November i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



355 



of e>: ; eiyneuts according to his lately discovered 

 method, iu>l it was simply astonishing how quickly 

 the rubber \v as, so to sieak, precipitated (coagulated) 

 when submitted to the fluid preimration which forms 

 part of the inventor's process. 



To set at rest, once for all, the doubts and en- 

 quiries of certain parties, I may mention that there 

 is no spirit of any kind used in the process, and a 

 perfectly pure sample of rubber results after a little 

 wasliing and pressing. 



Accompanying sample is forwarded for the opinion 

 of the broker who saw the Haputale rubber, and who 

 was kind enough to give you a report on ilr. Gilliat's 

 last Peradeniya sample. 



The milk flowed wonderfully freely down the chan- 

 nels made by the ingenious yet simple knife, and, 

 if the trees had been tapped in the early morning 

 we should probably have got nearlj' double the 

 quantity, for it was ascertained some time ago that 

 early morning is the time for tapping. 



These trees were severely tested twelve months 

 ago in the presence of Mr. Gilliat, Mr. Mackwood 

 and the writer, and have been experimented on once 

 or twice since, but the quantity of rubber obtained 

 today exceeds all the previous tapping put together. 



Tlie knife is thus sh.own to be efl'ective, and we 

 may surely conclude that the trees were not weakened 

 by former trials. 



In another month we shall make further experiments, 

 and, if you think worth while, I will send you results. 



That rubber culti\-ation will p.ay in Ceylon is almost 

 a certamty now, wliich will appear at once to any 

 one who sees this remarkably rapid, inexpensive and 

 simple method of collecting and elimination. 



Mr. (jilliat informs me that we may expect the 

 can\bium to be closing over within a fortnight. 



It may be interesting to add that the knife was 

 used on the renewed bark of a cut made only seven- 

 teen days ago, and the milk flowed as freely from 

 this as fi'om original incisions. — I am, dear sir, yours 

 faithfully, C. G. 



No. 2. 

 Peradeniya, 9th Oct. 188.*?. 



Deak Sir, — I enclose you a sample of rubber for 

 your inepection got by a totally new process. It is 

 from a irce 14 months old, and the tree has been 

 tapped five times in one month. Do you think ibis sort 

 of rubber will be favourably received by the manu- 

 facturers at home. — Yours faithfully, 



H. A. GILLIAT. 



[Our report is as follows: — "The sample of rubber 

 sent by " C. G." is very good clean elastic, and 

 worth 28 6d. But the only practical way of dealing 

 is with a big cake of about 100 lb. Mr. Gilliat's 

 sample I return too. I and those who have seen it 

 are eurprized that it should have been sent at all, Ps 

 it appeai'8 to us to be manufactured stuff from Europe. 

 — Verb. sap. ! " — This is surely not the case : Mr. Gil- 

 liat is simply esperimenting, not " drawing anybody'i 

 l eg " ?-Ed.] 



COFFKE CULTIVATION IN THE PANWILA 

 DISTRICT BY MR. HOLLOWAY. 



Maria, lOtli October 1883. 

 Dear Sir, — We have had some .splendid showers 

 lately. Our eoftee has stood the dry weather during 

 September with the heavy crop on some estates 

 very well, and crop is now ripening up fast. It 

 does one's heart good to go around the estate having 

 trees of Arabic coffee laden with cherry in all colours, 

 from dark green to red, and to see the cocoa trees 

 full of pods in all stages. Our bean is very large this 

 ye.ir. Let Mr. Skrino or his supporters of the cofiee- 

 going-out stamp come here, and we can prove the 

 reverse. Coffee is now steadily improving. When 



Mr. Storck can prove his theory of curing leaf- 

 disease with a continual changing system (which no one 

 that I know of, cares to follow), then let him attack my 

 style of treating it which I have found efl'ective in check- 

 ing the disease and giving good crops, proof of which can 

 be given. My challenge to visit this estate and satisfy 

 one's self is still open, and always will be, to any one. 

 As regards Mr. Halliley's saying I had a kick at 

 him, I can only say it is far from me to have a kick 

 at anyone who, I can see, takes nn interest in cof- 

 fee or any other product. I simply give my ex- 

 perience as I try everything on a small scale first. He 

 is further wrong in mentioning "Eaxawa." Maria is the 

 only estate on which I have been enabled to do the work 

 and apply manure as I believi d best. With us here a 

 continual carpet of weeds has been found bad, and weeds 

 of tsvo months' growth forked under did no good. 

 Small weeds have done good, used as I described. I 

 go further : with all due respect to Professor Liebig, 

 full grown weeds, arjeratum, if applied in a hole 

 by itself near a coffee tree, do more harm than 

 food; they will assist /iiHf/oW growth, .and are not fed 

 on by the coffee rootlets as other manures would 

 be, but by mixing weeds with other leaves and swamp 

 or manure and disinfectants they are a capital manure. 

 —Yours truly, J. HOLLOWAY. 



CuLTr\'ATiox IX Jaffx.a.. — Aisitor to the Northern 

 Peninsula well remarks: — "It is a treat to see the 

 careful Jaffna cultivation — all made soil tilled with 

 the utmost care. If only the .Siidialese wonld imi- 

 tate them." This is very true, for the industry and 

 skill of the Jaffna cultivators have long been pro- 

 verbi.al ; but the curious thing is that the Jaffnese 

 so cliug to their over-populated peninsula and do not 

 go up into the Wanni, to cultivate and possess the 

 extensive area of waste land awaiting cultivation there! 

 This is the direction into which the enterprise of the 

 Tamils of the North ought to be directed. 



The stock ov rubber at Para on the 31st ult., 

 according to the report of Goncalves Vianna & Co., was 

 282,000 kilos, and cacao 1.412,000 kilos. The July 

 receipts of ruli)er were 5.35,000 kilos, against .WO.OOO 

 kilos in Jul}- 1882. A statement recently appeared 

 in the Pant papers showing that the rubber gathered 

 along the Rio Javary all came from the Peruvian 

 side, the Brazilian side apparently producing not a 

 single kilo. It has since been discovered, however, 

 that there is a very good rea.=on for all this — and that is 

 the Brazilian export taxes. The Brazilian product is 

 first carried across into Peruvian territorry, wherH <jttias 

 are obtained with which to evade these export duties, 

 the Peruvian imposts being much lower. — liio News. 



Indian Tea at Amsterdam. — The following extract 

 is taken from a communication received from the Sec- 

 retary to the Tea Syndicate : — " It is hoped that 

 a consignment may be forwarded ere long to the Amster- 

 (l.im A.i^ents, and it has been arranged to send a small 

 shipment to Antwerp, where it is proposed to introduce the 

 sale of Indian tea made up into packets of about 1 lb. each, 

 which is the method recommended by the Agents in that 

 city. The Committee have been favored with a letter Jirect 

 from Mr. Eoyle, dated the 22nd ultimo, in which lie states 

 that there is no doubt of the success of Iiuliau tea in Amster- 

 dam after a short time, as every one appears to like it, and 

 there are constant demands for supplies both small and large. 

 The Committee are much indebted to Jlr. Eoyle for the trou- 

 ble he is taking for them in disposing of tea on behalf of the 

 Syndicate in p.atent lead foil p.ickets obtained from London. 

 It is also stated that agencies have been opened in .Vmster- 

 dam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, and Moscow, and that pending 

 contributious from subscribers to the Syndicate, which were 

 not forthcoming with sufficient promptness, the purchase of 

 tea in London for supply to the Amsterdam Exhibition has 

 been authorised. It may be hoped that the efforts of IMr. 

 Koyle and the Tea .Syndicate will lead to an extension of the 

 market for Indian tea in Europe, and will bo supported by 

 tea planters." — Madras Mail, Oct. 3rd. 



