November i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



323 



3. Cattle manure and bones appear the favourite, in 

 fact steamed boues and bone meal in various mixtures 

 have given the best results. Castor-cake is regarded by 

 some as a dangerous manure. 



Question 4th. Various methods. 



Question 5th. January to April for cattle manure, but some 

 advocate after the blossoming season. Artificial, April to 

 August. Cost of artificial manure E45 to R70 according to 

 the quantity applied including application. 



Etmarks. — We find from the answers given that in some 

 cases the oldest fields bear the best, some managers speak 

 of the disappointment they have experienced in mauuring 

 and cultivating geueiiilly, fields with a western exposure 

 and wind-blown riilges, and the Sub-Committee venture to 

 express the opinion that much di.sapp' iutm -nt in cu'tiva- 

 tion of coffee arises from unsuitable land being worked in 

 coffee, while if this unsuitable land ivas planted mth 

 other products the general results from working coffee would 

 be much better. 



The estate managers in the "Wallaha district and its 

 neighbourhood who have replied to the questions referred 

 to, look upon grub as the chief cause of the late sudden 

 failing of thn crops. 



Pruning. 



Qtiestion 1st. — In answer to this question, pruning im- 

 mediately after crop with one exception. Handling from 

 May to August, and October to November. 



2. A knife handling in some cases looked on as good. 



3. Moderate to heavy the general opinion. 



4. Found unpruued coffee residts bad. Cost of pruning 

 and haudhng RIO to K14 per acre. 



G. A. Talbot AVm. D. Bosanquet 



W. B. Jackson Wm. Keith 



AV. Smith J. Cantlay 



Thos. Mackie James Sinclair. 



APPENDIX. 



Questions on jianuring. 

 Questions referring to seasons 1880-81, 1881-82, 188-2-83. 

 Question 1st. — On your estate what crop was picked from 

 fields manured in preceding year? 



Answers received. 

 Estate 

 Elevation. No. District division. 

 4,400 ft. 1 Rail Gorge. Manured in September 



and October 1881, told on 

 the blossom of 1883. 

 4,000 to 4,600 2 Lindula. 6 to 8 cwt. per acre but 



generally uneven. 

 4,500 3 Liudula. 5 to I cwt. uneven. 



3,200 to 4,300 4 Dimbula. Crop much more than on 



unmanured. 

 4,000 5 ijinduhi. Manured between years 



1876 & 1880 gave .'.i cwt. 

 4,500 6 Lindula. Crop by manuring during 



the last four years only an 

 average of 3k cwt. For 

 four years prevfcus to 1880 

 with samecultivationaver- 

 age of 8 cwt. No cinchona 

 in coffee previous to 1880. 

 3,f)00 to 4,200 7 Dimbula. 2^ to 7 cwt. 



4,U0i) to 5,0i 10 8 Agras. 4 to 10 cwts. but less now 



4,200 to 4,600 9 Agraa. 5* to 3^ cwt. 



4,:i00 10 Liudula. S'to 5 cwt. 



3,200 to 4000 II Dimbula. | to 8 cwt average 1881 



oj, cwt av. lSS26,icwt. 

 3,100*^0 430012 Dimbula. In favourof manured, near- 



ly all the crops came from 

 manured coffee. 

 3,200 to 4000 13 Dimbula. Cattle manured 8 to 6 cwt. 



Artificial 6 to 4 cwts. 

 4,000 to 5000 14 Agras. Favourable to mauuring 



4i cwt. 

 Question 2«d.— "WHiat from the iinmanured fields in the 

 same years? 

 Ansn^e7's : — 



1. No answer given. 



2. Considerably under manured. 



3. Very little, one field gave 3 cwt. 

 4 As a rule very little. 



5 2 cwts, per acre. 



6 No answer given. 



7 I to U cwt. 



8 No unmanured coffee. 



9 No account kept. 



10 No answer given. 



11 Average 3 cwts per acre. 



12 Very little crop from unmanured fields but ex- 

 posure must be taken into account. 



13 IJ to 4 cwt. 



14 No unmanured coffee. 



Question Zrd. — What manure gave the best; and what 

 the worst results ? 



1 No answer given. 



2 Cattle-manure or sombreorum the best cocoanuts 

 pottlac the wor-^t. 



3 Best plain bones or bones and sulphate ofammonia 

 worst coconut poonac. 



4 Cattle-manure and bone-dust or steamed hopes the 

 best. Blood and gu.auo the worst. 



5 Enne-dust and steamed bones the best. Oastor-poouac 

 the worst. 



6 No reply. 



7 Castor-poonac and bones, and cattle-manure the best. 



8 Cattle-manure, bones and poon.ac and Cross' manure. 



9 Cattle-manure only applied. 



10 Cattle-manure, bones and wood ashes the best. 

 Peruvian guano the worst. 



11 Cattle-manure and bones as bulk the best. Grossman 

 k Paaluis' as artificial the best. 



12 Cattle-manure and bones the best; bone meal and 

 coconut-poonac next best. 



13 Cattle-manure best'; lime worst. 



14 Cattle-manure the best ; vegetable stuff and hme 

 the worst. 



Question ith. — What mode of appUcation have you found 

 to answer best ? 

 Ansxcers : — 



1 No answer. 



2 Do. 



3 For artificial, semicircular holes above tree ; bulk, 

 square holes between every foiu* trees. 



4 Saucer-shaped holes dug with a fork and scraped 

 out with hand. 



5 Soluble manure scratched' in on sm-face; and regular 

 manuring semicircular hole one foot from tree. 



6 



7 Circular holes for artificial ; and square for l)ulk. 



8 Generally holing, but occasionally digging. 



9 No opinion given. 



10 Circular holes. 



11 Forkmg. 



12 Close to the tree, must be varied in its application. 



13 Holing the best. Digging gives the quickest results. 



14 Cutting large holes between four trees. 



Question hth. — What months have you found to be the 

 best for the application of (a) bulky manure, (b) artificial ? 

 In answering the above qaestions kiudly give the ap- 

 proximate cost of cultivation iucluding manure, also the 

 elevation and exposure of the fields in question, as well as 

 the age of the coffee with any other information such as 

 the weather report of the blossom seasons that you think 

 may be useful to the Sub-Committee. 



Answers : — 



1 Cost of manure and application IMS per acre. 



2 August and September the best for artificial ; cost 

 E45 to R50 per acre. Cattle-manure applied August and 

 September and cost R90 to ElOO. 



3 No answer. Grub the chief cause of short crops. 



4 Bulky manure January ; artificial April, May. Cost 

 of bulky R50 to E60 ; artificial R40 to E50. 



5 Regular manuring immediately after crop. 



7 Cattle manure January ; artificial manure April and 

 M.ay. Cost : cattle mantire ESO per acre, artificial E45. 

 The oldest coflfee is the best, and fields with eastern ex- 

 posure gave nearly all the crops. 



8 Bulk .Tanuary and February, and prunings buried. 

 Artificial June and July. Cost of cultivation including 

 manure but not stqierintendence, crop expenses or buildij.gj 

 R47 per acre. Artificial manure cost R50 ; bulk E 35. 



9 Cattle-manure June to August; cost of application E25. 



