October i, 1884.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



263 



felt, and a vigorous growth can be noticed everywhere, 

 especially since the setting in of the dry weather. At 

 Tjinjiroean a new nursery-house for artificial pro- 

 pagation was completed, and a commencement was 

 made with the building of a similiar structure. With 

 a larger labor supply than has hitherto been available the 

 bedding of grafts can now be proceeded with. For grafts 

 the twigs of picked Ledgerianas which on analysis yield 

 more than 10 per cent of quinine are now exclusively 

 employed. With the supply at present in the nurseries 

 and grafts which will be obtained in the course of this 

 year the plantation, at Tirtasari will be considerably ex- 

 tended in the next west monsoon. A commencement 

 is now being made with the clearing of the forestland 

 needed for this. Tho raising of Ledgeriaua seedlings 

 was carried on vigorously on nearly all the estates, in 

 order that the plantations of inferior varieties which have 

 yet to be rooted up may be as soon as possible replanted. 

 During the past quarter only once — on 4th April — was a 

 sale of cinchona seed held. On account of want of com- 

 petition the sale realized only a sum of /(350. Not a 

 single bid exceeded the niinimium fixed by Government. 

 Of the southern estates only the succirubra plantations 

 at Eioenggocnoeng had to eudure a severe attack of 

 Helopeltis Antonii. The Ledgeriaua plantations have been 

 preserved from the pest by a thorough pursuit of the insect. 

 The insect showed itself again at Lembang, which estate 

 had been spared for a whole year. By the catching of the 

 insect and the removal of the infected leaves the damage 

 has been reduced to a minimum. Apparently as a con- 

 sequence of the long-continued wet, a fungus, entirely 

 distinct from the well-known djamoer oepas on coffee, 

 began to show itself here and there, especially in the dense 

 plantations at Tirtasari and Tjibeureum. By the cutting 

 off of the affected tops and branches the disease was com- 

 bated as far as possible, and the damage done is of little 

 consequence. 



Van Romunde, 

 Director, Govt. Cinchona Enterprize. 

 Bandoeng, 4th July 1884. 



CORRESPONDENCE ON THE COFFEE GRUB. 



(From the Ceylon Government Gazette.) 



His Excellency the Governor has been pleased to direct 

 that the following copy of a letter from Mr. Thiselton 

 Dyer, and of its enclosures, be published for general in- 

 formation. 



Mr. Thiselton Dyer to the Colonial Office. 



Royal Gardens, Kew, July 1st, 1884. 



Sir. — I am desired by Sir Joseph Hooker to inform you 

 that he has been officially requested by the Director of the 

 Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Ceylon, (a copy of whose letter 

 is enclosed,) to obtain a report upon a variety of docu- 

 ments and specimens forwarded to him. which illustrate 

 the ravages of " grub " in the coffee plantations in the 

 Colony. 



Mr. Christie states that in the Maskeliya district " the 

 damage first began to attract attention in 1877, and since 

 theu the grub has spread until some 4,000 acres are badly 

 affected, and but few estates, except those very recently 

 opened, have altogether escaped. He thinks the loss, ex- 

 clusive of the depreciation in capital value of the estates 

 in this one district from this cause, is quite £15,000 per 

 annum." He adds: "As a rule the trees are reduced to 

 mere living skeletons, giving no crop, and are particularly 

 liable to attacks of 'leaf disease.'" 



Tho subject was referred to Mr. McLachlan, f.e.s., who 

 has often assisted the Government in inquiries of this 

 kind. After some delay, owing to various causes, he has 

 furnished a report, of which I enclose a copy, and which 

 appears to supply all the information upon the subject 

 which is available in this country. 



Sir William Gregory, who has recently returned from 

 Ceylon, has kindly furnished me with a letter, (of which 

 a copy is enclosed,) which suggests a very probable ex- 

 planation of the origin of the scourge. Of its severity 

 there can be no doubt. Mr. Christie states that "the 

 brown chafers fly in the dry months for about a quarter 

 of an hour, just as it gets dusk, every evening, and their 

 numbers are almost incredible. Several millions have been 



caught in one season on a single badly-affected estate." 



Dr. King, the Superintendent of the Calcutta Botanic 

 Garden, who is now in this country, has given us an in- 

 structive account of a similar but more limited visitation 

 at Darjiling, where tho grub of an unknown beetle has 

 completely devastated the Botanic Garden. Here there 

 seems to be no doubt that the insect found its starting 

 point in the vast accumulation of refuse formed by the 

 Municipality on an adjoining piece of ground. It appears 

 from Dr. King's observations that the grub, which is prob- 

 ably quite similar in its habits to those afflicting Ceylon 

 comes during the hot weather to within an inch of the 

 surface to feed on the roots of annual herbaceous plants 

 It can then to a large extent be destroyed by forkinc out 

 In the cold weather, it descends and feeds on the deeperl 

 seated roots of shrubs (such as coffee), and it is at this 

 time that it inflicts the most serious mischief on the 

 planter, while, it is practically inaccessible. 



Under the circumstances, Sir Joseph Hooker, in accord- 

 ance with the terms ot Lord Kiinberley's letter of Feb 

 ruary 23rd 1882, fixes the fee payable to Mr. McLachlan 

 at ten guineas, which I am to request the Crown Agents 

 may be moved to pay to that gentleman. — I am, &c. 



W. T. Thiselton Dveu. 

 The Hon. R. H. Meade, Colonial Office. 



Enclosure No. 1. 

 The Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Ceylon, to tho 



Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew 

 No - 45 - Royal Botanic Gardens, 



Peradeniya, Ceylon, 3rd July 1883. 



Sir— I have the honor to send herewith certain papers 

 and two boxes of specimens bearing upon the subject of 

 "gruh" in coffee, and I have to request that you will 

 forward them to Mr. McLachlan. f.r.s., (or in the event of 

 his declining the work, to some other entomologist accus- 

 tomed to deal with agricultural questions) for report 



2. The entomologist is requested to give an opinion as to 

 the best measures to adopt for checking the ravages of this 

 pest which, in some districts of Ceylon, are of a very serious 

 character. His fee will be paid by this Government.— I 

 am i &c -i Heney Tbihen, Director. 



Enclosure No. 2. 



Mr. R. McLachlan, f.r.s., f.l.s., to Sir J. D. Hooker, k.c.s.1., 



f.r.s.,&c., Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew. 



West View, Clarendon Road, 

 Lewisham, London, S.E., Juno 1884. 



Sir,— In the autumn last year I received from W T 

 Thiselton Dyer, Esq., c.M.G., f.k.s., &c., Assistant Director', 

 Royal Gardens, Kew, sundry documents and specimens 

 connected with the ravages of " grub " on coffee &c 

 plantations in the Island of Ceylon, accompanied by a re- 

 quest that I would report thereon. I was also favoured 

 with a private letter from Dr. Trimen, f.l.s., of the Royal 

 Gardens, Peradeniya, in connection therewith. I deeply 

 regret the delay that has occurred in submitting this re- 

 port, occasioned partly by the magnitude of the subject 

 as illustrated by the box of specimens sent, and partly 

 also from periods of indifferent health. 



In consequence of the large mass of specimens it was 

 necessary that they should undergo examination by some 

 entomologist who has made these families of beetles an 

 object of special study from a systematic point of view. 

 This has been done, but in many cases with the result 

 that little more than the generic name can be given. 

 A considerable number of the species have no doubt never 

 been described, and others belong to genera in which the 

 specific characters are of a very obscure nature. In all, 

 fully 40 species of beetles are in the box. 



Referring specially to those species indicated by num- 

 bers in Mr. Braine's letter No. 1, I find the following — 



1. Lencoplio/is pinc/iiis, Bunn. (The " big patana cock- 

 chafer "), also a second species of the same genus 

 indicated "from Ralapara." [ ?— Ed. O. O.] 



2. EucMora sp. 



3. Anomala sp. 



4. J/inn/a zanthorrkind, Hope. 



5- AncyU lia i; ■' , Blanchard (perhaps the 



" yellow-bellied chafer.") 



