January i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



S3i 



Loudon, a Mr. Nicholsou. The fact of the sale was known 

 here some weeks ago, but for some reason an affectation of 

 mystery was kept up as to purchaser's identity, till it at last 

 it began to be suspected that Mr. Grant Duff, who refers en- 

 thusiastically to tho situation of the Pauorah bungalow in 

 his recent Miuute, was going to throw off the cares of State 

 and settle among us. Such is, however, not the case. I 

 understand that the new proprietor does not intend to 

 reside here. The weather has at last taken a turn, and we 

 are having a splendid time for crop. Planters at Sultan's 

 Battery and elsewhere, where coffee ripened early, were 

 picking heavily in the recent downpour, and are delighted 

 at the change. We are not so glad of the arrival of the 

 landwiud, though it dries our parchment at a great rate, 

 for the coolies are beginning to get fever, and our paper 

 and cheroots commence to curl up under its influence. — 

 Madras Mail. 



Tea.flantinu in Ceylon is attracting the attention 

 of Indian planters. We hear of oue gentleman who, 

 after beiug nearly '20 years a tea merchant, came out to 

 India to learn planting, and, after qualifying as planter, 

 looks to Ceylon for the investment in a garden. He 

 should start here with many advantages in his favor. 



Malacca. — It is estimated that the combined tapioca 

 planters have sustained here, through the low price 

 of the produce, losses to the large sum of §95C,U00. 

 It is true that some of the earlier planters made large 

 sums at the commencement of the manufacture of 

 tapioca, but others who commenced later have nothing 

 to show, but a record of losses.— Singapore Free Press. 



Tea in Oachae is thus referred to by the Darjeeling 

 correspondent of the Indian Planters 1 Gazette : — I am 

 sorry to hear that tea has done very badly in Oachar 

 this season. As regards quantity, there is not much to 

 complain of in that district, but the general run of 

 prices have been so low as to eutail a serious loss on the 

 working of many concerns, some of which, it is said, 

 must inevitably close, as it will be impossible to find money 

 to carry on with until the opening of the next manu- 

 facturing season. Mist of your readers will have noticed 

 how few actual transactions in tea shares have been quoted 

 in the share lists during the last six or eight months. 



Vanilla Cultivation in Colombo. — Although the cul- 

 tivation of vanilla ami the curing of the produce have suc- 

 ceeded fairly well at the Peradeniya Gardens, all attempts 

 to rear this valuable product in Colombo have hitherto, 

 so far as we know, been unsuccessful. A visit to the well 

 cultivated grounds of*' Wilhelms Kuhe " has, however, shown 

 us that this delicate plant can be cultivated aud made to 

 fruit with complete success within the limits of the town. 

 Mr. W. H. Wright, who has for a number of years devoted 

 his attention to horticulture, has brought a number of vanilla 

 plants into active bearing, aud in the fullest vigor of 

 vegetable life. In other garden products, as well as in 

 the bearing of a variety of fruit trees, Mr. Wright has 

 been very successful, and his grounds will amply repay a 

 visit. — Local -'Times." 



A Fish-killing Plant. — At the recent meeting 

 of the British Association, Professor Moseley made 

 observations on a common water weed, Utricularia 

 Vulgaris, which trapped young fish. This plant, two 

 to three feet high, grows in ditches Bnd stagnant 

 pools near Oxford. It has a number of email bladders, 

 the size of a pear, hitherto supposed to be for the 

 purpose of containing air to Moat weed at certain 

 seasous of the yiar. Thtse bladdeis were really traps, 

 in which very small fishes were caught aud killed. 

 He found this to be correct by experiment, it having 

 never been believed carnivorous plants preyed upon 

 vertebrates. The bladder bad an opening secured by 

 an elas:ic door, which yielded to the pressure of the 

 fish, immediately rebounding with sufficient force to 

 securely fust n the intruder. If the fish are very 

 small they got completely inside, but generally they 

 wire caught eitlitr by the tail or the head, being 

 held till dead. No bait seemed to attract thrm. It 

 has not been proved that the weed digested the fish, 

 but the belief was that the hairs on the inner surface 

 sucked the protoplasm formed from decomposing bodies. 



Tun Discovery of Coffee.— Toward the middle of the 

 fifteenth century a poor Arab was travelling through 

 Abyssinia, and finding himself very weak and weary from 

 fatigue, he stopped near a grove. Then, being in want 

 of Fuel to cook his rice, he cut down a tree covered with 

 dead berries. The meal being cooked and eaten, the traveller 

 discovered that the half-burned berries were very fragrant. 

 He collected a number of these, and on crushing them with 

 a stone he found their aroma increased to a gnat extent. 

 While wondering at this he accidentally let (all the substance 

 in a can which contained a small supply of water. Lo, 

 what a miracle! The almost putrid liquid was instantly 

 purified. He brought it to bis lips; it was agreeable, and 

 in a few moments after the traveller had so far recovered 

 his strength and energy as to be able to resume his journey. 

 The lucky Arab gathered as many of the berries as he 

 could carry, and having arrived at Ardrn, in Arabia, he 

 informed the Mufti of his discovery. The worthy divine 

 was an inveterate opium smoker, who had been suffering 

 for years from the influence of the poisonous drug. He 

 tried an infusion of the berries, and was so delighted with 

 the recovery of his own vigour, that iu gratitude to the 

 tree he called it cabnah, which in Arabic means force. And 

 this is the way coffee was discovered. — Public Opinion. 



Beche-de-Mek. — The fishing for the sea slugs known as 

 beche-de-mer, on the coast of the Fijian Islands, and on those 

 of the northern coast of Australia, is a profitable occup- 

 ation, for the Chinese pay well for these marine luxuries. 

 It is not, however, without its drawbacks, as is evident by 

 an account which appears in the Cairns Post of an advent- 

 ure which befell two fishermen at Green Island. It seems 

 that it is the custom to take a certain number of the 

 natives to assist in diving, and in the management of the 

 boats, and these assistants are not always trustworthy. In 

 the case in question the two men had left their long boat 

 at anchor, aud had gone in the dingy with the natives to 

 the reef, a mile distant, on whose e^ge beche-de-mer was 

 found. While the men were at work the treacherous na- 

 tives slipped into the boat and rowed away, leaving their 

 employers to be drowned by the rising tide. One of the 

 men was a good swimmer, but the other was ignorant of 

 the art. The former started to swim for the long boat, 

 which he reached, but was utterly exhausted before he ar- 

 rived there. He managed, however, with great difficulty 

 to get up the anchor, and then made for the reef, which 

 he reached only just in time, the tide having risen above 

 his comrade's arm-pits before the boat arrived to his rescue. 

 The natives made good their escape to land twelve miles 

 distant in the boat they had stolen. It is plain that the 

 fishery of the bcche-de-mer is not without its drawbacks. — 

 Ibid. 



Panwilla, Maria, 10th Dec— I have no doubt 

 there are many planters like myself who did not know 

 of this new variety " Cundeamar cacao," the flesh of 

 which always remains green, who will thank Doctor 

 Tiimeu for the information given iu his last letter. 

 If e new plant or a new variety of an old plant is 

 fruiting and seeds are for sale, would it not be well 

 to let the same be made known through the papers 

 or even through the Gaz lie by the Director of the 

 Peradeniya Gardens giving full particulars and so give 

 all a chance. I have no wii-h aud do not act the 

 critic, but do wish that all planters would prosper in 

 Ceylon, and I devote much time and care to study 

 the wants (nourishment) required for and a pre- 

 vention to attacks of insects on our coffee and all 

 other products, whether successful or not. I have asked 

 planters to visit and satisfy themselves — nothiDg like 

 one's seeing for themselves and I kuow of no one 

 who paid me a visit who was not satisfied that estates 

 can be made in spite of leaf-disease, dry weather and 

 bag still to give payiDg crops. My variegated cacao 

 tree continues to fruit well, though the present crop 

 is all of one sort — not three kinds as last year — 

 each pod contains fr. m 40 to 44 s. eds, the rind is 

 thin, ihe seed weighs about 2 to 24; oz from 

 each pod a r ter curing. I gathered 20 000 pods last 

 week ; not one pod was touched by squirrels or helo- 

 peltis. Cacao in our district is a great success,— J. H. 



