258 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, i832. 



pillars, &c., is enormous. Ichneumon flies are not to be 

 incluiled, for though they kill, death does not take place 

 till the caterpillar is full fed; and, in the meantime, the 

 young, parasitic family they provide it with has probably 

 increased the caterpillar's voracity. 5. In the winged stage, 

 also, immense numbers are destroyed by birds and by bats 

 and carnivorous insects. 6. But none of these checks on 

 multiplication, uor all together, appear to be sufficiently 

 variable to account for that sudden increase in caterpillars 

 in some years that is spoken of as a plague; the question 

 arises whether we do not find such a check in the weather. 

 I doubt whether any one who has not been a practical 

 entomologist has an adequate conception of the thinning 

 effect exercised by unfavourable weather on insects in the 

 winged state, or the correspondingly quickening effect of 

 weather that is favourable. The effect is concentrated, 

 because the e,xistence of insects in this state is brief — a 

 few days for an individual, a few weeks for a whole 

 species — and it is strong, because in this stage they are 

 so sensitive to it. It is not merely that rough weather 

 destroys them, and that in windy weather they do not fly, 

 but the mere absence of sunshine is enough to prevent 

 many species from moving at all. Like the " pale primroses," 

 but in a different sense, they, — 



" Die unmarried, ere they can behold 

 Bright Phoebus in his strength." 

 The sunless summer of 1860 nearly exterminated from some 

 of the Sussex and Hampshire woods several species which 

 had formerly been plentiful there. A r.ainy fortnight may 

 produce such an effect on a species ; on the other hand, 

 a hot fortnight at the right time may foster an immense 

 increase in the number of fertile eggs laid. Even when 

 the species does not require sunshine, greater or less warmth 

 makes a vast difference in the numbers on the wing; in 

 hot weather, the lightest touch of the beatiug-stick brings 

 them out in swarms, while in ordinary weather they are 

 difficult to rouse. 



I need scarcely add that the circumstance that a principal 

 cause of insect plagues — the weather— is beyond our control, 

 affords no argument against the use of such means of 

 keeping them under as are within our power to influence. 

 Ohief among these means seems to be the preservation of 

 those vivacious inhabitants of our woods and gardens, some 

 shy, some impertinent, but all (except sparrows) delightful, 

 our wild birds. — I am, sir, &c., F. Meerifield. 



Brighton, July lOtb. 



["What's the matter with the poor sparrows? — Ed. 

 Spectator.'] 



THE TAVOY PLANTING DISTRICT. 



Rangoon, lOth June 1882. 

 As the Chief Commissioner has been advertising grants 

 of waste land in the Tavoy District for planting purposes, 

 I dare s.ay some rem.arks on the description of this place will 

 be of no little interest to several of your numerous readers. 

 The Tavoy District is on the Moulmeiu side, in the 

 Tenasserim Division, extending along to the eastern .side of 

 the Bay 'of Bengal, from 13 ° 15' to 15 « 11' N., bounded 

 on the north by Amherst, from which it is separated by 

 a range of hills south of the river Re ; on the south by 

 Mergui, and on the east by the high chain of mountains 

 which form the boundary between British India and Siam. 

 Its extreme length and breadth is about 150 and 50 

 miles respectively, and has an area of 7,200 square miles. 

 Its general aspect is that of a long sea-coast tract, hilly 

 and densely wooded, enclosed by mountains on three 

 sides, and open on the west towards the sea. 



Some of these mountains reach an elevation of ne.arly 

 6,000 feet. There are two rivers, the Tenaserim and the 

 Tayoy ; the former being remarkable for having two sources, 

 one of which, rising in the north, flows south to the village 

 of Metta, where it is joined by the latter. After uniting, 

 they flow due eastward, and then turn south, entering 

 the Mergui District. The greatest part of this river is 

 dangerous to navigate on account of its rapids. The Tavoy 

 river, however, flows south through a narrow valley, being 

 fed by numerous mountain torrents. These mountains 

 appear to be of granite, with the exception of a few, 

 which consist of clay and slate. Gold is, I hear, to be 

 found at the head waters of some of the streams, though 



never worked. With the exception of the valleys, th 

 whole surface of the Tavoy country is covered with dense 

 forest, which has never been cleared, beyond patches here 

 and there, in the vicinity of the Ullages. Travelling is 

 extremely difficult on this account, and more so, as there 

 are no roads to travel by. Many of the trees are found 

 to produce a bright gamboge. 



The cool season commences at the close of the rains' 

 in October, and continues until the middle of February' 

 when the hot weather prevails. The rains begin in May' 

 and continue to the middle of October, although slight 

 showers frequently occur in the cold season, when the 

 weather is pleasant ; the thermometer scarcely reaching 

 85 ® in the shade, and sometimes, in the mornings, falling 

 as low as 56 ° . The winds prevail from the east, and are 

 of a very considerable force, especially in the monsoons. 

 During the months of December, January, and February, 

 heavy fogs prevail in the mornings till about 9 o'clock, 

 •and it is at this season of the year that the greatest 

 thermometric range is observed, occasionally as much as 

 30 ^ in one day. The rainfall varies from 160 to 220 inches 

 in the year. The average during the mouths are, January 

 to May, 30 to 40; Jime to September, 160 to 180, and 

 from October to December, 1 to 10. The temperature in 

 the shade varies during the day, as iu Rangoon. The 

 area under cultivation is barely more than l-17th of the 

 whole area of the district, yet there are 3,550 square 

 miles of waste laud lying idle waiting to be cultivated. The 

 best soil to be found is in the Amherst district, to the north. 



The products at the present moment are chiefly rice, 

 sugarcane, beetle-nut, dhauee, pan-vun, and mixed fruits 

 and likewise a small amount of cotton, fibres, tobacco, and 

 vegetables. In addition to this, there is a large hill-garden 

 cultivation, The soil is not considered particularly rich, and 

 the average outturn of rice is 1,270 lb. toanacre. In fruit 

 trees the country is very rich, containing many varieties. 



The average prices of labour I quote from the Adniini.stra- 

 tion Reports: — Daily hire of a skilled labourer. Re. 1-4; 

 unskilled As. 8; and that of a cart. Re. 1-8, whilst that 

 of a boat is Rs 7. The manufactures are salt and e.irthern 

 pots, of which the former is made from sea-water, and 

 entirely consumed in the district. Up to the present mo- 

 ment no European has attempted to plant in this district, 

 except Mrs. Heifer, the wife of Dr. Heifer, a German. 

 She started a plantation in 1840 at Mergui, and, having 

 lost her husband shortly afterwards, who was killed by 

 the natives iu one of the islands in the Archipelago, she 

 trusted the estate to her brother. He eventually, through 

 sickness, had to leave, so that the plantation was without 

 anyone to manage it. This lady, becoming involved in 

 some difficulties of a pecuniary nature, neglected to go 

 out again, and in the meantime the German Government 

 were entering into negotiations with the East Indian Com- 

 pany regarding the land, so that the plantation became 

 completely wrecked through want of attention. The plant- 

 ation at the time consisted of 2,000 acres, and contained 

 150,000 young areca palms, 6,000 nutmegs 6,000 coffee plants, 

 and 50,000 coconuts. Mrs. Heifer has written a book known 

 as " The Travels of Dr. and Mrs. Heifer," and from her re- 

 marks, it would lead me to suppose that, until these complic- 

 ations I have mentioned above arose, the plantation was in a 

 flourishing contbtiou. Since then, as I have stated, no 

 other Eurojiean has attempted to cultivate this vast amount 

 of w.a.ste land. I\Iergui, I should say, is not in the Tavoy 

 District, being slightly to the south. I am informed on 

 very reliable information that it would occupy planters a 

 few years before they could clear the jungle. Labour is 

 most difficult to obtain, either from Bengal or Madras, 

 and, when the cuolies do .arrive, they are generally very 

 independent. I have known an Engineer on the Sittang 

 Railway, which is under construction to Tounghoo. take 

 some hundreds of coolies up to river to work, but they 

 all returned as they said they were unable to live. My 

 firm opinion is that the Tavoy District is more favorable 

 for mining operjitions, in which the country is very rich, 

 rather thau for planting purposes. — IwUf/o Flanters' Gazette. 

 [From what is stated in this article, it is evident that 

 the great difficulty planters in the hill-country of British 

 Burma mil have to contend with is that regarding labour, 

 which is, at present, scarce and dear. — Ed.] 



