75^ 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March i, 188$. 



I fully adhere to the remarks which he takes exception 

 to, as I consider plants placed in rirgin clay, or any otlier 

 cold retentive soil, either by pitting or notcliing, have not 

 the same chance of success as those planted in soil that 

 has been thoroughly pulverized by atmospheric iutiuences. 

 The merest tyro could at once decide whether-it would be 

 most beneficial to the health and vigour of the young plants 

 to plant them in loose, disintegrated clay, or to leave thorn 

 exposed as recommended, or in newly-made pits with touyh 

 pieces of clay pressed down upon their tender roots; or, if 

 notched, to place them between layers of the same sub- 

 stance. 



As to his remarks about the holes becoming filled with 

 water during wet weather, it may be stated, in passing, that 

 that takes place in nearly all soils more or less; and in those 

 that are well drained, instead of doing injury, it does quite 

 the reverse, pro\ided the planting is prosecuted during dry 

 weather, and if after a "few hot days," so much the better, 

 as the "working" of the soil in the bottom of the pits, and 

 that which was thrown out on the surface, with a slight 

 stirring in the one case, and a gentle blow with the back of 

 the spade in the other, will render it into a fine powdery 

 condition for placing amongst the fibrous roots of the plants, 

 as, after it is once reduced by frosts, &:c., it never again 

 adheres together with any degree of consistency when left on 

 the siurface. 



With regard to Mr. Grant's opinion on the position iu 

 which plants should be placed in the pits, I may say that, 

 in general practice, the majority of plants that are planted 

 in pits are placed against the side, or into one corner of them ; 

 but iu most cases it is done more for convenience than any- 

 thing else. It is an easy enough matter laying the plant 

 against the side of the pit, with the roots directed from 

 it, and covering them over with soil, and then drawing at 

 and punching round the stem with the hei^, to get it into 

 an erect position; but to place the plant iu as natural a 

 position as possible, as all plants ought to be, requires more 

 careful treatment, as the roots should be so disposed through 

 the soil that nourishment could be extracted by them, not 

 from one side only, but from all around the plant; and that 

 can only be done when planted as recommended. Anyone 

 can satisfy himself as to have advantages to be gained by 

 planting as stated. In the one case, the roots will all be 

 found growing to that side on which they were first placed: 

 and I know of young trees, ten or twelve years planted, 

 that have been heeled over by the wind, with scarcely the 

 vestige of a root on one side, and that had arisen entirely 

 from the roots being all placed in one direction when 

 planted. On the other hand, those that have been planted 

 in the pit's centre will be found shooting out in aU 

 directions. They are thus not only in a position for their 

 functions to act with advantage, but their roots tend to 

 steady the plants, and in after years their chance of being 

 blown over is consiilerably reduced. 



Let me say, iu conclusion, that even in exposed positions 

 there will be little danger of the trees being twisted about 

 by wind if the plants selected are of a size adapted to the 

 site; but should they be otherwise, no matter how they 

 may be placed, they will twist as much about iu one position 

 as they will in another. Andkew Slateh, Jun. Wyreside 

 Cottage, Lancaster. — Journal of Forestry. 



libeeian coffee in oeylon. 



TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE " CETLON EXAMINEB." 



De\b Sir, — That Liberian coffee did not answer the high 

 and extravagant expectations originally held out, was known 

 long ago. From interested motives. I suppose, this knowledge 

 was not made public. Now people rush to the other 

 extreme and condemn it altogether. The fact is, the Koyal 

 road to wealth is not through a Liberian coffee estate. 

 Ever since (iod cunsed the ground for Cain's sin, we are 

 forced to earn our bread by the sweat of our brow. When 

 people forget the Divine command and expect the ground 

 to yield riches without the necessary amount of labour 

 and toil, we are reminded of Cain's sin by our expect- 

 ations being blasted. To descend from moralising to tlie 

 subject in hand. The belief in, and rush into, Liberian 

 coffee was so great, that people did not wait to learn 

 from experience, the soil, altitude and aspect suited for 

 Liberian coffee. As long as they planted in the " Low- 



country " they were f ure of amassing wealth. Then again 

 in the matter of seed, anything and everything that would 

 germinate was planted. Of the imported seed fully two- 

 thirds were immature, and of the locally produced seed, 

 a hundred per cent were from immature trees. Is it a 

 wonder. Sir, then, that the cultivation does not yiel! the 

 handsome returns originally expected of it ? Another mistake 

 was that those who bad full faith in this product, originally 

 believed that it enjoyed a special immunity from leaf 

 disease. That belief was rudely shaken. They then clung 

 to the belief that owing to the robust habit of the tree, 

 and its thick, leathery leaves, leaf-disease did not affect 

 it to any appreciable extent. Time forced them to abandon 

 that behef too. Now the other extreme is reached. Leaf- 

 disease is supposed to be fatal to the new coffee. The 

 truth, as far as my experience and observations go, is 

 that in both varieties of coffee there are certain trees 

 that shake off the disease easily and bear fruit heavily, 

 while others are in a chronic state of disease and barren. 

 When the belief in Liberian coffee was high people ignored 

 the latter class of trees and generalized from the appearance 

 of the former class. Now that Liberian coffee does not 

 come up to high expectations, the very same people general- 

 ize from the latter class of trees. Now this is manifestly 

 unfair Liberian coffee is not disease proof. Owing to 

 want of discrimination in selecting seed, a. larger number 

 of trees are, now that the trees have become enfeebled 

 by bearing crop, shewing signs of being fatally affected 

 by the disease. Given suitable land, and selected seed, 

 Liberian coffee will give safe and steady returns. The history 

 of Liberian coffee cultivation is the history of the cult- 

 ivation of other products repeated. When the price of 

 coffee was high, any land, as long as it was in the hill 

 country, was consiilered suitable for it. Any seed, as long 

 as it was coft'ec seed, was considered good enough to plant. 

 And anyone, as long as he could supervise labor, was 

 considered a fit person to plant the laud. Eaw youths 

 boasted of having opened up 5 and 600 acres during one 

 season, while planters of experience know that to open up 

 a hundred acres, is hard work for one season. The result 

 of all this is, that wide expenses of coffee are unable to 

 withstand disease, and yield small crops. 



Then again with Cinchona. A rush was made for it. Any 

 seed was put down. Every soil that would not grow coffee 

 was expected to grow cinchona. And two cuts with mamotie 

 in washed out coffee soil, were considered to make a hole 

 sufficiently large to grow cinchona in profitably. The plants 

 grew up, but like the seed in the parable which hadn't 

 sufficient depth of earth, they withered away. Planters were 

 surprised at this result. They could expect nothing less. 

 So it is now with Liberian coffee. Those who condemn it 

 wholesale, are the rash and hot headed few who expected 

 to reap a golden harvest; The cautious and wise will wait 

 till an opinion can be safely formed. B. 



AGBIOULTUEAL AND HOKTIOULTUEAL SOCIETY 

 OF INDIA. 



Communications. — Japan Pua. Letter from the Govern- 

 ment of India with papers regarding the Japan Pea and 

 China Bean, the Soy Beau, alluded to in the proceedings of 

 a meeting of this Society, held on the 2nd September 1881, 

 as also Eesolution thereon to the effect that the Govern- 

 ment think it desirable that the cultivation of this Pea 

 should be extended in this country, and stating that a fresh 

 supply of seed will be procured from Japan, in order that 

 further experiments may be tried. 



Bee-keeping. — Letter from the Government of Bengal on 

 the sulpject of Bee-keeping in India, and enquiring whether 

 the Society can afford permission to Mr. Douglas, who has 

 brought out some Hives, to keep them in the Society's 

 ground at Alipore. 



A reply has been sent that the Society will be happy to 

 meet this request, and to afford Mr. Douglas every assist- 

 ance iu their power. 



Aloe Fibre Extractor. — Letter from the Government 

 of Bengal, dated 18th November, intimating with refer- 

 ence to a previous conrmunication of the 25th August 1881 

 that a model of the " Jle.xicau Aloe Fibre Extractor " has 

 been desjiatched to the Government of India, and that 

 the model will be forwarded to this Society on receipt. 



SoKSHDM. — Letter from Major Pitcher, Assistant Director, 



