100 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[August i, 1882. 



<-orn, from whioli American brooms are niadle, grows 

 "'plonih.ilv. I saw a tliiok plot, averaging fifteen 

 feet in height. All the Chinese oil-plants grow well. 

 The "teal" has spread— self-sown after che first year— all 

 over the garden. Its juice is a capital lubricating oil; 

 1,200,000 acres are planted with " teal" every year in ludia. 

 The six odd figures would give us a grand export for the 

 Territory. Many different sorts of millets yield a heavy 

 crop, and a row of mulberries are strong and healthy. The 

 Director is importing some silkworms to live in them, and 

 thus he will nurtiu-e two industries in one. Of Chiuese 

 bamboo-silk I have with me some good samples which I 

 combed out from various thriving trees eight feet high. 

 There is no doubt as to the success of this plant, and, as the 

 fibre is valuable in cloth manufacture, its cultivation would 

 be an important subsidiary aid to the planter. An African 

 fibre-plant is equally successful, and so is the Indian physic- 

 nut, used medicinally. The papoya-papa-papaw-papia (for 

 it has as many names as a Chinese sharper has tricks)_ is 

 amongst the most healthy fruit-producer.s. It is a peculiar 

 plant. There are male and female. The male tree only 

 flowers ; the others add the fruit. The males are the hardier, 

 and on one plantation I visited there were no females, and 

 hence there was no fruit. The males have to be inoculated 

 by bees, it is said, and, where the bees neglect their duty, the 

 tree is of no account except for ornament. The fruit itself 

 is to some tastes delicious, though others don't like it. It 

 is a cross between rockmellon, a banana, and a pineapple. 



And now, having served my purpose, I think I may finally 

 close my notes on this important subject. I caimot do 

 better than confirm from my own obser%-ation during several 

 visits what the gardener says— that " e%-eryt.hing imported 

 that grows in this country thrives." At fiurst plants which 

 are most notably successful now pined. The proper season 

 for planting them was not foimd till experiments had been 

 made. 'When it was discovered, there was no further trouble, 

 and it is only a reasonable surmise that the same thing will 

 repeat itself till, when the purely experimental work shall 

 have been completed, we shall have thousands of \'igorous 

 acchmatized plants where now there are only hundreds. 

 That the trial may be perfect Mr. Holtze is getting from .all 

 quarters every variety of each plant, and of com-se he gives 

 exchanges. The garden, be it understood, is not a place for 

 floral beauties or the kickshaws of cultivation. Its strong 

 point is its strictly commercial character, and in that point 

 it is simply Herculean. 



THE COFFEE LEAF FUNC4US AND STORCK'S 

 CARBOLIC ACID TREATMENT IN CEYLON. 

 An Uva correspondent asks, in view of recent 

 discouraging reports, how not a few Ceylon pro- 

 prietors persist in experiments with carbolic acid 

 as a preventative of hemilda vahlatrkc on their coffee. 

 Among the rest he specifies the Hunasgiriya, Uva, 

 Spring Valley and Ceylon Companies as being im- 

 porters of considerable quantities of carbolic acid. We 

 are glad to learn about this importation, for a careful 

 experimental trial after Storck's plan is still required 

 to decide the question of its value in Ceylon, and 

 since we last referred to the subject we have heard 

 from more than one quarter of encouraging results 

 obtained from preliminary experiments. Contrary to 

 the opinion of Dr. Trimeu and Mr. Wall that carb- 

 olic acid is not volatile, we have cumulative evid- 

 ence from gentlemen experimenting for themselves, 

 of the readiness with which it evaporates, and of 

 the powerful effect of the acid when placed in the 

 vicinity of fungi, although not in contact. One gentle- 

 man suggests that sceptics should suspend a pair 

 of boots over a tin with a small quantity of dilute 

 carbolic acid, so that the fumes may pass round 

 the hoots (d la the coffee tree), and contrast the result 

 in freedom from mouldiness with another pair similarly 



hung in a different place ! The following has been 

 handed to us as the results of experiments made : — 



Four days exposed to the action of the atmosphere 

 in a room in an open vessel. 



.Sul|.jhuric acid increased in bulk and 

 in weight 290 grains 



Muriatic acid increased in bulk and 

 in weight ... ... .■■ ■■- "8 ,, 



Carbolic acid decreased in bulk and 

 in weight ... ... ■.■ •■• . •■■ 15 ,, 



Water decreased m bulk and in weight 60 ,, 



Arrack decreased in bulk and in weight 395 ,, 



From the above it will be seen that carbolic acid 

 ev.aporates very slowly, but it may be none the less 

 effectual in the destruction of fungi. In all accounts 

 of the substince, including the article in the new 

 edition of the " EucyclopaHlia liriLannica," it is separ- 

 ated from the alcohols, and, apart from jts great value in 

 the production of aniline dyes, its antiseptic properties 

 are chiefly dwelt on. We suppose that the property 

 which enables it to arrest decay and destroy odour 

 in putrifyiug meat and other substances, is that which 

 renders it a fungicide, fungi beiog the great agents 

 of decay? or at any rate always present as products of 

 decay. But we should like to hear experts like Messrs. 

 Wall and Dixon on the whole question of carbolic 

 acid and its possession or non-possession of the power 

 of destroying fungi by its vapour. 



A later memorandum is as follows : — 



14th June 1882. 



Carbolic acid in an open tin vessel exposed to all 

 weathers lost 1 ounce and 70 grains in weight in six 

 days. The net weight of carbolic acid exposed on 

 8th June, was lib., 2 oz. and .30 grs. ; therefore, 

 about one-sixteenth part disappeared in six days, and 

 so it -would have evaporated entirely in 96 days. 

 In another case,a planter who has been using carb- 

 olic acid in the way prescribed by Mr. Storck in 

 a nursery has been greatly surprized at the 

 rapidity with which it has acted on the fungus on 

 the coSee leaves. In other cases, from one to five, 

 and even thirty acres are being experimented on. 

 On Warleigh estate, Dikoya, a combination of Messrs. 

 Schrottky's and Storck's methods has been tried with, 

 it is understood, good effect. A proprietor who 

 takes a great interest in carbolic acid experiments 

 writes : — 



If you can rely upon the bona fides of your Fiji 

 correspondent, "A. J. S.," who tells you, in his last 

 communication, that he thinks so well of the cure 

 that he is putting in hand '20 acres aX once, we ought 

 also to be stirring i'l Ceylon. I have read and reread 

 Storck's paper many times and tic plan seems to be well 

 worthy of a trial throughout Ceylon. Two months ago, 

 1 commenced an acre. My neighbour has now com- 

 menced five acres, and many are trying it. 1 think 

 the liquid has advantages over the dry treatment, but 

 the carriage of water may, on some estates, become 

 a not inconsiderable item. If you hear anything of 

 its success elsewhere, I hope you will let your readers 

 know of it About a month ago, I saw its efft^cts 

 on a nursery, and it seemed to be noting then, after 

 a week only, like a charm, but until the V2, months are 

 ended we must not say too much. The article (Mr. 

 Storck's) in the Tropical Agri u/lurist if rather long. 

 We want a short .summaev in large print <o be pasted 

 on boards and hung up in the superintendent's office 

 walls, i.e., if the experiments now being made prove 



