February i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



597 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. ^ 



THE ANOTTA OR ARNOTTO. 

 Dear Sir, — Can youiuform me whether the 4no/<a, 

 wliich is described iu Webster's Dictionary as "an 

 elegant colouring substance, obtained from the pulp 

 of the seed vessel of the Bixa Orellana," is procur- 

 able in Ceylon? lathe Bixa Oiellana a Ceylon plant? 

 and what are its Sinhalese and Tamil names?— 

 Yours, &c., SLAVE ISLAND, 



r [Full details regarding this plant have been oyer 

 and over given. It is common in gardens, and its 

 apple-like blossoms nnd red pods give it value as an 

 ornamental plant. The chief value of " the elegant 

 colouring substance" is to dye butter and cheese. — 

 Ed.] 



THE MODEL DUKE ESTATE. 



British Burma, 4th Jan. 18S4. 

 Dkar Sir, — You will be surprized when I tell you 

 that I have hail the Chief Commissioner and his lady 

 here. 1 was so proud when I saw the greatest lady 

 of all the land of British Burma mounted on her 

 smart little Burma pony, dressed in her modest 

 form, with her wideawake hat and plain band round 

 it, a pattern to womankind. 



She walked ronnd my small new clearing and ad- 

 mired my little plaaties, and came upstajrs along 

 with the Chief and party and a.clmired my neat 

 little bungalow. Such a nice .lady .one seldom meets 

 in one's litetime,, ... . ^ 



The Chief* is a most observing man, and one who 

 goes and sees for himself : in fact, the right man in 

 the right place ; if I do nut get my own way here, it 

 will not be his fault. 



I had Coffee Arabioa, Coffee Liberica, and hybrid 

 tea, and also indigenous tea. I found bear also rubber, 

 aan last if not least, " Verba Mate " to show them. 



I have found " Yerba Mate " here, and have secured 

 a few plants .already. The Chief was much taken with 

 the ', Mate "; and it will thrive here, aud I trust to put 

 another luxury on the table before many years, if sjiread. 

 • I shall enclose to you a few leaves of " Yerba 

 Mate" foryour " botanist." Kindly ask 'VVm..Eergu80n, 

 Esq., to report upon it.t 



The Chief was here at work every day, inspected all 

 Government offices, schools, jaiU, roads, wharfs, and 

 went from here to Natzudong and from thence to 

 Mergui. He is au early riser, up at 4 a m. ami out 

 at 5 a.m. He took the wind out of a few of his 

 subs and walked them round — the very man for a 

 thorough Governor. 



I have bought lOO.UOO plants that will be ready 

 for this season, coffee of kinds, tea, cacao, aud rub- 

 ber, and I am getting 2 cwt. of coffee from Mr. 

 Pelly, Tongoo, for seed, and 4 maunds of lea seed from 

 Kaugra Valley. 



I expect to hear from Ceylon about cacao from a 

 good old friend, but you are all so busy planting 

 tea. I hope to see Ceylon turn the corner yet. Vou 

 have got the men that will do it, good men and true, 

 still in Ceylon. An Assam planter that had been 

 iu planting since 1865, who had viited Ceylou lately, 

 said to me : " Ceylon men will outstrip India yet." I 

 said, "How 's that ?" Says he. " They have got the 

 energy that 's lacking in India, and a better climate 

 for health, lots of labour, and a splendid transport." 



• Mr. Orosthwaite, acting tor Mr. Bernard.— En. 



+ Mr. W. Ferguson reports that the leaves gent are 

 ■not those of an ilex, but of quite j^^jliffijfjeu^ ^lan^— 

 Ed. 



The roads are now being pushed on here, and maoh 

 need for them, only gravel roads. We want old Mac- 

 adam badly in this fertile wilderness. 



I see the laird expects 10 cwt. per acre. He has 

 got lots of pluck in him still, and I trust you may 

 all get bumpers and better times. Aberdeen Gordon 

 they said would not turn over his leaves, but I will 

 bet you a new hat he will turn over hcalhen 

 Mnniamll, if need be. — Yours faithfully, 



.JAMES D. WATSON. 



• 'ASSAM TEA SEED AND LOCAL SEED. 



19th January 18S4; 



DE.i.R Sir, — I note a discussion iu your papers about 

 tea seed as to which is best, '* Assam seed or local 

 seed." If you have a climate in which the tea plant 

 does not grow naturally, I should then recommend 

 local seed as being acclimatized ; but, failing this reason, 

 if I was putting out a garden for myself to stick to, 

 I would give the preference to Assam seed direct from 

 Assam, and a very fine even Assam hybrid I obtain 

 from Tiphook lea garden. This j.at your readers may 

 have to go a long way before they can beat it. 



The seed is large and heavy, 1G,000 to 19,000 only 

 going to the niaund ; it is well-packed on the garden, 

 and germination starts in the boxes as a rule. 



I believe that this seed could be delivered in Colombo 

 within a fortnight of its leavmg the garden, which 

 would give the Ceylon planter a very long pnll iu 

 that he would receive it in good condition, and be 

 able to look after it. 



I have known the Tiphook jat to be sown as high 

 as 5,000 feet, where the temperature in winter borders 

 upon a heavy frost for India. — Yours faithfuUv, 



DARJEELINGITE. 



P. S.—l believe in obtaining tea seed from Assam, 

 as the plants, as a rule, are stronger from seed grown 

 in Assam aud there is a great dxal iu bringing your 

 seed from a distance. Here, iu India, most orders 

 are booked for seed between the months of April and 

 June, as after then the best tea seed of good jats 

 is not to be hi»d. 



MR. HOLLOWAY'S CACAO TREES. 



Maria, 29th Jan. 1884. 



Dear Sib,— I am much obliged to "Swaddy" for 

 the information contained in his letter of 10th inat. 

 in reply to mine in your issue of 8th iust. 



The two Trinidad cacaos I have are two distinct 

 kinds : — (1) one a long fruit, pointed at each end 

 (male, I think); (2) one an egg-shaped fruit (fem.ale. 

 I think)— planted 20 feet apart near the bungalow, 



I have this day cut six ripe fruits of each variety 

 from the tree that bears three varieties, with the 

 following result : — 



No. 1 {the natural fruit) contained from 16 to 25 

 seeds each pod, weighing :— wet seed from 2^ to 

 4i oz., shell 12 to IS oz. 



"No. 2 and 3 (green to yellow or red) contained 

 from 40 to 46 seeds each pod, weighing :— wet seed 

 6 to 8oz., shell 9 to 12 oz. 



I have also cut four pods from each of the Trinidad, 

 result : — 



No. 1 contained from 36 to 42 seeds each pod, 

 weighing : — wet seed from 5 to 7 oz., shell 12 to 15oz. 



No. 2 contained from 40 to 46 seeds each pod, 

 weighing : — wet seed from 6 to 8 oz., shell 12 to 18 oz. 



I have also weighed cured seed ready for the 

 m,arket, 46 seeds weighing 2^ oz. — new and old same. 

 I have since found several more trees bearing, in 

 addition to the natural frnit, some fruit of the green 

 to red or yellow kind, the weight of seed and shell 

 the same as on the variegated tree. 



Whereas this shows a large gain to the fruit (seed) 



