December i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



447 



Enemie3 of the Coffee-tree" published at this office, 

 ami read over the hundred-aud-one enemies of coffee 

 which prevailed in Ceylon twenty and thirty years before 

 the Hemikia fungus was ever heard of. So with the 

 •' pouchies " on tea and cacao, as iu fact with the big 

 caterpillars (seasonal "gooseberries") which used to 

 be served up to us, editors, when cinchona cultivation 

 first became general. It is a wise and proper thing 

 to take notice of all enemies, even the most minute, 

 to study their habits and the best way of checking 

 their work. The Press in Ceylon, agricultural in 

 its work above everything, must take cognizance 

 of all such pests ; but we beg of our readers in Colombo 

 and outside of the island not to run away with the 

 idea, that each new discovery or report of on enemy 

 sounds the knell of the particular product concerned. 



It was inevitable that here iu Ceylon as in India pre- 

 viously, the increase of tea cultivation should be 

 followed by the appearance of the insects which 

 specially feed upou the plant. About the most trouble- 

 some are Helopeltis Antonii and the mite known popul- 

 arly as "red spider." They are present in Ceylon, 

 but not to any large extent and we do not think that 

 tea planters at all have need to be alarmed. In India 

 there has never befn anything like a wide-spread 

 and general attack on estates, the creatures being 

 local, and capricious as to season and other circum- 

 stances. When they do haunt an estate, or a group 

 of estates, they (especially Helopeltis) undoubtedly 

 cau do mischief: but as we have said their ravages 

 are never widespread or general, nor are they long- 

 continued. The creatures come and go but never 

 prove fatal to the plants, and at the worst only 

 decrease their yield for a season. We now know a 

 great deal more than did the Indian tea planters some 

 years ago about modes of reproduction of the pests, 

 so that it will be the fault of planters here them- 

 selves if they are not largely successful iu diminish- 

 ing the evil. There is no possible comparison between 

 the permanent mischief done by the insects on tea 

 and the fundus blight which has dealt so cruelly 

 with our coffee. 



As a mutter of fact we are aware that both 

 Helopeltis aud Red Spider, although not publicly re- 

 ported at the time, have been identified on Ceylon 

 Gardens so far back as a year ago. We learn from Mr. 

 Wall that ho found the Helopeltis about that time 

 in a low-country district, but it has given little 

 trouble so far, while Red Spider according to 

 the same authority is more troublesome to 

 coffee iu some districts than to tea. All the 

 same we trust the fact that these and other new 

 and old enemies are reported on our products from 

 time to time, may not raise the absurd notion that 

 in each case a repetition of our experience with 

 coffee is to be expected ! Coffee was extended under 

 conditions which cau never again prevail aud yet it 

 took forty years before the dire fungus undermined 

 confidence in this — the then one great — planting staple. 

 Remembering how tea, even if it becomes "King," is 

 certain to be varied and supported in our planting 

 districts by other products, we do not see why, even 

 in forty years to come, we should fear any special 

 edcadence of our industry in tea cultivation. 



PLANTING IN PERAK AND THE STRAITS 

 SETTLEMENTS. 

 (By an cjc Ceylon Planter.) 



PREJUDICES AGAINST THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS — PENANG 

 ■ — POPULATION — CONVEYANCES — JINBICKSHAS — THE 1-1 ICE 



BRIGADE— PERAK— COFFEE, TEA, &C. — LABOR — PROS 

 OF EMI'l.OY.MKN I. 



Perak, 14th October 1SS4. 

 Most people ill Ceylon entertain a strong prejudice 

 agaiust the .Straits Settlements proper, and, more es- 



pecially so, against the Protected Native States. The 

 only reasons I can assign for this are, that both the 

 Settlements and the States are to a great'extent lerreaes 

 incognitas to the majority of folk ; and that those who 

 are thus prejudiced have formed their opinions from 

 the reports of a few malcontents who thither came, saw, 

 aud left very shortly afterwards. 



It is not my intention to enter into an elaborate 

 defence of "these parts," but merely to give you a 

 few facts concerning them, so that your readers|can 

 judge for themselves ; and, with this end in view, I will 

 begiu from the very beginning. The journey hither (out- 

 of-the-way place as it is supposed to be) is to say 

 the least of it not an unpleasant trip. The passage to 

 Penang in a P. & 0. steamer I need not describe ; 

 but Penang itself deserves mention. The approach to 

 to it from the sea is very picturesque with the lux- 

 urious palm groves of Proviuce VVellesley on one 

 side of the Straits, anil the town with its background 

 of jungle on the other. But it is when in the town 

 itself that one actually realizes the change from Ceylon. 

 True, one sees a great many Tamils (tilings they are 

 called here), but one rather misses the Sinhalese ; how- 

 ever, this deficiency is amply atoned for by the large 

 numbers of Chinese, Malays, Sikhs and others who 

 throng the streets. Of the town I will only speak by 

 comparison thus : it is not so pretty as Colombo, 

 nor should I say, its wholesale business is so great. 

 Per contra, its streets are more crowded than those 

 of the Colombo Fort, and I think it could give the 

 latter place a degree or two in the matter of heat. 



Amongst the things which Btrike the new arrival are 

 its means of locomotion, and, if one is fortunate enough 

 to see it, as was your correspondent, its fire- 

 brigade. I will treat of the former first. The 

 "gharries" are mostly very poor concerns, and they 

 are drawn by ponies that look out of all proportion 

 to the conveyances to which they are haruessed, Ouce 

 behind them, however, one is very agreeably surprised 

 at the rate at which these little creatures travel, with 

 loads to drag, apparently heavy enough for a team. 



Then there is a vehicle which deserves special men- 

 tion. I allude to the "jinrickshaw," and for the 

 information of those who have not seen it I will 

 briefly describe it. It is a two-wheeled, hooded, light 

 little trap, something like a small Norfolk-cart with 

 larger wheels, and it is drawn by a Chiuaman. It is so 

 balanced that when in motion, the shafts point slightly 

 upwards, and the weight of the passenger or passengers 

 inside, being a very little behind the axle, has a 

 tendency to increase their upward direction ; but they 

 (the shafts) are kept in positiou by the trusty Chinese 

 " horse," who thus instead of bearing a burthen, is 

 by leaning on the shafts partially lifted himself ; and 

 be travels with the whole concern at a very respect- 

 able pony-trotting rate. It is a turnout which I should 

 say would score a decided success in Hyde Park duiing 

 tin season. 



The ringing of bells, and the firing of cannon, as fire 

 alarms, which happeued twice during my first night 

 in Penang, naturally brings me to the "Volunteer 

 Fire Brigade " as I saw i-t the fallowing day. I am 

 not sure, whether these gallaut heroes had assisted in 

 extinguishing the actual conflagrations during the 

 night, hut I think not. However, there cau be no doubt, 

 that their zeal was heightened by these occurrences ; 

 for, fully accoutred in the heavy dress of the English 

 firtmau, with helmet and hatehet complete, they turned 

 out the following afternoon with a small fire-engine, and 

 hail "drill." After a great de.d of bustle, shouting of 

 orders, and no little delay, several lengths or coils of hose 

 were unrolled, laid along the ground, screwed together at 

 the joints, aud the nozzles affixed— forming, when 

 completed, two fairly long hoses. The men then took 

 their stations, two at each nozzle, and the rest any- 

 where, all perspiring freely and looking uucomfort- 



