62S 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[February i, 1883. 



collection of crotons, consisting of upwards of two hundred 

 varieties, at once convinced us that this wonderful genus 

 of plants still retained as firm a hold as ever ou public 

 opinion. The most remarkable amongst the varieties were 

 C M^estice, 0. J'ittatus^ C. tSir JVilliam MacArthur, C. Ele- 

 qa)itis.->iinus, and C. Dai/spriiiy, the latter certaiuly being 

 the most brilliantly coloured crotou we have yet seen. 

 All of these will be found carefully described in the 

 catalogue recently issued by the company. In addition 

 to the above, all the new varieties introduced in England 

 during the present year are now to hand. Some of these, 

 though at present in their infancy, it may safely be predicted 

 will be in demand amongst amateurs next season. One 

 of these, C. Brag(Pnus especially already shows signs of 

 totally eclipsing both in size and beauty that noble variety, 

 C. Louri. In foliage plants a specimen of Anthurium 

 JVarocqueimum is alone worth going a long journey to 

 see, the last developed leaf of which measures thirty-three 

 inches in length and nine inches in breadth; this plant 

 has already been awarded a special prize two successive 

 years at our flower shows. Anthurium- (Jhrystallinum is well 

 represented by several large specimens, the leaves of which 

 are from five to six feet in circumfereuce. The rare 

 Anthurium Andreanwn is also showing signs of fioweriug 

 an event, we believe, which has not before occurred in this 

 country. A splendid collection of exotic ferns excites the 

 admiration of every visitor, the Adiantums or Maiden- 

 hair ferns being represented by over forty species, A 

 very beautiful new fern, under the fearful name of Lustrea 

 Richardsic Multijida is especially remarkable in having the 

 pinnae terminate in a dense tuft of forty or fifty small 

 acute divisions. "We could go on describing many other 

 species that we particularly admired, but we think we have 

 abeady said suflScient to excite the curiosity of every true 

 lover of plants, and induce him to go and see for him- 

 self. Another branch of the company's business, and one, 

 we think, which must eventually become one of consider- 

 able importance, is the exporting of orchids to Europe. 

 On the occasion of our visit, we saw a batch of upwards 

 of a thousand plants of the rare Fhahpnopsis SchUleriana 

 being prepared for sliipment. — Friend of India and Statesman. 



EFFECTS OF WEATHER ON INSECT LIFE. 



On Thursday, at the Royal Agricultural College, Ciren- 

 cester, Miss E. A. OrnuTod, F.M.S., the consulting ento- 

 mologist to the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 

 delivered a lecture on the above subject. At th-^ outset 

 the lecturer protested against the current opinion that 

 weather affected all insect life alike ; this was far from 

 being the case. The golden chafer, or turnip flea beetle, 

 throve in very hot sunshine, while the daddy longlegs or 

 crane fly liked the cool dampness of overshailowed mead- 

 ow grass. What one species of insect thrived on in its 

 fully developed state might be precisely what would not 

 have suited it as a caterpillar or a grub. AVe also re- 

 quired to distinguish the meaning of the word *' weather," 

 for differences in the amouut of heat or cold acted very 

 ditferently, according to the amount of rainfall or of 

 raoistiu-e accompanying them. Many grubs, such as those 

 called surface caterpillars, would stand severe cold so long 

 as they were in their own specially prepared wintering- 

 places, but if thrown out so as to be exposed to wet 

 also, would die. A suddi'u downfall of cold rain iu summer 

 would clear off caterpillars, but with regard to some kinds 

 of eggs, though heavy rain might destroy them, yet 

 they would not hatch as well in drought or heat as when 

 there was a certain amouut of moisture in the air. Insect 

 life was also affected, not only l)y the state of the weather 

 for the time being, or shortly before any given time, but 

 the effects of weather might be traced for one or two 

 years or more, sometimes directly in the condition of the 

 insects themselves, sometimes by promoting the growth of 

 special weeds, which might be the food plant of some 

 special plant pest (the charlock, for example), and also 

 by so affecting the state of the ground that regular measures 

 of cultiva*.ion by which plant and insect vermin were usually 

 cleared out coulrl not be carried on. If they considered 

 the condition of their common farm injects during autumu 

 and vunter, the time when the farm operations of the 

 year commenced, they would see some of the reasons why 

 they were uninjured even by severe cold. The winter state 



which they called hybernation was not simply a torpidity 

 caused by the cold, for it was found, in cases where the 

 regular time for hybernation had not arrived, that insects 

 had carried on their occupation quite undisturbed by a 

 drop in the temperature of some degrees lower than the 

 warmth of some weeks later, when they were retiring in 

 due course to their winter quarters. Hybernation appeared 

 to be quite a distinct condition from mere effect of cold ; 

 rather a constitutional, seasonal influence iu which insects, 

 while they had still all their iustin:tive faculties in good 

 order, prepared a shelter for the time of coming cold 

 and want of food. They did not just pass into a state 

 of torpor indifferently wherever they might be, but selected 

 some special locality under leaves and stones, or some 

 safe protection, or formed a cell, or in some way supplied 

 themselves with shelter; and here they — or such of them 

 as hybernate — passed into a quiet, motionless state, the 

 animal functions decreasing in power with the increase of 

 cold. Still, if even totally frozen so that they could be 

 broken like sticks, many kinds of caterpillars were not 

 injured so long as the freezing took place iu the shelters 

 they had made for themselves. The true remedy here 

 was for farmers to cultivate the laud iu the autumn, and 

 throw them out of their cells and lay them open to drying 

 winds and frost and thaw and wet. This would effectually 

 kill them. So far as the egg-laying is concerned, Miss 

 Ormerod pointed out that the laying places — rank grasses 

 and weeds — should be destroyed. Liming and chemical 

 manures and sheep-folding were all sure means of de- 

 stroying the eggs. In conclusion she asked for further 

 information from farmers, to help us, by better knowledge, 

 in destroying these pests to our farm crops. — London Times. 



TAPIOCA IN MALACCA. 



(From the Administration Report^ Malacca, for 1881.) 



Tapioca Land exhausted after three Crops.—Atter three 

 crops of tapioca have been taken off the ground, the lands 

 are practically exhausted, and jnust be allowed to revert 

 to jungle for '20 or 30 years before they can be profit- 

 ably brought again under similar cultivation. 



Ten year Leases fur Tapioca CuHivation. — The bulk of 

 the land held under ten-year leases (see note above to 

 paragraph 27J has been granted during the last fifteen or 

 sixteen years for tapioca cultivation. Previously to 1879 

 only 25 cents an acre was charged under such leases, but 

 from that date 75 cents an acre has been charged. It is 

 reckoned that land occupied for this description of cult- 

 ivation is made, as a rule, to produce three crops in the 

 ten years — the successive crops being valued at S60, §45, 

 and S30 per acre respectively. The value of the crops 

 for the ten years may, therefore, be estimated atSl'-'^S; 

 and this would give S1350 as the value of the tenths, 

 represeuting an annual charge of Sl*35. The rent of 75 

 cents, therefore, may be considered to be very moderate. 

 A premium of 50 cents per acre had been charged on 

 these leases, and also survey fees, which have ranged from 

 15 to 40 cents per acre. 



Timber planting on exhausted laml. — If after the lands 

 are abandoned they could be systematically planted with 

 valuable timber trees, instead of being allowed to produce 

 such tre^s or hushes as may happen to spring up (with 

 a chance of lalanr/ getting hold of the ground to the ex- 

 clusion of any other growth), it would be doubtless of 

 great future advantage, and I have brought this proposal 

 to the notice of the officer who is now engaged in an in- 

 spection of the Forest Lands of the Settlements 



Issue of Tapioca Leases discontinued. — No further leases 

 of lands for tapioca cultivation are now being made, ex- 

 cept in certain cases where the applications have been 

 of long standing. 



Peasant Hofd.inys and. Tapioca Encroachments. — The Land 

 Question in Malacca as it presented itself to me when 

 I first acted as Lieutenant-Governor of the Settlement in 

 1870, was in the main a question of how to deal satis- 

 factorily with the lands already held by, or to be granted 

 to, the Malay Peasantry. V\t to that time, and indeed up 

 to quite recent period, the Malays were not practically 

 hindered from clearing the jungle in the moderate quant- 

 ities required for their padi fields and gardens ; and but 

 for tlie introduction of tapioca cultivation, this system of 

 laissez faire might have been allowed to continue, not only 



