244 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [September i, 1884. 



not only the leaves but the points of the branches. 

 Cacao evidently grows well in Haputale without shade, 

 but not without shelter from wind. 



Cardamoms appear to be one of the favourite new 

 products. Although they grow fairly well in good 

 soil in the open, it is advisable to plant some quick- 

 growing shade-trees, and perhaps the cotton tree 

 will be found as suitable as any. Crop is now being 

 gathered off a clearing not two years planted. 



Ceard rubbers continue to grow apace, but those 

 who claim to have experience of tapping say there 

 are no trees old enough for operating upon. 



Cinchonas. — Harvesting on an extensive scale has 

 been carried on lately : 50.0U0 lb. of dry bark is now 

 being dispatched from oue of the Company's estates. 

 Some estates are coppicing their trees to make way 

 for tea, and others are shaving younger trees to keep 

 the kettle boiling. 



Tea.— As it has been satisfactorily proved to some 

 minds that this product will grow and Hush well on 

 the higher estates, many have now large tea nurseries, 

 and a considerable addition to the tea acreage will be 

 made during October and November. One of the 

 largest proprietors of coffee in Haputale, and who 

 knows well what he is about, is now felling 50 acres 

 of forest, the lower portion of which, it is said, he 

 intends planting with coffee and the upper with tea. 

 The general opinion here is that all the higher forest- 

 lands in Haputale are thoroughly suitable lor tea- 

 cultivation. Even on a poor piece of patana soil under 

 the Pass, can be seen some very healthy tea bushes, 

 and until lately loaded with crop ; these bushes ap- 

 pear to have been kept for seed, aud no information 

 could bo obtained as to whether on such soil in 

 Haputale there would be a sufficient number of 

 Unties to make tea pay ; but there can be no doubt 

 us to the fact that on patana soil too poor to grow 

 coffee, there the tea now flourishes.— Yours truly, 



PLANTER. 



THE PAPPAYA OR PAPPAWE. 



Dear Sir,— In reply to " B. G." there is no difficulty 

 in collecting the milk of the above-named fruit as it 

 exudes from the greeu fruit freely on incision, but 

 I do not know how it is preserved or what it may 

 be worth. 



It is well-known that this milk has all the prin- 

 ciples of pepsine, and I have heard that it enters 

 lareelv into the manufacture of that medicine.— Yours 

 truly, ALPHA. 



Planters in Southern India would most certainly 

 go in for a little (or a good deal) of lynch law on 

 the quiet. 



■I have tried both Jackson's and Kinmond's rolling 

 machines, improved forms, aud prefer the latter. It 

 does not express the juice, and I think rolls better 

 all round.— Yours faithfully, PLANTER. 



COFFEE AND TEA IN SOUTH INDIA. 



Kotagherry, Nilgiris, 28th July 1884. 

 Dear Sir, — Coffee prospects this season in Ceylon, 

 though bad enough in parts, yet seem better than 

 o»rs. Many estates here, from the appearance of 

 the blossom, late though it was, expected bumper 

 crops, bat the failure of the rain has now quite 

 settled anything of that sort, and certainly the majority 

 of estates will not pay expenses. Tea is not quite so 

 badly off, but the outturn is unusually short on 

 most places. The some cry comes from Coonoor, 

 Ouchterlony Valley and Wynaad, though 1 did hear 

 of a group of favoured estates in the latter district 

 which had rain at the right time and would do well. 

 Having no S. W. monsoon we have naturally done 

 no plaiting, and the long drought has brought out 

 bug on many coffee estates. Cinchona is doing pretty 

 well. It seems to be a general opinion that your 

 large average yields of tea in Ceylon will not con- 

 tinue. I should say that it depends entirely on your- 

 selves, whether you manure properly or not. 



One thing that strikes any one reading the Observer 

 is the large amount of crime and lawlessness in Ceylon, 



DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING TEA 

 PROPERLY. 



Dear Sir, — Why do not superintendents of estates 

 and vendors of tea generally affix " directions for 

 use " on their packets of tea, just in the Fame 

 way as is done in the case of Brown & Poison's 

 corn flour, Crosse & Blackwell's goods, tinned meats 

 and the thousand and one such like articles. It 

 is well-known that but very few people know how 

 to "make tea" properly, and frequently good tea 

 is spoiled by being badly infused. Kspecially is this 

 so with Ceylon tea, which requires much less of 

 it than China aud which is completely spoiled by 

 being made "strong." Y. 



THE CULTURE OF ARROWROOT. 



Arslena, Nawalapitiya. 

 Dear Sir, — A friend of mine down in the Straits 

 Settlements has sent me the following estimate for 

 opening oue acre of an arrowroot garden, aud wishes 

 to know why the European does not cultivate the 

 root as it is a thing that always sells well. His 

 estimate is in §andcts., but I have put it into 

 rupees aud cents : — 



Price of land ... R 20-00 



Felling, clearing ... 20-00 



Pegging ■•• 500 



Holing 5,000 holes 3x3 ... 41-50 



Filling in ... 5'00 



Planting - -•• 500 



Value of plants ... 2,v00 



Weeding 12 months ... 12-00 



Buildings - 5000 



Machine — 50-00 



Sundries - 20-00 



R253-50 



2nd years' expenditure 



R14700 



R400-50 



1st year 5,000 plants give say 3,000 lb. 

 2nd year do do do 3,000 lb. 



6,000 lb. 

 At 35 cents per lb. 

 2nd year's expenditure 



R2,100 

 400 



R1.700 

 This is my friend's estimate, £170 per acre clear profit. 

 His advice is to have a flat lay of land near a stream 

 aud by no account to open more than 10 acres at a 

 time, unless you have a very powerful set of machinery 

 You can root out the arrowroot twice a year. Ho 

 has had five crops iu two years. For drying the flour 

 his advice is to put up a small kiln to dry it, as it has 

 to be done at once or it will spoil. 



Should any persoo feel inclined to open a small 

 place, I can give him further information, or he 

 could give it to me to open for him. 



I expect another letter from him about the cultiv- 

 ation of ginger, and when it urriveu I will let you know 

 what he says.— Yours faithfully. vV. M. P. 



P. S,— Arrowroot plants are to be bad very cheap 



