July 2, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



tropical agriculturist by twenty-three years' experi- 

 ence on coffee and cinchona plantations in Ceylon, 

 and Mr. McKinnon has bten known to Mr. Poett, 

 as a coffee-planter for the past eighteen years. 



But neither is prone to boasting. "See for your- 

 self ; I will give you all information in my power," 

 was the reply I received from Mr. Poett, when I 

 asked him as to the success or otherwise of the ex- 

 periments. Accompanied by that gentleman, who 

 during my few days' stay treated me in a most hos- 

 pitable manner, I first made a tour of the buildings, 

 which consist of a nice homestead, or "bungalow," 

 outhouses, &c., large shed 1004-20, used for stab- 

 ling and other purposes, cart-shed, toolhouse, European 

 labourers' hut, and coolie quarters, which latter afford 

 comfortable accommodation for 100 men, although as 

 yet that number has not been employed, seventy 

 being the largest total yet engaged at one time. 

 During my visit an average of twenty-five coolies 

 were daily ciiployed, a white labourer, and white 

 contractor for fencing. After making a tour of the 

 buildings we proceeded to the uurserj', which is the 

 initiatory and convincing ground for all eultiv.ation 

 in connection with coffee and cinchona. This nursery, 

 which takes in an area of 3^ .acres, two of which 

 are planted out, is laid out on the commencement of a 

 long and narrow flat, composed of a narrow belt of black 

 loam near the pool from which the creek flows, which 

 alters into magnificent chocolate soil adjoining the 

 forest land, which lies on the western boundary. It is 

 immediately in front of the homestead verandah, so that 

 when not actually employed in euperintending, the 

 manager and his assistant can have their eye on the 

 labourers, a very necessary precaution, as I shall explain 

 farther on. This olosepile enclosure has been trenched, 

 drained, laid out in beds, and planted with coft'ee 

 arabica, coffee liberioa and cinchona. All these plants 

 have to be grown under eover, and Mr. Poett, in look- 

 ing for the best means for building these shades, determ- 

 ined that he would not be guided by any set rule, but 

 planted the coffee beans under sheds of all descriptions, 

 of various heights, and various degrees of exposure, in 

 addition to planting a number of beds in the open. All- 

 received the same treatment, with the result that 

 those plantfd in the open proved utter failures, scarcely 

 a seed being able to stand the exposure ; other?, 

 planted unaer very slight shade, coming up thinly ; 

 whilst those under thick, flat shades, four feet 

 in width by two in height, succeeded admirably, 

 as did also that sown in long sheds with vertical 

 roofs about five feet high, open at both ends to 

 allow a free current of air. These latter sheds the 

 manager has decided to use in future, as the grass 

 which composes the roof is easy of removal as the plant 

 increases in hardihood, and this exposure is worked 

 gradually until the time when the young coffee-shrub 

 IS sufficiently strong to allow of its being planted 

 in the clearing. Under the latter sheds and those 

 with the flat roofs, the coffee plants, showing every 

 indication of the most robust health, are growing as 

 quickly as watercress, about four inchrs high. There 

 are eleven of the larger sheds and fifty smaller ones 

 planted with coffee arabica, and from them ilr. Poett 

 calculates that, allowing for losses, he has 200,001) 

 plants nearly rea^y for removing to the clearing. In ad- 

 dition to this a quantity of Liberian coffee seed has 

 recently been received and planted, and it was at the 

 time of my visit just showing above ground. Of this 

 eighty beds have been planted, and these will, calculat- 

 ing roughly by the quantity of seed planted, give 

 another 300,000 plants. In Ceylon, Fiji, and other 

 coffee-growing countries a disease called Hemilia vest- 

 tatrix has attacked the leaf of the coffee plants. It 

 13 a fungoid which strips the leaves and blossoms, 

 and an idea of its devastating effects may be gathered 

 from the fact that in those countries it has lowered 



the rate of coffee production by fully 75 per 

 cent. At Poett's plantation not a sign of this pest 

 has yet made its appearance though young plants, 

 such as those at this nursery, are gener- 

 ally its first victims. This is an interesting and 

 perhaps significant fact that the climate or soil is ant- 

 agonistic to the growth and propagation of the disease. 

 The Arabica coffee was planted in December last, and 

 as, at five months' growth, it is ready to plant out 

 in the open, in two mouths sufficient will be ready 

 to plant lOU acres. 



From the coffee sheds we proceeded to those de- 

 voted to the growth of cinchona plants — a thing which 

 Mr. Poett is very enthusiastic about. -A great quantity 

 of this seed was planted in October last, and it came 

 up magniflcently. It is planted out very similarly to 

 the coffee beds in the larger betls, and in addition 

 two much larger houses— 40 x 20 feet — have been 

 erected and thickly sown with seeds in January last. 

 Through unfortuitous circumstances the seed in the 

 latter has not thriven so well as in the October sow- 

 ing, this being due to the fact that after it was sown 

 a gale of wind swept the seed into heaps. But it is 

 picking up again : and the manager h.as still great hopes 

 of it. The earlier cultivation of cinchona is attended 

 with very great diffienlties. In the tirat instance the 

 happy mean of light and darkness has to be hit off 

 to a nicety, as has also the amount of water which 

 the plants must receive. After the seed is first sown 

 it has to be watered by sprinkling with a brush, as 

 the rose attached to ordinary watering-cans throws 

 much too great a quantity of water. In the first 

 stage of growth the plants are kept in dark sheds, of 

 course always allowing for free ventilation. When three 

 months old they are planted — or "pricked" -out into 

 beds at intervals of three by two inches, and four 

 months from that time, when eight or nine inches high 

 they are planted out into the clearing at intervals of S 

 feet + 8 feet, or about at the rate of TOOtrees to theacre. 

 After they are thus planted out they require nothing 

 but weeding, and in hve years, the first stripping of bark 

 takes place, when 1,000 Ibof barkto the acre is considered 

 an average crop. A "barking" follows every year if the 

 grower wishes to get a quick return ; though, if he can 

 afford to wait, every alternate year is considered 

 more profitable gathering. The bark which succeeds 

 the stripping grows richer in alkaloids every year, and 

 is consequently much more valuable. On this plant- 

 ation the following varieties are grown: — The sueci- 

 rubra, the olfioinalis, and ledgeriana, of which the first- 

 named is the least valuable, though it gives a much 

 larger amount of bark per tree. The most of the 

 plants grown are of the succirubra variety, tbough the 

 success which Mr. Poett has had with plants of the 

 officinalis, a much more valuable variety of the quinine- 

 tree, leads him to hope much for the success of their 

 growth, and he has ordered more seed to be forwarded 

 him immediately. As showing the suitability of the 

 soil and climate for the growth of this important 

 product, I may mention that twelve months ago a tew 

 plants were sown, and that amongst these is one of 

 the Officinalis variety which is now planted in tha 

 open, and has attained the enormous growth of 

 four feet, a result which Mr. Poett has never 

 seen equalled in Ceylon or anywhere else. He 

 looks upon this as conclusive evidence of tiie 

 future paying results of this crop. In addition to 

 this 1 may mention that close to the bungalow is 

 a plant which was not noticed till lately. Some seed 

 was spilled near tne spot when it arrived twelve 

 montli.-s ago, and one of these, without care and at- 

 tention, and as I have said unnoticed, has gained a 

 height of two feet. Thus without the ordinary efforts 

 which are made with this most delicate (in its earlier 

 stages) plant, a seedhng, selfsowu, roots mid flourishes' 

 I think nothing more need be said after this of the 



