6 04 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[January i, 1883^ 



be planted among the coffee : plants, however, Bhould 

 be used and not seed at stake. The soil in old clear- 

 ings is not unfit in its composition for tea, but, as it is 

 generally rendered hard by being too long baked in 

 this hot and steaming climate, it would be rather ex- 

 pensive and difficult to plant tea. The tea, besides, 

 will not, of course, thrive so luxuriantly where the 

 bcft part of the liumua has disappeared from the effects 

 of wash, exfiosure, &c. In old clt-arings, Ceara rubber 

 could be planted amongst the coffee at 10 feet apart. 

 Good boles should, however, be cut, to give the rubber 

 seedlings or plants a fair start. It is not advisable to 

 cultivate any more Liberian coffee in this district, 

 unless it is intended, with the aid of lime and close- 

 planting, to force a couple of ci'ops, relying on rubber 

 or some other products pbiuted amongst it surviving and 

 thriving for some time. Arabian coffee would probably 

 answer almost as well for this purpose. In 1873 or 1874 

 an Indian coffee-planter opened a small clearing of 

 Arabian coffee about 6 miles from Kalutara and ob- 

 tained only one crop, flo was satisfied that the rain- 

 fall was sufficient and with the appearance of the soil. 

 In many respects, save in the nuture of the soil, this 

 district is not unlike the Kegalle district, where the 

 Arabian coffee once flourished and still gives some small 

 return. An experiment of this liind, however, should 

 not be attempted without much cousiderauon, judg- 

 ment and caution, and that only by men of varied and 

 long experiences and not by novices. 



It must not be supposed that from the above remarks 

 on the cultivation of Liberian coffee in the Kalutara 

 district, it is intended to deter people from investing 

 in property there. On I he contrary, as it will be seen, 

 it is one not only exceedingly suited as regards soil and 

 climate for the growth of tea and some other products, 

 but possesses advantages which few other localities can 

 boast of. The present monetary depression and a Go- 

 vernment administered unhappily for the last five years, 

 and at this critical period, by men unable to grapple with 

 and avert the difficulties which have beset the island, 

 have in a great measure retarded not only the progress 

 of new products of this district, but the prospsrity of 

 the island in general. — I remain, yours truly, 



W. PEOWETT FERDINANDS. 



[What do others interested in the district say about 

 Liberian coffee ? .Surely a moderate annual application 

 of suitable manure would secure permanent paying 

 crops?— Ed.] 



_. .. V 



KuBBER.— We see that seeds of the Ceara rubber 

 tree are obtainalde at RIO a thousand from Messrs. 

 Keir, Leitch & Co., 1, Council House stieet, Calcutta. 

 The climate and soil of Tirhoot seems to suit the hand- 

 some tree in every way, so our planter friends might 

 do worse than experimentalize with it. 



Divi Dlvi. — The cultivation and growth of Divi 

 Divi is receiving increased attention from well-to-do 

 Europeans, We hear that a member of the judicial 

 service has obtained a large plot of land near Madras 

 and has embarked in this speculation which he thinks 

 will pay well. Lands in and about Codiimbakum, 

 on the Sonth Indian Railway line, are being taken 

 up for Divi Divi.— Madras Standard. 



The Bknefit Biistowed by Weeds on Coffee 

 is shewn in a letter which we extract from the 

 Madras Mail, signed " Experiextia Docet," after a 

 fashion which we recommend to the attention of Mr. 

 Halliley. Until recently the perfection of coffee culti- 

 vation was believed to consist in the branches being 

 so compelled and enabled to spread horizontally, as 

 to shade the ground, s o preventing undue evapor- 

 ation and also reducing the growth of weeds to a 

 minimum. Our prevalent weed being the early and 

 free seeding aijcralam, its regular uprooting seems 

 a necessity, nut it is not removed from the estate : 

 it is either buried to rot or put into comspost heaps. 



Tobacco in Btirmah. — We are glad to learn from the 

 Ranrjoon Gazette, of the 24th November, that Mr. 

 Cabaniss, a Virginian planter, who recently arrived in 

 Rangoon, has started a small farm of about 17 acres 

 between .Syriara and Kyouktan, where he is superin- 

 tending personally the whole business of cultivation, 

 curing, and manufacturing tobacco. The Government 

 of India have been asked to sanction operations on a 

 more extended scale in Burma, viz., to establish a Go- 

 vernment factory which would purchase the riiw leaf 

 brought by the cultivators, and cure it properly where 

 they fail to do so. By this means it is hoped the pro- 

 duction of tobacco in the province would be largely in 

 creased, whilst there would be no doubt whatever chat 

 its value would be materially enhanced, and Burma 

 might, in a few years, become a tobacco-exporting 

 county. At present, although there are over 13,000 

 acres in the province under tobacco, or 38 of the whole 

 cultivated area, a larger proportion than in any other 

 part of India, about 16 million pounds of the leaf have 

 to be imported annually from the Madras Presidency 

 iuto Burma The net consumption of tobacco in British 

 Burma, where men, women, and children smoke, is said 

 to be 7 lb. per head, as compared to little over 1 lb. 

 per head in India. We trust the Government will 

 assist Mr, Cabaniss, as much as possible, in his import- 

 ant enterprise. He has not perhaps chosen the best 

 tobacco-growing land for his farm, as the Shwegyeen 

 and Tounghoo districts are said to produce the best leaf. 

 But he is near Rangoon, the head-quarters of the 

 province, and therefore in the most central spot ; and 

 as the soil of the Syriam sub-division is excellent for the 

 production of all sorts of fruit and vegetables, we have 

 no doubt tobacco also will thrive there, as it does iu so 

 many other parts of the province. — Pioneer. 



Ovef.-Pkoduction of Coffee in Santos is thus 

 noticed by the li'io News: — "The last report of 

 the directors of the 'Brazil Industrial' cotton factory 

 affords some very valuable information in a matter fo 

 very great importance to the plantation interest fo 

 the province of Sao Paulo. The establishment of this 

 factory near this city was made with the belief that 

 an ample supply of raw cotton would always be 

 found near at hand. At that time the province of 

 Sao Paulo was devoting considerable attention to the 

 produclion of this .staple, and the prospects seemed 

 good lor a never-failing supply. Contrary to this 

 expectation, however, the production of cotton in 

 that province has been steadily decreasing, and during 

 the past year the factory was actually compelled to 

 obtain a part of its supply from Pernambuco. The 

 consumption for the year was 8,981 bales, weigh- 

 ing 500,877 kilogrammes. Of this quantity 7,574 bales 

 came from Sao Paulo, and 1,407 bales from Pernam- 

 buco. This statement is still anothtr proof that the 

 planters are continuing to put all their eggs into 

 one basket. Cotton can be easily and profitably pro- 

 duced in Sao Paulo, providing the induslry is taken 

 up with the proper spirit, and is relieved from all 

 special burdens of taxation. Coffee may have been 

 more profitable to the planter up to the present 

 time, but it is highly improbable that the future 

 will .afford the same result. In this industry there 

 has bi'en continual over-production for some vears, 

 until now the prices are actually below the limits 

 between cc^t and profit. In view of this fact it 

 would certainly seem advisable that one more con- 

 scientious effort should be made to extend the cul- 

 tivation of cotton instead of that of coffee. There 

 are many districts in Sao Paulo which can produce 

 a good quality of this staple, and with the proper 

 effort it can lie cultivated with profit. All the ex- 

 port and municipal taxes upon it can ceitainly be 

 abolished, and the railway tariffs upon it should be 

 largely reiluced. It is a matter which deserves not 

 only the consideration of Sao Paulo planters but a 

 borough conscientious trial." 



