<>2 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[August t, 1884. 



doubted and therefore no erjquiry was made. When 

 time had elupsed that was further confirmed by the 

 rapid recovery of these very trees which were affected. 

 But on several estates I have looked to where it has 

 been fairly traced to the insect, shows we were 

 mistaken in attributing it to wind. Wind may 

 have done its part, but there were, however, 

 pests besides. The important facts I had gathered 

 tend to confirm what I have heard today that where 

 cacao was not vigorous there blight had been very 

 destructive indeed, but in places where cacao was 

 vigorous there the blight had a temporary and trivial 

 effect. It had blasted the points of the branches very 

 much as wind will blacken the points of coffee, but 

 these have been very speedily replaced by more 

 vigorous shoots. On one estate in particular I was 

 taken by the manager who does not reside on the 

 estate aud who had not visited it for a week. 1 was 

 taken down to see what he called the worst place, 

 and he was astonished at the change, which had come 

 over the place in that week, and there appeared to 

 be every prospect of its recovering as it had done on 

 former occasions. One of the largest cacao cultiv- 

 ators in this country, who is not here today to speak 

 for himself, has expressed his opinion to one of the 

 managers with whom I have been conferring, that 

 he believed the blight would severely affect his estates 

 which were poor soil, especially those where there 

 was very shallow soil and where cacao was not very 

 vigorous ; but the eBtate he himself had charge of 

 was a remarkably line one and he had very little 

 anxiety on the subject. I think we should wind up 

 the subject by appointing a committee who will confer 

 with Dr. Trimen, who will very gladly give all the 

 information he may obtain in the meanwhile. With 

 regard to the insect it is known to be one of a tribe 

 which commits its depredations in the night ; it ia 

 one of those nocturnal insects of which we have many 

 examples within our knowledge, and therefore it is 

 not quite so unaccountable as some think. I proposa 

 that a committee be appointed to take evidence and 

 confer with Dr. Tritnen and report when they have 

 sufficient informatiou on the subject. 



Mr. Ross remarked, that, notwithstanding what 

 had been said, he still believed it to be the effects of 

 wind, because he had himself examined the trees and 

 could find no trace of perforations on the branches. 



Mr. Clarke : — I should like to ask Mr. Christie 

 one question whether the estates he referred to 

 were good soil or not. 



Mr. Christie said moat of the estates were in the 

 lowccuutry where the soil was not so good, but, if the 

 drift of 4Jr. Clarke's question was to indicate that 

 exposure aud poverty of soil were the causes, he 

 could not agiee with hiui, because there was the fact 

 of these nuiseries where there was undoubtedly good 

 bo'1 and which were carefully sheltered and which 

 bad yet got the blight. 



Mr. Jardine :- -1 must give it as my opinion that 

 povtrty of soil has very liltle to do with it, for I have 

 got cacao on the finest so 1 you cau get in Ceylon that 

 sutlers with the disease. 



Mr. Clarke :— I think this disease is chiefly down 

 in the low country and not in the old estates 

 where the foil is good, and cacao there dots not stun 

 lo be afftcttd by the disease. As this discussion will 

 probably go hi me it will alarm old proprietors who 

 nave been spending money on the old estates, 

 on cacao, and thty will imagine that this disease is to 

 be serious. I think it should be stated that it is not 

 on these old estates, but in the lowcountry that the 

 disease exists. 



Mr. Blacki'.tt proposed that Messrs. Jardine, Ross 

 and Vollar be appointed a committee to confer with Dr. 

 'JMrnen. 



The lion. J. L. ShanD said he had very great 



pleasure in seconding that. They were indebted to 

 the gentlemen who had given them their opinions, and 

 the most gratifying featuie of the discussion was to 

 find that they had so many cacao planters amongst them. 

 (Applause.) 



Mr. Gibbon thought a great mistake had been 

 made in opening laud without any shelter or wind- 

 breaks. He was almost certain that in the ease of 

 the great bulk of the land which had been affected 

 it was from want of wind-breaks. He did not think 

 the shelter of coffee was sufficient. He did not think 

 cacao planters would be wise in neglecting to have 

 wind-breaks all over their estates. He did not believe 

 much in shade but wind-breaks were most necessary. 



Mr. Blaokett's resolution was then put and 

 unanimously agreed to. 



Specimens of prize tea from the Calcutta Exhibition, 

 official catalogues, malt coffee and mortice work for 

 tea boxes made by machinery were laid on the table 

 through the courtesy of Mr. Capper for the inspection 

 of members. 



The proceedings then terminated, the number of mem- 

 bers present at the close being about half-a-dozen, 

 the majority having left at the conclusiou of the 

 discussion on the Cooly Wages Ordinance. 



CACAO AND BLIGHT IN THE DUMBAUA 



VALLEY. 



{By Our Reporter.) 



The alarming rumours which have been industriously 

 circulated of late, that a terrible pest was decimating 

 the cacao estates in Dumbara aud other parts of the 

 country and was doing on an even larger scale what 

 Hemeleia vaslatrkc has done on coffee estates, have natur- 

 ally created the greatest anxiety in the minds of 

 planters, as mauy estates are now being planted up with 

 the product in question. For the purpose of testing 

 the accuracy of these statements I have just paid a visit 

 to the most important estates in the Dumbara valley, 

 and I am very glad indeed to be in a position to 

 give a contradiction to these rumours. Cacao blight 

 practically does not exist in the Dumbara valley, or, 

 at any rate, exists to so small an extent that there 

 is no reason for auy alarm at present, though, of 

 course, it must bo carefully watched. The report of 

 the Committee appointed at the P. A. meeting on 

 Saturday to investigate this subject in conjunction 

 with Dr. Trimen will of course be looked for with 

 great interest, a3 it will carry the weight of ex- 

 perienced and learned men, aud there is every reason 

 to believe that it will be of a reassuring character ; but 

 in the meanwhile some account of the present condition 

 of cacao in Dumbara may not be altogether without 

 interest. 



Accompanied by a planter whom the alarming 

 reports of cacao blight had reached aud who in con- 

 sequence was on his way to the I'olgahawela district to 

 ascertain for himself the real position of things in 

 that part and piloted by Mr. H. J. Voll»r of 

 Pallekele estate, the oldest cacao estate in the 

 country, I yesterday inspected a large acreage of 

 cacao, with the result, that, instead of rinding blighted 

 and withered trees, as the reports which I had heard 

 had quite led me to expect, 1 saw field after field of 

 vigorous, healthy trees, a little the worse for the 

 unusual drought they have experienced, it is true, 

 but nevertheless iu a most promising condition. And 

 this drought, I think, is the keynote for the scare 

 which has been caused. The season has been a inns 

 abnormal one, not a tiffth of the usual rainfall haviu 



