192 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [September i, 1882. 



make the fortune of a stnckowner holding stuck in it. 

 It is graiuUy wuteioJ and grassed, and, of course 

 is thickly dotted with anthills 



This holds good more jjarticularly wifli regard to 

 the land north of Banyan Creek — called Banyan. 1 

 presume, because a peculiar far-spreading sort of fir- 

 tree* grows there. Bfyond we had an experience of 

 the difficulties of vehicular traffic on the road. Half 

 adozeu Chinamen, with five horses in a small dray, 

 were struggling to extricate their property from the 

 boggy road— a light stiff clay. They had only about 

 eight hundred weight of rice, and they hud been six 

 days coming thirty-six miles from Soutbport. When 

 the bog ceases the country becomes nigged and stony ; 

 less useful for patronage or tillage, and more valuable 

 mineralogically. Several quartz-reefs crop up and there 

 are ironstone and greenstone in plenty. 



The most striking upland is Paqualin's Hump— two 

 miles from StSpleton. On it good iron oie has been 

 got, and fi'om its crest you see one of the best views 

 along the whole road. Surrounding hills form an almost 

 perfect amphitheatre, and in the perspective are other 

 elevations rising higher and higher till the last bounds • 

 the horizon. The descent of the Hump is long, stony, 

 and winding. Just below its foot is a somewhat pre- 

 tentious Chinese garden, in which are grown princip- 

 ally the peanut, from which the Chinamen have be- 

 gun to manufacture oil ; the sweet potato, » hich has 

 been grown luxuriously after early failures through 

 ignorance of the proper season in which to plant it ; 

 and Chinese beans. The Chinamen — gathered in a 

 body — did their devoirs to the parly. 



Then you come to Stapleton Creek — named after poor 

 Stapleton, who was killed by the blacks at one of the 

 telegraph stations — which sometimes foams down more 

 than a quarter of a mile wide, but now rippled over 

 an rea of only a few yards in width. There is a 

 ford which' seems to have done much service. The 

 grass all round for some distance has been eaten down 

 and former raukness has become toothsome herbage. 

 There are high-towering hills round the incipient town- 

 ship of Stnpleton, and on the cref-k'e banks grow, 

 besides bright hibiscus, numerous screw-palm and a thick 

 grove of a tall bamboo, which Professor Tate proclaims 

 new to science — a bamboo which flowers periodically 

 on a high stalk, but is not in bloom now. 



"A PERFECT FOREST OF CINCHONA TREES 

 FIVE YEARS OLD. " 

 The description which "E. A. C." is good enough 

 to send us of the successful clearing of Crown Bark 

 trees on the upper portion of Lomoru, Bogawantalawa, 

 will be read with general interest. The all-important 

 point is the age of the trees, for clearings of the same 

 variety, beautifully grown and regular and apparently as 

 prosperous as could be desired, have not been uncom- 

 mon in other districts up to two and even tlu-ee 

 years of age. Then the fatal canker appeared and 

 one after another the trees died out until all were 

 practically cleared off. If the Loinoru trees have 

 lived over five years without any appreciable mortality, 

 the case is decidedly exceptional and well ^^■orthy of 

 the fullest mvestigation. We would recommend there- 

 fore that the Dikoya Association in place of calling 

 for a prize essay, expend then' money in getthig a 

 report from a competent Committee on the circum- 

 stances comiected with the clearmg, the character of 

 soU and climate, the seed or plants used, the mode 

 of planting, &c. " E. A. C." refers in general terms 

 to the comparatively light rainfall and free soil with 

 which the extreme corner of Bogawantalawa is favoured ; 



*Fig-tree. — Ed. 



but a more particular report ought to be of value. Free 

 soil and a medium or light rainfall are not unknown 

 in other districts where nevertheless clearings of the 

 officinalis' species have, in the face of much care 

 and outlay, proved compai-ative failures. The District 

 Association with its energetic Secretary ought to cause 

 an enquiry and report to he made pro bono jnibUco. 



THE TROPICAL AGBICULTUEIST. 

 (Reviewed by a cumpetent authority.) 



Possible Sporting of Coffee and Cinchona. 



The 1st volume of the T. A. has recently been com- 

 pleted by the issue of the June number with its most 

 useful index. New products are discussed here and 

 there in the journal and are steadily maknig their 

 way to the front, especially cocoa. Tea, coffee and 

 cinchona are all well represented by various articles 

 treating of their cuhivation, curing, &c. A large 

 amount of correspondence has taken place about cin- 

 chonas re hybrids. The subject of hybridity is very 

 easily understood. The term cross had better be dis- 

 pensed with, as it is rather a popular than a strictly 

 scientific term. Plants are divided into natural families 

 and these families into general species and vnrieties. 

 Now, it is a well-known fact ihat in the vegetahle 

 kingdom genera near akin, i.e. of the same natural 

 oriler, may become fertilized the one by the other. 

 Such a thing is of rare occurrence, but it has hap- 

 pened in the genus Pyrvs with genus Cralayits, both 

 belonging to the natural oider Rosacea^. The resultant 

 plant is termed a c/erms hybrid, also called a hiijener. 

 Cinchona and coffee belong to the same family, and it 

 is not impossible that some of the sporting of cin- 

 chonas on estates might be due to the pollen of 

 coffee fertilizing the ovules of cinchona. The pollen 

 grains of coffee and cinchona are very similar. In 

 the Slime manner, species near akin may hybridize, 

 which is not at all uncommon in nature. The result 

 of such is termed a specira hybrid. Fertilization is 

 much easier between varieties near akin, and is ex- 

 ceedingly common as every gardener knows, with 

 varieties of genus Brassica, the resultant of such is 

 termed a variefy hybrid. The term cro.ss if retained 

 should be used for this kind of hybi id. Thus we have : — 

 Genus hybrids or Bigeners, 

 Species ,, or Hybrids, 



Variety ,, or Crosses, 



and from these hybrids we have derivative hybrids 

 or combined hybrids. 



When plants are protogynovs (that is when the 

 stigm.i "f a flower is receptive before the anthers of 

 the flower are mature), which is a comrann oocurience, 

 we have a kind of compulsory hybridization. Now 

 looking at the offspring lA planted seeds of cinchona 

 or of fallen seeds, and observing thi.' great sp irting 

 which prevails, it is evident that hybridization has 

 taken place. 



The treatment of coffee leaf-disease is still pursued, 

 but with no definite effects. 



Agricultural education is also taken up in the paper 

 referring especially to woi'k done in the Madras 

 Presidency. The report of the Director of the Botanic 

 Gardens is given in full showing u% the work done 

 th^-iv in the way of introdm ing new plants and of 

 exp-riments carried out. Long may this useful Journal 

 of Agiicultural Information live. 



(From onother correspondent. ) 



1 congratulate yuu on the completion of the first volume 

 of the Tropical Agriculturist, and a goodly volume it is 

 with its 1088 pages, and an index as complete and com- 

 prehensive as the book itself. 



