February i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



683 



^urri^sponclenc^. 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 



A PROPOSED REMEDY FOR HEMILEIA 



VASTATRIX : RK MOVING LEAVES AS 



PIN-SPOrS APPEAR ON THEM. 



Barekodie, India, 16th Jan. 1883. 



Dear Sir, — Three years have I now been on a 

 coffee estate, with eighteen years experience in other 

 agricultural pursuit ; carefully have I read the many 

 manuals on Coffee Planting, from '*Laborie"to "Hints 

 and Wrinkles," and on the "Coffee Leaf Disease" (//. 

 V. ) I have most carefully read the very learned deep, 

 elaborate painstaking investigations and examinations 

 of Marshall Ward ne a scientist of no doubt a high 

 capacity, and who has most closely studied has subject 

 ivith one object, that nf letting the world know what 

 H. V. really was. Marshall Ward's 3rd report ac- 

 companied by Dr. Trimen's views, and which I quote 

 below, was all that really concerned the coffee 

 planter : "that there is one sufficient cmbxe of leaf disease, 

 the uredosporeofH. V. that is prodvced onbf by a previ- 

 ous one and can germinate only in moisture. This then is a 

 vera causa, and in accordance with the loell-known medical 

 aphorism to remove this would be the true practice." 



To rewrite and to place stress on the decision "to 

 remove this" is allowable when in all my readings of 

 the writings of every coffee planters it has simpiy 

 been to ignore this by two words — "financially im- 

 practicable." Your moet invaluable journal, every ready 

 to hand the view abroad of any writer in the interest 

 of tha coffee planter, clearly shows that natural intelli- 

 gencies, cultivated by superior education, and supported 

 by wealth, have placed talent and abilities of a very 

 high order and sufficiently large in the Ceylon coffee 

 fields. Yet 't is strange to note that not one indivi- 

 dual has cared to enter practically into this decision 

 of "to remove this." Not one experiment has been at- 

 tempted and its results reported. This one voice of 

 "financially impracticable" seems to haye influenced all 

 and allowed dena.italioti to take the place which strenuous 

 exertion with uuaminity would have assuredly prevented. 

 This is the very humble opinion of one who is not 

 writing for any vain show of any literary talent nor 

 yet one seeking any remuneration at the hand of any- 

 one, Ijut with a desire to place knowledge obtained by 

 him at the disposal of all so that all may be benefited 

 thereby after a reasonable trial, and who cannot help 

 quoting from "Thinning Peaches" (Tropical Arjricidt- 

 urist), that to remove thi» " will cost less than one would 

 suppose until he tries it." "No one who will fairly 

 try the experiment and see the result will abandon 

 the practice," until the H. V. is beaten off the coffee 

 fields. The only regret about it is that experiments 

 were not earlier made, and I trust it will be deemed 

 a form of oversight that is easily pardonable to a 

 scientific man, that he did not enter fully into the 

 economy of his subject and to have shown when " to 

 remove this," for this will be found to be the most 

 vital and important issue of the subject both as to cost 

 minimum and eradication absolute. 



The time of germination is shewn very clearly by 

 Marshall Ward, and when the " pin-spo's" put forth 

 we ought to be alive to remove the leaf that has this, 

 for we now know of all its proireediug and how it 

 will steadily progress not only to destroy the leaf but 

 also to suck life even from the branch in which the 

 leaf is, so as to weaken the produce of blossoms and 

 finally the ripening of fruit; beyond this even, it»ill 

 produce those 'myriads" of " uredospores" which 

 will go in and prodiice "myriads" more. 



There can be no difficulty to the vigilant coffee 

 planter to make himself aware of the time so 

 necessary to be strongly and fully grasped, and 



he will find his expenses will not exceed more than 

 two or three pie a plant. This will not surely 

 be deemed a high cost, and " financially impractic- 

 able" with the fact staring him in the face of ruin 

 and a knowledge of ihe iuin it has already made. 

 And will it for any moment be projected by any 

 man, that " to remove this" is not now the most 

 important work of an estate, if one hwpes to realize 

 a return for his money from labor and care and not 

 depend on the chances "of the disea'-e leaving aa it 

 came." Withal any one's real knowledge cannot be 

 projected, now that we know all about it : will it 

 not be wise than to set manfully to the task, and 

 as you in Ceylon have reduced weed.s, I doubt 

 not you will by unanimity eradicate and finally over- 

 come your direst foe, H. V. 



The simplicity is such that equal with its cost it is 

 not easy to believe — yet I must state it, showing that 

 by application and quick proceedings you save an 

 area uninfected loo so exceedingly easily, and which 

 area ought to be added to give an average result 

 per tree, and I have no doubt it will then be fouui 

 to reduce cost to less than \ pie per tree and even 

 less if a whole estate is saved. To the test than at once. 



In walking your rounds in your garden daily, you 

 will one day in dry weather at once in one spot notice 

 the projection of the "pin-spot." Do not hesitate, 

 have each tree diligently searched around as you do 

 when you are keenly looking after your cherries. 

 Teaeh clearly the " pin-6i)ot" to each woman, for they 

 are best "to remove this." Let her have a small pick- 

 ing basket aud put the leaf nipt at the root quietly 

 inio her little basket, and when half-full empty it 

 into a pit, that has already been prepared .3 yards 

 by I yard by 1 yard, costing here 4 annas. When 

 this pit is half-filled, cover up with half yard deep 

 of clay, and then be destroyed " myriads" of your 

 enemy, all for a few annas daily, for 12 women in 

 in 4 days can clear at least half an acre of 50 trees 

 per woman per day, costing each day Rl-8, aud that 

 allows 4 days of a diligent search for each leaf or 

 R12 per acre of 1,200 trees or Rl per 100 trees, and 

 as there are 192 pies to a rupee the cost is nearly 

 two pie* per tree. 



If the attack of "pin-spot" show itself on a large 

 area then the beginning to deal with it systematically 

 should be from windwaril so as not lo allow spores 

 to get in to the new leaves that will come forth 

 ami in like proportion of women. The removal of 

 " pin-spot" leaves will be clear to any one must 

 tend to the reduction of spores having germinating 

 power in the future, but I can see here that it can be 

 said what of those "spores" that are already on the 

 ground awaiting moisture for germinating and propaga- 

 tion. All 1 can say now is that it is a great pity 

 they have been allowed to be where they are — but 

 they can also be removed, for if we dig every inch of 

 ground here, to sweep every inch will be cheaper 

 in Ceylon, but better still if "caustic line" was put 

 in the ground of an infected area, it would improve 

 soil and be dealt to H. V. if you can afford it of 

 course ! 



What will take place by removal of "pin-spot leaves"? 

 Your enemy's power to act will have ceased ami you 

 will find in less than four days another leaf will 

 start from the very same place from which you took 

 away the "^in-spot" diseased leaf. This new 

 leaf will be free of " leaf disease," and it will steadily 

 progress to maiuriiy. For the present its action will 

 have one proof of benefit which will be to ripen crop 

 (sli'uhi it be on the tree in a green st<ite) which it 

 certainly would not have if the diseased leaf had been 

 allowed to accomplish its work of ruin in its prof'ress 

 onward. I have no doubt some will say that this 



• Half a cent. — Ed. 



