November 



1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



4ir 



texture of which must oorreapond exactly to that of 

 the cutting, and, after splicing and claying in the 

 manner described for grafting, plant firmly in sandy 

 sail, taking the precaution to bring the clayed portion 

 below the surface. The rooting process is {jreatly 

 facilitated by placing a piece of briolt or broken chatty 

 at the base, so that the succirubra end rests upon 

 it. In 5 to 8 weeks most of the cuttings should 

 be wellrooted, and may then be lifted gently 

 and transplanted into a well-prepared ami 

 shaded nursery bed. Tho above system can of course 

 Duly be adopted during moist or monsoon weather, 

 but success can be attained all the year round by 

 practising in a suitable propagating house. I will 

 describe another method before concluding, which can 

 be carried out with great success in a propagating 

 bouse or frame. 



Prepare the grafts, as recommended at the com- 

 mencement, and jjlant firmly up to the collar in a 

 bed of fairly good soil under a propagating frame, 

 and give the whole a gentle watering. Have ready 

 a quantity of finely, sifted, clean brickdust, with which 

 fill up to the point just .above the clayed part. This 

 precaution will effectually prevent withering, and 

 keep the grafts plump and cool until they are 

 established, and a gentle sprinkle with a syringe 

 morning and evening on bright days will greatly 

 assist in conserving the necessary amount of atmos- 

 pheric moisture. For the first few weeks, shading 

 will be necessary , and ventilation should be given 

 judiciously, when the temperature exceeds 70° — Fahren- 

 heit.— I am, sir, yours faithfully, W. T. KEMP. 



CINCHONA AND COTTON SEED FROM 

 AMERICA. 



Sept. 13th, 1882. 

 Dear Sir, — Mr. Millie's interesting letter in a re- 

 cent issue of the Obaerver I think calls for a few 

 words of assurance from iVie to the purchasers of the 

 calisaya niorada seed recently sold by Mr. Symons 

 on my account. There can be little doubt that all 

 Mr. Millie says is true, and that it applies with 

 equal truth to Bolivia, from whence the morada seed 

 came, as to Peru, the moral being that from seed 

 collectors and olficial sources it is almost hopeless to 

 expect genuine seed ; for, whereas the former, if too 

 well acquainted with the best kuid to be misled, 

 may expect forcible obstruction, the latter will as 

 certainly have their requisitions liberally satisfied 

 with spurious supplies. That this is so, 1 have fur- 

 ther proof m a letter lately to hand from Mr. Moens, 

 referring to the manner in which their Con.sul had 

 been imposed ou : — " From our Consul, Mr. .Scliuhkraft, 

 we got large consignments of calisaya seed, which 

 proved after several years to l)e really 'trash,' though 

 tho seed was guaranteed pure, and of the best C. 

 moi'ada, vera, Boliviana, &e. In his last letter he 

 warned me not to buy any seed sold in Bolivia, as 

 all the gi'owers try to sell the worst stuff they can 

 get." And it is curious that my reply — referrmg not 

 only to officials, but, strangely enough, suggesting the 

 difficulties named in the way of seed collectors — should 

 now unwittingly receive exact confirmation from Mr. 

 Millie. That it all points to great ditficulties in the 

 way of getting reliable seed, there can be no question. 

 But it cannot be said to debar the possibility of pro- 

 curuig the best kinds, es]5ecially if in small quantity, 

 privately from the large laudowniers there who are 

 now cultivating extensively, and particularly as in 

 the present instance, if tlie seed be supplied as a 

 personal favour. Apart from the fact that my brother, 

 from long residence in the country, is likely to know 

 who to trust and who not, that it came in husk 

 (though disappointing enough to me financially, the 

 seed when cleaned counting by ounces instead of 

 pounds) goes, I think, far to suppoi-t the assumption 



that the seed he has sent is genuine, and as stated 

 "A 1." The small size of the capsules and seed, I 

 also think, may tend to support the firm confidence 

 I continue to have in its merit, though unaware that 

 this can be justly considered a set rule. Specimens 

 have gone to Mr. Moens, and go to Dr. Trimen, for 

 their opinions, and I shall be happy to send a little 

 to other local experts who care to do so, to examine. 

 I am further endeavouring to procure the fullest in- 

 formation regarding it from South America, and also 

 analysis or samples of the bark, in order that the 

 quality of the variety may be more positively determ- 

 ined, for I think I may fairly add that I feel as 

 keenly anxious to know the introduction a success, 

 as others at present possessing it can. 



Whilst wi-iting, and as, though uo more is for sale, 

 it is being distributed, and has already, what has 

 been sown (as also the maize blanc), germinated freely, 

 it may be well to mention the Peruvian cotton again, 

 as it seems to have attracted no notice, and I fancy 

 this may be due to an impression that it is a plant 

 similar to the ordinary American or Brazilian cotton, 

 both annuals requiring a moist climate, and a failure 

 here, I fancy, so far where tried. The Peruvian cotton 

 on tlie contrary is a perennial, thrivmg in a very 

 dry hot climate. According to Markham, it is in 

 such a climate an enormously profitable cultivation, 

 and I think it will repay any of your x-eaders inter- 

 ested in the hot and dry districts of the low- 

 country to look up the very interesting account he 

 gives of it. J. C. R. 



(Extract from Markham.) 



" The Peruvian cotton tree grows to 15 feet in 

 height with a branch 6 inches in diameter. It would 

 probaljly live 20 years. But it is usually cultivated 

 as a shrub to be within easy reach of the pickers. 

 It sends down a very long tap-root, and the lateral 

 roots are usually few and short. The Pinra cotton 

 (Ahjadon de Pinra) is a slirub generally considered 

 to require from nine to ten months to mature its 

 first crop. Afterwards it ijroduces eveiy six months. 

 When two or three years old, good plants have yielded 

 in one crop 8 to 121b. of cotton, and even 181b. 

 About 130 bolls give 1 lb. of cotton. The plants 

 usually stand about 15 feet apart, and in 3 years be- 

 gin to interlock. From 5th year the yield degener- 

 ates in quality and quantity, and at the 6fh or 7th 

 year the bushes are stubbed up and the gi'ound re- 

 sown. Taking the plants at 15 feet apart, there are 

 in3 to an acre, yielding 1,544 to 2,3161b. The 

 Payta cotton is very white and soft with good length 

 of staple. Yea cotton has the habit of Pinra cotton, 

 and can be scarcely distinguished from it, but it pro- 

 duces the largest pods with the most numerous seeds, 

 and consequently the greatest quantity of cotton. 

 The respective lengths of the staples of the different 

 kiuds of cotton compared witli Peruvian are as fol 

 lows : — 



Minimnni Maximum Yearly 

 ineheg, inches. inches. 



Sea Island 1-41 1-80 1-61 



Egyptian.. I'.SO 1-52 1-41 



Peruvian MO 1-50 1-30 



Brazilian 1-03 1-31 1-17 



New Orleans O'SS 1-16 r02 



New Orleans grovvni in 



India 0^05 1-21 I'OS 



Indigenous Indian .. 0'77 1'02 0'89 



N.B. — 1,544 lb. per acre per crop is equal to 3,088 



lb., or at 25 cents R772 per acre annually.** 



* But do the figures represent clean cotton, or cotton 

 with the seed still in it ? Markham seems to indicate 

 clean cotton, but the yield seems incredible. — Ed, 



