September i, 1882,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



;i9 



FAILUKE OF COFFEE BLOSSOM. 



Mr. Wall, under date 18th July, writes to us : — 

 " Experience is now rapidly accumulating in regard to all 

 our new enterprizes, .and your cxcelleut record of pro- 

 gress in this serial (the Tropical Agriculturist) is of 

 the utmost value and interest. I am ashamed that 

 I have individu.ally contributed so little in the way 

 of correspondence, but I am not therefore idle, and 

 I hope my work may not be altogether fruitless. 

 My long absence from home interferes with literary work. 



"It IS very diseour.aging, and utterly unaccountable, 

 to find so much abortive blossom on coffee trees of 

 luxuriant growth, and scarcely affected by leaf-disease, 

 or by any other apparent malady, as is to be seen 

 all over the coffee districts this year ! Here is a sketch 

 of a branch plucked off a splendid tree full of healthy 

 foliage in one of our very best districts. 



^C o 



,.t' 



CO*' 



,cv" 



" I plucked it whilst asking the manager what had 

 become of the splendid blossom we bad seen on that 

 particular epot on my last visit. His reply was. as 

 he looked at the straggling fruit on the tree, ' That 

 is all I can show for the blossom you saw, and 

 one or two other blossoms besides.' We have evid- 

 ently much yet to learn regarding the conditions 

 necess,ary to fertility in fruit trees. Our home experi- 

 ences prove that trees of luxuriant growth and 

 apparently perfect health become .absolutely barren 

 at times, and h.avo to be forced, by various ex- 

 pedients, into fruit-bearing. What can we do to our 

 coffee? Manure, our great ally, pruning,— and every 

 other ordinary form of attention have all proved in- 

 effeclu.al this year, and indeed for several years, and 

 we Knd colfee trees of every variety of age and con- 

 dition, all involved in one common case, the few 

 exceptions to which are as unaccountable as the rule 

 itself I n.aving closely and diligently studied several 

 of the remarkable exceptions of fruilfulness in the 

 very midst of surrounding barrenness, I can detect no 

 clue to the marvellous discrepancy I Roots, bark, 

 foliage, soil, each and all refuse to render any evidence. 

 It is God that gives the increase, and it is clear we 

 have yet to learn some of the essential laws and con- 

 ditions of His work !" 



> 



THE LEBONG TEA COMPANY, LIMITED. 



Capital £100,000, in 10.000 shares of £10 each, of 

 which 8,207 have been issued. Directors — Sir James 

 Caird, Sir G. U. Yule. Messrs. C. E. Goodhart and D. 

 K. Smith. rea of cultivation, 951 acres. Manager in 

 India — Mr. G. W. Christison. Secretary — Mr. S. 

 Ward. The report and accounts of this concern to be 

 presented to the shareholders at the twentieth ordinary 

 general meeting, convened for today at the Company's 



~~* Li which O represent eyes of last crop. 



~i'. ,, stalks of failed blossoms. 



•~ „ the two formed bei-ries. 



offices, have been issued. The revenue account for the 

 year shows the receipts to be £21,359 8s; less tot.al 

 expeudilure, £13,798 os 6d ; net profit, £7,561 4s Gd. 

 Out of this £2,402 2s was paid in December last as a 

 dividend of 3 per cent. ; .£1,343 lis 5d has been placed 

 to reserve fund. It is proposed to devote £3,232 IGs 

 to payment of a dividend of 4 per cent., making 7 per 

 cent, for the year, leaving the sum of £467 los Id to 

 be carried forward. The profit made by last season's 

 operations was thus more tlian sufjicieut to have given 

 the shareholders a dividend of 9 per cent, on the capital. 

 The cost of the crop of last season laid down in London, 

 inclutliug all home charges, was Is OJd per lb., and 

 the average price realized for the teas was Is 6d 

 per lt>. The yield per acre from the area of plant 

 three years and upwards of age, viz., 729 acres 

 was 313 lbs. The estimated out-turn for this season 

 is 2,90U mds., or 232,000 lbs., i.e., at the rate of 

 278 lbs. of tea from 833 ares of plant three yeai's old 

 and upwards. The general m.auager's full and careful 

 report on the state of the plantati(ins is annexed to 

 the director's statement. The report states that the 

 new garden at Barnesbeg has continued to make 

 satisfactory progress, the produce of last year being 

 213 mds., and the teas from this estate have been 

 much approved by the trade. The extensions on 

 this and the other gardens of the Company may now 

 be considered nearly complete. The estimated yield 

 from Barnesbeg this season is 350 mds., the area of 

 tea three years of age and upwards being 135 seres, 

 which seeuis to be a very full yield from plant, the 

 larger portion of which is but three jears old. The 

 red spider is said to have spread iti ravages 

 to parts hitherto free from it, and as this subject 

 is of general interest, we quote the remarks of the 

 general manager in full :- "This pest is set in later, 

 and checked the flushes less in May and June, but 

 more about the middle and townrds the close of theseason 

 than in 1879 .and 1880. It was more diffused and less 

 severe upon the whole than last year. No parts suffered 

 quite so much as the parts worst affected during the pre- 

 vious two years, though it spread a little more on the places 

 almost free formerly. Many spiders remained alive 

 on ihe plants at the close of the season, and the 

 winter was too mild to greatly check them. At prcnent 

 the pesl is worse on the parts comparatively free hitherto, 

 but taken on the g.arden9 all round it is decidedly 

 less severe than at same date last year. The fields 

 that suffered most were pruned late this season, and 

 as yet the red spider show much less upon them 

 tliau in former years to same date. But it is too early 

 to offer any decided opinion in the mj-sterious matter. 

 The improvement m.ay be more apparent than real. 

 The pest ni.ay merely be coming on later, owing to 

 the late pruning and coldness of spring. It has been 

 spreading at Badiiintam during the latter half, and 

 at Tukvar during the last week of April, and it is 

 certain to be very much woise still by the end of this 

 month. It is but safe, therefore, to reckon that the 

 pest will become fully as general as ever it has been, 

 and that the gardens may suffer as much as last year. 

 And yet we ra.ay at least venture to hope that, 

 owing to its commencing rather late, the bushes 

 during the rains will be better able to resist 

 and grow out of it. The spider was pretty general 

 at Barnesbeg, and many of the bushes of all ages 

 there were very red with it last season. Still the 

 garden did not seem to suffer to any ex ent, and 

 it passed off after a couple of months. At present 

 this division is about as much affected as at same 

 time last jear. The eulpluir had a beneficial efiect 

 last season. One-third of this year's supply has been 

 applied on Mumfick (No, 24) in March, a:id the re- 

 mainder will be put on at Badamtani and Vah this 

 month when the spider is reaching its fullest develop- 

 ment, and should at that stage do most gfod, if not 



