November i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



439 



further on this pomt, but it is coffee not cinchona that 

 is my text, aud my allusion to the latter is but to uaeit 

 RS a paraUel case to strengthen my argument concerning 

 the former. 



We planters of the present generation flatter oin-selves, 

 if we had had the opening up of the old coffee districts 

 of Ceylon, that with our enlightened views, for many succeed- 

 ing decades they would conthiue in their pristine vigour, 

 and be veritable mines of wealth, even at their present 

 advanced age. Now what grounds have we for making any 

 such proud boast, where with all our vaunted knowledge 

 so many have failed to pay cinchona, within the last few 

 years, the necessary attention due to the first proceeding 

 on planting any product, the healthy source of the plants 

 to be cultivated. If, with all bur experience, we have acted 

 so foolishly of late, what grouuds have we for supposing 

 our forefathers exhibited more discrimination ? AVere our 

 coffee nm-series of yore planted with carefully selectt;d seed, 

 fully ripe, off well-grown fully matured trees ? Then, having 

 begun so far well, was a careful selection made of the plants 

 raised when about to be transferred to their permanent abode? 

 I trow not, judging from the care I have seen displayed 

 generally, during even the last few years, in the planting 

 up of clearings. I have seen coffee and cinchona nurseries 

 planted out with no selection of plants, and the refuse of 

 other nurseries eagerly accepted by needy neighbours. I 

 have known seed collected from two year old succirubras 

 for sale, and large packages of unripe seed eagerly bought. 

 We have surely no one to thank but ourselves for the 

 accumulation of evils emptying their vials upon our heads. 

 This same haste to be rich is displayed in every branch 

 of our planting, and we shall soon have to weep over fruitless 

 plantations of other products, if seed from three year old 

 cocoa and eighteen months rubber continues to be germin- 

 ated. On coffee this pratice may not have exactly the same 

 result as on other plants, but we may siurely trace futm-e 

 barrenness and early decay of primaries in great part to 

 some such cause. 



** W." wishes us to believe that to have bred inherent weak- 

 ness in our coffee trees would have required many descents. 

 I tliink not; a flaw one generation back is sufficient to 

 effectually debilitate the immediate offspring. The pro- 

 pinquity of a l>pd tree unfit for reproduction will contam- 

 inate the pollen of a well-niu*tured one in juxtaposition, and 

 cause the failure of any plants raised from their stock. 

 " W." also remarks that he has seen an opened flower 

 form fruit, which cannot have known any extraneous helps 

 to fertilization. Now is any fruit so formed, naturally 

 healthy, and fit for flowing ? Would it uot rather be degen- 

 erate from weakness brought about by too great a strain 

 on the unassisted powers of a spinster flower? — " V." — 

 Ceylon Ti>iie.<. 



PRUNING AND TKAINING THE TOMATO. 



A correspondent asks us to give precise directions for 

 pruning the Tomato, with illustrations, iu the same manner 

 that we have done for the grape-\'ine. It is not practicable 

 to do more than to give general directions, to be applied 

 as the condition of the plant may require, as in an herb 

 like the Tomato, we do not find that regularity of growth 

 presented by the vine. The Tomato plant continues to 

 grow, and to form new stems and new flower buds as long 

 as warm weather lasts, and when the growth is stopped 

 by the first frost, it will be loaded with a large quantity 

 of green fruit of all sizes, as well as many flower buds. 

 Hero is a great waste of strength iu the plant; it sets 

 and contributes to the partial growth of a large quantity 

 of fruit that can never mature. One of the first steps in 

 the garden cultm-e of the Tomato should be, to prevent 

 the partial growth of all thu fruit that can not be ripened. 

 Of course no definite rule cau be given as to the quantity 

 to be removed, but each one must exercise his judgment. 

 It is assumed that the plant is traiucd to a support or 

 trellis of some sort, otherwise pruning wouM be of little 

 use. One object in pruniug should be to remove the super- 

 jSuous small branches that are produced in abumlance, and 

 make a dense, confused mass of foliage. The. pruning to 

 remove the excess of fruit may be combined with this; 

 tho later flowers are borne upon the small, receivtly grown 

 branches, and by removing these altogether, two eniis are 

 ftccnmplishe4l. When one of the main branches of the 



plant has set all the fruit it can ripen, it should be stopped, 

 or prevented from growing any longer. An inspection of 

 the Tomato plant will show that it produces its flowers 

 aud fruit iu a dift'erent matter from most others. A flower- 

 cluster generally springs from an axil, or where the leaf 

 joins the stem, or, as in the grape, appears at a point 

 opposite to the leaf, while it is iu the Tomato midway 

 between two leaves, as shown in the diagram. In stop- 

 ping the growth of a stem, there should always be a leaf 

 left above the cluster, the hue iu the diagram showing 

 where to cut; if desired, as a precaution against accidents, 

 two leaves may be left; in tliis case removing the upper 

 flower-cluster, should there be one above that which has 

 been fixed upon to be the last one upon the stem. When 

 the fruit is partly grown, it will be well to remove all 

 that are deformed and misshapen, and if a cluster pro- 

 mises to be uuusually heavy, it will be well to support it 

 to the trellis by a bit of string. Tlunning the crowded 

 branches, removing the excess of fruit, aud stopping the 

 growth of stems after they have set sufficient fruit, are 

 the ends to be aimed at iu pruning the Tomatu, and iu 

 these one operation usually includes the others. In ap- 

 plying these general rules, which are all that can be given, 

 one, in the first attempt, is not in danger of pruning to 

 excess, but of leaving too much. Those who grow the 

 vegetable in field cidture, gathering the fruit by the bushel, 

 and wasting as much as they use, may ridicule the no- 

 tion ot training and pruuing the Tomato. Many whu have 

 small gardens, and wish to make the most of them, find 

 it a great saving of space, besides giving the garden an 

 air of neatness to train the Tomatoes to a treflis, and if 

 this is done, pruning becomes a necessity. The ease with 

 which the Tomato can be grown in our climate has led 

 to its neglect, and we rarely have the fruit in its best 

 contUtion. Some, who are fond of Tomatoes in the raw 

 state, pay as much attention to the quality of the fruit 

 as they do to that of an apple or a pear. Such will find 

 that Tomatoes cultivated with care, fully developed, and 

 thoroughly ripened in the manner indicated are so greatly 

 superior to those grown in the usual hap-hazard way, as 

 to warrant the slight trouble it involves. — American Acjri- 

 cidiurist. 



NOTES ON USEFUL MYRTLES. 



BT JOHN M. MAISCH. 



One of the mj'rtlcs of tropical America has bei-n in- 

 troduced into and naturalized iu mo^t other tropical coun- 

 tries, where it is highly valued ou account of iis fruit, 

 which resembles a metlium-sized pear with a downy, 

 veined, brittle and thin rind, and containing a whitish, 

 yellowish or reddish pulp, of a very agreeable sweet, 

 acidulous aud aromatic flavour. Th;; fruit is known as 

 ba// jjlv.tn, f/uava or (/uaijava^ and in Brazil as araca miriob 

 and (tracn f/oiaha. It comes from a sinall tree, the Psidiuui 

 Gaava^ Kaddi, under which name two or three nominal 

 species are comprised, chiefly distinguished by the shape 

 of the fruit ; this is either pyriform or globular, the latter 

 apple-shaped or red guava being rci^arded as rather in- 

 ferior to the former, or white guava. The unripe fruit 

 is astringent, and is employed hke other astringents ; the 

 young leaves and buds have similar properties, also the 

 root and the bark, and are used both internally and ex- 

 ternally. The white guava is most esteemed for eating 

 in the raw state ; but the pulp of both varieties is used 

 in the West lutUes in the preparation of two kinds of 

 preserve, which are known as guava j' ily and guava cheese, 

 and furnish a not unimportant article of commerce. 



The dark red spherical, well-flavoured fruit of Fsidhun 

 CatUct/annm, Sabine, has the size of a large plum, and on 

 account of its purplish pulp is kno\vn as purple guava, 

 aud iu Brazil a aracaseiro do camjio ; it is indigenous to 

 Brazil and naturali/.ed in China. 



r^il'uun i/iduecsv, Swartz, is cultivated in the West In- 

 dies for its somewhat smaller, dark yellow aud internally 

 red berry, aud tho fruit of Eui/enia {Mt/rius, Sprengel) 

 pseud o-psidinnt^ Jacquin, is esteemed there under the name 

 of hasfirrd. t/uavii. 



rsidiam iiioatanum^ Swartz, the mountain guava of Jam- 

 aica, has a globular fruit, scarcely h inch in diameter, 

 which, like the flowers, has a bitter almond odour. A 

 species of St. Yincenti J^sidiuni. GnUdi/'i/iamcm, Grisenbach, 



