September i, 1882,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



C. OFFICINALIS. 



TJdapusaelawa, 22nd July, 



Dkar Sir,— Iu your issue of the ISth instant ap- 

 pears a letter about a successful clearing of C. of- 

 ficinalis in Bogawantalawa. Any one not well ac- 

 quainted with the facts concerning C. officinalis 

 would think this letter and statement rather startl- 

 ing, considering how much this variety of cin- 

 chona h;is been run down these last twelve months 

 or so past, by many who have not been success- 

 ful with it. But any one who would like to see 

 C. officinalis growing to great perfeo'ion need not 

 go many miles out of Nuwara Eiiya towards Kanda- 

 pola and Upper Udapussellawa, when they will 

 see some splendid fields of this variety of cinchona 

 at all ages from one to five years old If I am not 

 out of place, I will mention three or four estates in 

 which C. officinalis is growing most luxuriously in 

 Kandapola and Tullibody, there are fields of 

 beautiful trees three to five years old, and also on The 

 Park and part of Eskdale adjoining the Park there 

 are some very fine fields, lookmg very healthy and 

 strong, Ijetwcun three and four years old. Altogether 

 between thi'se last-mentioned estates I should think 

 there were 150 to 180 acres of this age, and so 

 far it ia a pretty sight. Part of Kenmare has some 

 fine cinchona, but it is rather mixed. There is also 

 a fine field of C. officinalis in Dovedale, at Kanda- 

 pola Gap. Hillside, Concordia and Brookside can 

 show some fine C. officinalis, and also other estates 

 in this neighbourhood, the names of which I cannot 

 recollect just now. But the fact is so little is said 

 about this beautiful part of Ceylon, that very few 

 know how successful some have been with this vari- 

 ety of cinchona, and I fenl certain there ia yet 

 a bright future for both cinchona and tea at Kanda- 

 poUa.— Yours faithfully, C. OFFICINALIS. 



NATIVE BUYEPvS OF CINCHONA BARK IN 

 THE PLANTING DISTRICTS : A CAUTION. 

 Maskeliya Valley, 26th July 1882. 

 Sir,— The Order of the Bath is to be obtained gratia 

 up here. Tea and'cinchona planting are all the go, as 

 you are well aware. Tea planting at stake appears 

 to be the thing. But planters must keep their 

 "weather eye" open. An " oriental" is knocking 

 about " offering to purchase cinchona bark at 25 

 cents per pound, " and what 'a more the coolies on an 

 adjoining estate are well aware of the fact. If all 

 planters refused to sell their bark to such fellows, 

 pending robbery might be thwarted ; but, it they 

 once come to terms with a planter, the bark bought 

 would be held up as an excuse, while pounds of 

 bark at 25 cents might be made away with by estate 

 coolies. Action is wanted and joint action too, or 

 " look out for squalls." — Yours truly, ALPHA. 



SOLUBLE PHENfLE AND INSECTS. 

 (To the Editor, "Madras Times.") 



15th July. 

 Sir, — In reply to a " Bellary Boy's " appe.al, which 

 appeared in your issue of the 14th inat, , 1 would strongly 

 advise him to procure a bottle of Little's Soltihlc Phenyle 

 from Messrs. Norton & Co.. of the Mount Roa'i, Madras. 

 Asmill quantity of this liqidd, diluted with water in 

 the proportion of 1 in 50, and sprinkled near the places 

 which black ants and cockroaches usually frequent, will 

 disperse them in a few minutes. FACT. 



No. n. 



Young Rotshchild, July 24th 1SS2. 

 De.\r Sir. — In your issue of 22nd 1 see a corre- 

 spondent "Knose," asks " What ia the best thing to 

 SO 



kill insects in a nursery bed ?" Speaking from actual 

 experience, as fur as cinchona is concerned, tlie best 

 insecticide is the Phenyle yiui meuti)ned in your foot- 

 note to his letter. Tiiis preparation is in the form 

 of a highly concentrated liquid, and requires dilnting 

 with water only. I refrain from saying more, not 

 wishing to make your corresponJence columns the 

 mednim of advertizing an article for which I am the 

 agent, but if "Knose" will communicate with me 

 direct, I shall be very glad to (^ive him or .any one 

 else tiie fullest particulars. — Yours fnithfuUy. 



JOHN N. GRANT. 



CINCHONA. 



[To the Editor, "Australasian."] 

 Sir, — I shall bo greatly obliged if you can afTotJ 

 me the following information: — 1. — What porti m of 

 Northern Australia is best adapted to the growing of 

 cinchona? 2.— How much capital is required per 

 acre 3. — How long before one gets any return ? 

 4. — What is the average yield of bark per aer- ? 

 Melbourne. CINCHONA. 



[The best parts of the Northern Territory would be 

 the sheltered slopes of the higher lands, where the 

 Boils are good and the rainfall regul.ar. Mean temper- 

 ature, about GO deg. or 05 deg. One acre of land, 

 in South India — Clearing, lOr. ; planting, 20r. ; main- 

 tenance (as replacing plants that have died, weeding, 

 &c.) per acre, per annum, 70r. 4,800 trees planted 

 on one acre ; at the fourth year thin out to 2,400 

 trees, which would yield about 1,2001b of bark, value 

 Ir. per lb. l,200i-.; at sixth year thin out to 1,200 

 trees — yield, 1.2001b bark, at Ir, per lb,, l,200r.; eighth 

 year, 1,200 trees will yield 21b bark, at Ir, perlb. 

 2,400r. Total, 4,800r. Summary —Expenses : First 

 year, lOOr.; second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and 

 eight year, 420r. Total, 520r. Results (eight years 

 bark as above): 4,8001b bark, 4,800r. Gross profit for 

 eight years,'4,2S0r. Reckoning the rupee at two shillings 

 this would be i.'428. — Australasian. [A too-too satis- 

 factory estimate : no doubt inspired by Mr. H. P^iett. 

 —El.."] 



Indiabubber PL.iNTS. — Mr. W. T. Thiselton I'yer, 

 C.M.G., laid before the Linnean Society on Juno 15 

 an important communication "On the Caoutchouc-yield- 

 ing ApocyuaceiB of Malaya and Tropical Africa." After 

 giving a general sketch of the structm-e and physiological 

 conditions of the occmTence of caoutchouc in plants, the 

 author pointed out that the plants which appeared to 

 yield it in commercial quantity in three n-idely separated 

 regions, all belonged to one tribe of Apocynace.<B — the 

 CarisseiB. In the East IntUes, the Gutta Singgarih of 

 the Malay Peninsrda, the Gutta Soosoo of Borneo, was 

 the produce of a new species of Willughbeia, W. Eur- 

 hidgei. Many other species of this and other allied 

 genera also seemed to produce caoutchouc in quantity 

 worth collecting. In Central Africa, Laudolphia, which 

 was closely allied to WUlughbeia, but difl'ered in possess- 

 ing terminal instead of auxiliai-y flowers, was the most 

 important aoiu-ce. On the East Coast caoutchouc was 

 yielded by L. ovariensis and L. florida, the latter a 

 vei-y ornamental plant. As the rubber exuded from the 

 cut stems it was plastered on the breast and anns, and 

 the thick layer, when peeled off and cut into squares, 

 was called " Thimble rubber." On the W^est Coast the 

 most important species was L. Kirkii, the rubber of 

 which could be wound off into balls or small rolls from 

 the cut stems like silk from a cocoon ; this species waa 

 called " Matere." L. florida also occun'ed, and was called 

 " M'hungu ; " its nihber was worked up into halls, but 

 was inferior in value. The rubber of L. Petersiana waa 

 of little importance. In South America, Hancornia speci- 

 osa yielded what was called " Mangaheii'a " rubber. — 

 Gardciurs' Chronicle. 



