3IO 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[November i, 1883. 



yet although only one-fourth of the period required 

 by the Ceyloa plantcre to make up their minds haa 

 elapsed aud it has beeu uuaccompauied by the spur 

 of dire necessity, there seems every prospect that these 

 lucrative industries will soon spring into being in 

 Aucklanl, under the wing of the New Zealand 

 Chasericultural Company, upon a scale commensurate 

 with their importance. 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL ASSOCL^TION. 



Pkoposal TO Introduce New Varieties of Breadfruit. 



Mr. W. H. Wright said {Sept. 30th) he wished to 

 bring a matter before the Association. He thought it 

 was time that they asked Goverumeat to get such things 

 as would be beni^ricial to Ceylon, and there was one 

 thing in particular which it w^as very desiruble to 

 introduce into Ceylon. He might say that there are 

 seven or eight varieties of bread-fruit grown in the 

 Fiji islands, which are far better than the kind we 

 have here. The bread-fruit we have got here is of a 

 \ery inferior description, and he heard that it was only 

 used for feeding cattle with. He proposed that they 

 should introduce the better kind and ask Government to 

 do so through Dr, Trimen. If the Association thought 

 it was necessary that he should undertake to roar tbe 

 plants in hi^ garden and under his supervision, he would 

 do so. If Government would not help them, he would 

 vol nteer to go halves with the Association, if it would 

 join him in introduciug the different varieties of 

 bread-fruit. (Applause.) He thought they had a 

 right to ask the Government to pay half, and they might 

 pay the other half. He was sure they would all 

 join with him in this matter : it was for the benetit 

 of the country, and why should they not do it ? It 

 was a thing really necessary for the natives : the 

 common bread-fruit at present cultivated was not 

 v-ry good, and why should they not have the better 

 hinds ? 



Mr. W. P, Eanesinghe seconded the resolution. 



Mr. S. R. DE FoxsEKA (Kaiutara) thought the pro- 

 posal was a good one, but he would like to know 

 what the expenses connected with an application of 

 this kind would be. 



Mr. W, H. Wright said a wardian c^ise might cost 

 from £18 to £20. If the Association could not afford 

 to get it out, he would do so himself. (Applause.) 



Mr. S. R. DE FoNSEKA thought the Association would 

 gladly join in such a matter and bear a portion of 

 the expenses. But, in the first instance, application to 

 Government should be made without any guarantee of 

 payment, because the Government was bound to do a 

 thing like this, and a representation from an Association 

 like theirs would, he thought, carry great weight with it. 

 The bread-fruit, woidd be very nourishing and very 

 useful. He thought they should ask not only for the 

 introduction of bread-fruit, but also lor other useful 

 products. Ho had a great pleasure in supporiiug the 

 resolution, 



Maua Mudaliyau De Zovza remarked that thex'e 

 was au article on bread-fruit cultivation in a recent 

 issue of the Ohserver, 



Mr. M. D. Cockhurn : — The Association has been 

 so often taunted with doing nothing that I am glad 

 Mr. Wright has introduced the subject. As Mr. 

 \Vright has been so good as to undertake to cultivate 

 the i)!aut I think it is but right that the Associa- 

 tion should bear the whole cost. It would be more 

 generous on the part of the Association to write to 

 Government and say that we are prepared to bear 

 the whole cost than to allow anybody else to Iiave 

 the credit of introducing this variety, which should 

 belong entirely to the Association. I have much 

 pleasure in supporting the resolution. 



The following resolution was formally put and carried 

 unanimously : — '*That this Association is of opinion 

 that Government should be requested to introduce 

 into this island new varieties of a superior kind of 

 bread-fruit than exists at present in the island and 

 and which are said to be found in the Fiji Islands 

 and elsewhere." 



BALMER, LAWRIE & Co.'s INDIAK TEA AND 

 WEATHER EEPOET. 



Calcutta, 15th Sept. 1SS3. 



Our last report w.is dated 1st instant; the weatlier duriuy the 

 past fortni;;ht has been rather more favorable, but from nearly 

 all tea districts we have reports stating that already there are 

 signs of the cold weather coming on ; in this case the outturn 

 will be most seriously affected, but it is to be hoped that the 

 present appearances are only tem.porary and that planters may 

 be cheered by a good October, 



Assam. — DmRUOHAR. — Recently the weather has here been favor- 

 ablefor both growth and manufacture, although some more rain would 

 have been beueticial ; at the beginning of the week ending 4th 

 instant, the heat was very great, but later on some heavy 

 showers with violent thunder storms and high winds reduced the 

 temperature slightly; most gardens are still behind with little 

 chance of picking up unless September and October, bring excep- 

 tionally fine weather. The rainfall is several inches less than 

 last year to same date, and there has been no long spell of 

 really hot weather ; there have been fogs in some parts, which 

 prognosticiite an early close of the season. — Sibsagar. — Satisfactory 

 reports reach us from this part, the weatlier having been good 

 for leaf, and the gardens pulling up somewhat in consequence; 

 the mornings and nights are rather cool for the time of year and 

 on three or four mornings there were dense fogs ; durinj; the 

 day there was warm sunshine and leaf is spoken of as being fairly 

 abundant and of good quality. Most gardens are very much 

 behind in outturn to date,— Jorehaut. — The weather here is very 

 changeable ; towards the end of last month there was a consi- 

 derable fall of rain, and it wa^ hoped tJiat if this were followed . 

 by hot weather, arrears would be brought up; but planters fear 

 that not only vdll they be unable to make their estimate, but 

 the outturn will be under last season ; the nights lately have 

 been really cold. — North Lakhimpur, — On the whole the weather 

 for the last half of August was disappointing and the constant 

 changes from heat to cold are not very favorable for growth. — 

 Nowgong.— Jlost gardens here are still much behind" and the 

 prospects for this month are far from favorable, as the weather 

 is cold and wet.— Mtmgledie. — The weather here has been favor* 

 able, with the exception of being a little too cold ; leaf has been ' 

 at a standstill and gardens are going fast behind. During the 

 last 10 days of August, it is reckoned that gardens must have 

 fallen behimd 50 per cent, from the corresponding period of last 

 year. There is every appearance now of the approaching cold 

 weather, tbe sky being clear and nights cold, while leaf is stunted 

 and hard. 



Cachjlb.— Most of the lowlands in this district have been again 

 flooded, and in some parts the water was up to within 3 feet 

 of the May floods, and the paddy crops liave suffered badly. 

 The latest reports from Silchar are that the water had fallen 

 ^ a fool and the weather \>as once more hot and dry ; on the 

 7th instant there was a slight shock of earthquake. Blight is 

 utill bad on some gardens and the leaf is coming out small and 

 light; there are signs of an early close to the season. Round 

 liylakandy similar bad weather seems to have prevailed ; heavy 

 rain and floods. 



Bahjekmng. — September has opened well for tea, news of warm 

 weather wiUi occasional showers reaching us from most parts of 

 this district; gardens showed again this month on part of the 

 ground lost in .July ; but it is feared the season will i-lose early. 

 At Hopetown some planters still complain that the bushes do not 

 flush freely and fear there is little chance of picking up, now 

 the season is so far advanced; the weather seems satisfactory for 

 both cultivation and manufactui-e so4hat the gardens with a full 

 supply of labor nhouM get in a fair crop of lea this mouth. In 

 tlie neighbourhood of Joro Bungalow the week ending 8tli iustnnt 

 was favourable for manufacture; and there is some improvement 

 noticed in the quality of the tea made over that of August. At 

 Kurseong, diu-ing the latter part of the fortnight ending the 10th 

 instant, there was bright sunshine with intervals of t^light showers. 

 The rainfall to date was below the average and the season threat- 

 ens to I'lose early. Many of the Terai gardens are suffering from 

 blight — chiefly mosquito blight — which is worse than has beeu 

 known in the district and is still spreading. The weather is not 

 so favorable here owing to the short rainfall, and the outturn is 

 behind on most estates, probably 2,500 maunds less than last year. 

 In the Dooiirs the weather has been favorable with hot sun aud 

 occasional heavy showers. 



KUMAox. — T!ie weather here continues close and steamy which 

 is favorable for tea. 



Dehra IMiN.— vVlternate rain and sunslnue have been conducive 

 to the growth of hue flushes, and most gardens are pulling up 

 towards tlieir estimates; the bvishes appear healthy and are not 

 troubled with any pests. 



