672 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[February i, 1883, 



ground again. From the queries which I have en- 

 Ueavcjured to answer above, "ATravancore Planter" 

 most anxiously asks wbether it would pay to let 

 hi.5 pliiCB up in weeds. Will any advocate his doing 

 so? Has any one done so voluntarily? I much doubt 

 it. The whole "plea for weeds" has originated from 

 planters who have "dirty" estates to work. Weed- 

 ing cannot have the whole labor devoted to it solely, 

 and coffee does not appear to suffer, provided "weed- 

 ing and burying" are properly carried out. Of course 

 "dirty" estates in monsoon are "pointed at," and 

 they are ceriainly not pretty, but their crops are, as 

 a rule, just as good and in many cases better than 

 their clean-faced neighbours. It wnuld take a course of 

 monthly weediii^s lasting throe years to rentier a "dirty" 

 estate "clean," and we find "weeding and burying" in 

 tuch cases much more economical and results satisfactory. 

 As to the science of the theory I am perfectly ignorant. 

 1 have simply put forward fucts wliich have come 

 under my notict-, and I trust tliat in e.xchanye for the 

 valuable information reaped by many Coorg planters 

 from the pages of the 7. A, they may from time to 

 time furnish their fellow-planters all the world over 

 with their evperience. As Soutli Coorg now boasts of 

 an Association, surely some of its prominent members 

 can help us all with " hints and suggestions." 1 am in 

 exactly tlir same position as your Travanoore corre- 

 spondent "Xiphias." We must put forward our nasal 

 organ, until more able men come forward aud kindly 

 put it out of joint for us. 



Aud now to "return to our muttons." I note Mr. 

 Hallih-y makes a few remarks in his letter, p. 498, on 

 foiking as being beneficial to the coffee, inasmuch 

 as It allows the roots to spead. Digging answers the 

 purpijse just as well. In manuring, I consider manure 

 thrown over an estate broad-oist as half wasted Di" 

 a -I mi circle on the upper side of a tree about 1^ ft. 

 radius from the stem and about 9 inches deep, fill 

 nearly with maiure and cover in again. This is much 

 mure economical, and the best tool to use is a quin- 

 tannie 9 X 4J incbts wide. Women are put on to this 

 woik immediately after crop. They dig the holes one 

 day aud fill in with manure and cover the next day. 

 The men are on pruning except those who are not fit 

 for the work. Thus pruning and mnuurini; are carried 

 on at the same time, and generally finished before 

 the blossom appears. As we have only on<3 blossom as 

 a rule, matters are gri atly facilitated. 



As to handling, I think all planters are agreed that, 

 if this wi rk be carefully attended to from the bei'in- 

 ning, very little knifework wdl be required in prun- 

 ing. Thi" first consideration is to clear the centre of 

 all secnndaries within six inches of the stem so as to 

 admit light and air, and then we turn our attention 

 to the amount of wood to be left for the present crop, 

 aud leave just enough young wood for the crop after. 

 Thise are the mere elements of pruning and 

 look very well on jjaper, but pruning is a real 

 science and not to be learnt in one or two seasons. 

 If we C"uld only get such a man as Mr. Grant of the 

 Ouchterlony Valley to give us an exhaustive paper on 

 handling and pruning, he would be doing many of us 

 a real kindness. The system carried on in the Valley 

 i.s worth studying. 



Once we have decided on what wood to leave, all 

 the remainder is chared away, and, if handling be 

 well attended to during monsoon where is there the 

 fenr of "cutting off any n.auure" or allowing any to 

 "go to wood," as sugte ttd by Mr. Halliley. Where 

 trees have been neglected, heavy pruning is the only 

 thing for them, but it is best to extend it over two 

 years. Many will disagiee with me on this po nt. 1 

 have tried it and succeeded. It handling be neglected, 

 much of the vigor of the tree is exhausted in throw- 

 iui; out an amount of useless wood which has ultim- 

 ately to be rejected. Aud in such cases Mr. Halliley, 



IS perfectly justified in stating that it simply means 

 manure thrown away. If you want a vigorous, crop- 

 bearing and symmetrical tree, bundle. If you wish 

 your trees to obtain the utmost benefit from food sup- 

 plied to them in the shape of manure, handle. I 

 really do not think too mucU attention can be paid to 

 this important work. I fear I must have wearied you 

 by this time, so close my letter by apologising for 

 having taken up so much of your time. — I am dear sir 

 yours faithfully, AGRICOLA. ' 



THE PEPPER-GROWING INDUSTRY OF WEST- 

 ERN INDIA : INFORMATION DESIRED. 

 Colombo, 23rd January 1883. 



Dear Sir,— If you, or any of your correspondents 

 can give information respecting the cultivation of 

 pepper, as pursued in the Calicut and Tellicherry 

 districts of Southern India, you would, by publish- 

 ing the same in the Obacri-cr, oblige some of your 

 readers. Answers to these questions would be useful :— 



1.— Is shade employed ? 



2.— If it is, is the shade light or heavy, and what 

 are the most suitable shade trees? 



3. — K shade is not employed, to what are the vines 

 trained, and how far apart are the supports? (Mem: 

 In Singapore and .Johore pepper is not shaded, but 

 trained to posts of wood stuck into cleared gi-onnd.) 



4. — How high are the vines allowed to grow ? 



5.— How many cuttuigs or plants are placed at each 

 support ? 



6. — How long after being planted do the vines take 

 to bear ? 



7. — What is a fair average yield per acre ? 



8. — How is the fruit dried or cured ? 



9. — What are the most suitable soils ? 

 10.— Is a climate with 150 inches of rainfall, well 

 distributed, too wet ? — Yours faithfully, 



LOWCOUNTRY. 



[We trust some of our correspondents in Western 

 India w-ill send us an answer to our correspondent's 

 queries : meantime, we may quote the following 

 practical information on the subject of pepper 

 cultivationfrom Porter's " Ti-opical Agriculturist":— 

 "This plant thrives luxuriantly in most soils, and, 

 when once reared, requires comparatively little care 

 and labour. The perfertnce, in choosing a situation, 

 is usually given to level groumls along the banks of 

 rivers (provided they are not so low as to be in- 

 undated), on account of the rich vegetable mould 

 found in those localities, and for the advantage of 

 water carriage. Plantatiims of this tree are seldom 

 made on rising ground, unless the ascent be very 

 gentle ; otherwise the soil is liable to be loosened and 

 washed away from the roots of the vines. The good- 

 ness of pepper is cousid' red to depend more upon the 

 natural qualities of the soil than upon the care bestowed 

 on its cultivation. It is a hardy tropical plant, and 

 grows readily from cuttings or layeis, rising in several 

 knotted stems, which cling round any neighbouring 

 support, and adhere to it by means of fibres that shoot 

 from every joint at intervals of from six to ten inches, 

 aud through which it probably imbibes its nourish, 

 ment. If left without any means of climbing upwards, 

 the stalk, unable to suppirt itself, creeps along the 

 ground. The fibres at the joints then become roots, 

 but in this situation ■ the plant would never exhibit 

 signs of fructification.' * 



"Like ivy, it is encouraged by support to throw out 

 bearing shoots. If left in its natural state it climbs to 

 twenty or five-and-tweuty feet high; but it is more 

 fruitful when not allowed to attain this height. Re- 

 strained in its growth, to from twelve to fifteen feet 



■ Marsden's Sumatra, 



