846 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1884. 



Alopecnriis pratensis, L. Eox-tail, Europe. 



Poa pdlustris, L. [fcrtilis, Host.) Europe. 



P. pratensis, L. Meadow Grass. Europe. 



Festuca elalior, L. Tall Fescue. Europe. 



F. geniculuta. Willd. Mediterraneau. 



Lamnrckia aiircu, Moeuch. Mediterranean. A beautiful grass. 



Dacti/lis glomerata, L. Cocksfoot. Europe. 



D,"' undulislachysr 



Loliitm multiflorun. Lam. (italicum, A. Br.) Italian Rye-grass. S. Europe, 



Bromus langiflorus, Willd, 



B. ( Ceratochloa) vnioloides, Willd. 



And many other Cxraases, all from Kew. 



Also several Florists' flowers of the genera Fvchsia, Begonia, Gailhrdia, Calceolaria, Coleus, Sfc. 



FERNS. 

 Plalycerium grande, J, Sm. N. Australia, Phippines, Singapore. (Brisbane.) 

 Alsophila lalehrosa, Hk. India, Malaya. (Ooty.) 

 Anetnia Wightiana, Gardn. Nilgiris (Ooty.) 



And 62 packets of Fern spores from Kew, and 18 from Jamaica, from which a large number of plants 

 have been raised. 



IV. — Economic Plants. 



Cqfee.—T\\& transition period of the planting revolution which has been in progress here 

 for the last few years may be now considered nearly over, and the new conditions to be in a fair 

 way to full establishment. (Joffee, which was estimated only three years ago to cover 252,U0U acres, 

 now occupies little over 178,000, acres ;* and, what is more striking as evidence of the change, 

 very much more than half of this is being grown along with cinchona, tea or cacao, a condition 

 generally preliminary only to a complete substitution of the old by the newer and more promising 

 crop. 



The export for the past commercial year (ending with September, 1883), 260,000 cwt., is 

 the lowest for 40 years, and is considerably less than iialf that of the previous one. 



This tremendous falling off in crops is, with a due allowance for a series of bad seasons, the 

 result of leaf-disease. On estates, no doubt this has operated indirectly as well as directly 

 by rendering it impossible to afford a liberal cultivation, but the terrible direct effects of continued 

 attacks of tlie pest are strikingly seen in the condition of so-called " native" coffee, the export of 

 which has dwindled to 14,422 cwt., little over one-third of that of last year. 



Tiie complete extinction of " native" Arabian coffee would under present conditions be no 

 great loss, and as regards Ilemeleia even a direct benefit ; and the same may be said of that on many 

 old and ill-tended estates. There is indeed reason to hope that when coffee becomes one crop out of 

 several, and its cultivation, instead of occupying vast sheets of country to the exclusion of all otlier 

 vegetation, becomes restricted to localities and estates where it is known to respond to good treat- 

 ment, attacks of leaf-disease will be less severe and less frequent. We may hope that the fungus 

 will then take its place with the many other more or less similar pests which afflict cultivated plants 

 and which, though always present, vary in mildness or severity in accordance with climatic con- 

 ditions (weather) from season to season. It is to be earnestly desired that every encouragement be 

 given to keeping up a lil)eral cultivation of coffee where possible. 



The papers and specimens relating to "grub" obtained by the Planters' Association were 

 forwarded to me, and I transmitted them early in July, through the Director of Kew, to Mr. 

 MacLachlan, F.R.S. I regret that I have not yet received any report on them from him. 



The area, 4,651 acres, given as under Llberlan Cojf'ee, shows that the cultivation of this 

 species is slowly increasing. It appears to be allowed that its yield is, as a rule, better than that 

 of Arabian coffee, in spite of severe attacks of leaf-disease. A large distribution has been made 

 to native cultivators, principally through the Government Agents. From Henaratgoda garden 

 over 4n,000 seedling plants have been given out, and a smaller quantity from P^rtideniya. 



Tea. — Tiiough the progress in this cultivation was astonishingly rapid in 1882, the past 

 year has seen a far greater extension. Ceylon exported in the commercial year (1882-3) over a 



* I take the estimates and other figures throughout this part of my report from the series carefully prepared for 

 Ferguson's Directory for 1883-4. 



