6oo 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, iS&s. 



♦ 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 



THE PROPAGATION OF CINCHONA LEDGE- 



RIANA BY SEEDS, 



(To the Editor of the "Tropical AgricultuHut"). 



Ouchterlony Valley, Nov. 21st, 1882, 



Sir, — From what I have aeen hitherto the propagation 

 of Cinchona Ledgeriana by seeds, or indeed by any 

 method has always been represented to be attended 

 with consid'Table, and at times, extreme difficulty; 

 but why sui'h representations should be made I am 

 at a loss to understand ; consequently I do not 

 hesitate to advance both my opinions and experience 

 in this respect, as I consider it by no means a diffi- 

 cult species to propag;ite, provided the propagation is 

 carried on under systematic , and rational treatment. 



In propagation by seed, one of the supreme causes 

 of failure is that it is ei-roneoiisly supposed to re- 

 quire a large amount of artificially applied heat where- 

 with to assist its development during the early stages 

 of germination and after growth, and on many estates 

 in this district, which boast of possessing propagating 

 houses of more or less utility, the applioatiou of fire 

 and sun heat is usually encouraged to the extreme 

 and in consequence cinchona Ledgeriaim has locally 

 acquired the reputation of being a most difficult species 

 to propagate. J!he circumstances best calculated to 

 secure its mofft euccessful germination are moist at- 

 mosphere, temperature not exceeding at the most 75° 

 Fahrenheit, even during the hottest portion of the 

 day, unle.58 under very exceptional circumstances such 

 as may be expected to prevail at low elevations, etc., 

 in which case special arrangements and precautions 

 will be required to keep the increasing temperature 

 in the propagating house as near 75° as possible ; 

 otherwise disaster is liable at any moment to take 

 place. 



In sowing the seed under propagating houses the 

 following pi-ecautious are, in ordinary instances most 

 indispensable. Prepiue a sufficient number of 

 well -baked cliatties, a very convenient size being the 

 round kinds of about 8 inches across by 3 inches 

 in depth, carefully covering the hole at the bottom 

 with a large piece of brick or charcoal, ample drain- 

 age being effeffted by putting over the bottom of the 

 chatty about 1 in. or \i in. of roughly broken brick, 

 or small nodules of fresh charcoal sifted clear of all 

 dust and rubbish ; jilacing over the whole a thin 

 layer of dried moss sufficient to jirevent any of the tine 

 soil in which the sei-d is sown from percolating 

 among the drainage, for sliould such happen .aid the 

 drainage become impaired, stagnation will invariably 

 be the result sooner or later. 



The most useful as well as readily prepared compost 

 suitable for the recepliiu of the seed is made up by 

 thoroughly incorporating together equal quantities of 

 good clean river sand, finely sifted charcoal and a good 

 friable loam, the latter being well baked over a fire 

 previous to use to destroy any noxious grubs, insects 

 or seeds that may be contained therein. 



Several persons with whom I am acquainted have 

 gone to the expense of importing the finest kinds of 

 Reigate silver sand, so generally in use for plant pro- 

 pagation at home at the rate of something like lil.SO 

 per ton and more. This is a most unnecessary ex- 

 pense, as with good drainage very few kinds of seeds 

 require much sand of any description to facilitate 

 germination, the secret in this respect lying more in the 

 careful and attentive manner in which the requisite 

 moisture is applied and regulated whenever dryness 

 becomes apparen*'. 



From 1 inch to i^ iuch of the aforesaid compost 



well sifted and placed over the moss, is quite suifi- 

 oient and the soil, instead of being " rammed down" 

 with the hand, as usually happens should be allowed 

 to "lay light" i.e., it should not be pressed firm but 

 merely smoothed over the top, enough to allow a flat 

 surface for the reception of the seed. I have repeatedly 

 noticed that if the soil is at all firm the surface 

 cakes over in such a manner that it is almost an 

 impossibility for the tender radicle, on emanating from 

 its cover to penetrate the soil, in consequence of 

 which it rots at the point and the seed is lost. 



Previous to sowing, the seed should be well mixed 

 with a quantity of fine moist sand — say roughly speak- 

 ing 1 pint of sand to J oz. of seed — putting the whole 

 in a covered chatty and allowing it to stand undis- 

 turbed in a cool, shady place for about two days, 

 during which time the seeds will have absorbed suffi- 

 cient moisture and swollen enough to enable them to 

 withstand gentle surface watering without becoming 

 displaced during the operation. When ready for sow- 

 ing, the seed, together with the sand, should be spread 

 lightly over the soil, the quantity portioned out for 

 each chatty being regulated as equally as possible. From 

 15 to 20 chatties as described will accommodate J oz. of 

 seed very well, leaving abundant room to the young 

 seedlings until sufficiently large to undergo transplant- 

 ing. The whole may then be gently watered, the can 

 used having a finely perforated rope specially made for 

 this important purpose, (a can of this description can 

 be made in India for the trifling sum of 12 annas) and 

 finish off by gently covering any stray seeds lying on 

 the surface with fine sand applied through a piece of 

 gauze or muslin. 



Stand the chatties iu rows in the propagating house 

 and in such positions as will ensure water being 

 readily administered whenever required without having 

 to constantly remove the pots, as is often the case, 

 and which fact alone is oftimes enough to cause them 

 to be overlooked by the man iu charge, especially if 

 they are placed on high shelves or in obscure places 

 when they may require to be lifted up and down 

 perhaps several times during a day. 



One of the most reprehensible systems of water- 

 ing extant that I have repeatedly seen practiced 

 is that of administering water by absorption 

 i. e., standing the seed chatty in water nearly up to 

 its rim until it becomes completely saturated with 

 water. This system of soakage so far as I have 

 observed has been very unsatisfactory, generally ter- 

 miuiiting in stagnating the soil to such an extent as 

 to ruin most of the germinating seeds, more especially 

 in instances where defective drainage directly tended 

 to supplement the evil. 



With good open soil and liberal drainage, water 

 may be freely given at all times when required with- 

 o it .any fear of the seedling damping or deteriorating ; 

 but I have never yet met any one who, apart from 

 myself, believes even the most modified version of this 

 aiyumeut and many are the 'ounces" and ''pinches" 

 of good Ledger seed lost annually by being subjecte 1 

 to luistakim and inordinate treatment, or in other 

 words, killed with kindness and over-attention. Con- 

 cerning this I could enumerate many rather amusing 

 instances of mistaken kindness, i'he following will 

 probably suffice as specimens ; — One gentleman 1 knew 

 was in the habit of appearing in his propagating 

 house nearly every midnight or thereabouts dressed iu 

 his long rdght shirt and duly provided with a large 

 lantern and a Keid's patent syringe with which lie 

 would carefully dribble over his precious Ledger seeds ; 

 while another, a planter of long-standing, who occa- 

 sionally boasts of having had horticultural experience 

 at hoiiiO — equally astute — may be seen almost any 

 day just as early morning breaks armed with a large 

 feather with wliicli he assiduously pokes the Ledger 

 seeds he has probably sown some two or three days 



