3S6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[October i, 1882. 



3. — Description of Leaves. 



The second ^ort {§) •'-■<-) generally averages from tbree to five leaves, and the third sort two to three 



leaves. 



4. — Mnmifacturc of Snuff. 



lu addition to chuuain, a few drops of giugely oil or oow-.hee is al^o used to increase its flavour and 

 to preserve it from damage. 



o. — Extent of Cultivation. 

 J he extent under culliNatiou at present must average about 6,000 acres, showing an increase by 

 one-third of what was cultivated in 1871, and the total aiuiual crop wo ild be fairly estimated from 70,000 

 to S0,000 cwts. 



The largest expoi't beyond the Island was 41,986 cwt. in 1880. 



JManuiiny. 

 The following leaves are generally buried for manuring t!ie ground for cultivation of tobacco : — 

 Paunai (lj ■■ gfesr), Kavilay ( i rr oiliffrn-.L'), Kainai (iiifiL@') Ikkeeri (@ Siti), Chatturakkally (<s= j/a if^arrsrfli, 

 Kandai ( ^.i-oOBrssroi-), Piraudai (LSjr«-TOro5)(_), Kaddaroanakku (^r^i-iLoawsEr^), Chooria (y an/,9#)', Vedduk- 

 kuoiiry (Glai,<£i<h^iS.i fS), JMargosa ('iautriq), Punku {.^/s®). Que cartload of the above leaves, &c'., would 

 iMst from 2 to 3 rnpoes. 



Smoking. 



Cocoanut husks and dried nuts of palmirahs, with other common firewood, are used for smoking the 



tobacco. 



"True copy." 



W. C. TWYNAM, 



Government Agent. 



LKi'Tixti A FoRKsr.— The deer forest of Dundonell, iu 

 Scotlaufl, on the estate of Jlr. JIacljenzie, of Duudonell, 

 has iH-en lot at a rent of nearly £3,000. This forest, 

 ineluiling Grviiuanl sliootiugR, extends to upwards of 60,000 

 acres. — Scotsman . 



Eaisino Palms from Seed. — The great demand for 

 Palms, esptcially in a small state, makes the jn-odiiction 

 of these a matter of some moment. Some raise their 

 plants from imported seeds; others, who grow ou a less 

 restricted scale, purchase seedling i)lauts on the Oontiaeut 

 and grow them on into size until fit for sale. Those who 

 raise from seed obtain their seeils from various parts of 

 the world at all times of the year. Jlr. F. Bause, of the 

 General Horticultin-al C'omp,any's Melhourue Nursery, 

 Autriey, raises annually a large nuniljer of Palms, and 

 whether the .species and varieties require warm or cold 

 treatmeut all are treated alike iu the matter of raising 

 p!ant.s from seed. The seeds are sown as soon as received 

 iu pans and shallow wooden boxes; the soil used is turfy 

 loam and a little sand, aud the seeds .are covered about 

 an inch or so. In raising Palms from seed the gre.at 

 point is to get the seed as fresh as po.ssible; and, if per- 

 fectly fresh when received, Arecas will germinate in .six 

 weeks, and C'ocos AVeddeliiana in about the same time. 

 Euterpe edulis is quicker in germinating. A few sorts lie 

 in the soil longer than others. Bactris requires twelve 

 months to germin.ate; one or two at a time will come 

 e.arlier, and at iutervsils, but the bulk take the length of 

 time named. Elais guiueensis requires the same period 

 before the cotyledons appear above the soil. The principal 

 Palms r.aised from seed in this country are: — Euterpe 

 edulis, Areca lutescens, Oocos Weddelliana, C. fiexuosa, 

 0. araara; Bactris Binoti, Geouoma gracilis, G. .Schottiana, 

 G. Seenianui; Thriuax elegans, T. p<arviflora; Keutia au.stralis. 

 K. Fosteriana; Oaryotas, Latania liorbonica, L. rubra, aiul 

 L. aurea. The matter of patting from the seed-pans is one of 

 some importance. Mr. Bause pots within a reasonable time 

 after the plants are something like established in the 

 seed-pans, but it is well not to pot too soon. Each plant 

 is placed individually in a small pot. Some sorts show 

 their peculiar leaf (draracter sooner than others. Latania 

 borhonica will do this in from one to two years; Geonoma 

 .shows its char.aeter in quite a young state, and Oocos 

 "Wedde'liana does the same. O. flexuosa not so soon. It 

 is a iiractice full of interest to the grower to what the 

 gradual development of character in the young plants as 

 they increase in size and vigour. — Oiinleiter^'' Chvonirle. 



The .JrrE Ixdilstry of Dun'dee. — By the American 

 tlonsul Winter. — A Dundee ^manufacturer, who h.'is frequ- 

 ently passed through Ceylon eu route to India, aud 

 who is well acquainted with the nature of the climate and 

 the soil of that island, 'has asserted that jute is a pro- 

 duct suitad for cultivation there, especially iu the south- 

 west side. There has, however, been no .action taken upon 

 this suggestion. — Viiited States Coiisidar jReport. 



The Potato Disease. — A constant succession of small 

 showers js, by the promotion given to the diffusion of 

 the Peronospora spores iu the Potato plant, very rapidly 

 bringing about the defoliation of early sorts, and witli 

 many kinds hardly a green leaf is left. With the second 

 early sorts the black spot is very abundantly visible, whilst 

 the later kmds, having stout robust growth and vigorous 

 leafage, exhibit evidence.-; of the fungus only here aud 

 there. Naturally growers are seeing these disease aspects 

 with considerable alarm, and their fears are not allayed 

 by the too frequent evidences of the presence of the disease 

 in the tubers found on lifting the roots. The theories so 

 ably propovmded by Mr. -Jensen have naturally set intellig- 

 ent growers thinking, aud though many have found it 

 too late this year to test his plan of protective mouldiug, 

 yet they have tested it so far as to ascertain whether 

 the spots of disease now too evident in the tubers bore 

 evidence of external or internal attack. Our own experience 

 so far has resulted in the finding of the disease spots 

 chiefly upon the tubers nearest to the surface, and on the 

 upper sides, except in cases where the basin that in- 

 evitably exists around the stems earthed-upiu the customary 

 fashion has faoiUtated the caiTying of the water down 

 into the nest of tubers at the base of the stems, and 

 thero disease has been found iu various places on the 

 tubers, some small ones being entirely affected. With 

 our crops iu their present somewhat diseased state, the 

 ordinary pnictice with many growers would be to p'lU 

 the hnuhn and remove it; but there now follows t'le 

 tlanger that the loosening of the soil consequent iq)on 

 the pulling of the tops and the inevitable drawing of the 

 tubers nearer the surface is calcirlated to do more harm 

 than good. Disastrous results, too, have so often followed 

 upon very early lifting and storing, that it renders Mr. 

 .lensen's adx-ice. to allow the tubers to remain buried 

 until the fimgoid spores are no longer active in the air, 

 as of mom'-ntous importance. It cannot, however, be too 

 clearly understood that such advice is intended to apply to 

 crops that are moulded as he advi.ses. — Gciri^ou-rs^ ChroniHe. 



