January i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



S6f 



but with no apparent concern ! It was but a question 

 of a little loss of leaf! Such ia tho counter ovicleuce of the 

 scieutists. 



My first introduction to red spicier many years ago, 

 was in one of the grandest fields of coffee I have 

 ever seen, and as all the ideas previously associated 

 in my mind with this pest were of its fatal action on tea, 

 I was much alarmed. The leaves of all the trees on a 

 considerable area wereall bronzed. They were not merely 

 spotted, but the whole of their leaf cells were invaded. 

 The attack passed off without anj' apparent effect 

 on the following crop, and we have now become ac- 

 customed to ngaid this pest and the consequent 

 raid upon the leaf cells without serious alarm to 

 far as concerns our coffee. With tea, whose crop 

 consists of its leaves, the ease is, of course, very 

 different. Last year I witnessed the severest attack 

 of red spider I have ever seen. The resident pro- 

 prietor walked with me through the affected fields 

 without making any rem:irk, and as I was his guest I 

 thought it prudent to keep silence. There was a large 

 crop on the affected trees and I believe they are bear- 

 ing well this year. 



From the foregoing facta it would appear : — That 

 a large portion of the foliage of coffee trees may be 

 cut or plucked off two or three times a year with 

 positive advantage to their crop-bearing power — that 

 insects may consume a large proportion of the Uaf 

 structure bodily, cells and all, without any appreciable 

 effects on the fertility of the trees affected — and that 

 the cells of the coffte leaves may be one and all 

 tampered with and their contents disorganized by red 

 spider without depriving the trees of their fruit bear- 

 ing power. Is it then logical or reason.ible to suppose 

 that a fungus, whose whole work and influence is 

 declared to consist in the destruction of a certain com- 

 paratively small proportion of leaf, could smite the tree 

 with barrenness ? 



Dr. Trimen, in his recent report on the disease which 

 aft'ects the Eucalypts, says: "were the leaf spots the 

 whole misuhief, not much harm loould be done." He pro- 

 ceeds to describe the canker which affects, first the 

 younger branches, which "shrivel and die back"; 

 and finally " appears lower down, and before long the 

 whole tree succumbs," In this chain of results the 

 learned doctor sees the reaults of a "constitutional" 

 disturbance. 



Here we have brought to view a new feature of 

 leaf indication. We learn from this that death of 

 leaf may proceed from either of two totally different 

 c.Tuses, one local, in the leaf itself only, and compa- 

 tible with the perfect health of the tree, the other 

 emanating from the permanent structures of the tree 

 itself. A fall of leaf may therefore indicate either a mere 

 change of leaf in the natural course, or by accidental 

 causes ; or, it may have a fatal significance, denoting 

 the inability of the tree to support its remoter mem- 

 bers. It may mean, either a mere change of dress, or a 

 fatal sickness ! There is no room for doubt, however, 

 aa to which of these causes operates in any given 

 ease ; for a tree that is smitten with fatal disease 

 cannot, immediately after losing the tier of leaves 

 which died for want of support, produce an ample 

 flush of fine young foliage ! It may indeed " endeavour" 

 to re-exert its powers ; but, as the learned doctor 

 says of the Eucalypts, first tho younger branches 

 " shrivel and die back," and finally, aa the extremities 

 thus succumb, in turu, so the structures lower down 

 follow, and the whole organism dies. 



Were our coffee trees constitutionally affected 

 they would behave in like manner. They would 

 not, after persistent attscks, continued over several 

 years, retain the power of reproducing the splen- 

 did flushes of foliage which still clothe luxuri- 

 autly our cultivated coffee fields. It our trees were 

 diseased, the surest sign would be the sickliness I 



of their leaves. These would not attain a full growth 

 nor yet a healthy colour. They could not wait for 

 the attack of insect or fungus to betray their ailment 

 but would show by stunted growth and sickly colour 

 that their weakness proceeded from the stock, the 

 spring and source of their nourishment. Instead of 

 this, tho fine flushes attain a luxuriant growth until 

 attacked fr07ii without. All those that escape external 

 attack maiutain their healthy character, and fulfil 

 their allotted functions. 



Is it a sign of disease in the grape vines that they 

 require to huve their leaves atripped off and their 

 roots exposed to check their growth I or in other trees 

 and plaiits of exuberant growth, that they should need 

 repressive treatment to extort their fruit ? 



Observation has shown, and science has thus learnt 

 that there is a remarkable symmetry of growth in 

 the foliar and floral flushes of plauts. In so much 

 that the latter are commonly regarded by scientists 

 as mere modifications (not abortions) of the former. 

 The analogies subsisting between them are certainly very 

 striking, but the differences are even more remarkable. 

 To the agriculturist, alas ! we know too well, the 

 difference is a matter of vital importance I Yet science 

 throws not even a glimmer of light as to the pheno- 

 mena which determine whether a given flush shall be 

 foliar or floral I Tho only clue by which to learn the 

 nature of this marvelhius metamorphosis is the ex- 

 perience of the agriculturist and floriet. The home 

 farmer has thus found out how to prevent hia corn 

 from expending itself in stalk, and he manages to 

 obtain a maximum of graiii ! He has also learned 

 from the same teacher, experience, how to adjust his 

 sowings and manurii:g in such manner as to ensure 

 turnips instead of tops'. Even the grape grower who 

 cultivates the vine under conditions uncongenial to 

 voluntary fruit bearing, dodges those conditions, 

 and obtains the reluctant reward of his art. These 

 men have mastered the circumstances and secured, 

 each in hia own way, the apeoial object sought. 

 Their example shoald stimulate, and tlieir succeas 

 encourage the Ceylon planter to make an effort. 

 Supiueness aud despair will not help hirn. Whilat 

 the coffee trees continue to yield fine flushes ol foliage, 

 there is every reason to hope that they may be in- 

 duced by suitable treatment to produce a due propor- 

 tion of floral as well aa foliar flushes, and a rea- 

 sonable quantity of fruit instead of a redundancy of 

 leaf. Fruit does not now come of its own accord, 

 as it used to do, and therefore it has become a vital 

 qU'^stion to the planter to ascertain the conditions 

 and circumstances which determine in the firat instance 

 what shall be the nature of the fluoh, and those which 

 afterwarda favour the development of fruit, 'ihe 

 blossoming sepson is at hand, and therefore this is the 

 opportuuity for experiment. "W.D.B. " seems to have 

 struck a track in the right direction, and is quite the 

 sort of man to lead the way. W. 



WHAT AILS OUK COFFEE TBEES :-WEEDING 

 IN THE DAYS OF OLD. 



Uva, 30th November. 

 Dear Sir, — 1 am one of the ancients, as our Ha- 

 putale friend would Bay, and have been greatly in- 

 terested of late, in noting the^57'Os. and cons, anent 

 "what ails our coffee trees. " Well I am one of 

 the ancients, and a veritable clod-hopper, having fol- 

 lowed the plough for a full generation, and so I 

 may say, to the manner born and bred, takin" charge 

 some two and twenty years ago of two well know n coffee 

 estates — estates that had been neglected when coffee was 

 deemed a dru^ in the market. 1 found they had suffered 

 greatly from sad neglect and bad cultivation. Naturally 

 very fine properties, wheu coffee went down in price they 

 werealmott for s time abandoned. Thelarjje "Tennio" 



