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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Feekuary I, 1883. 



part to make any remark on that property beyoud 

 saying that appearance is not all that is needed, and 

 it must be queer manure that does not bring about 

 even a decent appearance. What is meaut by a pay- 

 ing oi'f)p ? If a property gives one per cent protit, 

 it can be said to pay, and happy is the man who 

 is contented with such a return ] Seeing is believing, 

 and, if " You Know Who" goes and inspects several 

 estates in tac district, ho will learn much and bring 

 away with him such trophies as fine Liberian cotfee walk- 

 ing-sticks, the remains of three and four year old 

 trees, victims of red oxide, leaf-disease and black 

 bug. Allow me to deny that it is generally agreed 

 in the district that by a system of yearly manuring 

 permanently paying crops will be the result. In the 

 first place, helping the trees so soon, i. e. , after the second 

 and third year of their existence, with such extraneous 

 aid as manure for plant-food and lime to cure and 

 improve the soil, detracts seriously from the profits 

 of the cultivation. In the next place, the trees do 

 not remain alive to reap the benefits of such aid, as 

 they gradually succumb under the eflfects of leaf- 

 disease and black bug. An estate iu that district, 

 about four years old, which was opened aud super- 

 vised by several experienced hands and at no 

 small expense, has been for sale for sometime and 

 cannot find an " investor." Allowing R20 per 

 acre for the reseive forest on it, the balance of the 

 purchase money demanded for the whole property 

 brings down the value of the Liberian coffee to E50 

 per acre, which is much less thfin what it can be 

 planted fur, even in these times of cheap plants, labour. 

 Ac. I am not alone of opinion that Arabian coffee 

 closely planted in light shade in that district can 

 be made like the Liberian to give, or rather " forced ' 

 to -give, a couple of crops and with better results. If 

 "You Know Who " presumes to be a novice, his opinion, 

 that the cultivation of this variety in that district 

 should not be attempted at all, is worth little or 

 nothing. But for the uncertainty of the severity of 

 attacks of the inevitable leaf-disease the Arabian coffee 

 would have been tried ere this. In 1875, when there 

 was not a single property opened, I visited that dis- 

 trict and some of the very foivsts nuw in cultivation. 

 I noticed in the adjoining villages the then healthy 

 condition of the coffee round I he huts of the natives. 

 I saw also ripe aud dried cherries laid out on mats. 

 The cherries were rather small but quite sound, and 

 the sample of cleaued coffee showed to some old 

 planters in Kandy was said to be like Mocha for eizti. 

 Permit me to quote from a planting correspondent 

 to the local "Times" dated 2fih December: — 

 "It (Liberian coffee) is not as healthy as its friends 

 could wish. Leaf-disease and bug have sorely affected 

 many fields of it. But the qufstion now is, not what 

 we ehould have done, but what are we to do? No 

 one appears to be opening land for Liberian coffee, 

 a proof that there is reason to doubt the success of 

 the produce here. We are curious to know how it 

 goes on at Pulgahawela, &c." 



It is now 40 years since many of the so-called 

 new products were not only in existence, but there were 

 faoiliiies I hen for procuring plants. In a list of plants 

 " for disposal at the Royal Botanic Gardens," dated 1st 

 June 1843, I find the following : — Theobroma cacao, 

 Crotou tigliuni, H. gumbogyoides (true gamboge), 

 arrowroot, nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper, Sansevera 

 Zeylanica (?) * said to be a plant deserving of part- 

 icular attention, as it yields a very strong and dur- 

 able cordage, Jibelee and Kowsa tobacco, tapioca, 

 arnotto, vanilla, Plumbago Zelanica (?), &c. Some of 

 these tried on a small scale are thriving in the 

 Kalntara district and are more suited for natives 

 there than Liberian coffee plants, of which it seems they 

 stole at first but will not accept free gifts of them now. 

 —Yours truly, W. PEOWETT FERDINANDS. 

 « Ihe Email aloe, the "marool."— iSi>. ~ 



[" It is just heart breaking," said a planter to us a 

 few days ago, as we gazed at a beautiful expanse of 

 healthy-looking Liberian coffee trees; "just as all 

 promised so well, this dreadful hemileia vastatrix comes 

 and deprives trees, especially those laden with fruit, 

 of the:r leaves." All trees are not attacked alike, 

 however, and it is believed that manure will enable 

 the trees to give good crops, maugre the effects of 

 leal-disease. If that one pest could be got rid of, 

 fortunes would be made by Liberian coffee. — Ed.] 



TEA CHESTS AND BOXES. 



Colombo, 2nd January 1883, 

 Sir, — A discussion was recently carried on, through 

 the medium of your paper, by those interested iu tea, 

 as to the best and most economical manner of packing 

 it for the various markets in which we desire it to 

 take the lead so as to present it in the manner 

 most likely to attract the attention of dealers and 

 consumers. Amongst other suggestions was one that 

 fancy boxes of papier mdchi should be used. This we 

 liiid before our friends Messrs. Harvey Brothers & 

 Tyler for their consideration and report. The follow- 

 ing is their reply : — * * » " We tear the objection 

 to this — would lie the higher cost of such a box which 

 would require lead inside as well as a case outside 

 aud it could not be so conveniently packed for ship- 

 ment (outwards) &c," 



They also favor us with particulars of sales of teas 

 comparing the prices of those sold in the ordinary 

 packages wiih those sold in their boxes which we 

 annex as likely to be of interest to your planting 

 friends and coustitueuta : — 



Public Sale, 3rd November 1881. 



e. d. 



Koliahn K (28 Chests Pekoe 1 



Asssam, | 28 Cases each 4 boxes ... 2 

 Public Sale, 16th November 1881. 



(30 Chests Pekoe 2 



(30 Cases each 4 boxes ... 2 



( 20 Chests Souchong 1 



(^20 Cases each 4 boxes ... 1 

 Public Sale, 23rd November 1881. 



( 20 Ohesis Pekoe 1 



1 10 Cases each 4 boxes ... 1 

 Public Sale, 11th January 1882. 



f 8 Chests O. Pekoe 2 



( 8 Oases each 4 boxes „. 2 

 Public Sale, 11th January 1882. 

 ( U Chests Pekoe Souchong... 1 

 I 8 Cases each 4 boxes ... 1 

 Public Sale, llth January 1882. 



I 15 Chests Souchong 1 



I L5 Oases each 4 boxes ... 1 

 In every c:.se the above teas were packed out of 

 the same heap in India and the difference in the selling 

 price arises oliiefly from the betttr condition, of the tea 

 on arrival. — Yours faithfully Wii. LAW & Co., 



Agents for Harvey Brothers & Tyler. 

 [As regards jiapier mieh^ boxes, of course they 

 would be loo expensive to use unless they could be 

 sent out in pieces, capable of being made up like 

 Messrs. Harvey Brothers & Trier's tin boxes. The 

 one objection to the latter seems to be that of cost, 

 but we should think that would be more than com- 

 pensated for, if so much higher prices could be calcu- 

 lated on as are shewn above. We should like jto have 

 the results of local experience. — Ed.^ 



WEEDY ESTATES. 



2nd January 18S3. 

 Deak Sik, — When an estate is hopelessly in a mesj 

 with weeds, it is just possible that a hacking down 

 of the weeds, once or twice a year, and letting the 

 stalks and leaves lie and lot on the ground, might be 

 a better system for the coffee than the excessivg 

 looseniBg o£ the soil by manioty weeding, renderiue 



LMBDSa. 



L M B Ip. 



L MBK. 



L M B JI S. 



I, M B S A. 



Si 



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