Tzb: 1, 1887.] THE TROPICAL AGKiCULTURlil'. 



SOS 



■B! 



NEW PEODUCTS IN OLD CEYLON DISTRICTS: 

 Cacao— Coffee— Ckoton-Oil— Tobacco. 

 " Better late than never," and now that the 

 accumulation of arrears created by holiday-making 

 in a busy office is in a fair way to be cleared 

 off we may give the continuation of our story of 

 a very brief visit to some of the old Kandy dis- 

 tricts and what we saw of new products. The 

 Pangwella or Watagama district is a comparatively 

 modern planting division, the nucleus of cultiv- 

 ation being in olden days part of the Hunasgiriya 

 district. Mr. Holloway may fairly claim credit 

 as the pioneer of a group of new plantations and 

 of new products in this direction, and, though 

 like all other experiments here and in other parts 

 of the country, there have been ups and downs, still 

 enough remains with a substantial show of pros- 

 perity, to warrant a good degree of pioneering 

 pride. We have but a look at some of the plantations 

 in passing, seeing a little more however of 

 " Maria,'' and there the appearance and the crop 

 on the cacao fields amply justify congratulations 

 to Mr. Eowland Boustead. Cacao everywhere in 

 the district is doing well this season, and we 

 are sanguine that proprietors of "cacao 

 walks " or gardens in sheltered situations and on 

 good average soil, and where the trees are from 

 seven years old and upwards, have now got over their 

 difficulties and may henceforth feel that they have 

 plantation property as free from risk almost as 

 coconuts. In Dutch Guiana an old cacao planter has 

 written that no cultivation has been more trouble- 

 some, variable or uncertain than cacao up to the 

 tenth year ; but, after that, there need be nothing 

 to do but to gather the crops, and provide such 

 cultivation as can be afforded, for a hundred 

 years ! Lucky proprietors of cacao walks in 

 Guiana, and, we beUeve we may add, in " Ceylon." 



But before leaving Tangwella district, we may 

 refer to one or two other articles of experimental 

 eultivation, such as rubber, with which much has 

 not yet been done ; and the croton-oil seed plant 

 regarding which there was the extraordinary de- 

 velopment of caterpillars by millions some months 

 ago— these leaving every tree leafless. This enemy 

 has now again completely disappeared and the 

 trees are green and flourishing as ever; but in 

 answer to our enquiry as to information respect- 

 ing the cultivation of the shrub, a Haputale planter 

 who, we imagine, was the first to give this " new 

 product " a start, writes discouragingly as follows :— 



lu reply to yours re croton-oil-seed, what good oau it 

 possibly do my trying to give instructions in the 

 cultivation of a product already almost overdone? 

 The market is already showing signs of being over- 

 stocked and unless other uses are found for the oil, 

 the sooner we begin to root out our croton trees the 

 better. What do you tliiuk of this for a fall in price 

 of the product';' In October 1884 9 cwt. sold for 

 82e per cwt. in Loudon. In October last 21 cwt. 2 lb. 

 Bold at 33s per cwt., and if you deduct fiay_ 23 per 

 cent tor discount and charges Colombo to JLoudon, 

 say 25s 2d per cwt. nett. Ceylon has evidently quite 

 enough acreage under crotons. In September 1883 my 



first despatch was:— 



lb. cwt. qr. lb. 



601 equal to 5 1 13 

 iJarinff 18S4 despatched 1,971 „ 17 2 11 

 „ 1885 „ 10,616 „ 94 3 4 



„ 18s6 to date 15,630 „ 139 2 6 



Pangwella planters will not, therefore, make their 

 fortunes from croton-oil seed trees ; but with 

 limited cultivation there may be times still when ; 

 a crop of seed will find a very remunerative 

 mftrket. i 



6i 



But this is a small matter by the way, compared 

 with the Cacao industry. It was in the Dumbara 

 Valley and on the farfamed, extensive Pallekelle 

 plantation that we had the opportunity of leisurely 

 inspecting a large area under cacao. The Dum- 

 bara Valley with its rich soil and easy lay of 

 land was naturally one of the first scenes of European 

 planting in Ceylon. Indeed, long before the 

 British annexed Kandyan territory, Dumbara was 

 celebrated for its royal domains and gardens sur- 

 rounding royal palaces. The lowest point of the 

 Valley is 1,200 feet above sea-level, and cultivation 

 runs up to 2,000 feet. The soil, alluvial mould largely 

 impregnated with lime has always been regarded 

 as amongst the richest in Ceylon and but for pro- 

 longed droughts would be among the most pro- 

 ductive. This was, and is, true of coffee cultiva- 

 tion ; but fortunately cacao, with its deep feeding 

 roots and more robust habits (at least after at- 

 taining full growth) is much better fitted to stand 

 drought than coffee ; and there can be little doubt that 

 Dui'bara has now found the plantation product 

 best suited to its c'imate, soil, lay of land and 

 general conditions. Very curious have been the 

 different experiences of shade and no-shade cul- 

 tivation in Dumbara. At first all the coffee was 

 planted under shade, or rather large trees such as 

 " kekuna " and " jak " were cultivated to afford 

 shade ; but at the instance of the then youthful 

 Mr. E. B. Tytier, fresh from the West In- 

 dies, at the beginning of the "Forties" all the 

 big trees were rung and taken down and the west 

 Indian system of open clearings was universally 

 adopted. In the case of Cacao, the West Indian 

 system is that of shade, not so much for pro- 

 tection from the sun as from wind and Mr. Tytier 

 rightly began after the example he had seen in 

 ^ after a time several Dumbara and 



thought they woul d do better with- 

 the case of cacao as in that of coffee. 

 They very soon found their mistake, not only through 

 the effects of exposure to wind, but through continu- 

 ous attacks of Ilclopeltis. Very marked has been 

 the change since the renewal and growth of shade 

 trees in removing the bad effects of such enemies ; 

 and now Dumbara presents a scene of thoroughly 

 healthy vigorous cultivatioh. Mr. Vollar has a 

 good deal of coffee still intermixed with his cacao 

 on Pallakelly. and it is found that in such fields 

 the cacao prospers more than under the shade of 

 large trees. But there are all varieties of cultiv- 

 ation, as well as many experiments in preparation, 

 still being tried in Dumbara, where barbacue and 

 store room are not only in full request for large 

 crops of the dark red or brown pods, but also 

 for thousands of bushels of our old staple coffee. 

 For, Mr. Vollar has extensive clearings of younj^ 

 coffee (and cacao) of the most refreshingly vigor- 

 ous appearance. Planted from Nakanaad (Myaore) 

 seed— said to be fungus proof, although that was 

 not the experience in some others of our districts 

 —in Dumbara so far, there has been no trouble 

 with enemies whether fungus or bug-insect, and the 

 season having been an exceptionally favourable 

 one for blossoms and fruiting, a handsome coffee 

 crop was expected to be gathered — the fields in 

 blossom being " a cure for sore eyes." Of cacao 

 too the gathering was expected to_ equal _6 cwt. 

 per acre over a large area. Cultivation is still 

 kept up on a handsome scale on Pallekelly and 

 well it may in view of the crops now being 

 harvested. fSlall-fed cattle for manure are keptin 

 large numbers, and what with the work of provid- 

 ing a supply of water from a large artificial tank ancl 

 a host of minor aqueducts, o£ supplying fuel in 



Trinidad ; but 

 other planters 

 out shade in 



