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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 1884. 



above : the leaves of tlir best trees measure 12'' m 5". 

 Twenty-seven rooted stumps of Serea lirusiliensis were 

 received from Ceylou, aud senf out shoots very shortly 

 after arrival. Two plants subsequently died ; of the twenty- 

 five surviving plants — 



2 have suckers 6' high. 

 15 „ averaging 3' 6" each. 

 8 „ do. 2' 6" „ 

 These plants have from two to tour suckers each, aud I 

 am going to commence propagatiug at once. 



Landolphias. — I received about 200 young plants, many 

 of which were distributed in Wynaad, Coorg, Madras and 

 elsewhere : some I planted in my own garden, but so far 

 the reports on the growth of these plants have been 

 very unsatisfactory. A few plants which I retained in 

 pots and kept under shade promise better and show a 

 peculiar growth. 



(Jiiiehonas. — I have received from the Superintendent of 

 Government Chinchona Plantation the following plants : — 

 500 C. viaijiiifolia seedlings. 

 250 C. jjubesccns „ 

 250 C. sitccirithra „ 

 125 0. calisciya var. Ledger. 

 10 C Carthayena, 

 On arrival here, all but the Carthaijeaa seedlings were 

 immediately sent to the EUembellary" estate. Mr. Powell, 

 the Superintendent in charge, reported as follows on 24th 

 July:— 



" I find the C. mar/nif alias sent are mostly plants, and 

 not seedlings fit for a nursery. Can I therefore plant 

 them at the top of the Upper EUembellary new clearing ? 

 " 1 see I have a lot of them here, and know that it 

 these are put into a nursery for another year, they will 

 be over 3 feet high aud too big to transplant." 



In reply, I pointed out to Jlr. Powell that these 

 plants being intended tor a special e.\ptrimental 

 clearing could not be planted out, and must be carefully 

 put -in nursery beds as originally arranged. On the 1st 

 August I received the following report ; — 



" I have to inform you that the C. mar/nifoVias were duly 

 put out in nursery beds 6" apart in best soil, aud shaded 

 with fem, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet; out of 

 the 500 plants sent 30 were dead iu the basket. A few 

 more look rather bad, but the rest, I think, will come on." 

 On 3rd idem Mr. Powell wrote me — 

 " I have to inform you that out of the 230 (J. siiccirubra 

 seedlings you sent me, 174 were alive when they reached 

 this. 



" Out of the 2.50 Ledgerlniia seedlings you sent me, 242 

 were alive when they reached this. 



'• Out of the 250 Fitbcscens seedlings you sent me, 240 

 were alive when they reached tliis. 



"These have been put out in beds adjoining the Magni- 

 folius in new land 6" apart, and shaded with fern." 



As the mousoon has been light I hope these seedlings will 

 have done well. 



Of the ten C. carthagcna seedlings five have been de- 

 livered to }'ou and four sent to Wynaad ; one died shortly 

 after arrival here. 



I imderstood that it "was tlie intention of Government to 

 make experiments in Wynaad with C. c/i/isiii/ii only. I 

 cannot therefore understand the object in forwarding seed- 

 ling of Siicciriihras and other varieties which are commonly 

 grown throughout the ilistrict. Indeed, the C. calisrii/a is 

 now giowu extensively, and on the " Kersbrook" and 

 " Nedimbally " estates are to be seen very successful 

 clearings containing C. laliicrtiimi, C. rcrth, and C. morada, 

 all of which are now grown most successfully in the 

 Moopenad valley. 



The Collector of Malibar reported on 23rd Nov :— 

 The cultivation of such species of Cinchona as Huecirubrci, 

 &c., has passed beyond the stage of experiment in the 

 Wynaad, and private individuals have planted up large 

 tracts everywhere. 



Those sent to the district forest officer were planted out 

 in beds in the Botanical Garden, Manantoddy, only 50 per 

 cent, survived, as the baskets iu which they were packed 

 were delivered in Cahcut n/isidc doivji, having apparently 

 travelled some distance in that position. 



The ones sent to Mr. Ferguson he reports fully on in his 

 letter, which I enclose. 



Ihe LaMlofpliias were Mr. Ferguson's private property. 

 The district forest officer purchased twelve pUiuts from 



Messrs. Hinde and Co. last year, and there are ten alive 

 now at Manantoddy, but they have made no growth what- 

 ever. There is one at Nilambur, which looks sickly and 

 stunted. Mr. Ferguson has a few in his verandah in pots 

 which have made a little growth of late, haviug thrown 

 out long trailing shoots. 



The CastUloas and //evens are promising, — vide Mr. 

 Ferguson's letter, but the stock is very limited, and 

 nothing can be done in the way of planting out till it is 

 increased by propagation. A fuilher supply is requested, 

 and funds will be necessary to establish a small forcing- 

 house for striking cuttings aud a nursery at Calicut as 

 the work must be done under careful supervision. 



Estimates will be forwarded in due course. 



Mr. Ferguson now wishes to hand the experiment over 

 to the forest department, but will provide land at 

 Tamaraherry, <fec. 



The district forest officer suggests also opening out 15 

 acres in the Ohenat Nair forests, where suitable laud is 

 available. 



No clearing of forest is contemplated this year, as the 

 stock of plants at our disposal is inadequate for planting 

 purposes. If a further supply is received from Ceylon, 

 and the musery aud forcing-house sanctioned early, it is 

 hoped that a sufficient number of plants may be raised for 

 planting up blocks in ;8S5. 



No Ijieoacuanlia plants have been received yet. 



They will not be required till planting operations are 

 commenced. 



The Board o." Revenue in its report on the foregoing, 

 stated : — ■ 



Of the 125 C. cutisai/a (var. Lcdgeriana), as many as 242 

 are said to have survived and to have been planted out, 

 which shows that some mistake has been made in report- 

 ing upon the variety of Cinchona in which Government 

 takes special interest. 



The Board support the proposal contained in paragraph 

 7 of the Conservator's letter to entrust these experiments 

 to the forest officer at Nilambur and to erect there a 

 forcing-house. 



The orders of Government are requested regarding the 

 further supply of Castilloa and Bevea plants from Ceylon. 



Mr. T. J. Ferguson wrote again on 29th Novem- 

 ber : — 



Qovernment Cinchona Experime-nts. — In continuation of my 

 letter of the 3rd ultimo, I beg to inform you that I have 

 today received from Mr. Powell the following report ou 

 the Government nurseries: — 



" I now have the pleasure to send you a short report on 

 the Government Cinchona plants you sent me ; the number 

 alive now is as follows : — 



" First lot ... Magnitolias 474 



C Ledgerianas ... ... 242 



*' Second lot < Pubesceus 240 



CSuccirubras 174 



" Third lot ... Carthageua 4 



•' These plants are in a nursery on the Upper Ellum- 

 bellary estate at an elevation of about 4,300 feet in licavy 

 forest land cleared for Coffee and Cinchona in 18S2-S3 with 

 a north-east aspect and a heavy rainfaU ; the first and 

 second lots are planted in open beds six inches apart and 

 are shade I with fern aud watered when necessary; they 

 all look \ .ry healthy and vigours, and have all thrown out 

 two or three pairs of fresh leaves. 



"Lot t.iird, the Carthagcnas, that came last in baskets, 

 were p'lnited, baskets and all, two feet .apart under a 

 thatchc- 1 sloping pandal and watered lightly every day; 

 these :ire not looking at all healthy." One of them has 

 lost its lower leaves, and the leaves of the others are droop- 

 ing. 



I may state for your information that we have on the 

 EUumbellary and Upper Eliumbellary estates 75,000 Cin- 

 chonas, including C. /edga-ianu, C. verde, C. condaminea^ 

 G. rohiita, Condiiminea hybrids, C swcciritbra, aud .Succi- 

 rubra hybrids ; these plants are growing at from 3,000 to 

 5,500 feet above sea-level, vide map enclosed. On adjoin- 

 ing estates we have growing successfully all the above varie- 

 ties of Cinchonas, aggregating on two estates alone upwards 

 of three lakhs of plants. 



The Board of Kevenue naturally enough, rcportail : — 

 As private tuterpize li:is established cinchoua cultvi 



