446 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[December i, 1883. 



kauii, D. rohiista. Both these trees are also to be 

 seen nt Peradeniya. Of tlie latttr, a magnificent 

 specimen, over SO feet higli, and as straight as an 

 areca palm, is very conspicuous : D. austrcdis, it has 

 not been attempted to introduce here as yet.— I am, 

 sir, yours faithiully, HENRY TKIMEN. 



[We are glad to receive this information, and we 

 trust that erelong plants of the two figs of such op- 

 posite liabits, but each so handsome, may be issued 

 from the Royal Botanic Gardens for the adornment 

 of tlie streets and roads of our principal towns. It 

 is interesting to know that Ficus Benjamina (we 

 stand corrected about tlie termination) is not con- 

 fined to Java and the Straits, but is indigenous in 

 Burma, Assam and Western India. To show how 

 local some jjlants are, we need merely state, that in 

 several liuudreds of miles of travel in Queensland, we 

 never encountered, except in the Brisbane Botanic 

 and Acclimatization Gardens, any specimens of Aran- 

 car'M BUlwUlii, Gre.viUea robusla, or the Moretou Bay 

 fig. If we saw Ficus Benjamina, the specimens must 

 have been too inconspicuous to attract our attention. 

 On the banks of rivers in tropical Queensland we 

 could almost fancy ourselves back in Ceylon, so com- 

 mon were Hibiscus tiliactus and other familiar forms. 

 But Dr. Trinien, naturally enough, empliasizes by a 

 note of admiration tlie fact that a tree foreign to 

 Ceylon, and not yet known beyond the bounds of 

 the comprehensive collection in the Peradeniya gardens 

 should, in Jamaica, be called the "Ceylon willow." 

 We thought the bo-tree was indicated, and we were 

 Xiuzzled to see any resemblance to a willow. But 

 the \^arirlgi fig does resemble the weeping willow 

 in its drooping habit, and, apart from avenues, a tree 

 or two of this graceful fig would add as much at- 

 tractiveness to the neighbourhood of houses in Col- 

 ombo, as the weeping willow does in and around 

 Melbourne. We were so struck with the beauty of 

 this tig in Australia that we got Dr. Trcub to let 

 us have a plant, and it is now growing at Mr. Wm. 

 Ferguson '.s residence in Colombo. ^Ve believe Dr. 

 Treub told us it would grow readily from cuttings. 

 Ed.] 



INDIGENOUS ASSAM TEA AT 

 NAWALAPITIYA, CEYLON. 



Nawalapitija, Gth Nov. 1883. 



Dear Sle, — I enclose two large tea leaves. The tree 

 is only 17 mouths old— no manuie was used when 

 planting. It is just close to a waier-stream, and I 

 suppose it is a true indigenous tea tree. I shall be 

 happy to hear your remarks on same. — Yours obedi- 

 ently, J. P. ABRAHAM. 



[All wc can say is that the Ie.ives are tiuiy magni- 

 fieebl : SJ inches long ly 3;^ bnad in the niidide. 

 The largest we ever noticed on a first-class hybrid at 

 Abbolsford was lOi inches iu length The colour is a 

 much daiker green than thai which usually dis- 

 tinguishes hybrid, and probably tbe plant is, as Mr. 

 Abruhaiu surmises, indigenous Assam. Proximity to 

 the stre.-im. uo doubt, increased the luxuriance of the 

 growth. — Eb.] 



AN ENEMY OF THE TEA TREE. 



7lh November 1883. 

 Deae ."^in,— I send you in a match-box a couple 

 of poocliies whicli I tonnd on a ten bush. Have you 

 ever seen tlie like of them btfuro, and do you know 

 what th.y are?— Yours truly, J, ARTHUR. 



IThi- poochie is the larva of l.i/iiacodcs graciosa. See 

 Ni.trer's "Enemies of the < (.iiVe'J'ree," ua^eld No 1 

 —El).] 1 = . • 



MR. HOLLOWAY'S CULTIVATION OF COFFEE 

 IN CEYLON. 



Maria, 7th November 1883. 



Dear Sir,— (1) Soil.— It is well-known that I take 

 credit for getting crops from Mario, bi/causo nearly all 

 visiting agents and old planters, even Mr. Hughes, the 

 chemist, thought uo coflfee would thrive ou such land 

 much less pay handsouieprofitsaud growing all prodnc's, 



(•2) Slielter.—Part of the estate is exposed to the 

 north east wind, and the other to the south-west: so 

 much for being sheltered. I had many shade trees, 

 branches brought down by the wind. 



(3) C?mate.— There are at least 12 estates near 

 me with same climate. 



(4) OMi«i!)af(o».— Expenditure has not exceeded 

 RlOU per acre, including planting cacao throughout the 

 coffee, te-i and cinchona along roads, pepper and 

 vauilla on trees, making three good hackery roads 

 through estate from the high road, and buildings. 



(5) Crops.— Mausakele and Madulkele have good 

 crops ill Kelebokka, and Silvakauda, Mausakanda and 

 Kandanuwara in Matale East, I believe. 



(C) lleerfs.— I have stated befoie when I intend to 

 apply manure iu holes 1 do not weed for one or 

 two mouths prior to applying the manure. I will then 

 scrape surface soil, weeds and all rubbish on the 

 ground with manure and disinfeclants well mixed into 

 the hole, which makes the best and cheapest food for 

 coftee, ^ri,! of estate each year or thereabouts. 



(7) Sceptical "M." had better come and see ; I can 

 give him all particulars, and will no doubt make a 

 convert of him as I have of many others, for " seeing is 

 believing." He can see saudy, gravelly and good loamy 

 soil ; yet coffee iu all soils doing well. He can inspect 

 the adjoining estates : One of my neighbours cultiv- 

 ates as I do, aud gets good crops ou RlOO per acre 

 expenditure. There are two estates working on from 

 £4 to i£6 per acre ; he will see the differfuce iu appear- 

 ance, and I can prove the difference in crop, 

 ^(S) DixTi'itM Sails. — I strongly advocate district 

 V. A.'s or managers, because soil and climate vary so 

 much in Ciylon : it requires a man to be in a district 

 for some time ; he must learn the wants of coffee or 

 other producis by the appearauces of the leaves and 

 trees, be willing and able to supply those wants at 

 once. Faith is wanted. I have as much faith iu 

 Arabian coil'ec now as I ever had. There has been 

 coffee planted where tea would thrive better, and 

 cclfee trees did not bear. Plant up tea or any other 

 product in such laud at once. 



(9) Kin;) Cojee.—i to 5 cwt. per acre of coffee 

 on an expenditure of RlOO per acre piiya well with 

 cacao and crotou extra ; what pays better ? 



While leaf disease hangs about we must use dis- 

 iut'cL:lantsand extra manure — wood ashes and country lime 

 aie the safest disinfectant, scattered over the coHee, 

 over the ground, mixed with the soil aud other 

 manures ami are a manure as well. I mean good 

 country lime containing a great deal of magnesia, the 

 coarser the more lasting. All my cattle-manure as 

 daily removed from the cal-tk-shed is sprinkled over 

 with unslaked lime. My cacao pods are mucli larger 

 than ou adjoining estates. Tea seems to throw out 

 gojd flushes, aud s me tea made here has beeu pro- 

 nounced very good and of a good aroma by a geutle- 

 man who makes goud tea. My tea tree is now 25 feet 

 3 inches high. My cocoa trees among colJ'ee and tea along 

 roads received bme same as coliuc. 



Our tioveriiniLut is certainly muoh to blame for 

 not having made the railway up to Haimtule years 

 .ago and enabled planters to get up manures so much 

 cheaper and quicktr than thi-y can by carts. The 

 question should not have been " Will it pay 'i " but a 

 far-seeiug Governor should have known that without 

 chtap transport for manures our lauds would get so 



