November i, 1884. J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



4'9 



To the Editor of the * Ceylon Observer." 

 MASKELIYA: A PERFECT CLIMATE FOR TEA- 

 Upper Maskeliya, 20th September 1SS3. 

 Deau Sir,— In the Observer of the 15th instant, 

 I see Maskeliya for July is the second wettest dis- 

 trict in Ceylon. Now, to show you how unfair it is 

 of the P. W. D. only publishing the rainfall from one 

 part of| the district, I herewith enclose what was 

 measured, most o»refully, by me on this estate dur- 

 ing the p. st year. I think you will suy that it is 

 a perfect climate for tea. 



September 1SS3 rain fell on 7 days total 4'61 in. 

 October „ „ 20 » 8-70 



November „ „ 25 „ 11 '71 



December ,, ,, 14 „ 577 



January 1S81 „ ,. 10 „ 4'09 



7 2'28 



" » ls - " fS 



„ ,. 15 ■> 9 17 



18 „ S-58 



•" „ 6-65 



„ „ 17 „ 3'5l 



1*1 ., 5'31 



February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 



August 





Total days rain fell ... 189 Total.. .80"38 in. 

 Since" writing the above, I have read the letter in 

 yesterday's paper from a correspondent in Maskeliya. 

 He will find iu the above an answer to his enquiry. 



W. D. B. B. 

 [It is refreshing in this year of drought to get a 

 complaint of one's district being represented as too 

 wet. We have no doubt that Maskeliya will take 

 very high rank as a tea district. — Ed.] 



SMITH'S PATENT FIBRE MACHINES. 



Galle, 23rd Sept. 1884. 



Dear Sir, — I find on referring to the Observer of 

 the 10th inst. the following para having reference to 

 " Smith's Patent Fibre Machine " :— " Ten of Death & 

 Elwood's machines have been supplied to one 

 district in Southern India, and some doubts that were 

 recently cast on the success of a machine tried in 

 the south of Ceylonu have been scattered by the chief 

 opeiator confessing he had made several blunders in 

 his way of working, his jet of water having far too 

 little fall, while the raw material was fed in above 

 rather than below the guard." 



Mr. S. E. I;. Curtis of Baddegama is the gentle- 

 man who has given the machine a fair trial in the 

 south of the island, and, as that para can only refer 

 to him, I, as agent in Ceylon for Smith's Patent 

 Fibre Machine, asked him what it referred to. In 

 reply, he tells me he mnde no such improbable con- 

 fes-n-n. Will yon, therefore, kindly contradict the 

 statement ? Mr. Curtis has nothing but praise for 

 the way the machine does its cleaning and says the 

 principle is excellent.— 1 am, dear sir, yours faith- 

 fully, T. S. CLARK. 



[It is not the principle of the machine or the 

 quality of the fibre it turns out, but its capability 

 of clearing a paying quantity of fibre per diem, which 

 is in question. We understood that Mr. Campbell it 

 was who tried and reported unfavourably of the 

 capability of the machine, but he afterwards confessed 

 he was mistaken. When we have local evidence of 

 its doing a piying amount of work as well as good 

 work, we shall be delighted to publish more facts. — Ed] 



NEW PRODUCTS, LEAF-DISEASE, &c— No. VI. 



Dear Sir,— From the leaf of a brinjjl (egg-apple) 



plant, the mclongena of botanists, an insect was 



taken out of a swarm of them on the trader-part of 



the leaf which presented patches of a sooty appear- 

 ance. The insect was less than one-sixteenth of an 

 inch in length, pale greenish, more inclined to brov n 

 colour : under tl.e microscope it appeared to be a 

 veritable and beautiful beetle ; the wings were trans- 

 parent and reticulated with the uervea and bio id- 

 vessels, although the latter appeared te he devoid of 

 colouring matter. The whole surface of the body of 

 the insect was hairy, rather Bpinous-looking under 

 the glass. The insects appeared to be devouring the 

 leaf, as its destruction seemed to be rapid. The 

 sooty appearance above alluded to, I believe, is the 

 larva of the insect. [Its excrement more likelv ? — 

 En.] 



Several of the branches of the brinjal plant had 

 already been eaten before I took notice of it. I then 

 got a quantity of cold ash thrown over the plant, 

 and on the third day I was glad to observe the plant 

 presenting a more healthy appearance and the soot 

 completely vanished. 1 have no doubt in my mind 

 that cold ash has a beneficial effect on the plant in 

 preventing the ravages committed by leaf-insects, be 

 sides being a good fertilizer.* For large plantations 

 it would be necessary to use a duster, and I would 

 suggest the construction of one on a large lah ol 

 an instrument upon the principle of a syringe, but 

 with the mouth or the nozzle expanded and perforated. 

 The cylinder of the syringe being filled with line cold 

 ash could be squirted by the propulsion or handle of 

 the instrument, but the cylinder must be lightly 

 filled with ash : in this manner many trees may be 

 operated upon in a few minutes. The employment 

 of labour for a few hours to operate on the plants 

 and on both sides of the leaves will be amply com- 

 pensated by the saving of so many trees from de- 

 struction, and would be worth trial. The instrument 

 may be made to rest on a stand which can be moved 

 on wheels as per enclosed sketch, which will give 

 an idea of the instruments 



Whilst on the subject of the brinjal, it may be 

 useful to describe the uses of it, and the mode of 

 preparing the varieties of curries which are made from 

 brinjal and are daily used by the people. There are 

 varieties of the brinjal, the long-shaped which are 

 about 12 or sometimes 15 inches in length ; there arc 

 white anil purple of this kind. Again, the real egg- 

 apple is globular, sometimes the size of an ordinary 

 custard apple ; the taste is similar in all, and they can 

 all be made into some kind of curries. There are white 

 and purple of this kind also. 



Esculent property of the brinjal. — There is scarcely 

 any fruit equal to brinjal in its nourishing quali 

 It is easily cultivated, aud every variety of it about ds 

 in properties necessary to sustain life, although an 

 excessive indulgence in it is said to produce ii ril 

 of the blood, and, consequently, sliin dis<as . The 

 natives say that it is kerende or blood irritatii 

 however that may be, the brinjal is a very nou 

 ing food in form of salad and curries, in the curried 

 state it is that the brinjal i^ most used, and rie 

 scriptions of the mode and varieties i f currii s which 

 arc made of it may be useful. 



As n salad, the brinjal is cut into round I 

 and boiled; then the necessary condiments viz . vim 

 salt and pepper are added and served at tible. 



Cutlet is made by dividing the fruit into two, 

 boiling them carefully, scooping out the fleshy and 

 seed parts of it, whilst the skin is preserved un- 

 broken. The fie by parts are squeezed well and some 



* It may yet be found that cold ash is the best S] 

 against the ravages of tin leaf insects. [The coffei 

 disease is a fungus. — En.] 



f In applying sulphur and lime on a lai ;< all toi 

 all machines were ultimately discarded in favour of coolies 

 hands defended by coir gloves or mittens.— Ed. 



