September i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



243 



Mr. Cross says on page 98 :— " A Castilloa tree . . . 

 may be expeded to yield 12 lb. o{ rubber per an- 

 num," but "E. M. H.,"page 9, Hates that a tree "20 

 to 30 ft. high to its first branches, and about 4 ft in. 

 diameter, is expected to yield 20!;allons of milk," etiual 

 to aViout 40 lb. of rubber. 



The cultivation of Fkus elastica is not likely to pay 

 Ceylon plan'ers from its poor yield, slow growth, low 

 prices, and the fact that it ouL'ht to be tapped, only 

 once in three years, but tlie climber Urcroln elastica, 

 a native of Borneo and Sumatra, "of very rapid 

 growth and gigantic dimensions is said to yield by 

 tapping from 50 to GO lb. annually " (page 19) ! Has 

 Dr. Trimen any plants of this variety at Perndeniya 

 or Henaratgo la ? 



I have tried tapping roots of Ceri, and find plenty 

 of milk exudes, but query whether this would not 

 tend to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs? It 

 thrives better than the more valuable Prit at present 

 but we mny not have hit off exactly the right locality 

 for the latter in Ceylou yet, and it is worth persevering 

 in, being the most valuable of al! rubbers. 



The Vaheas make a terribly slow growth at first 

 from my experience, but, perhaps, the manager of the 

 C. C. L. will tell us how they and the Landolphias 

 are getting on now on the several estates tried. 



That rubber will pay in many parts of the island, 

 and in combination with other new products, there 

 can hardly be a doubt, and the sooner Dr. Trimen 

 returns and lets us know the results of the "further 

 experiments" (see page 108) he p.-omised would "be 

 shortly made " in tapping the Cera trees at Pera- 

 deniya, the better for those interested, it being just 

 a year since tlie " preliminary and tentative investig- 

 ation to ascertain the condition of the milk " in the 

 Cera tree was then made ! 



I wish your new Manual every success, and hope 

 information will so readily accumulate that a new 

 edition will be rendered necessary ere long. — Yours 

 faithfully, TRY. 



ENEMIES OF CARDAMOMS. 



Ceylon Corapnny, Limited, Colombo, 28th July 1882. 



Dear Sir, — I send you a tin containing some card- 

 amoms received, from aa estate near Kalutara. You 

 will observe that some insects — I think ants — have 

 penetrated the covering of the seed and eaten the 

 contents. If you or any of your correspondents can 

 giro me a hint as to the best way of preventing this 

 destruction to oue of our new products, I shall be very 

 much obliged. ENQUIUER. 



[It is the opinion of a good authority that the 

 cardamoms have probably been attacked and the seeds 

 eaten by some night-feeding caterpillar or grub. The 

 superintendent ot the estate should search for it 

 after dark, or very early in tl)e morning. Ants are 

 not likely to have done the mi»ohief ; but in hunting 

 for food they may enter the cavities made in the 

 cardamoms by the insect that should be looked for. 

 —Ed.] 



THE JAK TREE (TWO SPECIES); MANUR- 

 ING COFFEE AND H. V. 

 Div.VK Sir, — Is it possible that your correepondent 

 " P. T. L." is not aware that there are in Ceylon two 

 species of jak : one a surface feeder, such as he describes, 

 and anothsr a deep feeder? I should bare thought 

 this lact was too universally known to need mention, 

 but " P. T. L." 's remarks suggest the possiliility, at 

 least, of his not knowii.g it ! The trees differ, not 

 in the roots only, but in their ramification and fruit. 

 The deep feeder is a much more compact and, in its 

 early stages, a denser tree than the other, which is 

 spreading and lax. The fruit of the former is also 

 much more esteemed than that of the latter. I am 



not an advocate for iihade for coffee, but shflter is 

 often very desirable, and for that purpose the deep- 

 feeding jak is valuable, and inflicts little injury 

 on the coffee beneath. By-the-bye tlie present 

 generation of planters do not seem to know that, 

 originally, all coffee estates were opened wiih shelter 

 belts. One, I remember, was opened in sm.all fields 

 of only a few acres each, and looked, at a distance, 

 rather like a draught-board. I have still an old 

 sketch of one of our principal coffee districts taken 

 from a neighbouring peak, with many of the intersect- 

 ing belts shown. At the time when the black bug 

 attacked the estates, and overran the country, it was 

 fiiund that the pest lingered about the belts, even 

 when it ha left the more open parts of the fields, and 

 there was therefore a general clearance of the belts in 

 consequence. 



In the present crisis, when crops are so small, and 

 the coffee trees so very shy of fruiting, any inform- 

 ation of a reliable nature as to means of inrUicing the 

 trees to bear, is of the highest v.ilue. Mr. W. D, Bo- 

 sanquet's experiments are therefore most interesting, 

 and he would confer a great obligation on his fellow 

 planters, if he would inform them whether the excel- 

 lent crop he has the good fortune to possess this year 

 is confined to the manured portions of his estate ; or 

 whether it extends also to those which have not been 

 subjected to liis special treatment. 



In this connexion, and as showing the importance 

 of caution in drawing conclusions from experiments, 

 I may mention that, a few months ago, I selected a 

 dozen eofl'ee plants that were covererl with hemileia, 

 for the purpose of experiment. Not, however, that 

 I believe in any cure for hemileia, but simply in the 

 interest of science. The plants, which were in pots, 

 were removed to a spot favourable for the treatment 

 to be tried. But, before commencing the treatment, 

 it occurred to me to wait awhile, to see whether the 

 change of locality, a very slight one, would have any 

 effect on the disease. The result was that, after a 

 few weeks, not a speck of the fungus was to be seen 

 on the plants ! Now, if the original intention had been 

 at once carried out, the (ure, would almost certainly 

 have been attributed to the treatment. G. W. 



NUTMEGS. 



2Sth July 1882. 



Dear Sir, — Referring to " Maligakanda" 's enquiry 

 in your paper of 27th inst,, respecting above, he will 

 I think, find that his non-bearing trees are male ones, 

 A/yristica fragraiisis dioecious (staminate and pistillate 

 flowers on diB'erent plants) and Simnionds speaks of 

 there being " three sorts of nutmegs, namely, the 

 male or barren, the royal, and the queen, the last 

 being preferred." I expect your correspondent's best 

 plau would be to coppice, say half of his unprr fit- 

 able trees, and try grafting (by the crown or cleft 

 graft), but " W. P." is better able to advise upon this 

 point than yours truly, TASTE AND TRY. 



P. S. — Your correspondent should read the Tropical 

 Agriculturist, as in the February No., p.ige 738, his 

 question is anticipated and answered fully, iu paragraph 

 12th of Lumsdaine's report. 



RAPID GROWTH OF TEA AND OP THE PAPA^V 

 TREE m PAN^WILA DISTRICT. 



July 29th, 1882. 

 Dear Sir, — It is a pleasure to read such good 

 accounts about the sale and outturn of tea in Ceylon : 

 will you allow me to say a few words as resrards its 

 rapid growth ? A seedling pl.-inted on Manu estate 

 about fnur years ago and allowed to grow up without 

 topping, only having all primaries cut oti from time 

 to time up to four-and-ijaif feet, was measured the 

 other day and found to be twenty-one feet high, 



