May I, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



85s 



SHAVING OF CINCHONAS. 

 By the way a planter I met yesterday spoke strongly 

 in favour of commencing to shave cinchonas at an early 

 age, contending that, if allowed to grow to six or seven 

 years before being operated on, growth will be ar- 

 rested by the shock ; while trees shaved at half the 

 age continue to grow, frequently repeated shavings 

 not stopping them. Thus do opinions differ. 



THE CULTIVATION OF CINCHONA (MORE 



PARTICULARLY C. OFFICINALIS) IN THE 



YOUNG HIGH DISTRICTS. 



Some time ago, when there was a discussion on 

 the marvellous differences between clearings situated 

 almost alongside of each other in the high dis- 

 tricts, an experienced planter wrote to us as follows 

 in a letter laid aside at the time : — 



, and especially those portions of it where 



officinalis is flourishing most luxuriantly, was some 2 

 years to 3 years ago chiefly remarkable for its red ap- 

 pearance, the steepness and elevated position of the 

 fields referred to making it a very conspicuous object for 

 some miles around. This ol)jectionable colour, how- 

 ever, has now been replaced by the rich green of 

 thousands of officinalis trees, and by the paler but 

 brighter line of the succirubra. I do not refer to 

 the older cinchona clearings on the estate, for they 

 have always been green since the trees were 2 years old. 

 The soil is not what would be considered rich, but 

 it is of a free loamy nature with a considerable ad- 

 mixture of sand in places. It is well sheltered, and the 

 annual rainfall is from 70 to 80 inches. The older olKci- 

 nalis clearing is situated in a basin, the land gently 

 sloping to an almost flat centre, and the trees are equally 

 large and healthy over the whole aroi of the hollow. 

 An " abandoned plantation " is on the opposite side 

 of the valley, having a different aspect and rainfall, 



and some 5 miles distant from . A casual 



glance at the soil of the two estates would be quite 

 sufficient for the most inexperienced person to form 

 his opinion of the respective merits of the two places, 

 apart from considerations of aspect, climate, position 

 and elevation. The one ruhs from 5,000 feet to 6,000 

 feet. The "abandoned plantation" does not reach 

 6,000 feet. It is, I believe, impossible to arrive at 

 any satisfactory conclusion, as to why some estates 

 are more suitable for the cultivation of officinalis than 

 others are, Init I have noticed one fact in connec- 

 tion with this : and that is that on most of the places 

 adjoining the patanas officinalis is doing well, whereas 

 on the other side of the valley an even cover of this 

 variety is almost unknown. Yet, on the other hnnd al- 

 most adjoining the " abandoned plantation" is a place 

 where there are many thousauds of very fine 4-year old 

 trees, and on land very near there is a very good and 

 even 2year old clearing. The more one tries to 

 arrive at the "reason why," the further one gets 

 afield. I believe, that recently opened land is 

 often too wi t, and that the action of sun and air 

 upon it will eventually make it very good cinchona 

 land, and I see no reason why replanting should not 

 be carried out on land where plants and trees have 

 died, provided, of course, that one takes care to avoid 

 really stiff clayey places. Close draining and one dry 

 season will, I think, go a long way towards preparing 

 damp soil for cinchona. 



My theory with regard to ofEcinalis, though it 

 may be a very wrong one is, that our forcing 

 climate establishes a growth which, from the poverty 

 and unfavourable condition of our soils, the roots 

 cannot keep pace with. To remedy this I am trying 

 topping 1 and 2-year old ofEcinalis trees a,t 3 to 4 

 feet. This throws strength into the roots, and 1 

 have seen it arrest canker. I cannot yet say cvre 



it, as I must allow more time before I can speak 

 positively. 



I do not attach much value to a light 

 rainfall, as I know two other places equally favoured 

 in this respect (it it k an advantage), and yet ofliciualis 

 has died out tliere in a most heartrtnding manner. 

 (A month later.) 



This much I can say with regard to the above, 

 that some officinalis trees which looked quite unaiile 

 to prolong a miseiable and hungry existence a month 

 longer, have from being topped at about 4 ft. (i in. 

 thrown out a bunch of healthy suckers and have 

 filled out in the stem considerably, but, on the other 

 hand, some of those I topped have died. 



I have very little to add to what I wrote to you 



about the cinchona on and . The former 



place continues to improve steadily, while the reverse 

 is I believe the case with the latter place : but, as 

 I said before, there is vast difference in soil, climate 

 and rainfall between the two places. From what I 

 have observed in the Bogawantalawa valley I should 

 say I hat officinalis will grow very fairly well from 

 North Cove along the slopes of the ridge dividing 

 Bogawantalawa from the Bopatalawa patanas down 

 to the top of KiUarney, at which latter place there 

 is a good clearing rising 3 years. On the other side 

 of the patanas Waverley and Sutton are ren>arkably 

 good and Holmwood also, where the peaty and clayey 

 soil of the flats and shallows is absent. Xlie soil all 

 over the area I have referred to above is of a very 

 light, dry and gravelly nature and the rainfall is light. 



There is, however, in my opinion one essential to 

 success in growing cinchona officinalis, and that is 

 seed from old aud healthy trees. Given every ad- 

 vantage of soil, shelter, climate and elevation, I do 

 not think a successful clearing could be made with 

 plants raised from seed of young and unhealthy trees. 

 In 18S0 June-July I opened 20 acres ; planted it 



3 feet + 3 fett with plants raised from the seed of 

 very old trees jjn Manickwattle, and I am convinced 

 that there are .it this moment at least 4,000 trees 

 growing on every acre of thecleiring. In I S82, Oct- 

 ober aud November, I planted 10 acres adjoining the 

 above with pLuits raised from seed from young treis 



4 to 5 years old, aud not 10 p -r cent of them are 

 alive. I admit I was more favored with regard to 

 weather when ]>lanting the older clearing, but the 

 difference was not great enough to cause such|a contrast. 



I have noticed in one of my ofliciualis clearings that 

 the only portion of it alive is a small piece regularly 

 nibbled off bv elk, and in this piece there is hardly a 

 vacancy, but the 2-year old plants are merely bunches 

 of Slickers from 2 feet to 3 feet high. 



Sulphur liberally sprinkled in seed beds where the 

 young seedlings are dying off is a certain cure, as I 

 have proved over and over again. It should be 

 sprinkled some 4 inches beyond the outside of the 

 dying circle. 



PLANTING NOTES ON THE STRAITS 



SETTLEMENTS. 



No. 4.— BY H. COTTAM. 



PIONEERING IN PEBAK — THE INFLUENCE OF CLIMATES ON ONE'S 



IDEAS C'ECILI.\TEACLEAEING — CHINESE NEIGHBOtTRS — OPIUM 



EATING A.VD TALKING ALL NIGHT — MALAYS IN THE CLEARING 

 LINING — THE IIAUIT Of SMOKING CHIARETTES AJIOKGST THE 

 MAL.WS — OUR liUSTIC FLOWER GARDEN — CHINAMEN, 5HLAVS 

 AND KLINGS (TAMILS) — RAINTALL — 1 KVEH AND HARD TIJIES — 

 A KNOWING ELEPHANT AND STILL MORE KNOWING .MONKEVS — 

 ELEPH.1NT TRAVELLING lOURNEVS TO WATERLOO :— AMA- 

 TEUR BAKING — CENTIPEDES — THE CHINESE NEW YEAR IN 

 PEBAK. 



A letter from Ceylon just to hand from a planter and old 

 friend in the Madulsema district reminds me that my letter 

 No. 1 addressed to you contrasted very favourably to my 



