536 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, 1884. 



Btrength first ; ou the other liand, it iss not wise to 

 dilay too long iu potting, as the roots get matted, 

 aufl "canuot be separated wilhout injury lo the young 

 plants. If a proper pit is not to be had, and only 

 an exposed or airv bouse is at oommanti, a close case 

 or bell glass must be used in raising the spores. 



"Some ferns produce young plants on the fronds. 

 A familiar example is Aspleiilum buVdfcrum, aud also 

 Doryopteris pahiwta. Part ol' the frond can bt taken 

 oflf with the small plants attached lo it; if the cut 

 end of the frond in inserted in the soil nud covered 

 over with a piece of glass the yuag plants will soon 

 root, and can be potted off at pleasure. Some other 

 varieties can be divided or pieces taken off. Nome of 

 the Adiantums and Davallias can be treated this way, 

 but plants raised from spores give the most satisfaction. 

 Where a collection of ferns is grown, two houses will 

 be required, one for those requiring a cool ttniperatura, 

 and the oth'r for those rtquiriug a warm one. For 

 the former I would advise a house facing s^uth or 

 south-east, and tor the latter norih-easf. Pe''haps a 

 few points are immateiiil, other points being attended 

 to. If grown in puts they should stand on a cool m"ist 

 surface such as common bricks. These absorb and 

 retain moisture, and part with it slowly. Nothing seems 

 to be more injurious to ferns than standing the lots 

 on open stages, o\-er hot water pipes or flues. In a 

 house without artificial heat the case is different, and 

 some latitude may be allowed. The h mses, I should 

 have mentioned, sliould be well protecteil from pre- 

 vailing winds and fiat iu the roof, and I would recom- 

 mend a ' !ean-to,' as a much evi'uer teinperature cau 

 be maintained; so, also, with regard to humidity. Of 

 course ventilation must be provided and airingjuiticiou.dy 

 applied. Cutting winils are injurious, aud so are hot 

 ones. Shade is absolutely necessary, and ferns will 

 stand a heavier shading than most plants. The soil 

 I use for potting is chiefly peat from the swamps. 

 After having lain in a heap for some months it will 

 be fit for use. I generally shake out the long grassy 

 roots, but use it o herwise iu a rath-r rough state. A 

 little coarse sand and a few small pieces of charcoal 

 make up the compost. I like to be rather particular 

 in having the pots well crocked — not half filled, but 

 carefully done — ae ou this depends a good deal the 

 maint lining the soil in a healthy condition. I am not 

 a great advocate for syringing ferns over head, and 

 it never should be applied to ijymnograms of ihe gold 

 and silver class In the wiriter season it causes many 

 of the fronds to damp off. Of course all ferns do not 

 require the same treaimeut. as some grow on trees, 

 others amongst rocks, and some in swamps. It is 

 always desirable to have a knowledge of the places 

 where they are found growing, and under what con- 

 ditions. 



"As a rule, ferns are singularly free from diseases; 

 their principal enemy is the brown scale. Thrips. too, 

 sometimes play havoc with them, and occasii>nally the 

 green fly. Mugs, too, givn sad annoyance, eating off^ 

 the young f>-ond», &o. Feru growers know how ditiioult 

 it is to get good fronds ou Pteris tricolor, owing to the 

 slugs eating them. Just one word about getting nd 

 ol these [lests, or rather keeping them down. I have 

 no better plan for getting rid of the scalB than de- 

 st oying them with the hand. If the plant gels very 

 bad throw it away and bring on a young one. Occa- 

 sional fumigating is the best remedy for thrips and 

 green fly, and nightly visits must be p.aid if slugs are 

 attacking your favourities. They are rathpr nice m 

 their tastes, aud are particularly fr>nd of the best varie- 

 ties. The grand secret in' growing ferns, as in other 

 plants, is to grow them vitiorouslyand without check. 

 There are a great many paints couuected with growing 

 ferns uX touc' ed upon in this papt r, neither would 

 it- lie possible in the time allowed for reading it." — 

 (^ueeiuihtnUti: 



INDIA OKOP AND WEATHER REPOKT. 



Foe the Week Ending the 2-5th L'Ecembeb 1883. 



Generaj. Remakks. — Rain continues to fall generally in 

 the districts of the Madras Presidency, where harvesting 

 of paddy, ragi, &c., is in progress and standing crops are 

 iu good condition, though partial injury has been done 

 in one district by excessive rain. 



There has been no rain in any other province except 

 slight showers in Dharwar, Bombay Presidency, and San- 

 doway in British Burma. The rabi crops iu three districts 

 of the Bombay Presidency are suffering from blight, 

 otherwise prospects are good. In Mysore rice is being 

 harvested and standing crops promise well. In the Berars 

 and Hyderabad cotton is being picked aud the kharif 

 harvested, and the weeding of rabi crops has commenced. 

 Prospects continue fair in Central India and Rajputana, 

 hut cotton has suffered from frost in Ulwar, and rain 

 is needed in that State. In the Punjab and the North- 

 western Provinces and Oudh the rabi crops on unirri- 

 gated lands require rain, but prospects are on the whole 

 fa\'ourable. Iu the Central Provinces prospects are excellent. 



In Bengal the outturn of the rice harvest is very poor 

 and wiil, it is expected, fall short of the estimate even 

 in Eastern Bengal and Orissa. The rabi has much bene- 

 fitted by the last showers, but more rain is much wanted. 

 In British Burma the rice harvest is reported to be well 

 advaiiced and the pro.spects generally excellent. 



Cholera still lingers in the Southern Presidencies, and 

 small-pox and fever are generally prevalent though not severe. 



Prices continue to rule high in Bengal. 



Madras. — General prospects good. 



BmriSH BuRMAH — Public health generally good, but 

 siuall-pox more or less prevalent in Akyab, Rangoon and 

 Shwegyeen ; health of cattle good, except in Akyab, Pegu, 

 B.assein, aud Thyetmyo ; crop prospects for the most part 

 excellent; reaping well advanced. 



Assam fGiAUHATi.) — Nights and mornings foggy and 

 cool; reaping of sali crops in progress; public health fair. 



Mysore and Ooorg. — Rainfall sUght in four districts ; 

 standing crops reported unf.avourably ; harvesting of 

 grain general througut the province ; prospects and pubUo 

 health good ; prices unchanged. — Fiojwer. 



Red .Spider. — Amateur, Footscray. — Sulphur maybe 

 considere I a specific for red spider ; it is certainly 

 one of the most efficient agents for killing them. It 

 will not mix properly with water in its ordinary form, 

 but should be treated according to the following re- 

 cipe: — Boil together in 4 gallons of water 1 lb. of 

 flowers of sulphur and 2 lb. of fresh lime, and add IJ- 

 lb. of soft soap, and, before using, 3 gallous more of 

 water. Use at a temperature of 140 or 15U degrees, 

 according to the tenderness of the plants to be treated. 

 ■ — Leader. 



The Annual Report of the Superintendent, Botanical 

 Gardens, Gunesh Khiud, for 18S2-83, shows that very 

 satisfactory progress has been made in grafting mangoes 

 of the best varieties. Fair progress was also made in the 

 planting of oranges, but we should like to know whether 

 the Malta species, which thrives so luxuriously at Lahore, 

 has been tried at Gune-sh Khiud. The Nagpur orange 

 has long had a great reputation, but it does not come 

 near the Malta by a great way. Taraxacum yielded a 

 profit of R.50 per acre. Khea has grown very well, but 

 is still waiting for the machine which is to render it of 

 real importance. Tapioca was a failm'e iiuancially. Of 

 the potatoes, Sutton's Ma'jnum lionum aud Hed Emperor 

 grew well. We do not, however, fhid that any trials have 

 been made towards the all-important question of experi-. 

 menting with grains which are of rapid growth. Had the 

 ordinary crops been largely destroyed by locusts, it would 

 have proved of the first importjince to point to other food- 

 graius which could have been planted aud brought to 

 maturity before the extreme effect of the destruction of 

 the ordinary crops could have been felt. Such grains exi.st 

 aud are known to the Punjab Botanical Society, and we 

 would comniL-nd the matter to the attention of Govern- 

 ment, as relief works are not the only resource that may 

 be resorted to, and more strings than one to one's bow 

 is a distinct advantage. — Bombat/ GaneUe, 



