January i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



55* 



ifiotitiesponcUmoe. 



*■ 



To the Editor of the "Ceylon Observer:' 



THE DEMAND FOR COCA. 



London, E. C. Nov. 21st, 1884. 



Dear Sir,— I have written to you and many of 

 the planters in Ceylon upon the great value of 

 coca (lirythro.ci/lon coca). 



We have held considerable quantities of this leaf, 

 and the extracts and alkaloids prepared from it have 

 given such excellent results that the demand has 

 increased to such an extent that we are nearly sold 

 out of slock. 



The samples that we have received from India 

 have arrived in the form of a dark brown burnt-up 

 leaf with an appearance of their having been dried 

 in the sun. We had them tested for alkaloid and 

 could find hardly a trace. 



If the leaves can be sent over in the state of the 

 sample I send to Dr. H. Trimen by this post, they 

 would command upon this market from 3s 6d to 

 5s per lb.— I am, yours faithfully, 



THOS. CHRISTY & Co. 



P.S.— E. M. Holmes read last night at the Linnoean 

 Society a paper on a " Ledger cinchona " that haB 

 flowered at Mr. Howard's at Tottenham.— [Mr. Christy 

 has sent us a sample of coca leaves which can be 

 seen by auy one interested. — Ed.] 



OOOA: THE NEW ALKALOID COCAINE. 



London, E. 0., Nov. 28th, 1884. 



Dear Sir, — You no doubt see the Lancet and British 

 Medical Journal. In these papers you will find this week 

 an account of the great work that has been done with 

 cocaine which is produced from the Erythroxylon coca 

 leaves. 



You are well aware how I have urged the planting and 

 introduction of these trees, and in the Lancet you will 

 observe that an idea is held out that it will be impossible 

 to furnish an adequate quantity of the leaves for the 

 manufacture of the alkaloid. It is most important that 

 you should at once disseminate the information that it is 

 quite useless to send home the leaves in a brown, 

 withered state. It will be necessary in my opinion to 

 treat them perhaps by slight fermentation, then by drying 

 them on a kiln, and they should be sent home by the most 

 expeditious route. There is no duty on them, and if, they 

 were here today, they would fetch, if in first-class quality, 

 such as the sample sent you last week, 5s per lb. if not 

 more. 



You will observe at the end of the Lancet a promise 

 by the editor to furnish the information respecting the 

 action of cocaine in dentistry, within a week or so. 



I promised to send you the particulars respecting papaine. 

 but I only received the detailed information last night, 

 By post today I send you a small quantity of the powder 

 which you are at liberty to hand over to any of your 

 hospital surgeons; it is guaranteed to dissolve 1,000 times 

 its weight in fibrine. When I tell you that the finest 

 sample we have ever bad from Ceylon will only dissolve 

 about 10 per cent, so you see there is a long way to fetch 

 up. We have had papaine from other places which dissolves 

 up to 300 per cent. 



Professor Finkler, knowing that I had introduced papaine, 

 sent over a relative to beg me to take Ihe representation 

 for England, her Colonies and America, and, as soon as 

 his document is printed, a copy shall bo si'iit to you show- 

 ing the immense value of this drug.— I am. yours obediently, 



THOS. CHKISTY. 



"BAD SEED AND BAD PLANTS." 



5th Decern' er 1S84. 

 Dear Sir. — A few months ago I wrote several letti rs 

 to the Observer on the subject of " Tea Jat," in the 

 hope of provoking a discussion on a subject of much 



importance. Planters were either deaf or indifferent ; 

 but your senior editor, recognizing the necessity for 

 more light, came to my aid with valuable extracts 

 and articles. Your correspondents " S." and "R. L," 

 now re-open the discussion, though too late, probably 

 to save many from much useless work and outlay. 

 W e all know how prone even one year old plants (of 

 the worst jat) are to blossom and seed. Is not the 

 temptation great to dealers in seed to gather these 

 seed of seedlings to meet the demand made upon 

 them ? I have always suspected them. Verb. Sap. 

 But I believe in hybrids. But as regards " S. 's " con- 

 clusions respecting the coffee-leaf-disease, I must be 

 excused if I conclude that he does not arrive at 

 them from sufficient scientific data, but jumps to 

 them. The trees upon which the fungus first appeared 

 were not weakly things, and if they are not as 

 vigorous now as any in the country (has "S." made 

 any eDquiry respecting their recent or present condition?) 

 it is, I think, rather in consequence of cinchona than 

 of Hern. vast. I believe this pest to be new in Ceylon 

 and in a given time fatal to the coffee plant what- 

 ever its origin and however good. Bad seed will 

 produce bad plants which by speedily dying out will 

 be their own cure. (J. S. 



RESTORING COFFEE BUSHES BY CAREFUL 



CULTIVATION— WILL IT PAY ON A 



LARGE SCALE? 



Dimbula, 11th Dec. 1884. 

 Dear Sir, — Here is the result of the restoration of 

 1C0 coffee bushes ; six bushels of cherry, trees look- 

 ing fresh and green will give more next crop. Almost 

 every acre in Dimbula would be as productive with 

 the same mode of cultivation. — Yours truly, 



J. HAWKE. 

 [What mode and at what cost? — Ed] 



WANTING TO KNOW ABOUT VARIETIES OE 

 CACAO. 



12th December 1S84. 



Dear Sir, — As oue interested in cacao cultivation I 

 should be much obliged if you or any of your 

 correspondents' would inform me whether the names 

 "Caracas" and "Forastera" are peculiar to two 

 kinds ; or whether they are general terms applicable to 

 two classes, each of which may embrace several 

 varieties ; or whether the two words are synonymous. 



In other words — am I perfectly s-afe in purchasing 

 am thing that is guaranteed to be either one or other? 

 ONE WHO WANTS TO KNOW. 



CARDAMOM CULTIVATION: A QUESTION 

 FOR MR. OWEN. 



12th Dec. 1884. 

 Dear Sir,— When cutting out, this morning, alargeclump 

 of cardamoms (some 4 feet in diameter) to be divided 

 into bulbs for planting, I found in the centre a large 

 quantity of racemes covered with fine well- formed fruit- 

 pods. These were quite invisible from outside while the 

 clump was standing, and equally inaccessible on account 

 of the crowded stalks. Is it always tho case that a large 

 percentage of the fruit is thus wasted when the plants 

 have attained to a huge size, or should they be thinned 

 out so as to bring air parts within easy reach ? — G. E. 



THE SWEDISH PLOUGH INTRODUCED INTO 

 RICE-FIELDS AT HANWELLA. 



Hanwella, 20th December 18S4. 



Dear Sir,— Although agriculture in Ceylon lias been 



long neglected, yet no native has ever thought of 



improving its mode, but follows his ancestorial plougb. 



However, it is a great treat to see that Mr. G. E. 



Ameresekere is endeavouring to impress on the mind:; of 



| poor yowiyas the advantage of the new plough. 



