Sg2 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May I, 18S3. 



Action of Lime in the Germination of Seeds. — 

 Following up the researches of M. Btehm, Messrs. De- 

 heraiu and Breal have ascertained that the presence of 

 Hme is beneficial to germinating seeds, especially as re- 

 gards the development of the root, and specially when 

 combined with ulmic acid. It might be worth trying what 

 effect the addition of lime-water might have on the germ- 

 ination of seeds. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Brrn:.-...!: Exhibition. — A horticultural and agricult- 

 ural esliibitiou will be held at Buitenzorg, Java, in Sept- 

 ember next. In addition to tropical products, such as 

 rice, coffee, sugar, spices, and the plants producing them, 

 prizes are offered for roses, begonias, gloxinias, and other 

 flowers. Buitenzorg has one of the Ijest and loveliest 

 botanic gardens of the world, and if .some roving corre- 

 spondent should happen to visit the island in September, 

 he might do some service by sending us a report of the 

 show. The Secretary is Dr. J. C. Van Nooten. — Gardeners^ 

 Chronicle. 



Eucalypti in Italy. — In a recently issued report on 

 the sanitary condition of Italy, it is stated that at the 

 present time the country posssesses about 100,00U Eucalyp- 

 tus i^lants, of which about 30,000 have been planted by 

 the railway administrations and 70,000 by private individuals. 

 After the proof given during the severe winter of 1879-80, 

 the future of certain species of the tree is assm-ed in 

 the most positive manner. As to the beneficent effects to 

 be derived from the Eucalj^jtus, it is considered certain 

 that the plmt is a powerful absorbent of moisture on wet, 

 lands, while its influence by means of balsamic ema nations 

 if not so positively ascertained, is stUl maintained by 

 many. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Coffee- Leaf Disease in Mauritius. — The report of 

 the Botanical Garden for 1881 records the development 

 of the leaf-fungus, Hemileia, in Mauritius. How it was 

 introduced is not loiowu, but its effects have been very 

 serious. Mr. Storck's plan of utilising the vapour of carb- 

 oUc acid as a cure for the disease is considered as prob- 

 ably of httle use, ui the face of the experiments of Mr. 

 Marshall "Ward, who placed a coffee plant in a Wani's 

 case filled vtith the vapour of carbolic acid and allowed it 

 to remain for twenty-foiu- hours. In spite of this expos- 

 ure the spores of the fungus germinated after twenty- 

 four hours. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



The Orangery in England. — "We have now a good crop 

 of fruit on the St. Michael and Maltese Blood Oranges: 

 aud on some of the trees there is also a profusion of 

 sweet-smelling blossoms. This I think makes the home- 

 grown fruit so valuable. ^ You can cut blossoms, green 

 leaves and golden fruit from the trees at the same time ; 

 aud surely no fruits at this season could have a more 

 pleasant garniture. If the fruit is not yet ripe, a rather 

 dry atmosphere with a temperature of G5 will answer 

 best. The trees should be carefully watered, as too much 

 of it causes the fruit to crack. It may be that the fruit 

 has been gathered from some of the trees, and that an- 

 other crop has set ; in that case, sjTinge freely with water 

 that has been standing for some time over the hot-water 

 pipes, and keep up the temperatiu-e. But it ought not 

 to exceed 65 ^ . I fancy that 60 ° is better, as the fruit 

 has a tendency to drop at this season, after it seems to 

 have set. See that all the ti'ees are cleaned from scale. 

 If the stems and leaves can be weU washed with soapy 

 water, they may be kept clean for the seasou.^J. Dou- 

 glas, Loxford Hall, Ilford, E. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



CoFFEA Aeabica. — lu the Palm-house at Kew a plant 

 of the Ai-abian coffee, bearing a fair crop of fruit, is an 

 object which to untravelled Englishmen is not without 

 considerable interest. The leaves are a glossy dark green, 

 aud the scarlet berries are frequently accompanied by sweet- 

 scented blossoms. A wi-iter, in his Imjiressious nf the H'est 

 Indies., thus speaks: — "Much has been ^vritten, and not 

 without justice, of the rich fragrance of an Orange grove, 

 and at home we ofttimes hear of the sweet odom*s of a 

 bean field . . . but not for a moment would I compare 

 either with the exquisite aromatic odours from a coff'ee 

 plantation in full bloom when the hill-side, covered over 

 with regular rows of the shrubs, with their millions of 

 jasmine-like flowers, showers down upon you as you ride 

 up between the plants a perfiuue of the most deUcately 

 (lelicious description. 'Tis worth going to the "West In- 

 die.s to see the sight and inhale the perfume." — Gardeners* 

 Chronicle. 



Cropping Fkuit Tree Borders.— The animal cropping 

 of fruit tree borders with vegetables is a great evil, and 

 some of the diseases of wall trees are due to this cause. 

 Not only is the nutriment taken out of the border, but 

 the spade drives the roots down beyond the reach of solar 

 warmth, which is so essential to the proper ripening of 

 the wood. Moreover, all fruit trees tm'ive and bear best 

 in a firm soil (I do not mean an unworked soil), aud es- 

 pecially is this firmness necessary for the peach and the 

 apricot. If the whole border cannot be given up to the 

 trees, at least five feet running alone the back should be 



left imcropped, and, beyond surface cultuie, undug. — E. H 



Field. 



Sago Fi,otTt and Tapioca Manufacture in Borneo. — 

 The foreign trade of the Sultan of Brunei's territories 

 appears to consist of what is known as jmrgle produce, 

 such as camphor, bii'd's nests, bee's-wax, gutta-percha, 

 and sago flour. This last is manufactm'ed in fom- fact- 

 ories — two in the city of Brunei, and two in Brunei Bay, 

 which are all owned and carried on by Chinese from the 

 Straits Settlements aud Labuan. Since 1379 the value of 

 the exports of sago floiu- from Brunei has considerably 

 decreased, and this decrease is described as being mainly 

 due to a drought that oecm-red in 1878, followed by ex- 

 tensive jungle fires extenduig over many miles of country. 

 This drought lasted sLx months, aud was the most severe 

 that has been experienced in tins part of Bornea for 

 many years. These fir'es increased the actual amount of 

 sago brought to market during 1879, as marry of the palms 

 that were not fully g^o^vlr, but had been severely scorched 

 or killed by the fires were cut down, aird the raw sago 

 extracted before they began to rot. Another important 

 export from Brunei is tapioca. Several hundred acres of 

 it were planted by an enterprising Straits-borir Ohinamau 

 in 1879 on a low hill 2 or 3 miles from the city of 

 Brrrnei. The experiment has not proved a success. Much 

 of the ground on which it was planted was so steep that 

 the heavy rains kept contsantly washing the soil from the 

 roots ; the soil itself is irot rich, and the depreilatious by 

 men and wild pigs ou the roots which did grow well 

 were very con.siderable. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Tea Plucking. — I have heard it said in more places 

 than one, and particularly from Indian Tea Planters who 

 have now and again visited this district, that in Ceylou 

 we over-pluck, this, too, not so rrruch from the older 

 trees but from the younger ones particularly. Now as 

 this has not come from one Indian tea-planter, but from 

 nearly all, sirrely then' views should be received with at- ' 

 tentioii instea<l of our cahrrly ignoring the statement alto- 

 gether. I have a friend who is in Assam, and has been 

 there for many years, who -writes me that he cannot 

 beHeve that I am getting 500 lb. tea per acre off my 

 estate, which is a yoimg one. He tells me that he would 

 never pluck it up to that, but be conterrt with 200 or 

 300 lb., and even off fuli-bearing tea he woidd not take 

 more than 4i)0 or 50U lb. at the most. Now I would 

 ask — are we all quite sure that we are ou the right tack 

 so to speak i' are we doing the correct thing and that 

 which is likely to idtimately benefit the estate owrrors? 

 That good tea estates in Ceylon will bear up to 700 lb. 

 per acre is I think beyond doubt, but I want to know 

 whether we are right in taking that quantity? Will it 

 not in all probabihty inrpoverish om- trees in a few hears? 

 It is an undoubted fact that the soil of most of our 

 tea gardens or estates is not so good as those of India, 

 and that any superiority we have, is entir-ely due to our 

 climate; hot, steamy and forcing as it is all the year 

 roinid. But is it not likely that this very excellent quaUty 

 will cause our trees to flush for a few years, and so 

 exhaust themselves? "We are most of us in this particvdar 

 instance, following the lead of an Indian Tea Planter, 

 who has been among us for a few years, and who 

 evidently has had long experience of tea; but I would 

 ask him — has he thought deeply on this subject? has he 

 thought that, though we have an admirable tea climate, 

 the soil is, as a rule, poor, and most likely unable, for many 

 years, to stand the great strain on it, viz., to 2)roduce 

 flush after flush every 8 days for ten months of the 

 year, to say nothing of almost renewing the entire tree 

 every now and agam after an excessive pruning? To say that 

 tea is hardy, and likes a poor soil, is to talk nonsense.— 

 Cor, "Oeylou Times." 



