4° 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[July 2 1883. 



This will proire to you that I wa3 the first to 

 plaut tea iu Yakdessa, and Doloshasje, with success, 

 and prove that tea would succeed and thrive, 

 when coffee was nowhere. I never heard the Observer 

 run down Seaforth, or Windsor Forest tea, quite the 

 reverse ; but from observatiom I have made, I would 

 recommend tea planters in Dimbiila to plant 

 their 1 w'-ler apart than those in Vakdessa or 

 Dolosbage. J. D. W. 



Peopitable Cultivation.- According to Mr. D. 

 Morris's last Jamaica report, the harvest of 2 1,000 lb of 

 cinchona bark which realized £2,539 was chiefly taken 

 from New Haven Garden 6 acres, Monkey Hill Garden 

 15 acres, both 11 yeais old in 188(1. A grosa return 

 of over £100 an acre oaunot be considered bad. 



Silk Cultuke. — The action of the Chiue.se Govern- 

 ment iu interfering with the class of industrious 

 silkworm cultivators, taxing cocoons, stamping out 

 local manufactures under foreigners, &c., is not un- 

 likely to afford further reason for encouraging the silk 

 industry in otlier places, and why not in Ceylon ? 



Cinchona. — In the Journal de Pharmacic. for the 

 present mouth there is an interesting note by Messrs. 

 Eegnauld and Villejean on an analysis of some bark 

 from a plant of Ciiicliona succiruhra, which had been 

 grown iu the open air iu the botanical garden of 

 the Facultd de M^decine, Paris. Notwithstanding 

 the unfavourable conditions, climatic and otherwise, 

 nnder which the plant was reared, tho bark is said 

 to have yielded 1"47 per ceut of quiuine aud I'Oa 

 per cent of cinchonine. — Pharmuccutical Journal. 



Pkices of Tea. — We ought certaiuly always to 

 remember that, in comparing prices of teas, the 

 aoeraije only should be considei'ed. Thus, though Im- 

 bulpitiya tea reported at last sale fetched a penny 

 more in ont quality, the Sembawattie sale was I'eally 

 better one. There w ere only 8 chests which fetched 2 

 3-^d out of an invoice of 6S, while 12 chests Semba- 

 wattie fetciied 2s 2kl out of an invoice of 41. Then 

 again, the prices of all the other 3 grades were 

 better for Sembawattie than for Imbulpitiya. It ia 

 evident therefore that the average per lb. over ths 

 whole invoice compares in favour of Sembawattie very 

 considerably. Probably some such advantage might 

 be claimed for Dunedin aud some others if looked 

 into. At any rate, it must be remembered that the 

 average, not the maximum, is the proper test. 



Eucalyptds and Malaria. — A project has been prepared 

 tor sanii'ying the malaria regions in Italy, which is of the 

 greatest importance for the Neapolitan provinces. For 

 this purpose a map of malaria lias been prepared, whicli 

 shows only too plainly the desolation of the above-named 

 provinces. The malaria regions arc divided into throe 

 classes, namely, we.ik. serious, and most serious. Among 

 the 13 provinces classified as having weak malaria only 

 one belongs to llio Neapolitan provinces — that ais, 

 Aquila. Among the 29 classified as serious, there Ire 

 three belouging to the Neapolitan ijroviuces, uamey, 

 Avillino, Ohieti, and Naples itself . and among the 

 21 classified as most dangerous, we find Bari, Catan- 

 zaro, Uaserta, Oosonza, Foggia, Lecce, I'otenza, Et'ggio, 

 Calaljria, and Salerno. In fact, on the Tir(mian 

 coast from Cape Vaticano to the Gulf of Cfaeta, cxceptiug 

 the region watered by the Volturuo, the malaria is weak ; 

 but on the Ionian coast, from Cape Spartivento to Santa 

 Blaria Leuca, tliat once I?aradisc of Magna Greciu, there is 

 a country desolated by nndaria, full of stagnant, putrid 

 swamps, with not a sigu remaining of the ancient cultiv- 

 ation and llorid commercial life. Misery and want of 

 well-paid and constant work obliges the population to 

 emigrate, and death reigns over a vast region where agri- 

 culture can find but little space for its ojieratious. The 

 new proiect will give to the Goverimient the riglit of ex- 

 propriating territories lying in the region of most serious 

 malaria contiguous to the lines of r.aihvay for a distance of 

 200 metres on each side, unless the proprietors have them- 

 eclvus undertaken the work of sauificatiou. For ten years 



from the passing of the law prizes and indem nificatious will 

 be granted to any one in the circle of malaria who makes 

 a plantation of Eucalyptus trees. The Government pro- 

 vinces and communes are also authorized to grant subsidies. 

 All proposals relative to sanitary works mil be examined 

 by an executive committee. — Daily News. 



Feuits. — The fruit of one variety of the Diospyros kaki, 

 variously known as the Chinese date plum and the Japanese 

 persimmon, is being grown to great perfection by Mr. A. 

 Williams, of Eight-mile Plains, anda samide of it was kindly 

 left with us a few days ago. This variety is large, single 

 specimens weighing over 10 oz., and measuring fully 3 in. 

 in diameter. But size is not its only or even principal re- 

 commendation, for iu flavour it is very rich and luscious, 

 and when fully ripe nearly of honeyed sweetness. This 

 variety is stoneless, and as a desert fruit can scarcely be 

 excelled. Orchardistsand cottagers with small fruit gardens 

 cannot afford to be without it, for it is a prolific bearer, and 

 with good cultivation the tree quickly attains a great size. 

 The fruit at present is a scarce commodity, as the tree is 

 not readily propag.ated ; but, as the demand for it is sure 

 to be brisk wheu once its excellent qualities are known, 

 measures will be taken to meet the demand. Mr. Williams 

 has about 100 young trees ready to send out this winter, 

 and those who secure a specimen will do well. It is one 

 of the fruits adapted to a very wide range of climate, and 

 might with safety be planted largely almost anywhere in 

 Queensland. — Quecmlander. [We should think the Per- 

 simmon might succeed in Ceylon. If so it would be a great 

 addition to our list of fruits. Bushes we saw iu Melbourne 

 were Hterally loaded with fruits. — Ed.] 



The Rbmkdy for White Ants is thus further ex- 

 plained : — Referring to the official correspondence 

 recently published in our (5". M. Herald) columns 

 between the Commissioner for Railways and the late 

 Secretary for Public Works respecting the eilicacy of 

 the epeoilic recommended by Mr. Lackey for destroy- 

 ing the white ant in wooden bridges, we find that the 

 subject has attracted general attention, and the result 

 has been that numerous letters have been received 

 by the Commi-sioner for railways from persons seek- 

 ing to know the component parts of the specific and 

 proper mode of applying it. Upon making inquiries, 

 we have been favoured with the foUonfiug Luformation 

 by the Commissioner ; — In all instances the sapwood 

 must first b3 removed. Then the parts infested by 

 the white ants should be syringed with bjiling water 

 by means of a .syringe holding about tw> gallons. 

 When this has been done a mixture should ba applied, 

 consisting of lib. ot arsenic to either tliree gallons of 

 kerosine oil or 12ib. of tallow. It should be men- 

 tioned that in cases ot underground work it is necess- 

 ary to dig down about 2ft., and wheu the sapw.iod 

 is removed, char, and then apply the mixture. — 

 QuKndamUr. 



.TouoRE, May 23rd. — I send you the rainfall ou 

 Drumduau estate, Gunong Pulai, Johore, from the 

 time it was first t.xken, aud hope it may be of some 

 use. The Battu Pahat range of hills get far less rain 

 than this : in 18S2 we had about 3 months drought. 

 Things are begiuaing to look up, and Inbour is better. 

 1879. 1830. 1331. 1882. 1883. 



January 9-44 U'S? 7-23 4-81 



February 6 2-61 U'lO 4-97 ■ 



March S'lO 10-13 762 H'OS 



April U-24 14-57 7-90 12-98 



May 13-99 8-65 10-35 4-32* 



.Time ... 4-13 8-22 519 402 



July ... 8-25 6-55 5-57 4-69 



Au"u,st 7-66 7-55 6-01 6-51 



September ... 5-58. 6-14 11-40 5-56 



October ... 18-43 951 12 15 12-65 



• November ... 8-17 10'63 1407 5-66 



December ... 5-35 7-18 16-10 7-88 



Inches... 57-57 104-55 12107 9417 38-16 

 * Up to and inclu'^iveof 14Ui. 

 Iu 1882, S. W. inousoon burst on 21st April. 



„ N. E. „ „ ISthOclober. 



Inl883, S.W. „ „ 10th April. 



Temporature uu.ltr slmle Fahr. luax. 91 ili-g. min. 68 rloR. 

 at an elevation of about 700 ft. This is not tlicaverage, but 

 the highest aud lowest it hasever been. 



