December i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 525 



much the same, the local " Ciinker" developea in the 

 stem just 1)1 low the 1 .st iii-w growth. Tlii» swells and 

 often causes a distortion or bend in the stem, the bark 

 becomes dry aod cracks, tho caiiihiuin sullers and all 

 above dies. In tea tlie appearauce of the spots has 

 not brtu f..llo\vcd byf-ucliserumsdisease; fortunately, too, 

 the upper leaves are but slightly spotted. The few coffee 

 bushes growing amungtiieae diseased species have almost 

 entirely e.-caped, a remarkable f;ict, ae I have elsewhere 

 frequeutl; obseived colfto leaves with spots which I 

 believe to be of a precisely similar nature. 



S. Ill all this I am able to see only the outcome 

 of some disturliance of nutrition, of a, so to speak, 

 coiistitutioiial" or general nature. 1 believe this 

 condition lo be not uncommonly developed in the 

 wet districts of Ceylon, but it has not perhaps before 

 been obaerved to exiiibit so destructive a character. 

 There is no sufiicii-iit evidence to shew that the Gu.n 

 trees a?e r^!•ponKltlle for it, tliongh they have been the 

 greatest £utl. rers. That they siiouhl be the first to 

 succumb, is nit very surprising when we consider 

 that the species here grown are natives of the com- 

 paratively dry climate of extra tropical Australia 

 tran-ported to tho very wet one of Lindoola. They 

 seem to have early felt the cliange, and the exacer- 

 bation of the diseased condition in July last may be 

 well ascribed to the unusually wet season experienced. 

 The rainfall as gauged at the Bungalow, 5.8C0 feet 

 was no less th.m (i4 61 inches for the 3 moiths May, 

 June, July, of which as much as 37-4.S inches fell in 

 July. The trees first destroyed occupied a situation 

 fully exposed to the heavy S. W. monsoon rains and 

 wind, at an elevation of nearly 6,000 feet, .and those 

 nov^- rapidly dyi^g crest a narrow and much exposed 

 ridge. It is natural to suppuse that these conditions 

 whicli are the source of the sickness are localized in 

 inteusity by such causes as charact.r and d.^pth of soil, 

 subsoil, aspect, drainage &o. In spots badly circums- 

 tanced m euch respects, the disease will first ehew 

 Itself, and affect the plants there growing in the 

 order "f their susceptibility. It is pro\>able that the 

 rootlets may be in an unhealthy condition ; this I 

 have however not made out, and it remains a subject 

 for I ntu re enquiry. 



9. In brief, then, I look upon the spots in 

 the leaves as the first local manifestation of a dis- 

 ease of the general nutrition of the plvnt, and con- 

 sisting in the death of the leaf ti.-sues in small patches. 

 (I think the term "leaf-disease" for this condition is 

 liable to mislead since it has acquired a dtfinite meaning 

 in Ceylon restricted to a local parasiiic malady). The 

 mortification, or "canker," of the stems 1 regard as alater 

 and more serious local development of the same 

 diseaed conditions, but it by no uie.ans always follows 

 the leaf spotting. What is known of the real nature 

 of ti e morbid states of plants (apart from parasitic 

 diseases) is at present so little, that it} would lead 

 to no usi ful purpose to attempt any more definite 

 expl. nation of that under consideration, nor am 

 I in lined to givei it any particular name. As above 

 r. m u ktd, 1 think it to be an exaggeration of an un- 

 htah.y state common enoU|ih in Ceylon (and doubt- 

 less elsewhere) to a greater or less extent, but usually 

 passed without special notice. A full knowledge of 

 its actual nature could not fail to throw great lighten 

 vegetable pathology, but the necessary work would have 

 to be done by skilled specialists with ample leinire. 



It is not possible to suggest any well founded 

 treatimnt, but, as regards the principal point of 

 pract cai procedure which sugg.sicd this enquiry, I 

 must say that in my opinion the wholesale destruction 

 of all species of eucalyptu.s is not warranted by our 

 present knowledge, nor is likely to ensure the pro- 

 tection of other plants from the disease if still ex- 

 posed to the local conditions wirch seem to be its 

 cause,— lam, &e,, (Signed) Hknry Tkimen, DiVecioj-. 

 67 



Rabbits in New Ze.\land.— Some idea of the magni- 

 tude of the nibbits evil (says tho " Matura Ensign') 

 may be gathered from the fjict that the New Zealand 

 Agricultural Company lay down on their various runs 

 in the district, no less than 40,tJ001b. of poisoned grain, 

 monthly. — Fiji Times. 



Potatoes in Fiji. — An excellent sample of potatoes 

 has been forwarded to this office by Mr. VV. Fisher, 

 of Wairiki, Taviuni. It represents the product from 

 one haulm and in quality, size and quantity, it is all 

 that could be desired. Mr. Fisher snys : "I have 

 been digging potatoes from the small patcli I planted 

 for over two months, and the yield has been the 

 same throughout. I forward them that you may 

 see how potatoes will do in Fiji, if planted in the 

 proper season." — Fiji Times. 



Peat Litter. — Mr. Sowerby, writing to the London 

 Times upon the subject of peat litter, remarks tU it its 

 use in stables is much on the increase. Several of the 

 tram companies, and the Zoological Gardens, Regent's 

 Park, employ it to a, large extent, and spenk very 

 highly of its eiEoienoy and small cost. Afti r it has 

 served the purpose of " litter," It is found in the 

 Botanic Gardens very valuable as a rich and handj 

 compost and manure, being easy of carriage and mani- 

 pulation. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



Fkuit Exports from Fiji.— For Fiji fruits as for 

 Fiji sugar the Australian colonies offer a near and 

 profitable market, and the local paper states : — 

 " The steady increase in the exportation of fruits 

 which, from £97 lOs in 1875, has rapidly advanced 

 year by year to the maximum amount of £5,469 19a 

 in 18sl, is only an evidence of what might be 

 achieved if means of transport cimld be secured. 

 This will follow in time, aud will open up a practically, 

 illimitable source of wealth to the producers," — F'ji 

 Times. 



SuoiB IK Fiji. — A splendid sample of sugar has 

 been forwarded to this office from the Penang mill, 

 and it is pronounced by competent judges to be equal, 

 if not superior, to any that has hitherto been turned 

 out in the colony. Il is an exceptionably large white 

 crystal, worth between £36 and £.'17 per ton in the 

 local market, and its fault, if it hi.s one, is that the 

 crystals are too large for ordinary purposes. The 

 sample is well worth inspection as indicating the 

 quality it is possible to turn out, and it has already 

 attracted a very considerable amount of attention. — 

 Fiji Times. 



A Preservative ag.unst White Ajs'TS was thus 

 noticed in the proceedings of the Madras Horticultural 

 Society: — " Bead the following circular from Mr. Wood- 

 row, Superintendent, Botanieal Garden, Gonesh Khinil, 

 Poena: — Ferdoride of Mercury, as its name implies, 

 is a compound of clorine and mercury. It is a 

 heavy while crystaline substance soluble in water 

 and very poisonous. It i.H procurable from any 

 chemist in a large way of business. This substance 

 has been in use during many years among botanists 

 and other naturalists to protect their specimens from 

 insects, and recently hai been tried wi h success 

 against white ants. To use the percloride of mer- 

 cury it should be dissolved in wati r and the papers 

 to be jireserved dippid in the solution: glass or gl.nzed- 

 ware vessels only should be used to keep the solu- 

 tion. As some otficers meet with a diificulty in 

 getting this substance, a small quantity has been 

 prepared at this office for distribution; it is 

 packed in small packets, each sufficient for one quart 

 bottle of water, ai d these packets are euclo-sed in a 

 paper, bearing directions for use and containing one 

 dozen packets ; two dozen packets', sufficient for two 

 dizen bottles of solution, will be sent post free for 

 Rl ; smaller quantities cannot be supplied at this 

 rate." 



