December i, 1882.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



485 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 



CINCHONA CULTURE. 



Important Infoemaetion : Shaving Cinchona Succi- 



RUBKA TeEES ; COVERINO THE SAME AND THE 

 HaE VESTING OF RENEWED BaeK. 



Kirtoswald Estate, Bogawantalawa, 24th Oct. 1882. 

 Dear Sir, — Followiug is the result of some of the 

 experimeuts made by me, with the object of ascert- 

 aining the age at wliioh succirubra trees should be 

 shaved ; what benefit results from covering, and how 

 renewed baric ought to be harvested. 



The analyses are by Messrs. Rucker and Bencraft, 

 Loudon. Ou remarking on sample D. they say ; — "It 

 is a mistake aending it in the form of quills, this 

 applies to all renewed barks ; the much prized dnirj- 

 gists' quill must be original bark. All renewed barks 

 go entirely by analysis, and not merely appearance." 

 _ Referring to A. B. and C. they say : " Please note 

 cinehonidine is very rich ; this sometimes is a great 

 adyautage, sometimes of less moment. Now, however, 

 this alkaloid is in good demand, and therefore your 

 barks, if offered today (23rd June E. A), would reap 

 the full advantage." 



Six shillings sounds very good for renewed red bark, 

 four mouths' growth, off trees only 5^ years old. It 

 is hard to account for the superiority of the four 

 months' renewal over that of twelve months' from an 

 older tree : — 



Cry. Sul Cincho- 

 Samples. Cry. Sul. of Cinch nine Value per lb. 

 ofQuin. dine. ' Alkd. and remarks, 



per ct. p. lb. p. ct. p. lb. p, ct. p. lb 



A. stem shaving 

 from tree 9 

 years old ori- 

 ginal growth., 2-52 176-4 4-50 315- 0-25 17* 5 4/6 to 5/6 



B. renewed shav- 

 vinys from A, 

 one year's grth, 



Wout co'ring...2'66 186-2 7-o0 525- 0-75 52-25 5/3 to 5/6 



C. stem shavings 

 fi-om trees 5^ 

 yrs. old, four 

 mon.gr., renew- 

 ed under maana 



grass ...3-02 211-4 5-16 360-5 1-10 77- 5/6 to 6/ 



"A very valua- 



D. })le bark " 

 quill from C...3-27 228-9 3-32 232-4 1-35 94-5 5/G to 6/ 



a very valua- 

 ble bark. 

 Yours truly, 

 R. B. ARTHUR. 



CEYLON AND JAMAICA COFFEES COMPARED. 



Bellevue, St. Andrew, Jamaica, Sept. 16th, 1882. 



Sir,— In that most valuable journal, the Tropical 



Af/riculturist, under the heading of " Sales of Ceylon 



Cofiee at Good Prices," 1 lind a letter signed by P, D. 



Millie, in which, after quoting the prices of 



Ceylon coffee (the highest of which is 113s) 



he says :— " E. I. T. states that the prices he 



gives will shew that Ceylon coffee can hold its own 



against the world. I will go further than this. 1 say 



that our fine Ceylon coffees can beat any other; produce 



it where they may." I had little idea that the prices 



obtaiii'^d for tine Jamaica coffee were so little known, 



and i liave much pleasure in sending you what is a 



complete refutation that the " Ceylon coffee can beat 



any other ; produce it, &c." I have before me now the 



priced catalogue of coffees sold in Liverpool forlSSl-S2 



crop bj Messrs. Brancter, Bcswell & Co. I may men- 



62 



tiou this is not an exceptional year ; we have been 

 having lour/ prices for some years, and never under 1283 

 for best brands for the last 20 : — 



Sales 31st March 1882.— SE'\VR 120s; 132s; 140s. EAM 173s. 



Sales April llfh. 1882.— R H C M 125s; 139s; 1403. KAM 130s; 

 136s: 140s. C A ML 129s. C V C M L 115s; 122s. 



Sales 9tli May 1882.— KH GM 137s; 138s. [AML] 130s; 135s. 



Sales 23rd June 1882.— SF WE 127s; llOs; 1403 tSd: 141s. RA 

 M 132s; 140s; 142s. BHCM 110s; 143s 6d. WH 120. ACL 

 125s. C A M L 125s; llBs. 



S.alcs 14tli July 1682.- R A M lOOs. E H C M 135s; 147s. 



Sales 11th August 1982,— CV' CML 117s; 122s. PH CMG 120s; 

 132s; 130s; ISBs. ACL 1203. EH CM 140s; 147s; 146s; 141s EAM 

 112s. SF WE 130s; 140s. WH 1213. 



I could give numerous other sales at really fine 

 prices, but have preferred, both for the sake of brevity 

 and argument, to send you these as above. The prices 

 for coffee are always interesting to the planter, and 

 I have no doubt Messrs. Brancker, Boswell <i, Co., 

 Exchange Alley, Liverpool, would, if requested, send 

 you a priced catalogue, which would be very in- 

 teresting to youi" numerous readers. — I am, sir, your 

 obedient servant, JOHN DAVIDSON. 



[Can the Liverpool market be considered a fair test? 

 Exceptional prices for certain good marks can always 

 be pointed to ; and we have never denied the great 

 value of Jamaica's finest "Blue Mountain" coffee 

 only beaten by "Cannon's Mysore. " Here is the scale 

 in the London Price Currents : — Ceylon plantation from 

 52s to 1063 ; Jamaica 36s to UOs ; East India 54s 

 to 114s; Mocha 100s to 1223.— Ed.] 



MOISTURE FOR COFFEE. 



Coppah, India, 17th October 18>2. 



Deae Sir, — I notice a letter in your paper of the 

 29th August by "P. T. L." in which he says 

 moisture is required for coffee, which I quite agree with. 



Here we have to retain sufficient moisture for five 

 or six months, but, if we drained our coffee, as they 

 do in Ceylon, we should be dried up before our next 

 rains came round ; but we dig our ground over at 

 least once a year to the depth of 9 in. to a foot, 

 after the heavy rains ; so that the ground is again 

 settled and yet soft by the time the next monsoon sets 

 in. This digging not only retains moisture in the 

 ground but also allows the air to come in contact 

 with the earth below the surface and to improve it. 



When I lirst came here from Ceylon I was hot upon 

 having drains, but I now think them a farce.— J. R. E. 



[It is obvious that in Mysore, with six months of 

 drought, different principles of culture may succeed 

 to those adopted in a country like this, where, for 

 several years back, coffee has suffured from excess of 

 moisture. — Ed.] 



A WORD FOR GUMS, CEYLON. 



Gampola, 25th October. 

 De.4R Sir, — Has any one seen the leaf disease on 

 youmj trees or on topped trees which have retained 

 their original characteristic blue foliage ? If young 

 and topped trees escape the disease, gums will no 

 doubt continue to be lai-gely planted as breakwinds. 

 Grevilleas might take their place were it not that the 

 seed ia scarce and expensive, even in Australia. The 

 black wattle is infested with parasites. Casuariuas 

 are troublesome to raise, as poochits destroy the seed- 

 lings and ai-e not of much use as breakwinds (a great 

 many were planted last year on Vellakando, which 

 are not growing at all rapidlj ). On the whole, 

 perhap.^, we cannot impiove on the blue gum as a 

 breakwind.— Yours faithfully, T. H. S. 



WHAT AILS OUR COFFEE TREES? "W." 

 IN REPLY. 



Sir, — In reply to your correspondent " L," who 

 asks if I can cite inst.ince3 where orchards, or large 

 gooseberry gardens have revived after a series of 

 years of unproductiveness, I may eay that I do know 



