Sept. *, t886.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



167 







To the Editor of the " Gexjlon Obsei'ver." 

 CINCHONA IN JAVA : 



Tire EXAGliEBATED STATKMENTS REGABDING THE EXTENT 



OF CINCHONA CCLTDKE IN JAVA ATTRIBUTED TO 



MR. MUNDT. 



St. Andrew's, Maskeliya, 30th July 1886. 

 Dkar Sir, — That there has been some great 

 mistake in connegtion with Mr. Mnndt's statement 

 quoted by Mr. Beck, regarding the acreage of 

 cinchona in Java, the annexed extracts show. 

 They are taken from Van Gorkhorn's "Cinchona 

 Culture" published in 1883.— Yours faithfully, 



THOS. NORTH CHEISTIE. 



(Extracts referred to.) 

 " The produce of the plantations of the Dutch East 

 Indian Goveruiuent exceed as yet that from all the 

 private gro.vers together in Java. In the meantime 

 these last avo contmually extending and within a 

 few years the relation may be reversed, and we believe 

 the exports from Java will exert a certain influence 

 upon the cinchona trade even of the globe. The 

 private speculations are still quite young ; a few only, 

 Kramang, Buiteuzorg and the Preanger, on the 

 private est.ates of Pamanochan, Tjasem and Tjionias, 

 and the basehoid estate Maspada, possess important 

 exportable plantations. » * * Tlie culture in Java 

 as regards extent is not to be compared with that 

 of British India or Ceylon. Whilst in the former we 

 reckon plants by the hundred-thousands, in the latter 

 they already reckon them by millions. * * * 

 On the other hand the results of the Government 

 undertaking are attracting more and more the attention 

 of the landowners, and from various quarters there 

 constantly come requests for plants and seeds. In 1874 

 for the first time, a plot of waste land was requisitioned, 

 specially for cinchona culture. From day today this 

 occurs in the Preanger, already there are perhaps twenty 

 plots worked with that end in view, besides others 

 still whereon coffee or tea is cultivated as well as 

 cinchona. For five years past, direct encouragement 

 has not been required, rather it may be said that a 

 temporary exaggeration has prevailed, resulting in a 

 feverish hunt for lands. * * * According to the 

 Colonial return of 1879-80, 26 leaseholders ar^ busied 

 with cinchona culture in Java, 9 as the chief con- 

 cern, 17 as .subsidiary. We cannot consider these 

 returns as comnlete." 



ENEMIES OF CEOTON-OIL PLANTS. 



Watagama, 31st July 1886. 

 Dear Sib, — Since sending you the caterpillars 

 an4 beetles which attack the croton-oil plant, 

 eating the leaves, bark of tender branches, the 

 outside of the fruit pods and even the young fruit, 

 I have reason to alter my opinon in treating them 

 as a small enemy : the attack by this new pest 

 was this time over an entire field of eight acres in 

 different parts. 1 did all I could at first to destroy 

 them, but their numbers were millions, and I had 

 to let them have their own way ; at least I thought 

 it cheapest at this time as crop was about all gathered 

 and I intended to cut down a lot of the trees 

 (as my shade was too thick). After this crop was over 

 in a week's time the whole eight-acre field was under 

 bare poles, not aleaf lefton the trees andeventhe bark 

 eaten off from ali small branches. Yesterday I sent 

 j'ou the moth of tlve croton caterpillar of which 

 there are thousands now flying about, most difficult 

 to catch This is a sure sign the next attack will 

 be worse than the last ; so there is nothing for it, 

 but to cut down the trees and keeping them down 

 until next attack is over. The question is will the 

 caterpillar attack any other plants or die for want 

 of food ? They did not attack any other plants or 

 trees except keppettiya shrub and trees, which they 



treated same as the croton-oil plant. From what I 

 can ascertain from the Sinhalese, it appears this 

 caterpillar is an old enemy of the keppettiya tree 

 (the leaves of which is much used to manure betel- 

 vines, and wood lor the charcoal used by the gold- 

 smith), and makes its appearance in great force 

 about once in ten years and then after twelve 

 months or so disappears again. It is to be hoped such 

 is really the case : there are other croton fields in 

 this district which have not been attacked as yet. 

 I now send you a moth found with its egga on a 

 tea leaf (?).— Yours truly, J. HOLLO WAY. 



DETERIORATION OF CEYLON TEA, 



Watagama, 1st Aug. 1886. 

 De.vr Sir, — The subject of the deterioration of 

 Ceylon teas has of late given rise to voluminous 

 correspondence, and it has been accounted for by 

 many ingenious theorists. I am amongst the num- 

 ber of those who are profoundly sceptical on the 

 subject, and, therefore, I take the liberty of ad- 

 dressing you. Of the fall in prices for all teas, Indian 

 and Ceylon, we are too well aware ; the question 

 is whether, owing to climatic influences, deterior- 

 ation of soil, or ignorance or carelessness on the 

 part of tea makers, the teas now being sent from 

 Ceylon are of inferior quality to those sent away 

 in previous years. I question this very much in- 

 deed, and without some satisfactory proof, the 

 onus of which lies with those who make the asser- 

 tion, there is reason on the side of those who de- 

 cline to join the present chorus. A very large 

 amount of tea is now being made from leaf picked 

 oft" young bushes, and on many old estates the leaf 

 from young land is now being mixed with that gathered 

 from the old fields. Such leaf, as we all know, a 

 large proportion of it frequently bangy, will not 

 make good tea. I have it on the authority 

 of one of our best known tea-makers, who sees a 

 great deal of the country, that by a strange coincid- 

 ence last year several of the best known estates 

 pruned late and pruned heavily, and as we all 

 know well, whilst the best teas are made before 

 a heavy pruning, the worst teas immediately 

 follow it. Now the chief complaint appears to be 

 of the irregular fermentation, the London corre- 

 spondent of the "Times" stating that "various 

 samples after liquoring showed the leaf of a deep 

 dirty brown instead of the bright copper hue which 

 well-made tea should invariably i^ossess." Now 

 this statement I cannot agree to, leaf from young 

 bushes recently topped, and the early pluckings from 

 heavily pruned tea will not ferment satisfactorily, 

 and no amount of skill or care can get a " copper- 

 coloured infusion " from it. That amongst the 

 numerous new marks appearing in the sale lists 

 everyday, there is much undesirable tea of faulty 

 manufacture I would not deny for one moment, 

 but I question if many experienced tea planters 

 can say that they find that icith the xame leaf they 

 cannot and are not making as good liquoring teas 

 this year as last. It is quite ijrobabie that in 

 many places, where firing machines have just 

 been erected, some of the earlier breaks, before 

 manager or coolies have mastered the working of 

 the machines, may show traces of overtiring. It 

 is probable also that this evil is aggravated by 

 an attempt on their part to get the machine to 

 work up to its advertised capacity. Coarse pluck- 

 ing also has in many cases been adopted Ijy those 

 who went into the market with fine teas to make 

 a name for the estate. A few cases of inexperience 

 and change of system apart, I challenge the asser- 

 tion that under similar conditions equally good 

 teas are not made this year as last. We have had 

 no ]}roof whatever to the contrary merely the 



