June i, 1S83.] 



THE TROPICAL AGEICULTURIST. 



95' 



of the 365 ; in otber words there were ouly 130 rain- 

 leas (lays iu the year. In the ninety days between 25th 

 June and 23rd September, rain fell on every day except 

 one. No wonder if at Hakgala as elsewhere numbers 

 of plants peri'hed from the eifeols of persistent wet, 

 which in high altitudes means persistent cold. Such 

 seasons as we have recently experienced remind us of 

 the old Scotch gardener who said the reason good 

 apples, pears, strawberries, &c., could not be grown 

 in tropical regions was owing to deficiency of heat ! 

 Ho was right in this way;— We have tierce lieat here 

 occasionally, but it lasts, at the utmost, not quite ten 

 hour.s ill the twenty-four, while in northern regious 

 during Bummertime the sun scarcely sets for three 

 mouths, lleceutly, however, excessive rainfall seems 

 to have diminished summer heat in temperate regiona 

 as much as in the tropics. We may rely on it, how- 

 ever, that the sun will in due time reassert hie genial 

 iuHuciices. Meantime we would point out that, in 

 Ceyliin, at least, forest deundation has not diminished 

 rainfall ; while neither here nor elsewhere on the 

 earth's surface has the comet produced excessive lifat. 

 At Hakgala high winds occasionally approaching hur- 

 ricane force accompanied the heavy rains, from middle 

 of May to middle of September, just as was the case 

 at similar altitudes in Upper Dimbula. We have no 

 duubt a set of meteorological instruments have been 

 or will be supplied to Mr. Nock; but meantime, 

 judging from analogy, we are safe in assuming "that 

 the mean temperature of the Gardens at 5,600 feet 

 cannot be higher than 60°. A good deal of forest has 

 been left for shelter, but on the other hand the wind, 

 obeying the same general law as water, must come 

 tumbling and tearing down the rock face, from the 

 summit which is 1,400 feet higher up. On the whole, 

 although shelter cinchona nurseries have succeeded 

 well at Hakgala, it does not seem suitable either in 

 soil or climate for tlie establishment of experimental 

 plantations of the various kinds. With a change of 

 seasons, however, Mr. Nock may have a better 

 account to give. It is curious, however, that 

 Dr Trinien, who mentions leaf-disease and grub, 

 should have said nothing resp'cting the two cauker.s, 

 root and stem, which have proved so fatal to cin- 

 chonas during the past severe season. Neither does 

 Mr. Nock, while recording the "dying out" of 

 Ledgerianas, say anything about the disease, if specific 

 disease there was, What the Doctor says about grub, 

 however, deserves to be noted by planters and scient- 

 ists like our good friends Messrs. Cantlay and Dixon, 

 who give the cockchafer " cusses " credit for attack- 

 ing only unhealthy roots ! On the other hand be it nottd 

 Dr. Trimen's reference to the virulent prevalence of 

 hanileia vastalrix referred to 1882. There is a general 

 feeling that things have improved in 1883. We shall 

 soon know. In part of Netherlands India, we observe, 

 the fungus is exceedingly destructive. The misery of 

 it is that, after the experience witli Libcriau coffee, 

 planters have so little encouragement to try superior 

 cofte'cs, likethat recently coming to the front in Brazil. 

 Like the Jamaica Blue Mountain kind, it would probably 

 be attacked by the fungus as.soon as it got above ground. 

 Dr, Trimen's notices of Arabian coffee and its chief 

 enemies, fungus aud grub, are not encouraging. On 

 the other hand, he states that Liberian colfec, al- 

 though badly attacked by the fungus, continues to 

 yield good crops. Now that the local demand for 

 sold has abated, and that this kind of coffee will 

 make some figure in our exports, it would be well 

 if it were fepor.itely specified iu the Customs re- 

 turns. We can, however, understand the objection 

 of growers to describe their export as Liberian, while 

 a prejudice exists against this "new product" in 

 the Loudon market. The very reverse feeling exists 

 as regards Ceylon-grown cacao, the seeds of which 

 are iu such demand that the article will not for 



some time inaUe any great figure in our export trade. 

 Dr. Trimen's account of the varieties cultiv.ated in 

 Ceylon is interesting, aud it is fortunate that the 

 one which has been longest in existence in our island 

 is of good quality. This industry is advancing, but 

 Dr. Trimen regards cinchona as at present the fore- 

 most product of Ceylon. What the Director says 

 about the growth of inferior kinds has, however, 

 to be (jualified by the fact that the range of climate 

 and soil for Ledgeriana is limited ; while bark of 

 the succirubra, when repeatedly renewed under Mr. 

 Moens' shaving process, vies with the yellow barks 

 in quality. The true policy, therefore, no doubt is, 

 for all who can, to grow Ledgeriana, aud for those 

 who cannot, to devote their attention to succirubra 

 and the robust hybrids or varieties. Dr. Trimen 

 adds another answer to his own argument in favour 

 of the superior kinds by showing how febrifuges 

 composed of the secondary alkaloids are iucreasing 

 in favour and in use. Amongst the millions of 

 Eastern Asia, as well as the fever-smitten inhabit- 

 ants of the Russian and American swamps, in the 

 armies of the nations, and in all places where malarinl 

 fevers and debility afflict humanity, there is enormous 

 scope for the use of the cheaper alkaloids of the 

 cinchona barks. We kuow that English physicians 

 have a prejudice in favour of sulphate of quinine, 

 and we have heard that the German doctors have 

 an equal prejudice .against cinohonine ; but we be- 

 lieve all candid persons, including doctors who have 

 fairly tested the drug, will acknowledge that cin- 

 chonidine, in which our high-grown officinalis, and 

 especially cur red barks, are rich, is little, if at all, 

 inferior to quinine in therapeutic value. Objections 

 on the score of occasional nausea we regard as of 

 little consequence, because emetics are frequently 

 curative of fever. But, wo believe, this nausea ob- 

 jection has been greatly exaggerated. Dr. Trimen 

 deprecates the practice of shaving very young trees, 

 of which the poor planters will say : " My poverty 

 but not my will consents," and our readers will re- 

 collect that we recently quoted the opinion of a 

 planter who had devoted much attention to ciuchona 

 culture, that the shock to comparatively young plants 

 by the shaviug operation is less than iu the case of 

 mature trees. Iu most cases, however, we suppose, 

 3i to 4 years from planting out should be allowed 

 to elapse before the first shaving is performed. We 

 are glad to observe that the Pitayo species hivs 

 beeu introduced. We made an unsuccessful attempt 

 in 1877. The plants we saw growing on Dodabetta 

 had foliage comparaiile to that of Liberian coffee, 

 and we were told that this was the hardiest of all 

 the cinchonas, growing on the Andes up to 10,000 

 feet altitude. If this is coi'rect, the plaut ought to 

 Hourish in our alpine regious in Ceylon. The "hard 

 Carthagena" and the plants which yield cuprea bark 

 have also been introduced. In the latter case, the 

 plants, which were understood to affect low levels, 

 were growing at 6,000 feet altitude. If the cuprea 

 bark trees are really worth cultivation, it may be 

 taken for granted they will receive every justice in 

 Ceylon. They are not true cinchonas, but they yield 

 precisely the same alkaloids, while the barks appear 

 to be easily operated on by the chemist. The great 

 objection to the bark (original) of the succirubra is 

 found iu the large proportion of tannin aud colour- 

 ing matter which exists, aud which renders the ex. 

 traction of the alkaloids a difficult task. For de- 

 coctions, however, we believe, the tanniu is valuable 

 rather than the reverse, and we should think that 

 chewing succirubra bark might be remedial in cases 

 of diarrhoia ? Let us hope that the "morada" aud 

 " verde" varieties of calisaya (?) may meet the ex- 

 pectations formed of them. Dr. Trimen does not saj' 

 much about tea, and he mentions ouly one timber. 



