June i, 1887.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



835 



a listener without experience I saw no reason to 

 disagree with him — that the effect of manuring a 

 tree was practically produced by supplying it with 

 certain matter which was taken up by the roots 

 and absorbed into the sap of the tree. Takinij 

 this as the basis of the argument — why should it 

 be impossible — to salivate — so to say — a tree by 

 manuring it with some substance which, when ab- 

 sorbed into the sap, should be inimical to the 

 disease which it is intended to combat, or the 

 insect feeding on that sap. This is a matter which 

 must be decided by scientific botanists. I cannot 

 pretend to say more than that I have always 

 favoured the idea, and in spite of Mr. Holloway's 

 dogmatical assertion to the contrary still imagine 

 it to be quite feasible. I have used Little's Liquid 

 Phenyle t* a considerable extent both as a disin- 

 fectant and an insecticide, and the successful experi- 

 ments with it on leaf-disease were made on properties 

 then mine. When properly used, Phenyle is a 

 most valuable adjunct to nurseries for such small 

 light seeds as cinchona and seed-beds carefully 

 prepared can be kept free of insects in a marvel- 

 lous way. 1 imagine Phenyle would be very deadly 

 to green bug — even if it were only from the scent 

 80 freely evolved from its use— and within the last 

 few days I have learnt that Mr. Green's experi- 

 mental tree, still remains free of bug when the 

 surrounding bushes are affected in the usual way. 

 As Phenyle can be obtained tolerably cheap if taken 

 in large quantities, I should say that experiments 

 on a larger scale are well worth trying. In fact, 

 I happen to know that they are being tried at the 

 present moment. Perhaps Mr. Holloway may ex- 

 plain why he asserts so positively that green bug 

 was not brought over on the Liberian plants in 

 wardian cases ; this is the very point I want to see 

 elucidated, as my idea is that it did come over 

 in that way. EDMUND WOODHOUSE. 



TEAS FKOM UDUGAMA DISTRICT, GALLE. 

 Daphne estate, Udugama, 10th May 1887. 

 Dear Sir, — Having seen one or two notices lately 

 in the Observer anent Udugama, I take the liberty 

 of forwarding for your inspection and taste three 

 small samples of tea from Riseland estate. 



You will doubtless not fail to note the absence of 

 strength and presence of flavour as compared to the 

 average of low-country teas. The sample sent has 

 been handrolled and chulafired — and represents tea 

 made from a jir.-it yenf^i phicking. If this does not 

 speak well of Udugama, I am sorry I troubled you 

 with these remarks. PLANTER. 



' On the samples, Messrs. Somerville have been 

 good enough to report as follows : - 

 Samples Deseriptiou London Colombo Remarks 

 No , ' ' . Value Equivalent 



'"• '"'■ atExch. 



1 Kroken Pekoe 1/4, 5 86 cts. Blackish well 



for leaf made semi Bro. 



Pekoe leaf with 

 tips, strong dark 

 liquor, burnt. 

 2 Pekoe"'" .^''' 'l?*-forleaf e.'icts. Blackish fairly 

 .'i "id J;lii iiii . madePekoe leaf 



A fji; io vvith tips.strong 



.,,;, .,.;,, pungent liquor. 



burnt. 

 .3 Souchong 9d 41 cts. Blackish irregu- 



lar bold Souch. 

 leaf plain burnt 

 liquor. 

 p. p. SOMFRVILLK & Co. 



A. H. Thompson. 

 .V.£.— These teas would be worth nearly 2d a pound more 

 money if they had not been ti(r/!( in the manufacture. They 

 possess very fair strength. . i. . . 



CINCHONA HARVESTING: RESULTS FROM 

 UNCOVERED TREES. 

 Verellapatna, Lunugalla, 10th May 1887. 

 Dsiit Mr. Editor, — For the information of en- 

 quinog eorr«gpgad@Qt8, let me reiterate io part : "1 >.' 



bark was taken from off trees growing together in 

 lines, shaved at the same time," these lines were 

 not six feet apart, and vere of a field of 50 acres 

 in extent and (• sa la age, say rising seven years, 

 consequently pretty well sheltered. I perceived no 

 difference in appearance of trees after shaving. As 

 to quantity, I operated on 40 trees of each i.e., 40 

 thatched and 40 unthatched, and on weighing found 

 the difference so infinitesimal that I took no entry 

 of it. I think from 1 oz. to over 1§ oz. in favour 

 of the thatched. So on the whole my endeavours 

 point in favour of : do not thatch — which would 

 be a grand thing for all concerned in "cinchona ;" 

 but my advice is, do not act on results as I have 

 shown them or rather let "E.F. T." and "A Planter" 

 and others experiment a little for themselves, and 

 in comparison, we might arrive at some definite 

 and reliable facts which would save thousands in 

 the way of thatching. — Yours faithfully, 



CHANNING ESDAILE. 

 P.S. — I may mention that I only got 10 lb. re- 

 newed bark from off the 40 trees. N.B. — -And fur- 

 ther, I may mention that the "Cannaverella" bark 

 which fetched such a handsome figure the other day 

 was from trees that had not been thatched. — C. E. 



UDAGAMA TEAS :— BURNT ! 



15th May 1887. 



Sir, — Almost enough to make one feel sort 

 of planted ".at stake." My good friend, down 

 at Daphne, I may say, though no sanction needed, 

 acted without my inspiration in sending you on 

 those tea samples for public disrobing. However 

 ruthless a little personal tiring, I have no bones 

 to pick, as the report you have kindly published, 

 and by Somerville & Co. furnished, will suffice to 

 help your readers to form their judgment as to 

 the possibilities of the district in regard to the 

 eventual standard of the teas from hence, and which 

 may fairly be put down as information likely to 

 be wished for, and wanted generally of any local- 

 ity where a special cultivation is still young. 



As for the overfiring to the teas, I may not 

 as an excuse, but in apology as still in petticoats 

 in the mysteries of tea-mrking, say my instructions 

 were to "fire high" — as that is what is liked in 

 the Lane ! To find oneself at 2 a.m. pacing upt 

 and down a shut up tea-house with the thermo- 

 meter at 90 ° , imaginatively watching half-a-dozen 

 perspiring niggers — Indo-Aryan, or Dravidian — 

 squdging green leaf, demands a high figure saiis 

 any additional roasting. 



Apropos of " yield," my last flush here from 

 old bushes pruned down this season for the first 

 time was, at an average of 3 flushes a month, 

 and 10 months to the year, at the rate of 1,260 lb. 

 of made tea per acre annually. To which you 

 may be disposed to add " it might be better and 

 might be worse !" Worse or better, tea is going to 

 pay here." SUPERINTENDENT, RISELAND. 



The Coffee Planters of Mysore, Coorg and 

 Southern India generally are rejoicing in the pros- 

 pect of high prices for their staple and they 

 have generally goed crops coming in. 



"White" Coconut Oil is being prepared and 

 shipped from Ceylon ; but it is not colour alone 

 that renders the Cochin oil superior. There is a 

 difference in the substance of the Cochin coast Oil 

 as compared with the Ceylon — something which 

 mere manufacture cannot get over. — (^om. 



Grub r. Green Bug. -The question is started 

 as to whether green bug has not got the merit 

 or demerit of killing out coffee, when probably 

 grub waa the chief offender ? The two are not 

 Hflcommonly (ownd together, 



