July i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



PLANTi:(G PROSPECTS IN CEYLON. 



SHORT COFFEE CROPS AND THEIR EX- 

 PLANATION :-FALLING-OFF IN MANURING; 

 LEAF DISEASE; GRUB; ABNORMAL 

 SEASONS. 

 CINCHONA AND AVHAT IT IS DOING FOR 



OUR COFFEEPLANTERS. 



TEA CULTIVATION AND THE SCARCITY OF 



CAPITAL. 



Upper Ma.skeliva, Sth May 1S82. 



No comment has so far beeu otiered on the letter 

 of a Matale correspondeut who endeavoured to shew, 

 by his rainfall return during several blossoming sea- 

 sons and the succeeding crops, that the weather 

 this year could have little to do with the poor 

 prospects for 1S82-3. But I have no doubt a good 

 deal could be said by planters of equal experience 

 in other districts, to shew that, however applicable 

 to his own corner of the land, our Matale friend's 

 inferences could not be drawn from the figures and 

 facts recorded elsewhere. 



It is probably impossible to name any one cause 

 in explanation of the disappointing coffee blossoming 

 season just closed. For a good many years alternate 

 crops (middling .and short) have beeu the rule, and 

 we find the first explanation of the paucity or ab- 

 sence of blossom in the fact that the current is re- 

 garded as the normally poor year. Alternate years 

 •of good and bad crops are usu.ally experienced by 

 cultivators of fruit trees all over the world, at least, 

 when once their orchards, vineyards, coffee or cocoa 

 gardens have passed their early years of luxuriance ; 

 but there can be no doubt that, ia our own case 

 in Ceylon, this alternation has been intensified in a 

 very striking way by other causes, of which the 

 operation of the coffee leaf fungus is the most potent. 

 As a consequeuce evei-y alternate pair of years seem 

 to shew a worse outturn than their predecessors. 

 Here are the se sons and t!ie export returns since 

 1874-75, when a maximum in.ay be said to have 

 been attained ; — 



Total. 



1,659,121 

 1,563,339 

 1,494,123 



1,353,758 



Doubtless objection will be taken in some quarters 

 to the figures for the current season being put. above 

 500,000 cwt, and for 1882-3 above 300,000; but the 

 comparison is striking enough in shewing that the 

 last three extraordinarily abnormal seasons in our 

 table give a less aggregate than the huo previous 

 years. The alternation was slightly interfered with 

 in 1879-80, when the crop was larger instead of 

 smaller th.an in 1877-8. But this slight gain was 

 woefully discounted in the succeeding year 1880-81, 

 when not much more than one-half tlie outturn iXw 

 was recorded, the fall bein^ from 824,000 to 454,000 



cwt. The present shipping season by oar alternate 

 rule is the one tor a poor crop comparatively, but 

 clearly, the pendulum having swung to so little pur- 

 pose last year, while it is scarcely going to move at 

 all for next crop, the exports of 1881-82 must be 

 considered to be those of a comparatively " good " 

 year. Alas I that the average export of Ci>ti'ee for the 

 three seasons ending .30th September 1883 should not 

 be shewn to exceed 450,000 cwt. against an average 

 of 791,000 cwt. for the six years ending 30th Sept. 

 1880 ! The immense decline since 1880 is therefore 

 the most notable feature in our table, and regurding 

 the blossoming season of 1881 as an average one for 

 the alternate poor year, those who think abnormal 

 seasons have to do with our poverty of outturn must 

 direct their attention to the blossoming seasons — J.in.- 

 April— of 1880 and 1882 in order to explain the 

 fall from 800,000 to 450,01)0 and two ye.irs later 

 to 350,000 cwt. We believe an examination of the 

 meteorological i-eturns for the spring of ISSO and 1882, 

 with the monthly average of from 5 to 10 years, 

 will shew that, in the majority of our coffee districts, 

 the rainfall more especially in the two critical months 

 — Febiuary and March — has been much above the 

 average. The figures for 1882 are not at hand to 

 compare ; but, taking typical estates and districts, we 

 find, beginning at the south, that, in February and 

 March 1880, the rainfall on Vegeria estate, Rakwana, 

 was 22'23 inches against an average of 11 '54 inches ; 

 on Deeside, Maskeliya, it was 2315 against 1215 

 inches ; on Delrey, Dikoya, it was 21 3S against 

 11-29 inches; in Dimbula (at Craigie Lea, P. W. D. 

 return) it w.as 15'S8 against 4 '52 ; on Rangbodde estate, 

 Riiinboda, it was 14'01 against 7'17 inches ; on Leang- 

 wela, Maturata, the fall was 17'66 against 11'48 

 inches : on New Forest, Deltota, 13'83 .against 7'76 

 inches. Going westward again, Templestowe, Amba- 

 gamuwa, gave 15'41 against 7'66 inches ; Kabragalla, 

 Dcdasbage, 1233 ag.ainst 9'04 ; Pussellawa 13'17 con- 

 tr.asted with S'lO inches ; Kandy 8'96 against 6 25 

 inches. In ihe north, we find Kandenuwara estate, 

 Maialf, giving 20 76 against 8'50 ini'hes ; while 

 Matale town gave 13'05 against 3'76 ; LeangoUa, 

 Madulkele, 10'67 ag.ainst 7'44 ; Illagoll.-i, Rangala, 

 9 '8 1 against 8'3fi. Turning to the Uva districts, we 

 have VViharagalla estate, H.aputale. giving 23'I1 .against 

 15'50 inches ; Gowrakelle, Badulla, 18'41 against 

 11'38 ; Cocagalla, Hewa Eliya, 2S'65 against 19 42 ; 

 Banda-awela 15'99 against 7'99; and Di:;wella ]8'98 

 against 6 '12 inches." A similar return f >r Kebiu.ary- 

 Marcli of the present year could not f il, ■'ve think, 

 to pro en contrasts quite as striking. The lessons 

 to be derived from ihera, practical men will readily 

 understand.* 



«• Thus:— 



Total rainfall Feb. and 



March 1882. 



Place. 



Vegeriya (Eakwana; 

 Dee.side (Maskeliya) 

 Delrey (Dikoya) 

 Bang'ooddc (r.amboda) ... 

 Leangolla (Jtadulkele) ... 

 Templestowe (Ambagamuwa) 

 Kandy 



Kandcnuwara 

 iliagolla (EaugalaJ 



Feb. 

 9'37 

 7'78 

 5'77 

 2-43 

 7-04 

 4-34 

 1'8S 

 3'75 



7't;o 



March. 



10-53 Ins. 



5-38 „ 



8'i)2 „ 



3-20 „ 



5'28 „ 



2'53 „ 



