November i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



345 



active chemicals have not prevented the continued 

 spread of Jlriiiileia ra.^tatrix on the coffee of Nether- 

 lauds India, or prevented the ravages of the in- 

 sect " blight," JlelopcUin Antonii on cinchona and tea 

 iu the legion of constant volcanic notion, have we 

 a right to assume that an atmosphere of carbolic 

 acid gas — even if it could be borne by human, 

 animal and the higher vegetable life, — would cxtin- 

 guieh the fatal funf;U3 ? It does not seem that we 

 have a right to expect anything of the kind, and 

 yet it seems certain, from the failure of all 

 topical applications to secure more than the temp- 

 orary exemption of cofTee from its worst foe, tliat 

 our only hope now lies in such a change in atmo- 

 spheric conditions as will either destroy the fungus 

 and all its spores, or reduce this prime " villain " 

 of the vegetable world to its former insignificance 

 and muocuousuess. We are in the hands of the Ruler 

 of the seasons and the agencies of nature, and we 

 must trust in His benevolent inlcrvention ; while 

 doing our best. We hope soon to hear the results 

 of Mr. Jardine's latest experiments in accordance 

 with Mr. Storck's directions, and we have no doubt, 

 the planters of Ceylon will be glad again to hear 

 from Mr. Storck, when, iniitend of plausrble scientific 

 arguments to shew that carbolic acid vapour owihl 

 to succeed as a remedy for Ilemtlfia vastntrix, hf is 

 able to point to " a perfect cure " if not in the whole 

 coffee culture of the Fijian Archipelago, yet in the 

 coffee of Eelmont estate, on the Kewa Kiver, where. 

 If anywhere, Mr. Storck's system cau be curried out, 

 to the minutest detail as Mr. Storck could wish. 



THROUGH THE TEA DISTRICTS OF 



NORTH INDIA. -No. VII. 



{Bi/ a Ceylon Planter). 



TIMBER FOR TEA B0XE.S — THE SIKKIM ClXCnON.\ 

 PLANTATIONS. 



Notwithstanding the fine stores of timber which 

 exist in many parts of tlie Indian tea districts, hut 

 a very sniaU number of estates utilize them for the 

 supply of tea chests. The importance of having 

 thoroughly well-seasoned wood for this purpose 

 is obvious, and has always been insisted on ; but it 

 seems very strange that amongst the numerous species 

 in the Indian forests none should be found suffi- 

 ciently suitable to come into universal use. I 

 met one Assam planter who has sawmills and 

 who goes in for supplying estates with chests, 

 but this kind of enterprise seems quite the excep- 

 tion. As a rule, tea chests are made of teak from 

 Burmah, which must be very expensive when the 

 excessive cost of transport up to Assam is considered. 

 Teak makes very good boxes no doubt, but I feel 

 sure that good suitable wood could be found iu 

 India for the purpose. In Ceylon, there has been 

 some discussion on the subject, but the difBculty ap- 

 pears to have been overcome as all estates use local 

 woods. The tree which I have found most suitable 

 is Mallebodde if properly treated, aud therein lies the 

 secret. It is li;:ht, inodorous and holds a nail well. 

 It is liable to the attacks of insects, but it seasons 

 very quickly, aud, if used as soon as ready makes 

 capital boxes. Many other woods are well adapted 

 to tlu! purpose, aud are used by the Companies who 

 supply chests in Colonibo ; but Mallebodde is found 

 iu almost every locality whei-e tea is grown, and, hence 

 its suitability for the purpose in question is a matter 

 of importance. The seasoned Hal chests now advert- 

 ized by the Ceylon Company are very cheap, and, 



for estates situated near a railway station, preferable 

 to boxes made on the spot, but for plantations with 

 long road transport the importance of having a suit- 

 able wood near at hand is great. 



To any one visitiugthe Darjiling district, an expedition 

 to the Government cinchona plantations is most interest- 

 ing. Mungpoo, where Mr. Gammie lives is about 17 miles 

 from Kurscong. The road runs along the top of a ridge 

 of the mountains for a considerable distance, and is 

 a beautiful ride. It is mostly through forest, abound- 

 ing in ferns and orchids of infinite variety, aiul of 

 ditfercut forms to those commouly found in Ceylon. 

 'I'he Government cinchona plantations occupy a vast 

 stretch of country, and are under the charge of several 

 Europeans. The soil is in most places very rich, aud re- 

 markably free and porous, whilst the general features of 

 the country are steep and bold to a degree. The most 

 noticeable plantation is one of hybrids near the 

 superintendent's bungalow. These trees are about 

 four years old aud are raised from seed of the 

 original hybrid or "Ignota" trees which appeared 

 in the parcel of seed formerly sent from Hakgala 

 to Darjiling. Eight forms ai-e recognized amongst 

 these trees as being distinct and characteristic, and 

 representations of each have been analyzed with the 

 result of figures ranging from '97 to 6'12 crystallised 

 quinine sulphate. The worst of these forms, known 

 as No. 4, has been eutii-ely eliminated from the plant- 

 ation, so that its flowers shall not contaminate those 

 of the more valuable kinds. It is cliaracterizcd by 

 large light green leaves, and is the form which most 

 nearly resembles succirubra in appearance The richest 

 form No. 7, giving G'1'2 crystallized quinine sulphate, 

 is a small broad leaved free-growing tree, with some 

 officinalis characteristics. At a considerably lower 

 elevation than this is situated the famous Ledger- 

 iana plantation. These trees are not as large as one 

 would expect from their age, they having been 

 raised from cuttings of the original trees from 

 Ledger's seed. Their most remarkable character- 

 istic is the great girth of the stem and the ex- 

 treme thickness and weight of the bark, which can 

 be taken off literally in slabs. These trees were all 

 covered with blossom when I saw them, and promise 

 a very abundant crop of seed shortly. 



In another portion of the plantation is a Ledgeriana 

 clearing, the plants in which were raised from teed. 

 A strange feature in this planting is the large nnmber 

 of Calisaya Javanicas amongst the true Ledgerianas. 

 They are, although only about three years old, blos- 

 soming profusely, and are ei^ily recognizable by 

 their large Hewers and flower branches. The general 

 appearance of the cinchonas is rather disappointing, 

 the growth not being equal lo what we are accustomed 

 to in Ceylon, but the wholesale dying out to which we 

 are so liable appears to be little known. I hear canker is 

 very common, bnt it is purely local iu itseffect and does 

 not necessarily kill the tree, or materially afftct its 

 growth. Mr. Gammie has found a marked falling-off 

 in the growth and geueral health of the ciuchouas, the 

 original trees being superior in every nay to those raised 

 from them, and the successive plantings being each 

 inferior to its predecessor. This appears to be a very 

 general impression in Ceylon, and it is interesting to 

 note that, in spite of the extreme care and liberal 

 expenditure bestowed in the Government cinchona 

 gardens, this experience in regard to them has been the 

 same as in our case. As with ns too, the hybrid cinchonas 

 are markedly superior in growth and general health 

 to the succirubrae aloneside them, and, in consequence, 

 their more valuable forms are ahme being propagaleU 

 iu addiiion to the Ledgerianas which occupy the tiist 

 place. The system of cultivntion pursued is v\ hat has 

 been described before except that hoeing is dispensed 

 with. The jungle is allowed to grow freely under the 

 trees, and la kept within bounds by periodical " cut- 



