juKIi 1, 1887.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



^31 



couragement, to experiment, to cultivate, to light 

 the enemy wherever it shews itselt with all 

 available forces. A reprieve of even a few years 

 would suffice, where there is any sign of 

 the enemy finally conquering, to bring the sub- 

 stitute into full flush. But meantime we need 

 scarcely say that with Ceylon coffee nearly 

 touching the 100s per cwt., there is no Uva, 

 Udapusellawa, Bogawantalawa or Agrapatena planter 

 who will not make sure of doing justice to all 

 the coffee that remains to him, before he decides to 

 plant up his whole property with tea or some 

 other substitute. 



PLANTING LETTERS FROM JAMAICA— NO" 

 XVII. 



WEATHER AND CHOPS — LEAF-DISEASE — LAEOUK. 



Blue Mountain District, 25th March 1887. 

 Dear Sib, — The crops in the lower elevations are 

 now well over, that in the Top Mountain District 

 is just commencing. All low-lying coffee, as I have 

 mentioned in a previous letter has done well this 

 1880-87 season, as it escaped the worst of the 

 awful storms of June and August ; prices also have 

 been very good, so the settlers must have made 

 money. Planters were willing to buy the cherry at 

 a fair price, but " (^uashie " to a great extent 

 thought it better to pulp and cure it himself in 

 his own rough way, fancying he could realize more 

 money for it in Kingston, I have been told that 

 the dealers in Kingston who have got orders from 

 America, and a limit as to price, do not look so 

 much to the quality, as long as they get the quantity. 

 This accounts for the settlers getting a good price 

 for their coffee though it must be far worse cured 

 than the coffee prepared on the estates, with all 

 the necessary and proper appliances. Crop of the 

 real Blue Mountain berry will be very short this 

 year, so prices should range higher than last year ; 

 in fact coffee prospects for planters seem to be 

 brightening up, for if it be true that some disease 

 has shown itself in Brazil in the Brazilian coffee 

 fields which must prevent the increase of yield in 

 that immense country, (added to yearly increasing 

 difficulties as to labour,) and keep the production within 

 certain bounds, and cause consumption to over- 

 take production : then may we West Indian and 

 Central American coffee planters be thankful that 

 "it is an ill wind that blows no one any good." 

 I am glad to see that improved prices have stimul- 

 ated the efforts of the Ceylon planters to keep up 

 in a high state of cultivation, the coffee still left 

 in several of the high districts estates, and that 

 many of them were rejoicing they had not entirely 

 sacrificed their coffee-lields to tea. The Rev. Mr. 

 Abbay's words have come wonderfully true, though 

 I could hardly believe at the time leaf-disease 

 would become so destructive and cause the com- 

 mercial rum of so many old and tried Ceylon men, 

 for 1 hoped aiid believed it would pass away after 

 a time as did black bug, and other enemies of the 

 coffee tree, Mr. Abbay said, the oldest, poorest, 

 and low-lying estates would first succumb, but 

 that in the higher and younger districts with good 

 soil, on the western, and specially the eastern 

 side of the island as Haputale, Udapussellawa and 

 Uva generally would tight the battle longest, and 

 so it has turned out, but his prophetic idea that 

 coffee would ere this have been selling for 200s 

 per cwt., has not as yet come to pass ; he sup- 

 posed the disease would soon get to Brazil, for a 

 letter, a man's clothes, a parcel, or botanical 

 specimen, a book-packet would be suflicent to 

 spread the spores all over the country. God grant 



that this may be averted, for so far the West Indies 

 and the Brazils have not been visited by the 

 llcmeliii ]'astatri.r, so every care should be 

 taken by the Governments of the various coun- 

 tries on this side of the globe to keep it out. 

 Of late the weather has been cool and pleasant, 

 indeed too much so for coffee fields over 4,000 

 feet above the level of the sea. The "Northers" 

 we experienced in January and February have a 

 very baneful effect upon the coffee bushes especially 

 young plants, they become dried up, withered and 

 look as if they had been blasted by fire instead 

 of cold. As my experience accumulates, I find it 

 takes longer to raise and bring coffee into bear- 

 ing in Jamaica than it did in Ceylon, for the 

 winters are much more marked, and vegetation 

 high up on the hills seems checked for quite three 

 or four months. It is evident to me that Jamaica 

 being as far north of the Etjuator as 17 degrees, 

 the utmost limit for the planting of coft'ee should 

 be 4,000 feet above sea-level ; S,000 to 3,-500 being 

 the best and safest elevation to select. As to 

 labour, it may become more scarce, especially in 

 the low-lands if it be true that labourers are, 

 being ottered a Columbian Dollar say 2s 6d a day 

 and their food to work on the Costa Rica Railway 

 the starting-point on the Atlantic being " Port 

 Limon," which moreover is fast becoming a very 

 influential port for the shipment of bananas, and 

 so threatens to damage our Jamaica market in the 

 United States, unless we ourselves extend our railway 

 lines into the fruit-growing districts, and connect 

 them with the chief shipping ports because 

 the Port Limon fruit being carried by rail, is 

 put on board fresh and in good condition, 

 whereas the Jamaica fruit has to be carried 

 in drays and on people's heads, and may 

 have several moves before it finds its way 

 on boardship. It is also said that kbourers 

 on the Costa Rica Railway can arrange to have a 

 portion of their wages remitted to their families, 

 this and the food to be provided by the Company, 

 and the better climate will, in my humble opinion, 

 draw many men away from the Panama Canal, 

 which is getting a worse name than ever, as the 

 agents for procuring labour, according to letters in 

 the newspapers state, deceive the people by assur- 

 ances of immediate employment, and free return 

 passages, whereas it seems only the strong and 

 hardy get employment from the contractors. 



W. S. 



Coffee Reiuvivus! — In our Overland Sum- 

 mary we allude to the special care, nay coddling 

 now observed of every coffee tree with any life 

 left in it, upcountry. A special case is brought 

 to our notice referring to a proprietor in a district 

 not a hundred miles from Adam's Peak who has 

 been trying for two or three years to kill out his 

 coffee generally to make room for the tea, and 

 who nearly accomplished his end last year, but who 

 has of late been anxiously inspecting the stumps 

 with a view to revival ! " Can these dry bones 

 live " is the question asked. Apparently they can, 

 for a single sucker is already appearing and with 

 every attention paid to it and the parent stem, 

 we daresay, a good few bushels at R]') per 

 bushel ! may yet be gathered even though 

 it may be to the detriment of the tea 

 simultaneously being plucked alongside. The moral 

 is evidently "Never say die" even to a dried up 

 Coffee stick; 'but oh!' — thinks this planter and 

 many other men, — ' if I had only not been in such a 

 hurry to supersede the old berry, I might have 

 got a big haul this iseason 1' 



