5iS 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[fAifUART I, 1884. 



ouly a few species produce any of commercial value. All 

 are more or less climbing and epiphytic in their nature. 

 The smaller members are among the most beautiful of 

 shrubs in habit and in form of foliage, and, dm-ing their 

 season of ripe fruit, the figs, with which they are hterally 

 studded, arc often of the most brilliant hues of lake, 

 purple pink, or orange. 



The wariugiu is a favourite tree with the native ; in 

 Java, in most villages there is one age<l waringin in some 

 open space, where the natives may collect in the heat of 

 the day, and under which travellers may rest, and the 

 lazy lounge. Its shade takes very much the place of the 

 Balai in Sumatra. Under its funeral gloom, in some quiet 

 forest spot, is genex-ally to be found the last sleeping 

 place of the ^^llagers. Here it was our fortune to meet, 

 for the first time, vnfh specimens of tlie giant Ai'oideie, 

 which in this island are not infrequent. Everyone is 

 acquainted with the " lords and ladies " or " cuckowpint " 

 of our hedge sides, a small plant with a white spathe 

 or coUar, about 4 in. or 5 in. in height, surrounding a centiul 

 stem or sjjadi.x, one of our English representatives of 

 the order. Thiuk, however, of its congener here, more 

 than 12 ft. high and 31 in. round the stem. One who 

 greatly dislikes unpleasant odours should examine this 

 plant in the early part of the day. and it will appear to 

 liim a beautifid object, with its tall stem handsomely 

 marbled, its cream-white spadix, surrounded by its dark 

 lake-purple spathe, full of grace and symmetry in contour 

 and curves. Towards five o'clock in the evening he will 

 not, however, we fear, bestow a benison on it, when he 

 learns that that intermittent, sickly, rotten-flesh odour 

 emanates from the elegant Ai-um he so admired in the 

 mornnig. It is a singular circumstance occurring in many 

 species of this family, that towards evening the temper- 

 atm-e inside the spadix rises several degi-ees, followed by 

 the discharge of the pollen and the emanation of a 

 powerful and disagreeable odoiu', developed to attract in- 

 sects, especially beetles, which, by carrying pollen to other 

 plants, assitt in their cross fertilisation. — Fie/d. 



QUICKLIME. 



Sib, — I fear, to be of any great use, it is rather late 

 in the day to record the results and particulars of ex- 

 peiinients I have had the opportunity of witnessing in 

 this district with qrucklimo, in the double capacity as a 

 check to leaf-disease and as maniue; but there are still, 

 and I hope with sound reason, believers in the bearing 

 capabilities of good coffee, if fairly treated, to whom 

 they may be of some interest. 



One great objection to any extended — rnther I should 

 say, universal — trial as regards carbolic acid and sulphur 

 applications — and, though perhaps, not expressed, that 

 must have weighed heavily in the minds of the more 

 cautious — has been that their possible, ovpioftsscU, merit has 

 had relation only to the destruction of the disease, and, 

 if they failed in this — :is failed they have, one and all, 

 signally — it could but represent a total loss of outlay, which, 

 if not, perhaps, more wisely kept in pocket, it was felt 

 would at least give some return in manure. Now, to say 

 nothing of the infinitely lower cost, this I maintain, not 

 on theory only, cannot be urged against the use of lime, 

 similarly applied; and further, as the result of the trials' 

 in question, I believe the effect at each application to be 

 equally potent — apparently far more so — though of course 

 the great point gained is in the continued frequency with 

 which, as as cheaper and self-jjtiyinf/ remctly — as I certaudy 

 regard it — it can lie repeated. I must not at all be sup- 

 posed to imply that, in the present instance, it has proved, 

 or is likely to prove, a perfect cure — leaf-disease is still 

 sufficiently to the fore to require but little search for — 

 but I do say that on the majority of trees it is far less 

 conspicuous, and their health and appearance, though many 

 of them carrying a heavy crop, so vastly improved that 

 I iirmly believe, had but a httle of the money now 

 hopelessly simk in maniue (for though, in some instances, 

 the balance on manuring has continued on the right side, 

 haw many are there not to the contrary?) and remedies 

 that have proved abortive, been spent in the .systematic 

 and careful application, say twice a year, diu-ing the past 

 decaile. on ciuicklime — well, that leaf-disease would have 

 been kept within comiraratively harmless bounds, and the 



balance then spent on other fertilizers would in most 

 cases have proved a remunerative outlay, as of yore. I may 

 be taken up here by a reference to the numerous trials 

 made in Mr. Morris's time with lime and .•^u/phttr, and 

 also subsequently I daresay with lime a/ojie: but this I 

 maintain is but to afford "a good illu.stration of one of 

 tlie_ advantages possessed by the low-country over the 

 majority of up-country properties, in their near proximity 

 to,_and (jnick and cheap transport from, the coast, foi- it 

 is in its (artificially) primary form only — namely as qiiick- 

 lime— that good results can be hoped for; and'. but little 

 has really in this form been applied, or I am mistaken, 

 even though so professedly, when despatched from Colombo, 

 the mere moLsture in the air being quite sufficient within 

 a few days ui damp weather to largely destroy its .specific 

 value; to say nothing of increasing weight and consequent 

 cost of transport. Though I donbt not known to most 

 of your readers, it may not be out of place here to re- 

 call to mind the different stages lime, after burning, passes 

 through: (1). As ijuick (caustic) lime a very light fime 

 powder (strictly speaking, to reduce all the burnt stone 

 to this, it may have become slighly hi/drated.) ii). As 

 hydrate of lime — in which form, by absoption of water, it 

 is increased immensely in weight and volume. (3), As 

 carhcmate ofluae — or its original condition prior to bm-ning, 

 chemicalli/ (the water in turn having been driven out, and 

 replaced, on long exposure, by carbonic acid gas) but in 

 a finely divided state — in other words 2">v'dercd chalk — 

 as which, save directly in itself as a manure, it is, if I 

 mistake not, valueless, having lost its active quahties and 

 become inert. 



It is not its caustic properties merely — possessed more 

 or less by hydrate of lime — but its great hghtness and 

 extreme ajfnity for vater that evidently constitutes the 

 merit as an antidote of quicklime over the latter (hydrate). 

 Throw a handful over the tree, and, if the shghtest breeze 

 be on, much will float away like mist (eventiially of course 

 to settle), so much so, that still days only should be 

 chased in applying it ; whilst the balance falling on 

 the leaves is in imperceptibly minute particles, drawn 

 as to a loadstone iuto every crack and fissure where 

 there happens to be the slightest moisture; thus, so it 

 seems' to me, forming a very searching remedy to the 

 disease, death being inevitable — I think it will be every- 

 where admitted — to. every spore that can.stic lime comes 

 in contact with. Not so hydrulc; if the leaves happen to 

 be wet with dew or rain, it becomes plastered on, but I 

 cannot beheve, am .sure it is not, to the same extent, 

 or anything like the same extent, effectual. Having be- 

 come hijiirated, it has no longer any attiuity for moisture, 

 and can ouly become attached to the leaves, as implied — 

 virtually, in the form of mortar. Taken as a manure, a 

 more correct mode of aijplying lime could not be, as it 

 thus becomes evenly distributed over the whole surface, 

 and, from its peculiar tendency to do so, soon sinks into 

 the soil, and, as the majority remains on the trees, if 

 the leaves are fairly moist at the time of applying, till 

 slaclrcd, any objection that can be raised against the 

 direct irse of ciuicklime is thus avoided. Quicklime, as far 

 as leaf-disease is concerned, it must be. I myself con- 

 sider this at least a desideratum and to obtain it " fresh 

 and fresh" — it must be burnt on the estate, or very near 

 at hand. After having become, owing to any unforseen 

 delays in applying, slacked by exposure, it can be rebmnt. 

 A siiitalile limekiln staiuls in but a few pounds. 



Now, as to cost, I may best state what this actually 

 amoimts to here per ton, and let others modify the 

 figures given atcoiding to their own cueum stances; — One ton 

 of coral stone at Galle lv5; cost of tranport per cart 

 KIO; cost of burning K2 to E6 according to the amount 

 of suitable firewood available, say, R5 (figures as to cost 

 and cart-hhe are higher than need be on a large scale, 

 and I fancy that coolies could be ea.sily taught to burn 

 well enough, at a saving); cost of application li4, the which 

 might be reduced by using Walker's blowers. The above 

 amount does 2^ to 3 acres Liberian coffee f 10 ft. y. 12 ft.) 

 well, at, say a "cost of R8 to ElO per acre. I fancy half 

 a ton at each application woidd be eniple for C Jrabica, 

 so that, if the above figures can be kept to, for a double 

 appHcation annually representing a two-fold purpose. K24 

 per acre will suffice. 



That the frequent, regular, application thus of lilno 



