January i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



473 



buLkiDg the teas on the plautations, untrammelled by a 

 disturbiug tare-weight, which has hitherto rendered the 

 best efforts of the grower in that direction almost 

 nugatory. 



It is not too much to say that the adoption of this 

 change of system — simple and economical in its oper- 

 ation, as it is rational and just in its principle and incid- 

 ence — will, in not a few instances, turn the scale be- 

 tween the profitable and unprofitable working of tea 

 estates, and a very large proportion of them have in 

 these days of low prices taken their rank in the latter 

 category. — Friend, of India mid Statesman. 



PLANTING IN BRITISH BDRMAH. 



(From a Ceylon planter.) 

 The Model Duke Estate, Tavoy, Srcl Nov. I8S3. 



I am sending you now Mr. Petley's report on his 

 Toungoo estate. I fancy this will be of more use to 

 Ce>lon men than any tiling else I could write about 

 at present until I make more headway. But for all 

 this I must tell you that I have now in my estate 

 Liberian cgffee, Coflfea arabica, hybrid tea, indigenous 

 tea, indigenous to Burmah, as I found it growing on 

 my place. I have to thank Captain Butler for the 

 ditt'erent plants I have uaw got. 



I have been down at Mergui and was received by 

 Captain ButWr and Mr. Palmer with the greatest 

 kindness and hos.ii'ality. I found Captain Butler killing 

 his cotfee with kin lu?s3, John Chinaman cutting up 

 and top-dressing just as he wuuld caltivate his much 

 prized vegetables, and trenching the ground, removing 

 all ro')ts, of coursB going rii^ht agaiust the nature of 

 the good old King CoDfee. There is some'liing natural 

 in the jungle not biug trenched up for oofifee that is 

 hard for a planter to explain, and in fact few can 

 explain, and I fear Capt. Butler was rather amused at 

 the clumsy way that I expressed myself ; and when I 

 returned today, I took ray pen and made things and 

 queries more clear for him, and now he has embraced 

 my ideas with pr itit and advantage ; for he is a most 

 observant man, as I could see by wliat success he has 

 gained having never seen a cotfee nor tea estate in his 

 lifetime. (Mergui.) Liberian coffee very fine: about four 

 acres or more. Tea hybrid very fine, but not pruned ; 

 but he had a good easiple made by his Chinaman, a 

 good strong flavouring tea. Tobacco very tine spotted 

 leaf and seemed well cu^ed. Coffea arabica not so 

 good ; but as I have said before had not a olianoe, has 

 gone against tlie nature of the tree and had it planted 

 where he ought to have bad his tea planted; bean small 

 but " plump" and firm a great crop of good 6 cwt. 

 per acre, but the trees are feeling the crop and no wonder 

 under the circumstances. Pepper A 1, growing up 

 natural trees; and O.ipt. Butler knows Hiis cultivation and 

 know hows to trt-at same more than t'le writer. Ruhb-r 

 of different kinds growingsplendid from shoots andseeds, 

 but, oh, the ants, the white anti I Vanilla growing 

 first rate, but not bearing yet. Nutmegs in their 

 element, and I got from 'apt. Butler 140 nuts which 

 I have now down hire and growing first rate : also 

 doorians, mangosteens. I was much pleased with my 

 trip to Mergui, and we anchored and slept opposite 

 Tavoy Island for the night, proceeded next morning 

 for Mergui, reached Pi-enchBay and ran opposite King's 

 Island, but it wouhl require the pen of A. M. F. 

 senior to describe this beautiful country. 



I am going to send you some seed for " C'arendon' 



Mr. H to sow amongst his coffee : it is a weed 



here, and the Burmese make coffee out of the seed, 

 and it makes a capital substitute for coffc. I have 

 myself used it: I got some from Dr. Dawson. The Tamil 

 name is Tayri FcWie and the botanical name I think 

 Thorea cassia. 



You can print Mr. Petley's report for the good of 

 my dear old honje, Ceylon, and my happy lucky old 

 61 



friendsl Ceylon, with all thy pests, I love thee still, 

 and always am thinking about thy welfare. 



I will write jou at greater length, and will always 

 write you now and again, and shall be glad to he.Tr 

 from anyone interested, and I am now ready to sflect 

 land for anyone who will take bona fide steps to 

 cultivate. I have now got liberty from rhe Chief Com- 

 missioner to Select near Tavoy, so now I am pady to 

 select lands for coffee, Liberian cofi'ee, Ooffea arabica, 

 caooa, and cinchona, cardamoms grow a weed here : 

 they are the weed in fact Rublier grows wild, two 

 varieties. " Sapan" in hundreds of tons. Gamboge lotsof 

 varieties, pepi.er nigram in two varieties. Tea indigenous 

 to the country; I took some into Rangoon with me to 

 Mr. Smeaton, ourable Director of Agriculture, etc. 



I will give you my report on Tavoy waste lauds in 

 a short time. I have been very busy indeed : you will 

 find out this before long. I have spbndid healt'i, 

 which is my greatest blessing and best frieud on this 

 earth. It 's now time to trust only to one's own right 

 hand and strong arm only. 



Report on the Cultivation of Tea, Coffeb, and 



Cinchona on the Kaken Hill.s North-East 



OF Toungoo, 1883. 



Tea. — This produce has not been increased. Consider- 

 able loss occurred since 1880 amongst the shrubs set out, 

 owing to destruction by the mole crickets and other 

 causes as shown in former reports amongst both coffee 

 and tea. Vacancies have been filled up, and the total 

 quantity of shrubs at this date are about 25,0U0 ; about 

 half are yielding flushes, and the manufacture of good 

 tea continues, on a small scale, as heretofore. The 

 whole will probably yield next season. 



Coffee. — Report of 21st September 1881 shows 3,147 

 bearing trees, 1,620 nearly bearing, and seedlings 29,638. 

 These latter are coming on well, about one-third bearing 

 maiden crop — in fact all up to two years' growth with a 

 sprinkling more or less. About this number has been 

 kept up by filling in vacancies where the young plants have 

 been killed by crickets, as the bulk of these are past the 

 stago of liability to destruction from crickets now. A 

 considerable increase of crop may he looked for next 

 season Dec. 1834. 



The yield of coffee 1882-83 was 4,200 p lunds. • It should 

 have been more but for loss from attacks on the ripen- 

 ing crop, by birds, civet cats, and other (k'Structive animals. 

 Sample of season 18S1-82 sent to the LunJon market hu.s 

 been pronounced really good berry and of fair market value. 



Cinchona. — About l,.iOO trees (succirubra of 5 to 7 years' 

 ^owth') have been coppiced and 5110 uprooted ; the bark 

 prepared and sent to the Loudon market 5,:;00 pcmils 

 dried and well packed. The "quih"a:id large br.mch 

 realized 8id to Is 6d per pound, a luu- figure but good 

 average and fair rates in the present glutted and very low 

 state of the home market, competing favourably with other 

 red bark. Small branch and "twig" gave dead loss, fetching 

 only Id per lb. against 4d for similar kinds sent last year, 

 when the market was favoin-able and thi: demand greater. 



A small lot of 300 poimds having been sent them as 

 a trial shipment. Branch fetched Is 0.1 to Is 8d, and 

 " twig " 4d per lb. 



On the whole it appears that cinchona can be grown 

 profitably on these hills and with proper care in harvest- 

 ing the bark in future ; rejecting the unpayable small 

 branch and "twig." it is calculated, will prove a fair in- 

 vestmeut. With this in view all availalle yung plavts 

 and shoots have been set out this year, considerably in- 

 creasing this produce. The coppice stumps are mostly 

 throwing out shoots freely, a piece only f f which are kept 

 on each stunqi for the future tree. The quantity now 

 under cultivation is about 30,000. Trees, plants and shoots 

 arc as follows : — 



Succiruhra. 

 Young trees 3 to 5 years' growth... 878 ] 

 2 „ ... 700 1 



1 „ ...3,000 y8,953 



Plants sets out July 1883 ...2,880 



Coppiced stumps ... ... 1,500J 



Shoots planted out July and Aug. 1883 14,800 



