November i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



415 



A Cateupill.ae Plague in South Australia ia thus 

 noticed hy the Jnmesfovm Agricultural Rcvioii :— 

 "Myriads of caterpillars are making their appearance 

 in the most northern nreas." 



fiio. — Tho ''Centro fla Lavonra e Commercio" pro- 

 poses to hold another nmional coffee exhibition in thia 

 ciiy diirinf^ the lirst half of September next, and for that 

 purpose circulars have been sent out to the planters 

 asking for the remission of samples. — R'to Nncs. 



CovEKiNi! FOR CiNCHON'A Teees. — Our attention has 

 been called lo a patent waterproof piper manufact- 

 ured liy a Company in the suburbs of London, which 

 seems admirably adapted to take the place of moss 

 or grass ns a means of protection to Cuichi-na trees 

 after the bark has been stripped. It is light, very 

 e»8ily applied, quite impervious to wet, and by no 

 means expensive. The charge is, we understand, two- 

 pence per vard of 54 inches width, so that the cost 

 per tree would be trifling. — Planters' Gazette. 



A New Vine Disease.— Our travelling contributor, 

 writing from Finn nee, states that a nt'W disease in 

 the viues has manifested itself in Italy, where it 

 made its first app'-arance in some vineyards in the 

 neighbourhood of Uranarolo. It is an insect locally 

 known as the A pate — the Sinoxylon iintricatuni of en- 

 tomologists. When it has reached its fidl growth, it 

 is less than a centimetre (three-eighths of an inch) 

 in length, dark coloured, with a redd sli metallic lustre, 

 and somewhat resembling a small fl^\ It attacks the 

 wood of vines from one to three years old, anri bores 

 tunnels in them, which are visible to the naked eye. 

 It exhibits a great predilection for the knots, in 

 which it burrows. Shortly afterwards the leaves, 

 grapes, and branches springing from them dry up 

 and wither away. When it has found a congenial 

 nidus it lays its eggs, and completes its life-work. 

 The Apate ordinarily attacks the weaki-st pkants, but 

 strong and healthy ones do not escape its ravages. 

 Tho iujurics which the insect is capable of iuHicting 

 are stated to be so serious as to necessitate the ad- 

 option of immediate measures for its destruction when- 

 ever it exhibits itself. At present it seetns to be 

 uncertain whe'her the Apate is a novel enemy of 

 the vine-tree, or nhether it is one of the many 

 parasites which have from time to time preyed upon 

 it, and which favourable conditions have stimulated 

 into exceptional activity. — Melbourne Argits. 



Fruit. — The Monstem deliciosn h a fruit only re- 

 quiring to be tasted to be at cmee .appreciaiod. At 

 present it i? a rarity, and but few have bad their 

 palates tickled by its exquisite flavour ; it may be 

 gratifying to such as have not to know that it is 

 truly delicious, as its name imports. In shape the 

 fruit is Sun ethmg like a very large ban;ina from 8 

 inches to 9 inches long. It has a scaly rind, which 

 comes off easily whi n ripe in square pieees, and the 

 eatable portion is a pulp about as sofl as a very ripe 

 banana, sur ounding a small hard core. The flavour 

 is a blending of tue pineapple and the banana, and 

 like the l;itter fruit for juice, and can hardly fail 

 to please all comers. The plant evidently loves moist- 

 ure, and is to a gnat extent a parasite ; for in its 

 native habits it runs over and roots on logs on creek 

 sides and in moist places, but it is sufficiently accom- 

 modating to thrive fairly in ordinary garden soil, 

 with a good-fized lump of hardwo"d to cling to. 

 Almost anywhere upon the coist country of Queensland 

 it will succeed, but the more tropical the climate the 

 betti !■ it will thrive. It is quite ornaunntal with 

 its large glossy divided leave.-, and, although not a 

 rem.arkably jiroliHc bearer, should have a place in 

 every good collection. The fruit takes about a twelve- 

 month from the time it first appears until it ripens, 

 so that patience is called for before it cati be enjoyed. 

 — Qtieenstander, 



Mysore and Malabar Cardamoms Grown at 

 Kanoala. — I beg to tliank a correspondent for an en- 

 tire plant of the Mysore cardamom with one branch 

 of fruits attached to it, and another of the Malabar 

 one. The former is from a plant of 2t) months, growth, 

 and is 9^ feet long with very fine clusters of frui's 

 on the flowering stalk, which is 30 inches in length. 

 The iMalabar variety is from a plant of 22 months' 

 growth, and measures 8 feet 4 inches, with the fruit 

 stalk 20 inches. The Mysore plant is very robust 

 and evidently a more proliflo variety than the other. 

 By a curious coiucidence the native gardener in 

 charge of the Government experimental gardens at 

 Ilenaratgoda showed me on Saturday morning sdma 

 cardamom pl.ants grown in a corner of the forest un- 

 der dense shade, and which were loaded with fruits, 

 but he infoimed me that the fruits had three eneniirs 

 to contend with, viz., the commonlow country mnnkey, 

 rats, and grub. The plants were tall, rolmst, and 

 seemed to be bearing well here, hut then the soil 

 and shade in the Henaratgoda gaidens are exception- 

 ally good. Some time ago some plants were sent to 

 me with the flowers and fruits growing abnormally 

 in the axils of the upper leaves : can any of your 

 correspondents tell me if this mode of flowering is 

 of rare occurrence, or whether it is common to any 

 variety of the cardamom plant cultivated in Ceylon? 

 — W. F. 



A Tea Par.adise. — A correspondent sends the fol- 

 lowing glowing account of some of the country near 

 Ailams Peak as well suited for tea culture :— " iCuru- 

 witte, 27ih September. — In view of the increasing 

 demand for Ceylon teas at home, as ascertained 

 through public and private sources, but principally 

 througli the latter, nil localities suitable for tlie pio- 

 duction of this article should be placed more before 

 the general public, and there are few places in the 

 island more admirably adapted for the cultiva'ion 

 of tea, yet so little known, as the Kuruwitte and 

 Nawadun-korales ; they deserve to be taken more notice 

 of than they hitherto have been. This district, per- 

 haps, contains the largest reserves of forest at present 

 available for tea cultivation, and also other new pro- 

 ducts, not to speak of the chenaed and other lands 

 which, from the estraordinary c^ mbination of humidity 

 and heat that obtains here, forcing out great quant- 

 ities of leaf, are of considerable value. J he soil is 

 good, being of a nch surface aid a free sandy sub- 

 soil, in places of very considerable depth, and good 

 natural drainage. The lay of land is all that 

 could be desired. The rainfall at Katnapura 

 averages about 150 inches in the year, with a .slight 

 increase as one approaches the A^lam's Peak range ; 

 but, by some influence ihe precipitous hills exercise 

 on lis condensation, it principally tails at night, leaving 

 the days alteinaling tunshine with showers, and very 

 hot and steamy. The value of ibis combination for 

 flushing cannot be overrated, and in consequence of 

 the extraordinary absence of wind the flushes are 

 not liable to be checked. The elevation ranges from 

 100 to 2,000 feet, and higher, if preferred. His Ex- 

 cellency tne Governor's opening a' ilressto the Council 

 last week gave us the very gratifying intelligence 

 that our wished-fiu- road had been voied ; the trace 

 is carried close past what would be likely the great 

 centre of the district. Iransport to Colombo would 

 be always reasonable, as the rates for caithire (the 

 road from hanapuia is 57 miles) would be held in 

 bounds by the option of water-carriage lo Kalutara. 

 A further advantage here is thai, for a low-l_\irg 

 country, the population is scanty, and thus would 

 not interfere so much with the purchase of large 

 tracts of land. 1 can confidently predict that, before 

 many years have passed, ihis district will rank as 

 one of the largest and best teaprodnoing localities 

 in Ceylon." 



