September i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



193 



When I received your first number (some twelve 

 months ago) I thought you would have some difficulty 

 iu jilling up tuch a number every month, but, whether 

 owing to the extensive and varied nature of your 

 subject, "Agriculture," or to your wondrous faculty 

 of aggregatum, jou have Cfitainly succeeded iu pro- 

 ducing a volumhious volume of carefully collected 

 and well written information — a volume which ought 

 to be found on every planter's table and in every 

 me rohaut's office, as well as in every kachcheri and 

 lilirary iu the tropical world. 



Perhaps you will allow me space for a few remarks 

 on No. 1.3, which lies before me. On pages 1001-7 

 an old friend writes in his usual graphic and iuteri-st- 

 ing style on " New Products in the Lowcountry." But 

 is ho not a little behind the age, iu this day of 

 "Scowen's transplanters" and Liberian coft'eo peed 

 at Rl per 1,000, with his "baskets" and consequent 

 expenses and trouble in watering, etc.? His reason 

 for using baskets is that by this plan he has fewer 

 plants destroyed by crickets. If he knows the percent- 

 age of destruction in the nursery let him put in extra 

 seed sufficient to cover the loss, and in ten moriths' 

 time he will find his undisturbed plmts will be far 

 stronger and bet'er thou those coddled in baskets and 

 will cost him less per thousand too, which is not an 

 unimportant item in such calculations. As to '*shade" 

 for cocoa, Mr. Prestoe (page 1079) say's : — " Some 

 varieties require sliade to thrive well, others do not." 

 My {ppinion is that, with the variety generally cultiv- 

 ated in Ceylon, shade ought to be provided for two 

 years or so and then be removed. The most inex- 

 pensive and efficient (from the beginuinu) shade, 

 with a minimum of demand on the resources of the 

 soil, will be found in the trees already standing on 

 the land to be planted. Let the planter judiciously 

 — ('. e. taking into account the nature of the tree, 

 the size, etc., of its roots — select and mark off trees 

 sufficient for slight shade and breakwinds ; let the 

 "woodman spare such trees." The planter will not 

 "burn off" tuch a clearing: he will simply lop and 

 clear sufficiently to hole and plant. Coco.\ jjlanting 

 under such conditions will have fewer failures and 

 will be less liable to be attacked by white ants? 



The communication signed "Udagama" (p. 1004) 

 will repay perusal. But it "Udagama" can I'fford to 

 be wise, he will not allow his .3 year old cocoa trees 

 to n^ature and ripen as many as 60 pods each ; 

 let the trees pass their 4th year first. Uemekia on 

 Liberi'in coflee :^0n a small clearing close to my house 

 and under constant observation I find that it is only 

 small, sickly, badly-grown trees that are affected. 

 The question is, whether the sickly state of the tree 

 is the cause or the effect of the disease. I am strongly 

 of opinion that it is the cause.. If such trees are 

 "centres of iniectiou," wliich J doubt, or whether this 

 is so or not, all such trees ought to be rooted up and 

 burnt; otherwise they will "cumber the ground" and 

 niai/ injure their neighbours. 



I do not bilieve in any special "di'.-ease-reeiatiug 

 Liberian coffee" {see page 107.3). My belief is that all 

 healthy, well-grown trees will resist disease. But as it 

 is as well at this stage of our knowledge of the subject 

 to take every precaution and also because the best 

 seed ought to be produced by th« best trees, all seed 

 in -future should be taken from .?o-CHlled "disease- 

 resisting trees." From Mr. Carry's letter (p. 1018) it 

 would appear that the battle of the "vaporizers" is 

 approaching, Carry v,s. Storck. I have read with 

 pleasure ycur article on page I0S4. I am a believer 

 in the "adverse intluence of the sun spots" tWeory 

 and imagine that our long-suffon'ng friend C, arabica 

 would be better of with less vapour and moie sun. 

 Those lays of the sun which produce chemi'^al effects 

 are called "actinic rays," and it is tlie opinion of | 

 scientists that with the maximum of sun spots we have ] 

 25 



the minimum of actinic rays. Ten years ago, Pro- 

 fessor Roscoe invented an instrument to test the truth 

 of this theory. The instrument was handed over to 

 the Russian Government, and the results were to be 

 known in about 10 years. Have you heard of this 

 insirument, or of the results of its use? During the 

 perihelia of the four major planets, the sun spots 

 visible to us will increase or decrease in proportion to 

 the number, etc., of the planets appearing at the earth 

 side of the sun. If Jupiter and Saturn happen to be 

 at our side of the sun, the sun-spots will doubtless 

 be very few and so the much-dreaded perihelia may be 

 a blessing in disguise. If, however, the sun comes 

 between us and our gigantic neighiiours, the sun spots 

 will increase at the aarlh side, and grand disasters 

 may follow. Can " Isis " enlighten us on this point? 

 Gardeners will find on xjage 1021 an interesting article 

 on "Root-grafting Roses." Land owners in the 

 neighbourhood of the great mail port might with 

 ndvantage study the articles on " Orange Cultivation" 

 on pages 1027 and 1030. Planters who wish to increase 

 their "screw" will find some hints on the subject in 

 an article by Mr. Cooper on page 1032. I commenl 

 the article on the cultivation of tlie " fragrant weed," 

 page 1035, to all whom it may concern, but especially 

 to the notice of our pioneers at Mahatissarama (I think 

 that is the name of the tfink visited by the Governor the 

 other day). Cinchona and tea planters have a large 

 share of attention. "Graphite" belongs to the agri- 

 culture of a former age ; still a notice of it is not cut 

 of place here (page 1061), for it may form the "mineral 

 wealth" of some lowcountry estates. Merchants and 

 planters will read with profit the extracts given on 

 pages 1078-79-80, from Mr. Prestoe's report. His 

 recommendation in paragraphs 347 and 348 are worthy of 

 consideration here. We shall soon require a " Central 

 Receiving F.\ctory" for both Liberian coffee and 

 cocoa, where small proprietors can sell their produce 

 and where Liberian coffee and cocoa can be properly 

 prepared for the market. Wishing you every success 

 and a large circulation of the T. A. past, ju-esent and 

 to come. is' irefonos. 



TEA AS AN INVESTMENT. 



A good properly for investors should have a capital 

 net exceeding five hundred rupees per acre. We 

 know that many fine gardens have not cost so much 

 as this, and we could also point to some which have 

 cost nearly three times this amount. As a general 

 rule, five hundred rupees per acre should b' the capital 

 value of a good garden. This then is the first thing to 

 find out. Another important item is the yield. A garden 

 in bearing should give four hundred pounds per acre. 

 Many give more, but, if the property turns out this 

 quantity all round, that is another point in its favour. 

 We next come to cost of production : that should not 

 exceed eight annas per pound. We are quite aware 

 that, in most of the Assam districts, labour is very 

 much higher than in other localities, but the climate 

 of Assam is so much more favourable to quantity, 

 that we consider the question of labour equalized. In 

 Assam, what with deaths, runaways, and bonuses, we 

 are (jnite prepared to hear that each adult costs his 

 company eight to ten rupees per month, while in the 

 Upper Provinces labour can be had in nbundance at 

 rates running from four to five rupees. The climate 

 there, being, however, not so conducive to heavy flush- 

 ing, wo do not hiok on the advaut.age of c'leap labour 

 as beinj of such primary importance after all. 



An important point is: wliat does the future of tea 

 hold out by way of inducement to inveslors? This 

 important point turns on that other: will 1 'st sea,=on's 

 prices be maintained or not ? Three can :> s are said 

 to have operated last seaeon to keep the prices up, 

 and the i^ucstiou is : to which of these was the iucreaes 



