January i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



5" 



Silk Cotton or " Kapok " as an article of com- 

 merce and export is gradually developing itself. More 

 than one firm of European merchants have made large 

 shipments of the article to Australia where there is a con- 

 stant and growing demand for the article. The kapok 

 tree from the pods of which the cotton is taken grows wild 

 in many parts of Ceylon, butl saw a vast number of them 

 in the Matale district forming as it were the hedgerow or 

 boundary of coffee estates. These ought to yield an abund- 

 ant crop of cotton. In other parts of the country where 

 there are waste grounds available the tree will grow with 

 equal luxuriance. It is a pity that in this and other re- 

 spects those persons who own many broad acres do not 

 set an example for others. What a splendid park would 

 be a thousand acres all planted with this magnificent tree ! 

 The tree does not give any trouble at all. If only planted 

 and protected from cattle it grows by itself, and it is 

 rarely attacked by insects, grub or other pests. When 

 the pods attain maturity, the trees are invaded by the 

 flying-foxes, which feed perhaps on the berries. In Jaffna 

 when the Illuppai is in blossom or bearing, is the season 

 for shooting flying-fox, a very exciting sport amongst the 

 villagers. I have not seen the flying-fox so plentiful here, 

 but, at any rate, they are easily dealt with if the trees 

 require to be protected from their ravages. The bound- 

 aries of large estates may be planted with these trees. 

 They are very graceful in appearance, not spreading out 

 to any large extent, but growing to a great height like a 

 splendid column. — Cor. 



N ew Products in the Wynaad, 20th Nov. 18S4. — 

 The curious difference in the quantity and quality of the 

 crop, on estates in the same neighbourhood, is becoming 

 very conspicuous; and those which are especially heavily 

 laden are mostly suffering very considerably from the 

 effects of the fearful wave of leaf-disease which swept 

 over Wynaad a few months ago. Otherwise, our places 

 are, as a rule, looking wonderfully well ; the cinchona 

 plantings are especially prosperous, promising us great 

 things, and indeed we require some such sort of substantial 

 comfort to help us along in these depressing times. 

 Tobacco is the latest fashion: those who believe in 

 it are exceedingly enthusiastic about its prospects. 

 There can be no doubt of the fact that such small 

 experiments as have been already attempted promise 

 exceedingly well. The tobacco " grows like a weed." 

 The preparation is the principal difficulty, and it is pro- 

 posed to obviate this by getting up experienced workmen, 

 when sufficient leaf has been grown to make such a plan 

 feasible. It is also proposed that the tobacco grown here 

 should be prepared only "in the rough" for native 

 consumption until the quality of it is more established. 

 I hear that a small field lately planted, on property belong- 

 ing to Messrs. Arbuthnot & Co.. is promising remarkably 

 well, and that it is likely that it will in consequence be 

 much more extensively cultivated on the same estate. 

 Tea and Cardamoms also look A. 1. The (lushes on the 

 former seem to be incessant, and, to judge by the 

 amount of leaf brought in every evening off one estate 

 alone, it ought to be a paving production. The wonder 

 with regard to cardamoms seems to me. why they have 

 never been extensively planted before. It has apparently 

 been an illustration of the old proverb that " necessity 

 is the mother of invention." In the good old days, when 

 King Coffee reigned paramount, it never seemed to occur 

 to us that we had any other striugs to our bows ; 

 now, unfortunately, we have all the doubts and penalties 

 of mere experimentalizing before us — and at a time when 

 few of us are in a position to risk failures. — Madras Times. 

 The Tomato Fungus. — Mr. Berkeley writes: — "Amongst 

 the numerous points of interest connected with the 1'ero- 

 nospora of the Potato disease there is one which has not 

 been noticed, as far as I know at present, and I re sonar 

 mend it to the acute observation of Mr. Plowright. I 

 mean the mode of its attack on Tomatos. It does not 

 seem to affect the foliage, at least I have never observed 

 it to do so, but is confined to the fruit, which if cut across 

 soon developes the Peronospora in perfection. It is almost 

 impossible in some districts to cultivate Tomatos success- 

 fully in the open ground ; and this year, which has been 

 peculiarly favourable to their growth, the disease is as bad 

 as ever. I should be very curious to ascertain how the 

 Peronospora attacks the fruit, and in what stage; aud now 

 that Tomatos are so general an article of cultivation, it is 



a matter of some importance. I do not recollect some 

 seventy years ago that the Tomatos were similarly affected. 

 They were not so much grown then, for they were thought 

 to be unwholesome, and even to induce a particular form 

 of disease ; and I recollect some hundreds being thrown 

 out of the garden, though the fruit was in high perfection 

 and in a perfectly healthy condition. This, of course, was 

 many years before the Potato disease was known, and con- 

 sequently before the introduction of the Peronospora, for I 

 am talking of years previous to 1817. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 

 New Method of Preserving Grapes. — A Paris horti- 

 cultural journal gives a new process for preserving grapes 

 fresh for^everal months that is worth trying. It is an im- 

 provement on the process now extensively employed in 

 France, by which the stems are immersed in bottles of water 

 to prevent shrivelling. The inventor of the process is a 

 nurseryman of Villiers. He describes it as follows: — "Toward 

 the end of October I cut the shoot with the clusters at- 

 tached, sharpen the lower end to a point and stick it 

 into a potato. I spread the bunches out on straw or dry 

 hay, so that they shall not touch each other. Thus pre- 

 pared, these shoots keep quite as well as if the shoots 

 with the bunches attached were inserted in bottles filled 

 with water." It is probably essential that the grapes be 

 placed in a dry, cool room. — Public Opinion. [Might not 

 grapes be brought over from Western Australia quite fresh 

 by this process. — Ed.] 



Seed Time and Light. — It has long been known that 

 light exercised an influence upon the germination of seeds 

 but it has recently been shown by Professor Wolluy that 

 the light rays of different refraugibility produce different 

 effects. In white and yellow light, much greater develop- 

 ment takes place than in violet light, or in the dark. This 

 difference increases with that of temperature. Professor 

 Wollny believes that this is due to the actual transform- 

 ation of light into heat. The production of substances which 

 cause osmose in seedlings growing in white or yellow light 

 is favourable to germination by bringing about increased 

 root-pressure. Seeds which possess only a small amount of 

 reserve food-material germinate better in light than dark- 

 ness. Light causes not only the penetration of roots 

 into the soil, but the formation of copious roots as well. It 

 is thought that the intermittent heat of dav and night must 

 thus be favourable to the germination of seeds. 



"Quarterly Sales of Cinnamon" constituted 

 the great reform aud the panacea for a falling 

 Cinnamon market in the estimation of the Ceylon 

 producers some time ago and an agitation was set 

 on foot to force the hands of the London brokers 

 and dealers. Monthly sales were at last arranged for 

 and these have now been in operation for some time; 

 but alas ! so far from benefitting the producer, we are 

 distinctly told by reliable authorities that they are 

 less favourable to his interest than the old quarterly 

 arrangement. For instance, here is what the well- 

 known firm of Messrs. Forbes Forbes & Co. wrote 

 to one of their constituents here under date, 

 London. October 29th : — 



Cinnamon. — The downward progress in values continues, 

 ami it would appear to be in a great measure due to 

 the persistent manner in which this spice has been so 

 frequently forced upon the market for many months 

 past: such, at least, is the openly expressed opinion of 

 the trade, and we can only regret that Ceylon shippers, 

 who have held aloof from the dispute so long agitating 

 the market, have had equally to suffer loss with- the 

 promoters of the change. The usual August sales went 

 off with spirit at advanced rates, but the sales at the 

 end of September showed a decline generally of Id to If d 

 per lb. On the 27th instant 1,540 ball . and, 



as anticipated, met a dragging demand from tie limited 

 number of buyers present. "With some difficulty, only 

 600 bales sold at a further reduction in price on the 

 whole The few '■ fine" his realized about steady rates, 

 but " common " to " medium " kinds, of which the bulk 

 consisted, sold irregularly at a further decline of about 

 Id to Hd per lb. on September sale prices. 100 bales 

 " unworked " elicited no bids. Of 419 bags chips, 250 

 bags sold at 2Jd per lb. The usual sales will be held on 

 November 24th or December 1st. Stock 5,565 bales against 

 5,310 bales in 1883, 6.G14 bales in 1882, 7.3D3 bales in 1881. 



