamom planting ’ all his life smiled (in scorn doubtless) over his m aste r’s idea th a t seed could be got to supersede the clumsy and uncertain b u lb s; bu t like so m any of h is countrym en he now feels he has learned som ething from “ m aster ” which neither he nor his fathers nor grandfathers seem to have known before. I n one case the p lan ts grown from seed have succeeded fa r more satisfactorily and rapidly th an those grown from bulbs a t ten tim es the expense. The plan adopted is to place the seed in drills in the nursery bed, the said drills being simply drawn w ith the finger or scratched w ith a stick. The young p lan ts will soon be ready for the transplanter, while their removal to the clearing need no t take p lace u n til they are a good size and sufficiently hardy.

In recently compiling the pam phlet “ All about Carda­m om s,” we overlooked useful inform ation given by one au thority w ith special m eans of gaining experience, namely, Mr. R. H . E llio t, “ the Mysore P lan te r ,” who has a long chapter on Cardam om -planting. I t is chiefly based, however, on Mr. Ludlow’s “ M em orandum ,” from which we ourselves quoted fully, bu t Mr. E llio t adds some resu lts of practical experience. T he following are th e rules observed by the natives of Coorg in carda­mom p la n tin g :—

1 .— Select land th a t is dam p, and, if possible, w ith a stream or tw o ru n n in g th rough it.

2 .—In clearing for cardam om s, cu t aw ay th e u n d e r­wood and fell a large tree here an d there .

3 .— B urn th e underw ood when th re e p a r ts d ry , so th a t th e bu rn ing m ay be as lig h t as possible.

4 — P its to be dug a foot deep, and a foot an d a h a lf w ide, and about th ree fee t ap a rt, an d th ese to be carefu lly filled w ith to p soil.

5 .—In C utting th e bulb , ta k e sufficient for th e sp rin g ­

ing of th re e m ore shoots, an d ta k e g re a t care n o t to hack or in ju re th e bu lb in an y way.

6 .— T he p a r t c u t off for tra n sp la n tin g is n o t to be p lan ted deep, n o r are th e shoo ts to be cu t.

7.— Should th e new shoots han g dow n, th e y a re to be tied to g e th e r an d a su p p o rt given.

8 .— T he p lan ts to be regu larly weeded.9 .— W hen th e p la n t comes in to bearing , a ll th e

racem es shou ld be la id o u t above the fa llen leaves an d rubbish .

1 0 .—In clearing w o ttee sw am ps ( th e w o ttee is a species of l&mboo w hich grow s in clum ps), a clum p of w ottees to be left a t in tervals.

11. — The stem of the cardam om -plan t is n o t to be heaped round w ith fallen leaves, m ould , o r rubb ish .

12.— A fte r th e cardam om s have been p icked, th e racem es th a t have borne to be rem oved, an d o ld shoots to be c u t off.

13.—T he cardam om s to be p lan ted early in th e m on­soon.

Mr. E llio t’s m anager has acted on th e above system with a perfectly satisfactory resu lt, bu t he adds :•—

T he p rincipal difference betw een th is system and th a t p u rsu ed in Coorg seem s to lie in th e fac t th a t th e underw ood w ith us is b u rn t, w hile in the Coorg account no m ention of bu rn in g is m ade. W ith us, too, some a t te m p t is m ade to tra n sp la n t, and till up th e land re g u la r ly ; w hile no such a t te m p t seem s to have been m ade in Coorg. T hen th e m ethod of p ick ­ing seem s to differ. T he Coorgs seem to m ake a clean sw eep a t th e ou tse t, and a t th e sam e tim e re ­m ove th e racem es th a t have borne crop W e pick th e r ip es t seeds a t firs t, and th en go over th e clear­ing a second tim e, w hen th e rem ainder of th e crop is rem oved, and th e bearing racem es are th en ta k e n off.

M y m anager in In d ia , is decided ly of opinion th a t young p lan ts are much to be prefe rred to rem oving bu lbs from those t h a t have been long grow ing. H e is also of opinion th a t , in rem oving a p o rtio n of th e bulb , as m uch shou ld be rem oved as to give th ree or four shoots ; so th a t, in ca-e one shou ld ro t, you w ould have th e o th ers to fail back o n . A no ther reason for doing th is is th a t th e eyes on th e bulb lie so close to g e th e r th a t , if you tr ie d to rem ove only one, i t is probab le th a t th e coolies w ould in ­ju re several in cu ttin g i t cu t, and you w ould, th e re ­fore, lose th e m o ther-p lan t, and ru n every chance of losing th e one rem oved fo r tran sp lan ta tio n .

W e have as y e t m ade no a t te m p t a t m anuring th e p lan ts , as w h a t l i t t le we have p la n te d have borne lit t le , an d do n o t seem to req u ire it. N o r have I ever heard of an a tte m p t being m ade to m anure th is p la n t o therw ise th a n w ith th e vegetab le m ould, or top soil of th e jung le. T here are, besides, consider­able difficulties in the w ay of m anuring , on account of th e rugeed n a tu re of th e g round in these jung les, an d th e consequent difficulty of tra n sp o r tin g m anure of any sort. N or does i t seem to me th a t a lig h t seed like th e cardam om can rem ove so m uch from th e soil as to call fo r an y o th e r m anure th a n th e vegetable m ould w hich can be so read ily p rocured .

According to Mr. Ludlow (who had gained h is ex­perience as A ssistant Conservator of Forests in Mysore),

1 the cardamom p lan t can “ be grown from seed, and adm its of transp lan tation , bu t will not las t long except in a thoroughly congenial soil.” As regards fru it-bear­ing, Mr. Ludlow says :—

O ne rhizom e w ill o ften have over tw e n ty stem s, an d , as these d ie off, (and th e y seldom la s t longer th a n seven or e ig h t years), fresh ones spring u p to supp ly th e ir place. T he f ru it is occasionally borne on th e u p p e r p a r t of th e stem , b u t th is is ex trem ely rare , and I m ay m ention th a t in M unzerabad I have never seen or h eard of an instance of th is d ep a rtu re

from th e o rd inary h a b it of th e p lan t. W h en from one stem four racem es are th ro w n ou t, i t is called b y th e natives th e tru e o r fu ll crop ; if th re e only , th ree -q u a rte r crop ; if tw o, ha lf c ro p ; an d if one only, q u a rte r crop. O ne raceme w ill have from eig h t to fou rteen branches, and each b ranch from th re e to six pedioels. W hen th e p la n t is grow n und er th e m ost favourable conditions, these b ranches are grow n close to g e th e r ; w hen, how ever, th e con­d itions are unfavourable, th e racem es are long an d w eak, and th e branches fa r apart.A nd on th is M r. E llio t rem arks :—

I t seems to me th a t one of the firs t th ings to be done tow ards im proving cardam om cu ltiv a tio n is to propagate th e v arie ty w hich produces seeds 011 th e u pper p a rt of th e stem . I t is obvious th a t th e y ield p er acre can never be very g rea t as long as w e have to depend on th e o rd inary w ay in w hich th e p lan t bears ; b u t if w e can procu re p lan ts w hich w ill bear above as w ell as below, th e cu ltiv a tio n w ould a t once be placed on a m uch m ore sa tisfacto ry footing. A no ther advan tage will be th a t a p o rtion of th e seeds w ouln n o t be so liable to th e a tta c k s of ra ts and verm id as th e y are a t present.

W e had lately sent to us by a resident in of M atale a fine specimen of cardamom w ith the flower on the upper p art of the stem.

A lthough we th ink it well to m ake these quotations from Mr. E llio t’s book to supplem ent the inform ation already collated, yet it is evident th a t in India they are far behind us in respect of the cultivation of cardamoms, since Mr. Ludlow sta tes th a t only 28 lb. of crop can be regularly got from an acre ! N 0 doubt th is was from the spontaneous jungle growth, bu t unless Coorg planters can now m ultiply th is re tu rn by nearly tw enty, they had better come to C eylon and see how some hundreds of pounds’ weight of cardamoms can be raised per acre.

A very im portant point to the cultivator of th is spice is the extent of the m arket available. I t is but a spice, though an extremely useful one, a fter all. In India and the E a s t generally, i t is universally used in cooking. In Europe the consum ption is small, save in Turkey, where i t is said an alm ost unlim ited field for consumption prevails. No doubt th is refers to all M uhammadan countries from Turkey to India , and it is therefore p retty evident th a t the cardamom planter in Ceylon need no t be afraid of the price falling below his lim it of profitable re tu rn for a good m any years to come, even should cultivation extend to some th o u ­sands of acres in Ceylon.

T H E PR O G R ESS O F ;C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N IN T H E D IS T R IC T S O F M A D D L SIM A

A N D H E W A E L IY A .

( B y H . C o t t a m .)

R a p id progress has been m ade in these ■ far-off d is tr ic ts of th e C entral P rovince in th e m aking of n u r ­series and th e p lan tin g o u t of cinchona of every varie ty in troduced in to Ceylon from In d ia and Jav a , from th e fam ous L edgerianas of M essrs. M oens and G am m ie down to th e h a rd y succirubra self-sown am ongst th e coffee. N o sooner does th e v isito r to M adulsim a arriv e in th e d is tric t th an a fine g row th of succirubra m ay be seen above and below th e road, filling up th e vacancies and checking w ash on steep ridges, and ravines an d form ­ing qu ite a new fea tu re in th e appearance of A m ana- dova es ta te , the g rand en trance to M adulsim a, Officinalis

123

th riv e s w ell here, and M essrs. C ockburn an d B ow ie8 successful p lan tin g of la s t season of bo th v a r ie tie are som eth ing to be p roud of, especially th e ten ac r clearing of officinalis, w ithou t a fa ilu re and w ell-grow n for its age. Above th is m odel officinalis clearing , an extension is in course of p rep ara tio n by M r. Bow les fo r th e com ing season’s p lan ting , and large nu rseries are ready w ith h ardened p lan ts of th e sam e varie ty .

W e th en en te r A hnie M allie under an avenue of fine grow n succirubra trees m easuring ab o u t tw o fee t in circum ference and some of th em 15 feet h igh , a m agnificent g ro w th an d h ea lth y trees. P assing m ore nurseries an d fields of coffee p lan ted u p w ith bo th varieties, p rincipally officinalis of la s t season, and a portion of V erelle P a tta n n ie also d o tted w ith cinchonas, G aloolla c learing is soon reached, an a d d itio n to 13 acres of cinchona succirubra , well spoken of as w orth a v isit. W ith th e new clearing now being roaded an d d ra ined fo r cinchona, G aloolla w ill m ake a good show a t some fu tu re tim e.

B a tta w a tte possesses a handsom e succirubra clearing of 22 acres and Dooinoo fine specim ens of trees m easu r­ing betw een 20 an d 23 inches of fine grow th . M r. M ason in ten d s p lan tin g h is a lread y valuab le es ta te w ith 100,000 cinchonas, an d B a tta w a tte a sim ilar num ber am ongst coffee. Coodadova has m ade g ia n t strides an d was early in th e field w ith sever >1 good varieties. Of course, th e w hole of th is esta te w'ill be p lan ted , and th e C om pany m ay be cong ra tu la ted on possessing th e services of an energetic, p a in s ta k in g superin ten d en t in M r. W a lte r S tew art.

A b e lt of jung le divides th e above es ta te from U v a- kelle , and here m ay be seen a fine field of su c c iru b ra ; some of th e o ldest trees in th e d is tr ic t, full g row n an d sc a tte rin g seed broadcast. Some m onths ago, w hen I passed th ro u g h th is field, m illions of seedlings w ere springing up und er th e trees, c learly p rov ing th e su itab ility of both clim ate and soil for c inchona On U vakelle a sm all clearing is being lined and d ra in ed for th e com ing season T h is e s ta te w ill p robab ly be e n tire ly p lan ted , judg ing from th e supply of p la n ts in th e nurseries and u n d e r the trees, th o u g h I have n o t seen th e nurseries la te ly . M ahadova an d A uckland con­tr ib u te la rgely to th e enterprize, bo th being in c lu d ed in th e C inchona Com pany, whose operations will p re sen tly be noticed , and fu ll justice done. A uckland is w ell w o rth a v isit—p re tt ily s itu a te d as th e e s ta te is, w ith its park-like p a tan a lands and clum ps of jung le, fine clim ate, elevation , an d beautifu l views. T he cinchona h ere is a g rea t success an d does M r. H . C. P lum rid g e considerable cred it, considering th a t th e e s ta te w as n o t th e n p a r t of th e C om pany’s p ro p e rty , and c in ­chona cu ltu re in th e d is tr ic t w as in its infancy. Shaw lands can show some of th e b es t varie ties doing w ell and p lan ted in separa te c le a r in g s : Ledgers,E m elina Calisaya, officinalis, pubescens, an d fine-grown succirubra trees in th e o ld clearing, extensive n u r ­series of a ll varieties, and v irg in soil to s ta r t th e ir g row th. D oonhcendekellie shou ld grow' good sam ples, th e soil and clim ate being w ell su ited to th e rap id g ro w th of m any varieties of cinchona. F o rest H ill grow s succi­ru b ra well, and th e re is a clearing being got read y for th e com ing season. Y apham i o r Y apum e e s ta te has ex tensive nurseries, and fine o ld trees bearing seed of good quality . T he w hole of th is es ta te w ill be eventually p lan ted up, as also th e o th e r p roper­ties of th e sam e p rop rie to r in th is d is tr ic t, D orap o th a an d Quedgeley. So far, we have review ed a ll th e esta tes in upper M adulsim a, a ll of w hich, w ith o u t one exception, are push ing fo rw ard th e cinchona en terp rize , B anchory and D evenick included.

Before we dive in to s ta tis tic s and figures, from thousands to m illions (!), we w ill ta k e a s tro ll th ro u g h H ew a E liy a d istric t. Passing th e neat li t t le hosp ita l und er th e inspec­tion of D r. C hellappah (who ad m in isters th e precious b a rk to fever-stricken p a tien ts , though th ey are com paratively

few in so h ea lth y a d istr ic t), we em erge from a belt of juugle d iv id ing the d is tr ic ts in to W ew ebedde or Tavalam palassi, being near th e o u tle t to Lunu- gala, w here a c a rt road w as traced, once upon a tim e. C inchona cu ltiva tion is progressing on th is e s ta 'e ; 100,000, including some valuable Emelinas, being p u t o u t and ready for p lan tin g du ring th e coming season.

D unedin, ano ther of the C om pany’s esta tes is to he fu lly p lan ted . H ith e rto th e varie ty p lan ted here was succirubra, an d roughly estim ated a t 275 ,000; th e re are o th er k inds inc lud ing a few7 Ledgers.

A scending to a considerable heigh t, w e th en reach th e far-fam ed Cocogalia, and th e crack L edger field, so often refe rred to in th e colum ns of th e Observer, closely p lan ted , and well covering th e ground. The L edger field c-.m be d istin c tfy seen a g rea t d istance off, beim / of a b rig h te r green foliage th a n th e officinalis above it . T h is valuable aud handsom e clearing contains forty thousand Ledgers, and, includ ing th e officinalis, 50 acres a t 5,000 p lan ts per acre, gives us 250,000 of fine specim ens of w ell-grow n an d best v arie ty of valuable cinchona. W hen passing th rough th is unequalled field, I could only see th ree p lan ts dead in th e q u a r te ro fa m illion! T h e new clearings are now being d ra ined and roaded for the reception of some 60,000 m ore Ledgerianas, m aking one hundred thousand in all ra ised from Ja v a and Ind ian seed, th e old Ledgers being those of M r. M oens, and those in th e n u rsery ra ised from Mr. Gam m ie’s seed. T here seems l it t le difference in appearance. In fact th e aMe m anager of th is d ivision of th e C om pany's estates has succeeded in raising tine beds of Ledgersfrom cu ttin g s ! In add ition to th e possession of a com pact cinchona p lan tation , th e w hole of Cocogalia esta te will be p lan ted w ith cinchona. A t presen t, th e re are abo u t half-a- m illion cinchonas in th e lines of coffee doing rem ark ab ly well.

New F<-rest contains some 500,000, or half-a-m illion, trees. S ay Cocogalia and New F orest betw een them con­ta in over 1,200 000, m any of w hich are a lready 24 inches in circum ference, and officinalis raised from A bbotsford seed, fine, s tra ig h t, sym m etrical, sm ooth-harked, handsom e trees add ed to th is some 750,000 (three- q u a rte r of a m illion) p lan ts in th e n u rse ry of valuable k in d s m aking a sum to ta l of abo u t 2,275,000 cinchona trees of varieties on Cocogalia, N ew Forest, and D unedin. M uch m ay be learned by a v is it to these clearings an d nurseries. T he modus operandi is sim ply perfection ; well-m ade beds, shaded from th e aun, by su b s tan tia l sheds ; th e p rick ing o u t beds covered by ferns, an d coolies em ployed repicking over, and refern ing , w atering, and every care tak en to make th e en terp rize a success.

N ow, allow ing th a t tb e C inchona Com pany alone possesses 4,000,000 of p lan ts of a ll k in d s b y C hristm as w ell advanced, and p lan t o u t an o th e r tw o m il­lions, m ak ing six m illio n s ; su re ly th e re s t of th e d is tr ic t, which now possesses over tw o m illions, can p u t o u t from th e ir ex tensive nurseries ano ther two m illons, m aking up th e round te n m illions for th e d is­tric ts of M adulsim a and H ew a E li)a , including th e L unugala esta tes. Before leaving H ew a E liya, we m u st have a peep over th e ridge, passing th rough Hewa E liya, E lem ane, an d R a th k e le esta tes. T hese p roperties contain half-a-m illion cinchonas sc a tte red about : 35,000, 300,000, and 172,000 respectively , o r a to ta l of 507,000, includ ing 8 acres under shade,4,000 Ledgers, and 160,000 in coffee on R a th k e le es ta te , w here ex tensive fencing has been carried o u t to keep ca ttle from in tru d in g .

T hrough ano ther b e lt of jungle, th e b rid le pa th , obscured ir<>m the sun ’s rays by g igan tic keena trees, brings us o u t on to th e vas t u n d u la tin g p a tan a lands adjo in ing R oseberry e s ta te , w here one m igh t alm ost fancy one’sself on a sheep ru n in New S outh W ales.

R oseberry e s ta te grow s very fa ir succirubra , and a

g re a t q u a n tity is p u t dow n a lready w ith nu rseries in reserve. Crossing an o th e r range, we en te r tb e U va es ta te , a fine prom ising p ro p e rty bo th fo r i ts coffee (alm ost free from disease) an d cinchona succirubra.

A t some fu tu re tim e, we can speak of th e su itab ili­t y of th e lan d below th is e s ta te in th e neighbour- hood of B in tenn i ta n k , for th e p roduction of new products, b u t w ill confine th is a rtic le to cinchona only.

T he first cinchona e s ta te proper, th a t is, th e firs t lan d devoted e n tire ly to th e cu ltiva tion of th e bark , was T he P a rk near L unugala opened by M essrs. P u lten ey an d F fanshaw . A n o th er en tire cinchona e s ta te called Seafield is s itu a ted near Y apam e, and th e fam ous K ehelw atte possesses one of th e finest nurseries of a ll k inds, inc lud ing pubescens, and p lan ted 10 acres succirubra, four acres officinalis and a considerable q u an tity sc a tte red am ongst th e coffee. Y apham e e s ta te w e m entioned before as p roducing good seed, th e re are also n in e acres of succirubra p lan ted here. K osgahadow a and M ausa an d Lunuvissa estates I d id n o t v isit, b u t th e y a ll con ta in a p ro ­p o rtion of cinchona and nurseries. C lifton and M el­rose an d o th er new es ta tes dow n th e B a ttica loa road near L unugala : M edam pitiya, G alboda, and T illycairn near Passara. H an ip h a e s ta te has m ade progress an d a clearing is in course of p repara tion for th is season. S t. M ary ’s esta te m igh t be called in M adulsim a. A ll have cinchona grow ing m ore o r less.

N ow to come to s ta tis tic s . T he follow ing e s ta tesare opening up clearings for C hristm as p lan ting

G aloolla 50 acres of officinalis.Cocogalia 21 L edgers & officinalis.W evabedde 5 Calisayas.Foreet H ill 12 officinalis.Seafield 60 succirubra.K eh e lw a tte 46 pubescens and succ.H an ipha 25 C ondam inea.Shaw lands 35 C alisayas &c.

254 acres (E. & O. E .)

T here m ay be a few m ore clearings inc lud ing a sm all one a t U vakelle an d an o th e r a t A m anadova, m aking over th ree hu n d red acres. P la n te d say5,000 to th e acre, equal to one an d a h a lf m illion, a considerable help to th e rough estim ate of te n m illions fo r M adulsim a an d H ew a E liya. N ow su p ­posing ten thou san d acres a re b ro u g h t in to cu ltiv ­ation , in round num bers, (§> 1,000 cinchona p lan ts p er acre, we arrive a t te n m illions. Therefore, con­sidering th a t 5.000 per acre is th e u su a l th in g , th e su rp lus 4,000 p er acre over a large a rea m ake up for coffee n o t p lan ted w ith cinchona. T he n ex t th in g to consider is th e p rice o r value per average tree , according to age an d soil and v a rie ty of b a rk cu ltiv a ted . W e b ear of 7 y ear o ld trees realizing th e enorm ous sum of R40 or £ 4 ste rling . A ccording to such a calculation , fo r ty millions sterling w ould be raised, enough to m ake one’s h a ir s ta n d on end to co n tem p la te !

T he question is w h a t w ould be a fa ir average price. L e t u s say R 5 or te n sh illings per tree , and w e realize five m illions of pounds s te rling . T hen descend to five sh illings p er average tree, and we g e t tw o m illions, five h u n d red thou san d pounds s te r l in g ; eq u i­v alen t to tw o shillings an d sixpence per tree, one m illion, tw o hu n d red and fifty pounds sterling . W e m ust d raw th e line a t R1 ‘25 or half-a-crown for crown b a rk , and th en we g e t £125 p er acre o r R 1,250—tw ice as good a p rospect for p lan ters as coffee cu ltiva tion w ith o u t leaf disease.

Two hu n d red thou san d acres of cinchona in th e C entra l P rov ince of Ceylon, con ta in ing a t th e ra te of ten m illions to every te n thousand acres o r tw o hu n d red m illions of cinchona trees, valuing, say, on ly one ru p ee p er tree or tw o h u n d red m illions of rupees, or £ 2 0 ,COO,OOq s te rling , four tim es th e value of one m illion cw t. . 0£

coffee a t 100 shillings p e r cw t. !! W ill our G overn ­m e n t stan d still w ith such a prospect and say no railw ay for th e p resen t ? A re th e p lan te rs to wear them selves o u t firs t an d spend a ll th e ir money to prove to th e G overnm ent th a t cinchona will pay, and th a t coffee w ill be im proved b y the roo ting up of I he cinchona, an d tonic m anure from falling leaves? I f th e Chinese give u p opium for cinchona, th e re w ill be l i t t le fear of g lu ttin g th e m ark e t w ith a population of 400,000,000 of Chinese. One th in g th e y m ay do, and th a t is, se t to work an d c u ltiv a te cinchona them selves, as th e Y ankees are t r y ­in g te a in Georgias. W hatever price quin ine s tands a t, it will always he a drug in th e m arket ! I have no personal in te re s t in b ring ing to public notice th e g reat progress m ak ing in th e cu ltiv a tio n of cinchona, beyond wishing to cheer up desponding b rother-p lan- te rs in these h a rd days of leaf disease an d low prices of coffee, and an o b structive policy d isp layed on th e p a r t of th e C eylon G overnm ent in delay ing railw ay extension.

Passara, 30th Septem ber, 18s !.

H . H . T H E M A H A R A JA H O F JO H O R E ’S T EA A N D C O F F E E G A R D E N S .

W e w ould recom m end a ll w ho ta k e an in te re s t in p lan tin g to d riv e over to T anjong P u tr i , J chore, and m ake an inspection of th e te a and • coffee p lan ta tio n of H . I I . th e M aharajah of Johore. I t w ill show th o se in te rested w h a t can be done in these tw o p ro ­ducts , and enable th em to form some es tim ate of w h at th e o rd inary soil of th e co u n try in low lan d s is cap ­ab le of producing. T he p lan ta tio n in question m ay be term ed an experim en ta l one. I t is w ith in tw o or th re e m iles of th e tow n, and th e re a re abo u t tw o acres of tea. an d th e sam e am ount of coffee p lan ted . T h e coffee is L iberian , and th e trees are ab o u t tw o years old. T he p lan ts are six o r eight fee t h igh , and th e b ranches cover a circle of abo u t te n fee t in d iam eter, T hey are one and a ll loaded w ith berries in d ifferen t stages of ripeness. So covered w ith b e r­ries are th ey th a t i t w ill p robably be necessary to th in them , and i t is som ew hat su rp ris in g to lea rn th a t , a lthough th e g round has been used by gam bier an d pepper growers, no m anure has been req u ired for th e coffee. T he te a has been p lan ted q u ite recen tly , an d a po rtion of th e p lan ts have been c u t abo u t one m on th and show a w onderfu l g row th of young leaves w hich, as is p re t ty genera lly know n, produce th e finest q u a lity of tea . V arious k in d s of te a p lan ts have been p lan ted together, b u t th e b u lk of th e seeds cam e from th e In d ian te a countries, though a ll of th e p lan ts seem equally healthy and strong. On th e ground th e re is a shed for cooking an d preparing th e te a leaves. T he k iln d ried tea is very sim ilar to Assam , an d th e same leaves sun-dried give a decoction sim ilar to th e te a used by th e C hinese. In both cases th e flavour is an agreeable one, and should tak e w ell in th e local an d home m arkets. T he undoubted success of both tea and coffee so n ea r o u r ow n door is tru ly rem arkable, and leads one to an tic ip a te a possible prosperous fu tu re fo r th e w aste lands of o u r island as well as Jo h o re . Close to th e p lan ta tio n w e have described, H . H . th e M ahara jah has taken in han d to clear a large patch of prim feval ju n g le of i ts u n d e r­g row th , leaving u n d istu rbed th e high forest trees. T h is is in ten d ed for cocoa w hich has been tr ie d to a considerable e x te n t in th e open coun try , b u t i t is th o u g h t th a t i t m ay do b e tte r in th e shade, as there th e tre e itself, as w ell as th e subsoil, w ill be p ro­te c te d from th e ray s of th e sun. I t is in terestin g to see th e Y akoons of th e jung le w ork ing aw ay h eartily — felling th e sm aller trees, an d th ey seem to be well su ited fo r th e w ork—being m uscu lar and ac tive in

th e ir m ovem ents. E ith e r resid en ts o r stran g ers have th e o p p o rtu n ity of spend ing an agreeable d ay a t J o ­hore in v isiting th e p lan ta tio n s w e have described , an d H . H . th e M ahara jah , w ho is an en th u sia stic p lan te r, has alw ays been k in d enough to g ive those w ho ta k e an in te re s t in such m a tte rs a ll th e in fo rm a­tio n an d assistance in h is pow er.— Stra its Times.

SA L E O F C IN C H O N A B A R K IN COLOM BO. M essrs. R obinson & D unlop p u t up for pub lic sale

a t th e ir offices to -day (Oct. 20 th ) the un d erm en tio n ed lo ts of cinchona bark :—

T. C. A .— 1,232 lb. m ixed officinalis and su ccirub ra tw igs an d pieces.F rom fu ll-grow n trees in D ikoya d istr ic t. A nalysis by M r. D ixon shew s 1 '04 R . c. y ie ld of su lp h a te of qu in in e ... 0 27

lb.D iagam a— 1,886 succirubra tw ig s ... 0 27

88 ,, qu ills ... 0 35366 ,, broken quills ... 0 49158 ,, ch ips ... 0 33103 „ d u s t ... I n -252 officinalis d u s t . . . )421 ,, tw ig s ... 0 21

F rom th ree year o ld trees, grow n a t an e lev a tio n .o f5,000 feet in th e A grapatana.

lb . R . c.K abragalla— 112 succiru b ra tw igs and chips. 0 22

78 ,, ro o t ... 0 5622 ,, quills ... 0 84

A voca— 232 ,, tw ig s ... 0 1540 ,, qu ills ... 0 25

298 officinalis tw igs ... 0 20G onavy— 132 „ tw igs ... 0 10V allado lid—

3,727 ,, stem pieces ... 0 54332 ,, roo t . . . 0 57201 ,, tw ig s ... 0 21

F rom year old trees, M askeliya. A nalysis b y Mr. Sym ons gives y ield su lp h a te of qu in ine 1T6.

lb . R . c.E rro l— 260 succirubra tw igs ... 0 16

300 ,, ro o t b a rk 0 81284 ,, stem pieces .. 0 64204 ,, b a rk .. . 0 58

T he above from th ree , to four year o ld trees, D ik­oya d istr ic t.

A grakande—lb. R . c.557 succirubra bold tw ig s .. 1 184 ,, quill an d q u il 1 0 29

pieces ... )56 ,, pieces and shav­

ings (from 4 to six y ear o ld trees) ... 0 85

170 ,, pieces (from 9y ear old trees) ... 1 5

267 ,, (mossed) stemshavings from 4 to 6 y ea r o ld trees ... 1 40

370 ,, (m ossed stemchips from 9 year old trees 1 30

T he a ttendance w as n o t so good as on prev ious occasions, and , ow ing to th e recen t fall in E urope prices obtained w ere low er th a u a t la s t sales. B id ­dings were fa irly sp irited .

T r e e P l a n t i n g is going on b risk ly in th e Cape Colony. M r. W . R ogers, of th e B ontebok, has ob ­ta in ed abo u t th ir ty thou san d young trees from th e Botanic G ardens, G raham stow n, for p la n tin g on h is fa rm ,— Cape Paper.

C U L T IV A T IO N O F “ L E D G E R IA N A ” C IN ­C H O N A IN C EY LO N .

FOUR YEAR OLD TREES ON YARROW ESTATE, PUSSELLAWA, YIELDING 9 06 PER CENT OF PURE QUININE.*

W e have a lread y on tw o separa te occasions re ­ferred to th e successful cu ltiv a tio n of th e precious L edgeriana on Y arrow es ta te , Pussellaw a. • M r. Thos. C hristie inform ed us how these trees w ere th e re su lt of a p inch of seed received from M r. M clvor, du ring his v is it to Ceylon, he (M r. M clvor) a t th e sam e tim e ex ­pressing dou b t as to th e successful g row th of th e species w hich h ad com paratively failed u n d er h is care on th e h igh an d cold h illsides a round O otacam und. T h a t our Ceylon h ills on th e co n tra ry are adm irab ly ad ap ted a t a m edium elevation , and in select spots u p to 4,500 fee t or so, fo r th e cu ltu re of Ledgerianas has now been sa tis fac to rily dem onstrated by th e r e ­su lt of experim ents n o t on ly on Y arrow , b u t on S t. A ndrew ’s, M askeliya, an d u n d er M r. W . S m ith ’s care in L in d u la . T he g rea t success of th e Y arrow trees w as shewn b y th e analysis of b a rk giving 8 "4 per cen t of quinine, valued u p to 17s p er lb. Since th e n th e p rice of su lp h a te of quin ine has fallen , and therefore although th e h ighest valua­tion in th e accom panying analyses is 16s Id , i t m u st be no ted th a t th e percentage of quin ine 9 06 is ve ry n early th e h ighest y e t a tta in ed n o t only in Ceylon, b u t, considering th e age of th e trees, we m ay say i t is equal to an y th in g realized by M r. M oens in Java. T h e d e ta iled analyses given b y M r. Sym ons are as follows

A nalysis of “ Y arrow ” C alisaya L edgeriana bark ta k e n from 3J year o ld trees, growing a t an eleva­tio n of 2,500 f e e t :—

C ry s ta lliz ed A p p ro x im a te S am p le . P u re Q u in ine . S u lp h a te of V a lu e in L o n d o n

Q u in in e p e r lb . in S te rlin g .N o. 1 4-550 6-006 8s„ 2 4-680 0-200 8s 3d

A nalysis of “ Y arrow ” C alisaya Ledgeriana B ark ta k e n from four year o ld trees, grow ing a t an elevation of 3,000 feet :—

C rysta lliz ed S ulph . A pprox im ate V alue Sam ple. P u re Q uinine. o f Q uinine , in L on d o n per lb.

A 4*850 6-466in S tg .

7/6B* 8.325 11-100 14/9C* 8-150 10-866 14/5D* 8-605x 11-473 15/3E 4-085 6-446 7/3F 5-725 7-633 10/2G ' 8*485 11*313 15/1H 7-285 9-713 12/11I 6155 8-206 10/11

101J 5-675 7-566K 7'750 10-333 13/9L 5’975 7-966 10/7M* 5*350 7-133 9/6N 6475 8-633 11/5O* 7175 9‘565 12/9P 6-500 8-666 11/5Q 6*460 7*280 9/8R 3*455 4-606 6/1S* 4-476 6-966 7/11T* 7125 9*500 1 ^8V * 5*360 7*133 9/6V* 4*380 5-840 7/9w* 7-475 9-966 13/3X* 4*025 6-366 7/1Y* 4310 6-746 7/7Z * 4-480 5973 7/11Those m arked co n ta in b u t a tra c e o f o th e r Alkaloids

* In th e tab le as i t orig inally reached us, and as w e m entioned in a paragraph y esterday , th e m axim ­um given w as 10 56 p er cen t., b u t th is is a m is­ta k e as M r. Sym ons exp lains :— “ I am very sorry to see m y c le rk has m ade a m istak e in copying o u t one of th e analyses. R* shou ld be pu re Q. 9 '06 in place of 10'56. Y ou will see th a t th is is correct, as 9"06 + 3 0 2 = 12"08, th e p rop o rtio n of su lpha te of quin ine. 10 56 w ould g ive 14-08 % of qu in ine w hich is ra th e r stiff, even for Y arrow .”

A nalysis of “ Y a r ro w ” C alisaya L edgerian a bark ta k e n from four y ea r o ld trees, grow ing a t an elevation of 3,000 f e e t :—

C ry s ta lliz ed A p p ro x im a teS am ple . P u re Q u in ine . S u lp h a te of V a lu e in L on d o n

Q u in ine . p e r lb . m S te rlin g .A*x 8-775 11-700 15s 7dE* 4 605 6-140 8s 2dR*x 9-06 x 12-080 16s IdS*x 7-155 9-530 12s 8dV*x 7*885 10-513 14sX*x 6*700 8-933 11s lOdY* 4-775 6-360 8s 5dZ* 3575 4-766 6s 4d

T b o s e m a r k e d “ x ” c o n t a in b u t a t r a c e o f o th e ra lk a lo id s .

C. B. H . Sy m o n s . Co lom bo , 18th Oc t . 1881.

R em ark of M r. Sym ons refe rring to R * :— “ I t is rea lly a sp lend id b-irk. T he five m arked “ x ” are a ll fine ty p e s .”Y arrow e s ta te is s itu a te d in th e d is tr ic t of N ilam be and lies a t th e back of Pooprassie , ad jo in in g G al- low ay-K now e an d H an ag a lla estates, d is ta n t ab o u t 12 m iles from G am pola. I n elevation th e cu ltiv a ted area ranges from 2,500 fee t to 3,400 feet. A w ell- know n v isiting ag en t has rep o rted upon th e e s ta te as follow s :— “ T he fea tu re of th e esta te (Y arrow ) is now its L edgeriana trees, an d th e analyses of ba rk which has been th e ta lk of everyone fo r th e la s t few days. T here are 140 trees a ltog e th er, some first- class, b n t a ll ve ry good. I consider th a t for c in ­chona th e es ta te is especially w ell adap ted . ” W e lea rn fu rth e r th a t th e trees a re grow ing m o st v igor­ously (of q u ite as rap id g row th as th e succirubras i t is said an d have a th ic k e r and h eav ier ba rk ! an d average from 15 to 20 fee t in he igh t. T he su p e rin ten d en t has abo u t 10,000 seedlings of L ed g ­eriana com ing on prom isingly, and th e m ajo rity of th e trees are now heav ily lad en w ith seed crop. W e do n o t regard th e fact of th e trees being laden w ith seed a t so early an age as a good sign : we should have prefe rred th a t th ey h ad fu lly m a tu re d w ith a t lea s t six o r seven y ea rs’ grow th , b u t s til l no doubt th e seed, w hen com pared w ith t h a t of th e less valuable species, w ill be very valuable. * A t th e sam e tim e,careful selection w ill have to be m ade to secureth e best, fo r it is very s tr ik in g to note th e g re a t varia tio n in th e b a rk o f d ifferen t trees grow n from th e sam e “ p inch of seed .” F o r in stan ce th e seed ga th ered from th e sp lend id tre e m arked “ R * x ,” w ith 9"06 of pure quin ine, oug h t to be n ea rly th re e tim es th e value of t h a t ta k e n from “ R ,” th e bark of w hich only g ives 3"455 of quinine. By carefu l se lec­tio n guided by analysis, th e p roprieto rs of Y arrow , o u g h t in a few years, to be ab le to shew trees g row n from th e seed of “ R * x ” y ie ld ing a con­siderably increased p ercen tage of q u in ine a t th e sam e age, u n til M r. M oens’ m axim um of 13 p er cen t is beaten . (M r. W m . S m ith ’s m axim um th eo th e r d ay for tree s 5 J years o ld w as 9"6 p e r cent)C alisaya “ L edgeriana” is u n doub ted ly th e species fo r a large n um ber of p lan ters in Ceylon to tu rn th e ir a tten tio n t o ; b u t i t m ay be asked if i ts c u ltiv a tio n becomes general an d fa irly successful, w h a t will become of th e m arket. W ith th e m illions of tre e s—a considerable num ber being ‘L edgers’—about w hich M r. C ottam writes from M adulsim a,all flourishing e x cee d in g ly ; w ith propagation by seed, suckers, an d g ra fts engaging a tte n tio n in so m any q u a rte rs , w here is

* Seed of th e Ledgers is too precious, w e fear, fo r th e p rop rie to rs of Y arrow to tr y an ex perim en t recom ­m ended b y Colonel Beddom e, of c u ttin g off th e p an i­cles of flowers from trees flow ering p rem atu re ly . I t shou ld be tr ie d though on tw o or th re e trees to note th e effect on th e grow th of th e tre e s an d on th e v ir tu e of th e b a rk .— E d .

i t a ll to end ? I t is of course difficult to say how th e dem and m ay respond, b u t one th in g is certa in : th a t i t w ill be a long tim e before th e fo rtu n a te possess­ors of “ L edgerian a” trees can have any occasion to com plain of th e cultivation of cinchona n o t being rem unerative.

T H E GOVERNM ENT O F CEYLON AND CINCHONA CULTIVATIO N.

W hat is w anted is th a t the gentlem an who is coming out to take charge of the H akgala G ardens should qualify himself before leaving E ngland to analyse hark, so as to be able to carry out experiments pro bono publico, and to tu rn the Government Cinchona G arden to some practical account. W e shall be told, th a t such tim e as Mr. Nock could give to analyses in London, if Governm ent granted a Tlclay, would not suffice to enable him to qualify himself for the work. H ere is the Madulsima Company getting out a special Chemist on £600 a year, and there are the doubts which “ sc ien tis ts" have for some tim e been inclined to cast on the local analyses made by gentlem en who, a short tim e ago, were in complete ignorance of the process. B u t we have pointed out th a t the work of local “ am a teu rs" (so-called) have been substantiated more than once by the analyses of the Messrs. Howard, and we may ask w hat great mystery can there be in the m atter, when Mr. Gammie, a gentle­m an with precisely the same train ing as Mr. Nock, has no t only qualified himself as B ark Analyst, bu t is doing good work as a M anufacturing Chemist. M r. Nock, it will be remembered, is specially recommended by Mr. Morris for his experience in cinchona cu ltu re ; bu t what possible service can th is gentlem an render to the Go­vernm ent (unless they m ean to go in for growing bark to sell) or to the p lanters except he is able to set a whole series of experiments agoing w ith different species, different modes of culture and of harvesting, for which, a t almost every turn , analyses will be indispensable? I t is, we fear, too la te now to telegraph to Mr. Nock to spend a few m onths in London, in order to qualify as a Bark Analyist. I f th is cannot be done, we would suggest th a t the Government utilize the services of then- Science M aster, Mr. A. C. Dixon, to co-operate w ith Mr. Nock in h is cinchona experiments. Mr. Dixon has a special laboratory a t h is command, and would, we have no doubt, take a personal in terest in aiding H akgala experiments with such analyses as Mr. Nock and Dr. Trim en m ight require. If, in addition, Mr. Nock were allowed to visit the different districts and take a note of the results of planting experiments and experience, we have no doubt th a t h is work in cinchona alone would be of great value, even a t th is la te horn-, to the Ceylon planters.

U d a g a m a ( S o u t h e r n P r o v i n c e , C e y l o x ) , Oct. S th .— Good p lan ting w eather. Showers every day w ith no.v and then a heavy b u rs t for a sh o rt tim e. L iberian coffee, pepper, cardam om s an d nutm egs 011 young estates m aking a good s ta r t Ceard ru b b er sow n th e firs t w eek in April now betw een n ine and te n feet h igh and steady w ith all. Poochies do n o t troub le us m uch and th e sm all moose deer le t us off easily . Cinchona (Calisaya) six to e ig h t inches high sow n A pril 7th.

124

A U S T R A L IA N F R U IT FO R E N G L A N D .(Journal o f the Society o f A rts .)

I note w ith in te re s t th e inform ation in th e J o u rn a l of 9tb in s t . , page 778, th a t we m ay expect f ru its of various kinds from A ustra lia . N o d o u b t apples, pears, and oranges can and w ill be sh ipped to advan tage thence to th is coun try , because a ll these fru its ripen a fte r being p lucked ; b u t I th in k th e w rite r in th e Colonies and In d ia is over sanguine as to first-class grapes being able to s ta n d th e voyage, and to a rriv e in such good condition as to com pete with hom e­grow n hot-house p roductions. Be th a t as i t m ay, m y experience of th ir ty years as a grape g row er teaches m e th a t grapes never ripen in th e s lig h te s t degree after being gathered , b u t m erely w h ith e r and shrivel, &c. I th in k a ll grape grow ers are agreed on th is poin t. I f I am w rong, I shall be g lad to be corrected.

J a m e s F il d e s .44, Spring-gardens, M anchester, 10th Septem ber, 1881.

D r . G il b e r t and M r. Law es have received, by th e decree of th e G erm an Em peror, th e gold m edal o f m erit for agricu ltu re , in recognition ot th e ir serv ices for th e developm ent of scientific ag ricu ltu re .— Athenaeum .

L a n d O u t o f C u l t iv a t io n . —A s a n exam ple o f lan d p erm anen tly th row n o u t of cu ltivation we m ay c ite an instance of a large e s ta te on th e confines o f H an ts an d W ilts , and consisting of over 1,1‘0 j a res, w hich , a f te r being le t to a te n a n t for a num ber o f years fo r £300 a year, was a t la s t abondoned by h im , and has for some tim e been w ith o u t an occupier. T he ow ner, determ ined to p u t i t to some use, has now resolved to m ake a huge rab b it-w arren of i t , and for th is purpose has tu rn e d o u t 1,200 rab b its to popu­la te it. Considering th a t of all anim als, rab b its are am ong the m ost prolific, and th a t they sell for about I s apiece, th e experim ent w ill p robably be a successful one, though w h eth er th e ow ner’s neighbours w ill n o t before long consider th ey have ju s t cause o f com plain t against h im in th e too frequen t visits o f these industrio u s borrow ers rem ains to be seen.— L a n d .

F i b r e s .—A D ikoya p la n te r w rites :— “ I th in k , if yon refe r to m y le tte r , you w ill find I said th a t th e fibre I sen t you grew very freely in th e poorest soil and n o t present soil, as you have in th e Observer. I am sorry th a t i t is valued a t such a low figure, as i t grow s very free ly and is everlasting . T he m ore i t is c u t th e b e tte r and th icker i t w ill grow : a crop m ig h t be secured every year, b u t I have no d o u b t th e fibre w ould be b e tte r for being k e p t longer. I th in k it b e tte r in every way th a n th e aloe fibre and m uch stronger. I have p repared th e aloe fibre years ago— I m ean th e common green th a t we used to grow by th e side of d itches to keep buffaloes o u t of coffee, no t th e M exican slow-growing b lue v arie ty . T h is fibre can be grow n in leng ths of ten o r tw elve feet, and I have no d o u b t I can send you some th a t leng th . P erhaps I have m ade some m istake in th e p re p a ra ­tion . C ertain ly th e fibre pulled off th e liv ing tree is tw ice as s trong as th e fibre th a t I have p rep ared by cu tting the sticks , an d bu ry ing them in m ud by th e side of a s tream for tw elve days an d th e n w ashing. 1 consider th is fibre fa r superio r e ith e r to th e bes t ju te , o r A m erican green aloe, bo th of w hich I have repea ted ly tr ie d and prepared . T he y ield of fibre is m uch la rg er in p roportion also to any o th e r fibre producing p lan t. I f th e R hea * is th e sam e p la n t as th e D utch call ‘R h a m i’ i t w ill never do in O y lo n , for I have tr ie d i t repeated ly , b u t the R ham i I have tr ie d is n o t a g rass."

* T he R hea o r Chinese grass-cloth p la n t, is B ahm eria nivea, a sm all sh rubby p la n t ab o u t th re e or to u r fee t h igh — E d .

To the E ditor o f the Ceylon Observer.A LU M A C U R E FO R W H IT E A N T S A T T A C K IN G

COCO PA LM S A N D CACAO PLA N TS.M atale, 13th O ctober.

D e a r S i r ,— I have been try in g to grow coconuts for a long tim e, b u t have found th a t th e g rea te s t enen.y I h ad to contend w ith was w h itean ts . To p rev en t these d estru c tiv e insects from attack in g th e young p lan ts, I only knew of th e saw dust of five different k inds of woods, nam ely jak , sapu, del, wavart-nne o r javarenne and lunum adilla , b u t as th e saw yers asked m e f>0 cen ts a bushel for th e saw dust, I found i t too expensive, an d so h ad to look about for som ething else. Seeing in your D irec to ry th a t alum is a p reven ta tive of several noxious insects, I though* I w ould t r y i t for w h itean ts . N early tw o m onths ago I p u t down abou t a dozen young p lan ts, and u n d erneath and all round them I sp rink led pow dered alum (about one tablespoonful to ■ a p lan t), since w hich tim e I have n o t se< n a w h iteau t near them , a lthough in one or tw o places w here I p lan ted them I h ad previously lo st severa l— th is over a period of m ore th an 5 years. I therefore conclude th a t alum is a decided success. I t is q u ite possible th a t pow dered alum m ay also tu rn o u t to be a p rev en ta tiv e of grub. I m entioned m y experim ent to Mr. E. G rigson, an d he said he w ould give i t a tr ia l jfor grub. I have no d oub t th a t if he does do so and finds i t succeed, he w ill le t th e public know th rough your columns.

I m ay m ention th a t I found th e w h itean ts had a ttack ed a cacao p lan t. I therefore sp rin k led a l i t t le

ow dered alum round it, and, as i t was d ry w eather, w atered i t once, im m ediately a f te r app ly ing th e

alum , and I am happy to say th a t th e w h itean ts have left it, and i t is now flourishing. I give you th is in th e hope th a t i t may tu rn o u t of use to any w ho have been pestered , as I have been, w ith w h ite ­an ts . I fancy for g ru b abo u t 2 lb . per acre w ould be enough, and, as i t is p rocurab le in th e bazars a t from 19 to 25 cen ts per lb . (if a success) i t would be cheaper th a n collecting th e beetles as a t p resen t.— Y ours fa ith fu lly , L. F . K.

P .S .— Mr. W ard m ay, perhaps, find th a t a lum m ay be useful in th e cure of leaf disease.

P L A N T IN G O P E R A T IO N S IN T H E P A N W IL A D IS T R IC T .

M aria, 14th O ctober 1881.D e a r S i r , —W ill you allow me to th a n k those

gentlem en w ho v isited th is e s ta te since m y challenge m ade la s t J u l y : a ll have expressed them selves sa tis ­fied.

I would feel obliged for a visit from those gentlem en w ho v isited th is es ta te betw een J u ly an d N ovem ber 1880, w hen I show ed th em some fields which were th en bearing abo u t 15 cw t per acre. Some th e n th o u g h t th e trees w ould n o t be able to bear an y crop th is y e a r ; they (no dou b t rem em bering th e field) w ill be agreeably surprized even th is year to find a crop of from 10 to 12 cw t. p e r acre and trees looking m ore fit fo r an o th er crop n ex t year th an th ey looked last year.

The w eather for th e la s t th re e m onths being very d ry , our trees are som ew hat feeling th e w an t of r a in ; some crop is lo st a t th e end of b ranches an d th e beans of our first p ick ing w as ra th e r sm all. B u t th e coffee w e are now gathering will be of larger size and as soon as ra in sets in the crop will r ip e n : th a t is from F ebruary blossom. B u t c u r crop from A p ril blossom w ill n o t be ready to p ick ti l l th e end of N ovem ber o r m iddle of Decem ber. W hereas th e P la n te rs ’ A sso­

ciation gave a p rize fo r an essay on opening a new A rabian coffee es ta te (now no t wanted, so some say); th e n for e labo ra te build ings w hich so some say w as n o t requ ired ; and th en spen t so m uch m oney on a su lphur an d lim e cure book before i t was p roved a success — I th in k th a t th e p lan ters ought to rew ard me as th e cham pion of A rabian coffee w ho have p roved beyond a d o u b t th a t A rabian coffee even w ith leaf disease can and w ill p ay handsom e profits (if p roperly w orked); a t least w ith a sm all ou tlay . Cocoa is doing firs t ra te and I tru s t n ex t year to show b o th cocoa and coffee side b y side (cocoa p lan ted in 40 acres betw een coffee) g iving good crops. T his y ear th e cocoa is giving th e firs t (m aiden) c ro p ; th ere are on ly som e 20 0 trees in full bearing th is year, w hich are fu ll of crop .—Y ours tru ly , J . H O L L O W A Y .

C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N :_W H A T IS C . P U B E S C E N S ( I N D I A N V A R .)?

D e a r S i r s , — W h a t are w e in C eylon cu ltiv a tin g und er th e nam e of C . pubescens ?

M r. Cross, in h is la te rep o rt of the In d ia n G overn­m en t’s N ilg iri C inchona P la n ta tio n s , a f te r shew ing w hat are Condam ineas, goes on to say ;— “ B u t th a t know n as Pubescens, an d speciaily claim ed as a h y b rid s is a narrow leaved variety* of re d b a rk from Soute A m erica.” T he South A m erican b a rk collectors ca lled i t “ P a ta de G allinazo ” in co n trad istin c tio n to th e large leaved or “ T e ja ” bark . So fa r w e l l ; th e N ilg ir, pubescqns, can be a red bark and y e t be very value able, b u t here comes an anom aly. H ow ard in h is “ Quinology de P a von ” gives th is v arie ty called “ P a ta de G allin azo ” and calls i t “ N itid e C. P e ru v ia n a ” and says its b a rk is com paratively useless in commerce. B oth M r. H ow ard an d M r. Cross a re a u th o ritie s on cinchona. T he la t te r doubtless saw th is v a rie ty grow ing w hen collecting w ith M arkham an d w ould n o t be like ly to m ake a m istak e in id en tity . T he question th e re ­fore rem ains, are we in Ceylon cu ltiv a tin g a com ­p ara tive ly useless b a rk o r no t? A ny inform ation tend ing to clear u p th e above, w ill, I am sure, be g lad ly re ­ceived b y p rop rie to rs of C. pubescens an d a ll cinchona p lan ters. T he b es t an d m ost reassu ring would be th e re su lts of a sale of b a rk , if an y C eylon grow n has reached th e London m arket y e t? —Y ours fa ith fu lly ,

T EJA .[ “ T eja ” canno t have th e “ C inchona P lan te rs ' M anu­

al ” b y h im —indispensable, i t m ay be said to be, to all w ho w ish to have th e answ ers to such questions as th e above. On page 43, he w ill read :—

“ G. pubescens, generally considered a cross betw een officinalis an d tuccirtihra, has a b a rk very r ich in alkalo ids. I t has a stem free from lichens, grow’s very lu x u ria n tly , and renew s i ts b a rk rap id ly . M r. M clvor says of i t :— ' U p to th e p re sen t tim e C. suc­cirubra has produced in th e sam e period of g row th m ore th a n tw ice as m uch stem b a rk as any o th e r species we have in cu ltivation , an d C. pubescens H ow ard* w ill produce n early tw ice as m uch stem bark in th e sam e period of g row th as C. succirubra.’ I t is ve ry un lik e ly th a t such ex trem ely sanguine hopes w ill be realized, b u t i ts robustness of grow th seems undoubted . De V rij go t from a specim en of th e b a rk of th is h y b rid 9 47 per cen t of a lkalo ids, of w h ich 5*728 was pure quinine, su lpha te of quin ine being 7 637. F rom an o th er sam ple analysed b y H ow ard , th e re tu rn w as 12 90 p er cen t of alkaloids, of which 6 94 was su l­pha te of qu in ine. A tree y ield ing such q u an tities of sp lend id bark is sim ply invaluable , b u t being a hybrid , p lan ts ra ised from its seed are b u t l i t t le to be d e ­pended on as being tru e to ty p e ; indeed in some cases its bark is said to have been found a lto g e th er devoid of alkaloid. T he preceding analyses are undoub ted ly

* M r. H ow ard does no t w ish his nam e to be con nected w ith “ P ubescens.”— E d .

exceptional ones, an d no reliance should be p laced in th em as fa ir indications of th e value of pubescens bark . T he o rdinary y ield of quin ine th a t m ay be confidently expected is from 9 '50 to 3 "50 p er cent. Renew al of th e bark is effected w ith g reat facility , th e resu lting y ie ld of qu in ine being from 3 TO to 4 '90 per cen t. I n th is , and in th e large y ie ld of th ic k bark , lies th e ad ­van tage of cu ltiv a tin g th is trees w hich is g rea tly in ­creased b y a careful selection of stock trees. I have found th e seed of th is h y b rid very h a rd y and easy of germ ination, th e young p lan ts grow ing w ith th e g rea test rap id ity and should m ost strong ly recom m end its f u r ­th e r cu ltivation , by cu ttings, if possible. T h e eleva­tio n at w hich pubescens grow s is abo u t th e sam e as th a t for succirubra, and probably ex tends higher. ’’H r . M clvor m ay have been wrong in regard ing his Pubescens as a hybrid , indeed we are lik e ly to have th e term d iscarded—b u t H ow ard’s analyses canno t be wrong. T here is an o th er C. pubescens, V ahl. (Arica bark) less w ell-know n.—E d . ]

S IL K -G R O W IN G IN CEYLON.P ara te , M oratuw a, lo th Oct. 1881.

S ir , —W ith reference to your rem arks on “ S ilk G row ­ing in Ceylon ” in yo u r im pression of th e 7 lh , Dr. V anderstraa ten seems to have m isunderstood w h at I to ld him abo u t th e dom estication of th e tu ssu r s ilk ­worm . I said th a t I h ad n o t succeeded in rearing th e tu ssu r silkw orm on grow ing trees in th e open air, because th e ca te rp illa rs were always devoured by b irds, lizards, o r an ts ; b u t I d id n o t say th a t the tu ssu r silkw orm could n o t be dom estica ted , The n a tu re of th is insect renders i t unsu itab le fo r feeding on p lucked leaves lik e th e m u lb e rry an d castoroil tree silk worms, b u t i t can be k e p t on c u t branches w ith th e ir ends inserted in w a te r to p rev en t th e w ithering of th e leaves, and I now have ab o u t th ree hu n d red tu ssu r silkw orm s an d about as m any of th e a tla s k in d w hich I am keep ing in th a t way for th e purpose of sending th e live chrysalides to London for tr ia l in E ngland b y M r. A lfred W ailly ( Membre de la Soci&tt d ' Acclim atation de France). T he eggs of bo th species ha tch too soon fo r transm ission from th is to E ngland. I believe th a t any effectual m ethod of p ro tec ting th e silkw orm s from th e num erous enem ies to w hich th e y would in th is co u n try be exposed, if th e y w ere on grow ing trees in th e open air, w ould be m ore troublesom e an d expensive th an th e cu ltu re of th e m ulberry tree and dom estic m anagem ent of th e tru e silkw orm . B u t by m y plan of keeping th e silkw orm s on c u t b ranches or suckers in se rted in w ater-p ipes, i t w ould be q u ite p racticable to produce cocoons in sufficient q u a n tity for m anufactu r­ing purposes, and I sha ll be g lad to show it to anybody tak in g an in te re s t in th e m a tte r , By coppic­ing th e trees, a constan t supp ly of suckers could be obtained,' and th e only th in g I am in doubt about is th e m ost su itab le tre e to cu ltiv a te for th e purpose. B u t th a t could be easily asertained b y enqu iry in th e d istric ts in which tu ssu r cocoons are collected for m anu­facture.

Though a species of bom byx may be polyphagous in a s ta te of n a tu re , y e t i t does n o t follow th a t it has n o t go t i ts ow n p roper food p la n t on which it is more a t hom e th a n on any o ther. T he atlas, for instance, is very polyphagous, and y e t I know of no tree excep t th e M ilnea Roxburghiana, on w hich th e cocoons or larvae are to be found in large num bers, nor have I successfully dom esticated the atlas m oth on any o ther tree for m ore th a n one generation, though I have tr ie d several o ther trees. T here does n o t seem to be in th is co u n try any tree on w hich tu ssu r cocoons or larvae are to be found in g rea te r num bers th a n tw os

a n d th rees, b u t in th e n o r th of In d ia there m u s t be trees of one o r m ore species on w hich th e insect is to be found in m uch g re a te r abundance, because th e cocoons could n o t otherw ise be collected in sufficient quan tity for m anufactu ring purposes. T he tussur s ilk ­w orm has no t h ith e r to been artific ia lly reared , a ll th e tu ssu r s ilk in use being ob ta ined from wild cocoons g a th ered in the jungles ; and before a ttem p tin g th e dom estica tion of th is k in d of silkw orm as a com­m ercial speculation, the species of tree on w hich i t is found in th e g rea test abundance in a s ta te of n a tu re should be ascerta ined.

T h e su b jec t seems to be, com m ercially speaking, b e tte r w orth inv estig a tin g th a n som e of th e “ new products ” th a t w e read of ; b u t i t m u s t n o t be supposed th a t tu ss u r silkw orm can be used as a su b s titu te for tru e silk w hich is th e produce of th e Bom byx m ori or Sericaria m ori as i t is now nam ed, an d in a coun try w here m u lberry leaves can be ob­ta ined a t a ll seasons, i t w ould, in th e absence of epidem ic disease affecting th e tru e silkw orm , be of no p rac tica l use to cu ltiv a te p lan ts for feed ing th e tu ssu r species, unless i t w ere fo r th e purpose of u til iz ­ing soil too sterile for th e g row th of th e m ulberry tree. I am using a common p a tan a weed, and i t answ ers b e tte r th a n an y o th e r p la n t th a t I have tr ie d for feed in g th e tussur.

T here is no d o u b t abou t th e su itab leness of th is co u n try for th e Sericaria mori o r tru e silkw orm , ifth e business be m anaged in a ra tio n a l way ; b u t nosuccess is to be expected from a tte m p ts to feed th esilkworm on the leaves of th e le ttu ce tree o r an y ­th in g else b u t th e m ulberry leaf. V ery m any a ttem p ts have been m ade to find su b s titu te s for th e m u lb erry tree for feeding th e silkw orm , and success has from tim e to tim e been rep o rted , b u t th e only usefu l re su lt of a ll such ex perim en ts has been to confirm p rac tica l se ricu ltu ris ts in th e belief th a t no su b s 'i tu te for th e m u lberry tree can ever be found. I n coun tries w here s ilk p roduction is an estab lished business i t is no t necessary th a t th e se ricu ltu ris t shou ld be a m ulberry p lan ter, because m u lb erry leaves can be b ough t in any q u a n tity requ ired , b u t here i t is of no use to begin w ith silkw orm s w ith o u t firs t m aking a m u lb erry plan tation . I t is also useless to send a ll th e w ay to H hina and Ja p a n for silkw orm eggs, a t th e r isk of being cheated w ith b ad ones, w hen eggs of w arra n ted good quality can be bad by application to R ev. F a th e r Pal la of G alle.

T hree species of m ulberry have a lread y been n a tu r ­alized in th is co u n try — th e common so rt (M orus indica), th e w h ite m u lb erry (M . alba), an d th e large-leafed Ph ilipp ine Island species (Af. multicaulis). I find th e last-m entioned th e b es t for th is clim ate, b u t, p e r ­haps, th e w hite m igh t be th e best k in d for th e colder p a r ts of th e coun try . The com m on m ulberry does very w ell if i t is constan tly p ru n ed so as to m ake i t produce ten d er shoots, b u t th e leaves become ru sty and unfit for use if th ey are n o t p lucked from the tree soon a fte r th e ir appearance .—Y ours fa ith fu lly ,

A L EX . T . G E D D ES.

A C U R E F O R G R U B .16th O ctober 1881.

D e a r S i r , — W ill yo u r correspondent, whose opinion you gave as a footnote to “ Moles ’’ ’s le tte r in your issue of th e 11th , k in d ly give u s his reasons for adopting th e G overnm ent p rinc ip le of quieta non movere 1 Though I have n o t collected so m any as tw o m illion cockchafers, I have seen enough of th e ravages of g rub to convince m e th a t p lan te rs u naided w ill be unab le to app ly a rem edy, an d u n til th e grub pest is overcom e th e d isastrous effects of leaf-discase w ill be m ore an d m ore a p p a ren t in th e tab le of exports.—Y ours fa ith fu lly , A U S P E X .

C IN C H O N A P U B E S C E N S IN C E Y L O N A N D IN D IA .

W ftlaha V alley , Oct. 20 . D e a r S i r , — Enclosed is a copy of analysis of some

pubescens cinchona bark , sent from an esta te in th is valley, from about a dozen different trees, five years old. Do you th in k i t good?—Y ours tru ly , M. M.

Colombo, Oct. 7 th , 1881.A nalysis of --------------cinchona bark.C rysta llized su lp h a te of qu in ine 4 90 per cent. Gross value in th e London m ark e t 6/3 per lb ., w ith H ow ard ’s su lp h a te of quin ine a t 10s. per oz. [This resu lt, equaj to 3 '6 8 per cen t of quin ine, for

five y ear old trees, is very favourable indeed. W e see th a t a bale of n a tu ra l pubescens b a rk from D od ab e tta sold in M ay la s t for 7s Id p er lb ., against 4s fid to 5s 9d, th e price realized a t th e sam e tim e for n a tu ra l officinalis bark . T h e D odabetta trees m u st have been 12 years old, b u t those from w hich th e bark w as tak en , w ere grow ing on poor soil and u nd er unfavourab le circum stances. No analysis of th e b a rk is g iven in th e papers before u s .— E d .]

C IN C H O N A P L A N T IN G ON T H E “ K A N N A N - D E V A N ” M O U N TA IN S, S. IN D IA .

Oct. 1881.S i r , —In y our re p rin t of m y a rtic le in th e Field,

a t page 282 of th e Tropical A griculturist, you preface th e ex tra c t by a rem ark concerning th e p lan tin g advice th e re in given, w hich leaves me in doubt w h eth er you consider m y inform ation reliable o r not.

I should consider i t a k indness if you w ould po in t o u t w here, in yo u r opinion, exception may be tak en .

T he figures are tak en from actu a ls so fa r as th e estim ated cost of opening goes, and th e price of land is also a know n fact. T he p rice of opened lan d — i. e. ju s t p lan ted up— is, I th in k , fa irly estim ated ; an d as to th e resu lts , I had no less an a u th o r ity th a n th a t of M r. Crosse.

Please alw ays rem em ber th a t I w ro te of condam inea bark grow n from D odabetta seed, an d th a t I reckoned th e prices to rem ain w h a t th e y now are.

N o b e tte r counsel can be added th a n th a t given by you ; viz., to go to K o d a k a n e l; ta k e a cottage th e re fo r six m onths ; an d m arch across to D evikolum , and look w ell in to m atte rs before investing.

ST A P L E G R O V E .[W e ce rta in ly regarded th e le tte r in th e Field as

p resen tin g a too f la tte rin g account of th e probable experience of a p la n te r in th e region referred to . L ittle w as said of th e difficulties of p io n eerin g ; noth ing of th e im m ense liab ility to failures in new clearings of cinchona. Does o u r correspondent know th a t cinchona clearings in Ceylon have been alm ost com pletely re ­p lan ted th re e tim es over ? O ur adv ice was th a t any one th in k in g of an investm en t shou ld spend, n o t six m onths, b u t a year a t lea s t, on th e spo t, ga th erin g experience.—E d. ]

S IL K IN CEY LO N .21st O ctober 1881.

D e a r S i r , — M r . A. T. Geddes is q u ite r ig h t in h is rem arks as to th e m u lberry being th e m ost su itab le food for B om hyx m ori : th e p la n t is very easily grown, and its leaves keep fresh for a longer tim e th an those of any o th er shrub. T he sole aim of every sericult- u r is t a ' p resen t should be to ob ta in a b reed of worm s of a far h ea lth ie r standard th a n those now in th e island. Even th e eggs, so m uch recom m ended by y our correspondent, seem to have been of sm all p rac­tica l v a lu e : e ith e r th e stock from w hich th e y w ere

j p rocured w as g rea tly d eb ilita ted , o r no care w h a t­ever was taken of th e m oths w hen laying, for, in some cases a t any rate , th e eggs have been h a tch in g o u t a t odd tim es d u rin g th e la s t th re e m onths. This, as ano ther correspondent poin ted ou t, is ve ry objec­tionable, and leads to endless confusion.

M r. Geddes appears to th in k th a t th e w hole of th e island is su ited to th e cu ltiv a tio n of B om hyx m ori, b u t I th in k he is w rong. I do n o t know th e average tem p era tu re of th e h ill ranges of C hina, w hence th e insect orig inally came, b u t I shou ld suppose it to be much less th a n in o u r low country. F a th e r F alla ’s success (?) seems to show th a t th e clim ate near G alle is too forcing, for h is single-brooded m oths have, in th e first year, produced tw o broods. N e x t year m ay produce th ree , w ith still fu rth e r decreased v ita lity .

I f th e cu ltiva tion of th e m u lb erry w orm in th is co u n try is to be successful, i t w ill n o t be w ith th e single- brooded varie ty , b u t w ith m u ltiv o ltin e species.

More a tten tio n m ight w ith advan tage he pa id to th e indigenous races, th e tussar, &c., some of w hich produce fo u r o r five broods in a year. T he n a tu ra l food of these seem s to be th e com m on oak, found generally on th e patanas. I first m e t w ith A . P a ­pilla on th is tree , b u t i t feeds also on th e w ild sapota and on th e Avocado pear. This is a t an eleva­tio n of betw een 3,000 an d 4,000 feet. Of course, a t low er elevations th e food-p lan ts will be different.

M r. Geddes seems to in fe r, from h is finding th e w orm s only in tw os an d th rees, th a t th e trees th e y were feeding on were n o t th e m ost su itab le , b u t i t f req u en tly happens th a t bad w eather, birds, lizards, and o th e r p lagues will reduce a b a tch of 800 to a dozen or less.

F o r indoor cu ltiva tion , th e oak is objectionab le : i ts stem s are s trin g y an d not easily cu t, an d th e leaves soon become crisp.

T he coppicing of th e trees on w hich th e w orm s are fed is n o t to be recom m ended. T he m u lb erry worm, w hen young, p refers ten d er, succu len t leaves, b u t tb e tu ssar. a tlas , and o th e r worms of allied species, refuse to ea t im m atu re leaves, so th a t suckers w ould be of no use, even w ere th e coppicing system practicab le on th e trees th e w orm s p re fe r.—Y ours fa ith fu lly , B.

COTTON C U L T IV A T IO N A N D M A N U F A C T U R E .D eyenew atte E sta te , Passara , 18th O ctober 1881.D e a r S i r , —In y our issue of the 14th in st. you again

urge cap ita lists in Colombo to s ta r t a co tto n m ill.Ceylon is certainly behind the aye, w hen C alcu tta ,

M adras, an d Bombay are m anufacturing th e ir ow n cloth from In d ian (and E gyp tian ) co tton lin t.

W h y shou ld o ld K ing C otton be left o u t of your l is t of new p roducts ? I t grow s lik e a w eed and bears w ell in hot, d ry , w eather, w hen coffee, cacao, and tea

' w ould be suffering from d rough t. E v ery co tton p lan te r I m u st m ake up h is m ind to lose l in t d u rin g w et j w eather, though th e seed w ould be s till valuable as

food for ca ttle or th e engine. I w onder if th e Ceylon G overnm ent, would give a bonu^ for th e f ir s t ton of co tton passed th ro u g h th e f ir s t Colombo m ill ?

T he seed a rriv ed from W atson & Co. of Bom bay an d from th e m anager of th e T u tico riu m ills. The form er was d is tr ib u ted b y th e u ndersigned to natives in th e D um bara V alley , an d th e la t te r case of seed ro tte d in th e B atticaloa custom house.

M eanw hile, we find Bom bay w orking 43 m ill, d riv ing 1,184,136 stinnies, and 12.586 looms, an d pay ing 20 to 25 per cen t on th e ir paid -up cap ital.

Now, M r. E d ito r, th a t y ou r b reak w ate r is n early ready for th e recep tion of large vessels, th e re will be no fear of w e ttin g yo u r bales of co tton , if th e m ill is n o t read y in tim e and low country p lan ters are obliged to ex p o rt to Bom bay or L iverpool.

The C hairm an of th e L iverpool C ham ber of Com m erce valued m y co tton grow n in D um bara a t one sh illing an d n ine pence p er p o u n d ; M r. B lood h ad i t valued b y the brokers. 1 have about tw o cw t. o r 224 lb. in sto re , ga thered from D eyenew atte bushes of th e sam e q u a lity , an d strong in stap le , a t y ou r disposal. — Y ours fa ith fu lly , H E N R Y COTTAM .

PL A N T IN G IN T H E P A N W IL A D IS T R IC T .M aria, 20 th O ct. 1881.

D e a r S i r , —G lorious w eather for ripen ing crop : a ll hands p icking. P a rch m en t now is a fine sam ple, a good, full, an d large bean. I t is a p leasure to go ro u n d th e e s ta te an d see th e trees w ith th e ripe ch erry an d coolies b ringing in th e ir boxes.

K otm ale is desponding. Coffee on th is an d E ria- gas ten n a is bearing as w ell now as ever i t d id , in sp ite of leaf disease. D uring th e d ry season we app lied p roper m anure carefu lly and. in p roper tim e. E s ta te s are g iving an average of from 4 to 6 cw t. p e r acre, on an ex pend itu re every y ear of from R80 to R100 per acre. T h is pays, and a lthough old k in g coffee m ay hang dow n his head on accoun t of leaf disease an d a d isagreeable a tm osphere, th e re is proof he s til l sm iles on those w ho t r e a t him ac­co rd ing to h is p resent req u irem en ts ; and beforelong he w ill shake him self c lear of th e yellow fever, an d be as sound again as ever, ex cep t w here th e fev er lias been allow ed to have its w ay w ith o u t th e necessary stim u lan t and d isin fec tan t, and , in fac t, been fed b y im proper app lica tion of artific ia l m anures.— Y ours tru ly , J . H O L L O W A Y .

B E E S A N D C O F F E E BLOSSOM S C A N IT B E ?D e a r S i r , —Sir Jo h n L ubbock has recen tly m ade

some very in te re s tin g sta tem en ts w ith regard to “ bees ,” an d p robab ly we sha ll a ll now be m ore inclined to believe th a t these industrio u s l i t t le crea tu res exercise no inconsiderable influence in o u r flower an d fru it gardens. Can i t be th a t , du ring la te years, th e y have v as tly decreased in num bers in th e h illco u n try of Ceylon, and th a t th is is one reason w hy o u r coffee blos-om s| now adays fail, in a g rea t m easure, to f ru c ­t ify ? I f th e re is an y th in g in th is la t te r idea (w hich has em anated qu ite recen tly from a d iscerning son of M ars), w hy n o t a tte m p t to u tilize bees in o u r long an d d reary u p -h ill b a ttle w ith sh o r t crops? The p lan tin g com m unity is now in as w ell-nigh as dis- pa irin g a s ta te as was th e m onarch of th e fo rest in th e w ell-know n fable, and w ho know s b u t th a t , if we invoke th e ir a id , our friends, th e bees, w ill do us ju s t as im portan t an d tim ely a service in freeing us from our m-t w ork of troub les, as d id th e wee b it of a m ouse for h is friend th e lion ?

D uring th e p as t tw e n ty years, w hat thousands and thousands of acres of coffee have no t tak en the place of an equal area of lu x u r ia n t fo res t and ju n g le re ­dolent, of perenn ia l w ild flowers ? Now, as every o re knows fields of coffee b u rs t in to blossom only very occasionally, an d a t such a tim e th e question to be answ ered to -day i s : “ W here are th e bees on such occa-ions ?” I f absen t, w h y n o t m ake a provision for th em the whole year round, by p lan tin g up one per cent of th e coffee w ith perenn ial flow ering shrubs ? In due tim e , in tro d u ce y our arm y of bees (ju s t as you now do a herd of c a ttle in s ta l 's fo r m anuring p u rp o ses); carefu lly house th em an d so ensure th e ir no t be irg d istu rb ed by beast, bird, rep tile o r coohj. A m illion or so of bees on an es ta te , in blossom ing tim e, m ay y e t be found to be w orth th e ir w eigh t in gold ! B y-and- bye, we w ould, perhaps, see a new in d u s try s ta rte d — kanganies rearing sw arm s of bees, o r b rin g in g them over from In d ia , to be le t o u t fo r h ire for a season, ju s t as th e y now do gangs of coolies. I t th e ex ­perim en t w orked w ell, they w ould p robab ly h u n t in couples, for th e m ore bees on our estates would m ean

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all th e m ore boxes of palam for th e coolies to pick, an d a ll th e m ore rupees to ca rry back to Ind ia . 1 hen w ould we all rem em ber th e w ell-know n lines, an d sing :

“ H O W D O T H T H E L IT T L E B U SY B E E ,” &c. [W e m u st ask Mr. B enton 's opinion on the m a tte r .

— E d . ]

H O W TO C H E C K C O F F E E L E A F -D IS E A S E : S U P ­P O R T T H E T R E E S U N D E R C RO P, A N D M A K E P L A N T A T IO N S (NOT W O R N OR W A S H E D O U T)

TO PA Y .L indula, 20 th Oct. 1881.

D e a r S i r , —N early th re e years ago, in addressing you on th e su b je c t of leaf-disease, I s ta te d my belief t h a t no econom ical or p rac tica l a n tid o te w ould be discovered in o u r lim e. So far, d ire experience has p roved I w as n o t w rong. I dep reca ted then , as I do now, th e idea of tru s tin g to sc ien tists en tire ly to he lp us.

A g ricu ltu ra l chem ists, from whom aid was expected, have n o t y e t a tta in e d sufficient know ledge of th e ir science to enable th em to prescribe an tid o tes for p lan t- pests. S ure ly th e fa ilu re of L iebig an d o th e r em inen t chem ists to find a rem edy for the p o ta to an d tu rn ip diseases bears me o u t h e re ? Such a discovery w ould have been of fa r m ore im portance th a n any for “ leaf- d isease.”

T h e d early -bough t experience of th e prac tica l ngricul- lu ris t has m ore freq u e n tly been th e m eans by w hich a cure has been effected ; th e “ special le t te r” from your F re n ch correspondent in your issue of F rid a y las t, n o tw ith ­stand ing . In th e le t te r to w hich I refer, he alludes to th e happy resu lts a tten d in g th e em ploym ent of su lp h u ra te of carbon for phy lloxera on th e g rape vine. I t m ay be so, b u t i t is n o t th e firs t tim e we have h eard of th e discovery of a cure for th is disease, w hich , on ex tensive tr ia l, has proved to be “ no cure a t a l l .” I place m ore confidence in th e system m en tioned b y h im of “ au tu m n al irrig a tio n an d rich sp ring m an u rin g s,” w hich it would appear, is designated th e Faucon system . Y our correspondent m igh t have g iven us some deta ils. I t is undo u b ted ly , how ever, a m ore freq u en t app lica tion of m anure in sm aller doses for th e purpose of affording a continuous supp ly of available food to a p lan t, w hich is d raw ing i ts sustenance from th e soil n early a ll th e y ea r round.

F o r some tim e back I have been experim en ting in th is d irection , hoping to , a t least, m itiga te th e ravages of leaf- disease, and so far, w ith g re a t success. T he experim ents w ill necessarily be incom plete u n til a year, a t a ll events, has elapsed; b u t, I m u st say, judg ing from p resen t appear­ances, I am looking forw ard w ith some confidence to th e resu lt. M ost of those in te rested have been, and doubtless s till are, experim enting for th e co m batting of our com m on enemy, b u t I am encouraged to lay m ine before you a t th is early stage recom m ended, as some such sys tem is, by th a t em inen t au th o rity , M onsieur F asteur. My ow n no tion is th a t , if m anure is app lied in sm all doses, so t h a t th e s tim u lan t in g red ien t, w hich it ought to con ta in w ould be asserting itse lf s im u ltan e ­ously w ith th e expected a tta c k , i t w ill carry the trees safely th rough . Should i t be found th a t th is w ould en ta il a tr ip le app lication per annum , a heav ier o u tlay need n o t be in cu rred th a n by m anuring once a year w ith th e o rd inary dose, if th e so il is in th a t condition by w hich i t can be la id on b roadcast an d rak ed in. Some years ago, farm ers th o u g h t i t suffici­e n t and economical, in m anuring fo r green crops, to app ly i t in large doses, und er th e im pression th a t i t w'nuld enrich th e soil fo r several years, a n d th e succeeding crops requ ire no application . R ecen t experience has, how ever, p roved i t m ore beneficial fo r each crop to be m anured , an d in some instances even tw o m anurings in one season, w here th e grow ing

crop is fouud to be backw ard . T here a re severa l reasons w hy frequen t applications of m anure are m ore effectual in producing good crops, th e chief being, th a t th e noxious ingred ien ts, which a ll soils con tain , have th e pow er of ren d erin g unavailab le as p la n t food th a t w hich m ay have been app lied in th e m ost available form, th u s depriv ing th e p la n t of th e full benefit of th e application . I t is w ell-know n th a t all C eylon soils are rich in a low com pound of iron w hich has th is pecu liar power, m ore especially over phosphates, w hich are so essen tial to th e w ell-being of our coffee trees. K now ing th is th en , i t follow s th a t b e tte r resu lts m ust accrue frem m ore frequent* m anuring . I f i t w ere possible to app ly quicklim e in large quail* ivh s, to n eu tra lize th e pernicious effect of th e alum ina and iron so ab u n d an t in o u r soil, th e re would he less necessity for such freq u e n t m anuring . I th e re ­fore fe< I convinced th a t , if an im proved m ethod of cu lt vatinn is adopted , th e ravages of leaf-disease can be m itiga ted . I t may be said, and w ith force too, ih a t th is is a m a tte r of <£. S. D. w hich, in these days, i t is no easy m a tte r to co m m an d !

I f 1 am n o t occupying too m uch of j ’our space, I w an t to have m y say on a s ta te of m a tte rs w hich, if n o t soon a ltered , m u st speedily b rin g ru in to th e coffee en terprise of Ceylon, and it is one w hich you, with your w onted fo resigh t, have been con tinually d raw ing a tten tio n to , viz. th e com parative cessation of m anuring operations. I t canno t be denied th a t the w herew ithal to r th is purpose is b u t too freq u en tly a t th e disposal of people who a re n o t re sid en t in th e island, ignoran t too of the firs t princip les of good h usbandry , and w ho are only too p leased to a c t on th e advice of th e professional v is itin g agen ts , w hich has »ail ten d ed in one d irec tion recently . I n the present depressed s ta te of th e bean, an d th e d eb it balances fast accum ulating to huge dim ensions, i t m ty be more pleasant for a m ortgagee to hear, th rough th e prof* ssional v is itin g ag en t he has em ployed, th a t es ta te ex pend itu re can be c u t dow n to h a lf th a t of form er \ ears. I t m ay ten d to raise th e V . A. in th e estim ation of his principal, an d so m ake fu tu re em ­p loym ent in like cases sure, b u t I d o u b t if i t is sound advice, e ith er for borrow er o r lender. I ho ld it is not. L e t ecm om y be th e o rd er of th e day ; b u t no th ing c m id be a g rea te r fallacy th an to stop cu ltiva tion , w ith th e hope th a t one day leaf-disease w ill disappear, an d tnanu ing operations again be u n d e r ta k e n w ith a p rospect of good re tu rn s .

Say w hat we may, th is was one of th e most- favourable blossom ing seasons w e could have w ished f o r ; an d w h a t is th e re su lt ? N o im provem ent on th e previous season, which was one of the w orst. G iven su itab le soil, clim ate, aspect, a n d elevation, i t is an axiom th a t, if it be rem unera tive to cu ltiva te without m anure, th en with m anure i t w ill be m ore so ; an d again, if land w ill n o t pay to cu ltiv a te w ith m anure, th e n i t m ost assured ly w ill not w ith o u t it.

W i h the exception of g ru b and bad seasons, I con­sider th e professional V . A. and restiv e m ortgagees are doing more to foster leaf-dieease th a n an y th in g else. L et those of our professional V isiting A gents w ho have give th em 'e lv es up to insensately ind iscrim inate declam a­tion in tendering advice, speak o u t bold ly th a t w hich m u st be no longer concealed viz., th a t m ortgagees, . w here i t is in th e ir pow er, m u st m ake a libera l allowance for m anure as th e only chance th e y w ill have of recovering th a t a lready invested. L e t th e Observer peg away a t ra ilw ay extension, so th a t ready and cheap tra n sp o rt m ay be had , and coffee w ill y e t be emj e ro r.— I am , dear sir, fa ith fu lly yours,

JA M E S S IN C L A IR .P. S .— Y our issue of T uesday has ju s t reached

me, in w hich a le tte r appears signed “ P o st T enebras L ux ,” and le s t i t m ay be ta k e n for g ran ted th a t 1 advocate th e cu ltiv a tio n of w orn-out esta tes, th a t is

es ta tes w ith surface soil a ll w ashed aw ay , I m ay say th a t , in respec t of such, I agree w ith him , coffee w ill never again be k ing . Bravo “ Old Rag” for your notice of yo u r K otm ale co rresponden t’s le t te r !—J . S.

L ib e r ia n C o f f e e N o t R i p e n i n g . —W e have received a sam ple of L iberian coffee cherries (d ry an d half- ripe) picked from some 8 tree s in f ro n t of E ria- gas ten n a bungalow , P an w ila d istr ic t. The p lan ts w ere go t o u t from Kew ex ac tly five years ago. H ith e rto th e crop has a ll r ipened , b u t th is season, a lthough th e trees look h ea lth y , M r. H ollow ay fears n o t m ore th an five per cent w ill ripen . H e adds ;— “ The tree s have been m an u red w ith ca ttle dung, p u lp an d lim e, an d sta n d u n d e r a fa ir am o u n t of shade. A rabian coffee trees close by look well, an d are lik e ly to ripen all th e ir crop.” P erhaps th e e levation (1,800 fee t? ) is against th e L iberian coffee ?

C o f f e e S t i l l K i n g i n C e y l o n .— W h o says coffee in C eylon is rap id ly going dow nhill, p a s t recovery? W here- ever coffee has been p ro p erly cu ltiv a ted an d ta k e n care of on su itab le lan d \ is i t no t s t i l l bearim r pay ing crops ? W e a re told of fid d s in Dolosbage w hich are doing b e tte r th is y ea r th a n d u rin g any one of th e pas t te n season*. A gain , w e learn of coffee w hich w as con­s ide red useless and abandoned, being resu sc ita ted an d th ro u g h cu ltiv a tio n b ro u g h t to b ea r 5 to 6 cw ts. stead ily for several years. W e ad m it th e a rea ih these cases is n o t la r g e ; b u t is i t n o t one of th e m istake of th e pas t, p u ttin g too g rea t an a rea on each p la n ta tio n u n d er one p roduct. Ou th e o th e r hand , is i t no t a fac t th a t coffee has had fa r less done fo r i t a il over th e co u n try d u rin g th e last th re e years th a n a t alm ost any previous period ? N o t sim ply has th e re been less m anuring , b u t th e a tten tio n u su ­a lly given to o rd in ary o r e x tra cu ltiva tion has been con cen tra ted on new p ro d u c ts ,—p erhaps w isely , seeing th ey offer on th e w hole grea ter prom ise, in th e face of leaf disease, b u t a t th e sam e tim e, i t is n o t fa ir to neg lect an d y e t sim ultaneously c ry dow n “ coffee.” O ur chief s ta p le is n o t dead or dy ing , an d w ill be found s til l to respond to cu ltiv a tio n an d lib era l tre a tm e n t.

T e a C u l t iv a t io n is rap id ly ex tend ing , w e are g lad to learn , in w h a t is th e T ea region of C eylon pc** excellence,— Dolosbage, A m begam uw a, Y akdessa an d Y a tiy an to ta , as w ell as on th e W estern face of A dam ’s Peak. L ocally-produced seed is becom ing a v a ila b le : t h a t from th e H oragalla trees being very fine. On W in d so r F o rest, a se t of Jack so n ’s im proved p a te n t m achinery is in course of erection. T h e T ea-ro ller — an adm irab ly sim ple an d su itab le m ach ine—is already w ork ing , th e re su lt being th a t 2 o r 3 coolies suffice w here 40 able-bodied m en were form ely req u ired . M r. H ay never saw th e equal of th is new an d im ­p roved m achine, in In d ia . Ja ck so n ’s dy in g m ach ine is now being erected , an d when the W in d so r F o re s t T ea house is com plete, i t w ill p robab ly serve fo r the produce of w ell nigh 1 ,000 acres of te a on p la n ta ­tions w ith in a reasonable distance. T h e largest “ break ” of te a —some 23,400 lb . —as y e t p rep ared fo r one sh ipm ent from Ceylon has just, been se n t to Colombo by M r. H ay from W indsor Forest, and w ill have early d espatch to th e hom e m arket. T here is no ab a te ­m ent of th e sangum e an tic ipations form ed by p rac t­ical In d ian p lan te rs of th e success of o u r en terprise : good seed of th e r ig h t so rt (A ssam h y b rid as a ru le being b e s t ) to begin w ith an d a fa ir s ta r t in cu lti- va tion , u n d er experienced guidance especially for p ru n ­ing, g a th erin g an d preparing : and th e n a ll shouldbe clear to a carefu l in te llig en t p la n te .\ A n o th er w arn ing bo th to p lan te rs aud consum ers is th a t te a should n o t be d ru n k u n d er from 3 to 6 m o n th s a fte r p repara tion . Is i t no t a t p resen t issued, sold au d d ru n k m uch w ithin th is period ?

J a v a L e d g e r ia n a S e e d i n C e y l o n .— W e are re ­m inded th a t “ M r. W . S m ith of M attakelly had h is Ledgeriana eeed from M r. A. M. Ferguson in Sept. 1876, a t th e sam e tim e as M r. Leechm au an d C a p t B ayley had th e irs , an d th a t they w ere the only persons in Ceylon w ho h ad L edgeriana seed a t th a t tim e and th e y w ere also th e first to receive it. T h is w ill be seen b y Mr. M oens’s R ep o rt for 1876.”

T e a i n N a t a l . —A n o th er riva l to In d ia a s a te a g row ing coun try has sp rung u p in N a ta l, w here th e p la n t has been in troduced , and is said to th r iv e b e tte r th a n it does in tills country , w hile I he cost of c u ltiv a ­tio n is m uch less. The flavour of th e m anufactu red leaf is said to be superio r to C h ina tea , an d does no t possess th e pungency th a t is pecu liar to m ost In d ian teas .—Englishman.

C r o s s F e r t il is a t io n o f W i i e a t .— Some successful experim ents have been la te ly m ade in A m erica in t l e cross fe rtilisa tio n of w heat, a fea t which has probab ly n ev er before been accom plished, and w hich, ow ing to th e peculiar s tru c tu re of th e flower, p r .se n ts g rea t difficulties. R ipe seeds have been ob ta ined from th e p lan ts operated on. b u t it rem ains to be seen w hether th e new p lan ts w ill com bine th e characteristics of the tw o p a re n t v eritie s . —Ibid.

C o f f e e a n d N e w P r o d u c t s . — Mr. J . H ollow ay w rite s (too la te to a tte n d to h is w ish) :— “ On second consideration , please leave o u t of m y le tte r from ‘ whereas th e p lan te rs ; &c., u p to ‘cocoa is doing f irs tra te .’ I t w as m ean t in chaff, b u t m ay n o t be ta k e n so, an d I w ish fo r no P . A. p rize. M y whole desire is to m ake Coflea A rab ica p ry , as I am firm ly ; convinced it w ill, in th e end, ho ld its ow n am ong a ll new products. I have, b y carefu l w atching and p ro ­p e r trea tm en t, p roved beyond a d o u b t th a t , in spite o f leaf d isease an d o th e r evils, i t does y e t p ay w here p roperly cu ltiv a ted . I p la n t all new products, b u t w ill n o t neglect “ th e goose th a t lays th e golden eggs.”

“ T e a -p l a n t in g i n C e y l o n . ” —A n In d ia tea -p lan te r, now in Ceylon, no tices th e pam p h le t on te a cu ltiva tion a n d m anufacture pub lished a t th is office, as follow s :— “ T he essay seems com plete enough in a general w ay, b u t m igh t have been m ore concise in dealing w ith th ed ifferen t stages of m anufactu re . I am n o t in a position as y e t to offer an opinion on th e ‘ selection of la n d ,’ * p la n t­ing o u t’ &c., as I ’ve been only a few m on ths in th e island , b u t m y idea w as an arran g em en t of ‘ notes on m an ufactu re’ p rinc ipally , beginning w ith ‘ p ru n ­in g ,’ an d dealing w ith th e d ifferen t stages as th ey come in o rder. I f th e C eylon teas are to take a p ro m in ­e n t position in th e London m ark e t, m uch m ore a t ­ten tio n m ust be given to th e ‘ w ith e rin g ,’ * fe rm en t­in g ,’ and ‘ so rting’ stages, as th e general com plain t is th a t th ey w an t s tren g th , a lth o u g h th e flavor is all th a t could be d es ired .”

I I a r u t a l e . — A corresponden t re fe rrin g to th is d is ­t r ic t w rite s :— “ Y ou gave m e some L iberian coffee seeds some m onths ago. I lo s t no tim e in send ingth em t o . Enclosed le t te r w ill shew th e r e s u l t . Thee s ta te is 4,000 to 5,000 feet e levation .” T he ex trac t from th e m anager’s le t te r is as followe :— “ T he L ibe­r ian coffee seed lias a lto g e th er failed, n o tw ith ­stand ing a ll th e care bestow ed on th e nursery . O nly ab o u t j of th e seeds g erm inated and these only one o r tw o a t a tim e, b u t these w ould d ie before th ro w ­ing ou t th e firs t pa ir of leaves and so on r ig h t th ro u g h th e nursery . T he la s t p la n t d ied yesterday .1 do n o t th in k i t possible to raise a p la n t a t th is e levation . H eavy ra in fell here y e s te rd a y ; though to d ay has been fine : th e m onsoon is n o t fa r off, and I expect to be able to p la n t o u t cinchona a t th e beginning of n e x t week. T he e s ta te is looking well, an d th e crop is beginning to shew up. I th in k I m ay safely say I nev er saw less leaf-disease on th e e s ta te th a n now .”

j L i m e is n o t a genera l rem edy fo r grub, an d dig- I g ing is too expensive for m any es ta tes to indu lge in .\ B u t are w e for these reasons to do nothing ? T he

very le a s t th e G overnm ent could do w ould be to | offer a large rew ard to an y one w ho m ay discover

a cheap an d effectual poison th a t a t th e sam e tim ew ould n o t be in ju rious to th e vegeta tion . B u t of th is I have sm all hopes.—Cor.

C o f f e e a n d C h ic o r y . —In a long paper on “ T he j S k in an d Com plexion ” co n tr ib u te d to th e D a ily N ew s,I by Jo h n L . M ilton , Senior Surgeon of S t. J o h n ’s j H o sp ita l for th e Skin , London, w e find th e follow ing | p arag raph , one p a r t of w hich o ugh t to be p rin te d in : le tte rs of gold an d a copy se n t to every E nglish I household, a t th e expense of th e Colombo C ham ber! of Com m erce :—T he d ie t fo r an y one w ho suffers a tj a ll from the sk in m u st be good ; above all, th e reader j shou ld s ta r t w ith a substan tia l b reakfast. Coffee, m ade i from th e fresh ly -roasted berry—ground a t th e tim e of 1 using, w ith o u t any chicory (w hich is only to be regarded

as a poison) is one of th e first necessaries. N o cum brous m achines are w an ted —such th in g s only g e t f o u l ; coffee is b es t m ade by sim ply pouring boiling w a te r upon th e g round b e rry , an d p u ttin g th e p o t upon th e fire to boil for a few m inutes. I f te a be p referred , i t shou ld be m ade w ith some varie ty of th e pu re old C hina b lack , like th e L apsang Souchong. H ill te a w ill n o t do for sk in disease, especially w hen coupled w ith d ispepsia ; some specim ens are so loaded w ith s ta rch th a t w hen boiling w ate r is poured upon th e leaves and allowed to s ta n d fo r a few m in u tes i t b e ­comes like th in arrow root. B u t even th e best te a shou ld never be allow ed to d raw ; from one to tw o m inu tes is 1 q u ite enough to e x tra c t a ll th a t is refreshing.

I n d i a -r u b b e r G a t h e r in g i n C o l u m b ia . — A n in te r ­es ting account is g iven of th is process in a re p o rt ju s t issued by th e U nited S ta te s Consul a t C artba- gena. W h en th e h u n te r has found a rubber-tree he firs t c lears aw ay a space from th e roots, and th en m oves on in search of o thers, re tu rn in g to com ­m ence operations as soon as he has m ark ed a ll th e trees in th e v icin ity . H e first of a ll digs "a hole in th e g round h a rd by, and th e n cu ts in th e tre e a V -shaped incision w ith a m achete, as h igh as he can reach. T he m ilk is cau g h t as i t exndes a n d flows in to th e hole. A s soon as th e flow from th e cu ts has ceased th e tre e is chopped down, an d th e t ru n k raised from th e g round by m eans of an im provised tre s tle . A fte r p lacing la rg e leaves to ca tch th e sap, gashes are c u t th roughou t th e en tire leng th , an d th e m ilk carefu lly collected. W h en i t firs t exudes th e sap is of th e w hiteness an d consistence of cream , b u t i t tu rn s black on exposure to th e a ir. W hen th e hole is filled w ith rubber i t is coagulated by add ing h a rd soap or th e ro o t of th e m echvacan, w hich have a m ost rap id action, and p rev en t th e escape of th e w ater th a t is alw ays p resen t in th e

j fresh sap. W h en coagulated sufficiently th e ru b b er | is carried on th e backs of th e h u n te rs by bark j thongs to th e banks of th e r iv e r an d floated dow n , on rafts . T he an n u a l d es tru c tio n of rubber-trees in I C olum bia is very g rea t, a n d th e in d u stry m ust ! soon d isappear a ltog e th er, unless th e G overnm ent j p u ts in force a law th a t a lread y exists, w hich com- I pels th e h u n te rs to ta p th e trees w ithou t cu ttin g i th em dow n. I f th is law were s tr ic tly carried ou t I th e re w ould be a good opening for com m ercial ! en terp rise , fo r ru b b er-trees w ill grow from 8 to 10 | inches in d iam ete r in th ree o r four years from seed., T he trees requ ire b u t l i t t le a tten tio n , and begin to : y ield re tu rn s sooner th a n any o ther. Those th a t ! y ield th e g rea test am ount of ru b b e r flourish on th e : ban k s of th e Sim u and A sla to rivers . T he value of

th e crude in d ia-rubber im ported in to th e S ta tes annually | is abou t §10,000,000. — London Times.

- t ~ =C i n c h o n a C u l t u r e i n M a d r a s . — Colonel Beddom e’s

R ep o rt is th e m ost elaborate an d carefu lly com plied, y e t d raw n up on th e M adras G overnm ent C inchona G ardens. H e has since, as our readers know , v isited Ceylon a t tb e request of h is G overnm ent, in o rder to note th e condition an d progress of our local C in­chona en te rp rise an d any im proved m ethods of cu ltu re in troduced . W e fear Colonel B eddom e was n o t g rea tly im pressed by w h a t he saw in Ceylon. W e now learn th a t, before going on leave to E ngland, Colonel B ed­dome has been o rdered to com plete h is visits of in ­spection by going to D arjeeling. W e sha ll look w ity in te re s t fo r his repo rts on the Ceylon and S ikhim plan tations.

J a l a p . —N o t long ago sam ples of ja lap , grow n on th e N ilg iris b y M r. Jam ieson of th e G overnm ent g ardens there , w ere sen t to some of th e hospitals in M adras for t r ia l, an d tb e rep o rts show th a t the ja lap is likely to be largely u?ed in th e hosp ita ls in th is presidency, b u t th a t a l i t t le m ore care is necessary in th e cu ltiv a tio n of th e p lan t. D r. Thom pson, of th e 1s t d is tr ic t, says th a t th e ja lap adm in istered to p a tien ts in h is hosp ita l had a p re tty good effect upon th e m ; D r. R oberts of th e 2nd d is tr ic t says th a t th e ja lap is in every w ay an ac tive and efficient p u r­gative. T he Surgeon of th e 4 th d is tr ic t says th a t th e ja la p w as found to be efficient. The m edical officers of th e G eneral H o sp ita l au d of the P e n ite n tia ry have n o t fu lly repo rted on th e effects of th e ja lap , b u t th e re is no dou b t th a t forthcom ing rep o rts w ill be as fav o rab le as those sen t in by th e o th e r officers. T he Surgeon-G eneral, w ith th e G overnm ent of M adras, is of opinion th a t, if ja lap can be grow n on th e N il­g iris a t five or six annas p er lb ., i t will be an econo­m ical m easure for supplies to be sen t to all he m edical stores in In d ia — the cost of ja lap pow der supplied from E ng land is Is 6 d per lb. I f ja lap can be grown on th e N ilg iris a t 8 annas p er lb. w e see no reason w hy i t shou ld n o t be used in preference to E nglish w hich, w ith exchange and o th e r charges, o u g h t t o 1 cost 14 annas p er lb .— M adras Standard.

Q u e e n s l a n d P i n e .—From a very in te re s tin g pam phlet by Mr. W a lte r H ill on th e Q ueensland tim ber, w e e x tra c t th e subjoined note concerning A raucaria B idw illu , th e B unya B unya P in e :— “ A noble tree inhab iting th e scrubs in th e d is tr ic t betw een B risbane and the B u rn e tt rivers. In th e 20 th parallel i t grow s th ickly over a po rtion of co u n try in e x te n t abo u t th i r ty m iles long and b y tw elve b road. T he wood is no t only very s trong and good, b u t i t is fu ll of b eau tifu l veins, a n d capable of being polished and w orked w ith th e g rea te s t facility . T he cones produced on th e ex trem e u pper branches, w ith th e ir apex dow nw ards, are large, m easuring 9 to 12 inches in leng th , an d 10 inches in diam eter. On com ing to m a tu r ity th e y read ily shed th e ir seeds, w hich are 2 to 2 £ inches long b y 1 inch b road, sw eet before being perfec tly ripe, an d a fte r th a t resem ble roasted chestn u ts in tas te . In acco rd ­ance w ith regu la tions issued by th e governm ent, th e tree is n o t allow ed to be cu t dow n by those who are licensed to fell tim b er on th e Crown lands, th e f ru i 's being used as food by th e aborigines. The trees produce some cones every year, b u t th e p rinc ipal h arv est happens only every th re e years, when th e blacks assem ble from all q u a rte rs to feast on it. The food seems to have a fa tten in g effect upon them , and th e y eat large q u an titie s of i t a f te r roasting i t a t a fire. C on trary to th e ir usual h ab its th e y som e­tim es store up the Bunya nu ts, h id ing th em in a w ate r hole for a m onth o r tw o. H ere th e y germ inate, and become offensive in ta s te to a w h ite m an’s palate , b u t are considered by th e b lacks to have th en acqu ired an im proved flavour. T he ta s te of th e B unya, w hen fresh, has been described as som ething betw een a ch estn u t an d a raw p o ta to .’’— In d ia n Forester.

T e a E x p o r t t o A u s t r a l ia f r o m I n d i a a n d C e y ­l o n :—F rom th e 1st to th e 8 th of th e cu rre n t m o n th , M essrs. W atson and Co.’s T ea R eport te lls u s th a t th e q u a n tity of tea , exported from C a lc u tta to A u s tra lia and New Zealand w as 54,9001b., which, ad d ed to th e 378,4911b. ex p o rted from th e 1st of M ay to th e 30 th Septem ber, gives a to ta l of 433,391 lb. for th is season. F rom th e beg inn ing of th e year to the 27 th S ep tem ­ber, Ceylon has se n t 303,9621b. to tb e Colonies, a m uch la rg er p roportion re la tive to th e am oun t of te a produced th an w as se n t from In d ia .—Englishman.

T h e C e d a r s o f L e b a n o n . — T he V ienna PolitiscJie Correspondent says:— “ T he once fam ous ced ar fo res t of Lebanon, fo rm erly so ex tensive, has dw ind led dow n to th e dim ensions of a mere th ic k e t, n u m b erin g abo u t 400 trees. T o save i t from com plete d e s tru c ­tio n an d p reserve i t a t lea s t in its p re se n t ex ten t* R ustem Pasha , th e G overnor-G eneral of th e L ebanon , has issued a special ordinance, con ta in ing a series of s tr in g e n t regu la tions ca lcu la ted to check, if n o t q u ite to p u t a stop to , th e vandalism an d carelessness of m ost trav e lle rs . I t is expressly forbidden to p u t u p te n ts o r o th er k in d s of sh e lte r w ith in th e d is tr ic of th e trees, o r to lig h t fires o r to cook any p ro visions in th e ir v icin ity . N o one is allowed to* b reak off a bough or even a tw ig from th e trees. I t is fo rb idden to b rin g any beasts of bu rden , be th ey horses, m ules, asses, or an y k in d of an im al, w ith in th e d is tr ic t. Should oxen, sheep, goat, o r o th e r pas tu rag e c a ttle be found w ithin th e p rescrib ed lim its, th e y will be irredeem ab ly confiscated .” — Colonies and India .

T e a P l a n t i n g i n A m e r ic a .— W hile our In d ia n T ea P lan te rs are com bining to force th e p ro d u c ts of th e ir p lan ta tio n s in to th e A m erican m ark e t, an in d iv id u a l p la n te r “ who has h ad fifteen y ea rs’ experience in In d ia ,” is try in g to persuade th e Americans th a t th e y can grow th e ir own tea . H e r M ajesty ’s S ecre tary of L egation rep o rts from W ash ing ton th a t th e local Com m issioner of A g ricu ltu re has, u n d e r th e advice of a M r. Jackson , th e en terpris ing p la n te r in question , se lected a tr a c t of lan d in G eorgia fo r an ex p eri­m en ta l farm , on w hich th e raising of tea on an ex ten d ed scale w ill be carefully an d tho ro u g h ly tr ie d . Sam ples of th e teas a lread y produced b y M r. J a c k ­son have been se n t to Thom pson, B ro thers, tea m e r­chan ts , in M incing Lane, London, to be e x a m in e d ; an d th e rep ly received is t h a t “ th ey rep resen ted teas of a h igh type, th e flavour, th o u g h n o t strong, be ing rem arkably frag ran t. In appearance th e y resem ble In d ian tea , b u t th e flavour is m ore lik e th a t of th e finest C hinese black tea, o r of th e b ill teas of In d ia .” T h e im porta tion of V irg in ian tobacco p lan ters to Bengal is th u s avenged. “ Can w e afford to p ay o u r labourers four tim es as m uch as th ey do in th e E a s t­ern coun tries V is th e p e r tin e n t question w hich M r. Jack so n p u ts to h im self an d his A m ericans. “ Y es ,” rep lies th e w r i t e r ; b u t i t is doub tfu l w h e th er h is readers in In d ia can agree w ith him . I t is t ru e t h a t one coloured m an or negro is said to do th e w ork of tw o average coolies ; b u t even th en labour is tw ice as expensive in G eorgia as in Assam . A lth o u g h , too, in some of th e operations connected w ith tea p la n t­ing, such as hoeing an d w eeding, m anual labour is said to be cheapened by th e use of th e plough ( a t w hich negroes are sk ilfu l)—a circum stance of w hich In d ia n p lan te rs m igh t lea rn to tak e advan tag e—y e t picking, w hich a fte r a ll absorbs th e g rea te r p a r t of th e han d labour requ ired in th e various processes of te a p roduction , canno t be com pleted by a few er n u m ­b er of hands in th e one co u n try th a n th e o th er, fo r i t is a process a t w hich m uscu la r s tre n g th does n o t te ll. On th e co n tra ry , clever m an ipu la tion , w hich is th e po in t of th e In d ian coolies, is w h a t is w anted fa r m ore.— Pioneer.

JO H O R E A N D IT S P L A N T IN G E N T E R P R IS E .Some tim e ago we acknow ledged th e receip t from

M r. G arland of a p lan of one of th e p lan tin g d iv i­sions of th e Jo lio re te r r ito ry — G nnong P u lai Jo h o re —• from w hich we com piled a lis t of es ta tes b locked out, th e area cleared, an d the nam es of p rop rie to rs. W e are now g re a tly in d eb ted to th e courtesy of M r. E .A. W atso n (th e energetic p lan tin g p ioneer of Johore, as he m ay w ell be designated ) fo r a series of finely executed surveys an d p lans of th e rem aining divisions of th e Johore h ill-coun try :—G unong P an ti J o h o r e ; G unong B atu B ahat Johore an d C hapal E nas B edira d istric ts. T hese p lans enable us to form a very good idea of th e co u n try in w hich , in th e course of a dozen years o r so, th e re m ay be found betw een 30,000 and40,000 acres u nder cu ltiv a tio n w ith coffee, cinchona and tea. A s m ost people know , th e li t t le islan d of Sing -pore (27 x 14 m iles) is s itu a ted a t th e S ou th ern ex trem ity of th e M alayan P en insu la , from w hich i t is separa ted b y a s t r a i t from th ree-fo u rth s to a m ile w ide. The te r r ito ry of th e M ah ara jah of Jo h o re occu­pies th e S outhern po rtion of th is peninsula , and the tow n of Jo hore itse lf is n o t m ore th a n a dozen miles from Singapore, th e re being th e fe rry an d a d rive across th e li t t le island betw een th e tw o. T he ex ten t of te r r ito ry belonging to th e M ah ara jah is no t very w ell defined, boundary d ispu tes betw een him self and h is n e x t ne ighbour on th e pen insu la (th e R a ja h s of M nar and P ahang , w ho w ill have no w hite se ttle rs) having still to be se ttle d , b u t, as w e have said, i t is n o t lik e ly th a t th e a rea available fo r p lan tin g p u r ­poses w ill be found to exceed 50,000 acres. F u r th e r n o r th on th e w estern side of th e pen insu la we come to the o th e r B ritish d iv isions of th e S tra its te r rito ry , M alacca an d P rovince W ellesley an d th e islan d of P enang, an d besides these w e have th e S e ttlem en ts under B ritish p ro tec tion w ith rep resen ta tiv e R e sid ­ents, nam ely , P e rak , Selangor, an d Sungei U jong. T here are severa l C eylon colonists (including Mr- D ow nall) in te re s ted in th is p o rtion of th e p e n in s u la ; b u t we have y e t to see p lans of th e land blocked o u t and apportioned, in o rder to form som e id ea of its fu tu re prospects as a p lan tin g te rrito ry . M r. Low, th e B ritish R esid en t in charge of P erak , is ev id en tly an official of th e r ig h t stam p, de term ined to do all in his pow er to encourage trop ica l p lan ting en terprise .

M eantim e, we have to call a tte n tio n to Johore itse lf w ith its g reat capabilities an d m any advan tages in situation , m eans of tra n sp o r t an d clim ate for a p la n t­in g se ttlem ent. In p ropo rtio n to th e land availab le fo r occupation, i t is ev iden t th a t th e expend itu re w hich w ill be requ ired on roads to g ive req u isite m eans of tra n sp o rt w ill be v e ry lim ited in Johore . W ith m ore th an one tid a l river opening up th e co u n try to th e base of the h ills on w hich p ly large boats ow ned and w orked by Chinese, tra n sp o r t of food fo r labourers up, and of crop dow n w hen i t begins to come, w ill no t be an occasion of m uch anx ie ty to th e p lan te r . A s regards clim ate, while th e p ioneers m u st inev itab ly encounter some of th e risk s alw ays a t te n d a n t on th e opening u p of a new coun try , we do n o t th in k th e re is an y reason to suppose th a t fever w ill be p rev a len t a f te r th e clearings a re p la n te d on th e h ill-sides. T he really dangerous p o rtio n —th e te ra i— of th e coun try ,

126

a t th e foo t of th e h ills , has been a lread y occupied by th e C hinese w ith th e ir gam bier p lan ta tio n s , an d i t is a cu rious fac t th a t, as in Ceylon, so in Johore , w here th e n a tiv e cu ltiv a to r has ended , th e re th e E u ro p ean colon ist begins. G am bier b o rders w ith coffee an d te a in Johore, ju s t as th e K a n d y a n s’ te r ra c e d paddy-fields ru n below th e coffee-clearings in th e h ill- co u n try of Ceylon. F o r situ a tio n , .Jo liore has sp lend­id advan tages in its p ro x im ity to th e free po rt of Singapore w ith its g re a t tra d e an d c a p ita l ; for, a lthough h ith e r to th e large m ercan tile houses of th e S tra its h av e ta k e n l i t t le o r no p a r t in th e p lan tin g en terp rise , th e re can be no d o u b t th a t w hen th e y see th e p ro ­duce com ing in from th e p lan ta tio n s, th e m erchan ts w ill m anifest a good deal of in te re s t in th e w o rk so p luck ily begun b y Ceylon p lan te rs . C ap ita l w ill th en n o t be w anting to develop the te rr ito ry , -a t an a c ­ce lera ted ra te . L abour has been one of th e u n certa in elem ents, b u t so fa r as c o n tra c t an d heav y w ork is concerned, we th in k Jo hore is well off with its Chinese, w hile arrangem ents are now being m ade for o b ta in ing In d ia n cooly labour, w hich is m ore su ited for p icking crops and perhaps fo r w eeding an d p ru n in g . N o th in g can be m ore enlightened an d encouraging th a n th e a t ­ti tu d e of th e M ahara jah tow ards th e p lan ters. T he lan d has n o t only been g ran ted on excep tionally easy term s, b u t rev ersin g th e tra d itio n a l policy of h is G overnm ent (w hich is to ta x th e lan d occupied a t once) he is p repared to accept a sm all ex p o rt d u ty on th e produce sh ipped , so m aking i t ve ry easy fo r th e coffee, te a and cinchona p la n te r w ithou t m uch cap ita l, who w ill on ly feel th e b u rd e n of G overnm ent w h en he begins him self to derive a su b s tan tia l re tu rn from his investm en t,

R eferring to th e several d is tric ts of Johore, so fa r occupied, we find th a t ‘ G unong P u la i ’ is th e one n ex t to Jo hore to w n on th e N orth -w est, th e foot of th e h ills being tw e n ty m iles o r so from th e tow n. T h e ran g e ru n s up to close on 2,000 feet, th e fo re s t­lan d being d iv ided in to som e th ir ty blocks aggregating 14,144 acres, of w hich ab o u t 11,000 acres hav e been ta k e n u p by E uropean p rop rie to rs. I n th is d is tr ic t abo u t 1,200 acres a re now u n d e r cu ltiv a tio n , w hile p repara tio n s are being m ade to clear a la rge ad d itio n a l area. A l is t of th e e s ta tes and p ro p rie to rs in th is d iv ision w as given b y us in th e Ob<erver of 2 nd J u ly la s t.

T h e n e x t or “ P a n t i ” division lies f a r th e r N o rth an d E ast. T he to ta l area blocked is 10,758 acres, of w hich i t w ill be seen by fa r th e g rea te r p a r t has been ta k e n up, th e l is t being as follow s :—

E st a t e s o n G u n o n g P a n t i J o h o k e .a . e . r .

T. P . 50b M. Larken - - - 424 1 35„ 68 F . Newman, J . & C. C. Armitage - 609 0 10

B. Government Reserve - - 644 2 38T. P . 67 H. E. Bentley - - - 247 0 0

45 [Tangley E sta te ] E. E. E verett - 302 3 1140 D. Jones - 289 0 10

„ 43 Dr. Bentley - - - 498 0 19„ 41 fSree M enanti E sta te] J . Mooyer -1,004 3 11

Government Reserve.—F ia t table­land, elevation about 1,600 ft. high, surrounded on all sides by preci­pices 200 ft. high - -1,236 3 35

T. P . 23b G. H. H . A usten - - 289 1 481 T. Moorhouse & E . A. W atson - 574 3 6

A. R . P .T. P. 26b A. T. Dew . - 297 1 0

34 A. G. S. Gwatkin - . 306 1 2476 [G reat Chesterford] !Messrs. G ar-

land & Hervey - 301 0 059 G. A. Dick - 252 2 22A. Government Reserve . . 597 0 27

T. P. 32 J. V . Brabazon - . - 415 2 131 W. W . Bailey - - - 310 3 2130 T. J . Brabazon - - - 299 0 12

T. P. 51 Sved Mobamed - - - 393 2 0

”29 fK in tail E sta te 1 R. Liddelow . 339 3 17

Clearing 1880-81 [100 0 0]T. P. 33 J . M. Brabazon - - . 372 2 32

E. E. Abrahamson - 138 2 0Clearing 1881-82 -[50 0 0]

T. P. «2 A. Hickling - - 299 3 1961 do. - - 310 3 4

Acreage blocked out October 1880 8,307 1 22Do. do. June 1881 2,451 0 37

T. P.

Total area...10,758 2 19

N o t e .— The M untahat Range adjoins the west side of P an ti, and is now blocked out. K otta Tinggi is a village on the Johore R iver, 7 miles along the cart road from Gunong P an ti and 50 miles by river from Johore town or Singapore. I t has a resthouse.

T here are only tw o clearings here so far, b u t a good deal of fo rest is com ing dow n th is season. M ost pecu liar is th e fla t tab le-land , covering 1,200 acres, 1,600 feet above th e sea, and su rrounded b y p rec i­pices 200 fee t high, w hich occupies th e cen tre of th is d is tr ic t. M r. W atson te lls us th a t ingress is on ly ob­ta ined easily a t one po." i t , an d th a t th e p la teau is w ell w atered an d covered w ith grass. T he M ah ara jah reserves th is probably as th e site of a fu tu re Sana- ta r iu m , th e clim ate being as cool here as a t po in ts m ore th an double th e height above sea-level in Ceylon, ap p a ren tly .

T he M un tah a t d is tr ic t n ex t to P a n ti has y e t to be occu p ied ; b u t fa rth e r N o rth , w e have th e B a tu P a h a t d iv isions w hich are h ig h ly favoured in th e B a tu river a s a m eans of tra n sp o r t. On th e side of th is river, 6 m iles from th e m outh , th e re is a s to re an d wiharf a t a po in t only 2J m iles from th e ea ta tes ! I t is no w onder therefore, th a t o u t of 10 ,000 acres b locked o u t, th e re are a lready clearings ag g reg a tin g 1,500 acres in th is specially favoured division. T he lists are as follow s :—

E s t a t e s o n G d n o n g B a t u P a h a t , J o h o r e .

T. P , 64 G. R. DaviesClearing for coffee 1880-81[107 1 21]

T. P . 37 [Lettybrook E sta te], J . A. H.Drought -

Clearing for coffee 1880-81 [111 0 0]T. P . 21c Capt. Bayley -

,, 21n J . W eirB. Government Reserve

T. P. 47 [The Wabe E sta te ], Hon. J . Shelford 306 „ 56b M essrs. Jackson & Bishop-

Clearing 1879-80 [50 0 0]T. P . 56a Formosa Co., Ld.

Clearing 1881-82 [98 2 3]Do. 1881-82 [92 0 32]

T. P . 24 [Cambus E state] D. Knox„ 70 [Stoke Rochford E sta te ] (all this

block is under cultivation) W. G.Gordon & H . B. Tum or

T. P . 49 [Woodcote Grove] Messrs. Garland & Hervev -

Clearing 1881-82 [50 0 0]T. P . 65 J . Gittens

Clearing 1881-82- [50 0 0]A. Government Reserve

A. R. p .503 2 24

288 0 0

245 0 11263 1 8176 3 8306 2 36496 2 35

494 1 11

244 2 32

819 0 0

272 2 0

240 2 0

461 2 26

A. R . p .50 M. Larken - - - 263 2 26

,, 60 W. M. Reeves - - - 322 2 0„ 63 A. H id l in g - - - 332 2 16„ 58 [Bsmang E sta te ] , E . A. W atson - 630 1 2

Clearing 1880-81 [49 0 32]Total acreage blocked ou t on Gunongs Soga, Pengaum r,

Banang and Senangin A5,861-3-35.E s t a t e s o n G u n o n g s C h a p a l E n a s B e d i b i a n d G u o n n g

B a t u P a h a t D is t r ic t .A.

Johore Co., Ld. - - -1,677Clearing 1880 - [320 0 11]J . Thurburn - . . 1,010C. C. N. Glass - - - 501Government Reserve - - 183

T. P.31C.

i t. p .2 32

2 9 2 6 2 13

Total acreage blocked an t...3,$99 1 29N o t e .— These estates are situated about 30 miles from

mouth of river. The relative positions of h iils and river are only approximately shown in plan.

T he M ahara jah of Jo h o re is to be cong ra tu la ted on securing as se ttle rs or p ro p rie to ry taxpayers, so m any men of en terprise , sk ill and cap ita l. C eylon’s tim e of m isfortune has proved a g ran d o p p o r tu n ity fo r th e M alayan S e ttlem en ts, and we cannot g rudge th e good m en th e y have ta k e n from u s , m uch as w e shou ld lik e to have seen th e ir en te rp rise an d money, u n d er th e auspices of a fostering G overnm ent, d evo ted to th e fu rth e r developm ent of Ceylon. W e have s til l ex tensive reserves in th is island calling for occu­pation ; b u t th e p resen t A d m in istra tio n are ap p a re n tly b en t on doing no th in g save to cu t dow n ex p en d itu re in th e d irec tions w here it cau least be sp a red . M ean­tim e, how ever, w e a re n o t so churlish as n o t to w ish a ll success to Johore , w hich w e m u st regard n o t so m uch as a riv a l to , as an offshoot from , our Ceylon P la n tin g E eterprise .

T H E G O V E R N M EN T M A N U F A C T U R E O F C IN C H O N A A L K A L O ID S IN IN D IA .

T h is m ail has b rought us th e follow ing com m unica­tio n from th e v e te ran Q uinologist, M r. Jo h n E lio t H ow ard, F. R . S. :—

L o rd ’s Meade, 30th Septem ber 1881.D e a r M r . F e r g u s o n , —T he enclosed answ er to a

request th a t I would critic ize th e la s t Blue-book issued, was sen t to th e In d ian G overnm ent som e m onths ago. I t w ill probab ly appear in th e n ex t Blue-book, w henever th a t may come out. In th e m eantim e i t m ay be of in te rest to some of your readers.

I f you re p rin t it, i t w ould be well to do so verbatim,. T h is is th e only copy I have, and , if n o t used, shou ld be re tu rn e d to m e,—Y ours very tru ly ,

JO H N E L IO T H O W A R D .

L ord’s Meade, T o ttenham , Ju n e 21st, 1881.M r L o r d , — In reply to y ou r le t te r of th e 13th

in s tan t, I beg to tra n sm it th e follow ing rem arks on th e collection of papers se n t m e fo r perusal:—■

1.—1 observe th a t 190,798 lb , of d ry b a rk of th e species O. enccirubra were m ade over to th e G overn­m en t Q uinologist, b y whom 3,750 lb . of febrifuge w ere m anufactu red from it. T h is is u nder 2 p er cent of th e a lkalo id con ten ts , an d falls very fa r sh o rt of w h a t is to be expected , if th e b a rk were thoroughly exhausted . I t m ay, perhaps, be as m uch as can be looked for from th e rough process em ployed. I n M r. M oens’ rep o rt for th e year 1879, I read th u s :— “ Jin th e analy tica l lab o ra to ry of th e m edical d ep a rtm en t, b y D e V r ij’s m ethod (so called) o u t of 3,000 k ilogram s of d ry bark, 56 kilogram s of quinetum w ere p repared , less th a n 50 p er cen t of th e a lkalo id th a t was p resen t in th e b a rk .”

2 .— T he re su lt is th a t from b a rk valued a t nearly 6 d per lb ., th e febrifuge is estim ated to cost R 16-3-l§ per lb.

C on trasted w ith th is the cost to th e G overnm ent of th e follow ing pu re p reparations supplied from E urope is given (a t page 21) as per lb. R . A. P .

Cinchonidiae sn lp h a s .. . ... 17 8 0Cinchoniae su lphas ... ... 5 0 0

3 .—A t page 56, 1 learned th a t th e average q u a n tity of d rug g iven in each case is

Sulph. of cinchonine ... 7 8 ’91 [grains]Sulph. of cinchonidine ... 68*863 ,,Q uinetum ... ... 107*135 ,,

th e “ Q uinetum ” m eaning * the S ikk im febrifuge,” as is ev ident from th e n ex t sentence :— “ T his d ru g [th e above febrifuge] required a large q u a n tity to be given before th e p a tie n t was cu red .”

4 .— So th a t one lb. of su lph . cinchonine would cure eighty-five cases a t an expense of R5, w h ilst one lb . of th e febrifuge m igh t cure sixty-five cases a t an expense of R16. Or w ith eulph. cinchonidine one h undred and oue cases w ould be cured a t an ex ­pense of less th an R17.

5 .—So m uch fo r th e supposed cheapness of th e febrifuge a t th e tim e referred to in these calculations. B u t it m u st be rem em bered th a t, ow ing to th e in ­creased supplies of c inchona b a rk from every q u arte r, th e p rice of Q uinine is d im inishing, w h ilst th e price of th e febrifuge m u st rem ain m uch th e sam e and co n trast s ti l l m ore unfavourab ly w ith th e d im inishing price of o th e r alkalo ids.

6 .—I assum e in these observations th a t th e cost of th e febrifuge canno t he m uch lessened. I rest th is on th e necessarily w astefu l ch a rac te r of th e process em ployed—although the beet, perhaps, th a t c< u ld be em ployed on th e spot.

7 .—I presum e th a t i t w ould be an advan tage to th e medical profession, if th e objectionable portion of th e produce of th e red b a rk w ere thorough ly inves­tig a ted . T he p resen t papers confirm th e opinion I ex­pressed in m y la s t le t te r of its decidedly em etic properties.

8 .— W h ilst re ta in in g these properties, I canno t con­sider th a t th e Sikkim febrifuge fulfils th e bene­volen t in ten tions of H er M a jesty ’s G overnm ent. I t seems generally ad m itte d in these papers to be a nauseous m edicine d e tr im e n ta l in a g rea te r or less degree alike to E uropeans an d to natives. I t is well rem arked a t page 13 th a t “ th e m iseries caused by Ind ian residence and illness are depressing enough in them selves, w ith o u t being in tensified by nauseating agencies q u ite foreign to th e therap eu tic effect re q u ire d .”

9 .—A p art from these effects th e efficacy of tb e rem edy seems to be u n iversa lly adm itted , being ap ­p a re n tly th a t of th e cinehonidine and cinchonine of w hich i t is chiefly composed.

10.— I find in M r. M oens’s repo rt on th e G overn­m en t Cinchona E n te rp rise in J a v a for 1879 th e fo l­lowing analyses of th e different k in d s of quinetum , from w hich i t will be seen how sm all a percentage of the w hole requires to be sacrificed in o rd er to rem ove th e obnoxious am orphous alkalo ids :—

P r e p a r a t io n o f F e b r if u g e Al e a l o id .In th e an a ly tica l lab o ra to ry c f th e m ed ical d e p a rtm en t

W eltevreden , by de V rij’s m ethod so-called, o u t of 3,000 k ilogram s o f d ry bark 56 k ilog ram s of qu in e tu m w ere p repared—less th a n 50 p e r cen t o f th e alkalo id th a t w as p resen t in th e ba rk . W ith th is qu ine tum , tr ia ls w ill be m ade in the d ifferent m ilita ry h osp ita ls . A n aly ses w ere m ade o f different, k in d s c f quinetum , th e n s u it of w hich is g iven below . Of these ana ly ses the second w as perfo rm ed b y M r. J . H ekm eijer, p iin c ip a l o f the an a ly tica l laborato i y a t W eltevreden.

Co m po s it io n , 1 2 3 4Insoluble in d ilu te hyd roch lo ric ac id ... 0'52 1*92 9*00 6*22W ater ...................................................................430 0*80 6*00 3*80A sh 3*00 0*80 2*20 2*10Q u in -n e 6*50 4-60 6*94 13*42C in c h o n id in e ... 25*13 60*20 24*63 40*56C inchonine an d qu inom ine 52*35 30*18 35*95 27*50A m orphous a lkalo id ...............................7'12 0*42 9*92 4 80Coloring m a tte r a n d res iduum ................. 1*08 1*08 5*36 1*60

Q u inetum No. 1 is th a t p rep a re d in B ritish In d ia a n d so ld b y th e G overnm en t th e re a t 20 ru p ees p e r E n g lish pound . I t is o f a fine w h ite colour, a n d h as a p ecu lia r sw eet sm ell. : t *s pacced in t in boxes h o ld ing £ an E n g lish pound , w hich a re p rov ided w ith d irec tions fo r use in E n g lish a r d H n d u s tan i. No. 2 w as p repared a t W eltevreden , I t h a s th e s a ^ e ap p earan ce an d sm ell as th e Bengal, b u t s a li t t le d a rk e r co lored. No. 3 is a sam ple o f th e f iis t q u ine tum p rep a re d by B rough ton in M adras a n d ca lled b y h im am orphous quin ine. I t is a yellow stuff, s tic k y like res in , a n d looking like rh u b a rb pow er,—on th e w hole a ve ry im p u re p rep a ra tio n . E q u a lly w ith th e sam p les 1 an d 4, I ow e th is a lso to th e k indness o f l) r . K in g , su p e rin ten d en t of th e Bengal c inchona gardens . N o. 4 is q u ine tum o f th e m a n u fac tu re r W hiffen in L ondon. T h is h d a g ray -b row n t i n t , sm ell o f m ethy l-a lcoho l, an d le f t a san d y residum on so lu tion in d lu te hyd roch lo ric acid.

11.— I have confidence in th e chem ical sk ill of M r. Moens, and therefo re presen t these deta iled analyses as fu lly reliable.

12 . —I do n o t know w hether th e In d ia n G overnm ent have any serious in ten tio n of im proving th e a lkalo id ; b u t if th is be the case, I shou ld be happy, if desired, to supp ly fu rth e r suggestions.

13.— In th e m eantim e, I append some rem arks on ano ther p reparation analysed by the sam e chem ist :—

B eside th e se sam ples of q u ine tum , an o th e r p repara tion w as an a ly zed , p roduced b y th e sam e m aker, u n d e r th e n am e of q u in e tu m su lp h a te . I t h as been tr ie d in B r it ish In d ia , a n d co n s is ts of

23*26 p e r ce n t su lp h a te of qu in ine,61*40 ,, „ c inchon id ine ,24*30 „ „ cinchonine.

T h is h a s a v e ry g od ap p earan ce a n d g ie a tly resem bles the q u in ine s u lp h a te c f com m erce, b u t w ith th e m icrosco . e t : e la rg e r c ry s ta ls of cinchona su 'p h a te can be detec ted . T h is p rep a ra tio n is ap p a re n tly com bined m echan ica lly b.v th e m ix ­tu re of § c inchon id ine su lp h a te w ith J q n in v e su lp h a t r , an d an equal q u a n tity o f cinchon ine sul. f i te . The qu in e tu m o f d if­fe re n t p re p a ra tio n s w as a lso o f v ^ ry d iffe ren t com ­position . A s t e loss is f o excessively g re a t in th e p re ­p a ra tio n b y ex trac tio n w ith d ilu te hyd ro ch lo ric o r su lp h u ric ac id (de V rij’s m ethod), th a t abou t h a lf o f th e a lkalo ids a re a s ffood as lo s t in th e p rocess, a n o th e r m e thod of p re p a ra tio n is to be ad o p ted in B enga l, a n d a t th e sam e tim e a la rg e p ro ­p o rtio n o f th e q u ine tum w ill be m ade in to sul: h a te com pounds, w ith a v iew (o rem ove th e am orphous a lkalo id s, w hich som e­tim es form £ of th e w hole, an d to w hich d isag reeab le re su lts a re ascribed .

14.—In reference to th e above, I m u st say th a t I canno t find th a t an y advan tage has been shew n to re ­su lt from the ad m in is tra tio n of m ixed alkaloids. The a lte rn a te use of th ese is a tten d ed w ith b e tte r resu lts , as I have found th a t , w hen th e co n stitu tio n has become in to le ra n t of quinine from long use, the change to su lph . cinchonidine has been decidedly a d v a n t­ageous.

15.— T he cheapest p rep ara tio n , an d th e one w hich is best adap ted for p rescrip tion , is th e m u ria te (not su l­phate) of cinchonine, and th is in o rd in a ry cases I have found in th is coun try en tire ly successful, I do n o t, how ever, recom m end th is p repara tion , w hich is, by a ll accounts, inferior, as a m edicine, to th e su lp h a te of c inchonidine.—I am ,‘&c.,

J o h n E l io t H o w a r d , F .R .S .To th e U n d er -Secretary of S ta te fo r Ind ia .

M r. H o w ard ’s calcu lations an d adv ice are deserv ing of serious consideration a t th e han d s of th e a u th o r­ities in In d ia . A t th e sam e tim e we m u st p o in t o u t th a t th e arg u m en t in reference to th e nauseous effect of th e locally -m anufac tured febrifuge is n o t borne o u t by m edical m en a ll around. A good m any hosp ita l surgeons speak in h igh term s of th e S ikh im febrifuge and use it freely fo r n a tive p a tien ts ; an d th e hope of th e p lan ting an d m ercan tile com m unity w as, th a t th ro u g h using th e ir ow n p rep ara tio n , th e G overnm ent w ould be able to ex ten d tb e consum ption very largely am ong th e m illions of In d ia w ho s ta n d in need every year of such trea tm en t. B u t if th e S ikh im febrifuge is m ore expensive th a n th e p repara tio n s offered in th e open m arket, th e sooner th e In d ia n G overnm ent ab an ­doned cinchona cu ltiv a tio n to p riv a te en terprise , and buy a ll th e ir sto res of quin ine an d th e in fe rio r a l ­kalo ids, th e b e tte r w e should say.

T H E G O V E R N M E N T O F JA M A IC A A N D C IN C H O N A C U L T IV A T IO N .

W e lea rn t h a t th e G overnm ent of Jam aica h av ing proved experim entally , th e feasib ility of grow ing cin . chona to good profit in th e island , is now offering g ran ts of pub lic lands to p riva te in d iv iduals who will em bark in th e en terprise . T he spot chosen is on th e B lue M ountains, some 50 m iles from K ingston, in a de ligh tfu l clim ate, free from extrem es. T he G overn­m ent no t only offers land, b u t supplies p lan ts and seeds a t a reasonable ra te A n ounce of seed, costing a guinea, w ill produce 20 ,000 seedlings, enough to p la n t 5 acres. D irections for raising an d cu ltiv a tin g cinchona* have a lready been pub lished and c ircu la ted b y th e D irec to r of P lan tation* , M r. D. M orris. T he follow ing are th e conditions on which th e >Government w ill fo r th e p resen t m ake such g ran ts : —

“ 1. The grantee shall pay to the Government before he enters into possession of the land as purchase-money for the concession to be made to him the sum of £ ,being his bid a t public auction a t the upset ra te of 2s an acre on the estimated acreage.

“ 2. The Government, while not requiring th a t a certain fixed amount of land be planted year by year, will look for immediate steps being taken to establish the cultiva­tion of Cinchona upon the land after the purchase-money has been paid. The grantee must, however, undertake tha t a t the end of five years from the date of payment, he shall have cleared and planted with Cinchona a total extent of not less than one-sixth of the quantity of land actually granted to him.

“ 3. No tim ber shall be felled except on land about to be brought into cultivation. A certain quantity of tim ber may however, be cut down on other portions of the land, provided it is used solely in the erection of necessary buildings on the land itself.

‘•4. The Government reserves the r ig h t to make public roads through th e land to be granted without paying any compensation except for the value of Cinchona or other valuable trees actually destroyed in the conree of the work.

“ 5. No land shall be cleared of forest within a distance of two chains from any spring or from the source or feeder of any stream, nor sha ll any land be cleared of forest within three chains of the centre of any prominent ridge or dividing line of watershed without written permission from the Director of the Public Gardens and Plantations.

“ 6 . The land will be held by the grantee for the first five years on lease at a peppercorn rent I f any of the conditions herein mentioned be broken the Government may resume possession of the land without compensation of any kind, and the purchase money will be forfeited. I f the conditions be complied with a paten t of the land wi 1 be given to the grantee a t the end of five years free of u rth er cost, and the land will become hie in fee simple, subject only to the reservation above mentioned in the m atter of roads.

7. Questions th a t may arise as to the efficiency of th e cultivation established a t any period, and as to the value of trees that m ight be destroynd in the construc­tion of roads, and as to the extent of land necessarily cleared, shall be decided by the Director of Public G ard­ens and Plantations.

“ 8 . A diagram of the lot to be granted w ill be fur­nished from the office of the Surveyor-General, but any expenses that may be incurred for surveying or running th e lines a t the request of the grantee will be borne by the grantee. I f the lines be run by the grantee a copy of the plan of the same should be sent to the office of D irector of Roads and Surveyor-General for examination

“ y. Intending applicants for the g ran t of land on these conditions should address themselves to the Director ef Roads, by whom all requisite informations will be a f fo rd e d — Gardeners" Ghronicle.

C o i r F i b r e . — At th e H orvekelly C om pany’s sale of coir fibre th is afternoon th e price realized w as only R 4 p er cw t.

P e a . —I t is rep o rted in China th a t th e R ussian trad e in brick an d fine te a in C entral Asia, is now seriously in te rfe red w ith by th e In d ia n teas, w hich are p refe rred to C hina teas on account of th e ir g rea te r s tre n g th and flavour. T h e sam e m ay be said of th e es tim ation in w hich In d ia n and C h ina teas are h e ld in E ngland. T he m an or w om an w ho has once ta k e n to In d ia n te a w ill n o t re tu rn to th e use of C hina tea , so long as In d ia n te a is to be h ad for love o r m oney .— M adras M ail.

T e a P l a n t e r s w ill be scep tical of th e reason given b y a Tim es correspondent for th e excellence of th e K ia k h ta or C aravan tea , im ported in to R ussia from th e n o r th of C hina. The tea comes overland , and i ts exquisite delicacy of flavour is a ttr ib u te d to its exposure to th e a ir d u rin g th e tw elv e m onths jou rney in loose an d clum sy pap er p ack e ts and sheepskin bundles, w hich rids i t of ta n n in a n d o th e r gross substances, a process of purifica tion w hich cannot ta k e place in th e h erm etica lly closed boxes in w hich th e te a o rd in arily reaches E urope by th e sea route . T h is of course is on ly an opinion : we have h ea rd an d im prov ing th e flavour of te a b y keeping. A chest of In d ia n te a th a t h ad acc id en ta lly g o t am ong th e lum ber w as lo st s ig h t of fo r ten years. T hose who quaffed th e beverage b rew ed from th is te a declared i t exqu isite . In d ian tea p lan te rs , we fear, cannot afford to w a it for te n years to im prove th e ir teas, au d th is adv ice to keep th e ir p roduce, is n o t like ly to be accep ted .— South o f In d ia Observer.

I n d ia n L a b o u r f o r F i j i . — Once m ore th e G overn ­m ent of F ij i have decided upon im p o rtin g In d ian coolie labour for the p lan te rs . B u t th is tim e th e re is th is im p o rtan t d is tinc tion , th a t th e In d ia n coolies are n o t to be, so to say , forced upon th e p lan ters, as th e y w ere orig inally , b u t are requ isitioned fo r b y th e p lan te rs them selves. A ll th e sam e, w h ils t ask ing for coolies th e p lan te rs a re angry an d dissatisfied a t th e necessity w hich m akes them engage a class of labour, w hich th ey have good reason to dislike. B u t i t is a case of coolie-labour o r none a t a ll fo r m any of th e p lan ta tio n s. A s num erous requ isitions have been se n t in b y th e p lan ters, th e re w ould seem to be every chance of our despatch ing a few hundreds of o u r su rp lus m illions of ha lf-s tarved ag ricu ltu ra l labourers to a land, w hich w ill be, for them , flowing w ith m ilk and honey. I t is to be hoped th a t on th is occasion care w ill be ta k e n to send none b u t m en w ho a re rea lly ag ricu l­tu r is ts ; an d w here th e re is so large a field to se lect from , i t shou ld no t be difficult to g e t coolies of com ­para tiv e ly good physique. I t is sa tisfac to ry to learn th a t th e coffee p lan ta tio n s, w hich a t one tim e seem ed doom ed owing to th e leaf disease, are in a very flourish­ing condition , a n d b id fa ir to increase largely in ex ­te n t, and to p rove am ply rem u n era tiv e . R ecent ex­periences seem to show th a t th e disease bas n o t th e re th e sam e d isastrous effect i t has in Ceylon ; and n o t­w ithstand ing th a t some es ta tes were a ttack ed , th e q u a n tity exported la s t y e a r was fifteen tim es as m uch as th e q u a n tity exported in 1879. T he q u a n tity of th e b e rry is, m orever, ve ry w ell spoken of. On th e w hole i t w ould appear th a t in a few years’ tim e coffee- p lan tin g in F ij i w ill prove, perhaps, m ore rem unera tive th an it*. Ceylon, and th a t p lan ters, fo rgetting th e scurvy w ay in w hich they w ere tre a te d by a form er G overnm en t, will be a t tra c te d to islands w hich con­ta in large areas of incom parably fine coffee lan d — out of th e influence of th e tra d e w in d s—th a t can be h ad on v e ry m odera te term s, w h ils t th e re is in th e neigh­bouring colonies a la rge an d y early increasing m arket for th e berry. W hen Mr. H orne, th e D irec to r of th e M auritius bo tan ica l gardens an d forests, v is ited F iji, in 1878 , he estim ated th a t th e export value of coffee from th e islands w ould before long a tta in to a m illion and a half, o r to tw o m illions s te rlin g ,—Pioneer.

C O F F E E L E A F D ISE A SE : M E . M A R S H A L LW A R D ’S R E P O R T .

Mr. M arshall W a rd ’s final and (so fa r as i t goes) exhaustive R eport baa a t len g th seen th e lig h t. D r. T rim en, i t w ill be observed, is very severe on “ b lind , em pirical, haphazard experim ents (so c a lle d ) .” H e w ould re jec t a ll notions of “ cures ” o r “ specifics ” and would ad o p t ra th e r the o ld adage “ P reven tion is b e tte r th a n cu re ,” b u t, u n fo rtu n a te ly , n e ith e r he nor th e Cryptogam ist th row s m uch, if any, new lig h t on th e means of app ly ing p reven tive checks. T his m otto is, indeed, one th a t cam e u p very early in th e discussion on Coffee Leaf Disease, th e veteran Mr. E . B. T j t ie r using it, if w e m istake n o t, some half- dozen years ago, to enforce ex ac tly th e sam e lesson of “ careful cultivation an d jud icious m anuring ,” w hich th e D irec to r of th e B otanic G arden now seeks to apply , a n d w hich, indeed, has been repeated a t in tervals ever since Leaf Disease firs t tro u b le d th e coffee in 1869. I t is because cu ltiv a tio n an d m anuring , as th en p rac tised , appeared to have no p erm anen t effect in checking th e fungus th a t th e a id of science w as firs t called in, an d now , so far as p rac tica l resu lts are concerned, th e g rea t benefit p lan te rs will derive from th e tho rough investigation w hich has ju s t been com ­p le ted is to lea rn th a t sc ien tis ts are n o t able to do an y th in g for th em :—th a t th e y m u st ju s t help th em ­selves according to sound rules of cu ltiva tion , bearing in m ind w h a t is said abou t bu ry in g diseased leaves, th e p lan tin g of o th e r trees am ong or alongside th e coffee, well-dir. cted an d w ell-tim ed p run ing , m ore f re ­q u e n t applications of m anures in lig h te r q u an tities (according to M r. S inclair’s sound recom m endation), and th e judcious use of caustic lim e. S trangely enough th e only cu ra tive ingred ien ts th a t M r. W a rd speaks of w ith approval are our o ld friends “ su lp h u r and lim e ” w hich M r. D. M orris a t th e o u tse t .recom m ended for th e destru c tio n of h is “ filam ents.”

A m ong th e m ost, im p o rtan t p a rag raphs in th e R ep o rt are those in w hich M r. W ard discusses th e bearing of w ell-tim ed “ M a n u rin g ” an d “ P ru n in g ” in coun terac ting th e effects of leaf disease on crop. W e are ra th e r su rp rised to find M r. W ard g iving special a tte n tio n to th e origin of Leaf D isease in o rd er to dispel so-called popular and erroneous notions. W e w ere n o t aw are th a t D r. T hw aites’ explanation u n d er th is head a t th e very o u tse t had ever been seriously questioned, and one reason for assurance th a t th e fungus h ad not begun to feed on cu ltiv a ted coffee previous to 1869, w as th a t i t h ad never come under th e notice of th e la te D irecto r, w hile , w hen hemileia d id appear, th e rap id ity w ith w hich i t sp read w herever a coffee b rush grew afforded conclusive proof th a t i t could n o t have tro u b le d th e coffee previously w ith o u t being observed. D r. T hw aites w rote so fa r back as Ju n e 1872, th a t he had d iscovered th e fungus on th e native w ild coffee p lan t, an d th e fac t th a t i t m u st have in th e firs t in stance passed from a jung le p la n t (prob­ab ly in th e M adulsim a forest) to th e cu ltiv a ted coffee, h as since th e n been generally recognised, “ C u ltiva te h igh ly and m anure ju d ic iously” was th e b u rden of D r. T hw aites’ recom m endation in his first rep o rt on th e subject, and th e lapse of a decade has no t m uch im ­proved on h is rem edy. N evertheless, th e re can be no

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d o u b t of th e g rea t value of th e inform ation now given b y M r. W ard . A s D r. T rim en says, the m any q u es­tio n s connected w ith th e pest, w hich h a v e been th e sub jec t of so m uch an d varied d iscussion d u rin g p a s t years, a re now narrow ed down to a very lim ite d com ­pass ; th e life h is to ry is com pletely w orked out, a n d science has given th e practical ag ricu ltu ris t a ll th e a id an d inform ation th a t can probably be expected from it.

L E T T E R FRO M T H E D IR E C T O R O F T H E R O Y A L B O T A N IC G A R D E N S , F O R W A R D IN G A T H IR D

R E P O R T B Y M b . M A R S H A L L W A R D , C R Y PT O G A M IST .

No. 29. R oyal B otan ic G ardens,Peradi m ya, 19th S ep tem ber 1881.

S i r , — I have th e honour to fo rw ard to you a T h ird R eport on Coffee Leaf D isease by M r. M arshall W ard . In th is he sum s up th e whole resu lts of his investiga tion , w hich has ex tended over m ore th a n tw e n ty m onths.

1. C ontinu ing in th e s tead y course of d irec t e x ­perim en t an d observation , an d avoiding every th ing in th e w ay of con jectu re or theory , th e Cry p toga m ist has now estab lished th e m ain facts of th e tru e n a tu re of th is p a rasitic disease beyond di.-pute. Briefly, th e y are these. > eaf disease itse lf is purely local and in no sense c o n s titu tio n a l; i t is caused solely by th e Hemileia. runs a sh o rt and defin ite course, and is so form idable from th e cum ulative effect of co n stan t re ­petition . T he w hole direct dam age done by Ihe fungus to coffee is loss of leav es; o th er serious evils, how ever, and especially d im in ished crops, follow on from th is . C leared of m any erroneous observations and inferences, the ord inary life-h isto ry of H em ileia is now show n to he of ex trem e sim plicity , and th e necessary conditions for, and exact d u ra tio n of, each s ta se from spore to spore again have been dem o n stra ted w i h u n fa ilin g and convincing frequency. I t is n o t too m uch to say th a t as regards the s tru c tu re , circum stances an d h a b its of H eniilcia on th e coffee-leaf we are now com plete ly inform ed ; an d p robab ly no fungus-pest has ever hi fo re received so prolonged and con tinuous an exam ination .

2. T his being so, I app reh en d th e stage to be now arrived a t w hen rem edial m easures may be in te llig em ly considered, an d b lind , em pirical and hap-hazan. ex ­perim ents (so-called) to be no longer justifiable . W e know th a t th e re is one sufficient cause of lcaf-disease — the uredospore of H em ileia vasta trix, th a t th is is produced only b y a previous one, is carried free ly by th e wind, m ay re ta in its v ita lity for several weeks or m onths, an d can germ inate only in m oisture. T h is th e n is a vera causa, and , in accordance w ith th e w ell-know n m edical aphorism , to rem ove th is w ould he th e tru e practice. D ifficult and p erhaps im ­possible as th is may be u n d er p resen t circum stances, M r. W ard here urges several p reven tive m easures ac tin g in th is w ay, and i t is, in m y opinion, th e one w hich prom ises th e best resu lts to th e prac tica l a n d inv en tiv e capacity of coffee-plam ers. V aluab le guides, also in th e sam e direction , a re found in th e close re la tions here clearly fo rm ula ted betw een a tta c k s of disease and w eather. T he portion of th e re p o rt devo ted to th is sub ject deserves careful s tu d y for i t s obvious practical bearings, especially as to th e question of th e possib ility of hav ing th e coffee-tree in the m ost su itab le condition fo r resisting th e effects of th e grow th of th e pava-ite at. th e seasons of its chief invasions.

3. N ext to rem oving th e cause come c u ra tiv e m easures. M r. W ard has done well to insis t s trong ly t h a t to find an agen t th a t w ill k ill Hemileia is n o t th e m o st im p o rtan t or indeed a difficult th in g to do. B ut h e has narrow ed down th e p rac tica lly available chem ical substances of th is k ind to a very few, and h is ex ­perim ents w ith th em do no t, in m y opinion, lead

one to expect th a t i t is in th is d irec tion th a t th e p rin c ip a l relief is likely to be found. W e m ay su re ly now well re je c t all notions of “ cures ” and specifics. “ P reven tion is b e tte r than cu re ” is an o ld adage, a n d w ith our new vantage g round of know ledg" of th e ex trem ely sho rt period du ring w hich i t is possible to g e t a t th e parasite a t all, th e sh o r t life of each ind iv idual Hemileia-p lan t, and th e frequency an d w ant of period ic ity (in th e alm anac sense) in th e a ttack s of th e disease, it m ay w ell be d oub ted w hether so m uch benefit, is to be ob tained b y never-ending a tte m p ts to check each a ttack , as b y a general com­bination to destroy spores and h in d e r th e ir d isp e r­sion. I would p a rticu la rly call a tte n tio n to th e experim en ts w ith lim e an d su lp h u r m ade b y Mr. A nton a t H arro w — in th e ir carefu l accuracy m odels w o rth y of im ita tio n of th e mode in w hich such should be conducted—as illu stra tiv e of th e tem p o rary n a tu re o f the benefit obtained a t so large an expense.

4. T he only o th e r course is b y carefu l cu ltiv a ­tio n , judicious m anuring , and a tte n tio n to th e in d iv i­d u a l trees, so to im prove th e coffee as to enable i t to e n d u re th e disease, produce fresh leaves, and bear a la rg er c r o p ; b u t M r. W ard properly poin ts o u t th a t th e benefit so obtained is n o t due to lessening in any degree leaf-disease ; th e p a ras ite indeed is like ly to be increased ra th e r th a n d im 'n ished .

5. On th e whole, I am convinced th a t th e possession of th is c lear and connected h isto ry of th e disease of th e eoffee-leaf in Ceylon is a g rea t gain, and has given u s a la rgely increased chance of dealing w ith its ravages.

6 . As I have been requested by you to offer my opi­n ion as to th e d es irab ility o r o therw ise of th e C rypto- g am ist’s appo in tm en t being con tinued over a th ird year, I have, in concert w ith M r; W a rd him self, considered carefu lly th e p resen t position of th e en q u iry from all p o in ts of view. I m ay say a t once th a t M r. W a rd looks upon th e p re sen t rep o rt as final in its character, a n d does n o t an tic ip a te th a t an y discovery of practical value would re su lt from fu rth e r w ork a t Hem ileia. In d eed th e only p o in t of any’ im portance rem aining unsolved is th e h is to ry of th e second k in d of spore to w h ich a tte n tio n was called in th e la s t repo rt. To th a t no th ing can y e t be added . F rom th e p u re ly scientific aspect of th e enqu iry , fu rth e r inform ation on th is m a tte r w ould doubtless be of considerable in te rest, b u t any practical bearing of th e discovery af a second h o st-p lan t for th e fungus is rendered u n im portan t, since th e ord inary mode of its d irec t dissem ination by the yellow uredospores has been so com pletely dem on­stra ted . T he C ryp togam ist does n o t consider th a t an o th er y ear’s so journ in C>ylon would be profitab ly sp e n t e ither to th e Colony or to him self in th is search, w hich w ould be possibly fu tile (since th e discovery of such a p lan t, if i t ex is t here, is g rea tly a m a tte r of chance), or, if successful, offers so s lig h t a probability of co n trib u tin g to th e m ain purpose of th e enquiry . I n th is opinion I fu lly concur. I m ay add, how ever, th a t though M r. W ard m ay be no longer in Ceylon n e x t year, w e m ay perhaps have y e t th e benefit of some researches on th e n u tr itio n of p lant-cells, com­m enced here in connection w ith coffee, b u t requ iring for th e ir com pletion w ork in th e w ell-equipped lab o r­ato ries of E urope an d facility of reference to living a u th o ritie s and published m em oirs. T h is w ork , though n o t s tr ic tly any p a r t of th e leaf-disease enquiry , bids fa ir to be of special value to th e grow ers of our s ta p le p ro d u c t.— I am, &c., H e n r y T r im e n ,

D irecto r, R oyal B otanic G ardens.

FR O M M R . M A R SH A L L W A R D 'S R E P O R T . From H . M arshall W ard , E sq ., to the H on. the

Colonial Secretary .S ir,— I have th e honour to p re sen t you w ith a

fu rth e r report ou th e progress of th e investiga tion

in to th e life -h isto ry of Hemileia vastatrix, which I have conducted d u rin g m y s ta y in Ceylon.

Y ou w ill see th a t th e n a tu re of th e fungus, an d its causal re la tions w ith “ leaf-disease” on th e coffee in th e island are sa tis fac to rily determ ined , and th a t th e know ledge now to hand , to g e th er w ith w h a t has been p u t fo rw ard in m y previous repo rts , leaves no d o ub ts as to th e bearing of th e several p o in ts estab lished upon th e general questions w hich have been raised .

So far as coffee is concerned, th e life h is to ry and anatom y of Hemileia vasta trix m ay be considered com ­p le te . T he im p o rtan t periods occupied by the several phases of its life h is to ry have also been ascerta ined , an d a considerable num ber of developm ental periods on th e p a r t of th e coffee have been resolved an d b ro u g h t in to corre la tion th erew ith .

I have, m oreover, to call yo u r a tte n tio n to th e real connection betw een clim ate and leaf disease, which is no longer to be looked upon as a vague expres­sion ; b u t w hich I have show n to be of ex ac tly th e sam e n a tu re as th e re la tions ex is ting betw een any o th e r organism an d its physical environm ent, an d com ­p arab le to th e equally im p o rtan t dependence of coffee or any o th e r p la n t upon clim atic cond itions.

I have a tte m p te d to place th e essen tia l d e ta ils of th e h is to ry of th is fungus, an d its t ru e re la tions to th e coffee, &c., in th e c learest form ; and have o m itted no fac t w hich th row s lig h t on th e difficulties ex ­perienced in u n d erstan d in g so in trica te a sub ject. H aving show n th a t th e in d iv id u a l fungus p la n t is derived from w ith o u t, an d in ju re s tl e coffee by robbing i t of food—on th e m anufactu re of w hich a large ex p en d itu re of energy h ad been em ployed—by occupying valuable space on th e leaves, an d b y p ro ­ducing profound d istu rbances in the functions of the p lan t, I fu rth e r proceed to th e exam ination of th e obvious consequences of such dam age on a large scale —th e falling of leaves, blossom, an d crop.

T he d istr ib u tio n of th e fungus has also occupied m uch of m y a tte n tio n , and th e fac t th a t i t is con­veyed from place to place by w ind is now estab lished b y irrefu tab le evidence. O th er im p o rtan t m eans of d is trib u tio n are fu lly exam ined below, an d th e facts collected rem ove a ll difficulties in understand ing th e w ide and rap id sp read of th e p a ras ite by th e q u ick ly g erm inating spores. I fu rth e r proceed to show w h a t occurs on large m asses of coffee, as cu ltiv a ted over v as t open areas in C eylon ; and you w ill notice th a t th e application of th e preceding knowledge to th e m ore com plex problem s th e re p resen ted enables one to explain facts, o r ra th e r collections of facts, a t firs t ap p a ren tly difficult of explanation . One im p o rtan t p o in t I w ould especially d irec t y ou r a tten tio n tow ards : w h a t is know n to th e p lan ters as an a tta c k of leaf-disease, follow ed by th e fall of leaf, is n o t a sim ple m atte r , b u t th e com bined or successive effects of several gen­erations of the fungus.

M uch of m y tim e has been devo ted to ex perim en ta l research in to th e efficacy of ce rta in substances in destro y in g th e fungus, an d th e advan tages an d d isad ­v an tages possessed by such of these as can be em ­ployed w ill be ind ica ted below. I t w ill be seen, how- ever, th a t th e problem of com bating th is disease is n o t a m ere m a tte r of q u a n tity of chem icals an d th e ir efficacy in k illing th e fungus ; in any schem e for m iti­g a ting th e ravages- of th e pest, provision m u st be m ade for rem oving sources of re infection, and a t th e sam e tim e keep ing up th e s tre n g th of th e coffee tree . M oreover, w hatever th e app lica tion to th e d iseased leaves, i t is c lear th a t its con tinued action can only be counted upon for a sh o rt tim e a f te r each renew al.

I have poin ted o u t th e im portance of m annring an d prun ing , from th e po in t of view suggested by th e above, and i t seems necessary to call p a rticu la r a t te n ­tio n to th e value of w hatever break-w inds, o r tr a c ts of forest, o r p a tana , &c., m ay separa te es ta te s from

diseased areas. T h a t th e p lan tin g of o th e r trees on esta tes, and am ong tb e coffee, is an im p o rtan t a id to th e same effect w ill, of course, be apparen t. “ Leaf- disease ” appears to affect d ifferen t estates in different degress on account of variations in soil, clim ate, and o th er physical peculiarities ; b u t I would d raw a tte n ­tion to th e explanation of th is. C areful cultivation and n a tu ra l advantages of soil, clim ate, &c., enable certain es ta tes to s ta n d fo rth prom inen tly , as though “ leaf-d isease” d id n o t affect them , or only to a sligh t e x te n t ; w hile poor n u tritio n , th e ravages of insects, &c., have in o th er cases th e ir effect as w ell as “ leaf- disease. ”

These a tte n d a n t conditions, though th e y m ay com ­plicate th e problem before th e ind iv idual p lan te r, have, of course, how ever no connection w ith th e origin of the p arasite which causes “ leaf d isease .” M anure, again, can in no w ay be looked upon as e ith er a cause of th e disease o r a cure for i t : i ts p roper ac tion is th a t of a food.

The question w hence th e fungus orig inated adm its of no d irec t answ er. I have, however, placed before you a strong a rra y of facts ten d in g to p rove th a t H em ileia ex isted in Ceylon long before i t w as d is ­covered on th e cu ltiv a ted coffee; if, indeed, Hemileia vastatrix proves iden tica l w ith H em ileia Canthii, th e re can be l i t t le room for d oub t th a t th e form er passed to th e coffee from jungle, as I have long suspected to be the tr u th .

A review of events during th e past year show s th a t th e expectations held b y p lan te rs d u rin g th e earlier m onths of th e season have n o t been fulfilled; and i t m u st be recorded w ith reg re t th a t th e general and m agnificent blossom w hich appeared so prom ising in M arch las t have, w ith few exceptions, given resu lts far below w h a t w as expected from them . N o tw ith ­stand ing th e favourable w eather, and th e r a r i ty of th e fungus a t the tim e, a very sm all proportion of th e flowers came to th e stage of young f ru it; and i t is to be feared th a t a m uch sm aller frac tion w ill be­come ripe crop. A s an illu s tra tio n of th is, I m ay quote th e follow ing from th e rem arks of a correspondent in one of th e daily papers early in th e y e a r :—

“ T he prospects of a rea lly good y ea r could n o t have been m ore p erfec tly fulfilled from th e succession of fine blossoms th a t came o u t ; and, apparen tly , we had w heather to se t th em beau tifu lly . H ope against hope has been d isappoin ted ; th e g rea te r num ber of these bloosoms came to no th ing ; and th e n a t m ost only gave th e crop th a t is now showing, and th a t , I fear, w ill prove deceptive, although m any estates have estim ated from 25 per cent, to 50 per cent, over la s t year. T he failu re of th e blossom is a m ystery , for, on exam ining th e clusters th a t have set, an d are m atu ring on one side of an eye on a branch , on the o th e r side of th e sam e eye you find blossom s have en tire ly failed—in fact, w hen fresh blossoms came o u t of th e sam e eye w here the clu ste rs w ere, th ey also failed, while la te r blossoms on th e same branch se t all r ig h t. T his cannot be la id dow n to leaf d is­ease, o r w ant of m anure.”

I t is im p o rtan t to notice, how ever, th a t some es­ta te s hold fo rth prom ise of even large crops, and th a t th e general aspect is decidedly b e tte r th an i t was las t year a t a corresponding period.

T h a t th is im provem ent is largely due to th e m ore favourable season of th e cu rre n t year, and th e condi­tion of th e trees a f te r th e re s t of last year, th e re can be no d oub t ; b u t to th is m u st be add ed th e equally t ru e s ta tem en t th a t carefu l cu ltiva tion and a tten tio n have had m arked effects in enabling trees to se t and ripen crop to a larger ex ten t th an th e y w ould o th e r­wise have done, as is show n by com paring more neglected coffee.

S e c . I . — T h e L i f e -h is t o b y o f H e m il e ia V a sta k ix on C o f f e e .

§ 1. The outcome of num erous observations in addi­tion to and in continuation of those referred to in form er reports, shows th a t the history of th e fungus which causes coffee leaf disease m ay be fairly sta ted thus.

An orange-coloured papillate spore, or granule of “ ru s t,” taken from a patch on a diseased leaf and sown in a drop of w ater on the lower surface of a healthy coffee leaf, soon germ inates— i. <?., i t absorbs w ater and oxygen, swells up slightly, and protrudes a delicate, thin-w alled tube from one or more points of its surface. This tube is a direct continuation o f the spore itself, and the granu lar orange-coloured contents of the la tte r pass along the cavity of the tube as it extends on the surface of the leaf.

On arriving a t the orifice of a stoma or “ breath ing spore,” th is germ inal tube commences to block it up, and soon sends a prolongation through the orifice into the passages between the loosely arranged cells of the in terio r of the leaf. Once safe inside the leaf, the short tube begins to branch in two or three directions, each branch absorbing th e fluid bath ing the leaf cells ‘j w ith which i t is in contact.

As these first-formed branches gather s treng th and m aterial, they p u t fo rth several o ther branches which rapidly extend in to the spaces between the tissues around, and in th is m anner is formed a spreading meshwork or m ycelium of short, stumpy, fungal tubes. As growth proceeds from the prim ary tube in all directions around the point of entry, th e increasing m ycelium soon requires more food th an can be obtained by simply absorbing the nutritive fluids bath ing the leaf-cells w ith which the branches are closely in c o n ta c t; th is increased demand for food is effectually supplied after a tim e by the sucking organs, or haustoria which become formed by the older branches. E ach bores through the wall of the cell w ith which i t is in contact, and by m eans of the perforated passage obtains as food th e contents of the leaf-cell.

As growth proceeds in all directions from the point of entrance of the germ inal tube— i.e., a stoma— the leaf-cells first a ttacked and injured are evidently those nearest th is central point, and the destruction of tissue proceeds in a centrifugal m anner, p a ri passu, w ith the spread of the destroying mycelium.

The injured cells become paler in colour as th e ir con­ten ts become altered and destroyed, and thus shine through the outer layers of th e leaf w ith a paler hue th an the rem ainder of the tis s u e : the yellowish circular spot thus produced is the first indication to the naked eye of the damage done to th e leaf—it is the so-called “ pin-spot.” As the destroying mycelium extends itself fu rther in to th e tissues, its course is m arked by dying cells, and a circular spreading of the pale disease patch is obvious to the outward observer. F rom the same cause the discolouration appears a t a la te r date on the upper surface of the leaf, as the branches extend there.

W hen a vigorous, centrifugally spreading mycelium has th u s been formed, the older portions a t th e centre com­mence to form spores : these are produced in compact groups from the substance of certain processes winch are formed by aggregations of branches of the mycelium forced through the stom ata. The first formed spore- groups appear a t those stom ata which lie close around the point of origin of the mycelium, and they are fol­lowed by others successively protruding through stom ata fu rther and fu rther away from th is p o in t : thus, the production of spore-bearing heads also takes place in a centrifugal m anner, and successive circles of them be­come arranged around those first formed. E ach spore- bearing head is capable of producing large num bers of spores, successively budding fo rth during the period of activity.

After a stock of spores has commenced to accumulate, falling 06 as they become ripe, and adhering to the leaf as the yellow or orange-coloured “ ru st powder,” the oompletely exhausted leaf-cells, which have been de­stroyed by th e mycelium, tu rn brown and decay, and in place of active, translucent, living cells, we find a mass of empty, shrivelled, useless, and discoloured vesicles. From w hat has been said above, i t is evident th a t the resulting brown dead patch, seen from w ithout, necessarily commences in the centre and spreads in a circular m anner as before. U nder certain circum stances, the second form of spore is produced la te r by the old spore- beariug heads, and shortly afterw ards the grow th ceases. In m ost eases, however, th e attacked leaf falls before this, especially when m any “ disease spots ” have be­come established in its tissues.

The above is a short account of the succession of phenomena presented by the fungus on the coffee, from th e germ ination of the papillate spore to th e production of m any similar spores from the adult m ycelium ; and i t m ust be noted th a t each one of these spores is cap­able of reproducing the same cycle of phenomena, pro­vided it m eets w ith proper conditions of development. I n th is way the germ ination, growth, and reproduction of H em ileia are repeated again and again on the coffee an estates.

I will now proceed to sta te the results of observations and experiments made to determ ine the following p o in ts :—

(а) W hat period is requ ired ; and(б) W hat conditions are necessary, for the complete

germ ination of the spore?(c) W hat length of tim e is occupied in form ing a

vigorous mycelium ?(d) How soon after the germ ination of the spore

m ay the mycelium produce spores again ? and(e) How long m ay the “ disease spot ” luxuriate a t

the expense of th e leaf?§ 2. (a) How long a period is required, and (6) w hat

conditions are necessary for the germ ination of the papillate spore ?

I find th a t a spore of H em ileia is capable of germ ina­tion immediately after its complete form ation on the diseased spot, and th a t in 12 to 24 hours after its removal from the “ ru st ” patch to a healthy leaf, i t m ay throw out its germinal tube : the conditions necessary for th is are the presence of w ater oxygen, and a sufficiently high tem perat­ure. If the m ature spores be gathered dry and kept dry and cool for some tim e, no change occurs during th a t t im e ; nevetheless, spores thus kept for six weeks in a closely-stomped dry tube, germ inated. I n close covered cells, again, where the parts were sealed w ith wax, I have sometimes found germ ination delayed, or even altogether prevented. F inally, in cases where coffee on flats has become chilled or ‘• f ro s te d ” by excessive radiation, the spores of H em ileia m ay be found de­stroyed in large numbers.

T he sum to ta l of observations indicates th a t germ ina­tion occurs m ost rapidly in a warm, damp, steam y atm osphere on the surface of vigorous young leaves. U nder these favourable circum stances, germ ination is com­monly completed and the tubes have begun to enter the stom ata within 48 hours from the m oment of sowing.

G erm ination— i.e., th e swelling of the spore, and pro­trusion of one or more germ inal tubes—m ay apparently take place anywhere and on any surface, provided the necessary conditions of m oisture, &c., are fu lfilled ; and i t is a fact th a t m yriads of the spores germ inate on substances o ther th an a coffee leaf, only to shrivel up and die a t the completion of the process.* Experim ents already quoted in previous reports show th a t th is is true for glass slips, and I have dem onstrated the same for cloth, soil, and rocks on estates, &c.

* There is, however, an exception to th is statem ent, as I shall describe shortly, in the leaf of one other p lant, Cantliium campanulatium.

W here germ ination occurs on a living coffee-loaf, however, th e tube does n o t th u s die, but en ters a stom a, and form s th e mycelium as described above ; and th is suggests th e next question.

§ 3 (e) W hat length of tim e is necessary for the form ation of a vigorous mycelium ?

On th e th ird or fourth day after a successful sowing of the spores, I alm ost invariably find a small b ranched mycelium within the le a f ; vertical sections of the in ­fected part of the leaf show th a t th e tube has pene­tra ted through the stoma, and begun to b ranch in the intercellular spaces connected w ith it, while horizontal sections of th a t portion of the leaf show th a t th e branches (usually about three) a t first spread in a direction parallel to th e plane of the leaf. A t first there are no haustoria, and th e con ten ts of th e tubular, stum py branches are pale and finely granular a t th e growing ends.

W ith in a week from the date of entrance through the stoma, th e mycelium has become a tolerably vigorous structure, rapidly spreading in a centrifugal m anner as described, bu t still living on th e fluids bath ing the cells, the contents of which are still, to all appearance, healthy. D uring th e second week th e m inute parasite increases rapidly in size and vigour, and the leaf cells first a ttacked have by th is tim e haustoria piercing the ir walls in all directions, and, as a rule, sucking out the ir contents. I t is usually about the end of the second week, there ­fore, before the pale discolouration (caused by th e shining through of the damaged cells) first become observable.

I t will be seen fu rther on how rem arkably constan t are the phenom ena described ; nevertheless, i t is no t to be wondered a t th a t some differences occur. I t is of im portance to note th a t no o ther conditions th an those given appear to be necessary for the development of th e mycelium. A succulent young leaf, w ith th in cell walls sometimes developes a spot more rapidly, probably because the cells are m ore easily emptied by the myce­lium th an are those of an adult, leathery leaf, under th e same c ircum stances; but no evidence of a “ necess­ary predisposition to disease ” on th e p a rt of the coffee p lant is forthcoming, and i t cannot now be doubted th a t any leaf of any variety of coffee will allow of th e entry of the tubes, and th e ir development in to mycelia. So fa r as any general sta tem ent can be made on the subject, a vigorous and perfectly healthy leaf of W est Indian coffee is quite as easily infected with th e disease as an E astern variety, or, if anything, m ore rapidly.

No doubt th e quantity and quality of food present in the leaf cells, the vigour of the sap-flow, the thickness of the cell walls to be broken into, and the number, &e., of cells to be attacked, have the ir due effect onthe rapidity of development of th e fu n g u s; and wealready know th a t the degree of moisture, warm th, &e. as well as characters of soil, affect the coffee tree— and through it, of course, the parasitic fungus, is evident from the co-relations of both. I t m ay be fairly stated , however, th a t under ordinary circum stances the pale, yellowish “ pin-spot,” heralding the outbreak of “ ru s t,” is observed about fourteen or fifteen days after germ ina­tion of the spore, and th is is sufficiently constant(of course I speak from experience a t Peradeniya) toenable one to predict the date of appearance of the disease spot, after m aking a sowing of th e spores, w ith considerable certainty.

To give an instance. On Ju ly 24th of th is year a few yellow spores were sown on the under-side of a vigorous young leaf of a variety of Coffea arabica, and th e sowing enclosed in a cell clipped on to the living leaf and kept m oist as in previous experim ents. From o ther experim ents w ith th e same variety of coffee dm1, m g June and Ju ly , I was led to expect th a t the first indication of the yellow patch to the naked eye should appear in 15 days from the sowing of th e spores, and

accordingly made a note to th e effect th a t the “ pin- spot ” should be visible on August 8 th , following. T he plant was p u t in to a closed wardian case, and rem ained quiet as in other experiments.

On August 7th, the first indication of a barely visible yellowish discolouration was d e tec ted ; th is increased during the 8th , and on the morning of th e 9 th was quite distinct as a “ pin-spot ” visible to the unaided eye. T h is rem arkable experiment is illustrative of a series extending over m any m onths and more or less success­ful in an equal deg ree; and I would call your a tten tion to the following facts regarding them , as placing still fu rther beyond cavil the nature of th e parasite.

The fungus mycelium arises in the tissues im m ediately covered by the area whereon the sowing is made, and no m atter how “ virulent ” the produced spot m ay be, the early discolouration affects no other region o f the lea f or p lan t. I have now (September) five p lan ts in a case, each of which was infected in January' last. In each example the “ disease s p o t” appeared a t the region of infection and nowhere else, t ip to date no other spot has appeared, either on the infected lea f or elsewhere on the p lan t. H ere, again, I am quoting a few examples out of a much larger num ber illustrating the same thing. W e may now pass on to the next question.

§ 4. (d) How soon after the germ ination of the spores may th e mycelium produce spores again ?

Here, again, my sta tem ents depend upon experiments of the sam e n atu re as those above quoted, and the o u t­come of these indicates th a t a few spores generally appear in the centre of th e yellow patch a day or two after it is visible to the unaided eye— i.e., during the th ird week of its life the mycelium commences to bear the spores in th e m anner described above. There ap­pears to be more variation in th e tim e required for the production of spores, however, th an in th a t required for the form ation of the mycelium. In very hot w eather after rain the rapidity of th e ir form ation is marvellous, and th e yellow patch is quickly covered w ith the orange-coloured dust. They, moreover, are produced more rapidly and in greater quan tity on a vigorously active young leaf th an on an old m atured one under the same conditions. -T h a t th e nu trition of the leaf-eells, by affecting th a t of th e mycelium, influences th e am ount and ra te of development of spores, there can be no d o u b t; and cases are no t uncommon where the mycelium produces no spores a t all, or very few, and these very slowly. On the o ther hand, in very succulent, quickly-grown leaves w ith thin-walled tissues, and full of fluid, I have known the spores to appear in 10 days from the sowing of the original spores, and I am informed by Captain Bayley of Galle th a t he has found a sucker which was no t 14 days old, w ith the spores fully developed upon the leaf. This would also ap­pear to be a case in point. Nevertheless, in the m ajority of experiments th e spores appear during th e th ird week—a result which, as already stated, adm its of prediction being founded upon it with considerable accuracy.

As to the num ber of spores produced, and the tim e during which the mycelium produces them , no general sta tem ent can be made. As already said, no spores a t all appear in some cases, while on well-nourished mycelia then- numbers arc enormous. In some of my experiments, where only one patch of mycelium is fed by the plant, I have noticed long, pendent clusters of spores hanging down from each stom a in to the perfectly quiet atm osphere of the wardian case. Supposing each of these clusters to be l-25 th of an inch long, and th a t 100 of the clusters depend from the whole patch, it may be deduced, from certain known particulars as to the size, &c., of the individual spore, th a t in the example given there were probably a hundred and f i f t y thousand spores visible a t the same time. This was on one ru st patch, and I have counted as m any as 127 disease spots on a single pair of leaves.

Of course, such pendent clusters never form in the open, since th e slightest movement of the leaf by currents of air

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would scatter the loosely-attached spores in all directions : nevertheless, equal num bers m ust be formed on estates, only the wind detaches them as fast as they are m atured.A simple proof of the successive appearance of the spores is afforded by the following experim ent. On lightly rubbing * the end of th e finger or a brush over a ru st patch, vigor­ously active in fine weather, all the spores m ay be removed from the spore heads except very rudim entary ones : on re ­exam ining the sm ooth patch some 24 to 48 hours after, the powdery spores have again covered the patch. T his may even occur on the ground, so long as th e leaf still re tains its green colour—a fact of no small im portance in consider­ing the possibility of removing fallen leaves.

§ 5 (e ).—As to the tim e during which the above spore- production goes on, I have established the following facts. In experim ents where only one disease spot is allowed to flourish on a single leaf of the plant, the spores m ay be formed continuously during eight to ten weeks o r longer if the p lan t is in a vigorous s ta te and kept undisturbed : even in th e open, I have watched disease-spots on which spores continuously appeared for five or six weeks in fine growing weather.

B ut, as a rule, the leaf falls before th e mycelium has a tta ined th e possible lim its of its development, either from being to m off by wind, or because num erous “ disease spots” have formed, and the leaf soon succumbs to the m ultitudinous drains on its resources. I t is certainly a rem arkable fact th a t a leaf will support one or two “ d is­ease spots” for a long tim e w ithout apparent in ju r ) '; bu t th is is easily explained if one bears in mind th a t the lim its of the mycelium closely correspond w ith those of the discoloured-patcli. E xcepting th a t a tax is p u t upon the cells in more d istan t parts of the leaf—since the local action of th e mycelium is very powerful—it m ust be remembered th a t all th e green parts of the leaf are still practically healthy, and can do work for the p lan t. In proof of th is I m ay cite an experim ent made on a healthy p lan t of Jam aica coffee. T he leaves were all removed bu t two, besides the term inal b u d ; a sowing was made on one of th e two dark green, full-sized, and very fine leaves. On Jan u ary the 28th the first spores arose from th e yellow “ disease spot,” increased in num bers, and were produced in abundance during the following two m onths. T he activity of spore production then slowly diminished as the destroyed tissues turned black, bu t up to May 25th, (i. e. nearly four m onths later) there was stfii a feeble production of spores around the edges of the slowly spreading s p o t ; th e rest of th e leaf rem ained dark green, and, to all appearance, perfectly healthy ; and so i t has rem ained up to th is date (October 5th)—half the leaf black and shrivelled from the action of the fungus, th e o ther half healthy and green. Not only are both leaves still firmly attached, bu t several new ones have been formed by th e p lan t. In cases where several “disease spots” are perm itted to drain th e leaf, however, the la tte r soon falls, and th is is of course w hat occurs ou estates generally.

The L ife-h istory o f a p a ir o f Coffee leaves, before and after being attached by H em ileia.

I will now trace th e history of a pair of leaves, as actually observed 011 coffee in th e open, as a simple example of w hat occurs W'here th e conditions cannot be controlled as in the above experiments.

§ 6 . The bud, a term inal one, became exposed about the 1st of M arch, 1881, as the then end pair of young leaves diverged from one a n o th e r ; i t rem ained as a m inute green point, shining and hard from th e resinous coating excreted over it, up to M arch 14th. Soon after, about M arch 21st, a gradual swelling of the bud was observed, and by M arch 29th, the two new leaves were seen as dark green, some­w hat ovate bodies, tightly appressed face to face, and about a q uarter of an inch long.

I f we now exam ine th e kind of w eather wkich, generally speaking, prevailed during th is period, a na tu ra l corre­spondence is traced between i t and the development of the bud. During th e first three weeks of M arch, a continuance

of <iry, hot days caused all quick growth to cease, h u t the opening of the bud commenced a t once afte r the showers which set in towards the end of M arch, and continued for the m ost p art tlm m gliout April.

* On April the 2nd, in fact, a fte r a week of showery grow­ing w eather, the swollen bud had burst, and presented two leaves each § inch long, and by April 25 th these were fully formed, handsom e, bright green structures, about 4 J inches long by 2J inches broad in the middle :— on or about th is date the leaves ceased to enlarge, and m ay be considered adult, and in full w'orking order.

D uring th e las t week in April and th e first week in May, m uch ra in fell in heavy show ers; b u t from May 8 to May 25 a hot period intervened, the m ornings being frequently close and steam y, however. A t th is tim e a few spots of “ leaf disease” ivere observable here and there on sur­rounding coffee trees.

Now, from April 25tli, the period a t which we may con­sider the leaves adult, to Ju n e 1st, no trace of H em ileia was discovered on either of the leav es; bu t on Ju n e 1st a distinct, though small “ pin-spot ” was seen on one of the leaves, which I shall call the left-hand leaf, and on Jn n e 3rd a few spores were seen proceeding from th is. On the la tte r date, also, I found a m inute yellow “ pin-spot” on the right hand leaf of th e pair.

The question is, w hat connection had the w eather, the presence of spores, and o ther circum stances w ith th is definite appearance of two “ leaf disease spots,” on leaves which had been to all appearance perfectly healthy from April 25th to Jn n e 1st— i.e., during some five weeks ? I t m ay first be sta ted th a t the w eather from May 25th com­menced to indicate the wet usually associated w ith the incom ing of the south-west monsoon, and wind and rain prevailed more or less up to th e end of June , Ju n e 20th to 26th being, however, fine.

T he disease was first noticed on Ju n e 1 s t: if th e “ pin- spot ” arose from the germ ination of a spore as described above (§ 2 ), th is spore probably commenced its action w ithin three weeks or so previously. On com paring the notes made about the requisite period, two poin ts are clear; 1st, there were spores being shaken and blown about a t th a t t im e ; 2nd, i t rained heavily up to May 8 th , and a series of hot, close, steam y m ornings occurrred thereabouts, and it also rained during th e week preceding th e discovery of the spot. I t is evident, in fact, th a t an odd spore of H em ileia germ inated (probably in the dew) on each leaf on or about th e 16th— 18th of May, and sent its tube in to the leaf to form the mycelium of which th e presence was dis­covered on Ju n e 1st— 3rd.

On Ju n e 15th, the spot on the left hand leaf was large, and producing abundance of orange spores which were being widely distributed by the high winds (from Ju n e 3rd to 15th), as well on surrounding trees and leaves as on other portions of the same leaf surface.

On Ju n e 29th, m any more disease spots were apparent for the first t im e : these rapidly came to produce spores, and on Ju ly 1st num bered 35 new patches, each pouring forth hundreds of spores to be distributed as usual. The spores which produced these probably germ inated about June 15th in the showers so prevalent during the m onth. By th is time, also, the disease was bad all over the tree. I think it highly probable th a t th e 35 new spots arose from spores detached from the one spot of Ju n e 3rd.

By Ju ly 6th , the leaf was badly d iseased : the one older spot (of Ju ly 3rd) beginning to tu rn brown in centre, but still active in spores; the others which m ight be term ed the second generation, shining through above w ith an orange hue.

On Ju ly 15tli, there appeared about 12 new spots, evid­ently from spores which germ inated during the las t week preceding Ju ly 1st. E ach series of spots on the left hand leaf could now be distinguished as fo llow s:— One large and old spot, with a black patch in th e centre, and few spores— th a t of Ju n e 3rd. A num ber (35) of very active spots which are ju st commencing to become brown in the centre— those of Ju n e 29th. A sm aller num ber (12) of

new active spots and only ju st tinged yellow above— those of Ju ly 15tli.

On Ju ly 23, the leaf was evidently becoming destroyed by the num erous (48) virulent spots draining it, and curious green rings around the spots of Ju n e 29th alone represented the norm al colour of the leaf ; by Ju ly 26th, these had faded, and the leaf was quite yellow and exhausted, and i t fell during the n ight of th a t date.

As to the righ t hand leaf, i ts history is very sim ilar. On Ju n e 15th there were 2 H em ileia spots on it, a new one having appeared in addition to th a t of Ju n e 3rd ; on the 29th Ju n e appeared 57 new ones, which spread rapidly, and covered the greater pa rt of th e leaf by th e 6 th Ju ly ; on Ju ly 15th were 13 still newer spots : th e three generations were quite evident on Ju ly 27th, when the leaf was yellow. Before the last day of Ju ly th is leaf also had fallen.

I t is clear from the foregoing th a t w hat the p lanters term an “ a ttack ” of leaf disease, i.e., a sudden outburst of th e “ ru s t,” resu lts from the com ing to m atu rity or a t about the same tim e of a series of mycelia which have been formed from the successful sowing of a certain num ber of spores, and since all were exposed to sim ilar conditions we m ust look for the origin of the ru st to the conditions previously present. I t is clear, however, th a t we cannot say exactly when a given disease spot commenced to form ; we can only argue from the known data . I do no t th ink th a t any mycelium takes less th an one week, or m ore than three weeks to form, as a rule, however, and hence tbe above argum ent, m ay be widely applied.

B u t the serious m atte r to face is th e evident cum ul­ative power of the fu n g u s ; in th e examples cited, the few isolated spots produced (no doubt by the germ ina­tion of spores from fallen leaves, &c.), during May, in th e ir tu rn sowed spores which came to a head in J u n e : these became sown and were successful before Ju ly , and so on. T he effect on th e tree cannot be wondered a t, where th e above recorded h istory of a pa ir of leaves m ay be approxim ately pu t as follow s:—

One m outh to form the pair (March 25th—April 2 5 th ) ; one and a quarter m onth in the enjoym ent of norm al functions, &c. (April 25th— Ju n e 3rd) ; three-quarters of a m onth w ith one or two disease spots (June 3rd— 29tli) ; one m onth of continual struggle w ith increasing spots (June 29th—Ju ly 27th) ; finally resulting in th e destruc­tion of the leaves.

On the connection between Climate and “ L e a f Disease," dec.

§ 7. An early observation in the present investigation was th a t the m ore carefully coffee p lan ts were shelt­ered, th e less “ leaf-disease ” did they appear to incur. As I progressed, the following tru th s became apparent also. In the S. W . monsoon, coffee p lan ts placed in a veran­dah in the tee th of the wind suffer more from the disease th an sim ilar p lan ts in th e N. E . verandah, and therefore sheltered, while the reverse holds good, gener­ally speaking, for the alternate monsoon. In the gard­ens a t Peradeniya, moreover, the disease hardly affects plan ts which are sheltered, a t a tim e when the S. W . monsoon is blowing through exposed trees w ith hardly a leaf left on them . One patch of trees is very in ­structive in th is respect. There is one tree a t the end through which the S. W . wind blows before reaching the o th e rs ; and i t is dark green and bushy, long after the other trees are badly diseased and nearly leafless. The explanation seems simple : all the spores formed on th is tree are blown away to th e o ther trees— any spores to reach th is tree m ust first travel about a quarter of a mile, a public road, bamboos, and the river in te r­vening. W hen the wind changes, however, th is tree becomes very bad, being in its tu rn the possible re ­cipient of every spore form ed on the trees now to wind­ward. W ith th is change of wind, also, the trees a t the o ther end of the patch recover m ore rapidly th an those more to leeward.

An extension of these observations to estates and larger m asses of coftee, dem onstrates th e fact th a t the

sudden appearance of the “ d isease” is closely connected with tcind, and th is connection is of exactly th e same nature as we should expect if the wind blows spores about. T hat the wind does c a n y spores of H em ileia as well as o ther fungi, is now proved. How far a single spore m ay be hom e on a high wind is partly answered by my experiments in Ju ly , &c. H ere were clearly spores caught in tran sit under such circum stances th a t we may safely conclude they would have travelled a t least twice as far if they had not been caught by the obstruction —th a t is to say, the spores would travel 50 feet in one journey. B ut it m ust be remembered th a t the very light dry spore to rn by the wind from a leaf on a hill or other elevation m ight be carried much further.

B ut even if th e spore only moves per saltum, i t may be borne some distance on a dry, gusty day over such open country as the coffee districts, and there can be no doubt th a t, once i t has reached an area of coffee, the fungus has every chance of distributing its spores rapidly over the trees to leew ard ; the progeny having equally good chances, on th e whole, of travelling back again when the wind blows in the opposite direction. I t is in accordance w ith these facts th a t wind-blown areas of coffee become so badly diseased.

B ut another series of events suggested an equally im ­portan t connection with atm ospheric moisture. Of two series of p lan ts in the same exposed verandah, I found th a t those placed on th e edges of the verandah, and kept w etter on th e whole (from drip, driving rain, Ac.), appear to become worse “ diseased ” than more shelt­ered ones. Experim ents then proved th a t p lan ts strewn with spores and placed in wardian cases became diseased in a fortnight to th ree weeks, if the in terio r of the cases was kept wet and the atm osphere surcharged with moisture ; whereas in very dry cases no such infection took place. These and o ther experiments now before you led to the establishm ent of the connection between rain, dew, <£c., and the outbreak of disease, and is in agreem ent w ith the known facts th a t H em ileia flourishes especially in damp, steam y districts, and breaks out suddenly and badly in close, ho t w eather after rain.

The suggestions th a t electrical disturbances, &c., have any influence in producing or diminishing attacks of “ leaf disease ” have no t been corroborated by investi­gation. I find nothing to w arrant any direct connec­tion between th e phenom ena of disease and thunder­storms.

B u t the adm itted fact, th a t the great outbursts of H em ileia occur during the S. W . monsoon, and about the break of the N. E . monsoon, is also in accordance w ith the foregoing. I t is in Ju n e and Ju ly especially th a t the winds and sa tu ra ting rains first occur near Kandy, for instance, and it is in Ju ly and August th a t the “ disease ” is a t its h e ig h t: clearly th is occurs be­cause the wind distributes spores which the ra in then causes to germ inate. So, also, during the o ther periods of wind and rain . I t is difficult to say of any two seasons th a t the outbreaks of H em ileia are more or less virulent, because no standard of comparison is given. In continuously wet w eather the spores are less readily distributed by wind currents through the air, bu t each one stands a b e tte r chance of germ inating on a neigh­bouring le a f : th is I believe to be the reason why the “ d isease” comes and goes in virulent and sudden attacks in a dry year such as th is ; bu t “ hangs about,” to use a popular expression, during a wet season like th a t of 1880. The same, of course, applies to damp and sheltered portions of an estate, or whole estates, or even districts, and a little reflection will convince any one with the com petent knowledge th a t such is the case.

B ut there are o ther conditions to be taken in to account in comparing the “ attacks of leaf disease " in different districts, or on two estates, or even in different years. I t is plain th a t since H em ileia only attacks the leaves, there can be none of these extensive outbursts of disease on denuded coffee, and hence, from circum stances of

soil, treatm ent, clim ate, &c., it m ay occur th a t two areas of coffee differing in th is respect— i.e., in the proportion of foliage on the trees—m ay differ in the am ount of “ ru st ” and in the apparent “ virulence of the disease." I t is because a large surface of food m aterial is offered to the fungus th a t i t is so successful, and it is because a large area of leaf surface is offered to th e spores, th a t they affect their inroads on the coffee w ith such facility.

Speaking of the coffee near Peradeniya for illu stra­tion, then , (each valley, and m any estates differing in various ways as regards clim ate), th e chief reasons th a t there was so little “ leaf d isease" noticeable during February, March, and April of th is year (1881) m ay he thus summed u p :— (1) There were a t th a t tim e but few leaves formed on the trees, and therefore bu t little surface on which the wind could sow spores ; (2) there was b u t little wind to carry spores, and hence few fly­ing spores to be sown ; and (3) the ra in was chiefly in showers w ith long dry intervals, and so th e under sur­face of the leaf would rarely be wet for more th an a few hours' a t a time.

B u t w ith the April rains came th e conditions required for the germ ination of the com paratively few spores which had been successfully placed in the interval, and these gave rise to the still (comparatively) few “ rust- patches ” of M ay-June. T hen came the heavy winds and scattered the “ r u s t ” produced by these patches on to the now num erous leav es; rains, m oist air, and dews occompanying or following the w in d ; th e consequence and climax being a widespread a ttack in Ju ly . On Ju ly 15th the w eather cleared up, and i t was ho t un til the end of the m onth, and, although a num ber of spores would germ inate in the dews here and there, there was a lull in the disease as the already-destroyed leaves fell to th e ground. M uch distribution of spores occurred in th is dry interval however, and th e ra ins in August en­abled them to form mycelia, and so on.

I t is therefore evident th a t no general sta tem ent can be made as to the tim e of year an “ a ttack of leaf- disease ” may be expected, beyond saying th a t, since it is a t th e burst of the south-west monsoon (or n o rth ­east as the case m ay be) th a t th e estate is in fu ll leaf, the winds carrying spores about and shaking the trees, and the rains are affording m oisture for the germ ination of the spores, so i t is some tim e w ithin three weeks to a m onth afterw ards th a t th e outbreak of ru s t may be expected.

T h a t pruning, m anuring, shelter and o ther such pro­cesses of cultivation should be directed in accordance w ith these principles, will be obvious, bu t as th is is im portant, I shall refer to i t in more detail shortly.

“ A ttacks o f L e a f D isease.’’§ 8 . Since illustrations from th e estates themselves

are in some respects more intelligible, I propose to give one or two examples fu rther showing th e tru th of the above rem arks.

On an estate in D hnbula th e experiences as regards the outbreaks of leaf disease th is year were as fol­lows :— The disease commenced to show in May, increas­ing during June , and becoming very severe about Ju ly 1st, when the a ttack was a t its h e ig h t; before or about the 15th of Ju ly an immense quan tity of leaves were falling, and the disease was “ passing aw ay.” Very little more occurred, except in damp com ers of the estate un til August, when a milder a ttack was noticed towards the end. On exam ining the w eather and sta te of the coffee from February, i t is clear th a t th is illus­tra tion confirms w hat lias been already said.

D uring the April ra ins the spores (which had been slowly accum ulating as the leaves formed) germ inated, and produced a large stock of spores in tim e for the monsoon winds and rains of May and June . T he la tte r m onth being very wet, we cannot doubt th a t immense num bers of spores germ inated, the ir tubes entered the leaves, and the resulting mycelia would be ram pant in

July , as was the case. D uring Ju ly less germ ination w ent on in the dry weather, hu t a stock of spores was ready for the wet August, and the resulting mycelia should (according to experience) produce their spores about the end of the m onth. Such was the case, but the “ a ttack was a milder one,” partly because there were a t th a t tim e fewer leaves left on the trees, partly be­cause the winds had been less active in the interval.

A second illustration is afforded by an estate in the neighbourhood of Badulla. On the 1st January , 1881, the coffee was luxuriant in wood and leaf, bu t during the las t week in January “ a m ost virulent a ttack of leaf disease ” appeared, and a bad fall of leaf suc­ceeded it. By the end of February i t had “ passed away,” and the coffee set to work to produce new leaves. B y M arch 30th th e “ estate had recovered.” The im ­provem ent w ent on through April and May up to June . A little H em ileia then showed itself, and during Ju ly and August a “ mild a t ta c k ” made itself evident.

The las t ten days in December, 1880, were “ especi­ally w et,” w ith m ists and ra in all day. Ja nuary opened w ith fine w eather for m ost of the first fortnight, and then th e wet w eather returned for sixteen days. February and M arch were fine, hot, and m arked by thunder-sliowers every now' and again. T he “ virulent a ttack ” which came on during the las t week in Jan u ary would n a tu r­ally result from th e success of spores germ inated during December, and the fact of its “ passing away ” in February is in agreem ent w ith w hat I have established earlier—th a t the spores accum ulated could no t germ inate in the dry weather.

Another example m ay be taken from th e extreme cast of Uva, where the worst “ a ttack of disease ” came on in October and November.

In August, 1880, the place was looking fresh and green, and a little ra in fell. Septem ber was very dry, and a “ very m ild a ttack of leaf disease ” was experienced. October and November were wet, w ith a fine interval of about a week la te in October. D uring November “ a very bad a ttack of leaf disease was experienced, and a larger fall of leaf th an had been witnessed for years.” A t th is period, too, m uch crop fell from the trees. T h is s ta te of affairs continued in to December, which was a very wet m onth. D uring January , 1881, (the w eather still wet) the dropping of crop continued from th e trees still poor in foliage, bu t a dim inution of disease was noticed. In February the w eather became very dry, the rem aining bad leaves dropped, and new ones commenced to form. This continued through the dry M arch, the new leaves being produced in w eather when those spores which did get on to them could no t germ inate. In April the coffee had recovered and was quite green and luxuriant. B ut th e large masses of foliage had now been exposed to occasional access of spores for three m onths or so, and th e first spell of wet w eather would be expected to cause their germ ina­tion. This happened in May, the first 15 days of which were wet, and th e consequence was an outbreak of the ru st in June . These illustrations, read in the light of experim ents and previous knowledge, show clearly enough the nature of the disease and the m anner of i ts dependence on clim ate, &c.

W e a r e n o w in a p o s i t io n to in q u i r e f u r th e r in to th e m a t t e r o f le a f d is e a se , a s i t o c c u rs o n la rg e a r e a s o f coffee s u c h a s a r e f o u n d o n e s ta te s a n d in o p e n d is t r i c ts .

S e c . I I .—L e a f D is e a s e o x l a b g e m a sse s o f C o f f e e .

§ 9. Perhaps the sim plest example of w hat occurs on estates generally is afforded by w hat happened th is year to a somewhat oblong patch of coffee trees, standing in a slightly isolated position a t Peradeniya, and on which I have kept close w atch for the past 14 m onths. The wind of the S. W . monsoon blows through these trees along the longer axis of the group, and in such a way th a t one tree a t the end receives the wind before the others.

D uring Jan u ary las t m any of th e leaves had fallen, and the trees looked th in afte r th e “ a ttack of leaf disease” which occurred towards the end of th e year 1880; on February 1st, 1881, there was in fact, bu t one pair of leaves a t the end of each tw ig in m any cases, and no tw ig had more th an two pairs and a term inal bud. D uring the ho t February, th is end bud slowly developed, and before th e end of M arch a second end bud had formed and o p en ed ; the average num ber of completed leaves a t th is tim e was, therefore, three pairs to each twig.

D uring the hot w eather which prevailed in M arch, these leaves were all dark green, and healthy, and scarcely a trace of H em ileia was to be found in the g a rd en s; the consequence was th a t each tree appeared fairly clothed with leaves, and though still somewhat th in , a dark green colour had come over th e m ass of coffee.

D uring April and May th e form ation of buds and leaves increased more rapidly in the growing w e a th e r ; for although still very hot, a series of showery and steam y periods alternated , and th e trees formed foliage w ith corresponding activity. Up to th is period—th e end of May— no leaf could be said to be “ d iseased” to any extent, and, indeed, i t was n o t common to m eet w ith a disease-spot a t all.

I t m ay be fairly sta ted , therefore, th a t during the period between January 1st and May 31st, the trees, after a short period of rest or exhaustion resulting from the la te “ a ttack of leaf disease,” set to work vigorously to produce leaves, and th a t during the interval, a t first slowly and then m ore rapidly, they succeeded so fa r as to produce five or six pairs of clean, healthy leaves along each free twig. F rom Ja n u a ry 1st to May 1st, these trees would certainly have been pronounced “ free from disease ” in any esta te report.

B ut, unfortunately, th e very w eather which prom oted the growth of leaves during April, i. e., a lternations of showery and ho t periods, dewy mornings, Ac., also enabled a few straggling spores* of H em ileia to germ in­a te here and there on the leaves. Consequently, before the end of May a corresponding num ber of “ disease- spots ” had burst fo rth from the infected leaves, and the spores produced by these were being shaken oft’, and m ore or less shed on surrounding leaves. D uring the first week in Ju n e a good m any more spots, still isolated, had made th e ir appearance, and w hat would probably be term ed a “ m ild a ttack of leaf d isease” was notice­able.

Before following th e course of events further, I would, a t the risk of repetition, call a tten tion to the conditions which are found to rule th e propagation of the fungus, and compare th e facts w ith w hat occurred here. D uring th e ho t dry w eather of February and M arch, apart from the fact th a t very fe v leaves existed for the fungus to attack , th e w ant of m oisture was of course inim ical to the development of any spores accidentally conveyed to th e living leaves from th e leaves lying on th e ground, and the few odd spores left from th e last a ttack on the end leaves no doubt rem ained dorm ant. I n April, however, a single showery n ight and dewy m orning, probably followed by a steam y close day, m ight be suffici­e n t to enable th e spores near th e stom ata to send their tubes in to th e le a f ; once inside, as we know, they are safe, and from w hat is taugh t by experim ents, we should expect to see the “ disease spots ” fully developed within about three weeks. T h a t th is actually occurred is evident from the gradual increase of spots during M a y ; each spot produced would then shed its spores around as th e breeze shook th e trees, and each spore washed to the underside of th e leaf is capable of a t once germ inating, &c., as before. In tliis m anner i t is

* These spores may have been blown on to th e leaves from the leaves on the ground, or they m ay have per­sisted through the ho t dry weather.

easy to explain the gradual accum ulation of disease- spots and spores during May and the first week ill Jun e . T h a t such is the explanation seems placed beyond doubt by the following facts :—

(1.) D uring the first fo rtn ight in May, observation showed th a t the shaking of the branches had caused m any spores to fall on th e leaves, &c., round a b o u t ; th a t some of these remained adherent cannot be doubted.

(2.) D uring th e April and May showers i t was easy to see th a t ra in falling on the upper side of a leaf runs down to the point of the leaf, or along natu ra l furrows to the edges, and th a t the drops of w ater there formed often contain spores of H em ileia. I t is evidently in th is m anner th a t rains wash the spores to th e edges and lower surface of the le a f ; once there, germ ination is successful if th e atm osphere rem ains moist for a sufficiently long time.

(3.) Exam ination of the leaves in May showed th a t spores were present on the lower surfaces. Since the winds were not high, these probably reached their destina­tion in the m anner described.

(4.) I have shown th a t m oisture, a proper tem per­ature, and oxygen are alone necessary for germination, and th a t if th is occurs on the lower surface of the leaf the tubes enter and form mycelia in the intercell­u lar spaces inside the leaf. An exam ination of the w eather shows th a t ju s t such conditions existed about the given periods as were required.

As I have shown, spores were present in some quan tity on the leaves before the end of May, and before the 15tli of Ju n e the trees were becoming badly diseased. The last week in May was a wet one (after a fortnight or m ore of dry w indy weather), and the atm osphere damp for some d a y s ; then again followed a short period of warm, steamy, cloudy w eather w ith brighter intervals. T hat numerous spores were distributed in May, and germ ­inated in the interval between May 25th and Ju n e 1st, there can be no doubt, and I have shown th a t if such was the case, the resulting disease patches should begin to appear some 15 days or so later. And th is actually occurred; for on Ju n e 15th my notes ru n :— “ All trees except the one a t south-west end badly diseased with “ pin-spots,” especially th e lower branches. These lower branches are sheltered and m oist.”

I t will thus be seen th a t the very close connection which exists between the parasite and its conditions of existence, Ac., can be traced here, and i t will also be seen th a t th is connection is no more m ysterious th an th a t between the life of any organism and its na tu ra l environm ent: sow th e spores of H em ileia on a proper nidus, and give them ah', water, and warmth, and they germ inate and flourish as do the seeds of coffee or any sim ilar p lan t in damp, warm, aerated soil. I

The stock of spores formed on the trees was already large, bu t after Ju n e 15th— 20tli, an enormous increase occurred, and i t is necessary to see the effect produced shortly afterwards. The w eather on and about the 20th was hot and close, and every “ disease p a tc h ” was m anufacturing thousands of spores, the mycelia being abundantly fed by the now well filled leav es; windy periods had also occurred, and, partly by shaking the “ rust ” on to the same or lower leaves, partly by rub­bing leaves together, and partly by carrying th e spores bodily through the air, the wind had caused a very effectu­al dissem ination of these spores. Ju n e 26tli to 29th were wet days, and those successfully-located spores which had not germ inated already, no doubt did so now; a t ; intervals, up to Ju ly otli, we had also wet w eather. All | along were short periods of driving high winds alternating j with steady south-west breezes.

I t is clear th a t the stock of spores accum ulated from the disease spots which commenced action on or about Ju n e 15th had everything in their favour during the following three weeks, and it follows th a t during some three weeks la te r a corresponding am ount of mycelium should be formed, and “ leaf d isease” be proportionally

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bad. T he w eather cleared up after Ju ly 5 th and re ­mained fine and hot for a fortn ight or so, and during th a t period a m ost disastrous outbreak of the orange- coloured ru st occurred, especially during the second week in Ju ly . These facts are again closely in accordance w ith w hat should be expected from the experim ents; the disease spots which came out on Ju ly 14th, for instance, would be from spores which germ inated about Ju n e 30th o r a day or two before ; those which appeared on Ju ly 7 th , from germ inal tubes of Ju n e 21st or later, and so on.

B u t still stronger evidence of these tru th s is afforded by w hat followed. On or about Ju ly 12th the a ir had become quite dry again, and up to Ju ly 30tli no ra in f e l l ; from the 15th to the 30tli, in fact, the a ir was so dry, and the winds (a t intervals) so fresh, th a t probably no germ ination of spores could occur. H ere, then , was a chance to tes t the accuracy of the preceding work, and I m ay m ention th a t i t was ju s t such a dry interval th a t had before given me th e clue" to the facts.

D uring these 15 days or so m yriads of spores were formed and distributed by the wind. The ra ins came on again on August 1st, hut th e a ir did no t become very m oist, and fine w eather w ith dry winds intervened during the first week. T he num ber of spores which would germ inate successfully during th is week would probably be few, because the air was probably a t no tim e nearly sa tu rated for 24 consecutive hours, and the leaves were never wet for anything like so long a p e rio d ; those spores which did germ inate, however, should pro­duce risible disease-spots on o r about August 15th to 20 th . I happen to have a curious and conclusive proof th a t such was the case.

A perfectly clean and healthy p lant of Coff'ea Arabica, which had been sent to me in a wardian case with three others from Sam arang, Java, had been p lanted out direct from the case on August 1st am ongst th e badly diseased coffee; i t had been packed so th a t no in ju ry accrued to it, and was altogether a satisfactory subject for experim ent. I p lanted i t in the evening of th e day on which it was unpacked, shook a few spores from a neighbouring diseased p lan t on to one leaf, and m oist­ened them w ith w a te r ; ra in fell during the n ight, and the next day was wet up to th e evening, hence the sowing was m oist for about 24 hours a t least. On August 18th there were one or two developing “ disease- spots ” quite risib le to the naked eye, and on th e 20 th they were in full bearing. On August 7th, the ra in commenced in earnest, and was of a character exactly suited for the germ ination of the spores—warm, steady, drizzling, continuing for hours, and sa tu rating the air w ith m oisture. This sort of w eather continued to the 12tli, and two fine and still days follow ed; then another wet period for a fo rtn ight or so. The germ ination of the spores would be m ainly effected between the 7th and 12tli, however, and according to my previous results, a “ bad a ttack of leaf disease ” should be apparent about August 30th to September 6 th . I t is ju s t im m in­ent, as I w rite th is (September 2nd) there are pin- spots commencing to show on nearly every leaf.*

§ 10. From the sequence of events thus occurring on a small m ass of coffee, more or less under control, i t is no t difficult to infer w hat takes place on larger areas such as estates, or groups of estates ; bu t before exam ining th is i t is necessary to understand clearly a num ber of com plicating circumstances.

C ertain portions of m ost estates are subject to con­ditions of a more extreme n atu re th an I have yet con­sidered. The ravines and hollows are in some cases never quite dry, and i t becomes a serious question whe-

* On Septem ber 9 th , these and num erous o ther disease- spots were spreading all over, and before Septem ber 30th alm ost every leaf on the above p lan t was badly diseased. The three o ther plants, however, which had been placed in th e N. E . verandah of my house, showed no trace o f H em ileia up to October 7th, (the date on which I add th is note).

tlie t the germ ination of spores is ever prevented in these places ; continual evaporation from the w ater below keeps the foliage of the coffee moist, and, as such places generally possess very luxuriant and leafy trees, there is no lack of food for the fungus. T he slightest shaking of the branches and leaves sheds spores around, and such hollows become quiet centres of disease, whence the wind periodically bursting in, fu rther disseminates the spores. A sim ilar argum ent applies in different degrees to flats where m oisture is abundant from ex­cessive dews, &c.

H igh and exposed ridges and faces are commonly badly diseased. This is partly because the wind con­veys spores very readily to such places, and partly on account of the damp m ists commonly enveloping them, and afibrding the m oisture necessary to germ ination. The fact th a t such regions are usually much washed, and therefore afford poor soil for th e roots of the tree, has no more direct bearing on the subject of leaf-disease, th an has the converse fact th a t the soil in flats and hollows is usually good.

O ther tilings being equal, there can be no doubt th a t a gently sloping sheltered estate, or portion of an estate, suffers less th an an exposed one, and if a dry clim ate is added to these advantages, the difference is even more obvious. On the o ther hand, an estate through which the wind blows freely, and the rainfall and general m oisture of which is high, suffers more. The under­standing of these points is easy in the light of the other facts.

§ 11. And now, bearing in mind w hat are the con­ditions which rule an “ a ttack of leaf-disease,” I will shortly examine one or two fu rther illustrations, taken from both sides of the coffee country.

My atten tion was drawn some m onths ago to a rem ark­able case of outbreak of H em ileia ru st on a fine field of coffee situated in the following m a n n e r :— The whole es ta te lies in an incomplete basin, open to the east, and sheltered by high forest-clad hills on the west, south, and north sides. A steep ascent through jungle enables one to arrive a t the top of the estate from th e south-west side, and from th is eminence one looks suddenly over the coffee on to the lowcountry beyond. The position of affairs was as fo llow s: th e coffee to the extrem e east of the esta te alone suffered from “ leaf- disease,” and all the rest of the basin nestling under th e forest-clad sheltering heights, had been free from “ r u s t” until th is year (this was in 1880). Could I explain th e rem arkable and sudden outburst of H em ileia on the south-west sheltered slopes?

D uring 1879 and 1880 much of the jungle had been cleared on the other side of the ridge, and on riding np to the estate one felt the force of the wind severely. I have little doubt th a t the destruction of th is shelter­ing jungle, which had h itherto prevented th e carrying of spores (acting so to speak as a filter to the beating wind), now enabled free passage of them , and the con­sequence was an outbreak of “ rust ” soon afterw ards. O ther instances of the same th ing are no t rare, and indeed w e m ust look upon the opening up of such large unbroken areas of more or less well prepared food to the fungus as one of the chief causes of its lam entable abundance.

On an estate in quite another p art of the country,I found the natu ra l features and then' effects illustrated in another m anner ; the m ain fields of coffee lie on slopes chiefly facing the east and north-east, and widely open in those directions to the low-country. S tretching up­wards, and much broken in character, lay coffee estates for several miles in a westerly direction ; the S. W . mon­soon sweeps all these estates before arriving a t a broad plateau, or slight hollow which is situated a t the top of the slopes referred to, and then, passing over the edge, falls down these slopes to the low-country. Now th is plateau, notw ithstanding th a t it possesses fine coffee, serves as a kind of reservoir of fungus spores, and for the following reasons ; the spores carried in to i t by the

wind are very successful in obtaining a footing, since a t th a t height there is usually sufficient m oisture cling­ing about the coffee to enable them to germ inate. Not only so, bu t every puff of wind sends spores produced hereon over the ledge to the slopes above referred to ; these slopes are continually becoming infected, therefore, from above, and I have little doubt th a t were th e p la­teau in forest instead of in coffee, these effects would cease to a corresponding extent.

These examples may suffice to show how n a tu ra l pecu­liarities of an estate affect its supply of disease-produc­ing spo res; bu t I would refer to o ther physical features, the action of which largely affect the question—in some cases m asking, in others intensifying th e ravages of the

; pest.j The “ lie of th e land,” as p lanters term it, is closely| connected w ith th is, since so m any o ther th ings are' implied by i t ; b u t i t m atters no t how an esta te is

situated, so fa r as H em ileia is concerned, provided the spores obtain access to the coffee and m oisture to germ ­inate. An eastern aspect is often drier, less affected by wind, and, from these and o ther causes, possessesmore luxuriant coffee th an an esta te facing the w est;though in o ther cases the reverse holds good. B u t on going more closely in to the m atter, i t occurs th a t a drier clim ate may m ean less wash, and therefore better soil, which, of course, eceteris paribus, implies more luxuriant coffee; again, absence of wind entails obviojjs advantages when one looks on the damage done tb coffee to m by cold, boisterous blasts, while beating ra ins are well known to wash soil bodily away.

U nder such circum stances then , th e n a tu ra l advantages are all on the side of the coffee. Less H em ileia is blown in to the place, and there is less continued m oisture to favour its propagation, and therefore less chance of its spreading when once there ; while on th e o ther hand, soluble and valuable constituents of the soil are more abundant, and the coffee is consequently more luxuriant, and shows th e ravages of w hat disease there is less evidently.

And th is brings me to ano ther and very im portant point. I t is commonly sta ted th a t strong, thick, luxuri­an t coffee suffers less th an poor, th in trees with few leaves, and i t is asserted th a t th is is because the weaker coffee is more “ susceptible to the disease ” th an the luxuriant trees—th a t the la tte r possess some m ysterious power of “ throwing oft’ the disease.” F acts, however, are against any such view.

A densely clothed tree, from the fac t th a t i t is not so easily penetrated by the wind, especially when sup­ported by a num ber of others, may no t become so m uch “ diseased ” in a given tim e as a th inner one, every leaf of which is reached by the wind-blown spores. Again, the dense leathery texture of a strong leaf de­pends on its tougher cell walls, and repletion with food, sap, &c., hence the mycelium may no t m ake such apparent havoc w ith the tissues of its leaves in a given tim e as i t does in the th inner, softer leaf of th e more unfortunate t r e e ; bu t there can be no doubt th a t the chief cause of the prevailing belief about luxuriant trees is th a t their ability to produce foliage more rapidly and abundantly, partially m asks th e effects of th e fungus by m aintaining a general dark hue.

The characters of the soil, again, are continually quoted as having a direct effect on the fu n g u s; bu t it will be seen from the above th a t, however m uch i t m ay affect the coffee, good or bad soil only indirectly affects the fungus. I t m ust be remembered th a t th e mycelium of H em ileia requires living material, already m anufactured by the plant, for its chief food. Of course, in so far as rich or poor soil enables the coffee tree to make th is food, the mycelium present in the leaf is affected, and flourishes well or ill. So w ith o ther peculiarities of soil, &e. A damp, ill-drained piece of land m ay afford an advantageous position for th e fungus spores, inasmuch as they there germ inate re a d ily ; bu t it is less so for the mycelium when once established, because the

nutrition of the coffee is affected by the sour sub-soil and o ther causes.

In th is connection also come other complications. I t is common to find “ grub,” “ black bug,” and other pests affecting coffee in damps, hollows, or any clay sub­soils, and I sometimes hear such rem arks as th a t H em i­leia is worse where “ grub ” is, and vice versa. C are­ful comparisons prove, however, th a t no connection other th an an accidental one e x is ts ; th e fungus may spread rapidly i t is true on a field of coffee affected by “ grub,” because the foliage being th in and easily stirred by the wind, every facility for distribution and germ ination (such places being usually xvet) occurs. B u t it is worthy of rem ark th a t a less vigorous mycelium is often found on such coffee, and th a t if a type of the fungus were to be selected, i t were best got from a tree unaffected by any o ther pest.

§ 12 . I have now shortly examined the natura l peculiarities of soil, clim ate, A*c., so far as they need be considered in th is connection, and it is of course clear th a t numerous com binations of all degrees of these m ay occur. The same is true of th a t part of the work on a coffee estate which is under control.

M anuring is clearly effectual to a la rge e x te n t in m asking th e effects of “ leaf-disease,” b u t it is in no way a cure fo r it, in th e sense of d im inishing th e ravages of th e fungus. Of every basket oi p roper m anure now placed a t th e roots of th e coffee tree, a certain p roportion m u st be looked upon as serv ing the m ycelium of Hemileia for food, a f te r undergoing th e necessary transfo rm ations in th e p l a n t ; n ev erth e­less, as experience shows, i t i s necessary to a p p lj m anure to enable th e tree to produce and bear crop, a n d i t therefore becomes th e m ore im pera tive to un­d e rs tan d th e conditions of i ts action. M anure is u sua lly app lied e ith e r early in th e season—I speak p articu la ily of th e d is tr ic ts to th e so u th -w est of N uw ara E liya , &c.,—to produce and su p p o rt blossom, o r la ter, to “ carry th e tree th rough cro p ,” as i t is term ed . T h a t bo th m ethods have th e ir advantages is unden i­able, an d w here possible bo th m ig h t be em ployed, were i t n o t for th e expense. Indeed , w h a t p ra c ti­cally comes to th is has occurred 011 a few esta tes, w here th e early m anuring has been follow ed up by app lica­tio n s of lim e w hen th e young crop is on th e trees.

Now, from w hat has been sa id of H em ileia , and i ts relations to th e coffee, i t is ev id en t th a t one desirable object in th e cu ltiva tion of th e tree is to p roduce m atu re leaves as soon as possible, and to keep them on th e b ranches as long as possible. T he difficulties to be con tended against a re as fo llow s: if leaves are p roduced in A p ril and M ay, th ey b e ­come a ttack ed by th e fungus w hile s till young, and in A ugust and Septem ber th e ripen ing crop is too j o ften le f t bare on th e branches. On th e o th e r hand , I those leaves which w ere in b u d in December are m atured an d w ell hardened when th e fungus spores a re blow ing abou t, an d have a lready enjoyed a m uch longer lease of life th a n th e o thers.

B u t, u n fo rtu n a te ly , i t is in A pril an d M ay th a t th e grow ing season is u sua lly a t i ts he igh t in these d istric ts , and i t is doub tfu l how far leaves could be p u t on th e trees a t an earlie r da te , unless th e w ea th er were very w et as in 18S0, w hen th e a d d i­tional leaf was largely a" th e expense of blossom. N evertheless, I w ould u rge those p lan te rs w ho have th e necessary clim ate to a rrange m a tte rs so as to produce th e ir leaves as fa r as possible e ith e r earlier or la te r th a n a t presen t. T he reasons why these d is tr ic ts suffered from such a “ bad a tta c k of leaf- d isease” in Ju ly th is year have a lready been deta iled , and i t w ill be noticed th a t when th e winds commenced, a large surface of young an d succu len t leaves w ere read y to receive th e spores of Hemileia ; th en followed th e rain , germ ination of spores, an d finally th e fall of leaves as th e fungus destroyed them .

P ru n in g should of course be a rra n g ed w ith th e sam e ob jec t in view—to produce m a tu red leaves du ring those m onths w hen leas t w ind an d dam p m ay be expected . T h a t some such o b jec t is k e p t in view by m any p lan te rs w ould ap pear from th e various kinds of p run ing I have w itnessed. A practica l question of th is k in d m ust be decided by each su p e rin ten d en t on each different estate. T he follow ing h in ts m ay help to guide som e, however.

T he chief cause of th e “ fa ilu re of blossom ” and th e “ dropping of crop” in all stages is th e loss of th e leaves, sudden ly , and a t critica l s ta g es: i. e., a t periods when th e blossom or crop m ost requ ires th e food m anufactured b y the leaves.

T h e leaves fall so sudden ly , and in such large q u an tities , because th e rap id ly developing fungus is q u ick ly sp read over a large area of succu len t foliage by th e w inds, a t th e tim e of th e m onsoon rains.

In so fa r as th is large surface of young leaves can be produced a t a period earlier or la te r th an th a t dur­ing which the spores are being distributed by wind in such vast quantities, the trees will reap the benefit, since the disease cannot spread so rapidly, and the leaves will enjoy better health , and consequently do more work for the trees.

I fear th is can only be effected by pruning and apply­ing the m anure a t tim es when they will act less rapidly th an a t present. I t is clear th a t leaves are form ed more slowly from Ja nuary to M arch th an from Apr to June , for instance (in the d istricts referred t o ) ; but the advantage gained by either having fewer leaves on the trees in May and Jun e , or m any hardened ones would probably be a decided one.

I am , of course, also aware, th a t g reat difficulties stand in the way of a modified system of cu ltiv a tio n ; no t only difficulties w ith labour and estate routine, but also with the seasons. B u t in so fa r as the above ends could be attained, I believe advantage would accrue, and the m anure would a t least stand less chance of being wasted as food for th e fungus.

Another point, already referred to in part, is shelter. There can be no question th a t coffee under artificial shade is spared a large infliction of wind-blown spores, and although such sheltered trees often tend to form foliage in excess of crop unless the season be ho t and dry, i t becomes an im portant question how far the visitations of H em ileia could be checked by belts of trees or o ther shelter. I t is m atter for regre t th a t such immense, unbroken areas of coffee exist w ithout break of any kind, and one can trace the swaying backwards and forwards of the spore-laden winds in consequence. A subject of some im portance in th is connection is the p lanting of other trees among the cofiee; th is is of course done to some exten t in th e case of Ceara rubber and Cinchonas, and although the success of the experi­m ent is no t yet established in these cases, I would call a tten tion to its general im portance from th e above point of view.

The value of a broad acreage of pa tana or chena land to the windward side of an esta te is another illustration of the im portance of any break in the on­ward career of windblown spores. M any p lanters have recognised the fact th a t they do no t get leaf disease from the low-country patanas to windward, a fact worthy of rem ark in th is connection.

This being so, it should be the aim of all to see how fa r the leaves can be kept on th e trees by m anure, artificial treatm ent, and cultivation, 011 the one h a n d ; and how far the sources of infection can be lessened by the destruction of fallen leaves, and the prevention of spore invasions carried by wind from without. To those acquainted w ith the immense areas of open coffee under cultivation, and the difficulties of working steep and broken land, the practical application of h in ts to th is end are adm ittedly very difficult; nevertheless, in face of the following facts, it m ust be insisted upon th a t one

of the m ost im portant steps in com batting the inroads of Ilem ile ia is the destruction of fallen diseased leaves as speedily as possible.

1. A m ature spore is capable of germ ination within 24 hours of its removal from the parent mycelium.

2. A leaf which falls while still green in parts may continue to shed spores for some hours after reaching the ground.

3. Ripe, dry spores re ta in th e ir v itality for several weeks or even m onths.

4. Any of these spores blown from the ground on to the new flushes of leaves which become formed after th e “ general a ttack ,” Ac., may become a new centre of disease in two or three weeks after germ ination.

I now pass on to the subject of the am ount and kind of damage done by leaf disease to coflee— a sub­ject already treated of a t some length in form er com­m unications.

The F a ll o f Leaves, Flowers, and Crop.§ 13. As I have already shown in a preceding report,

and as is generally held proved, the m ost obvious damage done to coffee by Ilem ile ia va sta trix is the periodical destruction and prem ature fall of leaves which i t causes; if the leaves can only be kept on the trees for longer periods, the chief problem is solved.

W ithout insisting more in detail here upon the facts before published and the additional proofs of th e damage done now laid before yon, I propose to examine a series of phenom ena which a t first appear extraordinary, but which a little reflection shows to be naturally consequent for the m ost part on the foregoing. T he blossom of the coffee tree appears chiefly during the early m onths of the year in the districts south-west of Nuwara Eliya,* and th is year an exceedingly prom ising series of blos­soms was produced on m ost of the estates. P a r t of th is blossom never came to anything beyond th e stage of b u d s ; another portion produced young fru it, bu t soon dropped o ff; while a small fraction furnished the crop now ripening up to a greater or less extent.

The following rem arks apply more particularly to the districts above in d ica ted ; bu t the facts apply equally to o ther parts of the country as well, m aking proper allow­ances for differences in climate, seasons, Ac.

The trees, which were recovering from the la te “ a ttacks of leaf-disease” in December and January', had commenced to clothe them selues w ith foliage in February and M arch, bu t were not generally luxuriant before A pril; by force of habit, so to speak, the flower buds became formed in the ho t weather, and expanded as more or less luxuriant blossoms on shoots which were still struggling to produce leaves to replace those which had been lately lo st.f T h a t m any of these early flowers buds and flowers were poorly nourished on the still incompletely clothed shoots, is no t surprising, and, in con trast w ith this, i t appears th a t the M arch blos­soms (which were generally better also), coining out on shoots already fairly well supplied with leaves, and rapidly forming new ones, were usually th e successful ones. T hat th is should be the case follows naturally from the fact th a t the la tte r blossoms and resulting young fru it had more m aterial to draw nourishm ent

* In some parts of Uva and a few o ther places, the coflee blossoms nearly all the year round, a fact of great im portance in several re sp ec ts ; the picking is more expensive, bu t the trees are less exhausted by the distribution in tim e of their arduous task . One Uva planter tells me he has had 13 blossoms within 12 months.

t A correspondent to a daily paper wrote in Ju n e from K otm ale to the effect th a t splendid blossoms were general, but a large quan tity of the February blossoms were destroyed, and similarly in M arch. T hen two small blossoms in Ja n u a ry and one in April should have given crop. H is experience is also to the effect th a t manured coffee did best.

from, more leaves being present a t the tim e, and more tim e having been given for the storage of those food- m aterials which th e young berries required.

I found also th a t th e la te r blossom consisted m ainly of finer flowers, b e tte r nourished and m ore vigorously developed as a rule. N ot only so, bu t on a given esta te there was more crop “ set ” on recently m anured fields th an on th e fields which had received less liberal tre a t­m ent ; while com parisons over large areas convinced me th a t th e same held tru e for trees on good deep soil, as opposed (other things being equal) to trees giown under poorer conditions.

B ut the sta tem ent th a t w ithout leaves th e tree can ­no t produce blossom and crop adm its of more direct proof. In December, 1880, I stripped all th e leaves from a tree on an estate in H antane, and left i t to recover as i t cou ld ; th e trees around proceeded to bear blossoms as usual in January , February, and M arch, bu t th is particu lar tree was unable to produce a flower, all its energies apparently having been required to replace the leaves.* H ere we see th a t the loss of leaves by the ordinary trees (caused by the November a ttack of leaf disease) being made up in tim e to enable th e trees to produce blossom, only reacted to the extent described above; bu t the second loss, following on th e first, in the example given, no t only prevented th e se tting of crop, bu t even prevented the tree from blossoming a t all. And so w ith o ther examples.

I t thus becomes clear th a t, in th e cases referred to , th e blossoms produced a t a tim e when th e num ber and conditions of the leaves did no t afford adequate nu trition , only partially succeeded in producing the required fru it ; while those blossoms w hich appeared later, and were better nourished, yielded m ore p ro­m ising resu lts in proportion as they were b e tte r sup­plied w ith food, Ac.

I have devoted m uch tim e to the exam ination o f the extraordinary phenom ena term ed by th e p lan ters “ failure of blossom,” and th e following sum m arises the results arrived a t. A certain proportion of incipient flower-buds did no t come to anything a t all, bu t form ed a t m ost yellow, sickly-looking protuberances which snapped off a t a to u c h ; in o ther cases the young buds opened slightly, and then “ ro tted oft',” passing through shades of yellow and brown to black. These buds and young flowers were peculiarly brittle , and their cells were full of brilliant, waxy-looking, dense p ro top la sm ; the consequence was they would break or snap a t a touch, and were in no way limp or shrivel­led. In some eases the flower was more o r less deformed, the style protruded, aud the corolla im per­fect, and such flowers often ro t away a t the centre.

A large proportion of th e flowers, however appar­ently in all respects norm al, became fertilized, lost th e useless appendages, and in th e ovary rem ained to produce f r u i t ; nevertheless the fructified ovary did not swell beyond an in itia l stage, bu t turned yellow and dropped off while little bigger th an a p in 's h e a d ; or, in o ther examples, it rem ained sta tionary for three or four weeks, and then either dropped or proceeded to swell up.

A nother series of events m ay follow the norm al fertilization and swelling of the ovaries of successful flowers, and render it by no m eans certain th a t the fru it will be m atured. Many young berries tu rn yellow and sickly when little larger th an a pea, and are detached w ith a mere to u c h ; others acquire the norm al size, and begin to tu rn orange and then shrivel up to a ro tte n or “ lig h t” brown mass. I t thus appears th a t any estim ates of the crops, founded on th e am ount of blossom, Ac., were th is year likely to prove fa llac io u s; and th a t such has been th e cause is well known.

* Similarly w ith 20 trees stripped in December, 1880, and 40 stripped early sn January , 1881: on flowers were borne by any of them though m agnificent blossoms formed on all surrounding trees.

B ut it should he noticed th a t the falling of crop, when once it has begun to swell, depends on exactly the same kind of poor nu trition th a t was referred to b e fo re ; for i t is essential to note th a t ju st a t the season when th e crop is commencing to swell rapidly before ripening, another series of H em ileia a ttacks come 011— i.e., a t a tim e when all th a t the p lan t can supply in the way of elaborated food is required for the crop 011 its branches, the fungus come a t myriads of centres to rob it of th is very m aterial. Not only so, but by occupying space 011 the leaves, destroying their tissues, and shortening their period of activity, it prevents them from doing anything more for the t r e e ; m ore­over, the profound disturbance of physiological relations which results affects the whole p lant.

I have given details in an appendix note of the observations chosen to illustrate the above re m a rk s ; these may be compared w ith a sort of standard based on comparative exam inations. I estim ate th a t an average “ cluster” of flowers (counting all the flowers produced during the year 011 both sides of the branch) contains 15 to 20 individuals, and th a t a good sample of “ spike” or flowering twig supports 10 to 12 such clusters. W e may assume, therefore, th a t a fair spike lias 200 flowers on it in the season.

I gather from planters th a t 100 cherries per tree will give approximately one cwt. per acre, supposing the trees equal and a t a common distance apart. 1 also learn th a t less than 15,000 cherries till a bushel measure.*

Supposing the average coffee tree of 8-15 years old to hear ten primaries, each of which supports five secondaries, and th a t each of these fifty secondaries produced only live such spikes as have been described above ; then we have each tree hearing 250 spikes of blossom. The sta rtling conclusion is arrived a t th a t each such tree has about 50,000 individual flowers 011 i ts branches in the se aso n ! I t appears to have been a common event a t one tim e for large fields of coffee to yield a t the ra te of 10 cwt. per acre, and such occurs in places now. I f the above data are correct, the trees would give 10 cwt. per acre if only l-50 tli part of the blossom came to m aturity— i.e., if each tree ripened 1,000 cherries. H ence we are driven to conclude th a t less than 100 th p art of the blossom becomes ripe crop, as a rule.

I am convinced th a t in some cases where not more th an three cwt. per acre will be picked, the trees produced blossoms as large as th e above.

I t is of course true th a t no one could expect so large a number of flowers each to produce ripe f r u i t ; but th e present s ta te of affairs is no t due to a mere crowding out of flowers or young fru it by successful com petitors in a fair struggle for existence. The tree as a whole is poorly nourished from w ant of leaves, and no sooner does i t m ake arrangem ents to replace th is want th an i t is again denuded : th a t the visible effects of the damage should appear in the flowers and fru it is in accord w ith experience elsewhere.

There is a concensus of opinion among planters th a t th e “ tree is weakened,” and th a t m anuring enables it to “ set more crop.” I 11 the sense I have insisted upon, th e tree m ay be considered “ weakened,” th a t is to say, i t is capable of supporting less crop ; bu t i t s till puts forth immense energies periodically to replace the lost leaves by new ones. T hat more blossom was success­fully “ se t” th is year on m anured coffee than 011 trees poorer in food m aterial, is therefore not to be wondered a t ; ju s t as little surprising is it, also, th a t coffee in deep good soil in a drier clim ate, and which had been less harassed by H em ileia , should produce good crops.

* I had a quarter of a bushel of cherries counted, and found 3,747 ; th is would he nearly 15,000 to the bushel. I n the Ceylon Directory, however, the num ber is given as 14,000, and th is may be a better average. A plan ter who counted the cherries in J bushel, found 1,828 : th is gives a li ttle over 14,000 to the bushel.

| Sue. I I I .— R E M E D IA L M EA SU R ES,j § 14. In considering the question of rem edial meas- I ures i t is necessary to apprehend clearly the natu re of

the problem to be dealt w ith, and th is is by no m eans a simple m atter. I t has become a popular error to suppose th a t the discovery of some chemical which will destroy the fungus is the chief aim of investigation ; th is is, however, the sim plest of all th e questions to answer, and indeed 110 such chemical could be of a ' v use so long as the following points rem ained undceiu- ed :— (1) W hen should th e fungus be assailed ? and (2) How often would it be necessary to apply any external rem edy? B u t however cheap and easy the application of any reagent may be, and however efficacious th e chemicals used, it is clear th a t care m ust he exercised in trea ting such an organ as the leaf of a perm anent p lan t like coffee so as a t the same tim e to produce in contact w ith i t a continuous and readily diffused body strong enough to kill the fungus w ithout hurting the leaf or tree.

Much of my tim e during the earlier portion of th is year was employed in watching the effects of certain chemicals 011 coffee and 011 the fungus, and num erous experiments with all kinds of reagents have convinced me of tli * following facts. In devising any direct mode of attack ing the fungus, some rapidly-provuced, fairly soluble m aterial m ust be employed, so as to be already 011 the leaves a t a tim e when the spores are germ inating.

At th is period the delicate tubes are easily destroyed and offer hardly any resistance to weak caustic or poisonous so lu tions; bu t they are formed so rapidly and en ter th e stom ata so quickly, th a t any application m ust he already 011 the spores when they emerge. No a t ­tem pts to a ttack the in ternal mycelium have succeeded in the slightest degree, and sta tem ents to the effect th a t the mycelium was prevented from producing spores by the absorption of reagents through th e stem are no t supported by the evidence. Unless the germ inating spore is destroyed before the tube en ters the leaf, noth ing short of in ju ry to the leaf need prevent th e mycelium from producing spores again as described.

A suggestion to bring about la tera l absorption of carbolic acid through the cambium of th e tree, and in some supposed m anner to a ttack the fungus from w ithin, was m et a t the tim e with the necessary proofs of i ts erroneous nature. I t was, however, attem pted on several patches of coffee trees, with the results predicted— injury to the trees and 110 dim inution of the disease spots.

The greatest difficulty of all in th is connection is presented in the fact th a t the fungus spends nearly the whole of its active life in th e tissues of the leaf. I 11 common w ith o ther such parasites, its life is ap ­parently so arranged th a t ax .short a time ax possible shall in tfrvene between the icell-protected spore-condition and the sa fely ensconced mycelium. I t is clearly a condition of success, therefore, th a t the reagent be on the spore a t germ ination.

A second essential is th a t the whole of the spores be destroyed, since I have shown how rapidly a single spore may reinfect a leaf, and its progeny spread 011 to neighbouring trees. This im portant condition dem ands two properties on the p a rt of the reagent used, (1) th a t the chemical employed shall rapidly diffuse and reach every com er of the plant, &c., and (2 ) th a t it shall be continuously evolved or persistent in its action. T he first of these conditions absolutely precludes the use of any liquid, in th e opinion of m ost planters, since th e distribution of such cannot be carried out thoroughly w ithout greater expenditure of labour and m oney th an are forthcom ing for the purpose. As to the second condition, the difficulties are very great, since few’ sub­stances or compounds can be suggested which will a t the same tim e readily diffuse and yet persistently carry on the work required. Nevertheless, no substance is of any use th a t will no t act persistently, for we have

seen th a t the rapidly-germ inating spores are continually being brought by the wind, and the tubes produced as continually entering the stom ata of the leaf during the rains, Ac.

And here a fresh difficulty arises. To m eet the re ­quirem ents of the case, the reagent m ust be soluble, and yet the tim e when i t is m ost required to be active is when the rains are continuously dissolving i t , and running off w ith i t in solution to the ground . This being so, one m ust also be doubly careful in selecting nothing which (or products of which) may do harm to the tree on being washed in to the soil around the roots.

All the m ineral or m etallic poisons, such as salts of copper, zinc, antim ony, Ac., are therefore useless for the purpose, though fatal to the fungus. E ith er on account of their prime cost, or danger and difficulty of application, die., the following chemicals, though readily killing the fungoid tubes, m ust also be placed out of a c c o u n t; acetic acid, osmic, cliromic, and o ther m etallic acids ; bromine and iodine and compounds, hydrocyanic and other organic acids of like nature.* This rapidly brings the list of available reagents down to a lim it, and it appears clear th a t the possible chemical m ust be selected from among the follow ing: sulphuric acid and compounds of sulphur, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid j and compounds of chlorine and carbolic acid. Ammonic ! potassic, and sodie hydrates also kill the tubes effectually, as do strong solutions of common salt and other similar compounds.

Nevertheless, very few of the above are available, since most of them would have to be applied in a liquid form, or are in o ther ways unsuited. Some compound which will continuously evolve an easily diffused, readily soluble gas, form ing w ith the w ater on the leaves a solution sufficiently strong to do the m aximum of in jury to the germ inating spores, and the m inim um of harm to the coffee leaf—the after-products of which are not injurious to the tree when washed to the roots— such is the desideratum.

Carbolic acid is not sufficiently soluble and diffusible for the purposes required, and its highly caustic and irritan t characters make it a very dangerous reagent to p u t on living coffee trees. Nevertheless, I shall refer to experim ents where it has been largely used in a certain form. I ts great cheapness of course commends it.

Chlorine compounds are not available. The caustic na tu re of “ chloride of lime ” brings about the destruc­tion of the leaf tissues, while the passage of gaseous chlorine, hydrochloric acid, and o ther allied compounds in to the stom ata, is fa ta l to the tree.

Considering all the facts, I find sulphurous and allied acids the best and m ost available reagents yet suggested for the destruction of the fungus on the coffee ; and of all the methods for procuring the destructive gases, there are none to equal th a t proposed some tim e Ago—the interactions of sulphur and freshly-burnt lime on the m oist leaf— and for the following reaso n s:—

(1.) T he m ixture is slowly continuous in action for long tim e.

(2.) The slowly-evolved gases distribute themselves rapidly by diffusion.

(3.) T he chief gases are very readily dissolved in water.

(4.) The solution formed is strong enough to kill the germ inal tubes, bu t too weak to in jure the leaf.

(5.) The acid solution does not concentrate to a dan­gerous strength, since it is continually being absorbedby portions of the lime, and the compounds become fu rther oxydized to neu tra l or nearly neu tra l salts.

(6 .) Not only are the final products harm less to thetree, bu t the chief one (sulphate of lime) is a valuable manure.

(7.) The m ixture is simply and readily applied by coolies’ hands.

* I omit here all m ention of m any o ther expensive bodies.

I t is therefore evident th a t sulphur and lime, evolv­ing sulphurous gases on the surface of the leaf, Ac., comply with m ost of the requirem ents above com m ented upon. H aving decided upon the best reagent, and the tim e to apply it, it rem ains to examine ano ther very im ­portan t point, viz., w hat is to be used as a m easure of success in the experim ents ?

In more or less prelim inary tria ls w ith lime, or su l­phur and lime, I was much impressed w ith the fact th a t every one relied on th e general im pressions created by simply viewing the coffee from tim e to tim e. This adm its of too m uch chance of fallacious conclusions where a small difference may be of im portance, and I accordingly tried to get rid of subjective sources of error by the following scheme.

Since the reagent, by destroying germ inating spores, should give the leaves on which they were germ inating a longer lease of life, so to speak, if th e trees are equal in o ther respects, the treated specimens should possess more leaves th an those no t treated : th is being so, we can decide w hether any resulting darker shade is due to an increase in the num ber of leaves or to some other change produced. I f the leaves, however, rem ain longer on the tree, th a t tree should drop less crop ; and hence the second tes t. O ther checks to the work will be noticed below.

A num ber of prelim inary experim ents w ith lime, sul­phur and lime, carbolic acid, Ac., m ay be passed over as not yielding sufficiently definite results, or no t h a rin g been performed a t the proper tim e. Of my own num er­ous prelim inary tria ls, I shall only quote those which throw direct light on the m a tte r ; bu t I here take the opportunity of thank ing several gentlem en for the aid afforded me, either by the practical application of m y suggestions, or in giving me valuable h in ts derived from their form er experiences.

The firs t experiment on Harrow E sta te.§ 15. Mr. Anton, of Pundaluoya, has been good enough

to give me the following account of an experim ent car­ried out by him on H arrow estate in 1879-80, and which from the resu lts obtained, he felt encouraged to repeat during 1880-81.

Sulphur and lime were applied on an area of coffee of a certain acreage from Ju ly 20th to August 12th, 1879, and th e results compared w ith w hat happened on ano ther area of sim ilar coffee. B oth the trea ted and noil-treated fields were considered equal as regards soil, exposure, altitude, Ac., and both had been well m anured in May, 1878. At the tim e of application both areas were badly rusted w ith H em ileia , and presented a good crop, which it was feared would no t all be picked on account of the known tendency shown by diseased trees to drop crop.

D uring October, 1879, to January , 1880, the crop was picked, and it was found th a t the sulphured coffee bore about 6 cwt. per acre, proportionally little light, while the lion-treated area only gave 4 cwt. per acre and twice as much light. Mr. Anton suggested th a t the difference was due to more leaves having been kep t on the trees by the treatm ent, and it will be seerr th a t such was no doubt the c a s e : the explanation of th is may be deferred un til the second experim ent on H arrow has been described.

The second experiment on Harrow' E sta te.§ 16. A fter the results obtained in 1879-80 it ap­

peared desirable to repeat the experim ent of applying sulphur and lime to the coffee a t a tim e when the ru st had already made its appearance. I undertook the task , therefore, of watching a second attem pt, and of exam in­ing th e results as it proceeded.

A series of fields of coffee, covering 32 acres, and form ing an irregular oblong block, were selected for the experim ent: on 24 acres were applied sulphur and lime in the proportion of 1 to 3. T he m ixture was throw n in by hand a t the ra te of about 4 oz. per tree. T he e ther eight acres rem ained untouched. This field of

eig h t acres lies below the bungalow, and slopes chiefly to th e north -w est; the sulphured fields lie south and e a s t of the bungalow, and are somewhat broken by ravines and roads.

All the coflee was about 24 years old, and bore but little crop last year. T he soil is somewhat loam-like, though no t heavy, and num erous boulders and rocks— n o t calcareous— are interspersed among the trees. The h igher parts are washed, and therefore possess ra ther poorer soil th an the lower. The un treated coflee was, on the whole, slightly b e tte r in point of position and soil th an the bulk of th a t sulphured.

The clim ate is described as wet in the S. W . mon­soon, but, considering the elevation (3,500 to 4,000 ft.) ho t, and especially so among the rocks. The w eather during the early p art of 1880 was exceptionally wet, and m uch blossom was lost. June , 1880, was tolerably tine, but Ju ly decidedly wet.

T he treatm ent of the coflee had been liberal, the m anuring commencing in December, 1878, and being com pleted in March, 1879. The application of the m anure was made from below upwards, cattle m anure, &c. (two baskets per tree) and castor cake and bones (1£ lb. per tree) being the ingredients used. On th is account, the lower (unsulpliured) portion “ had a be tter early blos­som set ” from being m anured a t an earlier date, and consequently earned a little more crop a t the tim e of th e commencement of the experim ent th an the higher p a rts of the sulphured area. W hen the experim ent was arranged (August, 1880) the position of affairs stood th u s :— Crop advancing. Still some six or eight weeks o f S. W. wind to be expected (blowing over the un­sulphured coflee before reaching th e treated fields) and 'occasional rains of course.

T he objects of the experim ent w e re : (1) to saveleaves, by preventing the en trance of germ inal tubes, & c. ; (2 ) to see w hat proportion of leaf and crop ex­isted after a certain p e r io d ; (3) to see if the quality an d quantity of the “ cherry ” or “ parchm ent ” differed o n the two areas.

T he sulphuring was commenced 011 August 9th, but had to be suspended on account of wet w e a th e r ; leaves sen t to me on August 14tli dem onstrated the destruct­ive effects a t the time of th is partia l application. On A ugust 18th the sulphuring was recommenced early in th e m orning in my presence, and I spent two days exam ining the effects 011 leaves with which sulphur and lim e had been in contact for a period varying from five to forty hours. A strong and irrita tin g odour proved th e presence of the sulphurous gases, and there was no room for doubt as to the destructive effects of the re ­agen t on the various fungal filam ents and on the spores a n d germ inal tubes of H em ileia .

The interval from August 20tli to August 30th was fine, and the penetrating gases made havoc w ith the fungus on all sides. Then came th e rain , and from Septem ber 1st to Septem ber 12th very wet w eather p re­vailed. There can be no doubt th a t the chief destructive effects of the sulphur were made evident before this, and th a t very little , if any, results in th is direction occurred later.

O11 Septem ber 12th Mr. Anton wrote to me to the effect th a t the “ disease ” was reappearing on spots here a n d th e re : th is m ust have arisen from spores which germ inated a t the end of A u g u s t; w hether from odd spores which had been missed, or which had been blown on since, i t is impossible to say.

O n September 27tli I again visited the coffee, and could detect little difference; everywhere was a fairly filling crop, and picking proceeded rapidly. Microscopic observation dem onstrated the presence of new7 fungal filam ents and spores of H em ileia , <£c., 011 the leaves, an d it was plain th a t th e coffee was “ re-infected.”

On November 19th the sulphured area looked darker th an the other, and fewer trees could be detected which were evidently suffering from crop. L ittle disease ap-

I peared anywhere. On November 25th, however, another outbreak of disease was apparent, though it did not become bad.

O11 December 20th my notes run to th is effect: “ I am convinced th a t the sulphured patch looks darker.”

Before proceeding to give th e details of th e tests used to decide w hat had occurred, I propose to examine the results of prelim inary experim ents, which help to throw light on the m atter.

A num ber of coffee p lan ts were sulphured in the nurseries in Ju ly , 1880, before p lanting out. These were

j about one year old and had 110 prim aries, and had been j pricked out from among the coffee in Ju ly , 1879.

A nother series of p lants, p u t out in June , 1880, had no t been sulphured before p lan ting out. These were nearly two years old, and had three pairs of prim aries

i e a c h : they had also been earned a short distance ; before planting, bu t had been placed in the field a 1 m onth earlier th an the preceding.I I 11 August, 1880, Mr. Anton drew7 my atten tion to

the fact th a t although the two-year-old stronger p lan ts j had been three m onths in the open, they possessed i fewer leaves th an the others, which were only one year j old and liad been planted out only two m onths, and he | a ttribu ted the difference to the effects of the sulphur,I believing th a t th e trea tm ent had kept a larger num ber j of leaves on the plants.

On counting 500 of the m m ilphured p lants, we found the to ta l num ber of leaves which they possessed was 2,544— i. e., an average of about five leaves each. An

! equal num ber of sulphured p lan ts gave 3,165, or an average of about six leaves each.

F rom observations 011 carefully-sheltered p lan ts grown from seed, and pu t out as above, I find th a t a healthy one-year-old p lant should have about 60 leaves, and a two-year-old probably more th an 250. T h is being so,

| the difference betw7een the above p lan ts is m uch larger th an appears a t first sight, the sulphured p lan ts pos­sessing six leaves out of a possible 60, or 10 per cent ; and the others only five in 250, or 2 per cent.

F rom the known properties of lime and sulphate of lime, from analyses of coflee and coffee soils, and from th e experience of several p lanters who have used slaked and caustic lime alone on coffee lands, i t is clear th a t lime in general is a valuable soil ingredient to Ceylon coflee, and i t becomes a question of some im portance, how far the success of the H arrow experim ent may have been due to the various actions of lime w ith re­spect to coffee and coffee soils.

Experim ents dem onstrate th a t the foliage of coffee becomes darker after caustic or partially slaked lime is added to the soil and forked in , and i t is on record th a t decided benefit has resulted from using sulphur and

! lime am ongst the m anure applied to the roots of the | tree.

I now proceed to examine the H arrow experim ent 011 j i ts m erits, as an attem pt to cope w ith leaf disease and j obtain more crop.

The crop picked from the 24 acres (sulphured) on th e one hand, and th a t from the eight acres on the other, were kept separate, and a re tu rn made show ing: (1) the actual quan tity of ripe “ ch e rry ” (fruit) obtained from each ; (2 ) th e am ount of “ parchm ent ” (pulped beans) which th is g a v e ; and (3) the proportion of “ light ” or bad beans yielded.

T he 24 acres (sulphured) gave 1,168 bushels of ripe “ cherry,” or a t the ra te of 48£ bushels per acre ; the fru it from the eight acres (unsulphured) m easured 291 bushels— i. e., a t the ra te of 36J bushels per acre. H ence very nearly 12 bushels per acre m ore were obtained from the sulphured area th an from the other. The “ ou ttu rn ” from the 1,168 bushels of sulphured coffee was 548, or nearly 47 per c e n t ; th a t of th e 291 bushels was 184, or nearly 63J per cent.; thus, the unsulphured coffee gave a be tter ou ttu rn . B ut the difference in

“ l ig h t” coffee is m ost rem arkable. The 1,168 bushels of sulphured coffee yielded 12J of “ ligh t,” or nearly 2-235 per c e n t ; whereas the 291 bushels gave 9— i. <?., 4*891 per cent. In o ther words, the light coffee from the unsulplmred area was more th an twice as much per cent as th a t from th e trea ted coffee.

The unsulphured coffee, therefore, (which sta rted with no disadvantage, bu t ra th e r the reverse, considering th a t i t was below the bungalow, on bette r soil, and manured two m onths earlier) ripened less crop and produced much more light coffee, though the ou ttu rn was superior in the proportion 63 : 47 per cent.

A sample of each coffee was sent to Colombo, and cured separa te ly ; each sample m easured 94 bushels, and it will be seen th a t a slight difference obtains still in fauour of the sulphured coffee :—

H u n u p it iy a M i l l s .

Colombo, 27th Jan u ary 1881.E .— Sulphured. M e m o , of Coffee ready for Shipment.

j■+» 2 © • A^ cti A! i- |5 i)3 ao $ c3 d yi t j g ga

h ° o a d .y .y Hlb oz. Cwt. qr. lb. . oz.

I E . . . 1 1st 41 02 „ . . . . 1 2nd 105 03 „ . . - . 1 3rd 69 0P „ . . . . 1 P 20 0

2 0 11 0T „ 1 T 9 0

0 0 9 0Pieces coffee . 1 1 11Black & brown . 1 0 5

0 0 2 0

4 3 2 0 22 0

H u n u p it iy a M il l s .

Colombo, 27th January 1881.F .— Unsulphured. M e m o , of Coffee ready for Shipment.

2 se £ £ m *3« & § g& H o q pq c5 ce .ti ,S

S £ O H 8 co

I F . . . .2 „ . . . . 3 „P v . .

T ........................

Pieces coffee 1 Black & brown 1

lb. oz. Cwt. qr. lb. oz.

4 3

45 0100 0

00 022 0

11 0

1 130 5

2 0 3 0

0 0 11 0

0 0 2 2

2 0 16 2

As I cannot do bette r th an make use of the accom­panying rem arks on the above, Mr. Bois s le tte rs are published w ith h is perm ission:—

Colombo, 1st M arch 1881.My D e a i; M r. W a r d ,— I have th is m orning had a

long talk with Mr. Anton w ith regard to the experim ent upon the H arrow E sta te , and he m entioned th a t you were somewhat puzzled w ith the ou ttu rn of the coffee in Colombo, and Mr. Symons’ report thereupon. Now, I do not th ink th a t they are in any way unfavourable to th e coffee (marked E) which had been treated with su l­phur and lime. I t is true th a t the F unsulphured sample had a smaller proportion of small s iz e ; but, on the o ther hand, the bean of E m ight have been of closer tex ture (and therefore of be tter quality) seeing th a t the outtu rn of clean coffee from the parchm ent was 4-27 in the case of E , and only 4*39 in F . If the bean had

been sm aller and the ou ttu rn worse, I should give m y opinion against the sulphur and lime, bu t in the presen t instance I am not disposed to do so. Yon will notice also th a t in the sample F there is a larger proportion of Peaberry, and although th is quality is prized, i t is , I believe, the result of im paired growth. As regarda. the colour, there was certainly a difference, bu t so slight as to be alm ost inappreciable. Mr. Symons w as a little doubtful about it a t first, and it was not un til we had both carefully examined i t in the same lig h t th a t we came to the conclusion th a t there was a differ­ence. I should not like to say th a t th e E m ark w as inferior, or th a t th e slight difference in colour was suffici­en t to influence the price ; in fact, I do no t th in k i t would do so. You m ust take my rem arks for w hat they are worth, bu t so far as I can judge the experim ent on H arrow is by no m eans discouraging.—Yours faithfu lly ,

F r e d . W m . B o is .

Colombo, 3rd M arch 1881. M y D e a r M r . W a r d ,— I have no objection w hatever

to your using my le tte r if you find it desirable.I a ttach considerable im portance to the difference of

6 lb. in 2401b. parchm ent, as it is equal to 24 p e rc e n t. I also a ttach im portance to the difference between 2 £ per cent and 5 per cent of light coffee.— Yours tru ly ,

F r e d . "Wm . B o is .

Besides the above reports on the samples, I sen t marked packages of each to several firms in Colombo, and m ust take th is opportunity of thank ing those gen­tlem en who took so much trouble with my samples. I was anxious to see if experts could detect any im ­p ortan t differences in the parchm ent, and the sam ples sent were simply m arked with le tters. E xam ples of the opinions given are selected as fo llow s:— *

j (1) “ I am of opinion th a t th e F f is slightly supe­rio r in colour and brightness to E : it is of a b righter,

I clearer, bluish-green th an E , which has a decided brownish ! t in g e ; bu t both are extremely fine samples. T he F is

a larger coffee, bu t contains more triage th an E , and the ou ttu rn is consequently worse, bu t equal q uan ti­ties of the bulk size were in the following propor­tio n s:— 134-8 F to 131*3 E , or 2*4 per cent in favour of F , which I pronounce decidedly superior, as fa r a s the good coffee is concerned, to E , E being one p er cent better th an F as regards triage.”

(2) “ A | is about one per cent heavier th an B, and th e beans were better in colour and fuller in size when peeled as compared w ith the parchm ent.”

(3) “ The coffees look very similar, bu t the A has a larger proportion of “ 0” size, “ 1” size, and Peaberry, the m ost valuable qualities, while B has a m uch larger proportion of No. 2, the sm allest size. On th e o ther hand, A has a slightly larger proportion of blacks and browns, bu t we could no t tell w hether th is would be the same in a larger sample, although we m ay m ention th a t the A showed a good m any poor p ick­ings of th is description th an the B in the two sam ­ples of parchm ent sent down before.”

(4) “ 500 cubic centim etres of A weighed nett 227*35; 500 cubic centim etres of B weighed 224-35.”

(5) “ B oth th e samples are of exceptionally good quality, fa r superior to the bulk of th is season’s crop, and th e coffee appears to be alm ost free from dis­eased beans, which are now so prevalent. * * *The only difference we can discover in the two sam ­ples is th a t A is ra th er a deeper colour th an B, h u t both coffees would obtain the very higlitest prices of the day.”

(6) “ The slight difference in the colour of the two

* E ach of the numbered paragraphs gives the opinion of an independent expert.

f F — Uusulpliured coffee; E = sulphured.J A always — Unsulphured coffee ; B — sulphured.

samples of coffee you sent would not affect the selling value.”

(7) “ Sometimes I th ink A a shade better th an B, b n t cannot m ake up my mind about i t .”

(8) “ They are both fine samples of coffee in parch­m ent, and would probably give a very good o u ttu rn ; they peel a long, well-shaped, close bean, such as is much sought after by lmyers. Of the two, perhaps B contains beans slightly larger th an A, and sm aller too, being scarcely so regular as A. In colour the samples appear alike—both fine.”

A fter the completion of the experim ent on H arrow i t was not an easy task to determ ine exactly the effect th a t had been produced on th e trees. I t was urged th a t the darker colour of the sulphured area m ight have been due to the m anure, in conjunction with sulphate of lime, &c., having benefited the trees more th an the m anure a lo n e ; or it m ight be due to the im m ediate action of caustic lime 011 the m anured soil having rendered certain useful ingredients rapidly avail­able ; or, finally, it was probably due to the fact th a t more leaves had been kept on the trees by th e de­struction of the fungus in August. On December 20th, therefore, I tried to decide th is question by stripping the leaves from ten trees on each area, and ascert­aining the average num ber of leaves per tree. The following tables give the re su lts :—

A.— U n s u l p h u r e d C o f f e e .State of Tree as Number of prim ary Number of

regards Crop, &c. Branches. full-sized Leaves.Heavy crop, th in tr e e . . 18 518

Do. 8 218F a ir crop and tree in

fail* condition 4 974A fine tree 8 1,300

Do. 10 1,300Fail* crop and in good

condition 9 966Small crop, tree in good

condition 13 1,800Heavy crop and badly

diseased all over . . 13 370Small crop, fine condi­

tion 12 2,295Heavy crop, fair 10 858

105 10,599B.— S u l p h u r e d C o f f e e .

S tate of Tree, Number of Number ofCrop, Ac. Primaries. full-sized Leaves.

Small crop, tree diseased 10 1,010F a ir crop, good condition 10 1,400

Do. 10 650Sm all crop, fine tree . . 14 1,900Heavy crop, tree “ shuck” 21 438Heavy crop, fair tree . . 9 475

Do. 9 337F air crop, good condition 11 676

Do. 14 998Heavy crop 13 778

1*21 8,662On comparing these tables i t will be seen th a t the

trees no t sulphured had more leaves in the proportion of 10,509: 8,662. On considering the m atter further, and comparing the trees selected, i t occurred, however, th a t had we selected trees less irregular in point of size, condition, num ber of prim aries, and o ther re ­spects ; and, moreover, had we counted all the leaves, instead of selecting only those which were considered full-sized (a difficult th ing to determ ine properly) the resu lts m ight be different.

Since I was very anxious to get a t the tru th of the m atter, a num ber of prelim inary attem pts were made to select some fair standard of comparison. I t was decided to select trees each of which possessed 10 un-

131

injured primaries, to count all leaves more th an two inches in length, and to xecigh the leaves as well as count them .

On December 21st the trees were selected and strip ­ped, the leaves p u t in to baskets, and weighed and counted while fresh. T he resu lts w e re :—A.— U n s u l p h u r e d C o f f e e . B.— S u l p h u r e d C o f f e e .

Number of Num ber ofLeaves over W eight Leaves over W eight

‘2 inches of the *2 inches of thelong. Leaves. long. Leaves.2,868 . 44 lb. 3,396 . . 44 lb.2,590 . 34 2,734 . . 41,548 • 24 1,330 . . 3

724 . 1 836 . . 1658 . 1 1,318 . . H852 . l i 940 . . l i672 . 1 690 . . 1638 . 1 454 . . 0 i

14570 . 1 1,028 . .2,30*2 . 4 2,596 . . S i

13,4*22 214 lb. 15,322 ‘254 lb.

On com paring these we find the unsulpliured coffee averaged 1342*2 leaves per tree : the sulphured 1532*2. The weight indicates about 631 unsulpliured leaves to the pound, hut only 599 of those sulphured.

Qn Ja nuary '20th , 1881, these observations were re ­peated with the same precautions, and the following were the re su lts .—

A .— U n s u l p h u r e d C o f f e e . B.— S u l p h u r e d C o f f e e .No. of Leaves over

two inches long 1,892 1,186 1,469 1,032

896 1,398 1,036 1,830 2,332 1,76*2

No. of Leaves over two inches long.

2,266 1,700 1,066 1,318

792 2,715 1,118 1,268 1,980 1,100

14,839 15,323

T ota l weight— 15 lb. T ota l weight— 8 J 11).Comparing again, it appears decided th a t the darker

colour of th e sulphured coffee was (in part, a t any rate) due to the presence of m ore leaves in the p ro­portion of about 1,532 leaves per tree, against about 1,484, and th a t there was more m atte r h i the su lphur­ed leaves, which only took about 839 to the pound, against 989. The chief reason why both sets of leaves weighed less th an in December was on account of the drier w eather prevailing a t the tim e of th e January experiment.

Before discussing th is m atter further, I will conclude th e account of the H arrow experim ent. T he cost, I am informed, was R20-47 per a c r e ; sulphur a t R190, and lime a t R25*25 per ton in Colombo. I t was found th a t seven m en, carrying about half a mile, could apply the powder to one acre per diem.

I t appears from the foregoing th a t sulphur and lime applied a t the critical period, when the germ inating spores of H em ileia are threatening to denude the trees laden with crop, prevent the fall of leaf to a certain exten t, and for a short tim e by destroying spores and germ inal tubes, and th a t no harm accrues to the coffee from the after p ro d u c ts ; b u t i t m ust also be pointed out th a t e ither from the action of the lime alone, or from sa lts of sulphur and lime as well, a d istinct benefit to th e trees is obtained as the results of the absorption by the roots of the compounds dissolved in the w ater in the soil.

The Peradeniya Experiment.§ 17. In order to have a second experim ent performed

of the same nature as th a t on Harrow , a piece of coflee was selected on Peradeniya esta te in Jn n e 1881, and half the piece treated as before.

The coffee chosen covers a narrow, oblong trac t of 16 acres. I t is desciibed as good coffee, and a t the tim e the experiment began had a fair crop on the trees. A great deal of trouble was spent in obtaining equal areas for experiment, as the ground is somewhat broken by hollows, ridges, and patches of grass or stones.

A line was marked by driving stakes in to the ground, dividing the 16 acres longitudinally ; the half which was treated lies generally to the north of the o ther half.

T he sulphur and lime were applied on Ju ly 6 tli, 7th, au d 8tli, and the experiment was completed on the 16th, ra in having come on and interfered with the application.

The whole area is fairly sheltered, but the S. W . blows across the lower end as if from S. to N., therefore blowing across the unsulphured patch first.

The soil is stony and light as a whole, and some­w hat shallow in places ; and the coffee is somewhat old. L eaf disease was becoming very bad when the experi­m ent began, and much “ ru st ” was present on the leaves.

The area was m anured w ith bulk (cattle and poonac) in Ja nuary 1880, and gave little crop last season.

On Ju ly lo th no change was discern ib le; the field was yellow with rust, and the sulphur and lime first p u t on were washed largely to the soil by the rain. Exam ination of given leaves dem onstrated the activity o f the reagent.

On Ju ly 26th I again saw the coffee. Many leaves were falling in the hot, dry weather, and although H em i­leia was still abundant, the m anager (Mr. Huxley) thought the strip was looking better.

During the first week in August, the bad leaves had fallen for the m ost part, and the new leaves were already m aking the coffee look d a rk e r ; bu t a t the end of the m onth a decided though slight difference in colour could be detected on either side of the line of s ta k e s : th is was m ost evident on one of the la te r trea ted parts.

About the middle of August, however, a fresh “ a ttack of leaf disease ” had broken out all over th e field, and i t became clear th a t the benefit, so far as external application was concerned, would be partia l and tem porary.

This follows, also, from the other facts. In apply­in g sulphur and lime on Ju ly 8— 16, those spores and tu b es were destroyed which would have produced spots about August 1st and later. The rain, however, broke in to the experiment (and i t is clear th a t no application could be made then), while spores did not cease to arrive and break forth from mycelia already inside the leaf, and the consequence was a new outbreak about th e middle of August. Of course the good done made itself visible— germ ination was, a t least, to some extent, delayed, and the cleaner leaves showed forth and dark­ened the colour.

I t rem ains to be seen how much benefit will be de­rived from the experiment in the end. The crop from each field is being kept separate, and i t will be pulped, <kc., separately. This cannot be decided before the end of th e year. I am strongly of opinion th a t the darker colour, which is now increasing, is due to the action of the lime on the soil, and the absorption of lime and sulphur salts, &c., by the roots.*

E xperim ent on Belgravia E sta te.§ 18. Acting on suggestions derived from preceding

experim ents, the following plan -was adopted, and Mr. E lphinstone kindly undertook to have i t earned out on Belgravia estate, Lindula.

A square of coffee was selected in April consisting of trees as equal as possible and situated on a flat sur­rounded by sheltering hills. About 100 trees were en­

* The results will be watched and reported upon, if necessary, a t the end of the season.

closed in a square of canvas arranged as fo llow s: stout posts driven in to the earth a t intervals of a fewr feet supported two lengths of canvas or ceiling cloth three feet wide, carefully nailed on and joined. H ence the enclosing wall was six feet high.

T he wind of the S. W . monsoon comes in a t one com er, and blows diagonally across the square. The soil is fair, bu t somewhat m oist a t th is spot. All the leaves and prunings were carefully removed from the enclosure, and leaves were buried in the soil.

T he enclosure was completed in May, and a consider­able num ber of “ rust-patches ” were already on the leaves all over the enclosed and surrounding coffee. On May 18th the whole inside of the enclosure was treated w ith sulphur and lime, throw n by hand in to every tree, and on the logs, ground, and canvas. Microscopic ex­am ination dem onstrated the destruction of the germ inat­ing spores as before.

A t the end of Ju n e the enclosure showed no marked difference to the unaided eye, and i t became clear th a t the disease was very little reduced inside the square.

On August 13tli I again visited the enclosure. Looked down on from above, the colour of the coffee was darker under the lee of the corner where the wind caught the square, and became paler towards th e opposite com er. Careful exam ination showed th a t the trees in th e more sheltered com er had less ru s t on the leaves th an those in the opposite com er ; a t the same tim e no one could undertake to say th a t th e m ost diseased corner was more free from the ru st th an the coffee im m ediately outside and partially sheltered by the whole square.

I t "was perfectly evident, in fact, th a t w hatever good had been done by the application of sulphur and lime on May 18th, i t was only a transito ry b e n e fit; the coffee had become re-infected, and was nearly as bad as ever. In short, one application of th e reagent was clearly shown to be insufficient.

On reflection, and as the facts already detailed in th is report became known, the explanation of th is disappointing fac t revealed itself to the following effec t:—

1st.— I t is clear th a t those germ inal tubes which were already in the leaf when the application was made were safe from the effects of the reagent, and would produce spores (according to the knowledge now to hand) some fortn igh t to three weeks later. H ence there would be the m eans of re-infection already inside the enclosure, unless the sulphur and lime acted long enough to catch the new spores also. This i t did no t do a t th a t season, being largely washed off during the monsoon rains.' 2nd.— These newly-produced spores would germ inate in the rains and their tubes en ter the leaves forthw ith, and within ano ther three weeks— i.e., six weeks after the original experim ent—produce a second stock of spores. I t m ust be remembered th a t the six-feet wall of canvas could not prevent some m otion of the trees by windand a conse­quent shaking of the spores on to surrounding leaves.

3rd.— From the fact th a t the com er of the square f iu th est removed from the point where the S. W . wind first touched the whole, was m ost diseased on August 13th, two conclusions m ight be drawn ; either the greater shaking of these trees by the wind enabled the spores they produced to fall more freely around, and therefore to infect more leaves th an was possible among the trees in the sheltered corner ; or, the greater am ount of in ­fection was due to the advent of spores derived from w ithout, the wind passing over the sheltered trees hav­ing dropped spores in to the more exposed com er, and provided for more disease spots in proportion.

E xam ination of the canvas dem onstrated th a t the las t explanation holds good. I took pieces from both the upper and lower portions, and found num erous spores of I lem ile ia embedded in its meshes, and in all stages of germ ination and decay, as well as quite recently blown and fresh specimens.

The Belgravia experim ent, therefore, m ay be held to prove, (1) th a t one application of the reagent can have

no effect lasting m ore than two or three weeks ;* (2 ) th a t re-infection takes place from surrounding coffee in a very short space of tim e, by spores earned bodily through the a ir or shaken off from the leaves immedi­ately around.

The Experim ent on W allaha Estate.§ 19. The experience derived from th e observations

on H arrow (and also on K ataboola, M ount Vernon, and o ther estates) made me anxious to apply th e same m e­thods to coftee where unslaked lime alone had been used ; and th is I have been enabled to do through the kind­ness of Mr. Talbot, who has undertaken to carry out an experiment arranged as fo llow s:—

A field of known area has been divided in to two equal longitudinal halves, and in August, the crop coming on rapidly, freshly-burnt lime was strewn all over one-lialf for the double purpose of killing all spores w ith which it comes in contact, and to serve as a top-dressing which will rapidly m ake its way to the roots. The crop will be picked and pulped separately from the two areas, and it will then be possible to determ ine how fa r the success in the Harrow experiment depended upon the lime used.

The experiment now proceeding on Peradeniya will serve as a fu rther check, since the m ishap of rapid and continuous rain turned the application, practically, into a top-dressing of sulphur and lime sa lts for the m ost part. I contem plate reporting on both experim ents when concluded, if resu lts of sufficient im portance are obtained.

Experim ents w ith Carbolic Acid.§ 20 . I had already satisfied myself th a t, tak ing into

account its slow diifusibility and the danger of using it on a living plant, carbolic acid is not available for the purposes of the planters, when, in January last, I was invited to be present a t an experim ent of a novel nature. W rappers were loosely tied around the stem of the tree enclosing a m ixture of carbolic acid, w ater, and mud between the wrapper and the bark of the tree. Under th e erroneous supposition th a t the cork-clad hark and the cambium could absorb the liquid w ith benefit to the diseased tree, the object of the inventor was de­clared to be to “ deal w ith the disease after it has entered the leaves.” I pointed out the reasons why th is could not succeed, and also took occasion to insist ( on the dangerous properties of carbolic acid in connec- j tion with living coffee.

Some m onths afterw ards the ill-effects of the tre a t­m ent were still visible on trees a t Pallekelle, Roseneath, and Peradeniya estates. The caustic liquid having de­stroyed a more or less complete ring of bark, cambium, Ac., had in jured each tree to a corresponding extent. Exam ination on the spot a t intervals after the experi­m ent convinced me also th a t no tem porary benefits were secured. A nother series of experiments, based on sounder principles, have been made as follow s:—An in ­tim ate m ixture of fine clay poxvder containing 12 to 15 per cent of carbolic acid is mixed w ith lime, also in tine powder, and the m ixture thrown by coolies’ hands on to the diseased leaves in the same m anner as with sulphur and lime.

T he object of using lime here is, however, different from th a t aimed a t where sulphur is used. Carbolic acid is very slowly volatile, and w ith difficulty soluble in w ater, aud where drops of the acid touch a leaf, Ac., destruction of the tissues ensues. Carbolic acid has, moreover, a powerful odour, and i t appears to be assumed in the experim ents th a t the odour is a m easure of so much vapour passing off from the m ixture to be dissolved in the w ater on the leaf. I do no t find, however, th a t th e destruction of H em ileia spores in th e neighbourhood of the m ixture is com m ensurate with the alleged results.I t is true th a t where w ater is in contact w ith the pow­der a solution is obtained sufficiently strong to kill germ inal tubes, bu t the diffusion of th is over the leaf

* I doubt w hether th e effect lasted more th an one week.

is a very slow process. U nder any circum stances the results of experim ents w ith carbolic acid powder are no t as yet encouraging, though I am of opinion th a t m ore m ight be done w ith some modification of it,* if i t were not for the fact th a t the accumulated powder and solu- tion are a source o f danger a t the roots.

I will pass on to the description of a few illustrative experim ents before reporting fu rther on the larger ones. A sturdy coffee plant, of which two leaves were diseased w ith “ ru st patches,” was placed in a sm all w ardian case, the whole of the inside of which was pain ted w ith a sa tu rated solution of carbolic acid in w ater. In the overpowering atm osphere produced the p lan t was tightly enclosed. After 21 hours I opened the case and removed the p la n t : the odour of carbolic acid was so strong, th a t one could with difficulty hold the head in the enclosure. Nevertheless, spores taken from one of the patches ger­m inated nominally in 24 hours. I t is thus clear th a t in using carbolic acid (as w ith o ther reagents) the germ inal tubes will have to be attacked w ith a solution of the acid.

Another experiment throws light on th is subject. A th in layer of the m ixture of carbolic acid powder and lime was sprinkled on th e surface of the mould around two coffee p lants, and a t once watered. The w atering was continued a t intervals for th ree weeks, when one of the p lan ts had bu t one yellow leaf left, and the leaves of the o ther were pale and drooping. The effects of even a dilute solution of carbolic acid a t the roots are disastrous, though in the case of a large strong tree they m ay be to a certain extent m asked by o ther changes.

B u t observations on whole estates prove the same, and I have failed to discover the good effects said to have been produced on estates by the trea tm ent. T hat

j the germ inal tubes are killed wherever a solution of I carbolic acid comes in contact w ith them is tru e ; but | such a solution is not produced in th e way described in

the experim ents on Peradeniya, Gleneagles, Pallakelle, Ac.If carbolic acid powder could be used w ith safety, it

would be more efficacious w ithout the lime, which could be used with benefit as a m an u re ; bu t in face of the fac t th a t whatever external application were used, it would have to be repeated a t least every three weeks or so, it would be highly injurious to perm it such an increase of carbolic acid in the soil as would be th e case here.

S e c . IV .— O n t h e “ O r ig in o f L e a f D is e a s e .”§ 21. T he story of the discover)' of the fungus R e m i‘

leia vasta trix by a well-known p lan ter in M adulsima in 1869 need not be repeated in detail here ; bu t since a general impression exists th a t the year of its discovery has connection w ith the date of its introduction in to Ceylon, th a t because it was first seen in Uva, i t necess­arily originated there, I xvould call a tten tio n to facts which throw the gravest doubts on such a view, if they do no t invalidate i t altogether.

I am told th a t when H em ileia was first seen on the coffee i t was already common on th e estate , and, in ­deed, on a neighbouring esta te as well, and i t is doubt­ful w hether i t had no t already been observed in o ther parts of Ceylon. An exam ination of the w eather reports in 1869 on the esta te where th e discovery took place shows the follow ing:—

March, 1869, was very dry, and April the same up to the 12th , when the wet set in for a fortn igh t or so. During May were showers a t intervals, bu t cloudy, hot w eather prevailed. Now, i t was about Ju n e 1st, 1869, th a t H em ileia was first observed, and the spores which produced the spots then noticed no doubt germ inated in A p ril; for in the first place, the spots were advanced and numerous, and in the second, the leaves were already fa llin g . In September, 1870, the disease was found in Nilambe and H antane, and was there also in some

* As, for instance, using the weak powder alone on th e leaves, and the caustic lime separately as a top- dressing to the soil.

quantity when discovered. W ithout, of course, making any positive assertion on w hat cannot be proved, it is very probable th a t H em ileia was already widely spread on the coffee in 1869-70, a conclusion rendered the more likely if we reflect how difficult it is to notice new dis- colourations on the leaves.

A part from the extrem e probability, however, th a t H em ileia slowly accum ulated on Coffea arabica by pass­age from some jungle p lant, I proceed to give strong objective evidence th a t such a view is m ost likely. I find, as indeed was already known, th a t H em ileia occurs on a native wild coffee ( Coffea tnwancorenxisj, found in the jungles, and have experimented w ith the spores of the fungus on th is p lan t w ith the following re su lts : they form germinal tubes, block up the stom ata, send branches into the leaf, and form the mycelium in Coffea arabica , as well as in C. trarancorensis ; and, conversely,C. trarancorensis can be infected by spores from H em i­leia on C. arabica.

The anatom y of th e fungus on C. trarancorensis, moreover, offers nothing different in any im portant respect from th a t of the common H em ile ia ; the mycelium, it is true, is usually less highly developed and produces fewer spores and less virulent spots in consequence, but th is depends on vigour and no t 011 specific differences of any kind. I t is a t least probable, therefore, th a t H em ileia vasta trix lurked in the jungle long ere Coffea arabica was widely p lanted 011 estates in Ceylon.

About a year ago, however, my a tten tion was directed towards another possible holdfast for “ leaf disease " by finding a H em ileia which had already been collected by D r. Thw aites in 1868, and nam ed H em ileia canthii from the shrub on which it occurs (C anthium cam panulatm n). This H em ileia, on closer exam ination, did no t appear to me to present sufficient differences to w arrant its being constituted a separate species. In size, colour, shape, and m arking, the spores resemble those of the H em i­leia v a s ta tr ix ; the structure of the spore-bearing head which protrudes through the stoma and the mode of origin of the spores are ju st as before. U nfortunately,I was unable to obtain a stock of fresh m aterial a t the tim e of these observations, and th a t in the herbar­ium a t Peradeniya was 1*2 years old, consequently no sowings could be made, and the evidence was incomplete.

During my journeys among the estates, however, I lost no opportunity of searching for Canthium campan- ulatum and its H em ileia , and found the shrub in Durn- bara, Pussellawa, H aputale, Balangoda, Badulla, Ac., a t various times. I t appears to be a widely-spread plant,therefore, but very few specimens as a rule occur to ­gether. D uring a ll th is period I only m et w ith thefungus in fru it once, though the yellowish spots and mycel­ium occurred oftener.

In Jan u ary las t I commenced experim ental sowings w ith spores of H em ileia rasta trix from coffee on the leaves of Canthium p lan ts placed in pots, A'c. The result was w hat I suspected— the germ inal tubes blocked up the stom ata, sent their branches in to the leaf, and 1 commenced to form a norm al mycelium in the in te r­cellular passages of the leaf, as in coffee.

In August last, d ining a journey from M adulsima, I had the sta rtling fortune to meet with a fair-sized shrub of Canthium badly diseased, and of which the leaves were in some cases covered w ith rust.* The p lant was 011 the roadside a few miles out of Badulla, in thedirection of Passara. Carefully collecting specimens, I proceeded to clear up w hat details I could on the fresli mycelium, Ac. The mycelium and spore-bearing head are quite sim ilar to th a t in coffee, the chief differences being due to the denser structure, Ac., of the leaf in Canthium . The passages between the very small dense cells, w ith thick ivalls and closely-packed contents, and

* I t is w orth rem arking th a t a pyrenomycetous fungus occ lin ing as a black crust 011 many of the leaves is j

very similar to one common 011 coffee, and in teiferes ! sadly w ith experim ental sowings.

the small to ta l m ass of loose tissue in the leaf are among the chief peculiarities here. The stom ata are also small.

The mycelium is therefore m uch less highly developed, and it is difficult to detect the th ick stum py branches among the crowiled leaf cells. In proceeding to form the spore-bearing head, the branches m eet in the cham ber below the stom a and fuse in to a cellular body, as in H em ileia v a s ta tr ix ; bu t instead of m any branches so m eeting th e sparse mycelium here sends hu t two, the fusion of which strongly resembles a definite process. The spores are produced in sm aller numbers, b u t essenti­ally as on coffee, and th e sparse mycelium and spores recall w hat is seen in Coffea travancorcnsis.

The germ ination of the spore occurs readily, and re ­sembles th a t of II. vasta trix . I have no t succeeded in finding teleutospores of H em ileia canthii.

Of course, on obtaining the above specimens, I a t once institu ted experiments to show' w hether the germ ­inal tubes en ter the coffee leaf. These experim ents have no t as yet been successful so far as to produce disease spots and fru it, since so m any foreign spores were in te r­mingled with all my specimens th a t their more rapidly- developed mycelium sadly in terferes w ith germ ination. I hope, however, to conclude successfully before long.

I t may be m entioned here th a t ano ther possible source of the original spores 011 coffee m ay be some o ther host p lan t a lto g e th e r; though it by 110 m eans follows as a necessity th a t the conidia produced by the teleutospores of H em ileia ever germ inate successfully in Ceylon. This, however, is hardly a m atter for discussion here.

S e c . V .— S um m .u it an d C o n c l u s io n .

§ 2 2 . I have now placed before you the details of w hat has been ascertained regarding H em ileia and its relation to coffee leaf disease, and m ay sum up the m ain points of im portance as follow s:—

1 .— H em ileia vasta trix is a parasitic fungus, th e spores of w hich are capable of rap id germ ination on th e m oist surface of a coffee leaf. T h e sh o rt tu b es th u s p roduced en te r th e breath ing pores of th e leaf, and in less th a n a w eek, in favourable circum stances, begin to form a m ycelium which, a t th e end of ano ther w ec-k or so, have done sufficient dam age to th e leaf to produce yellow epots. D uring th e th ird w’eek th e spores are u sua lly produced, each to a c t as before, if sow n, &c.

2 .—A leaf of th e coffee a tta c k e d a t num erous po in ts by such germ inatiog spores rap id ly succum bs to th e ravages of th e m ycelium , an d falls long before i t w ould norm ally have done so ; n o t only by d irectly robbing th e tree of food p repared by th e labours of th e leaf, bu t, fu rth e r , by occupying space and shorten ing th e period of usefulness of th e leaf, is the tr e e in ju red .

3 .— T he loss of m a tte r an d functional d istu rbance b ro u g h t about by these con tinued an d periodical ravages have for effect a d im in ished pow er to m atu re crop on th e p a r t of th e coffee; an d flow er-buds, flowers, and berries fa ll because th e n u tr itiv e relations betw een th e shoots, leaves, and flowers have becom e ov er­th row n. M ore crop is borne, as a ru le, how ever, w here th e trees contain m ore fo 'xl m a te ria l to su p p o rt it.

4 .— T he spores of H em deia are carried by w ind. W h e th e r a spore trav e ls a long d istance in one journey , o r w h e th e r i t is sw ep t along in successive leaps, i t m ay be carried from one es ta te o r d is tr ic t to ano ther. The shaking of th e trees also d issem in ­ates spores, and th e y are d riv en from fa llen leaves to th e trees. These spores, sca tte red on tb e foliage, become w ashed down to th e low er surface and germ ­in a te as before, p rov ided tb e atm osphere, &c., be sufficiently m oist. -

5 .—N o special p red isposition on th e p a r t of th e coffee is requ ired fo r i ts infection, an d 110 o th er cond itions are necessary to th e spore th a n m oistu re an d th e presence of air, &c., as w ith any germ in a tin g seed.

G.— T he spores are in such countless num bers, germ inate so rap id ly , an d some of th em so easily

escape th e action of even th e m ost" efficacious rem edies, th a t no good an d las ting re su lts can be obtained from ex ternal app lications unless th e sources of rein fec tion be rem oved. N o a ttem p ts to com bat th e disease by passing ing red ien ts in to th e tree have show n an y trace of success : th e m ycelium cannot be a ttacked after i t has en tered th e leaf.

7 .— Diseased leaves should be collected and destroyed, an d every m eans possible em ployed to p rev en t th e ingress of w inds. C u ltivation should be d irected to these ends, and th e p run ing an d m anuring, as fa r as possible, a r ­ranged so th a t large masses of young foliage are as seldom as possible exposed as ' a surface of food m a t­erial for th e spores a t those tim es when th ey are m ost blow n abou t, as a t th e b u rs ts of th e monsoons. I n cases w here th e disease is th rea ten in g to denude th e trees of leaves a t th e c ritica l period w h 'n crop is ripen ing up, th e re can be l i t t le question of th e use of lim e, unless w eigh tier considerations, based on the resu lts of experience w ith th a t p a rticu la r soil, fo rb id it.

8 .—M anure can in no sense be p ro p erly looked upon as a cure for th e disease. In so far as i t enables a tree to clo the itse lf w ith dense foliage, th e tree m ay be able to afford th e sacrifice of a num ber of its leaves to th e fungus ; b u t the well-fed m ycelium will in such cases produce m ore spores in p roportion , and these m ay be th e m ore read ily d is tr ib u ted , an d germ ­in a te 011 o th e r leaves, and so th e stock of fungus be ac tu a lly increased. N evertheless, careful m anuring is necessary for th e p roduction of crop w ithou t dam age to th e tree.

9 .—T he b u rn ing of fallen leaves, &c., is alm ost un iversa lly condem ned by p lan ters as too dangerous. I n cases w here th is canno t be done, it is b e tte r to b u ry th e h av es and prim ings th a n to leave them tossing about. In doing th is , th e layers of leaves an d prun ings (w hich may be m ixed w ith weeds) should be carefully covered with caustic lim e and ea rth and n >t d is tu rb ed fo r several m onths. The suggestion th a t th e leaves m igh t be placed und er pigs an d ca ttle affords a less safe a l te rn a t iv e ; b u t even th is plan is m uch b e tte r th a n leaving th em to be blow n about th e e-ta tes . T he sooner th e leaves are ga thered a fte r falling, th e m ore spores a re de­stroyed w ith them .

10 .—The origin of leaf-disease canno t be traced w ith c e r ta in ty ; b u t th e evidence is so s trong in favour of i ts having arisen from an invasion of spores ou t of th e jung le, th a t th is view m ay be considered h igh ly probable. Once on th e coffee, i ts spread w ould be very rapid , w here such large unbroken areas ex tend . No trace of va lid evidence ex is ts for th e view s th a t th e disease has been “ induced b y artific ial m an u rin g ,” or “ caused by a lte ra tio n s in th e sap of th e t r e e ; ” i t is, beyond a ll doubt, th e re su lts of th e ac tion of a fungus derived from w ithou t, th e spores of which w ere e ith e r im ported in to C eylon (an im probable event) or came from th e n a tiv e jungles.

In conclusion I beg to call yo u r a tten tio n to c e r t­ain im p o rtan t d e t a i l s in th e follow ing a p p e n d ix .I rem ain, &c., H . M A R S H A L L W A R D , B.A., Cam b., P d rid en iy a , Septem ber 1881. C ryp togam ist.

A P P E N D I X .

A .The follow ing tab le sum m arizes sh o rtly a num ber

of experim ents, selected from a large series, m ade to determ ine ( 1) th e tim e occupied in th e g erm im tio n of a spore, (2 ; how soon afte rw ard s th e ‘ d isease-spot” appears on th e legf, (3) how long th e m ycelium m ay con tinue to produce spores. In each case a vigorous young p la n t was selected, w hich had been grow n for some m onths in a sh e lte red situa tion , an d w as clean and healthy . On a recently-form ed leaf a sowing of

132

spores was m ade, k e p t m oist for 24 to 48 hours, and th e n (th e dam p cell having been rem oved) p laced in a ca re fu lly cleaned W ard ian case, w ell ligh ted , she lte red , an d kep t a t an average tem p era tu re of abo u t 78° F ar. I n a ll cases th e spores were found to germ ­in a te in 24 hours, an d th e tu b es had com m enced to block u p th e s to m a ta w ith in 48 hours. For all exam ples, also, th e follow ing holds good : th e “ d is­ease-spots” appeared on the lea f on w hich th e sow ing was m ade, and w ith in th e area of sowing, and no­where else on the p tant. M oreover, no m ore “ disease” appeared on th e sam e p lan t, even a fte r keeping i t fo r several (six o r e ight) m onths, unless a fresh sow ing was m ade and k ep t m oist for 24 to 48 hours a ; before.

These fac ts p rove (1) th a t th e “ disease-spo ts” and “ ru s t” re su lt from th e tu b es an d m ycelium traced by th e m icroscope from th e spore, (2 ) th a t th e fungus corresponds in area w ith th e d isease spo% (3) th a t, even if spores be p re sen t on th e leaf, no “ d isease” resu lts , unless th e conditions (m oisture, & c .,)fo r germ ­ination be also presen t. F inally , ta k e n in con junc­tio n w ith th e re su lts of m icroscopic analysis, th ey prove th a t th e disease-spot is d u e to th e action of an organism derived from w ithou t; w hich passes th ro u g h defin ite changes, and has a lim ited te rm of life :—

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th e resu lts of th e observations m ade to d e term ine (1) how long a tim e is occupied by th e coffee p la n t in form ing a com plete pa ir of leaves, (2) a t w hat period th ey become a tta c k e d by th e fungus, and (3) how long th e y surv ive th e ravages of th e pest. I n a l l th e specim ens selected, th e re were severa l of the d isease spots on each le a f ; b u t, of course, no abso lu te s ta n d a rd of th e dam age done is given, an d i t m ust be rem em bered th a t a young leaf b ad ly sp o tte d falls sooner th an one affected in a less v iru le n t degree.

T he follow ing exam ple w ill i l lu s tra te th e m ode of read in g th e colum ns. T ak ing th e specim en F , th e m in u te term in a l b u d ev id en t so early as Septem ber 6 th , 1880, rem ained qu iescen t d u rin g fo rty d ay s— t i l l O ctober 16th—and then com m enced to sw ell and nn fo ld its p a ir of leaves. I n ab o u t a m o n th ’s tim e (N ovem ber 15th) th e leaves were com pletely form ed an d in full ac tiv ity , aud apparen tly clean an d h ea lth y . N ovem ber 18th was th e la s t d a te on w hich no trace o f disease was visible to th e n ak ed e y e ; b u t i t is ev id en t, from w h a t is know n of th e periods in th e life -h isto ry of Hemileia, t h a t the germ inal tu b es had a lread y en te red th e stom ata , an d form ed m ycelia, for on N ovem ber 23rd th e yellow spots ( “ p in -spo ts” ) w ere apparen t, and had developed sp o rts before D e­cem ber 5 th . The fo rm ation of spores con tinued , an d th e leaf w as bad ly diseased w ith “ ru s t p a tc h e s ’’ before December 22nd, w hen th e spo ts w ere a lready o ld and tu rn ed brown. O n Ja n u a ry 1st, 1881, th e lea f h ad fallen, an d an exam ination of th e las t tw o eolum ns show s th a t , o u t of 2 J m onths’ te rm of life, th e lea f was obviously p es tered w ith th e fungus h a lf th e tim e. M oreover, wo m u st reco llect th a t n ea rly a m o n th (O ctober 16th to N ovem ber 15ih) was occupied in b ring ing th is leaf in fu ll ac tiv ity , an d p ro b ab ly a fo rtn ig h t m ust be add ed to th e la s t colum n, du ring w h ich tim e th e m ycelium w as form ing. H ow li t t le of th e to ta l life and pow ers of such a leaf benefited the tr e e w ill be ev iden t on com paring these resu lts .

The m ethod ad o p ted in a rriv in g a t these conclu­sions w as to m ark a given v igorous tw ig , and note th e progress of th e bud, fungus. &c., a t in te rv a ls of a few days. No o th e r conclusions th a n those for w hich th e tab les are designed a re in tended to be d raw n : e,g., in th e exam ple given, th e d a te D ecem ber 5 th (in th e 6 th colum n) does n o t m ean th a t the fir s t spore form ed on that d a y ; b u t th a t , tak in g notes of th e p rogress of even ts on D ecem ber 5 th , I found spores were already form ed by the spots in some quantity, w hereas th ey w ere n o t p resen t w hen notes were tak en some days earlier.

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c.A n in s tru c tiv e series of observations w ere m ade to

o b ta in an answ er to th e question : how long w ill th e leaf rem ain on th e tre e w hen n o t a ttack ed b y H em ileia, o r w hen only one or tw o sm all and b arren disease spots appear ? T he m ethods adop ted w ere th e sam e as before.

To ta k e an exam ple (C) we find th a t , on D ecem ber 20th , th e leaf w as ad u lt, an d in fu ll w ork ing order. I t re ta ined its green, b r ig h t colour u n til A p ril 2nd, w hen a few fa in t yellow ish cloudy patches w ere observable. (These are th e signs of approaching d is­so lu tion .)

On A pril 25 th th e leaf h ad become yellow , lik e

an au tum nal leaf in Europe, and fell soon afte r, abou t M ay 3rd, hav ing done its w ork for th e tree , b u t h av ing escaped th e ravages of th e m ycelium H em ileia :—

Dat

e on

whi

ch

leaf

m

ay

be

cons

ider

ed

fully

fo

rmed

.

Dat

e ab

ou

t w

hich

le

af

bega

n to

turn

ye

llow

.

Dat

e on

whi

ch

leaf

was

qu

ite

yell

ow.

Dat

e on

or

1 ab

out

whi

ch

the

leaf

fe

ll.

K em ileia spo ts, a b s e n t o r p re se n t.

Len

gth

of ti

me

the

leaf

re

mai

ned

(a

ppro

xim

ate)

.

A.—J u n e 26 Sep. 30 O ct. 1( O ct. 16 N one. 16 w eeks.B.—Nov. 22 F eb . 15 F eb . 24 M ar. 1 16 „C.—D ec. 20 A pril 2 A pril 25 M ay 3 N one. 20 „D .—J u ly 18 Nov. 8 Nov. 15 Nov. 18 N one. 17E .—J u ly 16 „ 15 „• 20 „ 21 + 18 „F .—J a n . 2 A pril 25 M ay 1 M ay 8 N one. 18

* O ne m in u te sp o t o n F e b ru a ry 22.4 4 sm a ll d u ll sp o ts in N ovem ber.N B .—These exam ples should be com pared w ith ex­

am ples G, I , and K , in th e la s t tab le . I t is to be no ted th a t none of th e sm all spo ts ta k e n in to account h ere w ere e ith e r very vigorous o r p resen t for a long tim e before th e leaf fell. I t is also w o rth rem ark th a t 20—21 weeks is th e longest p e rio d I have y e t found a coffee leaf to p ersis t on th e trees in th e open.

D-To determ ine, as far as possible, th e ra te of g row th

an d o th er changes in leaf, buds, an d leaves a t Pdra- den iya , certa in trees w ere se lected in A ugust 1880, an d w atched du ring th e follow ing tw elve m onths, no tes being m ade a t sh o rt in te rv a ls as to th e con­d itions of th e buds and leaves on tw igs a round w hich coloured ribbons had been loosely tied .

T he sh o rtest tim e in w hich a p a ir of leaves was developed in m y experim ents was ab o u t four weeks, when th e bud firs t exposed, on A pril 10th, became an a d u lt pair of leaves by M ay 8 t h ; an d th e longest period occupied b y th e same process was, excluding a very abnorm al exam ple w here 174 w eeks w ere occu­p ied in th e process, 13 weelA, w here a bud w hich f iis t appeared free on O ctober 29, d id n o t begin to open u n ti l th e follow ing Jan u ary , an d its leaves w ere n o t fu lly form ed before F eb ru ary 27th.

D uring th e very d ry w eather experienced in P6ra- d en iya from December to M arch, th e re is on th e whole much less a c tiv ity d isp layed in th e fo rm ation of leaf-buds and leaves th a n during th e period from A pril to A ugust, an d th is is in accordance w ith th e general experience of p lan te rs on th e K andy side of N uw ara E liya. Of course th e re are differences in th e ra te of developm ent of leaves, depen d en t on c ircum ­stances o th er th an th e w eather, since th e tim e a t which prun ing , m anuring , &c., a re done affect these an d o th e r p h en o m en a; m oreover, since th e bu d s are slow er in developm ent w here w in d s or a general low tem p era tu re p revails th a n w here th e a ir is q u ie t and w arm , i t w ill be ev iden t th a t elevation affects th is as o th e r processes of g row th . T he tree s on w hich my observations w ere m ade suffer m uch from leaf-disease, and bear l i t t le crop, c ircum stances w hich m ust also be taken in to a c c o u n t:—

Branch A . (Tree not P runed.)

s 's ® 0-

P 'S w

® Mr-1S S g l .

J® r t i c o 'c o ^ jg-9

"3.9 2-9§.s a b, =8S S'S

u 0 o3 o 5 ; m^

§1261 S ep t. e lo c t. 16 7 w eeks. 104 w eeks.1C O ct. 29 Nov. 15 4 „ 121C Feb. 1 Feb . 27 7 „ 13 „

1 F eb . 20]M arch 29 8 „29 5 'A pril 25 4 7 „20 M ay 25 'June 15; 34 „ 715 26 J u ly 14 4 ,, 7 „6 Ju ly 18 Aug. 1 3J „ 5

Aug.

Oct.

M arch 7 A p ril 25

J u n e 26 J u ly

26 Oct.

29 J a n . F eb . M archM ay

On th is b ranch , therefore, e igh t pa irs of leaves w ere com pletely fo rm ed du ring th e 12 m onths (A u g u st 1, 1S80, to A ugust 1, 1881), the period of slow est g row th being S ep tem ber to F e b ru a ry ; th a t of qu ickest g row th , A pril to A ugust. T he p a ir of leaves w h ich developed m ost rap id ly w as form ed in Ju n e —J u ly ; th a t w hich developed m ost slow ly, in J a n u a ry —F e b ru a ry :—

B ranch B . (N o t P runed).

Dat

e on

w

hich

bu

d be

cam

e vi

sibl

e.

Dat

e ab

ou

t w

hich

bu

d be

gan

to

Dat

e w

hen

leav

es

had

1 se

para

ted

.

Dat

e on

w

hich

le

aves

h

ad

atta

ined

fu

ll 8i

ze,&

c.

Tim

e oc

cu­

pied

in

op

enin

g (a

ppro

xim

-

Who

le

peri

od

of

deve

lop-

m

ent

(ap­

prox

imat

e).

N ov. 1

M a rc h 7 M arch 30 A p ril 20 A pril 30

O ct. 10 J a n , 20 F eb . 21 M arch — A pril 14 A p ril 25 J u ly 6

O ct. 16

M arch 7 M arch 30 A pril 20 M ay 1 J u ly 20

N ov. 8 F eb . 25 A p ril 25 A pril 30 M ay 2 M ay 30 Aug. 8

4 w eeks.449

24445

12 w eeks. 174

7444 „56

B ranch C. ( P runed Tree).D

ate

on

whi

ch

bud

beca

me

visi

ble.

Dat

e ab

ou

t w

hich

bu

dbe

gan

to

Dat

e w

hen

1 le

aves

h

ad

1 se

para

ted.

i D

ate

on

whi

ch

leav

es

had

at

tain

ed

full

size

.

Tim

e oc

cu-

i pi

ed

in

1 op

enin

g (a

ppro

xim

-, at

e.)

Who

le

perio

d of

de

velo

p­m

ent

(ap­

prox

imat

e).

J a n . 22 J a n . 31 F e b . 24 A pril 10 M ay 1 M ay 25

J a n 30 F eb . 10 A pril 2

M ay 8 J u n e 15

F eb . 10 F eb . 24 A p ril 15

M ay 20 J u n e 20

F eb . 27 M arch 14 M ay 1 M ay 8 J u n e 20 J u ly 15

4 w eeks.44 „4

6 w eeks. 4

5 -weeks.6 5 4 77 „

E.The fact th a t th e spores of H em ileia a re convey­

ed from place to place by w ind has been ab u n d ­an tly proved. I select th e follow ing as illu s tra tio n s of experim ents equally successful in B adulla, D im bula, an d o ther d is tr ic ts besides those nam ed.

Clean slips of glass m easuring 3 in . b y 1 in ., and therefore approx im ating th e area of a coffee leaf of sm all size, w ere sm eared evenly on one side w ith a th in lay e r of pu re glycerine, an d exposed in various positions fo r various leng ths of tim e, in such a m an ­n er th a t spores borne by th e w ind to th e viscid surface w ould be re ta ined , an d a fte rw ard s d e tec ted b y m icroscopic exam ination .

T he exam ples chosen for th e follow ing tab le illu s­tr a te m ore o r less th e follow ing conclusions : th a t (1) th e spores are borne by w ind in a ll p a r ts of coun try , (2) th e m ore “ ru s t” p resen t, th e larger th e num ber of spores in th e air.

To illu s tra te fu rth e r , No. 5 m ay be se lected as re ­m arkable. I n P6rddeniya, on Ju ly 8 th , 1881, th e trees w ere m uch diseased an d “ ru s t-p a tch es” show ing up bad ly a ll over, th e w in d w as very h igh , an d b low ing from th e S .W . in heavy gusts. One of th e slips of glass w as p laced vertica lly on end in a c left bamboo and arran g ed so th a t th e viscid surface faced th e neares t coffee a t a d istance of 18 feet* T he leng th of th e bamboo was a l i t t le over 5 feet. A fter 12 h o u rs’ exposure th e slip w as exam ined, and 117 spores o f H em ileia fou n d imbedded in the glycerine , to g e th er w ith sm all insects, insects’ eggs, spores of various fungi, algse, an d lichens, an d pieces of sand, &e,, blow n in th e sam e m anner on to th e t r a p set.

A n o th er proof of th e sam e fac t is afforded b y m y finding num erous spores of H em ileia en trap p ed in th e m eshes of some canvas exposed am ongst th e coffee fo r several m onths : th e re were spores in a ll stages of

germ ination , as w ell as fresh an d recen tly -b lo w n specimens :—

Dis

tric

t.

1 I Mon

th.

1St

ate

of th

e D

isea

se.

Win

d.

Dis

tanc

e of

gl

ass

slip

from

I

coff

ee.

Dis

tanc

e of

gl

ass

slip

from

gr

ound

.M

etho

d of

ex­

posu

re

of th

e sl

ip.

I seL I

No.

of

if.

V.

i sp

ores

fo

und.

R & kw ana ... A pril * § 4 fee t 3 fee t a 14 1D ikoya M av 18 § 6 „ U b 8 1P u n d a lu o y a ... „ 22 S lig h t 12 „ 12 2P e ra d e n iy a .. . J u n e 8 + H igh 12 „ I f la t 8 7

Do. J u ly 8 V ery h igh 18 „ 5 fee t d 12 117Do. do. t do. 25 „ 4 „ d 12 21Do. J u ly 9 do. 20 „ 4 „ d 2 8Do. do. t . do. 12 „ 5 „ d 2 13

* V ery l i t t l e “ r u s t ” v isib le , t A few sp o ts of “ r u s t ” h e re a n d th e re . t “ R u s t” p a tc h e s b ecom ing very bad .$ S carce ly p rcce p tib le .I! 2 fee t below coffeei % On th e g ra ss , e F la t on a rock .b F la t on ro ck in m id d le of a 's t r e a m . c F la t o n a c h a rre d log,d V e r tic a l: th e sm e a re d s id e to w a rd s th e coffee.

F .T he follow ing m ay serve to convey some idea of

th e enorm ous m asses of fallen leaves w’hich are often le f t to blow about e s ta tes :—

(1) On a patch of 100 coffee trees, in th e neighbour­ing of th e R am boda d is tr ic t, sw ept clean on Ja n u a ry 1st, 18S1, th e q u a n tity of leaves w hich fell from th e trees d u rin g Ja n u a ry and F eb ru ary w as as follows :— They weighed 18 lb. (very d ry). Since 2,092 w en t to th e pound, th e experim en ter e s tim ated nearly38,000 leaves in all. On th e sam e patch , from M arch 1st to A pril 31st, the w eigh t was 19 lb ., 1,290 leavos to th e pound. T he M arch an d A p ril show ers cause flushes of new leaves w hich a re larger an d heavier ; a t th e sam e tim e few er leaves fa ll in those m onths.

(2) In M adulsim a, on a sw ept pa tch of 100 trees as above, th e re fell from 20 th December, 18S0, to 20th Ja n u a ry , 1881, 22 bushels of a ir-d ried leaves fa irly heaped.

(3) In Pundalu-oya th e follow ing observations were carefully carried out. All th e leaves an d prunings, w hich had fallen d u rin g th e p as t ten o r tw elve m ouths, on an oblong field of G acres, w ere collected an d heaped, and th e cubic con ten ts m easured. I t was estim ated th a t m ore th a n 1,200 cubic feet of leaves and p run ings had been collected.

On a sw ept, square area, m easuring abo u t one- ten tl) of an acre (160 trees) and enclosed w ith cadjans, th e leaves w ere allowed to fall for tw o m onths (F eb ru ary au d M arch), and 20 bushels of leaves w ere c o lle c te d ; du ring A pril and M ay th ere fell 11 bushels on th e sam e area.

G-I have ob tained , am ong o thers, th e follow ing estim ­

ates as th e cost of sw eeping up fallen leaves, &c., in answ er to inquiries, aud as th e re su lt of experi­m en ts ac tually tr ie d . E ach of th e follow ing p a ra ­graphs is quo ted from th e le t te r of an in d ep en d en t observer : —

1. K otm aU .— “ I have done 80 acres, w hich gives m e a fair idea of w h a t th e cost shou ld be, as in som e eases th e b ranches, &c., had to he ca rried asm nch as 200 y a rd s .................. T horoughly sw eeping th eground and carry ing branches an d leaves to ravines o r o th er su itab le places for b u rn in g has, I find, cost m e 10 coolies p er acre, w hich w ould be equal to R 3 '50 per acre .”

2. U da Pussellawa.— “ T he cost [of sw eeping up leaves and b u ry in g them ] is ra th er heav ier th an I an tic ipated , as each m an on an average d id b u t 100 to 200 trees a day , th e field being w idely p la n te d ;

th is w ould ta k e 7 m en to th e acre = R 2 '50 per acre . B u t I only em ployed lads to do it, ra te d a t 25 o r 29 cen ts each. They' ce rta in ly can do th e sw eeping m ore n im b ly th a n m en, h u t for th e holing, lin ing au d filling up, b igger m en w ould have done qu icker w o rk ; an d in th is case I am ce rta in R 2 p er acre w ould he am ple. T hen, again, if th is field h ad n o t been in con trac t, I w ould have m ade th esw eeping w ork act for a w eeding, a n d so savedR l oO p ar acre for th is m o n th ."

3. M adulsim a .— “ The cost of rem oving th e leaves prunings, &c., w as as nearly as I can m ake out, R 6 p er acre. You w ill have noticed th a t th ey w ere rem oved only to a sh o rt d is tan c e—on to th e grass fields a d ja c e n t.”

4. M ataU .— “ My official estim ate fo r w eeding and sw eeping com bined for 12 m onths = abo u t 111"25per acre. I have done i t 12 tim es a y ea r fo r 8y e a rs I t cost m e m ore a t firs t by from 50 to 75cen ts an acre by contract. I do i t now by e s ta telabour................ People w ho do n o t m anure so m uchas we do m igh t weed an d sweep m ore ch eap ly .”

HT h e follow ing illu s tra tio n s g iv e som e idea of th e

p roportion betw een th e num bers of successfu l an d unsuccessfu l flowers in th e c lu s te rs u p to M ay th is year.* T hey w ere ob ta ined by counting th e flow ers an d young berries in th e various c luste rs , and are a ll ta k e n from “ spikes’’ w hich appeared capable of producing m uch m ore th a n th e y ac tu a lly bore : Ies tim ate ab o u t 200 flowers to each “ sp ike" d u rin g th e season.

T h e tab les are n o t in ten d ed to p rove by how milch a tree is benefited b y m anure , h u t to il lu s tra te (1) th a t a very large percentage of flowers become fe r t­ilized b u t do n o t ripen as crop, an d (2) th a t more fertilized flowers on th e w hole arriv e a t th e stage of green crop w hen th e tree has been m anured . I t m ust be rem em bered fu rth e r th a t th e 5 th colum n does n o t refe r to ripe crop: th e trees h ad to pass th ro u g h a second a tta c k of leaf-disease ere th a t stage, and i t need only be said th a t a much la rg er p roportion ripens on m an u red th a n on neglected trees, o th e r th ings being equal. T h is proportion I have com puted.

In read ing th e resu lts , th e exam ple No. 4, T ableI I . , m ay he instanced :—A flowering shoot on a fine tre e possessed n ine double clusters of flowers ; of th e 200 or so of flowers w h ich are ty p ica lly produced, w e find th a t 131 were ap p a ren tly fertilized , an d com m enced to sw ell as berries . Of these, how ever, 39 never came to an y th in g beyond th e size of a large p in h e a d ; th e rem aining 92, how ever, h a d swollen and (in A pril— May) become green crop abo u t the size of a large pea. T he question, how m any of these 92 w ill ripen u p as m atu re crop, depends on th econdition of th e tree as regards leaves, and therefore , on th e degree of dam age done to i t b y th e fo r th ­com ing a ttack s of Ih m ile ia . F ro m com pari-ons w itho th e r trees of th e sam e age a n d condition , 1 h a reestim ated th a t GO of th e cherrie s m ay ripen . Thisis ce rta in ly n o t below th e num ber.

B oth th e tab les were com piled in A p ril—M ay, and rep re sen t w hat occurred largely a t th a t tim e in 1881:+ leaf-disease appeared in Ju n e , an d becam e had in J u ly and A ugust, denuding m ost shoo ts of th e m ajo rity of th e ir leaves. This causes a fu rth e r re­duction by th e dropp ing of th e half r ip e crop, o r by its tu rn in g yellow and shrivelling u p to “ lig h t” brow n and b lack m asses. As fa r as I can ascerta in ,

* T he crop begins to rip en ab o u t A u g u s t ; p ick ing concludes about D ecem ber

+ T he seventh an d la s t colum ns w ere com piled in Septem ber, a f te r exam ining m any trees.

th i s w ill reduce th e num ber given by from 75 to 25 per cent, according to th e s ta te of th e coffee, &c :—

I .— N ot M anured.

Gen

eral

typ

e of

tre

e se

lect

ed.

Num

ber

of cl

ust

ers

(dou

ble)

on

spik

e.

Num

ber

of fl

ower

s fe

rtil

ized

.

Num

ber

of be

rrie

s:

whi

ch

fell

earl

y,

j

Num

ber

of b

erri

es

1 sw

olle

n.

|

Per

cent

of

suc­

cess

ful

flow

ers

in

May

.

[ Pro

babl

e nu

mbe

r of

i r

ipe

berr

ies

pick

ed

| (c

alcu

late

d).

|

Prob

able

pe

r ce

nt

of al

l fa

ilure

s (s

up­

posi

ng

200

flow

ers

per

spik

e).

V ery t h i n ... 10 46 38 8 17 ̂ ce n t. 4 9 8 ^ ce n t.V ery t h i n ... 8 2 99P o o r & th in 9 10 5 97

9 89 42 47 52 ^ ce n t. 24 88R a th e r th in 10 92 50 42 45 20 90T h in 9 82 71 11 13 8 96V ery poor... 10 46 43 3 7 2 99

N .B .—The num bers in th e 7 th colum n are leas t re li­able, having been calcu lated before a ll crop is ripe ; nevertheless, th e y are n o t too low for these an d m any o th er unm anured trees of 15 to 20 years in o rd inary soii. A t th e sam e tim e, i t w ill be n o ted th a t even four cherries per shoot w ould m ean 1,000 p er tree , if regu lar on trees w ith 250 shoots. T his over th e w hole acreage would m ean 10 cw t. p e r acre, if th e regu larity w ere k ep t up. W h a t # iu s t be th e i r ­regu larity where 2 cw t. or eo r e s u l t ! As a lready po in ted ou t, how ever, these tab les are only fo r illu stra tion ; no exact calculations can be based 011 th e num bers w ith o u t m any m ore da ta .

I I .—M anured Coffee.

Gen

eral

ty

pe

of

No.

of

clu

ster

s (d

oubl

e) o

n sp

ike.

I N

o. o

f fl

ower

s 1

fert

iliz

ed.

I N

o. o

f be

rrie

s |

whi

ch

fell

earl

y.N

o. o

f be

rrie

s sw

olle

n.1 :

Per

cent

of

suc­

cess

ful

flow

ers

in

[ P

roba

ble

No.

of

ripe

berr

ies

pick

- !

ed (c

alcu

late

d).

Prob

able

pe

r ce

nt

of al

l fa

ilure

s (s

uppo

s­ing

200

fl

ower

s pe

r sp

ike)

.

V ery la rg e & f in e :no cro p la s t yea r 12 264 162 102(39^ cen t. 70 74%* cent.*

L u x u r ia n t 11 171 87 84 49 „ 60 70R a th e r th in 10 102 56 46145 30 85F in e tre e 9 131 39 92i70 60 70T h in 8 87 35 52'59 „ 30 85 „F in e tre e 11 133 32 10176 „ 70 75T h in a u d poo r ... 12 127 101 26 20 20 90L u x u r ia n t 14 184 119 65 35 ,, 50 75F in e tre e 10 118 82 36 30 „ 20 90

A few fu rth e r illu stra tio n s of th e dam age done are afforded by follow ing figures. A g en tlem an in th e K andy d is tr ic t counted th e flowers w hich had se t on tw o branches, an d found as follow s on M arch 29th , 1881 :—

B ranch. No. No.of double of flowers cluste rs , fertilized .

A pprox im ate percentage if

200 flowers per spike.

54 53

A ... 11 ... 108B ... 11 ... 100

On counting th e same c lus te rs on Ju n e 14 fo llow ­ing, th e follow ing w ere th e num bers :— A had d ro p ­ped a ll b u t 38. an d B a ll bu t 52 of the berries, w hich prom ised to m ature. T h is w as, of course, before th e Ju ly a t ta c k of leaf-disease, ane a large reduction alw ays occurs then from leafless b ranches being unable to m atu re th e nearly ripe cherries.

* S ince 261 flow ers w ere h e re a c tu a lly fe rtiliz ed , th e p e r ­c e n ta g e m u s t b e b a se d on t h a t n u m b e r in s te a d o f 200 a s w ith o th e rs . H e re ag a in , if th e tre e s w ere re g u la r , th e se n u m b e rs w ould r e p re s e n t enormous c rops ; b u t th e y a re no t; h e n c e th e im possib ility of e s t im a t in g c rops a s is s a id to h av e b ee n d one fo rm erly . H ow ever, th e n u m b e rs fa ir ly i l lu s tr a te how th e d ec re a se occu rs , a s a lso t h a t m o re c h e rr ie s p e r c e n t r ip e n o n m a n u re d coffee th a n on tr e e s w h ich h a v e n o t been m a n u re d .

133

On S ep tem ber 13 th ,the b ranches w ere again exam ined, an d th e follow ing rep o rt m a d e :— One of th e branches has lo st a ll i ts leaves, and is b lacken ing a t th e tip . In a w eek or so m ore, I expect to see th e ‘dying back ’ reach th e crop, w hich in i ts tu rn w ill also die an d d rop off. T he o th e r b ranch is n o t so bad as th e one m entioned, though i t is fa*t follow ing su it .”

I quo te th e follow ing from a le t te r w hich I received from one of th e o ldest an d m ost experienced m en in Ceylon, in answ er to m y enquiries :—

“ I used to consider 10 to 12 berries from one eye good— say 20 to 24 in th e double c luste r, b u t I have seen a g rea t m any more. 12 berries— or 6 berries on each side of th e b ran ch — would n o w be very good. I t is th u s w e lose our crop now : a p re tty regu lar blossom comes ou% and every one says : ‘ Now weshall ge t a crop b u t in stead of hav ing 6 to 12 berriesin an eye* we have one, tw o au d th re e .....................I used to calcu late th a t one m easure of ripe cherries from a tre e w ould g ive fully 5 cw t. p e r acre, a f te r allow ing ‘for o rd inary vacancies.’ ”

I .E x p e r i m e n t s h a v e b e e n m a d e t o a n s w e r s e v e r a l

q u e s t i o n s p u t f o r t h f r o m t i m e t o t i m e b y p l a n t e r s a n d o t h e r g e n t l e m e n o n t h e f o l l o w i n g p o i n t s : —

1. Can the germ inal tubes enter the lea f fro m above?N o a ttem p ts to in fect a leaf from above have

succeeded, and I never find th e m ycelium o rig in a t­ing from tu b es of th e upper s u r fa c e ; t h a t th is is because th e dense ep iderm is of th e u p p er surface p ro tec ts th e leaf, as is proved by the follow ing ex perim en ts. Spores sown on a pa tch of th e u p p er surface w hence th e ep iderm is w as carefu lly rem oved w ith a sh a rp razor n o t only germ inated , b u t com ­m enced to e n te r th e lea f a t once. A gain, spores sow n on th e viscid surface of th e stigm a of th e flower read ily germ inate, an d th e tu b es com m ence to e n te r th e tissues w hich are un p ro tec ted b y epiderm is. These tu b es soon die, how ever, an d never arriv e fa r dow n th e style.

2. H ow do the spores reach the under surface o f the lea f?

I f a coffee tree be w atched w hen blow n by a s tead y h igh w ind, a large p o rtio n of th e leaves are seen to be tu rn e d half round on th e ax is of th e leaf sta ik , and in a such a m anner th a t th e low er side of th e leaf is beaten obliquely b y th e w in d ; if such a leaf be com pared wdth th e glass slip in m y experim ents of J u ly 8 th and 9 th , i t will be evident th a t m any spores may strik e it, som e of which w ill s tic k to th e epiderm is, w hich is probab ly never q u ite d ry . I f one w atches a tree in still, rainy w eather, w hen th e fine ra in falls s tra ig h t dow n on to th e qu ie t leaves, th e ra in -w ate r is seen to be shed from th e glossy upper surface of th e leaf in sm all s tr e a m s ; s til l m ore careful exam ination d em onstra tes th a t some of th e w ate r flows to th e t ip of th e leaf dow n th e inclined m id-rib , w hile th e re s t flows to th e edges along th e depressed channels form ed by th e sinuous cu rv ing of th e la te ra l parts . T hese small s tream le ts carry spores (which h ad been blow n 011 to th e upp er surface) to th e edges of the l e a f ; on arriv ing there, m any of th em s tic k ju s t under the edge by cap illa ry a ttra c tio n while th e w ater d rips away. T h is may be p roved by supporting p erfec tly clean slip s of glass in fine rainy w ea th er in th e position of a coffee leaf, an d shak ing a f w spores on its u p p e r surface. I t also explains w h y so m any of th e disease spots appear firs t a t th e tip s an d edges of th e leaves.

V arious com binations of these circum stances of

* I .e .—in th e single c lu s te r on one side of th e tw ig ; 2 eyes — th e “ doab le c lu s te r” referred to before.

w ind and ra in account la rgely for th e d is trib u tio n of spores on the low er surface of the leaf ; b u t th e re are o th er w ays in w hich th e spores ob ta in a p roper area for m ischief. I n W ard ian cases, w here th e p lan t is kept dam p, an d th e low er surfaces of th e leaves become w et, I tiiid th e spores form ed on a given spot sim ply w ander by physical m eans on th e film of w ate r spread over th e sam e leaf, and germ inate on ano ther p a rt of th e sam e surface. So, too, oue may often observe th a t a vigorous “ ru s t sp o t” has d is­tr ib u te d m any of its spores im m ediately a round itself, as well as 011 o th e r leaves an d p lan ts rubb ing against it.

3. Does Hemileia occur in the seed, or stem, or root, etc. t

No. J find no trace of th e m ycelium in any o th er p a r t of th e p lan t than th e leaf, and th e com parison of seeds and p la ' ts of W est In d ian as w ell as Ja v a n and Ind ian coffees has convinced me th a t no traces of Hemileia m ycelium do occur elsew here. T he yellow s t e a k s and m arks on w hat is called “ diseased” or “ bad” wood are evidences of poor n u tr itio n , but the re is no m ycelium in th e tissues.

4. Is a tree already diseased, more or less liable to infection than a health tre e ; and are selected trees able to resist the disease ?

I find th a t th e germ inal tu b es en ter th e green parts of a leaf a lready spo tted w ith disease as they do any o th e r 1 a f ; such leaves are n e ith er m ore n o r less liable to infection. N o t only do I find no su p p o rt to th e view th a t certain trees re s is t disease ; b u t, a f te r try in g in ­fection experim n ts w ith a ll k in d s of coffee, i t teem s th a t Ceylon varie ties are no m ore liab le to disease in th is sense th an In d ia n o r Ja v a n an d Jam aican .

5 W hy eh) the lower leaves on the branch usually become worse diseased at firs t ?

The low er leaves a re th e older, an d have been longer exposed to serve a< a resting -p lace for any chan ce sp re s , blow n th rough th e air, or shaken f r rn a h igher p a r t. In m any cases, also, an d especially in nurseries, &c., th e y a re nearer th e g round , m ore shaded, an d hence m oist for longer periods th an u p p e r ones. T he fac t of th e ir being o lder in m any caees explains also w hy they fa ll before th e o th e r s ; hav ing a lready done m uch work, t h y canno t long su p p o rt th e fungus m ycelium , if th e la t te r is in any larg e quan tity .

FO R ESTR Y .(Gardeners' Chronicle, 24th Septem ber 1881.)

My residence a t W eybridge abuts on the beautiful property of Admiral E gerton , S t. G eorge's H ill. Through his kindness I have been in possession of about 2 acres of woodland for the last twelve years. This b it of forest was formerly one m ass of Spanish Chestnut Stumps, grown for coopers’ hoops, and interspersed w ith Scotch Eir, Birch, Beech, and Oak. The soil was sand or gravel, w ith about 6 inches of peaty mould 011 the surface, and the interspaces were covered with H eath , Calluna vulgaris, aud E rica Tetralix . I cleared the soil of nearly all the stum ps, planting specimen Conifers, and leaving some of the trees, all small, sowing H eather seed in the vacancies made by the extraction of the roots. W ishing to allow the eye to range over my Shrubbery in to the adjoining forest, and not wishing to cu t down the trees I had left, I m et th e difficulty by cu tting off all the branches 15 feet from th e ground, a proceeding which raised th e m ost terrible opposition in my family circle. I was accused of destroying the trees, of tu rn ing them in to mops or broomsticks. Such, I m ust confess, appeared to be the result of my forest­ing for several years, bu t results have followed, in the conrse of time, to which I wish to draw attention.

Firstly , the m utilation of the trees was carried out

in the spring, on my re tu rn from w inter exile. In every instance the wounds made healed readily during the summer period of active growth. Now th e trees operated on— Firs, Chestnuts, B irch, Sycamore—have colum nar shafts, like m arble pillars, w ith scarcely any perceptible scar left. This I have no t found to be the case w ith trees operated on in th e autum n, when growth is all bu t suspended. B ut the fact which has princip­ally struck me is, th a t these trees, thus deprived of the ir lower branches for 15 feet- from th e ground, have all shot up perpendicularly. No large branches have formed, only a m ass of sm all branches, and the trees have all grown rapidly in height. I t would seem as if all th e branches th a t are destined to m ake tim ber branches come naturally from the lower p a rt of the tree, and th a t once they are removed only small branches appear, the v ita lity of the tree centres in its tran k , and the tree grows upwards. Thus there are m any Scotch F ir-, exposed nearly all round to the air and sun, th a t have gone up perpendicularly like an arrow, ju st as they do when p lanted closely together in a forest. The artificial removal of th e lower branches for 15 feet appeal's to have produced the same effect as th e absence of light and a ir produces in crowded forests— to have ra n them up perpendicularly ; above th e am putated re ­gion sm all branches have grown, and are gradually form ing handsome trees. The Scotch F irs are becoming fine, tall, elegant ttee s 50 or 00 feet high. The Birches and Beeches are assum ing the same form, a vertical one. The Spanish Chestnuts are ascending, and appear likely to become handsom e trees, although still ra th er too globular. The Oaks alone seem rebellious; tin e to their nature, they will spread.

T he practical fact th a t the elim ination of tb e lower branches entirely modifies dho growth of Conifers and other trees, running them up vertically even when fully exposed to sun and light, is probably well known to fo re s te rs ; bu t i t is new to me, and probably will he new to m any of my readers. I t is a valuable fact in landscape gardening, as i t renders it possible to pre­serve m any trees, destined to become handsom e m ajestic denizens of the shrubbery or park, which otherwise would have to he sacrificed for the sake of the view.

I may add th a t I have been clipping for some years Cedars, Deodars, and W ellingtonias peripherically, in open situations, where they are fully exposed to light, for w ant of space, w ith the same result. They have no t made any large inferior branches, bu t have ra n up, form ing handsome pyram idal columns.

As th e ligh t and sun penetrated everywhere in my shrubbery, the H eather has clothed the g ro u n d ; I have had i t clipped w ith the shears every autum n for the las t five years, and now it entirely covers th e soil w ith a sw arth of H eather. Recently, when in flower, th e ground was one sheet of bloom, and th e effect was very good—the H eather w ith the ta ll trees rising out of it. — H enry B ennet , M .D., T he Ferns, W eybridge.

N O T ES ON N E W ZEALAND T R E E S .(Field, 8 th October 1881.)

There are several trees which are no t m en tio n ed ; bu t probably they do no t grow in th e Auckland dis­tric t. About th e chief of these is th e koi-koi, which I th ink is one of th e m ost beautiful of th e native t r e e s ; i t grows to a large s iz e ; the tran k s are often 6ft. in d iam e te r; i t usually grows to th e height of about 50ft. I ts leaves are of a beautiful dark shining green, and are som ething similar in shape to a w alnut leaf, bu t somewhat la rg e r ; it bears large clusters of berries, somewhat like bunches of grapes, bu t they are no t so thick, and arc about as large as the seed of a horse c h esn u t; when ripe they tu rn yellow, and have th e appearance of sm all lemons. The seed is inside a sort of pod, very sim ilar to th a t of th e sw eetbriar, and of a b right red colour. T he pod, as I have already m en­

tioned, is of a bright yellow ; they are, however, as b itte r as gall, and quite unfit for e a t in g ; should a stranger tas te one, i t is a long tim e before he can get rid of the flavour. T he wood is of a deep red colour, somewhat like c ed a r; i t spilts very readily, and is chiefly used for fencing ; i t does no t grow south of Cape Eg- m ont. Another tree of equal im portance is the m atai, a tree very sim ilar to the white pine, or kahitea. T he wood, however, is more v aluab le ; i t is, like the koi-koi, of a deep red, and las ts a g rea t num ber of years. I t is chiefly used in the construction of bridges for b eam s; bu t i t is seldom used for anything else, except posts, as it is m uch too brittle . The tawa (generally pronounced like tower) is common, I believe, through all the N orth and a great portion of th e South Island. There are two varieties of i t—th e white and the b la c k ; it is only used as firewood, as i t very soon decays, although i t a tta in s a large size. I t has a leaf about 2in. in length, of a light-green colour, somewhat like an almond in sh a p e ; i t bears a purple berry, som ething like a plum, but more oval, w ith each end pointed like a lady’s shuttle ; inside is a sort of kernel, inclosed in a shell like the koraka. T he berry is often eaten, particularly by the juvenile portion of the com­m unity ; i t is very sweet, though sickly in taste .

The puketea, a large tree which grows in swampy places, is also very common. The fgliage is of a light- green, and the leaf alm ost circular, and the edges are gagged like the tee th of a saw ; i t is a curious sort of tree, which sends out large flanks or buttresses, and the roots run along the surface of the ground for a considerable distance, and, unless the traveller is ex­ceedingly careful, he is apt to receive an ugly fall, and perhaps bark h is shins, through tripping over them . T he wood is of a dark green or brown 'colour, b u t is n o t much u se d ; it ra th er inclined to be spongy, and sucks in any m oisture very readily, winch causes i t to r o t ; it is very often hollow, and afiords a refuge for wild bees, which frequent the woods in large numbers, and often as much as lew t. of honey is got from a single tree, though I have heard of quite double th a t quan tity being got a t t im e s ; they also inhabit the ra ta . I have heard i t said th a t there was a tree grow­ing in Devonsliire th a t for years baffled the b o ta n is ts ; b u t i t was a t last recognised, by a gentlem an who had visited New Zealand, as the puketea. T he miro is an ­o ther tree th a t is common in some parts of th e fo re s t; i t is also a species of pine, m uch resem bling th e m atai, b u t the foliage is of a very dark green. I t bears a b right scarlet berry, no t unlike a c h e rry ; it is greedily devoured by the wild pigeons, bu t is no t fit for hum an consum ption ; the wood is of a righ t red colour, and is very stringy, but is no t used m uch except for firewood. T h e honeysuckle is also very common, and is one of th e ta llest of the New Zealand forest trees. I t often reaches the height of 1 0 0 ft.; i t grows somewhat like a poplar, bu t the leaves bear no resemblance to th e former. T he bark is about half an inch in thickness, b u t is not used for any purpose, as i t decays very rapidly. The wood is much used by cabinet m ak ers ; it is very hand­some, w ith dark-red spots, so different to any o ther sort of wood I have ever se e n ; the leaves are about six inches in length by about one in width ; i t is of a dark rusty g reen ; it bears a flower like th e F rench honeysuckle, from which, I believe, i t derives its nam e, (I have been unable to obtain th e native name), bu t i t is entirely void of scent. I t bears seed inclosed in pods, like a sm all bean ; when they become ripe they split open, and the seeds fall to the ground. The ngaio (nio) is another which is also common, bu t I believe i t is alm ost use­less ; it is a very handsom e tree, w ith large light-green leaves with small light-coloured spots. On the upper side th e tops grow very evenly, and one would alm ost suppose th a t i t had undergone the operation of being tr im m e d ; i t bears a sm all berry of a pale purple colour, w ith a stone inside: i t is a little larger th an a pea. One of the m ost rem arkable is a konini, or wild fu ch sia ;

i t is perhaps one of the m ost com m on: i t has a m uch darker green th an any o ther I have seen. T he under side of the leaf is a silvery white, th e flower is much sm aller and less beautiful th an those grown in g ard en s: i t bears a luscious fru it, which grows in large quantities ; the berries are ju s t about the colour of a blackheart cherry, and i t leaves your lips and hands stained w ith the d y e ; soap and w ater, however, will quickly remove all traces. I t rarely exceeds 30 f t. in h e ig h t; the tru n k is often 3 ft. in th ick n ess; the bark is sim ilar in colour to all o ther fuchsias, and the light-red trunks catch the eye of the traveller a t once.

There are a few more trees worthy of m ention, such as th e whitewood (or mahoe). a tree about th e size of the fuchsia, w ith light-green leaves and clusters of p u r­ple beiries. W hy i t was called whitewood I can never understand ; i t is decidedly bright yellow. There is also a birch, or, as the natives call it, “ waiwoki ” ; i t only grows in swampy ground, and, I should say, belongs to the m yrtle fam ily ; it bears bright scarlet berries very much like the holly. They are m uch sought for by the juven iles; the wood is white, and is chiefly used for fencing. The titoki, or tap itap , is frequently to be m et w ith ; its leaf somewhat resembles th a t of th e elder, bu t is of a darker g re e n ; i t seldom grows m ore th a n 3 ft. in d iam e te r; i t hears a curious red berry, th e stone being on the o u ts id e ; the w ood is light-coloured and intensely tough and stringy, and is m uch used for shafts for carts and handles, for all sorts of im plem ents. The m airi is ra th er a rare t r e e ; th e wood las ts for very m any y e a rs ; i t is m ostly used for house blocks, and no t unfrequently for b u rn in g ; i t is intensely hard, and th e wrood is of a light-red co lou r; its leaves are m uch like those of the willow in shape, b u t of a m uch darker green, its branches spread out on all sides like an ash tree, which give it a very sta te ly look. The las t of the list is a cypress, which grows only on the sides of the m ountain ranges in g reat quantities, and is, of course, ju s t as sombre-looking as m ost trees of the cypress family are. I believe th a t as ye t i t has no t been used for any particu lar purpose. I t splits very readily, and, should, therefore, be easily worked. S trange to say, th e foliage seems only to grow on one side of the tree. Most of th e New Zealand trees are medicinal. The sap of the ra ta creeper will effectually stop the flowr of blood from a wound. A small piece of puketea bark will cure to o th a c h e ; while the leaf of a shrub called korimiko will prove a good antidote for slackness of the howrels. Only two of the shrubs are known to be poisonous, and those are the tu lu already m entioned, and the warangi or kangiora, of which there are two species. The shrub only reaches the height of from 12 ft. to 14 f t . ; it has large, heart-shaped leaves, th e under­side being quite white, and in th e sum m er i t bears large bunches of small bell-sliaped flowers, of a light huff colour, which have a peculiar, though no t unpleasant, smell. The leaf is exceedingly poisonous to either ca ttle or horses—it has an intoxicating effect on the la tte r.

I th ink I have m entioned a ll th e New Zealand trees, w ith the exception of a few varieties of birch, and a tree they call lacew’o o d ; they can scarcely be called trees. The lacewrood is so called on account of the stringiness of the bark, which comes off in sm all strips, and is rem arkably s tro n g ; the tree bears clusters of snow-white blossoms, no t unlike th e orange, b u t they have no perfume like the form er. T he best tim ber next to the kauri is called kimu, o r red p in e ; i t grows very plentifully in the province of T aranaki, and in the neigh­bourhood of Pelorus Sound in th e northern p art of the South I s la n d ; it grows to a very large size, h u t w hat growrs in the la tte r place is no t so good as the former, by reason p f its rapid growth, and th is is accounted fo r owing to the deep gorges in wiiich i t grows, w'here, sheltered from all th e prevailing winds, and no lack of moisture, i t springs up very quickly, and consequently there is not m uch substance in the wood. Millions of feet of th is valuable tim ber are being wasted annually

in the first-nam ed place, owing to th e difficulty of ship­ping it. The kia-kia, or tawliera, which has already been alluded to in your first report, there are two varieties of. There is little difference between them . One has w hite fingers, and the o ther dark brown or black. The form er is considered the best, b u t when the season is over the fingers decay ; while on the dark-coloured species they continue to grow th icker and th icker till m id­winter, when they ripen, and the rough horny substance peels off, and a rich sort of pulp rem a in s; i t is very sweet, and m any prefer i t to the o ther fru it. They are generally called pineapples in th is form, though in reality the kia-kia and i t are one aud the same, only the other comes a t a different season.

IN D IA N HOM E-M ADE Q U IN IN E.(Pharmaceutical Journal, 10th Septem ber 1881.)

The Indian Government has lately published a fu r­th e r series of papers containing inform ation respecting the preparation obtained from th e bark of cinchona trees grown in India. This preparation, known by the name of “ Cinchona febrifuge,” consists of a m ixture of the alkaloids of cinchona bark together w ith some colouring m atter and o ther im purities. The object of introducing i t into use was to provide a cheap substitu te for the quinine sulphate m anufactured in Europe, and i t was considered th a t if a process of preparation were adopted by which the alkaloids associated w ith quinine in cin­chona bark -were extracted together w ith the quinine, instead of being separated from th is alkaloid as in the ordinary m anufacture, the object in view would be pro­m oted, inasmuch as the alkaloids associated with quinine would be made available as medicinal agents with ad­vantage, and the cost of transporting raw m aterial and m anufactured product to and from E urope m ight be saved.

In the case of the produce of Indian-grown Cinchona succirubra, the plan above m entioned seemed especially desirable, because th a t bark contained bu t a small am ount of quinine, and it was associated with such a large proportion of other alkaloids as to be unsuitable for the purposes of the E uropean quinine m anufacturers, while the available quan tity of th is red bark was in excess of the demand for o ther purposes.

F o r these several reasons the Government of India has directed special a tten tion to the utilization of the succirubra bark by the production of the article known as “ Cinchona febrifuge.” At the hospitals throughout Ind ia and the various m ilitary stations, th is preparation has been used in the trea tm ent of fever under conditions th a t provided for obtaining knowledge of its eftects and for ascertaining how far it could be accepted as a tru s t­worthy substitu te for quinine.

In the first series of reports upon th is subject, issued in 1878, the views expressed were very conflicting, and the influence of prejudice for and against the use of the “ febrifuge ” was often to be recognized not only in the unfavourable reports, bu t also in those which favoured its use. One point, however, th a t was opposed to the introduction of the “ febrifuge ” seemed to be very gener­ally established, namely the nauseous character of the preparation, m anifested by its rejection by the stom ach in numerous instances. In some cases th is effect was referrible to faulty adm inistration, in others i t m ay have been due to idiosyncrasy of the patients, bu t the more likely explanation was the presence of the amorphous alkaloids commonly associated with quinine, and perhaps some other im purities of like origin.

Since th a t tim e improvements have been effected in the preparation of “ Cinchona febrifuge ” as it is earned out in India, and a superior preparation of the same kind, m anufactured in England, has been introduced under the nam e of “ Q uinetum .” I t is therefore intellig­ible th a t in the series of reports now published, the general tendency of the opinions expressed is somewhat m ore favourable.

The efficacy of the febrifuge as a rem edy appears to be very generally adm itted by those who have tried it, and it can readily be understood th a t in th e trea tm ent of fever i t would be efficacious as a medicine in p ro­portion to the cinchonidine and cinchonine of which it is chiefly composed.

In regard to the other characters of the febrifuge, the papers now published confirm the opinion expressed by Mr. Howard some tim e ago th a t it has a decidedly em etic property. I t may, however, be assumed th a t it would be an advantage if the objectionable portion of the m ixture could he separated from the useful a lkal­oids. In any case i t is desirable from a medical point of view th a t th is portion of the product obtained from Indian red bark should be thoroughly investigated, for so long as the Sikkim febrifuge re ta in s the objection­able em etic properties i t cannot be regarded as fulfilling the benevolent in tentions of th e Governm ent. In the papers which are published in continuation of the series issued in 1878, there seems to be a general admission th a t the febrifuge is nauseous, and generally, in some degree, detrim ental alike to Europeans and to native Indians.

Dr. T . E . Charles rem arks in his report th a t “ the “ m iseries caused by Indian residence and illness are “ depressing enough in themselves, w ithout being intensi- “ tied by nauseating agencies quite foreign to the thera- “ peutic effect required.”

In Mr. M oens’ report for 1879, on th e Governm ent C inchona E nterprise in India, there is a table of ana­lyses of different samples of febrifuge, from which it appears th a t the proportion of the obnoxious amorphous alkaloids does no t am ount to ten per cent, and th a t therefore little m aterial would be lost by the removal of them.

T he applicability of the febrifuge as a substitu te for quinine appears therefore to be in a g reat degree de­pendent upon the possibility of effecting th is separation. There is also the fu rther question w hether th is can be carried out a t a sufficiently m oderate cost.

The relative cheapness of “ Cinchona febrifuge ” being one of the chief advantages attending its use, it is im ­portan t to consider such facts as we are in possession of for elucidating th is point.

In th e first place, it appears th a t for th e purpose of carrying out th e m anufacture of the “ Cinchona febri­fuge,” a quan tity of dry succirubra bark, am ounting to 190,798 pounds, was made over to th e Governm ent Quinologist, and th a t the product obtained from th a t quan tity of bark am ounted to 3,750 pounds. T his is less th an two per cent of the m aterial operated upon, and so m uch less th an w hat m ight be expected from the data available for judging as to the am ount of alkaloids in the Indian-grown red bark, th a t we m ust conclude the extraction of the bark was very im perfect.

In Mr. M oens’ report for the year 1879, th is defective character of the m anufacturing process is still more forcibly pointed out by th e sta tem ent, th a t in th e an a­lytical laboratory of the medical departm ent the yield of alkaloid obtained in th a t way was less th an one-half w hat the bark contained.

The bark used in m aking the febrifuge was valued a t sixpence per pound, and upon th a t basis the product obtained was estim ated to cost ra th er more th an thirty- three shillings per pound. F o r the sake of comparison i t m ay be useful to refer here to the cost of the pure sulphates of cinchonidine and of cinchonine supplied to the Indian Governm ent, and for th is purpose we take the d a ta furnished by D r. Sm ith, Surgeon-General to the Acting Chief Secretary to the Government of M adras, showing th a t cinchonidine sulphate cost about th irty- four shillings per pound, and cinchonine sulphate about ten shillings per pound.

A nother point to be taken in to account in judging of the relative cost of the preparations used in the tre a t­m ent of fever is the quan tity of m aterial required in each case. The data given by Surgeon-G eneral Cornish

to th e M adras Government show th a t the average quantity of drug given in each case was for—-

Cinchonine sulphate . . . . 78-960 grains.Cinchonidine ,, . . . . 68-863 ,,Quinetum (Sikkim febrifuge) . . 107 135 „

According to these figures a pound of cinchonine sulph­a te would cure eighty-five cases a t a cost of ten shill­ings, w hilst a pound of the febrifuge would cure only sixty-five cases a t a cost of thirty-tw o shillings, and a pound of cinchonidine sulphate would cure a hundred and one cases a t a cost of less th an thirty-four shillings.

As regards relative cost, even a t the tim e above re ­ferred to, it appears, therefore, th a t the advantage was not in favour of the Indian-m ade febrifuge. Beyond th a t it m ust also he remembered th a t owing to th e increased supplies of cinchona bark from every quarter th e price of quinine is dim inishing, while th a t of the febrifuge rem ains much the same and will present a still more unfavourable relation to the cost of o ther alkaloids.

W e have nothing to indicate th a t there is any prob­ability of the cost of the Indian-m ade febrifuge being reduced, for though the full am ount of alkaloid is not obtained by the process adopted, it is perhaps the best th a t could be employed on the spot, and its wastefulness is an inevitable characteristic.

Mr. Howard’s opinion is unfavourable to the use of mixed alkaloids, and he is unable to perceive any ad­vantage th a t has arisen from their adm inistration in th a t way. On the contrary he th inks the alternate use of the different alkaloids separately is a ttended with better results, since he has observed th a t when the constitu ­tion has become in to lerant of quinine from long use, the change to sulphate of cinchonidine has been decidedly advantageous.

PR O F IT S O F G RA PE C U L T U R E IN CA LIFO RN IA .

The grape in terest is expanding in every direction. I t is no t only in one section of the sta te th a t v iticu lt­ure is receiving such marked attention , bu t everywhere, both north and south. Thousands of acres are set out w ith grape cuttings, and in three years’ tim e retu rns can be had. Even a t the present tim e, offers have been made in Fresno county to harvest the next grape crop, taking all the chances of possible failure or m aterial deterioration in to consideration, for the net guaranteed sum of $150 per acre, the entire expense to be assumed by the contractor, w ithout takers in a single instance. The net profits of careful cultivation have been, in seme instances', over $300 per acre. The wine, brandy, and raisin interest, centre on th is one branch of industry, which is a t present in its infancy, and hast ju s t emerged from th a t heavy cloud th a t has been weighing i t down for years .— R io Neu's.

BANANA CULTIV A TIO N IN COLOMBIA.W ith reference to the profits of some branches of

tropical agriculture Consul W . W . Randall—formerly vice- consul general a t th is port—w rites as follows from Barranquilla, Colom bia:

“ The banana is planted a t a cost of 15c. each, in ­cluding the cost of and labor in clearing the land. I t developes in eight m onths, and yields a bunch of bananas worth in your m arkets from $1 to $‘2. They can be sold here a t the ship’s side for 25c. per bunch. After the first crop the cost per year is tritiing and the returns sure. Fortunes have been and still can be gathered on th is simple product. Another im portant p lan t which yields an immense profit and appears to be bu t little known is the cocoa or chocolate p lan t. This p lant a tta in s m aturity in th is country in three y e a rs ; the crop on the fourth year retu rns the original investm ent. After th is each p lant can be counted on to yield the

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owner a t least $1-50 profit per annum . B eing p lan ted closely, the result per acre is about $500 profit. W ith a hundred acres carefully cultivated a m an can have- h is income of $50,000 w ithout fear of frosts, freshets, drouth, or any of the uncertain ties attend ing a northern clim ate .”— R io News.

GUATEM ALA IN D IG O .T he catalogue of objects exhibited by the republic of

San Salvador a t th e Paris exhibition contained tin following contribution to the history of the cultivation and preparation of indigo in th a t c o u n try : This speciesof indigo is known to American and European com ­merce as “ G uatem ala indigo.” In Salvador jit is called by th e native nam e of “ Iiqu ilite ,” and is considered the m ost im portant agricultural crop of the entire republic. T he p lan t grows wild, bu t is cultivated in properly prepared ground. B oth the crops and the p ro ­duce vary according to the geological composition of the soil. Thus a t the base of the volcano of San Salvador the yield of dye is sometimes about half a pound per load of leaves, while a t some distance from the sea, th irteen or fourteen ounces arc obtained. Indigo is grown over nearly the whole of Salvador, form ing ex­tensive fields and furnishing one of the m ost valuable products to its agricultural industry. The localities in which the p lan ts are grown are called “ m anchones.”

The workmen, who are styled “ sacateros,” cu t the p lan ts w ith a small sickle, and m ake them up in to sheaves of from fifty to sixty pounds weight. The p lants, after being cut, are throw n in to vats filled with w a te r ; they are here allowed to soak for a period of from twelve to seventeen hours, the tim e varying according to th e tem perature and quality of th e w ater. W hen th e liquid is in a s ta te of ferm entation the color­ing m atte r is drawn off in to ano ther vat, where it is beaten or kept in m otion by m eans of wooden wheels, and then the dye is precipitated by the sap contained in the bark of the “ tiliui la te” of the “ plataniHo,” or of the “ cuaja tin to .” T he first nam ed bark is referred to as a species of Ionidium , the second to Ganna ind- ica, while of the th ird no clew is given as to the scientific nam e of the plant. All these p lan ts have an acid reaction. W hen once the dye is precipitated i t isallowed to rem ain during the n ight, and the next dayit is boiled, filtered, pressed, and dried in th e sun.E ach bale, or “ suron,” contains 150 pounds, and the different qualities or grades of the indigo are specified by num bers—from four to six, ordinary quality, or “ cortes,” from seven to nine, fine or superior, or “ sobresalientes.’

The usual annual produce of indigo in Salvadoram ounts to about 2,400,000 pounds, the annual exports being between 14,000 to 15,000 “ surons,” of 150 pounds each, representing an approxim ate value of 1,721,378 p iastres o r dollars. T he superior quality indigo is sold a t the country fairs a t about 8 reals per pound. In the American and European m arkets the prices vary of course, according to the supply from other countries.— Scientific American.

H O R T IC U L T U R E IN A LG ER IA .(Journal oj the Society o f A rts, 7tli October 1881.)

Mons. V. Ch. Jo ly has com m unicated a paper on th is subject to the Societe d ’ H orticulture of Baris, of which the following is an abstract :—

The more we advance towards the north , the more we find the tas te for horticulture developed, ju st in the same proportion as were natu re does least, neeessity will always render m an active and industrious. Before speaking of the production of fruits, flowers, and trees, I ought to m ention the great question which preoccupies Algeria, namely the wra te r question ; w ithout w ater, no vegetables, no anim als, no colonisation is

possible. As there is no stream w ith a regular course, w ater is a question of life anil d e a th ; m ere w atering is of no use, it m ust he constant and through irriga­tion. R ain falls only during four m onths consequently It is dry for the rest of the year, and th is dryness prevents the cultivation of quinine, coiiee, indigo and tea. j

The destruction of the forests has done here, as else- ■ where, incalculable mischief, and the p lanting of trees is an urgent necessity. The E ucalyp tus would render g reat sendee. In poor soil the family of the acacias offers species which, besides furnishing firewood, would give an industrial product of great value ; by judicious planting in from ten to fifteen years, the clim ate, now very variable, would be rendered more equable, the springs would be increased, immense pasturages would be restored, and the native population now necessarily nomadic would become settled, and th e European ele­m ent would be more constant. The ruins so fre­quently m et w ith show th a t the country was a t one tim e populous, but th e destruction of forests led to the destruction of anim al and vegetable life. The principal trees m et with in the public gardens are the date, Bourbon palm, the Sabal, the Chamarops, the Caryota, the Areca supida, the bamboo, the banana, the Dracaena draco, the yucca, th e aloe, the A yare, besides the E u ­calyptus, and the plane tree. These las t two play a great part in th e plantations of new villages, where the engineers form broad boulevards, as they there form an enclosure which rapidly protects the inhab itan ts against a torrid sun. The E ucalyptus especially is the tree of health for low and damp grounds, on account of its great power of evaporation, as well as for its resinous ju ic e s ; i t grows from six to ten feet in height in one year. The tem perature and m oisture should always be considered as from non-attention to these im portant factors g reat waste often occurs, thus the fru it trees of the tem perate zone perish quickly in Algeria, while the trees of the South of F rance, th e almond, the jujube, pom egranate, fig, and m edlar, ripen two m onths earlier th an in France, and are of the first quality.

U ntil now th e principal centre of horticu ltu ral pro­duction has been Algiers and its suburbs. Everywhere irrigation is applied, the w ater being raised by rough homely instrum ents which labourers like, as they can make and mend them themselves. N ear Algiers are the gardens of Madame Bossier, about 10 acres of which are devoted to cultivation of flowers for th e local m arket. At Boufarik, Madame Bossier has also about 18 acres of nurseries of fru it and fru it trees. A t the same place are the beautiful nurseries of Mons. H errau, whose orangeries are models of cu ltiva tion ; the trees are planted in lines a t a distance of from 16 to 20 feet apart. I r ­rigation takes place twice a m onth after the roots of the trees have been bared. B road trenches are cut, and a t a suitable tim e they are smoked and then recovered a fter the irrigation. The cuttings are arranged so as to allow a broad space for the a ir and the sun. Besides these orangeries, there are about 35 acres of vineyards, which produced in 1881, wine to the value of £1,000. Not far off, a t Blidah, are the superb orangeries of Mons. Franqois, jnn., who sent th is year to France four million oranges. There are a t Blidah nearly 1,000 acres planted as orangeries, and producing about £30 the acre, while the expense of cultivation is only a seventh of th a t amount.

L ittle has been done to assist natu re in the cultivation of flowers in Algeria by m an. A lthough the w inters are mild, hothouses are necessary for propagating and for protecting certain p lan ts from the heavy w inter rains, or from the summer dust. A t Algeria, in the flower m arket, there were to he seen some cut flowers, but few or none in pots. T he flowers to be seen in April were our common ones, roses, geraniums, violets, helio­tropes, lilies, heartsease, and pinks. I f flowers are little cultivated in Algeria for private houses, they form a considerable industry for perfumery. T h irty years ago,

Mons. Sim onnet, a t Algiers, and Mons. M ercurin, a t Cheregas, introduced in to th e country th e p lan ting and distillation of odoriferous p lan ts, since which tim e th is industry has prospered so much, th a t the geranium alone covers more th an 1,300 acres, and furnishes m ore th an6,000 kilogrammes of essence. The olive, suitably grafted and cultivated, will constitu te an immense fortune for the country if it is worked according to its n a tu r e : it is thought th a t the region suitable for i t could easily furnish 700 to 800 millions of square feet, producing annually more th an 300 millions of francs.

In conclusion, a few words may be m entioned about the m ost precious p lant for Algeria, th e vine, which alone is destined to renew the face of th e colony. I t is planted everywhere from Kabylie (which produces art abundance of table grapes) to Morocco. And th is is easily explained when we remember th a t a t th e end of five years the cost of the ground, the p lanting and expenses of cultivation is repaid, in addition to a re­venue of £20 to £30 the acre. The vines are p lanted in lines from 5 to 6 J feet apart, to facilita te labour, and a road for carts is left around the plantations. F o rtu n ­ately, no phylloxera has yet appeared, bu t th e curse of the vine in Algeria is the blue fly, which has to be knocked oft th e vines, and burn t w ith lime or petroleum . T he expense of carriage is the great drawback to the prosperity of Algeria, and if th is were lessened, i t m ight become one of the richest colonies in th e world.

T H E C O F F E E AND SUGAR PRO D U CIN G C O U N TR IE S.

C E N T R A L A M E R IC A .

(American Grocer, Ju ly 9 th 1881.)Nowhere has such an impulse been given to coffee

p lanting since the great rise in October, 1871, as has been th e case in C entral America, especially in Costa R ica and G uatem ala.

Costa R ica has for i ts president G eneral Thomas G uardia, a m um of g reat energy and a good statesm an, who rules the country as a sort of dictator. G uate­m ala is similarly governed by L ieutenant G eneral Rusino Barrois, whose presidental office was las t year prolonged for another six years. H onduras’ president is Mr. A. S o to ; Mr. Joacquin Zavala is th e chief m agistrate of N icaragua, while th a t of San Salvador is M r. B. Zaldivar y Lazo. Although there are a t tim es bicker­ings between the five republics, peace is upheld between them , and internally there is less revolution th an in m ost o ther Spanish-Americaii republics.

S I Z E A N D P O P U L A T IO N .

square miles. population.G uatem ala ................................. 30,836 1,190.751San Salvador............................. 4,765 482,122N ic a ra g u a ................................. 34,058 300,000H onduras ................................. 30,668 351,700Costa R ica ................................. 13,174 185,000

113,501 2,509,876The respective capitals a r e :— G uatem ala, 45,000 in ­

hab itan ts ; San Salvador, 16,000; M anagua, 10,000; Tegucigalpa, 12,000, and San Jos6, 12,000.

C entral America is volcanic and m ountainous, w ith a m ost fertile soil, especially on the rich table lands, a deep black loam being highly favourable to coffee cul­tivation. Geographically their position between the two oceans could hardly be b e t te r ; th e clim ate is generally healthy, labour is abundant and cheap w ithout the necessity of procuring either negroes or coolies. A large portion of the natives consists of pure Indians and half breeds, quite amenable to field labour. T he consequence of th is happy sta te of affairs is th a t Cen­tra l America progresses rapidly, both m entally and m aterially, and th a t it has a great fu ture, provided i

keeps out of revolution, the usual bane of the coun­tries originally settled by Spaniards.

Costa E ica’s finances are flourishing; the income in 1880 was $2,802,279, the expenditure $3,460,597_, but th is included $1,255,961 paid for building the inter- oceanic railway, $138,892 for o ther public works, and $173,585 paid Peru in settlem ent of a debt. This year the income will square the ou tlay ; the foreign debt is $5,163,285, and the sta te owes some money a t home, but its assets are about twice its liabilities. T he im port last year was $2,669,861. The export through P unta Arenas, $3,524,810, and through Lima, $211,142. The export included 23,267,065 pounds of coffee, the balance being India rubber and skins.

M A R IT IM E M O V E M E N T .

sailingsteamers, vessels. tonnage.

E ntered a t P u n ta A renas. . 96 63 196,007Sailed from ,, . . 95 59 188,163E ntered a t L im a ............... 41 130 103,867Sailed from ,, ................ 40 123 106,659Railways so far in operation, only about seventy-five miles, but already of great value to the coffee planters. Telegraphs, 395 miles.

Guatem ala’s income in 1877 was $4,503,523, and its expenditure $4,428,298. The public debt in 1879 am ounted to $5,369,529. The im port in 1878 was $3,238,000, and the export $3,919,000; the la tte r included $3,449,740 w orth of coffee, the balance being sugar, skins, cochineal and indigo. The arrivals a t San Jose in 1876 were 26 sailing vessels, while from three to four steam ers touch m onthly a t the Pacific ports.

Honduras is financially less favorably situated than the preceding republics, for i t owes in E ngland and France together w ith some f.8,000,000 while the income in 1877-78 was only $533,469, against in expen­diture of $1,189,546. The liquor tax is, however, producing larger am ounts since 1877. T he export am ounted in 1880 to $1,305,000, the bulk being indigo, cattle, dyewoods and hides. The A tlantic ports are Truxillo and Ornoa, and the Pacific port is Amapala. There is a railroad of 37 miles from Puerto Cortez to San Pedro. Telegraphs there are 150 miles.

Nicaragua.— The revenue of the country wuts $1,750,000 in 1877, against $211,405 in 1858, showing a rem ark­able in crease ; the expenditure in 1877 was $2,235,000, and the foreign debt am ounted in 1878 to $2,234,607.

F O R E IG N T R A D E M O V E M E N T I N 1878.import, export.

G reytow n.............................................. $616,000 $595,000C orinto................................................... 347,000 575,000San Ju a n del Sur ............................. 33,000 138,000C hinandega.......................................... 9,000 27,000

$1,005,000 $1,335,000The bulk of export consisted in Ind ia rubber, coffee,

skins and fustic. There entered Corinto in 1876, 35 vessels, and steam ers touch a t the various ports two to three tim es per m onth.

San Salvador.— The income of the republic has from $798,000 in 1869 gradually risen to $2,686,000 in 1878, the liquor monopoly yielding $749,000 alone. The public debt increased from $1,830,000 in 1877 to $2,294,000 in 1878.

import. export.1878................................................... $2,500,000 $3,626,0001877................................................... 2,586-000 3,956,000

Indigo and coffee were th e two heaviest articles of export, the la tte r $1,800,000 w o r th ; then came sugar and tobacco. The entries in 1878 were 22 sailing vessels aud 82 steam ers, w ith a jo in t tonnage of 163,232,

C entral America a t present produces 33,000 tons of coffee, against 10,000 in 1868 and 3,000 tons in 1836. This coffee, Costa Rica in particular, is very popular, both on account of its looks and its flavour. London

and S. Francisco in particular have known how to appreciate Costa R ica coffee since they became fam iliar w ith i t ; hence i t brings com paratively more there th an elsewhere. New York, we are sorry to say, has not yet learned to fully appreciate th is excellent coffee, which is absolutely unsurpassed by any o ther sort. T he sorts coming nearest to i t in point of outward appearance and delicacy of flavour are Orizaba aud Cordova, from th e famous Mexican volcanic region. All these coffees have a great fu tu re before them . W hile Jav a and Arabian coffees grow so well on the slopes of m ountains, Costa R ica flourishes m ost in the incomparable black soil of the m ountain plateaux of th a t country, mid-way between th e Pacific and the A tlantic.

Railroad building is proceeding m ost actively in Cen­tra l America, cheapening the transportation of the precious bean and infusing life everywhere.

S U G A R : CO N CRETE CON VERSION IN NATAL.F or the first tim e in the history of the colony—for

th e first tim e we believe m South Africa, a successful a ttem pt has been made in N atal to convert concrete in to a serviceable m arketable sugar. Such an event requires more th an a psssing notice a t our hands. The Albergeni Sugar W orks— situated as m ost of our p lanter readers know on a convenient site near the m outh of th e Umgeni, on the north bank of the river—were taken over a t the beginning of the year by Mr. Rudolph W’ilhelm, for the purpose we have indicated, to con­vert grey and low sugars as well as concrete in to a very fair saleable sugar. The Albergeni Sugar W orks were originally used as a crushing mill, bu t m uch of th e m achinery has been retained for the process used in the conversion, while considerable new and expensive p lan t has been added. The buildings are lofty and roomy, and, as the supply of w ater is inexhaustible, they are in every way suited for the carrying out of w hat is em phatically a new industry. W e propose to give some description of how th is in teresting work is now being done a t our own doors. I t m ust be premised th a t the labour of the converter here is more arduous, and calls for more skill th an is required of the operator in any of the great centres a t home, where the sugar is deprived to a large extent of the molasses. Here, in the concrete, th e m anager of the Abergeni Sugar W orks has to con­tend against molasses, syrups, and such vegetable m atter as may happen to have found its way in to the ugly stuff he has to make sugar out of. To proceed—the concrete, being received in to th e mill from the estab­lishm ents of the local p lanters who m anufacture it, it is a t once pu t in to w hat is technically called the blow­up. These vessels on an average are a t home prepared to liquify about four tons of sugar a t each charge. They are fitted w ith a perforated false bottom placed above twelve inches from the tru e one, and each charge of concrete is m elted to the consistency of 20 to 29 degrees Baurne. Steam is then freely adm itted by a pipe 2 J inches in diam eter between the two bottom s, and the sugar is m elted to a h ea t of about 150 degrees Fah. The concrete, now reduced to a dirty black stream , is run off in about half an hour to w hat are called th a bag filters. The arrangem ent is a purely m echanical one, and consists in passing the solution in to the top of a square cistern, and thence in to twilled cotton bags eighteen inches in diam eter and six or eight feet long. There are from 70 to 100 of these cloth cases, and they de­pend from the shallow tank in to which we have seen the liquid flow. They are surrounded by the sides of an iron box, so th a t the juice m ay be kept hot, and also th a t steam m ay be introduced to keep up the tem ­perature and clean out the bags. I t should have been sta ted th a t each bag is also enclosed in a coarse sheath. The object of running the liquid in to these filter bags is to remove all inherent insoluble m atter, and the step

is an im portant onee preparatory to passing the sugars through the charcoal filters. To w atch th is process we have to perform certain gym nastic feats which require extraordinary care, unless the acrobat wishes a ba th in boiling water. The liquor, still of a dark hue, is run to another cistern, whence i t is pumped in to large cast m etal receivers, which in tu rn feed the charcoal filters. The passage of the sugar through these is th e part of the system which has m ost in terest and novelty to the untravelled colonist. The charcoal filters are huge tanks of cylindrical form, and are composed of cast iron plates. They are about seventeen feet deep and over five feet in diam eter, and they are furnished w ith a perforated false bottom placed about three inches above the real one, its removal perm itting of thorough cleansing. The true base is of a conical shape, which allows all the liquor passing through th e charcoal to be collected a t one point in the centre, and so be drawn off to the very dregs. The cistern is perm anently closed on the top, although there is a t the bottom a man-liole door to perm it the charcoal being withdrawn. T he filters con­ta in about five tons of the charcoal through which the m elted sugar passes in precisely the same way as w ater is sometimes filtered through sand. The bone charcoal, in order to its continuous use, of course requires great nicety and cleanliness of treatm ent. In the meantime the charcoal is imported, bu t we expect to see i t m anu­factured on the spot soon. I t m ust be washed thoroughly, otherwise it would get im pregnated with oxide of iron, carbonate of lime and o ther substances which would, of course, have a deleterious effect on the sugar, m aking it lose both its colour and weight. The m aterial—which, to the superficial observer, has the appearance of fine coal “ d ro ss”—is therefore removed from the filter, washed with hot water for some hours, after which it gets a sousing for four hours in cold w ater. The charcoal on being taken out of the filter is run up by an ingenious hoist to the top of the kiln, where i t goes through the process of being rebum ed and revivified. This kiln is composed of th irty pipes equally divided on each side of the fire, and these pipes are kept constantly a t a good heat. The charcoal passes through them, and is received in to coolers w ithout coming into contact w ith the air. These coolers are divided in to two parts, and from the under p art a charge of charcoal is drawn every twenty m inutes, thereby allowing only the same quantity to be pu t into the pipes a t the top. I t will be seen, there­fore, th a t the kiln is so regulated th a t the operator, who is generally not a skilled m an, cannot draw off more than a certain quantity of charcoal a t a time. Having watched how th e charcoal is dealt with and made fit for its valuable purpose, let us re tu rn to wiiere we saw the sugar pumped from the cast m etal receivers to go through the filters. I t is led by pipes from the bottom to a small square box, where the liquid is divided and run into receivers, whence it is drawn to the vacuum pan as the operator requires. To sum up th e n :— The concrete is melted and passed through the bag-filter to extract extraneous m atter—a merely m echanical process. I t then passes through the charcoal— a chemical pro­cess— to decolorise. The concrete is now liquified, and its tu rn has come to be m ade in to respectable sugar. I t is therefore taken back to the vacuum pau, to have th e w ater which we have seen pu t in to i t taken out, and thus to have i t crystallised. From the vacuum pan it goes straigh t to the centrifugals, the syrup being sent back to go through the process we have described, as very little syrup is pu t out a t the Abergeni Sugar W orks. W e have now seen the huge lumps of dirty concrete, with all its im purities, sent through the mill and returning to bags waiting for i t as perfectly clean, wholesome sugar. I t only rem ains to be said th a t the boiling departm ent is under the com petent charge of Mr. Heims, and th a t the m anager of the mill is Mr. T . H . W ilson, who has had sixteen years’ experience of his business on the Clyde. So far the results ob­

tained a t the works have been higlily sa tis fac to ry ; an d when a new kiln, now on th e way out, is erected, the output will probably double itself. W e wish Mr. Wil- heim every success in his praiseworthy enterprise.— N ata l ZIercury.

CINCHONA R E D BARKS.(Pharmaceutical Journal, 3rd September, 1881.)

In a paper on “ Red B ark ,” read before th e British Pharm aceutical Conference, Mr. Jo h n E lio t Howard adopted the distinction made by Professor K arsten be­tween the genera Cinchona and Cincinehona , namely th a t in the form er the capsules are dehiscent from the apex and in the la tte r from the base, and described w hat was to be understood by the term “ red b a rk .” Cinchona succirubra , the true species of the red bark, was so named by Pavon to denote the peculiarities of the juice. Like o ther species, i t exists under somewhat different form s (illustrated by specimens th a t were exhibited) and the differences, though apparently trivial, are im portant to the cultivator for reasons th a t have been explained in the ‘Nueva Quinologia,’ and on account of the relative preponderance of quinine or cinchonine and cinchonidine. Specimens of genuine red bark and of the more resinous sort which used to he im ported from South America and sold a t a high price, though useless to the quinine m anufacturer, were exhibited to illustrate th e sta te of degeneration to wThich Mr. Howard predicts th a t the truest red bark in India will arrive by age, and towards which Mr. Broughton believed some advance w as made during the continuance of his observations. Since th a t tim e Mr. Howard has had the opportunity of examining specimens of m uch more m ature bark carefully collected by Mr. Cross a t Ootacamund, and exhibiting th e true characteristics of genuine red hark. These samples con­tained respectively 0'86 and 0 91 per cent, of quinine, w ith 1*5 to 2 0 per cent, of cinchonidine, and 3*5 to 4*0 per cent, of cinchonine. In reporting upon these barks to the M arquis of H arrington, Mr. Howard pointed out th a t they are m ost characteristic specimens, well illustrating th e m istake of the excessive cultiuation of C. succirubra, and th a t i t is only by renewing th a t th e bark of such trees can be made serviceable. A nother sample described as red bark is no t from C. succirubra, bu t is the produce of a tree yielding juice th a t becomes only golden coloured, and identified by Cross as “ P a ta de G allinazo.” T h a t it is a m uch b e tte r sort for cu lti­vation than the C. succirubra , w ith which it has been confounded, is shown by its containing 2*25 per cent, of quinine. The full inform ation upon both these barks, which was published by Mr. Howard and sent out by the Government in 1862, has apparently been w ithout result, as these two species are still confounded under the name C. succirubra. There is also a th ird species confounded under th is head, the “ cucharia,” d r “ pig skin,” a sort of red bark, little valued form erly by reason of its poor appearance; bu t in regard to contents in alkaloid more valuable th an the true red bark, as i t con­ta in s from 1*37 to 2*14 per cent, of quinine. The pro­pagation of so m any millions of trees of w hat is called C. succirubra in India, in spite of th e warnings and of the inform ation gathered from the Spanish botanists, strongly impresses Mr. Howard w ith the question w hether the inform ation he is now giving or m ay be able to render hereafter, will be turned to any account, o ther­wise th an amongst those private cultivators who gladlj’ avail themselves of such assistance, and who will find eventually th a t they have done well to attend to the careful discrim ination of species and forms of species by cultivating only those m ost adapted to th e ir purpose.

A paper by Mr. Holmes, raising the question which kinds of cinchona bark should be used in pharm acy, pointed out th a t ihe kinds of barks now cultivated in Java, India, Ceylon and Jam aica, have been form er years a regular article of commerce, but are no t recognized in the pharmacopoeias, and cannot therefore be used for

pharm aceutical purposes, although the officinal hark of South American origin is often com paratively worthless, and very rarely of good quality. H r. Holm es suggested th a t cultivated cinchona bark should replace the barks now officinal, partly because the la tte r are often mixed w ith false barks, and the bark of hybrid species is not unfrequently mixed w ith th a t of good quality, as i t is no t to be distinguished by external characters except by experts. Mr. Holmes pointed out th a t one variety of cinchona bark, th a t of C. succirubra , is easily obtainable in alm ost unlim ited quantity , and of very good quality, owing to the circum stances th a t the tree grows a t a tower elevation, is very hardy, easily propagated, and cultivated over a m uch greater area th an o ther kinds. Owing to the relatively small proportion of quinine th a t i t contains, as compared w ith th e o ther alkaloids, i t is not adapted for the requirem ents of quinine makers. F o r these reasons, M r. Holm es is of opinion th a t, as already suggested by Professor F luckiger, the bark of C. succirubra seems to be the m ost suitable for use in medicine and pharmacy. Mr. Holmes also suggested th a t purchasers should require from wholesale dealers a a sta tem ent of the percentage of alkaloids in the barks supplied to them , in order th a t pharm aceutical prepara­tions, when made from bark thus guaranteed, should be of satisfactory quality. As regards the streng th of th e fluid extract, if made from th e red bark according to the British Pharmacopoeia, i t would in all probability deposit some of its active constituents, and i t m ight be desirable to adopt the s treng th of the U nited S tates Pharmacopoeia, which is one-fourtli th a t of the British. M r. Holmes considers th a t neither the decoction nor the infusion of cinchona bark possesses any advantage over th e fluid ex tract and th a t i t would be a boon both to th e patien t and the dispenser if these preparations could be superseded by it. As" regards the simple tincture, which differs in s treng th according to the B ritish , United S ta tes, F rench and G erm an pharmacopoeias, an equaliza­tion, or a t least an approach to uniform ity, is desirable, and as regards the compound tinctu re , which contains, according to the B ritish form ula, saffron and cochineal, according to the Germ an and five others, cinnam on and gentian, it is desirable to consider w hether these ingredi­en ts should he retained or not.

Mr. W . de Neufville, in a paper upon the same sub­jec t, took exception to th e sta tem ent of Professor F luckiger th a t flat ealisaya, or the yellow bark of the B ritish Pharmacopoeia, is m ore scantily and less regul­arly im ported th an h itherto . On the contrary, he asserts th a t during the last few years th e supply of th is bark has so considerably increased th a t the drug trade has n o t been capable of absorbing it. As regards the regul­a rity of im portation, even during the la te Peruvian war th e shipm ents of ealisaya bark have been, contrary to th e assum ption of Professor Fluckiger, more constant th an those of barks from the northern d istricts of South

e America, the supply from which has sometimes failed altogether, owing to the frequent drought of the M ag­dalena and o ther rivers. As opposed to the recom ­m endation to supersede South American by Indian-grown barks, Mr. de Neufville pointed out th a t the planting and cultivation of cinchonas lias already been commenced in Bolivia and Peru and th a t the results have been very satisfactory, the produce of these p lan tations having been sold for high prices in the London m arket during | th e last two years. Mr. de Neufville also urged th a t if the flat ealisaya of American origin is to be aban­doned, because i t does no t contain sufficient quinine, there is no reason why the American ealisaya quill bark should not take its place, since it is rich in quinine, contains a good proportion of o ther alkaloids, and is easy to work.

In the discussion th a t followed the reading of these th ree papers Mr. W ellcome suggested th a t, in view of th e difficulty attend ing the separation of the cinchona alkal­oids, the percentage of to ta l alkaloids should be taken a s an index of the value of a bark. Mr. Brady said

135

th e thanks of the Conference were due to Mr. Howard for having brought th is subject forward by the contribu­tion of his paper and the interesting illustrations by which i t was accom panied. D r. Paul, being called upon by the President to offer some rem arks upon the subject, said no doubt i t was a very general opinion th a t there was need of m aking some a lteration as to the k ind of bark th a t should be officinal in the P harm a­copoeia. The only question seemed to be w hat kind or kinds of bark should be chosen for pharm aceutical purposes. H e did not agree w ith the suggestion th a t American bark should be entirely superseded by th a t of Ind ian growth, a lthough the excellent qualities of Ind ian “ crown ” and red barks rendered th e n introduction desirable. The Indian red bark was already com ing largely in to use on the C ontinent, and it, together w ith American quill ealisaya, would satisfy all requirem ents.

CAT-PROOF GA R D EN F E N C E .T O T H E E D IT O R O F T H E “ A U S T R A L A S IA N .”

S i r ,— In answer to “ F lo ris t,” who, in your issue of 27tli u lt., wishes to know how cats m ay lie kept from climbing over his paling fence in to his garden, a sim ­ple way is to nail on the outside of the fence, near the top, a continuous strip of tin or iron about 9 in. wide, to extend the whole length of the fence, and he will find th a t th is will effectually keep out cats, opos­sums, et id i/enus omne. B u s h m a n .

Rockham pton, Sept. 6.

FU N G U S H U N T IN G .T he town of Leeds has, w ithin th e last few days,

been the gathering point of a large num ber of d istin ­guished mycologists, who m et there for the purpose of carrying out a “ fungus fo ra y ” and obtaining a be tte r knowledge of the fungi of Yorkshire. T he arrangem ents for th is m eeting were made by th e Yorkshire N atu ra l­is ts ’ Union, and as th e result of excursions to H arro ­gate and Ripon, a collection of specimens was obtained, which, together w ith contributions from o ther pa rts of th e country, furnished m aterial for an exhibition a t the M echanics’ In s titu te in Leeds th a t was both in te rest­ing and instructive to those who visited it.

In the afternoon of Saturday a lecture on F ungi was given by Mr. P low right, of Lynn, in which he described th e ir struc tu re and the mode of reproduction of spores. T he application of fungi as articles of food was also illustra ted a t the dinner in the evening, th e soup being made from fungus, and the lam b cutlets served w ith m ushroom sauce, while a t a la te r stage the members had an opportunity of experim enting on the digestive properties of F islu lina hepatica, H elvella crispa and H tjdnum repandum, which had been prepared according to the recipes in a m onastic cookery-book th ree hundred years old.

In the course of the evening, Mr. J . H orsfall referred to one branch of mycology as having special in terest for the m edical profession, since i t is highly probable th a t the woolsorters’ disease, scarlet fever and o ther diseases are of fungoid origin.— Pharm aceutical Journal.

T H E C O F F E E AND SUGAR PR O D U C IN G

C O U N TR IE S .C E Y L O N ,

i-F rom the Am erican Grocer.)Besides coft'ee the chief products of th e island are

coconut oil and pearls, the la tte r are fished around M anaar Island, and are in beauty and value only su r­passed by those of the Persian Gulf, the annual product of these pearls being about £260,000. The island for­

m erly also furnished to the world’s trade a good deal of ivory, bu t elephants are gradually becoming extinct in the southw estern forests.

Coffee is and rem ains th e chief product, and its yield has increased as follows:—

E xport.— tom .1836'....................................................................................... 3,0151846 ....................................................................................... 8,6951851 . . : .............................................................................. 16,9871856 ....................................................................................... 22,3101861 ....................................................................................... 29,6951865 ....................................................................................... 43,80518 6 7 ....................................................................................... 41,8621878 ....................................................................................... 31,600

If since 1865-67 there have been years of less abund­an t yield, th is has been due to a disease of the tree which a ttack s the leaves and affects the productiveness of the plant. B u t for tills drawback production would probably have gone on expanding all along, for none of the elem ents for its doing so are w anting : climate, soil, labor, capital, and an unrivalled geographical posi­tion, especially since the Suez Canal is a t th e disposal of Ceylonese trade, and th e large steam ers from the extrem e E a s t on their way to Europe or America touch there.

B arring the d istu rb ing influence of occasional short crop from some cause or ano ther connected w ith the p lan t itself, coffee cultivation in Ceylon has therefore a b rillian t and secure fu tu re before it, there being no apprehensions of in terruptions of a political or servile nature, as they may happen elsewhere in the fu tu re in coffee growing countries.

Ceylon’s production is im portan t enough to require being taken in to consideration in m aking estim ates of the world’s annual coffee supply.

C O F F E E PROPAGANDA IN B R A ZIL .(D iario de Santos, 7tli August 1881.)

The propaganda in favor of augm enting the actual zones and of obtaining new ones for the consum ption of Brazilian coflee, continues in the city of Rio de Janeiro . The government, the society “ Centro da Ijivonra e do Commercio,” and the Commercial Association, each accord­ing to the extent of th e ir powers, are endeavouring to assist th is movement, i t having already been resolved to open an exposition in the beginning of November next. As we have said before, we have but little con­fidence in the p ractical result of an exposition w ithout the express condition th a t th e exhibitor of any sample m ust declare the quan tity he can supply and the tim e w ithin which he can do so, binding him self to m ake a con tract of sale if there should be a buyer and a t a price to be determ ined between th e parties. W ithout th is we shall always have pompous and luxurious sam ples w ith­out any practical value. This exposition m easure being once resolved, the governm ent should a t least take the greatest possible advantage of it, installing a jury or congress in which th e elem ents of agriculture and com­merce p redom inate ; in short, an assembly of practical m en who, w ithout much pompous phraseology and application of theories, should give the ir oirinion on im ­po rtan t questions of economy which a t p resent occupy the atten tion of all, such a s : th e question of the sub­stitu tion of agricultural lal or, the am plification of the rural credit system, the question of export duties, and transportation tarifi's. There is no doubt th a t our pro­vince will take a conspicuous place in th is exposition, and it is highly desirable th a t her representation in the ju ry be in harm ony w ith her im portance, for though all the coffee will be B razilian, yet it is certain th a t in various poin ts the position of our coffee production diverges from th a t of Rio. W hereas th e good qualities of Rio are perfectly known as such, and even preferred in the U nited S ta te d ours have up to th is tim e not

m et w ith great approbation th e r e ; bu t it happens th a t in E urope where, w ith the exception of washed, very little “ superio r” and “ good R io ” goes, th e discredit of B razilian coffee is in a g rea t m easure owing to th a t source. I t is well known to all who are versed in the coffee trade th a t the h igher class of consum ers in a large p art of E m ope m uch appreciate our brands of “ superiors ” and “ good ” on account of th e ir good tas te , so m uch so th a t a great portion passes as Java , Laguayra, H aiti, etc., whose agriculture, of m uch older existence, knew how to establish a repu tation for the fine products which it brings to m arket. I f we persisted only during a few years in im proving and perfecting our coffee, we would in .our tu rn obtain the sam e renown, and the new producing countries would certainly in the ir tu rn he obliged to m ake use of our nam e fo r the sale of their products. T he quality of our coffees diverges in general form th a t of Rio, so m uch so th a t old R io m erchants, perfect judges of the qualities there, do not understand the judicious classification of a Santos lot, and, as the ir custom ers are different from our, they generally ignore the exigences of the consum ers of our qualities. I t would, therefore, be desirable th a t in due tim e th e necessary' steps should be taken th a t the judging of coffees from the province of Sad Paulo be (lone by com petent persons. I t should be a conjunction of p lanters, dealers and exporters from our province.

B R A ZIL C O F F E E E X PO SIT IO N .(B io Neu-s, 15th August 1881.)

The continued agitation of the coffee exposition project leaves no doubt as to its realization a t no d istan t d a y ; b u t i t resolves none of the doubts as to th e p ractical resu lts to be obtained through such an enterprise. T he early appeals for aid in th is industry, and all th a t is w ritten and said in its favor now, are devoted chiefly to the im aginary necessity of enlarging present consum ­ing m arkets and opening up new ones. Among the la tte r have been m entioned the vast em pires of R ussia and China. If th is desire to extend and enlarge con­sum ing jm arkets be the chief object of these exposi­tions—and we have heard none o ther m entioned— then why is i t th a t they are to be held down here in Rio de Jan e iro ? I s i t to be supposed th a t a coffee exposi­tion a t th e Typograpliia Nacional, in th is city, will make the R ussian acquainted w ith th e good properties of th is beverage, or th a t i t will m ake Jo h n Chinam an discard h is tea fo r Brazilian coffee ? Does any one th in k th a t a display of Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro coffee in th is city will prove to EngBslnnen, F rench­m en, or Americans, th a t i t is equal to Jav a , Mocha, or L aguayra? Is i t antic ipated th a t th e coffee buyers and coffee drinkers of the world are com ing down here to look a t some parcels of samples ? And if no one believes these th ings, then w hat is i t all fo r? No one urges the necessity of improving the quality of the product and lowering the cost of p rodu c tio n ; every one seems to be possessed w ith the desire to find new con­sumers. The increase of consum ption m ust therefore be the m ain o b je c t! Now how is th is to be effected by an exposition in Rio de Ja n e iro ? And how is i t to be effected any where by th e m ere display of sam ples ? W hat assurance is offered th a t the crop will correspond accurately to the samples ? And if i t does not, with whom rests the responsibility ? Besides, who can estim ­a te the supply corresponding to any particu lar sample, and who can determ ine prices, as compared w ith other coffees, for any fu tu re tim e ? And still further, will these samples, if sent abroad, represent general grades, or the product of certain p lan te rs? To be plain, the whole scheme is visionary aud im practicable in the highest degree. I f the object were to improve the pro­duct and lessen its cost, then there would be the best of reasons for holding annual competitive expositions. Or, if i t were proposed to hold an in ternationa l exposi­

tion a t London or Paris, in which B razilian coffee would en ter in to com petition w ith the coffees of o ther countries, then there would be o ther good and sufficient reasons for giving it all support. B u t these purposes do not appear. The samples of the B razilian product are to exhibited in a B razilian city where no o ther coffee is used, and to B razilian brokers and exporters who already know all about it. And then, when the exposi­tion is closed, th e Brazilian people will go on drinking Brazilian coff ee, aud the B razilian exporter will continue to export Brazilian coffee, ju s t as before. On th e o ther side of the water, the foreign consum er will read in the Times a four-line account of th is exposition of coffee in Rio de Janeiro , and will continue sipping his fragran t Mocha without th e slightest idea of w hat i t is all about. Some neatly labelled samples will be sent abroad to be exhibited to a curious world by B razilian consuls, but as no one ever goes to a consulate when he can help it, they will probably serve no o ther good purpose th an to reduce the consul's household expenses. U nsatisfact­ory and disappointing as these results will be, they are ju s t w hat may logically be expected from th is present crude and visionary scheme. In the m ain, the desire to a tta in some beneficial result for the coffee producer from an exposition is praisew orthy in the highest degree, and if righ tly located and conducted these bene­fits will surely follow. In our opinion there are bu t two bases upon which successful coffee expositions can be held—both in ternational, and both competitive. The one should be held in th is city so th a t the B razilian p lan ter may see the foreign product, te s t it, and learn the methods of its cultivation and preparation for m arket. By th is m eans he will learn ju st how h is product com pares w ith those of o ther countries, and ju s t where he m ust improve his product in order to enhance its m arketable properties. T he o ther base is an in te r­national exposition in some great commercial centre, as London or Paris, where the consum er m ay see all these products, and test them . B oth the producer and consum er m ust be educated, but th a t cannot be done by an exposition of B razilian coffee in a B razilian city. A coffee-house for the free supply of the B razilian beverage in London or Paris will do more to increase the sale of th is product, than all the domestic exposi­tions th a t can be held.

T H E C H IN E S E Q U E STIO N IN B R A ZIL .(R io Keics, lo th August 1881.)

In a country where slavery exists, and all social and j

industrial life is im pregnated through and through w ith j

the pernicious influences of th a t institu tion , th e intro- ' Auction of a semi-servile race cannot be otherwise th an | dangerous. Salvery is an in stitu tion which not only 1 works great injustice to the enslaved, hu t it also degrades ; aud debases the enslaver. No people who have been I trained to the employment of slave labor have ever been able to easily take up the system of free labor, i

and to employ i t w ith justice to th e laborer and profit j to themselves. The nearest approxim ation to such a transform ation was in the southern section of the United S tates, hu t the resu lt there was obtained under economic and political conditions which undoubtedly exist in no o ther p art of the world. I t is through these pernicious influences of slavery th a t the free and slave laborer have never been able to work side by side. T he free­m an has a na tu ra l an tipathy to companionship with the slave, and the m aster does not know how to draw ju st distinctions between them . F or th is reason, prim arily, the introduction of Chinese laborers a t th is tim e under any system of contracts, should no t be perm itted.

W ith regard to the present system s of agriculture and th e relative value of the two system s known as the grande lavoura and pequena lavoura, there is a vast ; field for research which the B razilian agriculturists

should explore a t once. I t is clear th a t the country has made very little progress under the system now in operation, from which i t can be logically deduced th a t there is som ething wrong w ith it. I f no progress can he made under i t—if in rea lity there has been an actual decline in certain localities and industries, is it no t best

i th a t some o ther system should be tried, even were there j no proofs in existence as to its superiority? Can there

be any real progress in th a t unreasoning conservatism I which clings to an tiquated m ethods and system s, and ' refuses to give a place to anything new1? Is th is the

enterprise and em ulation which are to arouse the jealousy of Americans ?

The sta tem en ts of our colleague regarding the system of grande lavoura in the U nited S tates, are wholly m istaken. T h a t system, as such, is unknown there. The nearest approach to i t was in th e Southern S ta tes during the existence of slavery, where large properties were held and cultivated by m ethods not greatly d is­sim ilar to those employed here. T he abolition of slavery, however, broke down th a t ro tten , old system , and- now it is no t uncommon to find freedmen owning and tilling little plots of ground which once formed parts • of the great estates upon which they labored as claves. In the W est—throughout the whole country in fact, the system employed is essentially th a t of sm all farm ing. H ere and there are large estates which have been acquired through the industry and good m anagem ent of a few individuals, but their proportion to the sm all farm s is about as one to five hundred. To small fann ing is due the agricultural prosperity of the U nited S ta tes from w hich it m ay be inferred th a t i t would result beneficially here, th a t un just laws have kep t back th e stream of E uropean em igration to Brazil through which th is system of sm all farm ing could best be established, and th a t th e im m ediate policy of the country should be the employment of its p resen t laboring elem ent ra th er th an its substitu tion , and consequent exclusion, by the introduction of Chinese under con tract. W ere we to discuss th is question stiff fu rther we should undertake to prove th a t the needs of agriculture do no t lie in the acquisition of cheap, se n ile laborers, bu t ra th er in th e acquisition of a h igher grade of agriculturists, of b e tte r m ethods of cultivation, of the use of m achinery, of raising the standard of intelligence am ong th e laborers, of the breaking up of the great estates, of the abolition of export taxes, and the reduction of transpo rta tion charges, and of a general and radical change in the legislation of the country through which sm all farm ing is discouraged and European em igration is driven away. The question is a broader and deeper one th an th is demand for labor would s ig n ify ; i t involves changes in th e whole industrial and fiscal legislation of the country.

F R U IT -G R O W IN G : D IS B U D D IN G AND T H IN N IN G .(Australasian, 17th Septem ber 1881.)

In the in terests of the grower any excess of blossoms over th e num ber required to produce the due am ount of crop is undesirable. T he effect of blooming is, to a certain extent, a tax upon th e s treng th of the tree, and when “ sh e e ts” of bloom are produced, the powers of th e tree are oftentim es so severely tried as to prevent any appreciable crop being e a rn e d ; fru its are formed, b u t they are seedless, and thus, when the process of stoning or pip-forming, as the case m ay be, should tak e place, th e im perfect embryo fru it falls off, leaving the grower too frequently w ithout a crop. In ordinary sea­sons, when the blooms are no t ,so excessively abundant, the process of reducing the crop to proper dimensions m ay w ithout in ju ry be left un til it has well set, so th a t the grower can see w hat he has to deal w ith. B u t when as in the present instance, the flowering is likely to ex­h aust the tree and preclude its yielding a fan- crop, an extensive and severe pruning of th e fru it spurs should

be resorted to in the case of cherries, apples, pears, and such other fru its as bear upon spurs, w hilst peaches should not only be closely pinned, bu t should have then* blossoms thinned by hand. The pruning of fru it spurs is a practice to which am ateur pomologists are, not unnaturally , inclined to object. The desire to have heavy crops is, perhaps, not confined to growers of th a t class, bu t the more experienced growers for m arket have learned to aim a t the production of fine fru it, and, to th a t in tent, to avoid heavy yields of small sam ples; th is they do partly by spur-pruning and partly by early-thinning after the crop is set. The powers of the tree are not so severely taxed in producing th e fleshy portion of the fru it as in form ing the seed. The fleshy envelope of th e peach, for example, is a m ere m ass of w a te r ; if the tree be well supplied w ith m oisture, the weight of crop m ay be doubled or even trebled w ithout in ju ry to the tree, as the num ber of seeds would be no greater th an before ; the flesh only would be increased in weight. I t is, therefore, expedient to th in off m ost of th e sur­plus peaches before stoning takes place, leaving only a sm all m argin for the final thinning.

The vork of disbudding is undertaken w ith the object(1) of conserving the growing powers of the tree, and(2) of giving such a direction those powers as will improve th e constitutional vigour of th e branches th a t are in ­tended to form part of its perm anent structure. W hen the young shoots, or the more forward ones, are push­ing for wood, a selection should be made by th e grower, who should rub off with his finger aud thum b the more forward of the shoots th a t will no t be required. A week or ten days la te r a second disbudding may take place, and a t a like interval the final touch may be given. By adopting th is plan m any wounds th a t would otherwise be made a t the w inter pruning will be saved, and the liability to gum m ing be lessened. T here should be few shoots requiring entire removal in the winter, b u t the rem ainder will need the proper shortening. The wood no t having been crowded, as i t is "when disbudding is no t practised, is well ripened and healthy ; the foliage is large, strong, and well developed; the fru it, too, if the crop be not too heavy, is fine, highly-coloured, and well-flavoured. Thus, both th inn ing and disbudding may be regarded as essential to the successful cultivation of the peach and the nectarine in th is country.

Disbudding is even more essential in the case of vines. W hatever system of pruning and tra in ing is adopted, a num ber of young shoots, whose presence would be in ­jurious, are sure to appeal’ on both the old wood and on the new. In disbudding vines there can be no diffi­culty, nor need the work be partially done, as we have recommended in th e case of peaches. Every shoot th a t is not required either to form p a rt of the vine or to carry a bunch of fru it during the current season may be rubbed off a t once. U nder those two heads may be ranked ever)7 shoot th a t springs. A weak one m ay some­tim es be left as the source of a stronger one the next year, or to till a vacancy on a t r e l lis ; such a shoot would be a wood shoot proper. Vine shoots should not be crowded, bu t each branch should have abundance of space to develope its leav es; then th e wood will be strong, well ripened, and if the soil be right, the vine will re ta in health . Mildew will, however, be liable to occur under certain conditions of soil and weather, against which provision cannot always be m ade. As in the case of ru st in wheat, the v isitation cannot always be guarded a g a in s t; indeed, th e development of mildew on vines m ay be said to depend chiefly upon atm ospheric conditions.

V E G E T A B L E S FO R T H E T R O PIC S .(From S u tton’s Tropical Garden Guide.)

(C ontinued fro m page 4 7 1 J IG o u r i> o r P u m p k i n (Cucurbita gourgera a n d C. Pepo).

The cultivation of the Gourd is no t only in teresting | b u t profitable. Sow about the middle of the rains on I

a heap of w ell-rotted m anure, previously covered w ith good soil. P ick off* the first flowers to allow the p lan t to gain streng th . W ater plentifully, and place dry litte r under the f r u i t ; and shade the p lan ts carefully.

H e r b s .

These form an im portan t item in domestic economy, and can be easily cultivated in good ordinary garden soil kept m oderately m oist. The cultivation is the sam e as for Parsley.

K n o l K o h l ( Brassica Caulo-rapa).T his is a very valuable vegetable, and requires bu t

little a tten tion . C ultivate as for Cabbage. T he roots should be ready six weeks or two m onths from the tim e of sowing.

L e e k (A lliu m P ornnn).Leek should be sown earlier th a n Onion, as it is

ra th er longer coming to m aturity , and, as i t should always be transplanted , i t is well to give as long a tim e for grow th as possible. W hen ready for tra n s­planting, well w ater the soil, so as to allow th e re ­moval of the p lan ts w ithout the loss of th e fibrous roots. P lan t out in rows 1 foot apart by 6 inches in th e rows from p lan t to p lan t. E a rth up from tim e to tim e to blanch the root, and w ater liberally.

L e t t u c e ( i M t u c a s a t i v a ) .

Of L ettuces there are two classes, Cos and Cabbage, and both are equally useful. The seed grows bu t slowly, and is so subject to the depredations of an ts , th a t it is well to sow in pans and isolate them by placing them upon an em pty flower-pot standing in ano ther larger pan full of w ater. The soil should be very ligh t and friable. P lan t out the seedlings, as soon as they have made the ir second pair of leaves, in light, rich soil. Succession crops m ay be grown alm ost all th e year round.

M e l o n (Cucumis Melo).No fru it b e tte r deserves cultivation in tropical clim ates

th an th e Melon. Sow middle of M arch in the spot where i t is to rem ain, as i t cannot bear transp lan ting . D ig a trench 14 to 16 inches deep, and 2 feet wide, and see th a t th e soil is good and rich. Sow a double row of seeds in each trench. W hen th e p lan ts are a foot high, tra in along the top of the trench, and le t the roots only come in to close con tact w ith w ater.

M u s t a r d (S inapis alba a n d S . nigra).This requires so little cultivation, th a t directions are

scarcely necessary. Sow a t intervals, for salad, the whole of the cold season. The seed germ inates in two days.

M a i z e .— I n d ia n C o r n (Zea).The unripe heads of Ind ian Com, when cooked, are

very delic ious: boil in milk, afterw ards roast and ea t w ith pepper, sa lt, and bu tter. Sow th e beginning of ra ins in rows 1 foot apart, and th e seed 8 inches apart in th e rows.

O n io n (A llium Cepa).There are two principal classes of Onion. F irs t,

the E nglish varieties, which grow to a sm all size only, b u t are excellent for tlieh’ keeping q u a litie s ; and secondly, the I ta lia n varieties, to be used especially for early crops, and which grow usually to a very great size. Of th e E nglish varieties we recom m end Im proved Reading, Jam es’s Keeping, and Bedfordshire Champion. Of the I ta lia n Onions the best are G ian t Rocca, W hite G ian t Tripoli, T he Queen, &c. T he middle of October is the best tim e for sowing, and th is m ay be done e ither in drills or by sowing broadcast. In either case the young p lan ts should be th inned ou t when well established, leaving them about 6 inches apart. A still b e tte r p lan is to sow in seed pans and transp lan t, as th en the seed is pro tected to a great ex ten t from th e ravages of an ts and o ther insects. D uring early grow th w ater freely, b u t ju st before the commencement of the ho t season

i t is well no t only to cease w atering, bu t to hasten ripening off by breaking down th e tops.

P a r s l e y (Petroselinum sativum ).Sow any tim e after middle of Septem ber in gumlalis

protected from the heavy rain . The seed takes 10 days to germ inate. T ransp lan t when th e seedlings are 4 inches high, about 1 foot apart, in th e shade, and keep them well watered.

P e a s (P isum sativum ).The round varieties of Peas will generally be found

m ost suitable for cultivation in th e tropics. There is no occasion to m anure the land heavily for Peas, but it is im portant th a t i t should be well dug, and th a t the Peas are no t sown u n til the soil is well pulverised and tolerably dry after the rains. In E ngland it is im ­portan t to get as m uch sun as possible. Of course in hot countries th is is no t so, and therefore i t is well to p lan t the rows m uch nearer together, say 30 inches from row to row, instead of 4 or 5 feet as in E ngland. W hen Peas are sown la te in the year for succession, the ground will require w atering twelve hours previous to sowing. If they do no t show above ground a week after sowing, the earth should be gently removed, and if the Peas are found in a dirty, wet condition, u n ­sprouted, ano ther sowing should be m ade a t once. Sometimes the outside shell of the Pea becomes so h a r l th a t it is necessary to soak th e seed in w ater for some hours previous to sowing. W hen about 6 inches high i t is desirable to stick the rows, after earth ing up on each side. I t is of l i ttle use to sow la te r th an December.

P o t a t o S e e d (Solatium robustum).The expense incurred in the transport is so great,

and the chance of failure so considerable, th a t it cannot be w orth while to order out a large quan tity of P o tato tubers from E ngland, b u t it is fa r b e tte r to obtain seed which has been raised from good sorts in England. P o tato seed is cheap, will travel safely by post, and a packet is sufficient to sow a large piece of ground.

R a d is h (Raphanus sativus).F o r Radishes, a shady spot should be selected. The

land should be light, and no t recently m anured. Do no t th ink of sowing before October, and if rains are not over i t will be better to postpone i t un til the middle of the m onth. Sow either broadcast or in drills a foot apart. In the la tte r case the seed should be covered with about a quarter of an inch of mould, and the plan ts thinned out to 3 or 4 inches from row to row. Make sncccssional sowings every fortn ight, and do not s tin t the supply of w ater. I f the ground becomes caked and hard it should be loosened w ith a rake.

S p ix a c i i (Spinacia oleracea).Sparrows are so fond of the seed and young p lan ts

th a t unless the protection of a ne t is given the crop will probably bo lost. Sow in (hills, as soon as the rains are over, in good rich soil in a shady place. T he drills should be 1 foot apart, and the p lan ts in th e drills 4 inches apart.

(T o be continued.)

I

CINCHONA C U L T IV A T IO N IN JAMAICA.The following appeared in the Kingston (Jam aica)

“ G lean er” and “ Tri-weekly G lean e r” of th e 27th August 1881:—

W e publish to-day [see page 501 of the Tropical A griculturist] the term s upon which the Governm ent of th is Island, being desirous of encouraging the cu lti­vation of Cinchona, offers to make gran ts of public lauds to persons who will em bark in the enterprise. The situation of the land is not m entioned, bu t we pre­sume the extensive unopened trac ts of forest on the higher Blue M ountain slopes are referred to. The G o­vernm ent has already encouraged, under favourable con-

136

cessions, the cultivation of cinchona by private en te r­prise thereabouts, and is now, we are glad to believe, seeking to establish the industry system atically. The land we speak of lies a t elevations of from 4,000 to 6,500 f e e t ; is w ithout roads, bu t of fine q u a lity : is dis­ta n t from Kingston two score miles, bu t possesses a clim ate delightful alike to those who dread the cold of a northern w inter and those who dread th e hea t of tropical high noon.

To anyone who th inks seriously of investing h is cap ital in cinchona cultivation in Jam aica, bu t fears to venture, we would point out th a t he will no t be alone in the undertaking. W e could nam e a t th is m om ent several gentlem en, including H is Excellency th e Governor, who have devoted land and capital to it. In h is las t Report, Mr. D. Morris sta ted th a t large num bers of p lan ts had been pu t out a t W hitfield H all, R adnor, and Clydesdale. To th is list, the nam es of m any well-known high p lan t­ations betw een S t. C atherine’s P eak on the west, and Blue M ountains on the east, m ight be added, while the cultivation of cinchona adapted to lower elevations is being prosecuted with vigour in M anchester. The de­m and for seeds and p lan ts increases daily, and can hardly be m et. T his new industry brings in to product­iveness regions w hich in m any cases were unsuited for coffee or provisions, and which wTere a burden on the owner. W e regard th is departure as creditable no t only to the G overnm ent, b u t to th e p lan ters who have been so often, so foolishly, and so freely accused of indiffer­ence to their own best in terests and to opportunities of unfam iliar profit.

E stim ating the gain which m ay accrue from new en ­terprises is always a delicate affair. In the present case we will give th e sta tem ents of authorities on th e sub­ject in preference to opinions of our own, m erely po in t­ing out th a t m any of our shrewd and experienced p lan ters have satisfied themselves as to th e profit derivable from cinchona, and have given evidence of the fa ith th a t is in them . In h is valuable report, to w hich we have already referred, Mr. M orris describes how he found a patch of cinchona officinalis which had long been deserted on W hitfield H all E sta te , and which was found hardy and thriving. H e say s:—

“ As indicating the value of cinchona p lan ting in th e B lue M ountains— taking these 379 trees w hich occupied an area of less th an 120 square yards—it was estim ated th a t if they yielded on th e average one pound of dry bark per tree (young trees a t th e Governm ent P la n t­ations yielded 1J pounds per tree), each tree would be w orth a t least 5 s . ; th is would give £ 9 4 15s. as the value of 379 trees on an area of 120 square yards, one- fo rtie th of an acre. U nder ordinary conditions i t would not, however, be advisable to p lan t the trees so closely as th is, b u t th e value of an acre of land p lan ted w ith trees even a t one-half th e above ra te would am ount to more th an £1,890. Large as th is sum m ay seem, it ap­peal's th a t w ith the precious Ledgeriana bark, grown by the D utch in Jav a (a few p lan ts of which have ju s t been introduced to Jam aica), the yield per acre, as quoted by Mr. J . E . Howard, F .R .S ., is estim ated, from actual sales, a t £2,000 per acre .”

W e will take in addition to the above, the sta tem ent made by Mr. Clem ents M arkham , in h is in teresting and im portan t m onograph on “ Peruvian B ark .” In h is chap­te r on “ F inancial R esults,” he says

“ The result of the sales of bark from the Govern­m ent Cinchona P lan ta tions on the Nilgiri H ills, in India , is th a t a sum of £173,046 has been realized. T he to ta l cost of th e whole enterprise from the com­m encem ent, including in te re s t, w as £129,628 in 1876.

! By the year 1879, allowing for charges during iuter- veniug years, th e sum to be debited against the en ter­prise was only £38,942. In 1880 the whole capital ac-

j count had been paid oft with in terest, and the plantations ; began to yield a clear annual profit. I t is therefore true i of th e Cinchona enterprise th a t as a mere commercial

speculation, it has paid off the whole outlay, including introduction of th e p lants, cultivation, and in te r e s t ; and has become a complete financial success.”

Mr. M arkham also gives figures to show how private enterprise in India and Ceylon is reaping th e same re ­ward. F or h is rem arks on th is point, we m ust refer our readers to h is work. I t is shown th a t while the Governm ent of Ind ia will in future have as m uch de­m and as it can m eet, in supplying cinchona febrifuge for the m illions of India , the p lanters of Ceylon and India, as well as of Java, find a ready and profitable demand for them hark in Europe. A t the same tim e a vast m arket for the bark is being found in China, where un til now opium has been the cheapest drug as a cure and preventive of fever, and where from 30 to 40 per cent of the population use it, to them own ru in and to Fmgland’s disgrace.

T he prices obtained for Jam aica hark should stim ulate to activity in p lan ting cinchona. Mr. M arkham , in his sketch of Cinchona Cultivation in Jam aica, says th a t C. officinalis does not thrive so well in th is island, but he speaks favourably of C. succirubra and C. calisaya. B ut the la tes t results furnished by sales of Jam aica “ grey ” barks, are proofs th a t officinalis grown here commands bette r prices th an th a t of C eylon : and las t week we had an opportunity of seeing how, as Mr. M orris describes, the officinalis spreads in self-sown for­est patches a t the highest elevations, thus exhibiting g reat fitness for the soil and situation . T he island has now, therefore, a t least three kinds of cinchona well e s ta ld ish ed : officinalis, succirubra, and a good variety called calisaya, bu t supposed to be a hybrid between the o ther two. Moreover, the ledgeriana, a variety of ca li­saya, introduced by Mr. M orns, is now growing well as a plant, and seed of it has already been im ported. Of th is ledgeriana, which M orris says fetches 17s. per lb. a t Amsterdam, Mr. M arkbam w rite s :— “ These p lan ts yield an extraordinarily large quan tity of quinine, as m uch as 9'97 per cent. In th is respect they are u n ­equalled.” W ith regard to the species known as succi­rubra and yielding the “ red ” bark of commerce, a variety which Mr. Morris recommends as being peculiarly suited to so m uch of our land from 2,000 feet upwards, Mr. M arkham writes th a t it yields a larger percentage of febrifuge alkaloid th an any other. As tim e rolls by, o ther varieties again may be found to naturalise them ­selves easily, “ the Blue M ountains of Jam aica * * *being about th e same distance from the equator on the N orth side. (18’ N) as the calisaya forests are to the sou th .”

As the Governm ent now offers land for cinchona, it is also ready to supply the seeds and p lants. Seeds of th e officinalis, for cultivation a t elevations above 4,000 feet are supplied a t 5s. an ounce; of succirubra, a t eleva­tions between 2,500 and 4,000 a t 3s. An ounce is sufficient to produce 20,000 seedlings, which will p lant five acres. Boxes of seedlings may be had a t a guinea per box, and p lan ts are obtainable a t from 40s. to 60s. per 1,000.

W e hope to witness an early extension of cinchona cultivation by men who have capital and can aw ait the first yield in the fourth or fifth year. The oppo r tu n ity now offered is excellent. I t is possible th a t a m arket for the Jam aica bark will be found some day in th eU. S. A., which consumes vast quantities of quinine,b u t for the present E ngland takes all th a t can be shipped, and a t rem unerative prices. The tim e cannot be fa r off when the m asses of Jam aica will be provided by Govern­m ent w ith a cheap, effective febrifuge, now so greatly needed. And leaving out of question th e com m ercial and social advantages resulting from cinchona, i t may be fairly claimed th a t th is tree, which once inspired theprose of Madame de Geulis and the verse of La F on­taine will, w ith its graceful stem, shining leaves, and clustering flowers, be an additional ornam ent to the far-fam ed bu t neglected m ountains of Jam aica.

T H E SU G A R AND TOBACCO IN D U S T R IE S O F

1881 IN JAVA.

(Field, 15th October 1881.)

A fter three consecutive very bad years, it is sa tis ­factory to be able to report a m ost splendid sugar harvest for the season 1881. In all probability, th e production of th is year will surpass th a t of any season known, in proof of which we have the m ost rem ark ­able fact th a t the p lanters them selves confess they a re co n ten ted ; an admission th a t would scarcely be' m ade under any o ther conditions th an those of unexpected success. A t th e very lowest com putation, th e ac tual production of 25 pel cent more th an was calculated upon in April last. One g reat reason for th is sa tis ­factory resu lt is the glorious w eather th a t has reigned alm ost uninterruptedly throughout the grinding. In M ay and early in Jun e , a few days of ram m ade m any anxious, bu t the wet monsoon, th a t has during th e past three years taken to usurping the place of th e dry one, finally took itself off, and in m any d istr ic ts no t a drop of ra in had fallen for nearly two m onths. In B atavia, where they never see a pound of raw' sugar from one year’s end to the other, they are crying o u t for ra in ; bu t i t is be tte r for them to frizzle for a m onth or two, th an th a t th e sugar industry should receive a blow. H ad the presen t season been as b ad as its predecessor, the consequences would have been m ost serious. The population, both E uropean an d native, of the eastern half of Java, from Clicribon to Bezuki (i.e., Ja v a proper, as distinguished from Sunda), is so dependent on the sugar culture, th a t its success of failure affects it m ost intim ately. So heavy had been the losses of the preceding seasons th a t m any factories dared no t risk the buying of new m achinery, however sorely they required it. T he production of sugar during th e past four years has been as follow s:— 1877 (a tr e ­mendously ho t year), 4,091,570 p ik n ls ; 1878, 3,786,401

! p ik u ls ; 1879, 3,851,692 p ik n ls : 1880, 3,639,757 pilculs.The difference between 1880 and 1877 is thus 451,813

■ piknls, representing a value of more th an half a m illion : sterling, and th is in the face of wonderful improve- ; m ents in m achinery. However, th is year will compens- j a te for everything which will be good for everybody,

for sugar p lan ters are the m ost liberal class in Ja v a , and have no idea of excluding others from th e benefits of a good time.

i A feature th is year is the alm ost exclusive employ- l m ent of steam ers in place of sailing vessels for convey- | ing the produce to Europe. The fact becoming known ! th a t the best sugar harvest would be la te , some specnl- i ative ones thought to be the first in the m arket, and i chartered steam ers. B ut the im partiality of the te legraph

soon equalised m atters, and now every sugar port h as a quan tity of steam ers loading in it. T hus few, if any will reap the advantage of priority.

j The tobacco harvest is unfortunately very easily dis- i posed of in three words, viz., there is none. T he sudden- | ness and completeness w ith which th e tobacco industry i has vanished from the laud, so far as E uropeans are | concerned, is simply appalling. B ism arckian tariff tac tics I have had a good deal to do w ith it— some will have i t

everything —but there is always a good m arket for good leaf, and th is is ju st w hat Jav a does not produce in any quantity . F o r th is the p lan ters have to thank th e ir

i pernicious system of allowing the native to do all th e i planting, aud simply buying the produce a t a fixed ra te ,

in consideration of having m ade an advance. T here are several tobacco p lan ters in Jav a who m ake money, but these are all men who take the th ing in the ir own hands. Things m ay improve, bu t th a t they will ever

; wear the aspect they wore only a few years since, when ’ the term tobacco p lan ter was synonymous w ith th a t of I Crcesns, is extremely doubtful.

A C o f f e e M i l l took fire on th e 30th u lt. a t Casa Branca, San Paulo, and was destroyed, w ith about5,000 arrobas of coffee. The loss is estim ated a t 40,000$. The mill belonged to the esta te of the late Luciano Ribeiro da Silva.— B io News.

P R O G R E S S O F T H E T e a E n T E R P R I Z E I N M a D R A S P R E S I D ­

E N C Y .— A re tu rn ju s t published in • M adras shows th a t tea is grown in th ree districts of th e presidency, namely in M adura, M alabar, and the Nilgiris. In the two first nam ed d istricts there are only five plantations, bu t on th e Nilgiris there are 79. T he to ta l average of land under tea is returned a t 2,573 acres against 9,123 acres of land taken up ; the acreage of land w ith im m ature p lan ts is re turned a t 1,705. The approxim ate yield of te a of all the estates is re tu rned a t 649,460 lb., the cost of cultivation varying from Rs. 50 to 200 per acre.—Englishm an.

How to E x t e r m in a t e C o c k r o a c h e s .— I would recom ­m end “ G-. H .” to get a p in t of beer, and to heat it in a saucepan, dissolving as m uch sugar in it as will sweeten it nicely. T hen procure two or three common 1 lb. jelly cans, till them half full w ith the beer and sugar and stand them where the cockroaches are likely to run. P u t them down in the evening, and in the m orning he will have from six to a dozen of th e pests in each ja r. The same m ixture will do for two nights, when if desired the dose should be repeated. As the ja rs are sm ooth outside, it is desirable to tie some rough m aterial round about them such as a bit of n e t­tin g or shading m aterial. I found th is plan more effectual th a n any poison I could procure.— T h o s . F r a s e r , The Gardens, Gordon House, Islew orth.— Gardeners' Chronicle.

O r a n g e T r e e s i n P o t s .-—As the fru it is approaching th e ripening stage, i t is necessary no t only to w ith­hold m anure water, bu t w ater of any k ind m ust be given carefully, else the rapid swelling of the f lin t bursts th e skin and spoils it. I f there are trees w ith ripe fru it, they m ay be removed in to a la te vinery where Grapes are hanging. I t is one of the good fru its of the Orange tree th a t it m ay be removed from a warm to a cool house, or vice versa t w ithout any probability of constitutional derangem ent. The fru it may hang on th e trees un til i t is wanted, and when cu tting it a few leaves should also be cut w ith it. W hen the trees with ripe fru it can be moved in th is way, it allows of the rig h t kind of trea tm ent being given to those th a t may be bearing fru it not fully developed. The tem perature should be kep t up to 65° or 70° a t night, if th e fru it is green.—F . D o u g l a s , Loxford.— Gardeners' Chronicle.

J a l a p .—A note was read by Mr. T. Greenish, on “ Some Samples of Jam aica-grow n Ja lap ,-’ sent to th e Curator of the Museum of the Pharm aceutical Society by Mr. D. Morris, D irector of the Botanical G ardens of Jam aica. One sample consisted of small tubers and another of slices of larger ones, The slices of the tubers had been (hied by artificial heat, and they bore evidence of having been heated while still moist. The tubers lost 17*3 per cent, of w ater between 220° and 225° F ., the slices 14*1 per cent. The tubers con­tained 8*27 i>er cent, of resin insoluble in ether (M ayer’s “ convolvulin ”) and 0*86 of resin soluble in ether. The sliced tubers contained 8-68 of insoluble resin and 1*21 of soluble resin, these am ounts being in each case cal­culated on the dry substance, shoving th a t Jam aica- grown jalap yields less resin th an the average of good Mexican jalap, and th a t i t approaches more nearly to th a t grown by Mr. Sm ith in the B otanical G ardens of T rin ity College, Dublin f P/m r;«. Journ., [2], vol. x., p. 549J. Professor T iehbom e said he considered the growth of large tubers of ja lap to lie a m istake, as he had always found them to be deficient in resin. Mr. Young, however, said th a t a C alcutta firm, in ordering jalap, had desired to be supplied w ith the largest obtainable tubers. I t may be rem arked th a t the tubers examined were the result of Mr. H anbury’s introduction of jalap in to Jam aica in 1862.— Pharm aceutical Journal.

T e a a t N l t n i N o v g o r o d .— Of all the articles of trade which come to court public favour in N ijni, the m ost im portant and valuable is tea, and, although th e Moscow m erchants, by the excellence of th e ir seafaring tea, chiefly im ported from Odessa, have alm ost entirely driven from the m arket the K iakhta, or caravan tea, still one- ten th of the enormous quan tity of tea sold here is grown in the north of China, and comes overland. I was curious to compare the tas te of some of the very b e s to fh o f i qualities, and was brought to the conclusion, confirmed by the opinion of gentlem en in terested in the sale of sea­faring tea, th a t, although some of th e ir own is m ore high-flavoured aud stronger, there is in the K iakhta tea an exquisite delicacy arising from its exposure to the air during its 12 m onths’ journey in its loose and clumsy paper and sheepskin bundles, whsch rids i t of tann in and o ther gross substances, a process of purifica­tion which cannot be effected in the herm etically closed boxes it reaches E urope by the sea ro u te ; so th a t if seafaring tea, like portwine, easily commends itself to the taste , and nerves of a strong, hardw orking m an. a dainty refined lady would give preference to a cup oi' K iakhta tea . as she would to a glass of C hateau Yquem.— Times o f In d ia .

T i m b e r i n B r i t i s h C o l u m b ia .-—Though the ag ricu lt­ural capabilities of British Columbia m ay no t be so great as o ther parts of Canada, its m ines are doubtless very rich, and from a recent report of Professor Daw­son, of the Dominion Geological Survey, its forests are of great im portance. M any first-class mills have liven established in various parts of the country, and the to ta l annual product is sta ted to be about 200,000,000 feet, of which 25,000,000 feet is exported to o ther countries, 25,000,000 feet used a t home, and 150,000,000 feet sent to California. Professor Dawson estim ates th a t110,000,000 acres (or tw o-thirds of the whole province) are covered w ith tim ber. The Douglas F ir, or Oregon Pine, is the m ost valuable commercial tree. I t fre ­quently exceeds 8 feet in diam eter above the ground, and rises to a height of from 200 to 300 feet, form ing large and dark forests. The W estern Hem lock and R ed Cedar are the o ther im portan t trees of th e province, both of which, the la tte r especially, grow to a great size. W hen the great plains of Canada become populous, the mines and forests of B ritish Columbia should be of great im portance, and their produce ought to proride a large and profitable traffic for the C anadiaiiPacificR ailw ay.— I .Times.

C o f f e e L e a f D is e a s e in J av a .— The coffee leaf disease during the past year has no t only continued to spread in the plantations a t the westward end of the Island of Java, hu t has also appeared in several gardens in the central region. As the subject in question is u n ­fortunately of in terest to some of our colonies, the notes furnished by her M ajesty’s Consul in regard to it m ay prove to he of some value. A commission was appointed by th e Governm ent of N etherlands Ind ia to investigate th e origin1 of the disease, and their re ­port tends to show th a t it is m ostly m et w ith on poor or worked-out ground, and th a t the succession of wet seasons has greatly spread the contagion; it is, how­ever, hoped th a t a recurrence of iiorrnaally dry years will cause a m arked decrease in th e percentage of trees attacked. The presence of th e disease is in Jav a de­tected in two ways, v iz .: e ither by the appearance of light green spots on the upper side of the leaf, or by th e presence underneath of an orange-coloured kind of dust. In p lan ts severely attacked, the leaves tu rn black or brown, and rapidly fall oft*. T he chief Governm ent inspector in Jav a recommends the adoption of the fol­lowing simple m easures for the suppression of the disease. — 1. The hoeing up of the ground surrounding the trees beyond the spread of the branches to the depth of abot six inches, leaving the clods turned up in tac t.2. The construction of ditches, or holes about eighteen inches deep between every interm ediate row of p lants, desturbing the earth dug out proportionately over the garden. 3. In regular gardens o r wherever th e con­

struction of ditches is impossible, the form ation of holes about eighteen inches in diam eter a t an interval of every four trees, dispersing th e turned-up earth am ongst th e plants. 4. T he careful m anuring of the ground a t th e distance of about a foot from the stem of each tree, and covering the m anure w ith [earth.— Colonies and Ind ia .

O lives.— From the Colonies and Ind ia comes the news th a t a t the Botanic G ardens of Cape Town a bushel of olives has been gathered, and in consequence of this proof th a t th is fru it can be grown a t th e Cape the Stellenbosch fanners have seriously resolved to under­take olive-planting as a new branch of agricultural in ­dustry. I t may be hoped, therefore, th a t th is colony m ay soon be able to supply olive oil as good or better th an th a t produced in Europe. Indeed there is little reason why our extensive colonies should no t supply all the drugs for which a t present we are dependent on other countries.

Ipecac.— D uring the present m onth there have been vffered a t the drug sales in London, 5 bales of false ipecacuanha (Ion id ium Ipecacuanha ), false s ta r anise {illic iu m relirjiosum), and a large quan tity of Ind ian dill seed (291 bags). The last is easily distinguished from E nglish dill seed by being more elongated and narrower, more convex, of a paler colour, and slightly different odour. Ion id ium can scarcely be confounded w ith ipe­cacuanha, on account of its dirty white colour, branched habit and freedom from transverse annular ridges. M ark­ing nu ts (Semecarpus Anacardium ) and the b itte r seeded cardamom, chiefly w ithout the husk, were also offered.— Phamnaceutical Journal.

C uprea B ark .— In Messrs. G ehe’s report for Septem ber some sta rtling sta tis tics are published respecting the “ c u p re a M bark th a t has recently acquired such im port­ance as a source of quinine, which m ay well raise doubts as to the uniform character of th e product th a t will soon appear in the m arket under th is nam e. A correspondent, to whom th is firm applied for inform ation, s ta te s th a t the distric t in the province of Santander, Colombia, in which th is bark was originally found, is now being worked by two companies, employing between them seventeen hundred men. As each m an is estim ated to he able to collect 20 lb. of bark daily, or equal to 8£ lb. of dry bark, th is num ber of m en would be able to collect iu th irty days upwards of 400,000 lb. of dry bark, and enormous as th is quan tity m ay appear, the con­signm ents being sent in by the collectors appeared to indicate th a t it would be exceeded. T he original “ cu- p r e a h a r k yielded about 2 per cent of quinine sulphate, and if th is harvest were of equal quality it would repre­sen t more th an 8,000 lb. of quinine sulphate. In con­firm ation of these sta tem ents it may be m entioned th a t during the past week 8,000 serous of “ c u p re a '’ bark were im ported in to London. The eflect of these enorm ­ous consignm ents upon the price of quinine is already felt. Messrs. Gelie also m ention having received from th e Argentine Republic specimens of the bark, leaves, fru it, etc., of a num ber of p lan ts used in th a t country as popular remedies. Some of these possibly may become objects of inquiry, so they m ay he briefly m entioned here. “ Durazuillo ” (Oestrum pseudoyuina , M art. : Sola- naceaj): leaves and root hark m uch used in fevers and bowel complaints. “ Chucn ” (Xieremheryia hippomaniea, Miers : Solanacc;c): produces cold fever in anim als ea t­ing i t ; and Zanthoxylum Coco (Rutaceie) used as a remedy for the effects of “ chucu.” “ C h a n a r” (Gourliea decorticans, G il l . : Legum inoste): fru it used in disorders of chest and lungs; the bark used by midwives. Z izy- phus M istol, G riseb .: fru it a powerful diuretic. “ Pi- q u illin ” (Coudalia lineatat G riseb .: Rhanumceie) : used as a laxative, especially for children. Celtis T a la , Gill. (U rticaceie): infusion of leaves used in affections of the chest. M artynia montevidiensis, Cham. (Gesncraceae) : seeds used iu affections of the eye. Prosopis T in titaco (Leg- um inosic): fru it diuretic. “ Topns Aire ” (Comoositfe): used in alfections of the eye.— Pharm aceutical Journal

A m e r ic a n M a iz e i n I n d ia .— Some very successful ex­perim ents in th e cultivation of a few of the best speciea of American m aize have been conducted th is year in the K ulu d istrict, by th e Rev. Mr. M. C arleton, who, for some years past, has been living there. Some splendid specimens of sta lks and cobs of the different descriptions of maize, and large quan tity of seed, lmve been sent to the P unjab Governm ent and d istrict officers, and the L ieuten­ant-G overnor, as -a m ark of his appreciation of the serv­ices of Rev. Mr. Carleton, and to encourage him in his efforts to improve and increase the food-supply of the Province, has given him a g ran t of R500. The fol­lowing particulars regarding the experim ents will in terest m any of our readers. M am m oth D ent corn, a new variety, said to yield in America, under high cultivation, up to 130 bushels per acres. In Kulu under fairly good cu ltivation , a crop of nearly 100 bushels per acre lias been grown, and th e Rev. M r. Carleton considers

| th a t th is description surpasses all th a t he lias ever in- ] troduced. B lu n t's F ield com : th is variety was introduced ! las t y e a r ; i t bears from four to six cobs per stalk ,| and promises well. W estern white c o m : th e Rev. Mr. j Carleton introduced^ th is variety four years ago, and it j lias done rem arkably well seemingly in th is country.

Longfellow 's F ield com : th is variety comes from the extrem e N orthern S tates, especially New E ngland, and is regarded as one of th e m ost prolific of all the northern varieties. I t ripens very early, tak ing only about seventy days to grow. T he crop of th is class was unfortunately alm ost entirely destroyed by monkeys. W e wish the reverend gentlem an every success in his experim ents, which h itherto have been conducted entirely a t bis own expense. The sample cobs of com grown by him would ra th er siu'prise some of our Ind ian agri­cu ltu ris ts.— C iv il and M ilita ry Gazette.

✓ S c ie n c e a n d I n s e c t a n d F u n g u s P e s t s .— In 1842, Steen- strup published his celebrated work on the ‘ A lternation of G enerations,’ in which he showed th a t m any species are represented by two perfectly d istinct types or broods, differing in form, structu re, and h a b i t ; th a t in one of them m ales are entirely w anting, and th a t the re­production is effected by fission, or by buds, which, however, are in some cases structurally indistinguishable from eggs. S teensirap’s illustrations were m ainly taken from m arine or parasitic species, of very great in terest, b u t no t generally fam iliar, excepting to natu ra lists. I t lias since been shown th a t the common Bynips or Gallfly is also a case in point. I t had long been known th a t in some genera belonging to th is group, m ales are entirely w anting, and it has now been shown by B assett, and more thoroughly by Adler, th a t some of these species are double-brooded; the two broods h aring been considered as d istinct genera. T hus an insect known as N euroterus lenticularis, of which females only occur, produces the fam iliar oakspangles so common on the under sides of oak leaves, from which emerge, no t N euroterus len ticu l­aris, but an insect h itherto considered as a d istinct species, belonging even to a different genus, Spathe-

j gaster baccarum . In Spatliegaster both sexes o c c u r ;I they produce the currant-like galls found on oaks, and

from those galls N euroterus is again developed. So also the King Charles oak-apples produce a species known as T etras term inalis, which descends to the ground, and m akes sm all galls on the roots of the oak. F rom these emerge an insect known as Biorliiza ap tera , which again gives rise to the common oak-apple. I t m ight seem th a t such inquiries as these could hardly have any practical bearing. Yet it is no t improbable th a t they m ay lead to very im portant results. F or instance, i t would appear th a t the fluke which produces the ro t in sheep, passes one phase of its existence in th e black slug and we are not w ithout hopes th a t the researches, in which our lam ented friend Professor Rollestou was engaged a t the tune of his death, which we all so m uch deplore, will lead, if not to the extirpation, a t any ra te to the dim inution, of a pest from which our farm ers have so grieviously sullered.—Pharm aceutical Journal.

C O F F E E L E A F F U N G U S :MIL M A R S H A L L W A R D ’S R E P O R T A N D MR.

SC H R O T T K Y 'S E X P E R IM E N T S W IT H C A R B O LIC A CID .

T he follow ing correspondence has been se n t to us for p u b lic a tio n :—

From E u g e n e C . S c h r o t t k y , to t h e H on. t h e C o l o ­n i a l S e c r e t a r y , Colombo.

S i r , —In p arag raph 20 of th e C ryp togam ist’s th ird rep o rt on Coffee Leaf D isease, la te ly pub lished as a Session il P aper, reference is m ade to experim ents w ith carbolic acid.

1. A s th e sh o rt accoun t th e re deals chiefly w ith experim ents th a t have been ca rrie d on fo r th e las t year u n d er m y d irec tion and by m y advice, au d as i t is in a g rea t m easure in co rrec t n o t only in i ts de ta iled s ta te m e n ts b u t also in its general conclusions, I have been asked to fu rn ish you w ith an a u th o r ita tiv e account of these experim ents, so th a t i t m ay be p laced on record su p p lem en ta ry to p arag raph 20 of th e sa id R eport. I have now th e h onour to do so, in ju stice to m yself aud in th e in te re s ts of yo u r g o ­vern m en t and th e colony. M y professional w ork as an ag ricu ltu ra l chem ist having before th is come to th e no tice of y o u r governm ent w ith some apprecia­tio n (v ide Colonial S ecre ta ry ’s le t te r to me of th e 4 th N ovem ber 1876), I t r u s t I sha ll be considered ju stified in th u s officially addressing you.

2. In Ihe r6snm6 of m y w ork, addressed to th e P la n te rs ’ A ssociation, I b rough t m y experim en ts u nder tw o d istin c tiv e heads, th e 1st being a tte m p ts to ren d e r th e condition of th e sap of th e coffee tree , to som e g rea te r o r less ex ten t, unsu itab le fo r th e su p ­p o rt and developm ent of th e fungus, th e 2nd being ex perim en ts w ith to p ica lly d es tru c tiv e applications of su itab le chem icals.

3 . In h is rem ark s on th e 1st se t of experim ents, th e C ryp togam ist has p e rsis ted in g iv ing th e sam e p ecu liar exposition of th e p rincip les on w hich I w o rk ed an d of th e o b jec t I had in view, as he had done prev iously in public p r in t, an d w hich on th a t occasion was co rrec ted bo th b y th e p ress aud by professional m en, w ho s ty le d th is sa id exposition as un fa ir.

W h en I com m enced these ex perim en ts, I con­te n d e d th a t as th e re w ere on n early every esta te a ce rta in n um ber of ind ividual tree s w hich, year a fte r year, are know n, p rac tica lly speak ing ,- n o t to suffer from leaf disease, while th e su rro u n d in g ones are heav ily affected (all ex te rn a l conditions being ap p a r­e n tly sim ilar), an d as on th e o th e r h an d th e re are o th er in d iv id u a l trees on w hich th e disease ex ists in a chronic s ta te , w hich are scarcely ever free from it , though a ll th e re s t of th e e s ta te m ay be unaffected b y it, these facts, I a rg u ed , fu rn ish in d irec t evidence th a t th e re a re ce rta in unk n o w n conditions of th e coffee tree w hich a re e ith e r p a rticu la rly favour­ab le or unfavourab le to th e developm ent of th e dis- e»se.

4. T he C ryp togam ist has g iven us no ex p lan a tio n of th ese established fac ts w ell know n to every p lan te r (he convenien tly ignores th e ir existence), an d the above a rgum en ts m ust, therefore , be accep ted as sound an d com patib le w ith our p resen t know ledge of th e life h is to ry of th e fungus. H is s ta te m e n t th a t he h as fa iled to obtain an y evidence of a special pred isposition of th e tree to the disease cannot, of course, be ta k e n to do aw ay w ith th e fac t th a t such predisposition ex ists on th e p a r t of ind iv id u a l trees.

5. Such d ire c t evidence as th e C ryp togam ist seems to requ ire to confirm fac ts of prac tica l observation w ill, in m y opinion, never be fo rthcom ing w ith our p re sen t chem ical an d m icroscopical m eans of research , no m ore so th a n an y d ire c t evidence could be pro-

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duced w hy vaccination d im in ishes the n a tu ra l liab i­l i ty to infection from sm allpox.

T he cause is too su b tle —th e fac t rem ains.6. H old ing these views I proceeded to ascerta in

how fa r th e presence o r prevalence of certain chem ic­als in th e sap of th e coffee t re e could produce conditions e ith e r favourab le o r unfavourab le to th e es tab lish m en t of th e fungus in th e stom a of th e leaf o r to i ts developm ent. To avoid an y erro r in m istak in g th e cause of an y observed effect, I d id n o t choose to le t these chem icals be absorbed by th e roo ts b u t caused th e ir d irec t absorp tion in to th e sap of th e tre e la te ra lly , th ro u g h th e cam bium cells of th e s te m . T h is novel idea , in co rrec tness of princip le fu lly accep ted by local ex p erts in vegetab le chem is­try , w as, I re g re t to say , g re a tly m ade use of by th e C ryp togam ist to th row d oub t upon th e bena Jides of m y experim ents. M y proceedings w ere sa id to be opposed to a ll know n law s of vegetable physiology, p resum ab ly because “ N o one has succeeded in proving th a t e ith e r stem or leaf can abso rb w ate r th ro u g h th e ir co rky o r cu ticu la r coverings to an appreciab le e x te n t” ; (so th e C ryp togam ist s ta te s in h is le t te r to M r. T albo t, 28 th Ja n u a ry 1881).

I t becam e a question as to w ho w as m ore com ­p e te n t to a u th o r ita tiv e ly decide th is po in t. I t was defin ite ly se ttled by m y experim ents a t H o lb ro o k ” p rov ing th a t such absorp tion in th e case of th e stem can tak e place to an e x te n t th a t I m yself would have th o u g h t a lm ost im possible.

7. D eta ils of th e inocu la tion experim ents, th e ir r e ­su lts and th e genera l conclusions th e y led to , you w ill find in enclosure.

A s th e p la n tin g pub lic have been fu lly in form ed by m e th a t even th e m ost prom ising of these ex ­perim en ts, on accoun t of th e evanescen t ch a rac te r of th e effects an d th e d anger to th e tree, he ld o u t no hope to m e th a t I m ig h t find p rac tica l m eans to m itig ­a te th e ravages of th e disease b y influencing th e condition of th e tre e , it is d ifficult to u n d e rs ta n d w hy th e C ryp togam ist th o u g h t i l necessary to refe r to i t in h is repo rt.

8. Y ou w ill observe from enclosure t h a t on seven d ifferen t es ta te s careful o bservation h ad estab lish ed th a t th e m ain effect of inocu lation w ith carbolic acid consisted in ren d e rin g th e m a jo rity of p in -spo ts b a rre n . A s every p in -sp o t appears capable under favourab le circum stances of p roducing 150,000 spores, I th in k I w as ju stified in considering th e effect of th e tre a tm e n t in th e lig h t of a beneficial re su lt an d as an im p o rtan t s te p in th e r ig h t d irection .

T h e C ry p to g am ist’s s ta te m e n t th a t “ exam ination on th e sp o t convinced h im th a t no tem porary benefits w ere se cu re d ,” entirely unsupported as it is, is alm ost puerile in face of th e large te s tim o n y of b o th p ra c t­ica l an d scientific observers to th e co n tra ry .

I t was of couise q u ite w ith in th e C ry p to g am ist’s prov ince to show th a t we w ere w rong in o u r d eductions as regards th ese experim en ts, b u t in o rd er to m ake a s ta te m e n t lik e th e above ju stifiab le , he oug h t to have supported i t by overw helm ing proof, shew ing :—

1st. W h y th e n on -fru iting of th e m a jo rity of p in- spots on th e tre a te d areas, considering th a t in a d ­jo in ing u n tre a te d areas th is f ru itin g had free ly ta k e n place d u rin g th e sam e period of observation , cou ld n o t be considered “ a tem p o ra ry b en efit.” Or

2nd. To w h a t o th e r cause or causes th is non-fru iting of th e fungus on tre a te d areas cou ld lie a ttr ib u te d .

9. I t is w ith som e re lu c tan ce th a t I go in to these len g th y d e ta ils regard ing ex p erim en ts th a t have led to no p rac tica l re su lts in m y hands, b u t my o b jec t in th u s shew ing th a t no th ing w o rth y of th e nam e of proof has been advanced b y th e C ryp to g am ist ag a in s t th e p rinc ip les an d arg u m en ts w hich gu ided m e in these said ex perim en ts is— to leave th e way open for some m ore successful ex perim en ts in th is d irec tion .

A ny one therefo re , professing to hav e d iscovered a m ethod or m eans by w h ich th e cond ition of th e sap of th e coflee tree can be ren d ered m ore o r less u n su itab le to th e developm ent of th e fungus, shou ld n o t be considered p r im a fa c ie undeserv ing of en­couragem ent and of a carefu l tr ia l of h is m ethod .

10. T he C ryp togam ist th e n passes on to refer to th e second set of m y experim ents based on w h a t he is p leased to te rm “ sounder” princip les. A s a m a t­te r of fac t th e re are no p rincip les a t a ll invo lved in these experim ents. T he fungus is e x te rn a l to a large ex ten t, easily accessible, an d i t w as m erely a q u es­tio n of em piric tr ia l to decide w h a t substance or com bination of substances w ould destroy i t w ith o u t affecting in ju riously th e coffee Iree.

H ere , i t m ay n o t be o u t of place to m ention th a t th e c ryp togam ist’s p rim a fa c ie rejection of m etallic poisons as likely to be in ju rio u s to the roots of th e trees is n o t justified , as th e scil has a pecu liar pow er of decom posing th e sam e an d th u s rendering th em insoluble an d innocuous. I have only to p o in t ou t t h a t m eta llic poisons are co n s tan tly used for sim ilar purposes w ith no ill effect to v eg e ta tio n , s ing ling o u t th e successful b a ttle w ith th e Colorado beeile as an illu s tra tiv e exam ple.

F o r the d es tru c tio n of H em ile ia I hav e se lected on th e basis of com parative tr ia ls w ith a g re a t nu m ­b e r of su itab le substances, (am ong w hich su lp h u r and lim e,) carbolic acid as m ost su itab le a n d efficient.

T he p roperties of carbolic ac id , i t seem s necessary to re ite ra te , a re tw o fold. In its co n cen tra ted an d uncom bined form i t is h ig h ly caustic an d d es troys organic com pounds by b reak in g up th e ir tissu e ; b u t in certain com bined form s or in a h ig h ly d i lu t d s ta te its cau stic ity ceases an d th e n i ts second p ro ­p e r ty , th a t of a m ost pow erfu l an tise p tic even in m ost a tte n u a te d d ilu tions, comes a lrn e in to p lay . In its presence no fungoid form s of certa in ty p es can develop w ith o u t m ore o r less im m edia te collapse, and to th is is due its g re a t efficacy as a d is in fec tan t w hich has deservedly ra ised i t in th e estim atio n of th e public, above o th er d isin fec tan ts , such as su lphurous acid, p erm anganate of potash , su lp h a te of iron , chloride of lim e, etc. In em ploying i t ag a in s t coffee leaf-disease 1 have relied en tire ly on th is second p ro p e rty ; by using i t in a com bined form , I have g re a tly reduced i ts caustic ity , an d by b ind ing i t in th e form of a d ry pow der have enabled th e p lan te r to fu rth e r d ilu te i t w ith an y th in g su itab le a n d to app ly i t in th e form of d u s t to th e trees.

T he pow der is m uch lig h te r and can be app lied in m ore perfect m anner th an th e su lp h u r and lim e m ix tu re .

11. A t an early stage of m y experim en ts I had published a descrip tion of th e m ain com position of th is pow der. T h e C ryp to g am ist k in d ly co rrec ts me an d s ta te s : “ an in tim a te m ix tu re of fine clay pow der con tain ing 12 to 15 p e r cent, of carbolic acid is m ixed w ith lim e .”

I beg to h an d you th e follow ing : —Colombo, 12th November 1881,

E . C. Schrottky, Esq., Colo.ribo.D e a r S i r ,—In reply to your enquiries we beg to sta te

th a t we have prepared the carbolized powder sent for use in vr.ur experiments against coffee leaf-disease on ‘Peradeniya,’ 1 Pallekelle,’ ‘ Gleneagles,’ ‘ Gangapitiya,’ and other estates strictly in accordance with your instructions, and th a t tbe same would be wrongly described as a m ixture of clay and carbolic acid,—no substances of the nature of clay entering into its preparation.— We are dear sirs, yours faithfully, L e w i s B r o w n & Co.

I t m akes of course some difference w h eth ere m are m echanical m ix tu re of c lay and carbolic acid o r a chem ical com pound of th e sam e is em ployed.

12. Y ou w ill find in enclosure m y sta te m e n ts to th e effect th a t th e pow der, as u sed by m e, p a r ts slow ly w ith i ts carbolic acid in th e form of vapour, th a t th is said vapour is d is tin c tly noticeable u n d e r o rd in ary

circum stances for ab o u t 8 to 10 d ay s after each a p p lica ­tio n , th a t fu rth e r , th e pow der tou ch in g by n a tu re of i ts d is tr ib u tio n th e d ifferen t e x te rn a l form s of th e fungus e ith e r on the leaves o r sc a tte red elsew here ab o u t th e area, as w ell as th e vapour given off by i t , i t w ill have a m axim um effect w hen th e re a re h eav y dews or s lig h t show ers a f te r th e ap p lica tion to su p p ly th e m oistu re necessary fo r (absolute) co n tac t, an d t h a t I advised no t less th a n tw o ap p lica tio n s ' follow ing a t an in te rv a l of ten days.

T he spores an d o th e r form s of th e fungus would there fo re be k e p t, by th is sa id trea tm en t, in an a tm osphere ta in te d w ith carbolic acid fo r a m in im um of tw e n ty d ay s ; th e y w ould be sub jec ted to th e influence of condensed m oistu re , such as dew , o r of show ers of rain , th u s enab ling th e pow der to estab lish co n tac t w here i t touches th e spores etc. an d likew ise d isso lv ­ing th e vaporized carbolic ac id and m ak ing i t effectual w here th e pow der does n o t a c tu a lly tou ch th e fungus.

13. B eing fu lly aw are of th ese s ta te m e n ts on m y p a r t, th e C ryp to g am ist now describes in th e p a rag rap h u n d e r com m ent, an ex p erim en t se ttin g fo rth t h a t spores sub jec ted to th e ac tion of an a tm osphere co n ­ta in in g vaporized carbo lic acid for 24 hou rs h a d g erm inated an d th a t the re fo re as w ith o th e r re a g e n ts th e germ inal tu b es w ill have to be a tta c k e d w ith a solution of th e acid. T h is experim ent has been w rongly q u o ted by th e C ry p to g am ist au d supplies no d a ta b earing in any w ay on th e m erits of th e carbo lic ac id vaporization process, as recom m ended by m e.

T h e C ryp togam ist om its to use th e pow der w hich I o r o th ers w ould have g lad ly supp lied h im w ith , h e keeps th e spores only for 24 hours in co n tac t w ith a carbolized atm osphere, an d he fails to su p p ly th e condensed m oistu re necessary fo r co n tac t.

14. I fail to reconcile some of th e C ry p to g am ist’s fu rth e r s ta te m e n ts regard ing th e ac tion of th e p o w d er on th e fungus. H e says : “ I t is t ru e th a t w here w a te r is in co n tac t w ith th e pow der a so lu tion is ob ta ined sufficiently s tro n g to k ill germ inal tu b es , b u t th e diffusion of th is over th e leaf is a v e ry slow process ” and th e n fu r th e r on— “ b u t such a so lu tion is n o t produced in th e w ay described in th e e x p e ri­m en ts a t G leneagles, P a llek e lly , e tc .”

I t o u g h t su re ly n o t be necessary for m e to p o in t o u t th a t n a tu re is no t sufficiently p re ju d iced to w ith ­h o ld dew an d ra in , w hich th e C ryp to g am ist considers affords sufficient m o istu re to form a so lu tion in th e case of th e su lp h u r a n d lim e tre a tm e n t, so p ro m in e n tly b ro u g h t fo rw ard b y him .

15. T here rem ains now only for me to deal w ith th e C ryp to g am ist’s opinion “ th a t m ore m ig h t be done w ith some m odification of th e pow der, i f i t w ere n o t fo r th e fac t th a t the accumulated powder and solution are a source o f danger a t the roots.” T h is is i l lu s tra te d by an experim en t, shew ing th a t a m ix tu re of carbo lic acid pow der an d lim e was sp rin k led ro u n d the trees, th e n w a te red fo r th ree w eeks an d th a t th e re su lts w ere d isastrous to th e trees. T here are, how ever, no d e ta ils g iven as to w hether th e o rd in a ry carbo lic acid pow der (w hich is a m ix tu re of clay an d acid) o r th e special p rep ared pow der as used by me h as been em ployed ; th e age and cond ition of th e trees are n o t given, n o r th e q u a n tity of pow der used p e r tree , n o r th e am o u n t of w a te r p er sq u a re foo t w h ich has been consum ed in w a te rin g these said trees fo r th re e weeks. I n th e absence of these d e ta ils I canno t fu r th e r com m ent upon th is experim ent.

Suffice i t to say th a t my ex perim en ts e ith e r on sm all o r la rge areas hav e y ie lded sufficient ev idence to enable m e to s ta te th a t th e re is n e ith er now n o r has th e re been a t an y previous stage th e slig h tes t reason to th ink th a t th e carbolized pow der in th e w ay and m anner in w hich i ts use has been recom m ended by m e, has affected o r is like ly to affect th e tre e s in ju rio u sly th ro u g h i ts being w ashed dow n to th e ro o ts .

T h e n a tu re of carbolic ac id , an essen tia l organ ic | com pound, m akes an accum ulation th e reo f in th e so il, ! im possible. j

16. In connection w ith th is sub jec t th e C ryp to- g am ist says o r is m ade to say by th e p r in te r : “ (T he j

effects of even a d ilu ted so lu tion of carbo lic ac id a t ! th e roo ts a re d isastrous, though in th e case of a la rg e j s tro n g t re e th ey be to a ce rta in e x te n t m ask ed by o th e r changes. B u t observations on w hole e s ta tes p rove th e sam e.” T here is som e e rro r in th is la s t s ta te m e n t. N o such observations have been made.

17. I have, of course, n o t en te red upon these ex ­perim en ts w ith o u t fu lly considering th e possible effect of th e tre a tm e n t in a ll i ts bearings an d o u r p resen t chem ical know ledge of th e p roperties of carbolic acid in com bined and uncom bined form s justifies m y saying th a t used as recom m ended by me, th e d anger to th e trees of accum ululion of th e sa id pow der in th e soil j app rehended by th e C ryp togam ist, is g roundless . !

18. A s p rac tica lly of m ore value th a n th e above ! rem ark s I have th e honor to ap pend to th is th e re su lt so far of th e carbolized pow der tre a tm e n t on tw o es ta tes. I have selected these tw o estates from am ong fo u r on w hich m y advice n o t to opera te on less th a n 100 acres has been tak en , as sufficiently rep re ­se n ta tiv e to il lu s tra te w h a t success and w hat fa ilu re ! has resulted so far, if w e ta k e as a m easure th e I e x te n t to w hich th e tre a tm e n t has succeeded in k eep ing I th e a rea p rac tica lly free from leaf-disease. j

Y ou w ill observe th a t even in th e case of w h a t 1 I s ty le a failu re , im p o rta n t beneficial re su lts have been ob ta ined an d m u st be a t tr ib u te d to th e m itiga- ! tio n of th e disease by th e t r e a tm e n t ; b u t th ese are co lla te ra l benefits a p a r t from th e m ain question and m ay for th e p re sen t be le f t o u t of cotint.

I s ta te d nearly six m onths ago in m y resum i th a t th e degree of success w ill depend on how and when th e app lica tio n s are given. E xperience has enab led me now to em phasize th is s ta te m e n t. F u ll d e ta ils w ill be g iven by me in due tim e, w hen th e p la n tin g public w ill rouse itse lf to action. In th e m eanw hile I m ay say th a t I can on ly d irec t an d advise : th e success of th e tre a tm e n t, if success th e re is to be, rests w ith th e p la n te r ; and if therefo re es ta tes th a t have passed successfully th rough th e period ica l sou th -w est m onsoon a tta c k of th e disease g e t equally w ell th ro u g h th e n o rth -eas t m onsoon a ttack , th e p lan tin g com m unity w ill owe a d e b t of g ra titu d e to th o se of its m em ­b ers w ho, o th e r c ircum s'ances as tim e of app lica tion e tc ., being m ost favourable , have successfu lly battled th e disea-e b y possessing to an em inen t degree th e tw o qualities, essen tia lly necessary fo r a w o rk of th is j k in d viz :—p a t i e n c e and p e r s e v e r a n c e .

T h e su b jec t m a tte r of th is com m unication being of j

considerable general in te re st, I have ta k e n th e lib e rty j o f sending copies thereo f to th e C ham ber of Commerce, I th e P la n te rs ’ A ssociation an d Ihe Press, for th e ir ! in fo rm a tio n .— I have th e honor to be, sir, y o u r m ost obed ien t se rv an t, j

E u g e n e C. S c h r o t t k y , j

T echnical an d A g ricu ltu ra l C hem ist, e tc. 'Colombo, 16th N ovem ber 1881. |

A P P E N D IX A. |Failure o f the Carbolized Pow der Treatm ent a t Cleneagles \

Estate, A grapatana .1st application in M ay. M anagem ent changed end

of M ay. P re sen t m anager w rites to M essrs. W h itts 11 ft Co., Ju n e 20 th , 1881 :— “ To th e naked eye M r. S c h ro ttk y ’s tre a tm e n t has h ad a very m arked effect on th e fu n g u s ...I ca lcu la te th a t from 70 to 75 % of j

th e fungus has been d e s tro y e d ; an d th o u g h disco- ; loured in places, th e leaves s till ap p ear to perform | th e ir functions an d do n o t fall w hen th e tree is ! sh ak en , as in th e case of diseased leaves. ” I t was

observed th a t th e fa ll of leaf h a d been less a t th a t period th a n on su rro u n d in g es ta te s a n d a ca re fu l investiga tion w as m ade. L eav ing ou t d e ta ils th e m anager w rites :— “ T he foregoing figures on an a ly s is show th a t G leneagles h ad lost p e r t re e 11 leaves from d isease a n d from 16 to 17 leaves d u e to o th e rcau ses ; w h ile an ad jo in ing e s ta te j— E . C. S .] hadlo st p e r tre e 82 leaves from disease, an d 10 leaves from o th e r causes. T he above figures I purpose v e r i­fy ing some 3 w eeks or one m onth a f te r th e n e x t a p p li­ca tion , b u t th e y are in th e presen t in stan ce as cor r e , ; as an y can be, an d we have satisfied our.-elves th a t now here on o th e r p o rtions of th e e s ta te was th e re a g re a te r fall of leaf th a n on th e fields se lec ted for inv estig a tio n . I th in k , th e re fo re , th e re can be l i t t le d o u b t t h a t if th e vaporisa tion has n o t en tire ly e ra d i­cated leaf d isease i t has p reven ted to a very g re a t e x te n t a heavy fall of le a f .”

II .A neig h b o u rin g p la n te r hav ing seen G leneagles

before th e tre a tm e n t an d h av ing ta k e n p a r t in th e inspection w rites to M essrs. W h itta l l & Co. 24 th Ju n e 1881:— “ 1 have been in th e l-ab it of seeing th e coffee in th e field above th e road to G leneagles bungalow from tim e to tim e d u rin g th e la s t y ea r and I have o ften observed th a t th is p a r tic u la r field was one of the p a r ts m ost su b je c t to leaf d isease on G len ­eagles o r on th e ad jo in ing es ta tes. Six w eeks ago i t w as suffering from a very 1 ad a tta c k an d w hen I w e n t u p w ith M r. S ch ro ttk y on th e day o f tre a tm e n t, I called h is a tte n tio n to th e fac t th a t here leaf d is ­ease w as to be found in its m ost acu te form . I can now say th a t th is field a t lea s t seems to have been cured b y th e vaporization , fo r I have never seen i t fo r th e la s t 12 m onths m ore free from leaf disease th a n it is a t p resen t. B egard ing th e co m parative fa ll ofleaf on e s ta te an d on G h neagles I can on ly ad dm y sorrow ful te s tim o n y th a t I w as a w itn ess to th e investigation . T he fac t is p a te n t t h a t m o re leaves an d th o se m ostly diseased have fallen on th e u n tre a te d area th a n on p a r ts tre a te d by M r. S c h ro ttk y ’s m ethod . ’

I I I .M r. J . W h it ta l l w rite s to M r. S c h ro ttk y , 20 th

S ep tem ber 1881:— “ I w as over G leneagles e s ta te la s t w eek an d i t ce rta in ly com pares favourably inappearance w ith ------ , ------ , a n d o th e r p ropertiesa round ; a t th e sam e tim e th e re is no d o u b t it has also suffered b ad ly from leaf disease.”

IV .M r. S c h ro ttk y ’s rep o rt to M essrs. W h itta ll ft C o.,

a f te r th e so u th -w es t m onsoon a tta c k of th e disease h ad passed aw ay— 20th O ctober 1881 :— “ I find, g ener­a lly speak ing , b u t l i t t le leaf disease p re sen t in a vigorous, growing cond ition . T h e re are sufficient rem ains, how ever, to show th a t in p a r ts of th e e s ta te th e S. W . m onsoon a tta c k m u st have been a p re tty severe one, th o u g h even now sufficient d a ta are av a il­able to prove, on com parison, th a t i t has n o t been as severe as on neighbouring es ta tes,

“ B roadly speaking, 1 canno t say th a t Ihe tre a tm e n t he re has k e p t th e disease in bounds as much as i t has done, so far, on o th e r e s ta tes , an d though th e w eak­ness of th e trees, w h ere g ru b is p rev a len t, h ad no d o u b t a g re a t deal to do w ith th e sever­i ty of th e a t ta c k in som e p a rts , [ cannot, con­sidering th e n a tu re a n d h a b it of th e fungus, a t t r ib ­u te th e b u t p a r tia l success here of th e t r e a t­m en t to th e presence o f grub. I am of opinion th a t even w ith g ru b w e can stam p leaf disease o u t, if only th e tre a tm e n t is sy s tem atica lly ca rried out. U n fo rtu n a te ly th e change of m anagersh ip an d th e con tinuous rain a f te r th e new m anager had ta k e n charge has stood in th e w ay of m y in stru c tio n s being s tr ic t ly carried o u t here. T hese were o rig ina lly to give th re e app lications a t abo u t te n d ay s’ in te r v a l ; so

th a t w hatever d isease m ay linger on th rough th e firs t app lication w ould d ie o u t d u rin g th e fo llo w in ' tw o applications, before i t h ad tim e to regain vigour, f ru it an d re -in fec t th e estate .

“ T he th re e app lica tions w ere given here on th e 13th M ay, 23rd Ju n e and 30th J u ly respec tive ly , t h a t is as about five w eeks’ in terval, th is being sufficient tim e for w hatever percentage of th e fungus h ad escaped one application, to regain vigour, f ru it and sp read a thonsand-fo ld , before the o th e r app lication follow ed. T h is experience, of course, enables me now to say th e tre a tm e n t m ust be carried ou t a t a certain tim e an d w ith a certa in system an d a t no other tim e and in no other m anner. T h is m uch as regards th e ac tu a l prevalence of th e disease p a s t and p re sen t.— T he n ex t question we had to consider was, w h a t has been th e effect of th e trea tm en t on th e tre e s genera lly ? I t is w ith reg ard to th is question th a t we have come to a con­clusion w hich, u nder th e circum stances, m u st be con­sidered a m ost im p o rtan t an d sa tis fac to ry one. On m y very firs t round th ro u g h th e e s ta te th e m anager drew m y a tte n tio n to th e b lacken ing an d d y ing back of th e branches of th e tr -e s (due, as has been p roved now, alm ost exclusively to th e effect of leaf disease), and he s ta te d th a t th is had ta k e n place a t G leneagles to n o ­th in g like the e x te n t i t had done in su rround ing estates, a n d th a t a ne ighbouring p lan te r observed first th is difference and poin ted i t o u t to him , th e m anager. W e have verified th is im p o rta n t fact, n o t only by general observation and com parison, b u t also in deta il by counting th e dead b ran ch es on th e d ifferen t d escrip tio n 1* of trees ‘in th e worst b i t of th a t p a r t of G leneagles w hich has suffered most from g ru b and leaf-disease com bined’ and com pared re su lt by counting th e dead branches on trees in sim ilar, u n tre a te d fields. W e counted on tre a te d fields on G leneagles on average bad trees 35 p rim aries an d secondaries th a t h ad d ied back . On average fair trees, an average of 9 dead branches only. A t one u n tre a te d field we coun ted on average bad trees 69 dead b ranches, on average fair tre e s , 60 dead branches, a t a n o th e r u n ­tre a te d field on average bad trees, we coun ted 117 dead branches, on average f a i r trees 78 dead branches ; as th e average fair tre e s c o n s titu te qu ite 75 p er cen t of th e trees in th e fields we com pared, G leneagles s tan d s w ith regard to th e dead branches on these tre e s as 9 to 60 a t one field .and as 9 to 78 a t th e o th er field .’’

T he m anager, in fo rw ard ing th is repo rt, adds in a le tte r to th e firm —21st Oct. 1881 “ T he figures as regards th e dy ing back of th e branches a re correct and now here here have w e th e sam e e x te n t of bare- look ing coffee as th e re is on th e e s ta tes nam ed by Mr. S e h ro ttk y .”

T he field on G leneagles above refe rred to had been m anured six weeks before th is "exam ination, an d th e question cam e to be considered w h e th er th is non- dy ing back of th e b ranches m ig h t n o t have to be ascribed to th e effect of th e m anure. B u t as th is d y ing back is th e w ork of some m onths, there is no room for d o u b t le f t th a t th e benefit m u st be ascribed to th e carbolized pow der t re a tm e n t.—B. C. S.

M ain resu lts :—A m itig a tio n of th e a t ta c k ; leaf d is ­ease w orse in ad jo in ing es ta te s ; co lla tera l benefits, such as, com paratively speak ing , d im in ished fa ll of leaves an d corresponding red u c tio n in th e d y in g back of branches, b u t fa ilu re of th e m ain object to keep leaf disease p rac tica lly o u t of a g iven area.

Success so fa r o f the Carbolized Pow der Treatment at O angapitiya Estate, D um bara Valley.

T he h isto ry of th e es ta te : R a th e r old coffee, generally regarded as a nest of leaf disease, rep o rtin g very bad a tta c k s tw ice a year, in October and Ja n u a ry .

I.E x tra c t from th e v isitin g ag e n t's re p o rt to M essrs.

W h itta ll & Co., 2 th A p ril 1881 :— “ T he coffee is n o t looking well, m ost of th e wood has been spo ilt w ith leaf d isease .”

I I .F irs t ap p lica tion of th e carbolized pow der on 21st

A pril.A bout te n d ay s a fte r a p p lic a tio n : “ I exam ined

som e of th e leaves th a t h ad a bad a tta c k on th e m (before tre a tm e n t) and i t appeared , as if th e lim e an d carbo lic w as k illing o r ea tin g up th e fungus, an d le f t th e d iseased p a tc h w ith th e sam e appearance, as if th e leaf disease insect h a d been feed ing and su ck in g o u t th e spores. B u t some seem s til l to have escap ed ." E x tra c t from esta te re p o rt to M essrs. W h itta ll & Co b y

30th A pril 1881. L. B. v o n D o n o p .

I I I .“ I m e t M r. S e h ro ttk y th is m orn ing a t G u n g ap itiy a

an d we exam ined to g e th er th e r.-sults of th e tre a tm e n t here. H e considers them m ost satisfactory ', an d so fa r as th e ex p erim en t has gone, I m ost • ce rta in ly agree w ith him .

“ In exposed p laces such as along roads an d ridges trees w ere found very b ad ly affected, b u t th is i t appears is c m -e il b y th e pow der [or ra th e r i ts v a p o u r ,— E. C. S .] be ing blow n aw ay from th e re , as inside fo r every tw elve leaves affected, on ly on one could a liv ing fungus be found. T he re s t of th e leaves hud a b lack spot, w here the fungus h ad been established. On those w here th e dis.-ase h ad on ly com m enced, a d rie d up p a le yellow m ark w as observable b u t in b o th cases (w hich I consider m ost im p o rtan t), th e leaves ap p ea red h e a lth y an d perform ing th e ir fu n c tio n s.” E x tra c t from a le t te r to M essrs. W h itta ll & Co., by L . B. v o n D o n o p .

31st M ay 1881.IV .

“ T h e e s ta te m ay be sa id to be free of leaf disease, b u t occasionally tw o or th re e tre e s a re found to be diseased ; th ese trees and also th o -e su rro u n d in g th e m are a t once well pow dered w ith th e p rep a ra tio n , so as to t r y an d p rev en t i t going an y fu r th e r .” E x tra c t from m anager’s le tte r to M essrs. W h it ta l l & Co., 11th Septem ber.

V.

E x tra c t from th e V isitin g A g en t’s R eport, 28th Sep tem ber 1881.

“ Since I w as la s t here th e coffee has im proved very m uch in appearance, m ost of i t is now look inglu x u r ia n t an d v igorous W e scarce ly saw a sign ofleaf d isease .”

V I.' ‘ M r. S eh ro ttk y a rriv ed here th is m orn ing an d we

h ad a look round th e es ta te . A s I po in ted o u t to M essrs. W h itta ll an d Y oung on th e 28 th u ltim o, th e re is a l i t t le d isease on th e fla t t h a t adjo ins th e riv e r an d also on tw o or th re e sm all p a tch es w h ere th e re is heavy crop. I t does n o t seem to have sp read , an d th e re s t of th e coffee m ay be sa id to be free from leaf disease. I n looking back a t o ld rep o rts I find th a t leaf d isease has u su a lly been very bad d u rin g th e m on th of O ctober an d a t tb e p re se n t tim e I know th a t th e re is a g rea t deal of disease in th e d is tr ic t .” T he M anager’s le t te r to M essrs- W h itta ll & Co., 10th O ctober 1881.

V II .“ T he trees a re again beg inn ing to th ro w o u t new

wood an d th e e s ta te m ay be said to be practically free from disease.’’ E x tr a c t from m an ag er’s le t te r to

i M r. S eh ro ttk y , 3 rd N ovem ber 1881.

A CU R E F O R H E M IL E IA V A STA TR IX ?MR. SC H R O TTK Y ’S E X P E R IM E N T S W IT H

CARBOLIC ACID.*“ There are more th ings in heaven am i ea rth th an

are dream t of in our philosophy,” and am ongst the ap­parently insoluble m ysteries seems destined to rem ain the sudden development and rapid spread of th e coffee leaf fungus in 1869. I t was known th a t th e clim ate of Ceylon, combining alm ost constan t m oisture w ith tropic heat, was specially favourable to the growth of those low forms of vegetation known to n a tu ra lists as fungi, bu t am ongst some sixteen hundred species de­scribed by Thw aites, Berkeley and o ther cryptogam ists, no t a trace of th a t u ltim ately nam ed H em ileia vasta trix had been discovered, un til it suddenly appeared and rapidly overspread the whole expanse of cultivated coffee about twelve years ago. T he new fungus was equally a surprise to cryptogam ists and coffee planters, and Berkeley’s in stinc ts guided him arigh t when he added to the nam e of th is fungoid pest the same qualifying term which had previously been applied to th e insect destroyer of the grape vine : vasta trix. E ach in its way shews how powerful for destruction very m inute and apparently contem ptible n a tu ra l agencies may be. The fungus which has inflicted such terrible in ju ry on a great enterprise in Ceylon and Southern Ind ia , which has appeared in S um atra and Jav a , and even in th a t fa r isle of th e Pacific, F iji, seems to confine itself to coffee. Mr. W ard has m entioned ano ther p lan t on which th e fungus has been found, b u t we believe th a t p lan t is closely allied to the coffees. As the doctrine of spon­taneous generation is out of court, we seem confined to the conclusion (originally arrived a t by Dr. Thwaites), th a t up to 1869 the fungus existed on the indigenous coffees in our jungles, b u t in a low and la ten t form. W hat cause or com bination of causes, in the shape of atm ospheric or o ther influences, gave the fungus such virulent activity in 1869, is, as we have said, still a m ystery unsolved. B ut all the evil effects which Mr. W ard attribu tes to wind (the w orst of th e triad of p lan ters’ fo e s : “ wind, wash, and weeds ” ) m ay justify the guess th a t the opening up of large expanses for coffee culture favoured the rush of wind in to such spaces, the moving air first passing over forest containing trees infected with the fungus and carrying the spores on its wings. T his is w hat the wind does now in career­ing over fields and p lan ta tions of coffee, and perhaps the m ost im portan t lesson to be derived from the elaborate reports of Mr. M arshall W ard is the necessity of providing for our coffee fields th a t shelter of which it was a m istake ever wholly to deprive them . W e are fam iliar enough w ith the difficulties, objections, and rea ­sons which led orthodox p lanters to leave noth ing on th e n plantations b u t coffee. Of course th e extensive cultivation of cinchonas on coilee estates has to some extent remedied the m istake which was made. B u t cin­chonas themselves require shelter, and vast num bers either die out or are cu t down or rooted up year by year. The tim e, therefore, seems to have arrived for lining off p lantations in to m oderately sized squares by m eans of the rapidly growing eucalypti and acacias of Australia, trees which com bine rapidity of growth w ith a good quality of tim ber a t a com paratively easy stage of growth. Those who believe in the doctrine of cycles will no t for-

* See Mr. S ehrottky’s le tte r on page 545.138

get th a t leaf disease has now been ravaging our coffee for over eleven years. A decrease in the virulence of the pest, therefore, m ay be now confidently expected. And even those who doubt the cycle theory m ust adm it th a t pests of a like nature, the coffee bug for instance, have abated in to com parative innocuonsness w ith “ effluxi­on of tim e.” B u t, while looking for relief to ‘'t im e th e healer,” judicious cultivators will no t neglect any one of the lessons which them own experience and the observa­tions of scientists have taugh t. W e can understand some feeling of despairing im patience, when p lan ters are

] to ld th a t m anure they m ust, a lthough w ith th e know- i ledge th a t m uch of th e m anure they apply will go to I feed the parasite instead of the plant. Culture, prun- \ ing, and application of remedies, too, m ust be so a t ­

tended to as to induce th e tree to p u t on and mature i ts foliage in advance of the period when th e winds of

i th e monsoons blow the spores on to th e leaves, while [ th e m oisture of the monsoons favours the rapid germ ina­

tion of such spores. The b e tte r grown th e leaves on | a tree are, the better able they will be to resist the ; insidious fungus. I t will be gratifying to Mr. D . M orris i and his friends to be assured th a t the effect of Mr. j M arshall W ard’s extended experim ents and careful re- ; search is to confirm th e value of a com bination of caustic ; lime and sulphur, resu lting in th e production of sulphur­

ous acid gas, as a remedy for the fungus. I t would be “ a perfect cure,4’ if we could only apply it to every existing spore, for certain i t is th a t every spore which sulphurous acid gas reaches, it destroys. The lim it to to ta l destruction is the physical impossibility of the

j universal app lica tio n ; while even such partia l applica- j tions as are known to be beneficial to such areas as I can be reached are lim ited by considerations of finance.| T he idea th a t trees trea ted w ith lime and sulphur, and I so cleared of leaf disease, become in their la s t s ta te ! worse th an in them first seems due to th e fact th a t a i tree freed from th e debilitating fungus is enabled to

p u t on a large crop of foliage, and if th a t foliage is j n ot itself protected by the application of th e remedy, j the appearance of th e tree when re-infected is bad iu pro- : portion to the num ber of leaves it carries. To be effectu- I a l iu keeping fields of coffee or whole p lan ta tions free | from fungus and its debilitating effects, th e envelope of ; sulphurous acid gas m ust be kep t up by frequen t appliea- j tions o f lim i a n i sulphur, a t shortly succeeding in ter­

vals. T he effect of 11 the in teractions of sulphur and | freshly bu rn t lim e on the m oist leaf ” are th u s enumer- i a cd in Mr. M arshall W ard’s la tes t— we are sorry to ! believe h is last— R e p o rt:—j (1) The m ixture is slowly continuous in action for a I long time.

(2) The slowly-evolved gases distribute themselves I rspidly by diffusion.| (3) The chief gases are very readily dissolved in water,i (4) The solution formed is strong enough to kill the

ge minal tubes, bu t too weak to injure the leaf.(5) The acid .solution does not concentrate to a danger­

ous streng th , since it is con'inually bein r absorbedi by portions (4 the lime, and the compounds be.om e ; fu rther oxydized to neutral or nearly neutral salts,

(6) Not only are the final products harm less to the tree, but the chief one (sulphate o f lime) is a valuable m anure.

(7) The m ixture is simply and readily applied by coolies' hands.T he m erits of sulphur and lim e being th u s so great,

i i t is unfortunate th a t the cost of purchase carnage and

application of these substances should be so great as to be practically prohibitory, n o t only as regards frequently repeated treatm ent, bu t even with respect to one applica­tion in a year. The cost of experim ents ably con­ducted by the la te Mr. A nton on H arrow esta te ranged from E 20 to R47 per acre, an average of R33-50, or say £3 . One thorough application of lime and sulphur, costing £ 3 , destroys, according to Mr. Sclirottky, only 40 per cent of the fungus existing on the trees. To be fully effectual the application should be repeated twice again a t short intervals, so th a t the cost would be raised to £ 9 an acre. Now w hat Mr. Sclirottky professes to prove, in the correspondence which appeal's in today’s issue, is, th a t carbolic acid, in th e form in which he applies it, while no t open to the objections sta ted by Mr. W ard, either as regards destruction of tissue or in ju ry to soil, is effectual in destroying, by one thorough applica­tion, 70 per cent of the fungus a t a cost of only R5 to R7 per acre, say an average of R6, or less th an one- six th the cost of lime and sulphur. Three applications of carbolic acid powder would cost only R18, and Mr. Schrottky, as we understand him, insists on three applica­tions a t intervals of ten days to ensure perfect success, th e area operated on no t being less th an 100 acres. W e have gone over the whole question in conversation w ith Mr. Schrottky, and lie seems confident of h is position. In jection of the acid in to th e cambium of the plant, he adm its to have been in his hands a failure, while he docs not abandon the principle involved. B u t for applica­tions of his powder, repeated as indicated, he claims perfect success. And we understand him to claim for h is application an effect which Mr. W ard has denounced as impossible. The Governm ent Cryptogam ist insists th a t nothing (short of the destruction of the leaf, of course) can destroy th e fungus once it is lodged in the intercellular tissue. Mr. Schrottky contends th a t his rem edy prevents fructification in such c a se s : the im ­portance of which fact m ay be estim ated from th is other, th a t out of one stom a m ay come 150.000 spores. As we understand Mr. Schrottky, the effect of his remedy on the affected leaf is th a t not one of the possible150,000 spores lives to emerge. All th is he says his experim ents have proved, and, if he is correct in his facts and deductions, we need no t dwell on the im portance of the issue. In the course of a long conversation, in which our enquiries were very searching, Mr. Schrottky revealed to us the composition of h is powder. H e did no t enjoin secrecy, bu t we do not feel a t liberty w ithout his p er­mission to publish the constituents of the powder, alm ost impalpahly fine, which he employs. I t is prepared ex­pressly for him by Calvert’s firm, and we may say th a t j th e absorbing substance is no t clay, while th e proportion of acid is far less th an th a t contained in th e common preparation which M essrs. Lewis Brown & Co., C alvert’s agents, advertise as “ 15 per cent powder.” This m eans th a t 15 per cent of carbolic acid, which is in the nature of an alcohol, is in th is case mixed w ith clay. W hen the acid goes off in the form of gas, which it gradually will when exposed, the inert clay will rem ain, and, obviously, its effect on coffee soil would be alm ost nil. In the case of Mr. Schrottky’s powder, the acid is not only far less in proportion to the solid m atte r th an 15 per cent (so th a t while fatal to the fungus i t does no t destroy leaf tissues) bu t the residuum , instead of being merely inert

like clay, or injurious to th e soil, as M r. W ard m is­takenly im agined, is positively beneficial to th e soil as a fertilizer.

S teering clear of the controversy betw een the sc ien tis ts — one em inent as a mycologist while th e o ther has th e no small advantage of being an experienced chem ist— we have th u s endeavoured fairly to represent th e m ain resu lts of experim ents conducted by Messrs. M arshall W ard and Schrottky. G ratitude is due to each for valuable additions to our stock of knowledge in regard to a painfully in teresting question. Mr. Schrottky, how­ever, claims for h is carbolic acid powder superior qualities of cheapness and effectiveness, which, we subm it, dem and atten tio n not only from p lanters, who are so deeply interested, bu t from th e Governm ent to which Mr. Schrottky’s paper is directly addressed. Before Mr. M arshall W ard leaves the island, we tru s t th a t he, in conjunction w ith Drs. Trim en and Thw aiies, and per­haps some o ther n a tu ra lists o r m en of science, m ay be requested to aid a com m ittee appointed by the P lan te rs’ Association, in thoroughly tes ting by a complete set of experim ents the correctness or otherwise of tbe effects which Mr. S chrottky claim s for carbolic acid powder as prepared for him . T he preparation being very different to th a t which Mr. M arshall W ard, under a n a tu ra l enough misapprehension, condemned, there can he noth ing incon­sistent in his tak ing p art in the proposed enquiry.

B ut, if all th a t Mr. S torek of F iji alleges can be substantiated , then a perfect cure for Ilem ileia va sta trix has been already discovered in th a t island of the south to which we sent the coffee fungus w ith th e coflee seed. W e in Ceylon are no t too proud to receive good in re tu rn for evil, and we shall look w ith very deep in terest for the advent of Mr. Storck, who th u s w rites to th e F iji T im es :—

S i r ,—In contiuation of form er publications on the subject of coffee leaf-disease, I wish to communicate ano ther short paper w ith a view of dispelling certain incorrect impressions held by the general public, and which are even shared by experienced planters, who m ight have

. been expected to know better. The m ost widely dis­seminated and a t the same tim e m ost discouraging belief w ith coffee planters, consists in the erroneous notions on the term of life enjoyed by the units of the fungus, which is in reality very short. Leaving on one side all microscopical and physiological speculations, we may con­sider th e red rust appearing on the under side of a diseased coffee leaf as a mass of seeds, which practically speaking, partake more or less of the nature of any o ther seedling.

I t is a fact sufficiently well established by scientific men, and o ther close observers of nature, th a t Hemileia V astat­rix lives and preys upon no others but the coffee plant, ju st as Botrytis Infestans confines itself 4o the potato, and Oidium Tuckerii to the grape vine. Of th e num ber­less spores of the coffee fungus, thousands of millions alight upon uncongenial bodies, w hether organic or inorganic, there germ inate and perish for w ant of congenial food and shelter. Comparatively few only reach the under side of a coffee leaf, and finally succeed in finding th e ir way through by means of their germs into the cuticle of th e leaf and there establishing a new root-stalk or mycelium. W ere the natural propagation of the fungus no t so pre­carious, no coffee plant could live where it is once habilit­ated. The spores are said by scientists to germ inate w ithin from one (?) to seventeen days, and th is space practically determ ines the extreme age of a spore under natural conditions. A great deal has been made of the circumstance of spores of the fungus having been kep t and th e ir vitality preserved in letters, th a t means be­tw een dry paper, for two years, and which is quie likely. The spores of ferns, especially similar to those of

fungi and other crytogamous plants, have been known to germinate when kept under similar conditions between the sheets of an herbarium after more than tw enty years ; but the same spore under natural conditions, within the influence of the moisture and tem perature of their native soil and atmosphere, m ust within a certain tim e germ in­ate and take root or else perish.

W hen, some eighteen m onths ago, a certain area of coffee plantation was destroyed, there were a number of stumps left in the ground. They were stum ps of old coffee trees mostly, sluggish in vegetation, and slow to produce new g row th ; they all made a s ta rt a fter a while and grew up free of disease, and coutinue so to th is day. This plainly shows th a t before the new vegetation had formed sufficiently to afford a home for the disease, the fungus had actually died out for w ant of food.

Based upon the above m entioned facts and my own observations, I started my several experiments, and I claim to be th e first to have reduced the trea tm ent of Hemileia V astatrix to a rational system, the pursuit of which has so well rewarded me with unqualified success. I would rather now deal w ith the coffee fungus than with a bad weed.

An attack of leaf-disease lasts from seven to ten weeks, nor would the treatm ent of it last longer, provided there was no chance of re-infection from outside of th e area treated.

B ut unless the treatm ent becomes general and simultane­ous throughout the country, both in th e plantations of white proprietors and the nurseries and patches planted by the natives, i t will have of necessity to be perm anent, for which my m ethod is eminently adapted. Should how­ever the Colonial Government adopt my treatm ent w ith a view to making its application general, I would under­take to stamp the disease out iu th is country as com­pletely as if it had never been here. Kill all the spores as fast they form and w hat m ust be the result ? Once more le t me assure your readers th a t size and numbers of areas to be treated makes not the least difference to me. I undertake to cure, and keep clean for ever after, any or all of them, a t m oderate cost.—I am, etc.,

J a c o b P. S t o r c k .Upper Rewa, Sept. 9th, 1881.

I t will be seen th a t Mr. Storck is ready to extirpate th e disease from th e island. I f the larger design is not encouraged, th en he says ho can “ undertake to cure, and keep clean forever after, any or all [areas of w hatever size], a t moderate cost.” I f any m an—w hether his nam e is Schrottky or S torck—can fulfil the prom ise so expressed, he will go down to posterity as the greatest benefactor of the coffee enterprise and of coffee p lan ters in the O riental and A ustral portions of th e w orld; for the effects of the coffee pests have to be gauged no t merely by ruined fortunes b u t by blighted lives and broken hearts.

CHINA G RA SS D R E S S IN G M A C H IN ES.B y C. G. W a r x f o r d L o c k .

(-Journal o f the Society o f A rts , 21st October 1881.)I have ju s t received from th e A gricultural D epart­

m en t of the Indian Governm ent a report on th e tria ls of the China grass machines,* which was intended for incorporation in th e article on “ F ibrous Substances ” in Spons* “ Encyclopaedia.” I t has arrived too la te for th is purpose, bu t will probably in terest readers of the Journal.

T he seven com peting processes m ay be th u s briefly d escribed :—

1. J . P . V ander P loeg’s appliances consisted of a crush­ing and a scutching m ach ine: he cleaned the fibre finally by boiling it in a prepared liquor.

2. J . Nagoua used a combined crushing and scutching m achine, adaptable to both operations.

3. R. H . Collyer boiled the stem s first in w ater w ith a very little soda, then passed them through a m achine which broke them up, and again through th e same to

* See page 179 of the T . A .— E d .

clean them . H e had also a sm aller m anual m achine costing only £60 , b u t unsuitable for a regular factory.

4. Laberie and B ertlie t’s m achine crushed th e stem s, which were kep t constantly w etted ; th e fibre was then steeped in a bleaching liquor and an alkaline liquor.

5. J . Cameron abandoned the m achines described in h is specification, and brought a hand im plem ent.

6. C. F . Amery broke the stem s in a crushing m achine, boiled them in an alkaline solution, and again passed them through th e breaking m achine.

7. C. E . Blechynden steam ed the stem s, peeled them by hand, and then beat them by hand w ith m allets.

T he reports of the experts upon all th e samples turn i d out by th e com petitors concur in placing them fa r below th e fibre im ported in to E ngland from China, -which is valued a t £ 5 0 a ton . T he m ost favourably received samples were N agoua’s, described as contain ing “ some good fibre, and fa irly m arketab le ,” and valued a t £26 a t o n ; and th ree lo ts from Cameron priced a t £15 , £18, and £11 a ton respectively. One of Cameron’s samples was approved of as being the best as fa r as freedom from bark was concerned ; b u t th e fibre was broken and tangled, would never give so large a yield of silver as N agoua’s, and the silver would n o t be so long. T he brokers say th a t none of the sanm les are nearly up to th e requirem ents. N agoua’s is th e only one which could be used for China -grass purposes, and th is would only sell freely in a m arket bare of the regular article. Accordingly, th e prizes originally offered will n o t be awarded, b u t certain of the com petitors are recom ­m ended for sm aller grants. T he lesser value placed upon V ander Ploeg’s fibre is a ttrib u ted to th e fact th a t he aimed a t producing i t in a finished sta te fit for the spinner, and no t to the inability of his machines* to com pete w ith N agoua’s and Cam eron’s. I t is also re ­m arked th a t Cameron’s process is b u t an im provem ent upon native m ethods curren t in India, and such as is applied in m any of the Ind ian gaols for extracting aloe fib re ; i t can be employed upon green or dry, short or long stem s, bu t would hardly be applicable on a p lan ta ­tion where m any acres had to be cleared quickly. Therefore the recom m endations are 5,000 rupees each to Nagoua and V ander Ploeg, and 1,000 to Cameron.

The com m ittee conclude th a t, from th e low valuation p u t upon th e samples produced a t the com petition, i t does no t seem probable th a t the Ind ian product will yet be able to com pete w ith the Chinese. B u t if th e p lan t can be grown in th e m oist clim ate and rich soil of p a rts of Burm a, U pper Assam, and eastern and northern Bengal, w ith oidy th e ordinary care required for a ra th e r superior crop, i t m ay possibly succeed commercially. U n til th is has been satisfactorily proved, and a rea l need has arisen for effective modes of trea tm ent, the Governm ent has no in ten tion of renewing the offer of prizes ; and will con ten t itself w ith m ain tain ing some acres of the p lan t under cultivation, for supplying roots to in tending growers.

T hus, even after m uch experience has been gained in th e m atter, and w ith every incentive to success, th e m achinists of E urope are compelled to confess th e ir com plete inability to m atch th e m anual work of th e Chinese. I t m ay be incidentally rem arked th a t out of th e seven com petitors, no less th an four departed from their proposed plans, these four including all th e E nglish . T h is fact seems to indicate an im perfect previous acquaintance w ith th e m aterial to be trea ted , and am ounts to an acknowledgm ent a t the eleventh hour th a t they had been working in th e wrong direction. T h is m ay probably help to account for th e ir backw ard­ness. On th e o ther hand, of th e rem aining three, two (the Frenchm en) have presum ably no t neglected to ex­perim ent upon th e p lan t "which is under cultivation in the south of F rance, and they are in fact already well known am ong C ontinental textile m achinists. The m oral of th is is th e necessity for fu rther experim ent on the p a rt of E nglish m achinists.

(T h e E d ito r o f the “ Tropical A griculturist

L E A F D IS E A S E IN L O W E R MAT A L E.Lower M atole, 20 th Nov. 1881.

D e a r S i r ,— D uring December and Ja n u a ry last, the coffee hereabout suffered very m uch from a severe and prolonged a ttack of leaf disease. T he ground became thickly covered w ith fallen leaf, the denuded branches blackened and died oft, while a very fine blossom, which had previously seemed to have set well in th e m ost favourable weather, also blackened and died off. In fact, on my re tu rn after a few days’ absence, the coffee looked as if a fire had passed over it. I n th is forcing clim ate, however, th e coffee w ith a good pruning quickly recovered, and though the crop is m oderate and late, yet till th e o ther day I have never since seen any appreciable leaf disease, while the trees have been better and more largely clothed w ith leaf and wood th an I have known them to be for m any years back. A few days ago, however, I noticed leaf disease ra th e r bad hero and there in all stages, while in parts there had been a ra th er heavy fall of leaf, particularly on trees th a t had cropped well. I m ay m ention th a t th e la tte r p a rt of the S.W . and the early part of the N .E . monsoons have been very showery, b u t th a t th e coffee is very little exposed to the wind of either m onsoon : of th e la tte r monsoon there has as yet been hardly a breath . The soil is good, the coffee well cultivated, and is quite an average for lowcountrv, the elevation being from 1,200 to 1,500 feet.

R eturning home yesterday m orning, I thought I would pass through an estate in the neighbourhood which I knew had been system atically “ schrottkied,” ju st to com­pare notes. This estate is in all respects very sim ilar to this, though perhaps no t so well cultivated as regards weeding and pruning, bu t under Mr. Schro ttky 's direc­tions, the whole of its coffee was trea ted w ith h is pow­der. L ate r on I understand th is was done a second tim e, and th a t, besides, any trees showing signs of disease had one or two other applications. Mr. W ard m ay per­haps be in terested in hearing th a t early in the year the fallen coftee leaves were carefully collected and burned a ll over the estate. I would ju st fu rther add th a t tins property, like my own, is well surrounded w ith chenas and paddy-fields, w ith the exception maybe of a few small coffee gardens.

As I approached the estate , I perceived a very fine coral p lan t clearing, bu t, on passing through it, I dis­covered th is was merely shade and shelter for chocolate and Liberian of all ages, from th ree years downwards.I was sorry to notice a little leaf disease bo th in the pin-spot and germ inating stages on several of the Libe­rian p lants, and some ra th e r bad on a few younger speci­mens. As I reached the store, I observed a large pile of em pty barrels, which I concluded had brought up the mixture. Round about I saw a good deal of very vigor­ous looking coffee, which, a fter careful exam ination, seemed to be practically free from disease. As, how­ever, I have such patches on my own unschrottkied place, I determ ined to advance, and I very quickly came upon coffee w ith the fell disease in all its glory, in all j its stages, quite as bad as anything I have. And yet j th is coffee had been several tim es treated w ith Mr. : Schrottky 's m ixture, th e las t as la te as las t m onth or early in th is, and the foliage was even yet largely covered w ith the m ixture. The pest seemed chiefly in the fru it­ing stage, and the spores appeared to be rem arkably ! healthy and well-coloured. One little collection of spores had several particles of th e m ixture righ t on the top of them , so th a t apparently the filam ent had grown right out of a stom a and fruited, quite unaffected by the little pile of m ixture over or near. T he pin-spots

generally looked healthy , and I do no t th in k more had gone bad th a n the usual percentage resu lting from n a tu ra l causes. N ear th e bungalow I was shown a few trees of vigorous coffee, which I was to ld had been trea ted Six tim es w ith th e m ixture during the las t ten m onths. On these I found abundant healthy leaf disease. On th e o ther hand, I found one redeem ing prom ising point-. There seemed to be no fresh fall of the leaf, and, con­sidering th e com parative less vigour of the trees, one would have expected to find a very considerable fall. S till, i t does n o t follow, th a t th is absence of fall is a r e su lt1 of th e S ehrottky trea tm en t. T he tim e for the fall then m ay no t have yet come, or i t m ay be retarded by some unknow n n a tu ra l cause, or i t m ay have taken place some tim e ago. Nevertheless, there is th e fact, and Mr. Sehrottky is entitled to m ake th e m ost of i t . I f a t a sm all cost we can only m anage to prolong th e a tta c h ­m ent of the leaf, the benefit would be enorm ous, and would give promise of hope for som ething further. B ut, so far as th e warding off of th e disease, h is system , I fear, is practically a failure.

I th in k i t was th is gentlem an who rem inded us th a t one fact was better th an a dozen theories. L e t him then come up and study these facts, instead of w asting h is j im e theorizing on paper to Governm ent. I wish h im every success, partly for my own in terests, and p artly because he has worked away a t th e p ractical p art, and m ainly a t his own expense. W hereas, a t th e country’s expense, Mr. W ard has laboured diligently for the scientific world. Any practical suggestions m ade by him have been little more th an a re-w arm ing of th e recom m endations of others. Shortly after h is arrival he to ld me, th a t, if he found he could do the p lan ters no good, he would pack up and be gone. ’T is a‘ p ity th a t he only found out th is sorry result, ju s t as his te n n of engagem ent was about to expire. As he is if any­th ing m ore confident and dogm atic th a n Mr. M orris was, i t is to be hoped th a t his “ life h isto ry ,” when he is gone, will no t also be found w a n tin g ; b u t when one th inks of host p lan ts and the im perfectly followed up class of spore, one feels no t m erely practically unbenefited, b u t also scientifically doubtful.—Yours tru ly ,

A. G. K. BORRON.

J a m a ic a . — T h e Gleaner com plains t h a t th e export of w alk ing -sticks th re a te n s th e ex tin c tio n of th e p i­m ento , from w hich such canes a re cu t, th e negroes s ealing them from th e p im ento w alks. T h e is lan d s t i l l escapes th e yellow fever now rac ing in o th e r W e s t In d ia n Colonies. S ir A n th o n y M usgrave has c o n tra ­d ic ted a rep o rt th a t he w ould be im m ed ia te ly succeed-

I ed in th e G overnorsh ip by S ir H en ry Irv ing . T h e ! p o r t of H avana (Cuba) has been declared in fec ted .—

Colonies and India.T e a F a r m .— T he A m erican Groeer speaks as follow s

of an experim en ta l te a farm s ta r te d by th e U n ited S ta tes G overnm ent :— 'T he Com m issioner of A g ricu l­tu re , H on. W . G. LeD uc, h as recen tly leased for tw e n ty years tw o h u n d red acres of lan d to be used as an experim en ta l te a fa rm I t is s itu a te d a t Sum ­m erville, c'. C ., tw en ty -tw o m iles no rth -w s t of C h a r­leston on th e line of ra ilw ay ru n n in g from C harles to n to A ugusta . L ands w ere firs t exam ined in F lo rid a in th e v ic in ity of Ja cksonv ille an d along th e S t. J o h n ’s R iver as far as P ah ttk a . T ea p lan ts th a t h a d been fu rn ish ed by th e D p a r tm e n t w ere found grow ­ing in a th r if ty m anner. T h e farm in S ou th Caro­lin a is to be placed in charge of an ex p ert w hose experience w as acquired in te a cu ltiv a tio n in In d ia . T he Com m issioner is firm in th e belief th a t te a c u l­tu re can be made a profitab le in d u s try in the U n ite d S ta t s. T here w ould be a b e tte r chance for success were th e en te rp rise n o t d ependen t upon th e w him s of C ongress. ”— Produce M arkets Review .

SotrLSpcmdenoe.To the E ditor o f the Ceylo?i Observer.

S A L T FR O M T H E N IP A PA LM .Colombo, 21st O ct. 1SS1.

D e a r S i r ,— In recen t num bers of th e Tropical A g r i ­culturist, M essrs. W . Ferguson an d M . C ochran gave in te restin g descrip tions of th e p roduction of lim e from th e ku m b u k tree. T he follow ing e x tra c ts reg ard ­ing th e m anufacture of sa lt from Ihe n ipa palm m ay also, perhaps, be deem ed w o rth y of in se rtio n .— Y ours, K A R O L Y FU R D O .

“ On th e le f t bank (of th e R . A bai Borneo), th e re are tw o sm all branches, G ading an d P a k a P ak a , in h ab ­ited , th e D ata (chief) said, b y some v illager of Id a ’an. There appear to be b u t few people liv ing on th is river, or ra th e r s a l tw a te r creek . T h ree very sm all ham lets, con ta in ing a lto g e th e r abo u t th ir ty houses, were a ll I saw. T here are num erous sheds for m ak ing sa lt, w hich appears to be th e principal in d u s try of th e B ajus. T he m anufactu re is conducted as follow s :—G rea t heaps of th e roo t of th e n ipa palm , th a t a lw ays grow s in sa lt o r b rack ish w ater, are collected and b u r n t ; th e residue is sw ept up an d th row n in to half-filled pans, w here th e ashes and sm all partic les of wood are separa ted an d th e w ate r boiled ; a coarse b i t te r sa lt is th e resu lt. I t is n o t disagreeable a f te r a l i t t le use, and I m uch prefer i t to th e common a rtic le b ro u g h t from Siam, and generally sold in these countries. T he natives of th e north seldom use the im ported sa lt, excep t for preserving fish, w hereas to w ard s Saraw ak , the Siamese is rap id ly tak ing th e place of th a t procured from th e n ipa palm s.”

“ T he n ipa palm is indeed a blessing to th e natives ; as we have seen th ey m ake a sa lt from th e ashes of th e r o o t ; th e y e x tra c t a coarse sugar from the stem : th e y cover in th e ir houses w ith th e l e a f : from th e la s t also th ey m anufactu re th e m a t called kejang, w ith w hich th ey form th e w alls of th e ir houses, and th e bes t aw ning in th e w orld for boats, p erfec tly w ate r-tig h t, and w ell-adap ted to keep o u t th e rays of th e sun. T he cigars are ro lled up in th e fine in n e r leaf, an d a na tive could doubtless te ll of a dozen o th e r uses to w hich i t is p u t. In ascending rivers, th e re is nearly alw ays deep w a te r near th e nipa, b u t shallow near th e m angrove.”

“ T he banks of th e K ab a tau n , except n ear th e en trance, were en tire ly of m angrove sw am p, u n ti l we arrived w ith in a short d istance of th e sc a tte red v il­lage of M enggatal, b u t from o u r b o a t w e could see th e sloping h ills th a t rose alm ost im m edia te ly beh ind th e b e lt of m angrove. T he firs t bu ild ings we saw -were those in w hich th e n a tiv es w ere m aking sa lt. I have already described th e process pursued in th e A bai, b u t here i t was som ew hat different, as th e y b u rn t th e roots of th e m angrove w ith those of th e n ip a p a lm , as w ell as wood collected on th e sea- beach, and therefo re im pregnated w ith salt. In one place, I noticed a heap, perhaps fifteen feet in height, sh e lte red by a rough covering of palm -leaves, and several men w ere ab o u t checking all a tte m p ts of th e flames to b u rs t th rough by th ro w in g s a l t ­w ate r over th e pile. T his, doubtless, renders th e process m uch m ore p roductive. In one very large shed, th e y had a k in d of rough fu rnace, w here th e y b u rn t th e wood : an d suspended a round w ere m any b askets in w hich th e rough rem ains of th e tire are p laced, an d th e w hole soaked in w ate r, and s tir re d abo u t ti l l th e sa lt is supposed to have been ex trac ted from th e charcoal and ashes. T he liqu id is th en boiled, as a t Abai, in la rg e iron pans purchased from th e C h inese .”— L ife in the Forests o f the F a r E a st, by Spencer S t. Jo h n , f . r .g . s . f . e . s . j vol. I . pp . 233, 287. (1862.)

139

W H A T IS GOOD P A R C H M E N T C O F F E E ?

O ctober 26th , 1881.D e a r S i r , — I have often noticed th a t coffee d ea le rs ,

as well as some m erchan ts, p refe r th e w h ite p a rc h ­m en t coffee to th e red d ish parchm ent. O ld experien ced han d s w ill no t be guided by th a t as a te s t fo r good p arch m en t. T he cherry , w hen h a lf rip e , w ill give th e w h itest p a rc h m e n t; b u t th e bean is not heavy, an d very o ften n o t full, w hereas th e red d ish p arch m en t is a sign th a t th e ch e rry w as very ripe on th e trc > before being p lu c k e d : th e bean is full, heavy an d good in colour. T here is. how ever, a d iscoloured p archm en t, m ore of a grey ish colour, w hich has been too long allowed in ferm en ting c iste rns, o r in heaps, and has a m u sty sm ell. I t is d ifficult to say how i t m ay tu rn o u t .—Y ours tru ly , P A R C H M E N T .

E N E M IE S O F C E A R A R U B B E R SE E D .

A llagalla , K adugannaw a.D e a r S i r , —I can add an o th e r enem y to th e C eaia

ru b b e r seed. I have m y Gear a seed, w hich have been prev iously d ipped in kerosm e oil, p lan ted in bam boo po ts in m y sto re . One m orning, 1 noticed tw o o r th re e seeds h ad been rem oved. On th a t evening I exam ined th e po ts again , and saw th a t every p o t con ­ta in ed its seed. T h e n e x t m orning, on ex im ination I found 21 seeds h ad d isappeared . On a closer exam ination , I found in one or tw o po ts th e foot p r in t of a ra t, and, a sh o rt d istance from w here th e po ts were, th e husks of e ig h t o r te n seeds b roken in to sm all pieces. I th in k th a t th e re can be no d o u b t th a t th e ra ts carried away th e seeds.— Y ours fa ith fu lly ,

W m A. F . M U R R A Y .P .S .— If a lig h ted la n te rn is hu n g over th e po ts all

n igh t, th e ra ts w ill keep a t a distance.

B E E S A N D C O F F E E BLOSSOM S.S ir ,—I t is to be hoped that any of y o u r u p co u n try

readers, who m ay have experienced v isits of sw arm s of bees to th e ir coffee e s ta tes d u rin g blossom ing tim e, w ill n o t h es ita te to a tte m p t to th ro w som e lig h t upon th e question m ooted by one of y o u r correspondents , w ho seems to a t tr ib u te our successive sh o rt crops to th e y early decreasing sw arm s of bees, b rought abo u t by th e d en udation of fo rests, and th e in troduc tion of w ide expanses of coffee p lan ta tio n s, w hich b u rst in to flower only very occasionally.

In ad d itio n to th e suggested p la n tin g up of one p er cen t of never-ceasing flow ering sh rubs (in tended as a p layground , in tu rn , fo r th e d ifferent h ives of bees, u n ti l th e b u rs tin g ot" th e big coffee blossom s, w hen th e w hole arm y w ould sim u ltaneously be se t free an d se n t to th e fron t), I consider i t w ould be necessary to p la n t up, say, five per cen t of th e acreage w ith Coorg, M ysore, N eilg b erry , L iberian , Ja m aica , o r even B razilian coffee trees. T hese w ould, no doub t, blossom a t th e sam e tim e as th e o rig ina lly p lan ted trees, w hich , from th e ir in te rm in ab le in-and-in tre a tm e n t, have a rriv ed a t th e ir p re sen t a lm ost un fru itfu l stage. T h e bees would assist qu ick ly to d is tr ib u te th e new an d in v igo ra ting pollen, and help to b ring us back once a rain n earer to th e m u ch -w ish ed fo r

R O U N D M IL L IO N ,[One scientific a u th o r ity says “ Bees ce rta in ly help

to fertilize coffee blossom, b u t the re are o th e r agencies a t w ork to b rin g about th e sam e th in g , if tbe flower is h e a lth y .” B ut an o ld K elebokka p la n te r rem arks : — “ Bees are a ll nonsense fo r coffee estates, as each coffee blossom contains a ll the organs of fructifica tion w ith in itse lf. I t is q u ite possible th a t a bee m igh t ca rry th e pollen of a h ea lth y tree to a w eak ly one and so im prove th e seed, bu t i t is ju s t as lik e ly th a t th e o rder of th ings m igh t be rev ersed .”— E d . ]

C O F F E R C U L T IV A T IO N A N D M A NURIJNG. No. I .

K otm ale, 28tli Out. 1881.D k a r 8 i r , —T he ligurea you append in y our foo t­

note to m y le t te r of th e 6 th only convince me of th e abso lu te in u 'i l i ty of prom iscuous m anuring , and show a t a glance th a t coffee was n o t k e p t up by m anures to any appreciable e x ten t ; contrariw ise ra th e r . I note th a t 224.000 cw t. m anures came u p cou iitry in 1874, and th a t th e crop of the follow ing season, th a t en d ­ing 30th S ep t., 1875, was th e largest ever gathered , that, in fact which m ost nearly approaclu-d the round m illion, viz., 968,694 cw t. I n th e years u n d e r notice the young d is tr ic ts were m ostly ju s t being p lan ted , and thousands of acres of coffee th e re co n trib u te d to th e crop of 1877-76, w hich, n o tw ith s tan d in g th a t es ta tes had all th e advantages derivab le from 548,000 c vt. m anures sen t up from Colom bo only reached a to ta l of 620,292 cw t. I hope I m ay be d isa p ­po in ted <>f m y fears. C erta in ly ju s t now ev ery th in g is couleur de rose. Even here i t is possible to g e t a whole bushel picking no.v an d again. S hould th is prom ising s ta te of affairs continue, and tho crop of 1881-82 equal o r exceed th a t of la s t season, then , sir, « e m ns: conclude that, all th e tre a tm e n t coffee requires is to be le t alone, or, a t l-ast, to be n o t so hacked about m d c u t up w ith kn ife , m am oty an d fo rk , as in past years. T h a t p lan ters, as a body, do no t an tic ip a t- such lu ck as non-decreasing crops, th e ir general th ick -p la n tin g of cinchonas in th e coffee adequately proves ; aud yo u r papers of n e x t y ea r will, in such happy even t as suggested , b ris tle w ith le tte rs on th e question of w hich to stick to , w hich to abandon. P erhaps th a t old ju d g m en t of Solomon m ay se ttle th e m atter.

Mr. H ollow ay's experim ents are of g re a t in te re st. Perhaps Ins soil is som ew hat b e tte r (m ore soil-y) and his c lim ate less unsu itab le , w here such good re su lts are ob tained . W ould M r. H ollow ay g u aran tee such good re tu rn s as M aria and E riagastenne g ive him from any young es ta te , say in D im bula o r D ikoya, given th a he h ad th e charge of such e s ta te , an d full d isc re tion allow ed him in th a t position ?

A s fo r M r. S incla ir's p e rp e tu a l p e tty -m a n u rin g scheme, as he says, th e cost is enough to p rev en t its general adop tion on tr ia l. T he firs t p roposition of th e axiom he adduces (in th e las t parag rap h b u t one of h is le tte r ) is a, m ost fallacious one for p rom is­cuous m annrers as i t s ta n d s . I would am end i t th u s : “ if i t be rem u n era tiv e to cu ltiv a te (i.e. to grow coffee) without m anure, th en w ith m anure,” con tain ing those coffee p la n t foods in w hich th e soil is m ore or less deficient, “ i t w ill be m ore so .”— “ M anure” is a vague te rm .—Y our s ta tis tic a l croaker,

PO ST T E N E B R A S LU X .[W e need only rem ark : th e re are n o t a few old

coffee e s ta tes in th e country w hich have un iform ly y ear by year, w itli scarcely an exception , even to th e p resen t tim e, given a p ay in g re tu rn , and th is is a t ­tr ib u te d sim ply to jud ic ious system atic ‘ m anuring . ’ I t is au ‘ a x io m ’ w ith n o t a few' agen ts an d p ro ­p rie to rs now , “ no m anure ; no c ro p ”— (th a t is, crop to cover expenditu re). T h a t m anuring of recen t years does n o t g ive th e sam e re su lts as in olden tim es, and also th a t a g re a t deal of m oney is often w asted in m anure, m ay be very tru e , b u t th a t does n o t affect th e general q uestion of th e value, nay , th e necessity for libera l cu ltiv a tio n in th e p resen t d a y .— E d .]

N o. I I .Langdale, L indu la , 27 th Oct. 1881,

D k a r S i r , — W hile fu lly agreeing w ith Mr. S inclair, th a t coffee can, as a ru le, only be m ade to p ay now- a-days by m eans of m anure, and th a t those in te re s ted

have m uch risk of ru in in g th e ir p roperties , if th e y do n o t app ly i t , I m u st jo in issue w ith h im on h is sta te m e n t th a t “ th is w as one of th e m ost favourable blossom ing seasons w e could have w ished fo r.” I tak e i t for g ran ted th a t, lik e m yself, he is re fe rrin g m ain ly to D im bula. I f so, facts are stubborn th ings. I ch a l­lenge him to deny any of th o se I n o * beg to lay before you.

As a ru le , th e blossom b u rs ts in D im bula aud K otm ale som e tw o days earlie r th a n in L in d u la au d th e A gras. On one of our early blossoms, D im bula an d K otm ale had a good show all round , and a l i t t le la te r th e ra in came ju s t w hen it was w anted to se t th e blossom. In L indu la and th e A gras, i t fell th e d ay th e blossom b u rs t, and ru ined th e b u lk of it. A no ther blossom se t w ell on C arlabeck, b u t n o t on L angdale, i or low er dow n the valley , sim ply because C arlabeck, being n eare r th e rid g e d iv id in g us from U va, go t ra in ju s t in thei, n ick of tim e, w hile i t d id n o t fall on Langdale, nor low er dow n, i no tlier b los­som se t well on L angdale and C arlabeck, b u t n o t m uch low er dow n, as ra in fell on th e upper p laces w here needed, an d d id n o t fall m uch low er down.

These fac ts are inexplicable on th e th eo ry th a t th e season w as good, an d the fa u lt lies only in th e w an t of m anure. I n th e firs t case, m any u n m an u red places, b u t o therw ise in good h e a r t, se t th e blossom b e tte r th a n on m an u red places f a r th e r u p . In th e second, th e b e tte r m anured esta tes of th e tw o nam ed d id n o t se t i ts blossom s as w ell as the o th er w hich g o t th e rain . In th e th ird case, wTi:h m uch th e sam e ra in fa ll, on a ll h ea lth y coffee th e blossom eet m uch th e same on bo th places, b u t I have no d o u b t th e m anured coffee will s ta n d i ts crop b e s t.—Y ours fa ith fu lly ,

E . H E E L IS .

2 8 th O ctober 1881.D f , a r S i r , — T here is n o th ing lik e m uck, an d w'ere our

soil in t h a t m ucli-to-be desired condition w here a heav ier o u tlay need n o t be in cu rred b y freq u en t app lica tions of infin itesim al doses th a n b y m anuring once a year w ith th e o rd in ary dose, one w ould be p rep ared to ad m it th e re was som eth ing to be done. Coffee esta tes were, how ever, u n fo rtu n a te ly cas t in a d ifferen t m ould to flower gardens, and th e excessive cost w ould th e re ­fore alone be sufficient to condem n th e whole th eo ry , even if labor w ere so ab u n d an tly p len tifu l as to enab le one to m anure th e w hole of an e s ta te once a fo rtn ig h t. E xperim en ts on th e bungalow field o r som e such favored spo t are m ost unreliab le . I n e ith e r believe in nor advocate th e p re sen t low d ie t our seedy friend is being subjected to , as if to te s t how li t t le he can pu ll th ro u g h on, b u t one m u s t cu t h is coat accord­ing to h is clo th , W h ere m anuring can be ind u lg ed in , le t i t be done ra tio n a lly an d as econom ically as possible, an d all such clever, expensive ex perim en ts left to those w ho can afford them . W e have go t so

| accustom ed to bad seasons th a t w e can lis te n qu ite i resigned ly to a th u n d e rs to rm on th e to p of o u r best j blossom, and before crop is over even fo rget a ll ab o u t I i t ! W h a t is a w orn-ou t e s ta te ? “ One w ith surface

soil a ll « ashed away. Q. E . D. ! T h is is also som e­th in g new , b u t don’t you believe it, fo r th e re are m any es ta tes in some of th e o lder d is tr ic ts w ith as fe rtile subsoil a couple of feet below th e surface as m any es ta te s h ig h er up ever h ad on i t .— Y ours tru ly ,

S C E P T IC .

C O F F E E L E A F -D IS E A S E .D e a r S i r ,— M ay I , th ro u g h th e m edium of your

colum ns, ask Mr. M arshall W ard if he has ever su c­ceeded in producing Ilem ile ia vasta trix by th e co n tac t of a d iseased leaf w ith a perfec tly h e a lth y p la n t ? A lso, if th e disease was so p ropagated , if th e h ea lth y

p la n t was w holly affected b y th e disease o r only locally affected, th a t is only w hen th e h ea lth y p la n t h a d been b rought in co n tac t w ith th e d iseased leaf ?A gentlem an to ld me ivcen tly in D ikoya th a t he h a d fastened a leaf rich w ith th e so-called spores back to back w ith a leaf of a tree free from disease w ith o u t th e la tte r being in any w ay affected. Can i t be th a t th e gentlem an in In d ia is a f te r a ll cor­rec t, th a t th e orange d u s t is th e excreta, and th a t th e disease is to be looked fo r in th e filam ents of th e m ycelium only? T he filam ents would, I should th in k , be conveyed by th e wind from place to place as readily , if n o t m ore easily , th a n the spore d u s t.

IN Q U IR E R .P . S.—I t m ay be asked : w h a t is th e object of th is

inqu iry ? W ell, sim ply th is, th a t , if th e red d u st is innocen t, any hope for rem edy m u st be th e d es tru c ­t io n of th e m ycelium , an d not m erely th a t of th e affected leaves. M r. M orris, I th ink , found th e ground u n d e r diseased trees, as also th e stem s and branches of th e trees, covered w ith m ycelium .

P. P. S .—In q u iries have adduced th e fac t th a t far few er bees have been seen of la te years about th e es ta tes th a n fo rm erly , due p robably to th e d es 'ru c tio n of forests.

[M r. Mare hall W ard affouls an answ er, in h is R ep o rt to our correspondent’s enqu iry , as fo llo w s:—

“ H ow long a period is requ ired , and w h at conditions a re necessary for th e germ ination of th e pap illa te spore ?

“ I find th a t a spore of H em ileia is capable of germ ­ination im m ediately a f te r i ts com plete fo rm ation on th e disease spo t, and th a t in 12 to 24 hours a f te r its rem oval from th e ‘ ru s t ’ patch to a h ea lth y leaf i t m ay th ro w o u t i ts germ inal tu b e : th e conditions necessary for th is a ie th e presence of w ater, oxygen, an d a sufficiently h igh tem pera tu re . I f th e m atu re spores be ga th ered d ry an d k e p t d ry and cool for some tim e, no change occurs d u rin g th a t tim e ; n evertheless , spores th u s k e p t for six w eeks in a closely-stopped d ry tu b e germ inated . In close covered cells, again, w here th e p a r ts were sealed w ith w ax, I have som etim es found germ ination delayed , o r even a ltogether p reven ted . F u n lly , in cases w here coffee on flats has become ch illed o r ‘ f ro s te d ’ by excessive rad ia tio n , th e spores of H em ileia m ay be found destro y ed in large num bers.

“ T he >um to ta l of observations ind icates th a t germ ina­t io n occurs most rap id ly in a w arm , dam p, steam y a tm o sp h ere on th e surface of vigorous young leaves. U n d e r these favourable circum stances, g e rm ination is com m only com pleted and th e tu b es have begun to en te r th e stom ata w ith in 48 hours from th e m om ent of sowing.

“ G erm ination— i.e., th e sw elling of the spore, and p ro tru s io n of one o r m ore germ inal tu b es—m ay a p ­p a re n tly ta k e place anyw here and on any surface, p ro v id ed th e necessary conditions of m oisture, &c., are fulfilled ; and i t is a fact th a t m yriads of tb e spores germ inate on substances o th er th a n a coffee leaf, only to shrivel u p an d die a t the com pletion of th e process. E x p erim en ts a lready q uo ted in previous rep o rts show th a t th is is t ru e for glass slips, an d I have dem onstra ted , th e sam e for c lo th , soil, and rocks on estates, &c.

“ W here germ ination occurs on a liv ing coffee-leaf, how ever, th e tu b e does n o t th u s die, b u t en ters a stom a, an d form s th e m ycelium as described above.” — E d .

G O V E R N M E N T G A R D E N S IN C EY LO N .W H Y N O T I S S U E L I B E R I A N C O F F E E , C O C O A , A N D

C I N C H O N A P L A N T S F R E E T O T H E V I L L A G E R S W H O S H O W

T H E I R E A G E R N E S S T O C U L T I V A T E B Y S T E A L I N G P L A N T S ?

T H E C U L T I V A T I O N O F L I B E R I A N C O F F E E .

29th O ctober 1S81. D e a r S i r , — I v isited th e H en ara tg o d a G ardens a

sh o r t tim e back. T hey are w orth seeing, and are k e p t

, ve ry n ea tly by M r. Zoyza w ho h as charge. My 1 o b jec t in w ritin g is n o t to describe th e gardens, b u t j to d raw a tte n tio n to th e fa c t th a t from 150 to 200 i thousand L iberian coffee p lan ts are like ly to be w asted,I T here are th is num ber, I believe, in th e nu rsery beds,

an d th e price per 1,000 is p u t dow n in th e l is t a t | R 3 0 ! P riv a te ind iv iduals a re ad v ertiz in g L iberian j coffee p lan ts a t from 111 2 '50 to R15 p e r 1,000, an d I y e t, in gardens opened for th e purpose of in tro d u c in g

an d d is tr ib u tin g new p roducts, th e price is sim ply i p ro h ib ito ry to th e na tiv es . I do n o t know w h a t steps,

if any, have been ta k e n by th e G overnm ent A gen ts of th e W estern , N o rth -W este rn , C en tra l, and S outhern P rov inces (E astern , N orth -C en tra l, an d N o rth e rn , I con­sider too d ry) to in troduce th e cu ltiv a tio n of th is p la n t am ongst th e v illagers. L ike all E aste rn s, th e Ceylonese a re very conservative, and slow in adopting an y new th ing . I t is therefo re incum ben t upon th e au th o rities to use a little effo it in endeavouri< g to shew th e people th e advan tages th e y w ill derive from grow ­in g L iberian coffee to replace th e A rabian , w hich has

! d ied o u t a lto g e th e r in th e villages of m any d is tr ic ts .! Coffee was th e s ta y of th e v illager. F ro m i t he I purchased clothes, saltfish an d o th er com m odities ■ th a t he needed, an d h ad a few rupees to p u t by.I N ow num bers of them can h a rd ly get one m eal per | d ay to ea t. Some years ago, i t was a d ifficult | th in g to get S inhalese to do an y w ork b u t by ! con trac t. N ow , le t i t only be know n th a t lab o r is ; w an ted , an d you a re in u n d a ted w ith m en an d boys I a t from 25 to 33 cen ts per d a y ; and , in some d istric ts ,

gangs of wom en go regu larly to w eed an d do o th e r w orks on e s ta tes : shew ing p la in ly th e poverty of th e pcopL . N o d o u b t bad seasons for p a d d y an d d ry g rin a have h ad a good deal to do w ith th is s ta te of

i m a tte rs , b u t i t is g re a tly agg rav a ted by th e ir hav ing I n o th in g to fall back upon. To re tu rn from th is d ig res­

sion. A large num ber of th e L iberian coffee p lan ts in th e H en ara tg o d a g ardens a re alm ost too large for tran sp lan tin g w ith success, an d very sh o rtly w ill sim ply be of no use : i t seem s a great, p ity t h a t th is should be. T he g is t of th is le tte r is to suggest th a t G overnm ent, th ro u g h th e d ifferen t agencies, shou ld (im ita tin g th e exam ple of th a t en terp riz ing n a tiv e gen ­tlem an , M r. J . P . W illiam ) d is tr ib u te g ra tis all the L iberian coffee p lan ts th ey have, as, even if th ey reduce th e price, I do n o t th in k th e y w ill g e t p u r ­chasers,—a t any ra te , for any appreciable num ber, as th e re seems very l i t t le dem and for them ju s t now. N o tim e should be lost, as there is only abo u t one m o n th m ore of th is monsoon in w hich i t w ill be safe to p lan t. I f my suggestion is adopted, th e natives to whom th ey m ay be given should be strongly im pressed w ith th e necessity of p lan tin g in th e open, and shad ing w ell t i l l th o ro u g h ly rooted . W hen once es tab ­lished , th e p lan ts cannot have too m uch sun. I f p lan ted am ongst jak , k ekuna, coconuts &c., as w as th e custom to do w ith A rabian coffee, th e ir lab o r w ill be in vain , as th ey w ill grow up like a re k a palm s, an d h a rd ly f ru it a t a ll.

B u t, perhaps, D r. T rim en m ay have an idea th a t , if th e re is no sale ju s t now for th e p lan ts , th e re m ay be by- m d-bye for s tum ps. T he sooner th is idea is go t r id of th e b e tte r . Liberian coffee stum ps ivill not grow. I had heard th is before b u t d id n o t believe it , an d so r isk ed 3,000 very fine large p lan ts to te s t i t . T he p lan ts w ere p u lled and stum ped one evening, an d p lan ted o u t n e x t d ay in m ost favorable w ea th e r— such w eather as A rabian coffee stu m p s w ould have reveled in—and th e re su lt has m ade me a wiser m an. In th re e m on ths m ore th a n ha lf h ad d ied , an d th e re s t sim ply ex isted , w itli here an d the re one o r tw o

| th a t seem ed lik e ly to do w ell. A t K a lu ta ra I w as I shew n portions of a field tw o years old, th a t h ad been j p lan ted w iih svehers, and a sm all s tragg ling bush th a t 1 had grow n from a p rim a ry . In th e face of these facts,

i t seems rash to say th a t stum ps w ill not grow ; h u t if th e evidence on th is head were collected I am su re i t would beor me ou t in m y assertion . I t w ould a t leas t be r isk y for any one to t r y th em on a large scale.

If conservatism is in h e re n t in the E a st, i t ce rta in ly seems capable of in fec ting G overnm ents an d in d iv i­duals n a tu ra lized in i t ; and for illu s tra tio n s of th is we need n o t travel from home. I w ill say n o th in g of our islan d G o v e rn m e u t: i ts tendencies are on ly too notice­able. A nd w h a t of our p lan tin g com m unity ? A re we n o t sa tu ra ted w ith it, m oving in th e sam e old grooves ti l l d ire necessity com pelled us to step o u t? W e are quick to see ap a th y in natives. H ow w as i t w ith ourselves where cinchona was b ro u g h t to our no tice? Those w ho em ancipated them selves from old ideas are now reap ing th a t rew ard , w h ils t o th ers have now repen ted , am ended th e ir w ays, an d live in hopes th a t th ey m ay n o t be too la te . N o r is i t any b e tte r w ith L iberian coffee an d cocoa. IIow slow ly th e ir cu ltiva- j tio n extends. I t su re ly canno t be for w ant of m oney, I as we w ere assu red a sh o rt tim e ago th a t , for sound in- ! vestm ents, th e re was p len ty in th e coun try . N ow , few w ill a sse rt th a t cocoa is n o t a pay ing p roduct, and th e re is p len ty of lan d su ited for i ts grow th , if people w ould only look for i t . T here was a rush , a few years ago, to p la n t L iberian coffee, b u t since th en its cu ltiva tion has not appreciab ly ex tended . W h y is th is ? Is i t w an t of confidence, an d , if if so, w lia t has caused i t ? Some of these causes are I th in k , very p la in : th e p ioneers of th is coffee knew very l i t t le about it, an d hence, to th e ir cost, m ade some m istakes. To begin w ith th e trees: th ey were p lan ted 10 feet squat e, giving ab o u t 400 tre e s to an acre ; some few even p lan tin g wider. To cover th e expend itu re , th ese 400 trees w ould have had to give very large crops indeed, and possib ly th ey m a y y e t do th is and leave a fa ir profit.

E xperience has since show n th a t abo u t 800 tree s p er acre can be grow n w’itb o u t crow ding, th u s doubling th e crops w ith o u t m uch increasing th e expend itu re . P erh ap s i t is n o t generally know n th a t 1,000 cherries, a t 800 trees to th e acre, y ield 8 c w t ; and, as trees topped a t 5 to 6 feet, g iving from 2,000 to 5,000 cherries, are n o t uncom m on, su re ly th e calcu la tion of a y ie ld of 1,000 cherries p er tree isvery m oderate ; and I am confident th is can be considerably exceeded by a p roper app lication of m anure. A n o th e r cause no d o u b t is th e fac t th a t laud has been opened and p lan ted w ith L iberian coffee th a t w ould have been b e tte r le f t in jung le. T h is is a m istake t h a t has been m ade by o th ers as w ell as grow ers of low- country produce, as i t was com m on enough for m en of sense in o th er respects to a tte n d sales and b id for lan d th a t th ey kn ew no m ore about th a n th e babe unborn. T h is “ buying a p ig in a poke” has caused grief to m any, an d w ill still, I fear, in tim es to come. This, how ever, should n o t be la id a t th e door of th e coflee, fo r i t w ill no m ore grow on bad soil th a n will its e ld er b ro th er A rabian, though L iberian w ill force its roots th ro u g h soil, an d ob ta in nourishm ent from i t w here i ts m ore te n d e r b ro th e r w ould starve, A n advan tage th a t th e g row er of L i­berian coffee has is th a t he can, in a ll th e sh e lte red p o rtions of his e s ta te , grow' cocoa, w ith o u t a t all in ju rin g h is coffee. T h e difficulty of pu lp ing is alm ost g o t over, and no d o u b t M essrs. W a lk e r & Co. w ill soon perfec t w h a t th ey have a lread y advanced so far. A s regards a m arket for th is coffee, I am n o t com ­p e te n t to speak ; y e t th e re can scarcely be a d oub t th a t for m any years to come A m erica w ill ta k e a ll w e can produce, an d by th em o th e r m ark e ts are sure to open up. M y advice to in ten d in g low country p lan te rs is th is : do n o t buy y our land hap-hazard b u t ascerta in for yourselves th a t th e lan d is really w orth p lan ting , and if you cannot do th is for y o u r­selves p ay some com peten t and reliable person to do

i t for you. F a r b e tte r to th ro w aw ay £10 th a n £1 ,000 . T hen th e ra in fa ll shou ld be a t least 70 inches a re a r a n d p re tty evenly d is tr ib u te d ; places w ith p ro tra c te d d rought, o r th a t only g e t one m onsoon, shou ld be avo ided . T he d istances a p a r t shou ld be S fee t by 7 feet, and in poor soils even 7£ x ; c loser th a n th is I w ould n o t recom m end. A ll o th e r m a tte rs a re p re t ty m uch th e same as in th e p la n tin g of A rab ian coffee. W ith d ecen t soil, a fa ir ra in fa ll, an d p roper a l t i­tu d e , L iberian coffee cannot be a failu re . T he crop c e r t ­a in ly does ta k e a long tim e to rip en (13 to 14 m on ths as fa r as has been ascerta ined), bu t i t m ay ripen w ith in th e year, w hen i t se ttle s in to our seasons an d loses i ts n a tiv e h ab its. H as i t been ce rta in ly a sc e r t­ained how’ m any m on ths th e berries ta k e to rip en in L ib e ria?— Y ours, &c., W . J .

C O F F E E L E A F D IS E A S E : T H E C A R B O L IZ E D PO W D ER . T R E A T M E N T A N D M R . W A R D ’S

R E P O R T .A g rapatana , 30th O ctober 1881.

D e a r S i r , — A verse though I am to a d iscussion, a t th is stage, of m ere opinions as to th e m erit of th e carbolic acid tre a tm e n t recom m ended by me (in face of ac tu a l p rac tica l resu lts), th e re are a few re ­m ark s on th a t sub ject, in M r. W a rd ’s final repo rt, w hich have a t tra c te d m y a tte n tio n and w hich deserve some notice a t m y hands. Mr. W ard , th o u g h a d ­m ittin g carbolic acid am oug th e availab le reagen ts o r chem icals w hich m igh t be used fo r th e d estru c tio n of genera tin g spores, is of opinion th a t th is ac id is scarcely sufficiently soluble an d diffusible fo r th a t p u r ­pose.

N ow , considering th a t carbolic acid is read ily soluble in ab o u t 60 p a rts of w’ate r, and th a t a so lu tion of less th a n one p er cen t s tre n g th suffices to d es tro y th e spores w’h e th er g erm inating or n o t ; considering th a t th e m ethod I have devised of i ts application adm its of i ts being diffused to a perfection unap­proachab le by th e su lp h u r an d lim e m ix ture ; and la s tly considering th a t th e vapour of carbolic acid given out b y th e pow der is p ercep tib le for n early a fo rtn ig h t a f te r each application , I subm it th a t M r. W ard ’s opinion, as above quoted , is n o t based on sufficient evidence to carry w eigh t.

T he carbolized pow der, as used by m e, comes s tr ic t ly w ith in th e “ com pounds w h ic h ” (to quo te from M r. W ard ’s rep o rt) “ will con tinuously evolve and easily diffuse a read ily soluble gas, form ing w ith th e w a te r on th e leaves a so lu tion sufficiently s tro n g to do th e m axim um of in ju ry to th e g erm inating spores, and th e m inim um of harm to th e coffee leaf—th e a f te r ­p ro d u c ts of w hich are n o t in ju rious to th e tre e w’hen w ashed to th e ro o ts .” M r. W ard , though ad m ittin g th a t a certa in benefit m ay be derived from th e carb ­olic ac id tre a tm e n t (if done a t th e p ro p er tim e), has expressed h im self p riv a te ly to th e effect th a t th e acreage tre a te d und er m y advice w ould p robable suffer a f te r th e first ra in , from th e carbolic acid being w ashed in to th e ground. T h is opinion re su lts have p roved com pletely unfounded . T he areas, on th e con trary , have considerably im proved a f te r every ra in ­fall, and our experience ex ten d s to 11 m onths. I am com pletely a t variance w ith Mr. W ard reg ard in g h is s ta tem en ts th a t th e m ycelium canno t be a ttack ed a f te r i t has entered th e leaf.”

I have seen proof to th e co n tra ry , w hich n o t only satisfied me and th e p lan te rs who worked w ith m e, b u t also one of our o ldest au d m ost respec ted au th o ritie s on th e sub ject.

One of th e re su lts of th e carbolic acid tre a tm e n t to w hich I a tta c h e d g re a t im portance w'as t h a t i t p rev en ted th e m ycelium of th e m ajority of p inspots, on leaves m arked for observation , from fructify ing , and caused th em to d ie and d ry up—so fa r as th e b row n­

in g of a p inspo t w ith o u t fructifica tion m ay be term ed so. I n adjo in ing u n tre a te d fields, th e p inspo ts on th e m arked area w ere found to have f ru ite d free ly d u r ­ing th e sam e period of observation . In several cases, th e m arked leaves w ere k e p t u n d e r observation for more th an six w eeks.

T here is no special know ledge of Mycology requ ired to d istingu ish w hen spores are th row n o u t by th e fungus an d when n o t. I am open to correction .

1 am , again, a t variance w ith M r. W a rd regard ing h is s ta tem en t th a t nn pred isposition is requ ired to in fect a coffee tree . H ow does he account for in d iv idual trees being com paratively free from it , though su rro u n d ed by thousands of bad ly diseased trees), and I differ w ith him in considering m anure only so m uch ad d itional n ou rishm en t fo r th e fungus. I have never seen a well m anured tree so badly diseased as an unm anured one. T he fungus, though perhaps it germ inates and establishes itse lf as freely, does n o t spread o r fru c tify as m uch on m anured as on u tm ianured coffee, one or tw o k in d s of m anure excepted. This is w ell-know n to every experienced p lan ter.

I am afra id , how ever, I sha ll transg ress on y o u r space, w ere I to w rite more, and you w ill perhaps say, cui bonum f I close therefo re aud rem ain, yours fa ith fu lly , E U G E N E C. S C H R O T T K Y .

C O F F E E -L K A F D IS E A S E : M R . W A R D ’S R E P O R T .1st N ovem ber 1881.

D e a e S i r , —D r. T rim en ’s in tro d u c to ry le t te r to M r. M arshall W ard ’s la s t rep o rt is rem arkab le in more th an one respect, an d inv ites critic ism . Sure ly th e w o rth y D irector, when say ing th a t “ p robab ly no fungus-pest has ever receiv -d so prolonged an d con­tinuous an exam ination ,” in ad v e rten tly om itted to say th a t th e thoroughness and com pleteness or th e in fo rm a­tion stands scarcely in p roportion to i t . F o r, beyond correcting M r. M orris in h is filam ent theo ry , th e p resen t rep o rt adds li t t le to th e researches of th e Rev. I t. A bbay and Dr. T hw aites, as fa r as th e life- liistory of th e fungus, pure and sim ple, is concerned.

The Colony h ad a r ig h t to expect th e whole life-h isto ry from a c ryp togam ist specially em ployedand selected for th e w ork. O th er m ycologistshave h ad no d ifficu lty in describ ing th e life-history of o th e r m em bers of th e sam e fam ily an d have discovered th e respective second h o st p lan ts . T)r. T rim en assum es a g rea t responsib ility in saying th a t th e discovery of th e second h o st p la n t of Hemileia vastatrix is u n im portan t. To say th a t , in h is opinion, i t really d id n o t m a tte r w h eth er an y th in g was know n ab o u t th e h is to ry of th e second k in d of spore, o r not, is au ill-chosen apology fo r M r. M arshall W ard having failed to follow it up.

The p roportion of te leuto-spores to uredo-spores* produced by each d ise ase ' spo t, is form idable enough to m ake th e discovery of th e second host p ’a n t one of th e g rea test im portance to th e coffee in d u s try of Ceylon. I t w ill p robab ly m ake l i t t le difference to e s ta tes w hich a re chronically suffering from th is pest an d are never free from it. T here th e uredo-spores p lay no d oub t th e m ost im p o rtan t p a r t in o rig ina ting each successive a ttack ; b u t as regards es ta tes th a t suffer periodically , say once a year, th e re is every reason to believe th a t th e a tta c k is chiefly , if not en tire ly , originated b y th e p roducts of th e second k ind of spore. T bere is no evidence p roduced by M r. W ard to show th a t th e uredo-spores can lie d o rm an t th rough h ea t and dew and ra in for, say, n ine m onths, nor does o u r know ­ledge of th e life-history of o th e r m em bers of th e sam e fam ily ju s tify h i any w ay th e assum ption th a t th e discovery of th e second host p la n t w ould be u n im ­p o rta n t to th e coffee in d u stry .

140

M r. M arshall W a rd ’s rep o rt is in teresting , b u t i t fails to give us th a t com plete in form ation on th e life-h isto ry of th e fungus, w hich th e Colony h ad some r ig h t to expect. A C R IT IC .

C O F F E E L E A F -D IS E A S E AND M R. W A R D ’S IN V E S T IG A T IO N .

2nd Nov. 1881.D e a r S i r , — In y o u r issue of th e «3lst u lt ., you

drew a tte n tio n to Mr. W a rd ’s s ta te m e n t th a t “ th e d isease is q u ite com patib le w ith and indeed p refers h ea lth y an d lu x u ria n t trees.” This s ta tem en t is opposed to facts. The disease p refe rs sick ly trees, and on these i t luxu ria te s an d spreads in a m anner w hich show s th a t on o r in such tre e s i t finds its t ru e home and conditions most favourable to its developm ent.

Y ou also b rin g p rom inen tly to notice th a t, accord- ing to M r. W a rd ’s observations, 24 hour J soak ng ram is requ ired to give th e fungus a fa ir s ta r t , an d th a t i t ru les suprem e du ring m oist, ra in y w eather. I f th is is th e case, how are th e a tta c k s of th e disease to be accoun ted fo r th a t occur, in " some d is tr ic ts , during 4 ry w eather, and w hich (the a ttacks), according to th e observation of experienced p lan ters, are ap p a ren tly o rig ina ted by an d accom pany th e ad v en t o' h igh dry w inds ?

M r. W ard ’s conclusions as to th e a tm o sp h e re circum ­stances w hich favour th e developm ent of th e fungus are, I th in k , p erfec tly correct, as fa r as th e u redo- spore is concerned. H ow im p o rtan t, therefore, to find o u t w b a t form of th e fungus o rig ina tes th e d isease a tta c k s d u rin g d ry w ea th er ; how im p o rtan t, th e re fo re to find o u t w h a t becom s of th e p roducts of th e second k in d of spore—a sub jec t to w hich I endeavoured to d raw y our a tten tio n in m y le t te r of y es te rd ay

A C R IT IC .

H O W TO C U L T IV A T E C O F F E E A N D F IG H T “ L E A F D IS E A S E ”

D e a r S i r , — I am g lad to see, from your issue of 25th in st., th a t Mr. Jam es S incla ir is experim en ting in L in d u la to m itig a te leaf disease an d get trees to g ive crops. I can assure him lie is on th e r ig h t tra c k : m anuring in sm all doses w here necessary is one poin t. T he k in d of m anure requ ired is, how ever, th e g rea te s t po in t, an d we canno t depend nn th e analysis of soil to guide us. I f o u r soil is deficient in potash , i t w ill n o t do to p u t pure po tash to th e tree, b u t we m u -t p u t th e m aterial o u t of w hich potash is m ade, and let. th e roo ts do th e re s t. In all cases, m ix w oodash w ith your bones and lim e w ith your poonac before applying. A pply no p a te n t m anure w ith o u t some ca ttle o r good com post being tho ro u g h ly m ixed w ith it. I n high au d w et d is tr ic ts , lay y ou r roots bare in th e hot w eather ; apply y o u r m anure, cover over th e soil, th en stam p th e soil so th a t i t ge ts h a rd and does n o t allow too m uch m oistu re to g e t to th e roots. In th e low country , cu t holes in th e w et w eather, app ly y< m r manjnre, cover w ith soil th e hole ha lf full, and p u t leaves, maim, o r r u b ­bish on top, o r fork in both d is tr ic ts in w h a t m anure you give above th e tree. Y ou canno t use too m uch woodash an d lim e while leaf-disease hangs about. S ince th e l» te ra in s, my d isin fec tan ts have again d riven leaf disease o u t of m y coffee w here afl'ect- d. T nis tim e i t se ttled close to on a n a tive m an ’s tree garden

I w here del, jak , and a lo t of o th e r trees bad lost j th e ir leaves and th e b ranches dy in g off as well as some * I of th e trees are dy ing .T he p la n te r m u st t r u s t to his eye j to d e te c t w hen, w here, how and w h a t m anure or disin- I fec tan t to apply , by the appearance of th e coffee. In

some cases i t is necessary to m ake holes below the trees (get from W alk e r & Co., one like H ollow ay’s E a rth A uger) to le t th e ea rth dam p escape and th en throw’ a li t t le gas lim e in to th e hole or su lp h u r aud lim e an d leave th e hole open. K nife-prune early an d

h and-p rune tw ice besides. W h erev er you see leaf d is­ease com ing m ix 1 of w oodash and 1 of coun try unslacked lim e and throw free ly both over an d under th e tree. In a ll case?, th e fight m ust be fought by th e su p e rin ten d en t who is on th e spot. One p rac tica l m an in each d is tr ic t can do m ore th an a ll th e v is it­ing agetVs, who, no doubt, are a ll good m en, b u t are not on th e sp o t. J . H .

A H O R T IC U L T U R IS T ’S E N Q U IR Y .D ow n South .

D e a r S i r , — I s h a l l f e e l t h a n k f u l t o y o u r s u b s c r i b e r ! w h o h a v e f l o w e r g a r d e n s f o r t h e i r e x p e r i e n c e a s t o t h e m o s t s u c c e - s f u l w a y o f p r o p a g a t i n g r o s e - t r e e s b y p l a n t ­i n g t h e i r - l i p s o r c u t t i n g s . I h a v e t r i e d s e v e r a l m e t h o d s t o g a in m y e n d , b u t t h e y h a v e i n v a r i a b l y r e s u l t e d i n f a i l u r e — m u c h s o t h a t I a m u n a b l e t o r e p l a c e t h e t e a - r o s e s I h a v e a t p r e s e n t ( b y f r e s h o n e s ) , w h i c h a r e d y i n g o u t , b e in g o l d .

I am a 'a r e th a t in th e C en tra l P rov ince and M ora- w ak K o ra le th e y are g row n w ithou t m uch cave or effort, b u t th is is due to th e m ;ld c lim ate of those places, w hich gardeners dow n sou th canno t u n h ap p ily boast o f.—Y ours fa ith fu lly , TEA -R O SE .

C O F F E E C U L T IV A T IO N A ND M A N U R IN G .D e a r S m ,— M r. Ja s . S inclair’s le t te r , in yo u r issue

of th e 25 th , is in te restin g , as show ing th e feeling w hich is w ork ing am ong u s for a m ore scientific system of agricu l u re th a n has h ith e r to been p rac tised . There a re some po in ts in h is le t te r w hich I should lik e to tak e notice of, in th e hope th a t discussion m ay create add itio n a l in te re s t in th e sub ject, and th a t , o u t of it, a m ore generally sound sys tem of m anuring m ay be deduced.

T he idea of using m ore th an one ap p lica tion of m an ­u re in a year is one w hich occurred to me some years ago, a f te r having s tu d ied th e w ork of Messrs. Lawes a n d G ilb ert "at R otham stead . I gave i t up , how ever, a f te r a few small tr ia ls , as p rac tica lly inapp licab le to coffee, and for th e las t tw o years I have been w orking in a d irection w hich I th in k m ore lik e ly to he p ro­d u c tiv e of re su lt, viz., to th e production of a m anure w hich w ill ac t con tinuously upon th e coffee th ro u g h ­o u t th e en tire tw elve m onths. I m u st jo in issue w ith M r. S inclair, w hen he says th a t i t is w ell-know n th a t C eylon soils are rich in a low com pound of iron w hich has th e pow er of rendering unavailable th e food w hich m ty be g iven to th e p la n t in th e m ost available form. I d id n o t know th a t such was th e case, n o r do I th in k th a t i t is so. P erox ide of iron , in w hich form m ost of th e iron in our soils is, I believe, to be found, is beneficial ra th e r th a n th e reverse, being a fixer of th e m ore valuable co n s titu en ts of m anure, an d th u s p re ­v en tin g th e 'r w aste . I f sufficient iron in a noxious form w ere presen t in our soils, th e coffee w ould be found noc to grow on such soils, w hereas th e higher percen tage of iron is genera lly to be found associated w ith superio r coffee. I f I am correct, th e necessity fo r the freq u en t app lica tion of quicklim e to our C ey­lon soils w ould no t be so ev iden t. I w ould w ish to cau tion p lan te rs against th e in d iscrim inate use of lim e, w hich I have before urged in th e Tropical A g ricu lt­urist. L im e, app lied w ith o u t very carefu l considera­tio n of t h 9 resu lts which are desired to be a tta in ed , is a p t to be in jurious, th o u g h th e ill effects m ay tak e t im e to show them selves, an d a t bes t i t shou ld alw ays be looked upon as th e p rep ara tio n for subsequent m anuring . Is no t M r. S inclair som ew hat h a rd upon th e v isiting agents? I t may be th e case th a t some am ong them , in stead of being ahead of th e tim es, as th e y ever shou ld be, are liv ing upon a p as t rep u ta tio n , b u t su re ly such is n o t th e case w ith a ll o r even th e g rea ter

num ber. F o r m y ow n p a r t, I w ould ra th e r have m y e s ta te u n raanured th a n m anured h aphazard an d w ith ­o u t nny ju d g m en t ; fo r unscientific m anuring has, I believe, done as m uch as an y th in g to p u t coffee in to such a cond ition th a t i t succum bs to leaf-disease, and th e Colombo agen ts are n a tu ra lly d is tru s tfu l w hen th e y find th a t ce rta in app lica tions of m anure are a t ­ten d ed w ith negative, or, perhaps, positive ev il resu lts .

M r. M arshall W ard’s re p o rt is calculated to be of g re a t p rac tica l benefit to those w ho w ill s tu d y i t care­fu lly an d follow h is suggestions, and I m ay ad d th a t h is deductions seem to be borne o u t by an d to explain th e re su lts of m y ow n experim ents, and p robab ly those to m any others, w ho will, I hope, give us th e benefit of fh e ir experience.— Y ours fa ith fu lly , C U L T IV A T O R .

[ W e certa in ly do n o t sym path ize w ith any in ­d iscrim inate a tta c k on V isitin g Agents. B u t does n o t o u r corresponden t’s a rg u m en t seem to te ll ag a in s t th e p resen t system b y w hich a p la n te r who has gained h is experience, perhaps in one o r tw o ad jacen t d is­tr ic ts , is m ade V isito r of E sta te s an d adv iser of p ro ­p rie to rs w hose in te re sts are sc a tte red over the w hole h ill-country from M atale to B adu lla ? I f i t w ere pos­sible, w e would p refe r to see th e experience an d ab il­i ty of V isitin g A gents u tilized m ore p a r tic u la rly in tho<e d is tr ic ts w ith w hich th e y are b es t acquain ted . Of course, sensible m en m ake th e ir v isits to p lan ta tio n s w orked by careful and experienced p lan ters, a m a tte r of form, b u t in o th er cases has n o t th e ju d g m en t of th e e s ta te m anager been o verru led to th e d e tr im e n t of the p ro p e rty ?—E d . ]

M A N IT O B A A N D C E Y L O N P L A N T E R S .1st Nov. 1881.

D e a r S i r , —I have received a le t te r from a C eylon p la n te r w ho w en t to t r y h is lu ck in th e F a r W est, and i t m ay be in te re stin g to som e of y o u r readers to know a l i t t le of w h a t he says abo u t farm ing in M anitoba.

H e w rites :— “ Since a rriv in g here, I have been looking ab o u t for some lan d , and have now fixed on a lo t of 330 acres. Of th a t , I g e t a free g ra n t of 160 acres from G overnm ent, an d 160 I g e t a t 10s a n acre, an d am allow ed te n years to pay i t by in ­s ta lm en ts . In W innipeg I m et tw o M oraysh ire m en, a n d w e a ll s ta r te d off to g e th e r for u p co u u try . W e b ough t a te n t and provision , and w hen n ig h t cam e on cam ped o u t. W e w ere a fo rtn ig h t on th e road ; so you m ay suppose I have seen a' good deal of th e country . B oth ihese m en have tak en lan d beside m ine, 320 acres each. M y lan d is a m ile from th e railw ay, w hich is to be opened n e x t year. Several farm ers, who have seen th e lan d , say I am very luck y in g e t­tin g such a good b it. I am w ell supplied w ith w ater, hav ing a s tream ru n n in g th ro u g h m y land , and can g e t p len ty of du ck an d snipe shouting, an d p ra irie fow ls in any num ber. T here are very few farm s opened o u t so fa r w est as I am, b u t n e x t sp ring I expect th e lan d ro u n d ab o u t w ill be b o u g h t up fast. W h a t1 have seen of th e co u n try I like very m uch indeed , a n d th e lan d I have seen crops on is sp lend id . I hope, in a y ea r o r tw o, to be in dependen t, an d be able to ta k e a ru n home to Scotland. T he work w ill be a l i t t le rough a t first, u n ti l I g e t a house b u ilt, and some crop in, b u t n o th in g b u t w h a t any one could stand.

“ T here is a lw ays p len ty of w o rk to be h ad here, an d th e low est pay one gets ju s t now is tw o do llars a d a y ; so th a t a m an can soon save a l i t t le m oney. I th in k any one w ho is steady an d willing to work, could be independen t in a few years, a lth o u g h he had n o t a p enny to s ta r t w ith. Y ou can te ll a ll those who are o u t of b ille ts in C eylon th a t th e y will g e t p len ty em ploym ent here , if th y are w illing to w ork , and w ould soon be able to have farm s of th e ir own, and be in d ep en d en t.”— Y ours tru ly , P L A N T E R .

C O F F E E I S T H E P H IL IP P IN E S .M askeliya, 2nd Nov. 1881.

Dbap. S i r , —H aving read y our a r tic le headed “ C flee p lan tin g in th e P h ilipp ines,” I w ould refer yo u r cor­respondent from “ P ak h o i,” C hina, to a book called “ T ropical A g ricu ltu re” by P . L. Sim inonds, w here he w ill tiud a de ta iled account of coffee cu ltiv a tio n in th o se islands. A m ong o th er observations, Mr. S im m onds says “ Coffee in th e P h ilpp ines ‘ T he ex p o rt of coffee from M anila was in 1864, 37,845 piculs of 1J cw t, a n d in 1874, 45,842 piculs T he value of coffee exported in 1872 w as s ta te d a t $869,000,000, an d in 1873 a t §1,126,000,000. T h is coffee is q u ite equal to th a t of Ja v a . The beans are m edium sized and of a pale colour, T ne p lau t th rives w onderfu lly in th e Ph ilipp ines, and i t s berry has so strong ly m arked a flavour th a t tb e worst M anila coffee com m ands as high a p rice as th e b es t Java. N ot t i l l European cap ita l calls large p la n ­ta tio n s in to existence in the m ost su itab le localities w ill th e Philippines ob ta in th - ir p roper ran k in th e coffee-producing d is tr ic ts of th e w o rld .”— Y ours fa ith ­fu lly , H . D. D E A N E.

C O F F E E SO ILS.D ear Sir ,—I now send you copy of an analysis of

so il. Y ou w ill no d o u b t agree w ith m e th a t few w ould have ven tured , a f te r such a repo rt, to invest cap ita l an d cu ltiv a te land of th a t descrip tion . B u t I knew w h at could be done w ith th e soil, an d so d id n o t hes ita te to lay o u t m oney and w ith fair resu lts . F rom fo u r to six cw t. p e r acre in these tim es is n o t bad. T h is is m y reason for n o t p u ttin g m uch fa ith in an a ­lyses of so il.—Y ours tru ly . P L A N T E R .

I now pass on to No. 2 soil in sm all bags. T his is a m ost ex trao rd in ary sam ple. I t consists alm ost en tire ly of nodules of ironstone, p a r tia lly decomposed gneiss and quartz , w ith only a m inu te q u a n tity of lime, potash , phosphoric acid and nitrogen, &c. T he p roportion o f organic m a tte r an d com bined m a tte r is h igher th an in No. 1 soil, b u t th is is due ra th e r to th e com bined w a te r which is p resen t in consequence of th e larger am o u n t of iron and alum ina. I am su rp rised how coffee can grow a t a ll upon such a soil. I ts re ­te n tiv e p roperties seem so sm all th a t I w ould n o t ad v ise any serious ex pend itu re in th e way of m anure. I shou ld p re fe r to le t i t go in to grass w hich , if guinea, m u s t be of use to you in m ak ing m anure for N o. 1. so il w hich is w orth some expense. W h en you look a t th e tw o analyses, you m ighi, perhaps, th in k th a t th e difference betw een th e tw o soils is n o t so m uch, b u t decim al one ( 100) p e r cen t of a co n s titu en t m eans on e ton p er acre for six inches of soil. Y ou w ill, th e re ­fore, see also how im p o rtan t i t is th a t the g rea test care and delicacy shou ld be tak en in th e analysis, in o rder to correctly estim ate th e sm all quan tities of th e im p o rtan t constituents.

“ IN S E C T S ” A N D C O F F E E BLOSSOM F E R T IL IZ A ­TIO N ; W O O D -P U L P A N D TEA C H E STS.

K otm ale, 3 rd N ovem ber 1881.D e a r S i r , —In th is in te re stin g d iscussion on coffee

blossom fertiliza tion in Ceylon, le t u s su b s titu te “ in ­se c ts ” for “ bees,” and w e shall have m ateria l to w ork on. I cannot recall, in my experience of ap iary v isits to coffee esta tes, a single instance in w hich those v is its w ere m ore th a n fly in g on s. Y ou hear the hu m , 1 th e m urm ’ring of innum erable bees,’ to th e n o r th , and lo, e re you could look u p , behold ! they h ad passed to th e south.

N ow and th en a sw arm m ay be seen on jung le tre e s near th e coffee, or on f ru it trees a t bungalows, b u t th e ir stay appears to be in no w ay connected w ith th e coffee.

B u t w hen we tu rn to th e m ore com prehensive " in se c ts ,” w e can a ll reca ll th e flitting of hum m ing-

b irdh aw k -m o th s from tree to tre e , and th e im passive m anner in w hich those li t t le rose beetles established them selves on o u r blossoms.

W h a t S ir Jo h n Lubbock sa id ab o u t th e “ l i t t le busy bee ” a t Y o rk w a s :— “ A t th e close of th e las t cen t­u ry , Sprengel pub lished a m ost suggestive w ork on flowers, in w hich he poin ted o u t th e curious re la tio n ex isting betw een th ese and insects, and showed th a t th e la t te r carried th e pollen from flower to flowrer. D arw in fu r th e r in v estig a ted th e su b je c t in 1862, and o th ers h ad followed in h is steps. T he genera l re su lt was t h a t to insects, an d especially to bees, w e owed th e b eau ty of our gardens, an d t he sw eetness of ou r fields. To th e ir beneficent, though unconscious action, flowers owe th e ir scen t an d colour, th e ir honey, n ay , in m any cases, even th e ir form . T h e ir p resen t shape and v aried arrangem ents, th e ir b r illia n t colours, th e ir honey, an d th e ir sw eet scent, a re all due the selection exercised by in se c ts .” W e should rem em ber th a t S ir Jo h n w as speaking in E ngland to an assem blage m ostly E nglish an d presum ably en tirely European.

You have tw o e x trac ts from th e Field in your issue of th e 1st. B oth a re in te restin g . One refers to th e use of wood p u lp for m aking barre ls . H ad we only an en terp riz ing Y ankee or tw o here, th is m ateria l w ould be u tilized a t once in th e m anufactu re of tea chests to out-C hinese th e Chinese cases fo r ligh tness and d u rab ility . I t is a sham e to th is in te llig en t age th a t packages of C eylon and In d ian teas should be so clum sy as th ey are. The second ex tra c t b rings us back to coffee cu ltiva tion , an d is a d e lig h tfu lly ep ig ram ­m atic serm on on th e follies of unscientific p ru n in g an d m anuring , th is la t te r work being itse lf alw ays, to a g rea te r or less degree, a roo t-pruning. S ure ly i t w ere b e tte r to leave th e roots alone en tirely , even allow ing w eeds to p ro tec t th em from th e ill-effects of sun and heavy rain , than , a f te r encouraging th e d em and for food b y b ranch p run ing , to p reven t, by p e rp e tu a l d istu rbance of th e root, y ou r poor coffee from hav ing th e food you so cupboard-lovingly , b u t ig n o ran tly in ten d for him . P oor o ld coffee! D on’t blam e th e p lan te rs b e ­cause, in th e ir nescience, th e y tr e a t you w orse th a n T an ta lus ? R em em ber we are but m en ; h is to rm en to rs were gods. PO ST T E N E B R A S L U X ,

G IR T H O F C IN C H O N A T R E E S .H aldum m ulla , 3 rd N ov. 1881.

D e a r S i r , — A question hav ing arisen reg ard in g th e g ir th of th e o lder cinchona trees (succirubra) on K el- b u rn e es ta te , th e p ro p rie to r, M r. Campbell, undertook to m easure th e trees, and he sends th e follow ing m easurem ents , w hich w ill be a m a tte r of in te re s t to you and y our readers G irth .

No. 1. f t. in.A t 12 in, from th e g ro u n d on low er side„ 15 ,, ,, „ ... 4 8„ 6 ,, ,, on upp er side ... 3 11,, 6 f t. ,, on low er side ... 3 2

H eight, 40 f t. (m easured).N o. 2.

A t 12 in. from the g round on low er side ... 6 0,, lo ,, ,, ,, ... 5 4^

No. 3.A t 12 in. from th e g round on low er side ... 5 7

i i l o 11 i i i i • • • 4 i |— I am , yours tru ly , H E N R Y W A L K E R .

S a r a w a k . — T he fu tu re p ro sp e rity of th e country m u st depend in a la rge degree on th e fostering of its a g ricu ltu ra l capabilities p a r tic u la rly in the G am bier an d P epper b ranches, as i t is p rin c ip a lly to th em , and th e im pulse g iven to tra d e causedby th e ir developem ent, th a t w e owe th e large increase to o u r revenue th a t we m ay m ay count upon nex t y e a r .— Saraw ak Gazette,

B a r b a d o s .— T he sh ipm en t of crop w as n early closed, I th e to ta l being 50,574 hogsheads suga r and 31,937 t puncheons m olasses—abou t an average crop. A fair p roportion of th is had gone to th e U n ited S ta tes an d Canada. G row ing crops prom ised w ell u n d e r th e in ­fluence of refresh ing ra ins. Cargoes of A m erican produce still con tinued to a rrive . A good tra d e ex is ts w ith D em erara in th e ex p o rt of coral lim e. T he H ouse of A ssem bly w as s ti l l in recess, and would con tinue so ti l l O ctober 10th. M r. C. M asservy h a I been gazetted S uperin ten d en t of P u b lic W orks fo r th e Colony. Mr. C. M asservy w ould n o t arriv e t i l l to w ard s th e close of S ep tem ber.— Colonies and India . \

T h e S a l e o f J a v a C a l i s a y a L e d g e r S e e d a t M r. |Sym ons’ coffice resu lted

1 boxas follow s :—

@ It 33 R 332 „ „ 31 „ 621 >1 .. 30 „ 308 „ „ ., 29 ,,2324 „ , , „ 28 ,,1 1 21 „ „ „ 27 273 „ „ „ 26 „ 78

,,1506 „ ,, ,, 256 „ !> ,, 24 ,,1441 ,, ”, 23 „ 23

33 „ R891

A verage 27 rupees per box of 2 gram m es or 31 g ra in s : abo u t half th e price ob ta ined a t th e form er sale, no doubt, owing to the fu ll analysis being given.

C i n c h o n a o n t h e S h e v a r o y s :— D r. S h o rtt w rites to th e M adras H o rtic u ltu ra l Society from Y ercau d :— “ C inchona h ith e rto on these h ills has been sim ply as an experim ent: one o r m ore trees on ly w ere to be seen on a few e s ta te s . Of th e different varieties, th e cinchona succirubra th r iv e well here, and th is v arie ty is bes t su ited to these h ills . E fforts a re now being m ads by a few p lan te rs to ex ten d cinchona c u ltiv a ­tion , aud on m y estate self-sow n seeds of th is varie ty w ere found grow ing in th e v icin ity of th e p a ren t p lan ts, an d th e trees a re so ex trem ely prolific in th e ir seed productions t h a t I have been able to collect and d is tr ib u te th e seeds freely . T he difficulty of g e ttin g th e seeds to germ inate is ra th e r try in g , as th e process requires m uch care au d a tte n tio n , m ore especially w ith o u t th e aid of a p ropagating house. Of th e cinchona trees on m y es ta te one seems a hyb rid , and on send ­ing specim ens of th e flowers aud leaves to M r. J a m ie ­son, th e S u p erin ten d en t of th e G overnm ent G ardens, Ootaeamunc!, th a t gen tlem an recognized ita s one which, he says, has been nam ed Cinchona Lanosa. This p la n t also seeds v e ry free ly and la rg e ly .”— M adras S tandard.

L i b e r i a n C o f f e e P u l p e r . — Supply is generally soon read y fo r dem and , and M essrs. J . W alk e r & Co. are generally w ell to th e fore in supp ly ing th e p lan te r w ith any appliance necessary for th e cu ltiv a tio n of nevr products, w h e th e r i t be tran sp lan te rs , ba rk shavers, or a L iberian coffee pulper. F o r some tim e p a s t th e la t te r has been exercising th e inven tive facu lties of M essrs. W a lk e r’s staff, th e resu lt being a m achine w hich M essrs. W alk er guaran tee w ill do 1 i ts w ork to th e satisfaction of the L iberian coffee , p lan ter. Y 'esterday w e had th e priv ilege of w atch ing ! a t r ia l of it in pulp ing so m e ‘L iberian ’ from K alu ta ra . T he j

coffee was p u t in to a m achine w ith a grooved cy lin d er j

an d circu lar sieve w orking underneaib . H ere i t r a s I c rushed betw een th e cy lin d er an d b reast an d th e i

sk ins separa ted from th e beans in fhe sieve. T he sk ins were th e n p u t in to an o th er m achine, which j th rew th em o u t a t th e back, aud any beans w hich j

h ad n o t been separa ted in th e firs t m achine w ere i

th ro w n o u t in fron t. T here was no dam age done to ! th e coffee. I t is in ten d ed to have th e tw o m achines ; com bined as one. W e co ngra tu la te th e m ak ers on the ir success.

J a m a i c a . —T he local papers advertize large im p o rta ­tions of C an ad ian -b u ilt carriages. T hey also pub lish s ta te m e n ts w hich seem to im ply th a t each W e s t In d ia n colony is p rac tising q u a ra n tin e against i ts fellow -islands u n d er a w holly wrong im pression th a t yellow fever ex ists th e re . T hus, a t F o rtu n e Island , th e A tlas steam er “ A lv eu s" was n o t allow ed to call on a rriv a l from Jam aica , because yellow fever and sm allpox w ere believed to be raging th e re . T h e B aham as have also q u a ran tin ed against Ja m aica , u n d e r th e sam e d read ; w hereas th e Cleaner a s se rts th a t , in sp ite of th e in ­ten se h e a t, th e p ub lic h e a lth of th e C olony is “ very good.” — Colonies and Ind ia .

“ T h e H y g i e n i c a n d A g r i c u l t u r a l V a l u e o f P h o s p h o r u s . ” — T his is th e t i t le of a lec tu re d e ­livered before the B ethune Society in C a lcu tta by M r. J . L. M acm illan, F . C. S ., on 30th D ecem ber 1880, and th e firs t p a r t of w hich , published in pam ph le t form , has been se n t us by th e au th o r. T h is p a r t t r e a ts of phosphorus from a hyg ien ic po in t of v iew only , th e ag ricu ltu ra l question being left fo r th e second p a r t. M r. M acm illan show s how im p o rtan t an elem ent phosphates a re in th e hum an sy stem , an d th e necessity for supp ly ing th e daily loss, an en tire ly vegetable d ie t being a m istake, even in h o t clim ates. J he dis-

. covery of phosphorus is re la ted , an d th e re la tiv e I values of d ifferen t artic les of d ie t a re se t fo rth . A j tab le is g iven show ing th e am oun t of phospha tes in | 100 grains of th e b ra in of th e calf, and th e brain an d i sp ina l m arrow of th e ox, respec tive ly . M r. M acm illan , th en says :— “ Sideby side w ith these fac ts th e m uch 1 lauded oyster, as a phosphorus-y ield ing food, fades in to

com parative insignificance. T he o y ste r y ie ld s u n d er one p e r cen t of phosphates : w hereas from th e figures above g iven, th e b rain of th e calf fu rn ishes over five p er cen t, and th a t of th e ox, n early th ree . W ith the exception of salm onroe, w hich contains 50 per c en t of a h igh ly phophorized album inoid body called nuclein, th e re is no food stuff of m odern tim es th a t approaches ihe b ra in of th e calf and th e ox, as a source of availab le organised phosphates. T ro u t y ields over tw o per cen t of phospha tes an d therefore ra n k s h igher th a n th e oyste r. T he flesh of oxen, sw ine, au d th a t of th e roe, pigeon, an d ch icken, con tain frac tional percentages as com pared w ith th e re su lts from b ra in ju s t m entioned .” T he value of phosphorus as a brain-fond and an en- r icher of th e b lood is th e n show n, au d M r. M acm illan th en g ives th e follow ing fo rm ula of a p rep ara tio n d e ­vised by h im a t th e req u est of th e D rug C om m ittee of th e V ic to ria hosp ita l fo r ch ild ren , London, to tak e th e place of th e w ell-know n “ chem ical food ” in w hich sugar fo rm s an ing red ien t w hich is som etim es objectionable :—

G rains in 100 m inim s.

F errous H ypophosph ite ..Feo P H a O.j + 6 H 2O 2 -77 C alcium do . . .C a sP H a O g 3 ‘5Sodium do ...N a H 2 P 02 + H 2O 3 5M agnesium do •••Mg P H 2 O2 + O H 2O 1 ’99 H ypophosphorus A cid .. .H 3 P 02 1 *61*W ate r ... ... ... 80 58

100-00

One fluid drachm being equal to :—F erro u s H y p o p h o sp h ite ...V 6 j C alciun do .. .2 ' ( 6 ’7 g ra ins of th e

• Sodium do . . .2 ‘ I m ixed sa lts .M agnesium do . . . I T )

T h is p rep ara tio n is now largely used by London physic ians, th e veh icle for i ts ad m in istra tio n being H u n g arian C arlow itz o r B ritish ra is in wine, th eform er of w hich contains 2 p e r m ille of iron ph o s­p h a te and b o th hav ing very li ttle alcohol.

B .O BM H O R TU LA N .E ON SO ILS.

(Gardeners' Chronicle, 24th Septem ber 1881.)( Continued fro m page 476.)

The fundam ental difference between live and dead soils, as alluded to in the last article, en tails m any o ther secondary differences, and of these perhaps the m ost im portant are w hat we may speak of as physical differ­ences. I do not overlook the influence of pronounced chemical characters of soil, such as those which dis­tinguish clay from sand or chalk, bu t I feel sure th a t m any results a ttribu ted to the chemical na tu re of a soil are in reality due to physical features, induced, it may be, or favoured by th is or th a t particu lar chemical con­stitu tion , and not the direct consequence of the pre­sence of th is or th a t chemical substance. B u t over and above chemical constitution, to which I will re tu rn presently, every gardener will adm it th a t the physical characters of a soil are of prime im portance. These may be roughly classed under three heads— cohesion, which determ ines w hether the soil be stiff, or friable and loose ; m oisture ; and behaviour towards rad ian t heat, according to which the soil is spoken of as warm or cold.

In respect of cohesion, extremes are seen in the stiff clay which the m attock can cut out hi alm ost perfect cubes, and the light sand which is in danger of being blown away by every gale of wind. E ach of these, viewed from the simple physical point of view, has its advan tages: the stiff clay affords anchorage for stout and long thong-like roots, th e loose sand favours the wanderings of tiny thread-like rootlets. And though it cannot be denied th a t the nature of some plan ts leads them to flourish best in a stiff soil, while others refuse to grow in o ther th an a loose one, the soil which is m ost satisfactory for the gardener, the one which he can clothe m ost abundantly w ith the choicest and m ost varied flowers, is a “ m ean ” soil, one which is neither stiff nor loose, or, to speak more truly, which is a t the same tim e both stiff and loose. This indeed is recog­nised in th e usual directions of gardening books, where we are told to lighten the stiff soils, and to give body to th e light ones ; but— and th is is the point to which I wish to call a tten tion—it does no t seem always kept in sight, th a t th e m ost suitable degree of cohesion, the condition of soil which is tenacious w ithout being lumpy and caked, which is porous, and yet lies undisturbed by th e fiercest winds, is one of th e m ost precious a ttr ib ­u tes of “ liv e ” soil, is one of th e results of th e fer­m ent actions of which I have spoken.

Many of us, I suppose, have taken in hand a patch of dead stiff uncompromising clay. Sticky, buttery, clammy all the w inter, baked to a hard, rough, brick­like cake in the summer drought, it was a t first our despair. As, however, season after season we dug into it a good body of rich farm yard m anure and turned it over and over, it changed its na tu re, and mellowed in to a rich “ live ” loam. T h a t change was no t merely the result of a mingling of th e particles of decayed straw and dung with th e particles of the m erely divided but otherwise unaltered clay—was no t m erely due to the addition of ammonia, potash, phosphates, sulphates, and the like, to th e alum ina basis of the clay—was not wrought alone by the burrowing rodent action of the numberless rootlets of the p lan ts we from tune to time grew in i t—it was not solely brought about by the cleaving m ight of w inter’s frosts, which split the ragged lmnps in to crum bling powder ; i t was no t the work of each of these, of all these alone, though every one in tu rn helped. More potent th an any of them , though working w ith and through each of them , was th e action of the ferm ents, of which the stable-yard m anure was a t once the source and seed-bed. These attacked the stiffness of the clay a t its very source, altering the chemical com binations on which th e m olecular stiffness hung deep ; these no t only mixed b u t united the salts

141

and carbon compounds of the m anure w ith th e alum inic base, and th u s digested a t first th e incongruous factors in to a uniform whole. And then* work was a lasting one, whereas th e crumbling powder which th e w inter’s frost leaves, if it be the work of frost alone, is soon battered back again by the ra ins of spring in to a cakey lu m p ; the clay once worked up in to “ live ” soil can never go back to its native stiffness.

The case of sand is somewhat different, since the silica of sand does no t lend itself so readily as the alum ina of clay to chemical transform ation ; to convert pure sand in to a wholesome soil some d istinct “ b o d y ” m ust be added in mass. B ut here, too, the subtle in ­fluence of ferm ents m ay be seen. If you mix pure sand with pure clay, even though you pour in to i t abund­antly solutions of am m onia and all necessary salts, the resu lt will be simply an indescribable medley fit for no m an’s land— a muddle, which after a while will resolve itself back again in to clay and sand. W ork in to the same m ixture an adequate supply of organic stuff, either itself holding ferm ents or serving as m aterial w ith which ferm ents can work, be it stable m anure, peat, or leaf- mould, and in a short tim e clay and sand will be blended in to a profitable nutritious mould.

Everywhere, indeed, we m ay see th e same thing, the hidden slow subterranean work of ferm entative organic m atters, aided by rain , sun, and frost, converting the too tenacious, or the too fugitive native sterile dead earth in to porous and yet consistent fertile live soil. And th is medium soil is assuredly th e best for m ost, if no t for all p lants. I do n o t pretend to understand the m ystery why some p lan ts love a ligh t and others a heavy soil, bu t there are reasons for th ink ing th a t the long stretching roots, which are alm ost characteristic of th e la tte r class, serve ra th er for anchorage or for the gathering in of adequate m oisture th an for the seizure of actual food. A t all events, these long, bare, wliip- like roots are accompanied by masses of m atted fibrous rootlets, which, runn ing in to th e generous superficial mould, seem specially adapted for assisting th e p lan t to obtain more copious nourishm ent. And whenever such rootle ts are present, access to a rich, friable, lively ea rth is sure to bring healthy foliage and an abundant bloom.

Im portan t as is th is a ttrib u te of live earth , whereby its spongy yet firm n atu re affords th e best bed for the continual spreading of the tender, tiny rootlets, still more im portan t perhaps are the relations of the same thoroughly digested soil to m oisture. I f there be one th in g which is above all others th e gardener’s one anxious care, i t is to see th a t the p lan ts shall have enough, andnot m ore th an enough, w ater. Out-of-doors we arelifted w ith hope or filled w ith despair according as the rain falls a t the righ t tim e and in proper m easure. In the greenhouse th e one question which repeats itself in worrying fashion day after day is— “ Shall I pflve th is p lan t more w ater or n o ? ” The ignorant, clumsy gard­ener is known a t once by his m anner of watering, and where m istakes in soil, or pots, or pruning have killed the ir thousands, m istakes w ith the w atering-can have killed their tens of thousands. “ L et me have day by day ju st as m uch w ater as I need, so th a t I am never dry and never w ater-logged! ” cries nearly every grow­ing plant, and in hundreds of glasshouses throughout the land m any a wretched flower is being baked when it should be m oist, and drenched 'when it should be barely damp. One feature of “ l iv e ” earth is th a t it does its best to remedy the fitfulness of outdoor wea­ther and the errors of indoor ignorance. This is very clearly shown by a valuable experim ent of Lawes and G ilbert. These gentlem en laid down a series of parallel deep drains in a long sloping field, a t the bottom of wliich each drain opened in to a reservoir, so th a t theam ount of w ater passing along each drain could bemeasured. P a rt of the field was e ither left alone or treated w ith saline m atters o n ly ; p a rt was well dressed

w ith rich farm yard m anure. W hen the outflow of the several drains came to be measured, i t was found th a t though the same ra in had fallen over the whole field, fa r less w ater escaped by the pipes which drained the thorougldy m anured plot th an by th e others. T h a t is to say, the m anured land, the live soil, absorbed and retained within itself, for the benefit of th e p lan ts which grew on it, fa r more w ater th an did the more dead soil. This, indeed, is perhaps after all the chief and th e m ost valuable characteristic of cultivated live s o i l ; by virtue of the changes of which I have spoken taking place in it, it acquires the property of retain ing— of holding in some sort of com bination—a large am ount of w ater. Of the exact n a tu re of th a t com bination— of the exact m anner in which the w ater is held— we can­no t a t present say anything very definite, bu t the com­bination is of such a kind th a t while the p lan ts can take up the w ater as they need it, th e soil itself can ­not be said to be wet. W hen heavy showers fall on dead soil, the w ater which does no t roll off the hard solid surface rapidly soaks through, carrying, dissolved in it, as m uch precious soluble m atter as it can take up, and in a short tim e, under a ho t summer sun, the earth is once more baked and dry. W hen the same showers fall on cultivated, ferm ent-holding, spongy live soil, a t first alm ost every drop is taken up and stored away am id the m anifold compounds p re se n t; it is only when its sponginess is satia ted, when more w ater would become injurious to the p lants, th a t it trickles away below. And live soil thus adequately wet rem ains for a long tim e m oist, giving up w ith g reat unwillingness apparently to evaporating forces th a t which is easily wrung from it by the action of the roots. N aturally the th icker such a layer of fertile live soil the greater is the reservoir of available water, and the wise gardener who desires to grow flowers whose demands for w ater are imperious will p lan t them in ground in which the depth of cultivated live soil is measured, no t by a few inches, bu t by 2 or even more feet. In such a bed, secure of their w ater supply, p lan ts will ga ther benefit only from the warm rays of a summer sun, which would soon scorch them to death in shallower soil.

Lastly , i t is worthy of note th a t ju s t as all ferm ent- wrought decompositions tend to generate blackness, all th e particoloured objects of N ature being reduced by- decay to a dull dark mass, so all soil darkens as it becomes cultivated and live— th e red loam, th e bluish clay or the wliitey chalk, all in tim e become changed in to blackened mould. And th is very change of colour is in itself 110 m ean advantage. W hen we remember th a t a black surface absorbs more h ea t than a light one th is becomes evident. In those happy days when a bright summer sun shines upon us we ourselves throw aside the black h a t, or hide its blackness with a white puggaree; bu t w hat we fear, the p lan t delights in, and to it the presence of black earth round its roots is a wholesome stim ulus to more luxuriant growth. A dark soil is a warm so il; i t takes up and gives to th e p lant th e rays of heat which a ligh ter surface wastes, reflect­ing back into the air. So po ten t is th is influence of absorbed w arm th th a t a white barren patch of cold chalky ground m ay be made a t once in a m easure fe rt­ile by the mere adm ixture of some black m aterial of little or no m anurial value. And it is an incidental advantage of proper cultivation th a t while aiming a t o ther th ings it tends to m ake the land of darker hue, and thus to increase its power of absorbing warm th. Such, then, are in outline some of the beneficial phys­ical changes which are wrought in the ground, as by m eans of subtle transform ations erode dead earth is con­verted in to active live soil.

B u t over and above, indeed causative of, these phys­ical features, are countless changes which we m ay speak of as chemical. The subject is full of in trica te prob- ems, to solve which we need, as in so m any other ases, no t so m uch empiric tria ls—for of these the gaps

in our gardens show we have alm ost enough— but definite experim ental inquiries. In the presence of so m uch difficulty and doubt I dare no t tru s t myself to do m ore th an touch on a few general aspects of th e m atter.— D i e t e s .

(To be continued.)

CINCHONA CU LTIV A TIO N ON T H E

G O V ERN M EN T PLA N TA TIO N S, N IL G IR IS .

The Governm ent have passed the following order on Colonel Beddome’s Report (which we shall give hereafter) and o ther papers containing valuable inform ation on several poin ts relating to cinchona cu ltiv a tio n :—

“ The papers recorded above contain valuable in form a­tion on th e several poin ts discussed relative to cinchona cultivation. The series commences w ith the inspection report on the Governm ent P lan tations, which Colonel Beddome was directed to prepare on assum ing charge of the P lan tations. Next in order come the Conservator’s rem arks upon Mr. Cross’s recent in teresting account of Ins im pressions on visiting th e different locations on th e hills where cinchona is grown under Governm ent super­intendence. This is followed by Mr. Cross’s rem arks on the m ost appropriate elevation for the cultivation of th e C inchona Calisaya var. Ledgeriana, and his observations upon Mr. H ow ard’s analysis of samples of bark selected and sent home by h im during the spring. F in a lly , though no t la tes t in po in t of date, come Colonel Bed­dome’s rem arks upon the resu lts of recent cinchona sales. The Governor in Council proceeds to rem ark briefly on some of th e m ore salient poin ts brought to notice. H e observes th a t, on th e whole, th e Conservator’s report is favourable as regards the progress m ade since C aptain Campbell W alker’s detailed exam ination in 1878. The appendices to Colonel Beddome’s report fu rn ish particu lars of the num ber and variety of trees existing in 1878 and a t th e present date. Taking th e p lan ta tions in the order in which they are dealt w ith, i t is observed th a t, while the bulk of p lan ts a t N aduvatam are of the succirubra variety, i t is th e Conservator’s opinion th a t all of th is kind, which have been p lanted on grass land, should be uprooted and replaced by Officinalis or Pubescens. H e sta tes th a t, though the elevation o f N aduvatam is too high for succirubras, still i t pays well to grow i t on shola soil there. Mr. Cross, it is no ted , bears testim ony to the quality of the soil in the N adu­vatam ravine which appeared equal “ in fertility to th e lower slopes of Chimborazo, the native h ab ita t of th e red bark ” and he rem arks upon the growth and develop­m ent of the p lan ts which excelled even those he had seen growing in South America. W ith reference, how ­ever, to the inferiority of the red hark for the purposes of the quinine m anufacturer, he appears to deprecate any extension of its cultivation. Colonel Beddome po in ts, however, to o ther reasons why th is variety m ay be ex­pected to hold its own. On the whole, i t seems to Governm ent th a t i t is unnecessary to devote much fu rth e r a tten tion to th is species and th a t the proposals advocated by the Conservator for replacing i t in certain localities may be carried out. The inform ation furnished as to the m istake made in attem pting to propagate th e calisaya varieties anywhere on th e Nilgiri p lateau leads the Governm ent to consider favourably the recom m enda­tion in which Colonel Beddome and M r. Cross concur, as to the opening up, a t an elevation of from 3,000 to4,000 feet, of a sm all p lan ta tion where these “ yellow barks ’’ as well as “ grey barks ” m ay be tried w ith fa ir prospect of success. T he proposal is th a t th e F o rest D epartm ent a t Nilam bur should clear pa rt of a shola in the “ S ilent Valley ” for th is purpose and for experim ents w ith rubber trees and the ipecacuanha. T he Conserv a to r will prepare an estim ate of probable cost and will take th e necessary prelim inary steps to carry out h is suggestions.

Adverting to the g reat num ber of casualties in the H ooker esta te , and the suggestion to abandon the lower portion of the W ood plantation , the Conservator will report separately and in detail on the question of retain ing these estates afte r consulting the correspondence w hich has already taken place on the subject. T he s ta te of th e D odabetta p lantation is pronounced prom ising by the Conservator and Mr. Cross, though they do no t agree on the question of terracing, which Mr. Cross th inks unnecessary. The eradication of the bracken fern, which is sta ted to be robbing the soil of its goodness, will doubtless be taken in hand without delay. Mr. Cross noticed the fact th a t in th is locality especially the plan ts a t the beginning were placed far too wide apart. From Colonel Beddome’s report i t appears th a t the same m istake has been made elsewhere. The subject will doubtless receive a tten tio n in the full mem orandum of instructions which the Conservator intends to prepare for th e use of th e officers in charge of the p la n ta tio n s : a copy of th is should lie furnished for the inform ation of G overnm ent. The Government are not prepared a t pres­e n t to express any decided opinion 011 the m erits of barking as contrasted w ith the coppicing system. The la t te r has had bu t sm all tria l as yet, and the present report shows th a t the coppicing carried out in 187!) resulted in failure to a large extent in consequence of tire lateness of the season. There is no necessity a t p resen t to coppice any more blocks, bu t the Conservator will, of course, take care to coppice isolated trees which m ay show signs of decay. As to th e m ethod to be observed in coppicing, it is observed th a t, while Colonel Beddome does no t agree with Mr. Cross, he alludes to suggestions for trying three different system s of coppic­ing , one of which appears identical w ith th a t advocated b y Mr. Cross. However, the plan finally adopted under th e instructions of Government is now sta ted to be on th e whole the best.

Some inform ation is given as to the results, so far as the trees are concerned, of the p lan of harvesting th e bark by scraping, reported to have been carried out on a small scale ill 1879-80. A large proportion of some 5,000 succirubras a t N aduvatam failed to renew, and Colonel Beddome is inclined to th ink th a t the system is likely to be m ore trying to trees generally th an partia l barking in alternate strips. No losses occured a t D odabetta, where a sim ilar experim ent was made. T he question requires m ore study, and experiments Should be carefully prosecuted. T he Conservator will re­p o rt when the first consignment of scraped bark was despatched to England. The result of the sale should noted , as already directed in G. O. 4 th M arch 1881, Ho. 398, paragraph 7. The Conservator en ters a t con­siderable length in to the history of the “ Pubescens ” variety, which has, un til lately , been looked upon as a hybrid. I t is clearly shown, however, to be a distinct p lan t known in South-America as the “ P a ta de Gal- lin az ,” and is a narrow leaved variety of the red bark. T here appears every probability of th is species proving hardy and valuable. T he first specimens sent home (in December last) have lately been sold, and the prices realized were 7s Id per lt> for na tu ra l Pubescens and 5s for renewed ditto . T he Conservator is anxious for m ore inform ation as to these particu lar b a le s ; but it seem s hardly likely th a t they can be followed a t th is da te , and the only way will be to draw special a tten- | tio n to the next consignment. The Conservator will, ; in due course, specify the iirfonnatiou which he requires : to be obtained. |

I 11 forwarding to the Secretary of S ta te the dried | specimens referred to in paragraph 140 of the Conserv­a to r’s Report, for the purpose of com parison w ith the various species in the Kew H erbarium , a tten tio n will ! he solicited to Colonel Beddome's request th a t the “ Magni- f o l ia " and “ Pubescens” may be specially examined. T he Government agree w ith the Conservator th a t it is unnecessary a t present to attem pt hybridization in the p lantations. Colonel Beddome’s proposal to proceed to

D arjeeling to see th e Cinchona P lan ta tions there com ­mends itself to the Governor in Council. T he Govern­m ent of Bengal will be addressed on the subject. T he rem arks which Mr. Cross and th e Conservator of F orests have recorded upon Mr. H ow ard 's recent analysis of samples of cinchona bark collected by Mr. Cross will be forwarded to th e Secretary of S ta te w ith reference to h is recent despatch.

The first point to be noticed here is the extraordin­ary difference of opinion as to the exten t to which th e Uritusinria species of cinchona condaminea has been propagated. Colonel Beddome re-iterates the sta tem ent, which will be found a t paragraph 40 of h is detailed report, th a t there are bu t a thousand of th is k ind in the D odabetta p lan ta tion and a few only a t N aduvatam . Mr. Howard m ust therefore have been m isinformed, and, as it is clear, th a t all the samples of Crown bark sent home by Mr. Cross were of the ordinary Officinalis, it is im portant th a t Mr. Howard should be made aw are of th is fact and “ U ritu sin g a” was not sent a t a ll. No trace of the trees said to have been planted by Mr. M clvor prior to 1875 can be found in th e Governm ent P lan tations. The analysis m ade by D r. P au l of th is species in 1879 shows the following re su lts :—

P e r c e n t a g e a m o u n t o fSamples. %

Qui

nine

.

Qui

nidi

ne.

Chi

ncho

ni-

dine

.

Chi

nclio

n-in

e.

§ n-:0 310̂

5 ■§ s

N atural . . . . 1-20 1-50 0-18 o-io 1-62Mossed . . . .2 1 3 2-00 0-47 0*20 3 0 0Renewed .3-40 1-48 0*14 0*20 4-58

I t is desirable th a t fu rther specimens of th is speciesshould be forwarded for analysis and th e Conservator will issue the necessary instructions. The difference which he notices in the analysis of the P itayo bark in 1879 and 1881 renders i t probable th a t the yield of alkaloids in the U ritusinga will also be greater now th e trees are older. Samples of the Pubescens and M agnifolia (Mr. Cross’s P a ta de Gallinaz) should also be tra n s­m itted to E ngland for analysis, as well as specim ens of bark of different sorts harvested by th e scraping process— as suggested by Mr. Cross. The G overnm ent agree w ith Colonel Beddome th a t the extended p ropaga­tion of P itayo is desirable. The necessary steps should be taken to th is end. The Conservator will report fu rther on the calisaya specimen transm itted by Mr. Cross. The Conservator’s suggestion to employ a com petent Chemical Analyzer a t Ootaeam und will be referred to the Secretary of S ta te for decision. By paragraph 27, G . O., 24th F ebruary 1879, No. 463, i t was se ttled th a t reference could be made, if necessary, to “ an European Chemist of repute .” T he proposal to dry bark by th e heat of the sun as an experim ent is approved and should be reported upon in due course. I t is observed th a t, when the a ttem pt w7as made in 1878 to dry bark by natu ra l heat, D r. Ogg, who carried out th e tr ia l a t Coimbatore sug-

I gested th a t a short exposure daily to th e m orning sun I would probably ensure the perfect desiccation of the

bark.T he Conservator’s rem arks in paragraphs 14 and 15

of his le tter, No. 498 A., will be brought to th e notice of the Secretary of S tate and the thanks of th e G overn­or in Council will a t th e same tim e be tendered to the Messrs. Howard for th e ir careful analysis and in te r­esting report.

S IL K IN CH IN A .(N orth-C hina H erald, 16th Sept. 1881.)

T he publication in one year of the reports of silk culture and m anufactures in China, and th e report on opium consumption, by th e Inspector-G eneral of Customs, m erit

th e thanks of all who are in terested in th is p a rt of the world. W e quite believe th a t the form er gave all the inform ation procurable by the various Commissioners, and th a t every care was taken in the preparation of the papers. Perhaps it is doubtful if such an am ount of •actual' knowledge of their fam ous silks was ever before placed w ithin the a tta inm ent of the Chinese themselves. I t is certain th a t nothing so complete was ever before offered to foreigners. And though the report on opium is of less im portance, it is valuable as giving trustw orthy estim ates, which may help fair-m inded people to sober conclusions on a subject, in the discussion of which much heat is evolved by those who attack , and those who defend, the use of and trade in opium. To those who are not connected w ith th e trade of China, and whose in terest in the country and the people springs from higher motives th an commerce can supply, these two reports are very valuable. They give accurate infor­m ation in two im portant m atters ; one closely connected wiili the industry of a large p ari of the Em pire, and th e other, the indulgence, or it m ay be th e vice, of a large portion of its inhabitants. And it is a great tiling 111 these tim es to get inform ation on which one may thoroughly rely. I t too often happens th a t the works of authors and compilers offer everything to th e public except perfectly trustw orthy inform ation. In certain cases, th is is not to be wondered a t, for there are m any things in all countries which lie beyond the observation of the shrewdest travellers or strangers, and which can only be supplied by haring the special knowledge afforded by official life. Anyone, therefore, in the position of th e Inspector-G eneral of Customs, who m akes public the veritable facts regarding any p a rts of the lives of the people, and their affairs, confers a boon upon all who take an in terest in them . W e hope th a t further reports will follow those th a t have been published th is year. There are a sufficiency of subjects connected with th e Chinese w ith which we wish to be m ade acquainted. And, as we believe in th e progress of th e E m pire aud the people, we are sure th a t, when those subjects which are in existence a t present have been exhausted, others will be ready for trea tm ent by the general staff of the Customs. If we compare those parts of China w ith which we are fam iliar, w ith the same parts tw enty years since, we m ust own th a t great improvements as well as great changes have taken place in th e m ental a ttitu d e towards foreign ways of the inhab itan ts. The advance has been slow, bu t it has been steady and considerable. And the next tw enty years arc likely to show a great increase in the speed of th is nation’s progress, w ith, we hope, proportionably beneficial resu lts to th e country, and to the world. I f any old resident who went home, say a quarter of a century ago, were to publish a faitliful description of th e Chinese with whom lie came in con­tac t, we should find th a t the portion of the race whom we m et in business, have advanced beyond those im m edi­ately before them as much as we have advanced beyond those who lived in E ngland th ree-quarters of a century ago, when steam ships, railways, and telegraphs were not. And as the Chinese are ju s t beginning to run th e ir race of improvement, the next tw enty years may bring them alm ost abreast of m any W estern nations. W e hope th a t the Customs departm ent will, by the publication of such special reports as those which have lately been given, distribute full inform ation as to the effects of the changes, and the development of the resources of the people and the country, which they bring about. These will be invaluable, not only a t the tim e, bu t long afterwards, and the Inspector-G eneral may feel sure, th a t, if he engages in the work, he will be heartily thanked by all who desire the extension of knowledge.

W e understand th a t Mr. H art is now getting a series of science prim ers translated in to Chinese. These will doubtless be distributed over the Em pire, and we are certain will be in great request. This is a ready and excellent way of m aking the Chinese acquainted w ith the process and results of W estern science and thought.

Some attem pts of th e same kind have already been m ade w ith fa ir success, bu t the opportunities of in tro ­ducing his series to the notice of th e people, possessed by the Inspector-G eneral, gives him extraordinary advan t­ages. T h a t they will be fully used, and a great ex­tension of knowledge among the Chinese follow, is certain . Much of th e credit for th is will be due and given to Mr. H art, who am ong th e pressing claims of his offices has found tim e to in itia te works which will have a very g rea t effect for good on th e Chinese character. W e suppose i t m ust be taken for granted th a t W esterns know more of th e Chinese th an the Chinese know of them . B u t a t the s.ime tim e, we should confess, honestly, th a t our knowledge of the deeper and best p a rts of the native character is very superficial. E ven in judging of their ordinary tra its we believe we are often m istaken, and th a t the real Chinam an who deals -with us, or transacts our business, is quite different from the idea th a t we have formed of them . Some, a t least, of these m istakes on our part, will disappear w ith increased knowledge of th e people. W hatever errors in judging the Chinese we m ay have made, we m ay be sure are light compared to the blunders they have fallen in to , or adopted, about us and our works. T he task of enlightening th e ir m inds will be m ade easier by its being undertaken by a branch of the adm inistration of th e ir country, and i t was a wise thought of the Inspector- G eneral to commence the work. W e b u s t , and indeed we m ay say we believe, th a t the result will be in the highest degree satisfactory to him self and all whom he m ay associate w ith him in the labur.

IN D IA N D Y ES.(Pioneer, 14th Septem ber 1881.)

T he vivid colouring im parted to fabrics of various kinds by the natives of India, has probably been rem arked by every European visitor to the country since th e days of Alexander the G reat. T he partia lity of the native mind for b right colours has been m ade the basis of m any pictures in the style of Mr. Val. Prinsep, and the tex t of m any verbal descriptions after the m anner of Thom as Moore. B u t a really practical view of th e subject -was not taken until so la te as th e year 1875, when Mr. Thomas W ardle, an experienced English silk dyer, w rote to the then Secretary cf S ta te for India , suggesting th a t the properties of Ind ian dye-stuffs should be investigated, and the resulting inform ation throw n open to the public. H e pointed out th a t— Ind ia being probably th e largest dye-stuff-producing country in the world— our natu ra l superiority in th is respect only needed cultivation to distance all commercial com petition by o ther less favoured nations. Governm ent acted on the h in t, and steps were quickly taken to collect the requisite

1 inform ation. G reat delay and some incom pleteness has been naturally caused by w ant of tim e and knowledge on the p art of th e reporting officers. Such particulars, however, as have come to hand have been duly collated and worked up in to a M emorandum of some hundred and fifty pages by Mr. L. L iotard, of the A gricultural D epartm ent. T h is Memorandum is valuable and in ­teresting, no t only from the commercial im portance of

[ the subject-m atter and the h itherto inaccessib le na tu re ' of th e inform ation i t furnishes, bu t as a substantive

contribution to a m ost sensible series in course of publication on th e natu ra l industrial products of the Em pire. There are two points to be considered in the modus operandi of the dyer. F irs t comes the preparation of the dye-stuff i ts e lf ; secondly, th a t of the m ordant. The m ajority of the colours yielded by Indian dye-stuffs are produced from plants and extracted either from the root, stem, bark, flower, 01* fru it. Insect form ations such as those created by the two species of th e Coccus insect, Coccus lacca (lac) and Coccus cacti (cochineal) also furnish dye-stuffs ; and thirdly, there are various dyes of m ineral origin. Of aniline dyes produced in Europe,

and largely im ported in to th is country, we shall speak separately. As to mordants, perhaps, it will be as well before going fu rther to explain th is simple, bu t m ost im portant, term . A m ordant is, stric tly speaking, a substance used by dyers to fix the ir dyes, and render them immovable by washing. B ut by ra th er an unhappy looseness of expression, the term is also applied to substances which, when used in connection w ith a dye- stuff, have the property of brightening the colour, or of altering its shade. F o r example, cream of ta r ta r is called a m ordant, becuse it is used to brighten the red communicated to silk and wool by chloride of tin. I t seems a pity th a t the suggestion of B ertliollet to distinguish th is la tte r class of m ordants by the nam e of alterants is no t generally adopted. The principal m ordants, in the stric t sense of the word, th a t are used in England, are alum and m etallic oxides, particularly of tin . The natives of India, Mr. L io tard tells us, use catechu—which is the juice of trees of the acacia tribe—galls formed 011 the pistachio-nut tree, the rind of the prom egranate, tam arisk galls, and mvrobolams or the nu ts of a genus of trees known as Termenalia.

Mr. L iotard divides th a t p art of h is M emorandum which relates to actual process of dyeing, under two heads, namely, simple 01* single colours, such as red, yellow, blue, and b la c k ; and compound colours, such as purple, green, and orange. Brown, it m ay be m en­tioned, may be considered as either a simple or compound colour, being producible by a single dye-stuff or by a m ixture varying according to the shade required. The first of the simple colours treated by Mr. L io tard is red. There are twelve sources m entioned in the M emor­andum as yielding dye-stuffs for red and its various shades. Of these the Carthamus tinctorins , the Coccus lacca, and Coccus cacti seem to be the m ost im portant. T he first is sometimes known as the bastard saffron, and yields saftiower or eartham in, used both as a dye and as the basis of rouge. The second is an insect which forms round the bark of various trees a resinous incrustation called lac. F rom th is lac is obtainable both shell-lac and lac-dye. The Coccus cacti is the cochineal insect, the dried body of which produces splendid and well-known red, crimson, and scarlet dyes. I t has been calculated th a t 70,000 insects go to a pound weight. Over 1,100 tons were im ported in to G reat B rita in in 1850, which argues an extensive m ortality am ongst cochi­neals. Of yellow dyes, am o tta and turm eric appear the b%;t known. A m otta is made from the pulp enveloping th e seeds of a small evergreen. I t is im ported into England, and is used to colour b u tte r and cheese. The Chinese also used to employ i t to dye the original nankeen. Turm eric is the rhizome, root-stock, bulb, or tuber of another small p la n t ; and is well-known not only as a dye-stuff, bu t as a b itte r and tonic, and a condim ent in curries. Blue dye is, of course, produced from indigo. Black dye can be obtained from the juice of the cashew-nut w ithout any addition, bu t is more often derived from a combination such as myrabolams (one part), alum (two parts), a I (four parts), and sulphate of iron (five parts). Pom egranate rind, w ith iron filings, is also used to produce a black dye.

In connection w ith each of Ids notices of th e simple colour dyes, Mr. L iotard gives collated descriptions of the methods practised in various localities for applying th e dyes firstly to silk, then to cotton threads and cotton cloths, lastly to wool and woollen fabrics. The same plan is adopted in trea ting of compound colours, which are, as already mentioned, produced by combining the dye-stuff above described as yielding simple colours. A final section of the chapter on compound colours is devoted to colours such as brown, grey, drab, dove- grey, &c., obtained from a m ixture of black and o ther colours. B ut the practical inform ation given on th is head, particularly as regards silk dyeing, is scanty. Is reference to the m odem Indian practice of calico- printing, Mr. L iotard quotes a lengthy and exhaustive

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report by Mr. Buck, on the m ethod adopted in the N orth-W est Provinces. Mr. Buck, it m ay be m entioned, evidently prosecuted the enquiry in to the n atu re of dye- stuffs, and the m ethods of applying them , with charac­teristic energy and throughness ; and his correspondence on the subject is, perhaps, the m ost valuable portion of Mr. L io tard ’s Memorandum. B u t as h is description of calico-printing in th e N orth-W est-Provinces is ra th er long, we may quote a simpler example of the preparation of m aterial used for holiday petticoats, especially in m arriage festivities. I t is called karilia , and shows whiV p rin ts on a blue ground. The m aterial, being English longclotli cu t in to pieces of six yards each, is first given over to th e washerman, who deprives i t of the strarch by washing it in clear w ater. The next step is to prepare a reSist-paste of lim er gum, pulse, flour, and water. This is is stam ped on the cloth by m eans of a mould, th e impression while still wet being sprinkled over with w heat flour, to increase the resistance to the subsequently applied blue dye. The cloth now passes in to the hand of a rangrcz or dyer in plain colours, who dips it in indigo, thus dyeing it blue except in those places previously prin ted w ith resist-paste. W ashing, and beating smooth w ith clubs, complete the process. The cost of dyeing 20 pieces, th a t is to say, 120 yards of longcloth, is R3-7.

W e now come to the influence exercised in Ind ia by the im portation of aniline or plienylamine dyes, derived by distillation from coal-tar. This subject is of the u tm ost im portance in connection w ith Ind ian dyes, as i t in ­volves to a serious exten t the possibility, th a t the use of the la tte r m ay become actually extinct. As far as one can gather from the reports collected bv Mr. Liotard, the aniline dyes seem alm ost everywhere ousting dyes of local production. As Mr. H utch ins writes, reporting fo r Mysore, “ supposing, for instance, a m an w ants a handful of scarlet yarn to continue his design, it is produced in th ree m inutes ; a pinch of the cheap g lit­tering powder and a little ho t w ater in a brass saucer is all th a t is required. By the old m ethod i t would have taken him three days and involved d irt and atedious process.” The sta tis tics relating to the use of aniline dyes in Ind ia during the las t five years, show an average annual im portation to the value of about R4,00,000. The actual figures for 1879-80 are 115,90,791. As regards th e sources of im portation, th e U nitedKingdom is credited w ith h a rin g sent to Ind ia aniline dyes to the value of R4,51,394. Ita ly , F rance, and A ustria come next. The S ra its Settlem ents and Turkey in Asia export to the value of about R4,000 between them ; while a small quan tity comes from other countries no t nam ed. Of the whole am ount, very roughly speaking, Bombay takes three-fifths, Bengal one-fifth, the rem aining fifth being divided between B ritish Burm ali, Madras,and S in d ; B ritish Bm m ali tak ing about fifteen tim es as m uch as the two last pu t together.

B ut in spite of the popularity of aniline dyes, their em ployment— setting aside all questions of ta s te—is open to one very radical objection, namely, th a t of great instability . Looking a t the superiority, 011 th is point, of Ind ian dyes, as well as a t the necessity for pro­tecting the commercial in terests connected w ith them , Governm ent have not only acted in a politic, bu t also in a m ost na tu ra l, m anner by rem itting the exportduties on Ind ian dyes, and allowing aniline dyes to rem ain under an im port duty of 5 per cent. Mr. L iotard th inks th a t all it seems absolutely desirable for Govern­m ent, to do, further, for the present, is to continue the care­ful production of lac and extend the system atic collection of m yrabolam s. T he rest m ust be left to private enterprise. Governm ent, by calling for reports from num erous quarters, has done— w hat it would take an individual a lifetime to do—in a few years. I t has produced a work of reference showing the existence of m any dye-stuffs of which, probably, English dyers have h itherto been com­pletely ignorant. By describing the processes adopted in various parts of the country, i t has shown w hat are

th e failings of Indian dyers, and how, particularly as regards m ordants and improved fabrics, these failings may be m et and overcome. P rivate knowledge, private energy, private captial, and, le t us hope, private profit should complete the work which Governm ent has begun. I t will surely he a good day for Ind ian trade when fabrics steeped in fugitive aniline dyes shall cease to

“ Mock the air w ith colours idly spread,” and the beautiful bright hues im parted by turm eric, safflower, and the rest shall be blended by E uropean t is te , and rendered really perm anent by th e application of scientific principles under the auspices of E uropean art.

TOBACCO PR O D U C TIO N IN T H E U N IT E D S TA T E S.

T h e preliminary report of the Census D epartm ent on th is branch of industry shows an apparent increase in production of 80 per cent, which exaggerates the real advance in tobacco cultivation, as th e preceding census crop was a small one, and the fear of taxation may h ive operated to prevent a full census of tobacco in 1870. The crop in 1880 was one of medium production, not in excess of th e present requirem ents of home con­sum ption and exportation. F ifteen of the S ta tes produce more th an 09 per cent of the tobacco of th e U nited S tates, though i t is grown, more or less, in 22 o ther S ta tes ard six territories. The following is the yield of the seven leading S tates in tobacco cu ltiv a tio n :—

PoundsState. Acreage. Pounds. per acre.

K entucky . . 226,127 . . 171,121,134 . . 756Virginia . . 139,423 . . 80,099,838 . . 573Pennsylvania. 27,567 . . 36,957,772 . . 1,340Ohio . . . . 34,679 . . 34,725,405 . . 1,001Tennessee . . 41,532 . . 29,365,052 . . 707N orth Carolina 57,215 . . 29,936,448 . . 471M aryland . . 38,174 . . 26,082,147 . . 683

W hile these S tates, together w ith W isconsin, Connecticut, and New York, have all increased then1 cultivation, some of them , such as Pennsylvania, to a m arket degree, others, such as M assachusetts, W est Virginia, Indiana, M issouri, Illinois, and Tennessee, have retrograded. The average yield per acre is 731 lb. The variation in ra te of yield, from 1,599 lb. in M assachusetts to 471 lbs. in N orth Carolina, is due in differing degree to the use or neglect of fertilisers, the hab it of grow th of different varieties, and the vicissitudes of the season. In M assachusetts, Connecticut, Ne w York, Pennsylvania, and W isconsin, the seed-leaf varieties are m ainly grown and h igh fertilisation practised, always resulting in heavy crops. In Ohio, the yield is above the average, the Ohio seed-leaf being extensively cultivated in th e Miami valley, while the Burley, a vigorous grower of less pro­ductive character, is alm ost exclusively cultivated in the Ohio river counties. Kentucky, producing m any grades of cu tting and shipping tobaccos upon an exhausted soil of original fertility , m akes an average yield. The low yield in N orth Carolina is due to the production of the fashionable yellow “ b righ t” grade used for plug wrappers, grown on a poor soil w ith low fertilisation, sufficient to stim ulate early growth, hu t not enonglito prevent early m aturing .— B ritish 'Mail.

m ails between Papeete and San Francisco, w hich depart alternately from San Francisco for T ah iti on th e 1st, and from Papeete for San Francisco on the 12th of each m onth. Those which leave San Francisco touch a t the m arquesas, those th a t clear from Papeete sail directly to San Francisco. T he cargoes canned by these vessels from San Francisco, consist of a g rea t variety of articles— flour, bread, rice, wine, provisions of a ll descriptions, fu rn iture, carnages, American stuffs, lum ber, etc. The re tu rn cargoes are made up principally' of oranges, coconuts, lime juice and vanilla, for the m arkets of San Francisco, and cotton, pearl shells and pearls, in tran s it for the m arkets of Europe.

The soil of T ah iti is of great fertility— its principal productions are co tto n ; equalling 11 Sea Island co tton”— sugar, to the production of which th e clim ate is ex­ceptionally favourable, and which is noted for its fine appearance and its g reat sim ilarity to New Orleans sugar, and th e coconut, which dried is, under the nam e coprah, despatched to th e great E uropean m arkets. There is obtained from it an abundant oil, excellent for the m anufacture of various qualities of soap. I t is to be regre tted th a t coprah, which T ah iti and m ost of the islands of th e Archipelago produce in great quan tity , should no t find a regular m arket in San Francisco, as i t would be a very convenient m eans of exchange, and there is no doubt th a t if i t could be utilized w ith profit in California, th is alone would give rise to a considerable trade between Papeete and San Francisco. T h is would render profitable th e establishm ent of a line of steam ers — so desirable— between T ah iti and San Francisco. If , as we all hope, the idea of th is line of steam ers is about to become an accomplished fact, n o t only would the two points of arrival and departure secure great commercial advantages, bu t T ah iti would, w ithout doubt, become one of the favorite places of resort for a great num ber of the people of the Pacific Coast, who would travel over an ocean, which is alm ost always m agnificent in its aspect, in less th an 20 days. T he clim ate of T ah iti is one of the health iest and m ost agreeable in the whole world. The soil, traversed by a great num ber of living stream s of an extrem e purity , produces in abundance, and w ithout cultivation, the orange, the citron, a great variety of bananas, ananas, bread fru it, besides a large num ber of o ther delicious fru its. The Isle of T ah iti, which was righ tly nam ed by th e first E uropean who touched there as th e new Cythera, is a veritable te rrestria l paradise. *

There is no doubt, adds the editor, th a t a g reat trade will grow up in the fu tu re between San Francisco and these Islands, and i t is our belief th a t San Francisco m erchants should cultivate and foster th is trade, and th a t they should take an in terest in the development of the Islands. The area is given a t 450 square miles, or 288,000 acres ; small, i t is true, b u t under a trop ical sun capable of producing out of all proportion to its ex ten t.— Am erican Exporter.

T A H IT I AND SAN FRA N C ISC O TR A D E.In an article on T ah iti and the Society Islands, by

J . P inet, and transla ted for the San Francisco Journal o f Commerce, he dwells particularly on the trade w ith S an Francisco. H e says :—

The greater p art of the m erchandise consumed in the country comes from San Francisco. Of a great num ber of vessels engaged in the transporta tion of th is m er­chandise, there are th ree carrying about 350 tons each subsidized by the local governm ent for carrying the

P E R IO D IC IT Y O F RAINY AND DRY Y EA RS.M. de Parville has published in the Journal des 1)chats a

paper on the tem perature of the present year, which a t P aris lias risen to a height exceeding all previous au then tic re­cords. On Ju ly 5tli, a t the Observatory in th e P ark of S t. M aur, the Centigrade therm om eter registered 35"6 degrees, and on Ju ly 15tli, 37'8 degrees. T he highest tem peratu re previously recorded during the present century wras 3 6 ’76 degrees on Ju ly 31st, 1803. H igher tem peratures have been recorded, hu t th e ir au then tic ity has been questioned. T hus, Cassini has recorded 40 degrees for A ugust 17th, 1701 ; b u t i t is believed th a t the true tem perature was only 36'85 degrees. So, also, the tem peratures set down by Messier of 39 degrees in 1763, and 40 degrees in 1765, are a ttrib u ted to errors of observation, and should be corrected to 36'6 and 37'5 degrees respectively. M. de Parville passes on to ask w hether the dryness of the presen t sum m er could

have been foreseen, and he answers in the affirmative. H aving referred to the influence of solar action on the atm osphere, he says :— “ A very long series of observations h as also shown th a t the moon, w hich passes ever)' m onth from one hemisphere to the other, influences the direction of the g reat atm ospheric currents. T he changes in those currents, in consequence of the prevailing m oisture o r dry­ness, are in tim ately connected w ith the relative position for the tim e being of the sun and moon. The distance of the moon from the equator— th a t is, the inclination of th e moon’s path to the plane of the equator—varies every year, passing from a m axim um to a m inim um l im i t ; and the meteorological character of a series of years appears to he m ainly dependent upon th e change of inclination when those extrem e lim its have been touched. O bservations prove th a t the rainy years, the cold winters, and ho t sum ­mers re tu rn periodically, and coincide w ith certain declina­tions of the moon. In our la titudes the rainy years occur when the moon’s declination has touched its extrem e lim its of 28, 20, or 18 degrees respectively. They are separated from each other usually by periods of about three years and th en six years. The following table traces backwards th is connection between the rainy years and the moon’s declina­tion :—

G reatest declinationRainy of moon. Rainy of moon

year. Deg. year. Deg.'1879 . . . . 26 1819 . . . . 281876 . . . . 28 1816 . . . . 261872 . . . . 26 1810 . . . . 181866 . . . . 1 8 1804 . . . . 261859 . . . . 26 1800 . . . . 281856 . . . . 28 1798 . . . . 261853 . . . . 26 1792 . . . . 181848 . . . . 18 1787 . . . . 261836 . . . . 26 1785 . . . . 281828 . . . . 18 1783 . . . . 261821 . . . . 26

G reatest declination

The severe w inters as a rule coincide, a t least w ithin a year, w ith the sam e declin a tio n s:— 1879, 1875, 1871, 1867, 1859, 1857, 1853, 1846, 1837, 1835,1830, 1829,1822,1819, 1818, 1815,1812 ,1809 ,1804 , 1801, 1798, 1792, 1788,1785, 1782. The dry sum m ers come natura lly in the middle of th e period which divides two wet year's, thus— 1874, 1869, 1863, 1857, 1854, 1849, 1842, 1832, 1825. Applying the ru le which th is experience suggests to the sum m er of 1881 Vjp find th a t the next rvet year ought to coincide w ith the declination of 18 degrees, therefore, w ith th e year 1884, as the las t was 1879 w ith th e declination of 26 degrees. Con­sequently th e dry summers should come about the middle of th e intervening period between those two y..ars— th a t is, they should be 1881 and 1882. I t m ight therefore have been foreseen th a t, beginning w ith 1880, we were proceed­ing towards a m aximum of dryness .”— B ritish M ail.

T H E SOY BEAN, A N E W F E E D IN G S T U F F .

Mr. W am ford Lock has drawn a tten tion to th e soy bean of China and Japan , Glycine soja ( Soja h isp id a }, suffici­ently fam iliar as the source of the eastern sauce of th a t nam e, and affording a valuable oil (bean oil), which is the sub ject of an article in the new “ Industria l Encyclopaedia.” I t is a ttrac tin g considerable a tten tio n among C ontinental agriculturists, and has recently been experimented on with regard te its value as a food for m ilch cows and fa t cattle. As a forcing food for milch cows, the soy bean is superior to g ra in s ; for fa t cattle , it is less adapted, and ranks second to grains.

The p lan t can be cultivated in C entral and E astern Europe, and sim ilar localities, especially in unfavourable years, when o ther crops are backward. F o r growth as a field crop i t is recommended to be sown in rows 18 in. apart in the middle of May.

The qualities of the beans grown in diluvial and alluvial

soils are shown by the following analyses :—D iluvial. Alluvial.

W ater . . . . . . . . 15-20 19-50F a t . . . . . . . . 16-21 17-94Pro te in . . . . . . 28-63 25-94Non-nitrogenous extractive m a t te r . . 30-84 33-16F ib re . . . . . . . . 4"38 4-45M ineral m atte r . . . . . . 4-74 8-82T he straw or haulm of the p lan t is practically w orthless

for n ea t cattle, bu t the husks and leaves, mixed w ith m ashed food, or even alone, are readily eaten . I t has also been found th a t th e chopped beans, soaked for 12 hours in w ater containing a little salt, are greedily taken by ca ttle , and th a t few pass through undigested.

According to M. Rom an, a F rench savant, th e cultivation of the soja or soya, has of la te years been largely developed in A ustria-H ungary, Ita ly , and parts of F rance. T his p lan t is extensively cultivated by the Chinese, who m ake a cheese and various dishes from its fru it. W hen roasted the seeds form an excellent substitu te for coffee, and altogether M. Rom an th inks th a t the p lan t will pay b e tte r th a n the potato . A t present th e re ta il price of the soja beaus is sixpence per pound, bu t as the p lan t becomes m ore exten­sively cultivated, they will no doubt be reduced in price.— B ritish Masl.

E n e m i e s o f C e a k a ' R u b b e r S e e d . — A M atale E a s t p la n te r w rites :— “ I hav e ju s t h ad m y a tte n tio n draw n to th e fac t th a t lizards e a t u p C eard ru b b e r seeds ; and th is n o tw ith s tan d in g th e fac t th a t th e y had been d ipped in kerosine oil before p lan tin g . T he seeds w ere m ost n ea tly dug o u t of th e ir restingp laces an d ap p aren tly n o t devoured on th e spo t. I t seems to be th e com m on green lizard th a t does th e dam age.”

C u l t i v a t i o n o f t h e D m D i v i P l a n t . — A corre­spo n d en t w rites :—T his p la n t, w hich grow s in m any of th e ou tly in g villages of M adras, an d h as been up to d a te uncared for, is now fo u n d to be a valuab le a r tic le fo r ta n n in g purposes. L arge q u an titie s of th e pods these p lan ts y ie ld are be ing shipped to E urope, an d in fac t m any persons have begun to p ay some a tte n tio n to th e cu ltiva tion of th is p la n t. A consign­m en t of 88 bags of d ried f ru its from th is p la n t was sh ipped to E ng lan d b y th e “ D u k e of B uck ingham ,” 173 trees of th e D ivi D ivi in fu ll b earing w hich would take an acre of lan d is supposed to y ie ld fifty cw t of pods, w hich are v a lued in London a t £3 7 -1 0 ; an d as th e cu ltiv a tio n an d care costs li te ra lly n o th in g a f te r th e tree s are once in bearing , i t is found to be a m ost profitable crop .— M adras M ail.

T e a a s i t o u g h t t o b e d r u n k . — D uring th e p re ­se n t season th e re is a pub lic w ant of a rea lly w hole­som e tem perance d r in k . W h a t do our read ers say to a teaco ck ta il ? T h e follow ing is given, in an ex ­change as an e x tra c t from th e “ D iary of a H u n te r” by th e la te Col. I r ly , one of th e firs t E nglishm en w ho ever v isited th e K arak o ru m P ass :— “ N ow took place a very curious an d im p o rta n t opera tion—th e b rew ing tb e real te a —n o t th e “ m ake-believe” as th e M archioness s ty le d th e choice liquors she concocted fo r D ick Sw iveller. T h e te a being im m ersed, a lad le of ghee is p u t in , an d four o r five table-spoons of sa lt add ed : th e n m uch s tirr in g a n d m ix ing tak es place, a curious im p lem ent being used to f ro th th e beverage, lik e w h a t in th e nav y in m y younger days — perhaps, th e v e ry nam e now fo rg o tten —w as called, a “ sw izzle-stick ,” w hich , by ra p id revo lu tion bet­ween th e hands, ae ra ted th e grog in th e tu m b le r, g iv ing i t a p leasan t sp a rk lin g appearance an d fre sh ­ness of flavour. M any a tim e I app lied i t in m y firs t voyage from E ng land to H o b a r t Town, via C an­ada , in s tru c te d b y th e v e te ran pu rser, T u c k e r ; an d a by 110 m eans con tem ptib le beverage i t m ade in trop ica l la titu d e s a t e ig h t bells. W ell, th e te a w ell m ix ­ed, an d fro th ed , and rep ea ted ly ta s te d , w as lad led o u t to th e anxious p a r ty , and m uch re lish ed .”— China M a il

PR O G R E SS A T T H E S T R A IT S .“ T he p resen t G overnor of th e S tra its S e ttlem en ts

(S ir F re d erick W eld )”— w rites an ex-Ceylon p la n te r— “ appears to be a very enterpvizing an d progressive officer, an d he has th e in te re s ts of th is colony m ost decidedly a t h e a r t .” T he p resen t m ail-uew s from Singapore confirm s th is opinion in a very p rac tica l way. S ir F re d e rick W eld has ju s t s ta r te d on a to u r of inspection in ten d in g to explore p o rtions of th e B ritish S e ttlem en ts a t M alacca an d K lang, w hich h ad never before been v is ited b y B ritish officers. H e is well seconded a t P e ra k by M r. Low, to w hom (w ith h is c h ie f ) w ill now belong th e honour of g e ttin g th e S ecretary of S ta te to a lte r a decision tw ice expressed ag a in s t Cooly Im m igra tion in to these sem i-B rilish S e ttlem en ts.

I n d i a n I m m i g r a t i o n .

From the dispatch o f Governor Weld to the Secretary » f State.

Singapore, 5 th M ay 1881.M r. Low has se t o u t in clear language how essential

i t is, in opening o u t th e excellen t ag ricu ltu ra l lauds of P e rak , th a t In d ian lab o u r should be in troduced , and he po in ts o u t th a t , unless such labour is procurable, th a t S ta te m u st re ly on its t in deposits for an y develop­m en t th a t m u st ta k e place. H e s ta te s th a t th e In d ian Im m ig ran ts can be as effectually p ro tec ted in P erak as in P rov ince W ellesley o r Ceylon, and he explains th a t fo r th e adm in istra tion of justice , th e re a re B ritish M agistrates a t e ig h t sta tions, and th a t Police are q u arte red in tw enty-five different localities. H e rep o rts th a t th e G overnm ent has pow er to carry o u t a ll n e ­cessary regulations, and he adds th a t i t m ay be fu lly tru s te d , u nder th e supervision of th e G overnor of these S e ttlem en ts, to enforce any regu lations th a t m ay be m ade. T he s ta te m e n ts in th e R esid en t’s le t te r w ill, I feel confident, have g rea t w eight w ith H . M .’s G overnm ent, T hey come from a very' experienced a n d tru s tw o rth y official, w ho has p roved h im self to be a m ost com peten t ad m in istra to r, and I have n o t th e sligh test h e s ita tio n —personally acquain ted as I am w ith th e co u n try and i ts ad m in is tra tio n —in su p p o rt­ing those sta tem ents , an d confirm ing th em in th e m ost a u th e n tic m anner possible.

T here is, too, abundance of B ritish cap ita l fo rthcom ­ing, so fa r as I can learn to open uj> these fe rtile sta tes, b u t on every occasion of an application f o r a g ran t of land being m ade, th e experienced p lan te r p o in ts o u t th e necessity of obtain ing In d ian labourers before any real w ork can be done w ith th e view of m aking any consider­able investm en t. C ertain g ra n ts of lan d have been tak en up in each of th e P ro te c ted S ta tes , an d in Johore , s till b u t com paratively l i t t le p rogress has been m ade ow ing especially to th e ex is tin g u n ce rta in ty of th e action of H. M .’s G overnm ent on th is question. A nd I th in k th a t th e re can be very li t t le d oub t, b u t th a t if th e final decision is adverse to th e course which I am advocating, those w ho are now p repared to em bark to a large ex ten t in p lan tin g in th e N a tiv e S ta tes w ill be d riven elsew here an d th a t th e a tte m p ts m ade b y th is G overnm ent to in tro d u ce a large system of ag ricu ltu ra l u n d e rtak in g s in th e N ative S ta tes, w hich w ould ten d to th e direct a d v a n t­age of those S ta tes an d to B ritish in terests, w ill receive a g rea t blow au d heavy discouragem ent, and th e solid im provem ent of th e coun try be indefinitely’ postponed.

On every ground, therefore, I am of opinion, th a t i t w ould be advisable an d exped ien t th a t In d ia n Im m i­g ra tion should be p e rm itted , u n d e r regulation, to th e N a tiv e S tates and also to Johore, In th e firs t place, th e re would be th e advan tag e of opening up m agni­ficent country , already proved to be em inently su ited o r p lan ta tio n s of alm ost all k in d s ; in th e second,

th e re w ould be th e d irec t ad v an tag e to b o th B ritish an d N ative in terests , b y increasing trad e , an d en ­suring th a t th e resources of th e co u n try are n o t solely as a t present, depen d en t upo n its m ineral w ealth ; in th e th ird , th e re w ould re sa u lt th e abolition of th e grow ing practice of in tro d u c in g such lab o u r u n d e r no recognised regu la tions or a u th o r ity : an d in th e fo u rth , th e re w ould be th ro w n open large rem unera tive em ploy­m en t an d room for se ttlem en t, in a field every way em in en tly su ited to th e ir h ab its an d constitu tio n s , to num bers of th e labourers of a co u n try a lread y g rea tly overstocked, aud which is periodically v isited by fam ine to a m ost lam entab le ex ten t.

F rom the Resident o f Perak to the Colonial Secretary, S . S .In 1879, th e disease w hich has been so in ju rio u s

to th e coffee plant, in Ceylon, caused Almost a panic am ongst th e p lan te rs of th a t Colony : m any of them v is ited P e rak and o th er p a r ts of th e M alayan P e n ­insula, and applications were m ade to th is G overn­m en t fo r abo u t 35,000 acres of forest land, on w hich i t was proposed to com m ence th e cu ltiv a tio n of coffee, cinchona, &o.

A ll th e sk illed gentlem en who exam ined th e coun try declared th a t P erak , from th e e x te n t an d elevations of its m ountain ranges which reach to 8 ,0 0 0 f e e t ; from th e q u a lity of i ts s o i l ; from th e fac ilitie s of access by its very num erous r iv e rs an d creeks ; from its absence of d es tru c tiv e w in d s ; an d from its neighbourhood to a B ritish Colony ; had every facility' w h ich could be requ ired fo r th e successful cu ltiv a ­tio n of a ll trop ical ag ricu ltu ra l products.

H av in g som e know ledge m yself of such m a tte rs , I am able confidently to assure H is E xcellency th a t none of these advan tages w ere over-estim ated , an d the gentlem en from Ceylon, w ho saw th e pad i crops a t K rian , were aston ished a t th e productiveness of th e soil, w hich gives, y ea r a f te r year, w ith o u t m anure and w ith little cu ltiv a tio n , an average of 800 to1,000 gan tangs p er orlong, an d reaches, in good seasons, to as m uch as 1,900, being an increase of 250 to 300 fold on tbe seed sown.

T he only d raw backs to P erak , as a field of in ­vestm en t for B ritish en terp rise , w ere th a t i t was n o t B ritish te rrito ry , and th a t free im m igration of coolies from In d ia was n o t p e rm itted .

T he p lan te rs from Ceylon d id n o t seem to th in k so m uch of th e firs t of these difficulties as th e B ritish m erchan ts of the S tra its S e ttlem en ts, a n d I do n o t th in k it w ould have d e te rre d th em from th e adven tu re , b u t th e question of labour w as of fa r m ore g rav ity , and all concerned w ere sanguine th a t, con­sidering th e vapid progress of th is S ta te to w ard s com ­p le te security and se ttlem en t, H e r M a jesty ’s G overn­m en t w ould assist in th e so lu tion of th is difficulty.

I have no special know ledge of th e p resen t condi­tio n of th e o th er S ta te s of th e P en insu la , b u t I fear th a t, in th is m a tte r , th e in terests of P erak m ay have suffered from having been considered in connection w ith Johore , th e circum stances of w hich are very different an d by no m eans so favourable to th e h ea lth of th e labourer, and th e a tta in m e n t of th e object in view.

A t the p resen t m om ent, tw o gen tlem en of e n te r ­p rise and cap ita l have se ttle d from C eylon in th e Slim liv e r , and have cleared abou t 159 acres of la n d ; ano ther from P rov ince W ellesley has com m enced an es ta te in th e T hrong d i s t r i c t ; above 120 acres have been cleared by tw o gentlem en on th e eas te rn face of the range of m ounta ins, h a lf w ay betw een th e p o r t of M atang and K w ala K angsa, a n d th e G overn ­m en t ex perim en ta l p lan ta tio n is in th e sam e n e ig h ­bourhood w ith nurseries a t K w ala K angsa.

I n th e K rian d is tr ic t four o r five th o u san d acre of lan d have been tak en up , an d sugar cu ltiva tios com m enced by in fluen tia l m em bers of th e Chinese

C om m unity of P en an g , and , a t th e B ind ings river, an agreem ent has recen tly been en te red in to for re-opening a p o rtio n of th e suga r e s ta te com m enced by 'i 'r . Tooth.

O ther gentlem en are on ly w aitin g .th e solution of th e labour d ifficu lty a t once to com m ence sim ilar u ndertak ings on an ex tensive scale.

F o r a tro p ica l clim ate, P 6rak is fa r m ore h ea lth y th an e ith er Borneo or Ceylon, the low lands in bo th of w hich ex tensive islands a re everyw here sub ject to fevers of m ore or less severity .

In Perak , w here good proof of th e clim ate is ac­cessible from th e Chinese population sc a tte red over th e en tire country , fever an d o th e r sickness w ere alm ost unknow n, u n til th e recen t a t ta c k of B eriberi b roke o u t am ongst th e m iners, whose num bers had largely increased in 1880.

Tw o spo ts only are recorded in w hich fever wasp roved to be endem ic, th e one being th e ne ighbour­hood of th e Pass th ro u g h the h ills on th e road to K w ala K angsa, an d th e o ther having been detec ted on opening th e es ta tes a t S lim , w hich was done on land of abou t th e same elevation as th a t of th e Pass, nam ely from 400 to 500 feet. T he p lan ta tio n of Messrs. S chultze and W ray , s itu a ted 1,500 L e t above th e Pass, a n d th a t of th e G overnm ent a t 3,250 and of an o th erof th e same elevation , have been e n tire ly free fromsickness, a lthough abo u t one h u n d red aud fifty men have been em ployed on each of th em d u rin g several m onths past.

T he M alay population , w hich in all, num bers abo u t 56,632, has never been accustom ed to reg u la r labour, o r to w ork fo r wages. A m arked im provem ent in th e m is visible, and by b ring ing to bear npon them , th ro u g h th e ir ch iefs and in accordance w ith th e usages of th e coun try , gen tle p ressu re in th e w ay of requiring , fo r th e ir own good, a ce rta in am ount of cu ltivation , I have no d o u b t th a t tim e w ill tu rn th em in to an ag ricu ltu ra l race sim ilar to th e Javanese , b u t they are n o t sufficiently num erous, nor can we hope sufficiently to change th e ir h ab its to ca lcu la te on th em as regu lar labourers to supp ly th e steady in d u stry necessary for an area of cu ltiva tion such as i t has been m y hope m ig h t be estab lished in Perak u n d e r th e auspices of H e r M ajesty ’s G overnm ent.

E v e ry range of m ountains, an d these ru n n early all para lle l to each o th e r and th e sea coast, contains valuab le veins of th e ore, w hich, hav ing for ages been ac te d upon by atm ospheric influences, have form ed r ich and easily accessible deposits a t th e ir bases. E ach valley is trav ersed by a r iv e r sufficient, w hen cleared out, for all purposes of tran sp o rt, so th a t w ith d im inished cost of production , I have no fear th a t Perak w ill be able to com pete in th e m a rk e t w ith any coun try in th e w orld a t w hatever price fo r m any years to come, b u t i t w ill be w ith the g rea te s t sorrow th a t I shall receive from H is Excellency a conclusive in tim ation th a t th is b eau tifu l an d fertile cou n try , w ith a G overnm ent an d people ready to sacrifice its prejud ices and even its in te re s ts to sup ­p o r t H er M ajesty ’s Colony, an d anxious to invite th e in flux of B ritish en terp rise an d cap ita l and to do its d u ty by them , is p reven ted , by fears w hich , I believe, to rest on insufficient inform ation , from increasing its resources, im proving th e circum stances of i ts im m i­g ra n t”, an d add ing to th e w ealth , in d u stry and com ­m erce of its own an d of H er M a jesty ’s subjects.

I have, &c.,H u g h L o w ,

Resident.L ord K im berley gave w ay a f te r th is, saying on th e

12th A ugust la s t :—M r. Low’s argum ents have convinced m e th a t th e

experim ent m ay be safely tr ie d on a lim ite d scale. I w ill therefore, if th e consen t of th e Ind ian G overn -

143

m e n t can be ob tained , no longer w ith h o ld m y sane- tion to it.

Im m igra tion in to th e N ativ e S ta te m u st be sub jec t to th e sam e regu la tions and conditions as tho se w hich are in force in th e S tra its S ettlem ents.

I t would be desirab le th a t th e Im m igran 'e sh o u ld , in tiie firs t instance, be em ployed n ear th e s ta tio n of a M ag istra te , if th a t be practicable , so th a t the system m ay be s ta r te d und er close supervision.

T here can be no d o u b t t h a t T am il coolies w ill bo em ployed to g re a t advan tage on th e P erak m oun ta u ranges.

W e are so rry to receive bad new s from Jo h o re : the large clearing of th e C om p-ny of th a t nam e, opened u n d e r M r. W a tso n ’s auspices, a t an e levation of abo u t 700 fee t above sea-level has been condem ned for Coffea A rab ica , all hough i t is deem ed su itab le for L ibe rian coffee, cocoa and, perhaps, tea . M r. D obree’s re p o rt w as so adverse th a t th e D irec to rs decided to p la n t no m ore o rd in ary coffee a t th is e levation if, indeed , th ey do n o t abandon w h a t has already b ien p u t out. A p lan tin g correspondent w rites to us as follows abou t th e fu tu re prospects :—

“■ P lan tin g progresses fairly . L abor is now p len tifu l, b u t, as com pared w ith Ceylon, J o h n C hinam an r e q u ire s . ra th e r too m uch (U ntong) gain to expect p lan ting to p ay handsom ely— unless in such a m a tte r as cocoa o r L iberian coffee, w here a fo u rth o r one-eighth of th e abo r is sufficient, com pared w ith Coffea Arabica. I find in “ Cocoa as G row n in T rin id ad and H ow to P la n t in Ceylon, ” 20 men m ig h t w ork a p lan ta tio n of 200 acres, w hereas th e sam e acreage of Coffea A rab ica would requ ire from 160 to 200 coolies per day .I guess our elevation is ra th e r un sn ited to Coffea A rab- ca, unless one w ere accustom ed to find i t grow ing lu x u r ia n tly in th e B in tenna co u n try , from th e foot of th e H apu ta le range to th a t of Gongala. O ur soil, from 600 feet down to sea level, is perfection in m ost cases : of course, th e re are parts w ith a clay subsoil, b u t th a t is by no m eans freq u e n tly fouud. I fu lly b e ­lieve th a t Ceylon cannot fu lly com pete w ith it. H ow ever, we have o u r chenas in th e form of abandoned G am ­bier clearings over a g re a t p a r t of th e low couutrv . These are n o t quite so w ashed o u t as th e m ost of Ceylon c h e n a s ; as th e y are m uch f a t te r and th e grass is allowed to grow, being only c u t dow n tw ice or th re e tim es a year, an d allow ed to decay on th e g ro u n d , w hich ten d s to enrich th e soil considerably in m y opinion. I believe these clearings w ould pay handsom ely y e t in te a o r even L iberian coffee, a lth o u g h v irg in soil m igh t be m ore profitable in th e end. I f a steam y atm osphere is su ited to cocoa, I say Jo hore is th e place to t r y : we have a co n stan t rain fall, scarcely ever exceeding four days d ry on end ; hence o u r steam y atm osphere. T hese ra ins are n o t th u n d e r show ers of g re a t violence as in C eylon; frequen tly gen tle showers for hours on end in th e low country ; heavy dew every night.- L iberian coffee m u st, I th in k , find a su itab le hom e here, and its success is a lready alm ost certain . ’T is only necess­a ry to v is it th e p lan ta tio n of H is H ighness th e M ahara jah , to find th a t th e new p ro d u c ts we h ear of so o ften are receiving a tte n tio n in Johore. T h is L iberian coffee refe rred to , p lan ted by H is H ighness, is a perfec t p ic tu re of excellence ; i t ’s now a l i t t le over tw o years p lan ted ; th e trees are from 6 to 8 feet in he igh t, bearing heav ily and g iv ing excellen t blos­som s all th e while, and th e b eau tifu l d a rk green foliage seems u n fad ing under any circum stances, even though considerable p ickings are being go t every few days. T here are. I believe, several o th er pa tches do ing equally w ell in th e v ic in ity of Jo h o re . T e a ! W ho h a s not read th a t several w ell-prepared sam ples by a p ro-

fessional fetched th e tip -top prices of th e London m arket, in Ja n u a ry la s t? W ho w ill th e n be s u r ­prised to know th a t already th ere are thousands of acres being taken up for tea , an d men on the spot to com m ence operations. A ny one who w ill have la s te d a cupful of Johore tea before i t com is in co n 'a c t w ith spurious im itations, ■ w ill su re ly never fo rget to ta k e care of h is do llars u n til he has go t in tr's own few acres. L and is cheap a u d every encouragem ent is held on t to in te n d ­ing investors. I u n d e rstan d H is H ighness has ordered a steam plough from E ng lan d to fac ilita te p lan ting in the low country .

“ P epper m u lt n o t be unnoticed—a m o lt profitable an d sure investm en t, proved to be a g rea t success here. I t is a beautiful sight, a pepper p lan ta tio n , each vine c linging to th e u p rig h t stem . T hey are beau tifu lly cu ltiv a ted in every case ; th e y are allow ed to grow to 9 ami 10 feet high On en tering any of these, Jo h n Chinam an m eets you, a n d if he know s enough M alay, he s a y s : ‘ T abby T uan ’ as a T am il would give his salaam to durai. I f you go in to fu rth e r con­versation, Jo h n is found generally w anting , and goes . f f w ith ‘ Q ua Quvah ’ o r such un in te llig ib le la n ­guage only know n to him self : y e t w ithal, h e ’sa very good fellow, an energetic w orkm an, perfectly honest if you look well a f te r him , civil if you don’t g iv him occasion to be o therw ise. W h a t do you th in k of cardam om s dow n here ? I have seen them in a w ild s ta te in Ceylon a t 4,000 feet: how do th ey do a t 400 or less ? ”

The Johore pioneers canno t do b e tte r th a n give a fair t r ia l to all new, as well as o ld products.

C O F F E E L E A F D IS E A S E IN CEY LO N .W e feel th a t in ju stice is lik e ly to be done to

th e G overnm ent C ryp togam ist by critic ism based on iso la ted ex trac ts from h is recen t R eport. M r. M arshall W ard w ill no d oub t desire th a t it o ugh t to be read an d com m ented on as a w hole. T here a re im p o rtan t facts w hich are a p t to escape th e a tte n tio n on a first an d curso ry perusal. F o r instance, th e im m uni­ty of th e U v a p rin c ip a lity as com pared w ith th e d is tr ic ts on th is side of N uw ara E liy a from th e sam e num ber of a tta c k s , an d th e often rap id re ­p e tition of a tta c k s of th e fungus. T h is im m unity M r. W ard show s is ow-ing to th e com parative ly d ry U va clim ate. H ap u ta le , for instance, has p re-em in­e n tly th e rich soil and fine cover of lea f in w hich Hemileia vastatrix is ready to revel, and w hen con­tinuously w et w ea th er se ts in th e re —rare ly enough— th e conditions are a ll fulfilled for a bum per (v ir­u len t) crop of th e fungus, such as has o ften been noticed. B u t th e ra in y w eather is soon over and th e succeeding crop o r sporess, b low n h ither and th ith e r , fall upon evil tim es. In th e no rm ally d ry w eather th ey are unab le to e n te r th e s to m a ta of th e leaves, o r to fructify in th e absence of the m oisture w hich is th e ir very life an d consequently th ey perish b y thousands and m illions m iserably , in m any cases th ro u g h th e operations of o th er and low er fung i ; so tru e i t is th a t

Big fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite ’em,And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum.

So long as m oist ra in y w eather prevails, th e H em ileia vasta trix ru les suprem e, passing th ro u g h its life- h isto ry in th ree w eeks and lu x ria tin g w herever th e re is a cotTee leaf to feed on, b u t le t d ry w ea th e r

se t in p e rs is te n tly and th e spores n o t on ly are n o t active, b u t th ey ru n th e risk of d es truction th ro u g h a v arie ty of agencies, n o t th e leas t being a series of

fu n g o id enem ies! H ence th e g rea t advan tag e of th e th e U va d is tr ic ts r ig h t along from N am un ak u lik e le to Id u lg ash en a an d from L unugala co w ith in h a il of P edro ta lagala ; for, be i t no ted th a t a t leas t 24 h o u rs’ soaking ra in is, according to M r. W a rd ’s observations, req u ired to give th e leaf fungus a fair s ta rt. A m ere passing show er w ill n o t do i t ; iso l­a ted thunder-show ers, from w hich so m any p a rts of U va derive g rea t benefit, are no t sufficient, an d as for th e n ig h t dew s on w hich th e coffee in th e P rin c ip a lity is often dependent fo r w eeks and m onths together, i t is of th e sm allest possible consequence to th e ub iqu ito u s spores, w hich w a n t good heavy show ers to enable th em to sp rin g in to m a tu r ity and a n d abso lu te virulence. H ere th e n is consolation as w ell as m oat valuable in fo rm ation from th e “ S c ien t­is t” for th e p lan ters in U va, an d indeed in o th er com paratively d ry d is tric ts , and th e y m ust hence­fo rw ard rem em ber th a t th e ra in th e y o ften long for is no t the u n m itig a ted blessing th e y have been w on t to regard it . B u t perhaps even m ore im p o rt­a n t is it to recall th e fac t w hich M r. W a rd an d Dr. T rim en rep ea t an d em phasize w ith a ll th e assurance of m a tu red conviction th a t th e hemileia in no w ay affects th e v ita lity o r bealth fu lness of th e coffee tree save th ro g h th e leaves. . T he absence of th e same display of feeding roo tless as in days of o ld j th e dy ing back of wood, th e non-ripen ing of crop have a ll been regarded as in d u b itab le signs th a t th e coffee-tree w as dy ing beyond recovery—th a t the d is ­ease h ad en te red th e sap an d m arrow of th e t r e e an d th a t th e periodical d ropping of leaves w’as m erely a fu rth e r an d ex ternal in d ica tion of its ravages- Now M r. W a rd w ill n o t a d m it th is fo r one m om ent. T he disease is confined en tire ly to th e yellow p in- spo ts on th e leaves an d i t is q u ite com patib le w ith , indeed th e fungus p re fe rs , h e a lth y an d lu x u r ia n t trees, and i t is on ly as rep ea ted an d p e rsis ten t a ttack s , fostered by con tinuously w et w eather, denude th e tree of i ts leafage th a t i t begins to suffer and m anifest in d ica tions w hich have been accep ted as in d ep en d en t evidence of in te rn a l disease. T here is encouragem ent in th is to continue th e b a ttle w ith th e pest w ith tb e ad d itio n a l l ig h t w hich th is in ­vestiga tion has th ro w n on i ts m ode of w orking. In g a th erin g and bu ry in g fallen leaves, in th e jud ic ious use of caustic lim e, in tim ely p run ing an d careful m anuring , th e p la n te r m ay be able to do m uch to com bat an d cheat his g rea t enem y even in d is tr ic ts w here th e ra in fa ll w ill con tinue to b ring fo rw ard successive crops of fungus-spores.

“ T H E T R O P IC A L A G R IC U L T U R IS T !” : C O F F E E P L A N T IN G IN T H E P H IL IP P IN E S .

T h e A gricu ltu ris t is like ly , as a London correspond­e n t h in ted in our S a tu rd a y ’s issue, to b ring Ceylon p la n t­ing (and pubbsh ing ) en te rp rise in to w ider notice th a n i t h as ever y e t obtained. W e have received com plim en t­a ry le tte rs an d su p p o rt from places so fa r a p a r t as Jam aica and Borneo or s til l fa rth e r to th e South-east, Q ueensland, and from C a lc u tta to N ata l. A fe lt w a n t by

colonists sca ttered fa r and w ide has been m et an d i t m u st be our endeavour to m ake th e pub lication w orthy of th e stead ily increasing su p p o rt w hich we may fa irly an tic ip a te i t will w in n o t only from re­siden ts w ith in th e trop ical b e lt, b u t from th e large num ber who, th o u g h non-residents, a re personally in te rested in “ T ropical A g ric u ltu re .” T oday’s mail brings us le tte rs from Ind ia , J a v a an d C hina on th e sub jec t. M r. K im ball of B antam w rites :— “ I have been so m uch pleased w ith th e specim en copy th a t I cannot resis t the tem p ta tio n to become a su b sc rib e r;” w hile from “ P akho i, C h ina ,” a sim ilar req u est comes from a gentlem an w ho adds th e follow ing ra th er singular postsc rip t :— “ I would be very g ra te ­ful for a h in t as to w here one m ay find th e best land for coffee cultu re . I am abou t to purchase a t ra c t in th e Ph ilipp ines, b u t th in k th a t soil is n o t adap ted to th e grow th of coffee.” W e cannot d o u b t th a t soil of volcanic origin is to be fonnd in th e Philippines well suited for coffee, and if our co rre­sponden t can m ake h is selection a t a auitable eleva­tion say from 2,500 to 3,500 feet above sea-level, p rov ided th e ra in fa ll is w ell d is tr ib u ted w ith an average of abo u t 100 inches p er annum , w e do n o t d oub t th a t, so far as soil and clim ate are con­cerned, coffee in th e Ph ilipp ines should do as w ell as in any o th er p a rt of th e w orld.

SA LE O F T E A IN M E L B O U R N E.(From our Correspondent.)

Thursday, 6th October, 1881 :—Ex S. S. “ Cathay,” from Calcutta, choice Indian Teas, 1,304 half-chests from the celebrated districts of Assam, Cachar, : Daijeeling, Chitta­gong and ICangra Valley. Greig and Murray will sell by auction, a t their rooms on Thursday 6th October, a t ha lf-past two o’clock. Under instruetioa from Messrs. Jam es Henty & Co., agents for the Calcutta Tea Syndicate, in connection with the Government of India.

IN D IA N TEA.

Ex S. S. “ Cathay,” from Calcutta. P er lb. in bond.6 hall-chests As>am pekoe souchong 441b. (each

2 tins.) Greyish black bold even curled leaf few ends rasping pungent heavy infusion Is 6d.

20 half-chea-ts Cachar pekoe 441b. (each 2 tins)Evenly curled and twisted greyish black leaf high burnt brisk and very flavory I s . 4£d,

9 half-chests Darjeeling souchong 451b. rather large boldish black even leaf rich fragrant deli­cate malty flavor I s 3d.

30 half-chests Assam broken souchong 391b.Blackish brown rather open and loosely twisted leaf pungent and strong full ripe pekoe flavor B̂ ine Mixer. Is 0£d.

16 half-chests Darjeeling peokoe 451b. Choicest neat wiry even black perfect leaf full of tips a grand tea drawing a pleasant fragrant telling infusion The finest Darjeeling of the season. 2s 5£d.

50 half-chsts K angra Valley pekoe 401b. Black boldish fairly curled leaf peokoe tips very flavory richly fired ripe pekoe flavor. Pleasant tea- Is Id.

50 half-chetss Cachar pekoe 401b. Handsome wiry very even blackish leaf pekoe tips choice rich telling liquor very strong heavy flavor. F inest Cachar. Is 7d.

23 half-chests Assam broken souchong 501b. Neat small very even greyish Hack leaf Namuna kind immense strength pungency and grip Powerful mixer. Is 0 |d ,

50 half-chests Darjeeling pekoe souchong 40lb.Boldish greyish fairly curled and twisted leaf fragrant delicate rich pleasant flavored tea Fine tea to drink alone. Is Ifd .

8 half-chests Darjeeling Terai pekoe 501b.11 do do do 381b.

Choicest wiry neat perfect leaf full orange tipsricli ripe brisk fulljpekoe flavored delicious tea. Is l id

70 half-chests Assam pekoe souchong 351b

Handsome well made evenish black leaf pekoe tips great strength and character with rich heavy in ­fusion Fine mixer. ' 1 3£<J

19 half-chests Cachar pekoe 501b. Bather hand some small wiry greyish leaf pekoe tips littlem alty brisk ripe pekoe flavor. P leasant tea. Is 4£d.

25 half-chests Assam pekoe souchong451b. Extra fine greyish well twisted leaf few tips pungent and strong brisk telling infusion. S trong tea. Is Id .

18 half-chests Darjeeling broken tea 441b. Small neat blackish open leaf rich ripe full b risk flavory Fine mixer. lg Q|d

20 half-che>ts Darjeeling pekoe souchong 401b.Well made wiry blackish grey even leaf full bodied brisk ripe malty pekoe flavor Fine tea to drink alone. i s 2 id

18 half-chests Darjeeling souchong 451b. Evenly curled greyish black well made leaf delicate rich full infusion wi h g reat strength Fine tea to drink alone. Is 3£d

20 half-chests Assam pekoe souchong 451b. Extra fine even twisted black leaf pekoe tips pungent and strong rich very full brisk flavor. Powerful tea. Is 3d.

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe souchong 451b.Greyish black neat well twisted leaf te lling in- usion strong and pungent with g rea t body Rich mixer. l s 3d.

9 half-chests Darjeeling broken tea 441b. Brown- i sh black open and loosely twisted le^f rich delic­

ate ripe brisk pekoe flavor. Fine mix^r. I s l jd .22 half-chests Darjeeling Terai pekoe souchong

391b. Well made greyish black evenish leaf full flavored thick heavy rich infusionDelicious tea. ls 2d.

28 half-chests Assam souchong 451b. N eat closely curled blackish crisp leaf strong ra ther pungent thick heavy liquor Is l jd ,

25 half chests Assam broken pekoe souchong 401b.Very neat greyish black small leaf strong rasping brisk pungent liquor Fine mixer- Is l j d ,

50 half-chests D aijeeling pekoe souchong 401b.Bold brownish even curled crisp leaf rich full m alty delicate pekoe’flavor, Delicious tea. Is 2£d.

89 half-chests Assam pekoe souchong 401b. E xtra fine well curled and twisted leaf with pekoe end rich heavy very fruity malty flavor [Heavy liquor. I s 2d.

36 half-chests Darjeeling pekoe 451b. Choicest well made perfect loaf full orange tips drawn a mag­nificent infusion rich fragrant and delicate Most delicious tea 2s 2d.

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe souchong 451b. E x tra fine well curled greyish black leaf rasping telling liquor very pungent and strong. Rich mixer. Is 3d.

55 halt-chcsts Cachar broken pekoe souchong 441b. Greyish black even curled crisp leaf namuna kind pungent rasping telling choice infusion Powerful mixer. I s Id .

20 half.chests Assam broken souchong 451b.Small neat greyish black open leaf briskly fireddeep rich flavory. Thick liquor. Is Ojd.

54 half-chests Daijeeling pekoe souchong 45 lb.E \en ly curled greyish black hard crisp leaf F rag­rant delicate rich full telling liquor. Delicious tea. ls l£ d .

30 lialf-chests Assam pekoe 40lb. Very hand­some even wiry greyish leaf full of pekoe tips a perfect liquor wonderful strength with great body and delicacy. Most powerful m ixer. Is 9d.

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe 4olb. Closely twisted greyish black even leaf few tips strong full rich ripe pekoe flavor, t-ine liquor. l s 3£d.

12 half-chests Assam peko1 souchong 441b,Bather large but closely twisted greyish black leaf pekoe tips little pungent and strong full brisk flavor Bich mixer l s l£ d ,

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe souchong 411b.Greyish black well twisted and curled strong fullripe brisk pekoe kind. Useful tea. ls l£d.

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe souchong 421b. Even blackish round and fairly curled leaf strong full flavor pekoe k i"d . Thick liquor. l s Id .

20 half-chests Chittagong pekoe souchong 601b.Superior well made greyish leaf few tips nam una kind pungent rasping liquor with fine character and flavor. Powerful tea, l s 3d.

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe souchong 401b. Grey­ish black well curled crisp leaf strong fu ll ripe rich flavory. Good tea to drink alone. Is 2d.

40 half-chests Cachar pekoe [sonchong 391b,B ather large boldish black even leaf pungent andfull brisk pekoe kind. Strong tea. Is l jd .

50 half-chests Cachar pekoe souchong 351b.Greyish black even wiry leaf rich ripe full strong pekoe flavor. Fine mixer. I s l£d.

A C EY LO N P L A N T E R IN M A N ITO BA .A correspondent w r i te s :— “ I send herew ith copy

of a po rtion of a le tte r received th is m orn ing from a friend of m ine, fo rm erly a C eylon p lan te r, la te ly se ttled in M anitoba, as th e pub lication of i t m ay prove in terestin g to some of yo u r readers. ”

P ortion o f letter referred to :—“ I arrived by ra il a$ E m erson on th e 5 th of A ugust,

and am living w ith m y brother here. H e has a good tw o-storied house, an d a farm of six h u n d red and fo rty acres—abo u t 120 in crop, and 6 0 jh e a d |o f ca ttle . A lto g e th er he is doing w ell, b u t farm ing does n o t pay very w ell here as y e t, as th e re is so m uch public w ork going on, in th e w ay of ra ilw ays &c., th a t labour keeps very d e a r—8s. 4d. a d ay and board , in h arvest tim e ! My ow n lan d is about th re e m iles from here, and I expect to be able to work i t from here, if I can g e t a good m an as overseer. I have G40 acres at presen t, 100 acres p loughed, and w ill be cropped n e x t year. I am in tre a ty to buy an o th er 640 acres ad jo in ing it.

“ I believe th a t one canno t well go w rong in buy ing country -land here, as it is now w orth 15s. to £1 per acre, and, as fa r as I can see, m u st be w orth £5 , a t least, in a few years ; so th a t, if one can m ake a liv ing off i t m eantim e, he is n o t doing bad ly . W e are tw elve m iles from E m erson, w hich is s itu a ted w here th e R ed R iv er crosses th e S ta te ’s boundary , an d our neares t ra ilw ay s ta tio n is only six m iles from my land.

“ T he life here is one of ease com pared to Ceylon, b u t th e re are occasional spu rts of hard m auual w ork , as, when th resh ing , fo r instance. T he general liv ing is less com fortable th a n in Ceylon, as se rvan ts are expensive.”

N E W C IN C H O N A PL A N T A T IO N S.A bout five and t ir ty years ago l it t le was know n

of D arjeeling beyond th e fact th a t i t w as a p leasan t h ill sta tion , rom antically s itu a ted and h igh ly favorable to th e renovation of h ea lth . A t the period we quote, th e m an w ould have been suspected as a m onom aniac w ho spoke of its capabilities for th e cu ltiv a tio n of tea and cinchona, b u t i t was n o t til l th a t prince of u t i l i ta ­r ian bo tan ists , D r. R oyle, suggested th e possib ility of na tu ra lising th e m ost useful varieties of th e cinchonas of B ritish Ind ia , th a t D arjeeling came to occupy th e posi­tion i t does now as a tea and cinchona-producing d is ­tr ic t . K now ing so m uch of th e S outh A m erican c in ­chona forests, he was led by an exhaustive comparison of th e flora and clim ates of th e D arjeeling, Cossiah and N eilgherry H ills to come to th e conclusion th a t, w ith th e usua l p recautions, th e y could be go t to produce th e b a rk now so eagerly look d for and prized everyw here. I t is now upw ards of th i r ty years since Dr. B oyle gave expression to h is belief of th e capabilities of D arjeeling as a cinchona-producing field, b u t th e question was su b ­sequen tly tak en up by o th e r experienced bo tan ists, Doc­to r A nderson among th e rest, w ith th e happy effect of inducing th e G overnm ent to u n d ertak e experim ents on a scale com m ensurate w ith th e im portance of th e u n d e r ­tak ing . I t is n o t to re la te how and th rough w h a t several stages ciuchona-cultivation passed as an experim ent th a t we m ake our p resen t obervations, b u t to ask w hether o th er localities besides those w e h ad a lready en tered

upon m igh t n o t be selected for sim ilar experim ents, a n d it w ould be w orth w hile, w e th in k , for G overnm en t to in v ite opinion as to o th e r prom ising spots. G ig an tic difficulties, r.o d oub t, w ill have to be encountered a n d overcome, ju s t as was th e case a t D arjeeling , b u t u n ­flagging preseverance, an d bo tan ical know ledge w ill be equal to th e a ttem p t. B ritish S ikk im seem ed a t one tim e to be a very discouraging field, but th a t opin ion has since been reversed by th e successful n a tu ra lisa tio n of th e C. Succirubra, C. Officinalis an d C. C alisaya. These are b y fa r th e m ost valuable of a ll th e cincho­nas, an d if th ey can be go t to flourish a t su itab le h e ig h ts in N o rth ern In d ia , we see no reason w hy they sh o u ld n o t be equally successful on certa in o th e r equally favored spots in o th er p a rts of Ind ia . I t is alm ost im ­possible to es tim ate a r ig h t th e un iversa l benefits w h ich w ill be conferred upon th e in h a b ita n ts of m arsh y an d m alaria l d is tric ts , w hen qu in ine and i ts a llied a lk a lo id s are b ro u g h t w ith in easy reach of th e poorest in th e lan d . Quiniaina is in no w h it inferio r to qu in ine itse lf, as m ost of y o u r readers are aw are, and being less costly i t could be b ro u g h t w ith in every one’s reach. T h e extension of th e g row th of so valuable a febrifuge oug h t to com ­m end itse lf to G overnm ent, and I t r u s t to h ear t h a t a commission is appoin ted to rep o rt upon th e elig ib ility of o th er spo ts besides those th a t are a lready know n a s cinchona-yielding d is tr ic ts .— C in c h o n a .— M a dras Tim es.

SA LE O F C IN C H O N A B A R K .M essrs. R obinson & D unlop p u t u p fo r p u b lic

sale, a t th e i r offices to*dayN ov. 4 th th e u n d e rm en tio n ed lo ts of cinchona b a rk :—

lb . R. c.E a s t H olyrood—428 succirubra tw igs so ld for ... 0 30

275 ,, stem qu ill ... 0 8 0606 ,, ,, broken 0 9 055 ,, ,, renew ed ) *

660 „ „ „ | 1 Oo F rom 5 to 6 y ear old trees, e levation 4,000 fe e t ,

D im bula d is tr ic t.A nalysis da ted 31st October, b y M r. M. C ochran, of th e parcel of 660 lb . renew ed : stem quill shew s :— to ta l a lkalo ids ... ... ... 4"80

su lp h a te qu in ine ... 2"21 driage ... 12’38 E . c.

XVaverley— 1,0001b. officinalis stem shavings 1 60F rom trees 5 y ea r o ld , e levation 5,000 feet, A gra-

I p a tan a . A nalysis, da ted 2nd N ovem ber, b y M r. M .| Cochran, shew s :—to ta l alkaloids ... 4"86| su lpha te qu in ine ... 3 '03! driage ........... 12"881 T hough th e q u a n tity offered was sm all, th e a t- ; ten d an ce of regu lar buyers was good, and b iddings | sp irited , especially for th e renew ed succiru b ra a n d

officinalis shavings, shew ing th a t, for good sized lo ts of really good q u a lity , th e re is a locally a good sale.

O s t r i c h F e a t h e r s .— T he F ren ch C onsul a t T ripo li notices th e rem arkable increase in th e q u a n tity of o strich fea th ers despatched thence to F rance la s t year. T he to ta l value is e s tim ated a t nearly' 5 ,500,000f., against less th an 3,500,000f. in th e previous year. T uis increase is m ain ly a ttr ib u te d to th e fa ll in th e price, co.,sequent upon th e a rriv a l in E n g lan d of g re a t q u an tities of fea thers from th e Cape of G ood H ope. In E ng land i t is rem ark ed th a t the Cape specim ens a re p referred , as being perfec tly w h ite an d fu ll fe a th ­ered, an d lend ing them selves easily to those harm on i­ous t in ts of colour in vogue now adays. In P a r is ,, N o rth A frican fea thers seem to be he ld in less d isfavour- an d hence strenuous efforts are being m ade to acclim atise ostriches from T ripoli in A lgeria .— British T rade Journal.