December i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



46T 



escaped. The great enemy of tea as well as cinchonas 

 in Java is hdopdlis Aniomi (knowii in India and 

 dreaded, next to " red spider," as the tea 

 bug). But tliis formidable insect makes its pre- 

 sence known, not only by its own teeming abund- 

 ance, but by punctures in the leaves which it 

 attacks. But neither have the insects been seen, 

 nor punctures in the leaves noticed, on either 

 gums or cinchonas at Abbotsford. We have heard 

 of cinchonas suffering from the identical disease, 

 which were not in neai- proximitj' to gums, and 

 this also is a point to which Dr. Trimen is sure to 

 give his best attention. It is not likely that we 

 or the superintendent of Abbotsford, who is part 

 owner of the estate, should exaggerate the evil effects 

 of the new pest. Exaggeration is simply impossible, 

 and the one question we are anxious to see solved 

 is whether the fast growing and. therefore, \aluable 

 gums are so clearly tlie./bj(.s et origo of the evil, that 

 it will be a clear duty to sacrifice them and the 

 shelter tliey afford, in order to save still more 

 precious cinchona and tea plants. Grevillea rohusta 

 is a most valuable tree for shade and timber and 

 we have never yet heard of its liability to any 

 disease. But Dr. Trimen will doulrtless examine and 

 report on the whole of the Australian Eucalyp'i and 

 Acnrias, and also other trees grown on estates, as break- 

 winds or otherwise. — We are aware that the gum 

 leaf-disease exists on several estates in Dimbula be- 

 sides Abbotsford, and also in Dickoya, but, without 

 permission, we do not feel at liberty to mention the 

 name of any place save the one we are specially 

 interested in. 



COFFEE 



CULTIVATION IN TRi.VANCORE 

 AND COCHIN 

 We reprint, from a paper received from the Madras 

 Government, a statement of coffee culture in the feud- 

 atory states of Travancore and Cochin omitting the 

 names of five districts in Travancore, from which no 

 returns were received from the planters, although re- 

 peatedly called for by the Dewan. The table, therefore, 

 is incomplete, in the sense of bemg, probablj', much 

 below the trath, for out of 11 districts in Travancore 

 in which coff'ee appears to be -cultivated, I'etums are 

 given only for 6, or a little more than oue-half. 

 Takuig the figures as they stand, we find that 74 

 plantations in Travancore, situated at altitudes vary- 

 ing from 642 to S.oHO feet comprised 6,999 acres of 

 mature plants; 721 of immature, and "taken up, but 

 not planted," 6.925; the total area being 14,64-5. Tlie 

 appro.\imate yield in pounds was 1, 81 5,0.30, giving an 

 average for the portion containing mature plants, of 

 259 lb per acre. The cost of cultivation is given at 

 the moderate figure of R3S per acre "for the province,'' 

 which shews that manuring has been as much inter- 

 mitted in Travancore as in Ceylon. The average yield 

 it will be observed, is not much over 2 cwt. per acre. 

 The statement, so far as it goes, seems to confinn 

 what we have heard, that the coff'ee enterprise in 

 Travancore has suffered mucli more than in the Wynaad, 

 Coorg and Mysore. For Cochin, the returns are for 

 the whole State, which contains 16 plantations at an 

 average elevation of 3,000 feet, with l,500-5 acres of 

 mature plants; 700 acres immature; 5,501 'o taken up 

 but not planted : total 7,709. The approximate yield 

 in lbs ii given at 465,155; the .average per acre of 

 mature coffee at 310 1b and the cost of cultivation per 

 acre at only R22. In the State of Cochin, therefore' 

 coffee would appear to yield better at less cost of cul- 

 tivation than in Travancore ; but comparison is vitiated 

 by the absence of complete returns for the larger State. 

 59 



The totals for the two States must be larger by at 

 least 25 per cent we should think than those given in 

 the table, viz : — 



ari-es. 

 Area under mature plants, 8, 499 '5, yieding lb. 2,280,205 



,, ,, immature ., 1,421 

 Taken up but not planted, 12,426-5 



Total, acres 22,347 

 We should estimate, 



Acres in coffee, at least 15.000 



Taken up but not planted 30,000 



Total, acres 45,000 

 And the yield of coffee, about lb 3,000,000, or say cwt 

 27, 000 in round numbers. 



