March a, i88 S .] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



697 



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To the Editor of the " C«y/<?« Observer." 



THE LANCET ON OEYLON TEA. 



Panadure, 28th Jan. 1S85. 

 Dear Sib,— I am sure you will be glad to give publicity 

 to tho annexed extract from the Lancet of 6th Dec. 

 ast. Under the head of " Analytical Records " is noticed— 



CEYLON TEA : PUllE CEYLON TEA GROWN BY THE OEYLOH 

 COFFEE COMPANY. 



(H. Ilea-etson # Co., u9, Matk Lane.) _ 

 "Genuine young tea, of the kind which attained such 

 popularity in the Ceylon stall of the late Health Exhibition. 

 The leaf is unfaced, as is shown by the fact that we found in 

 it only 524 per cent of ash which agrees with that found 

 iu the best Assam. China has a formidable rival in Oeylon." 

 This is very flattering indeed, and the statement all the 

 more valuable in face of the following editorial note winch 

 heads the column: — 



" Of the numerous articles of food and medicine sub- 

 mitted to us, we select such as we think important to the 

 medical profession and the public. Samples of these are 

 bought by us iu the usual way, and the result of our examin- 

 ations reported." 

 — Yours truly, __ 



~~" ARBORICULTURE" FOR PLANTERS : 

 "TREE ENEMIES AND RENOVATORS." 



4th February 1885. 

 Dear Sir, — I have been much interested in your de- 

 scriptive notes upon Albizzia slipulata in your issue of 

 30th January and again of the 2nd instant along 

 with Mr. Wm. Ferguson's remarks. I am greatly sur- 

 prized at its qualities as a renovator in tea cultivation, 

 being well-acquainted with all the species of this tree in- 

 digenous to Oeylon and some ten species known in India. 

 This tree and the other varieties are found 

 growing about uaiive villages, open forests, or by the 

 edges of forests on the Kandy side, at an elevation of 

 2,500, and on the Uva side up to 3,500 feet. I have 

 had this tree growing in a field of coffee and cinchona 

 and innot one instance was the coffee of any value 

 undernath these trees. They are rapid-growing trees 

 with Urge surface-feeding roots. 



There must he some peculiar substance in the roots 

 when the tea plant is said to flourish so well. 

 Nevertheless, it is weil-known that " acacias " all 

 over the world are injurious to the growth of plants 

 in their proximity. I have planted a few tea plauts 

 here under a tree, and will be pleased to report the pro- 

 gress they make by the end of this year. 



The timber is ustful for light work, and makes 

 splendid charcoal. 



Symplocos (order Styracace^e) contains 100 species 

 found iu the warmer parts of ABia, Australia and 

 America. In India 64 species are known, and mostly 

 large valuable timber trees. 



Thwaites gives 10 species in Ceylon and all large 

 trees found in the foiests of the Central Province. 

 Symplocos spicata (110m. vulg. " Bombu ") is a 

 fine tree with heavy, bard and durable wood, used iu 

 houne-building, &c. Sympltcos obtusa, S. hirsuta, S. 

 elegans, S. cordifolia and S. coronata are all valuable 

 timber* trees and often used for building purposes. 



The stem aud root bark of many contain dyeing 

 properties 



Symplocos racemosa, a small tree, is known in India 

 with yellowish strong and compact wood. The bark 

 of the root is of great value and used in Rajputana 

 for dyeing red, and also used in medicine. — The bark 

 rurniehfs one of the red powders known as "abiz" 

 cattered by Hindus in the festival of the hoolee. J. A. 



* As we mentioned, in noticing the identification of S. ob- 

 tufain the reserve forest of Abbotsford, the Sinhalese car- 

 penter who accompanied us and pointed it out spoke very 

 disparagingly, even contemptuously, of the timber. — Ed. 



88 



THE YIELD OF TEA ON ABERDEEN ESTATE 

 LOWER DIKOYA DISTRICT, CEYLON. 



Aberdeen Estate, 5th Feb. 1885. 



Dear Sir, — As premised I send ynu the following 

 detailed figures of monthly yield (of made tea) per 

 acre fiom the 9-acre field of this estate now five 

 years old, viz. : — 



January 1884, 78 lb. per acre made tea; Feb. 88 ; March, 

 126 ; April, 83 ; May, 106 ; June, 127 ; July, S4 ; August, 33 ; 

 September, pruned; October, 99 ; November, 132 ; Decem- 

 ber, 48. Total for the year, 1,004 lb. per acre — made tea. 



About one-third the acreage of thi- field being of 

 rather poor soil, I attubute the heavy bearing to 

 close planting (3x2£) and early low topping. 



I see in your Weekly sheet sent as Supplement to 

 last night's Observer that the yield &e, of t' a from 

 this estate along with some others has been the sub- 

 ject of comment by correspondents in the local "Times," 

 and that I as manager am accused of withholding 

 much needed information. Not being a subscubei to 

 that paper nor having seen a copy of it since '.0th 

 December last, I may be excused from replying ; in 

 any ease, I decline to reply to anonymous correspond- 

 ents, having already subscribed myself 



SUPERINTENDENT. 



COCO PALMS AND BEETLES. 

 Colombo School of Agriculture, Feb. 11th, 1885. 



Silt, — I have got a small coconut plantation in Panadure. 

 The estate is about a quarter of a mile from the seashore. 

 The soil is mainly of a peaty character, having been 

 formed by the decay of vegetable matter applied to the 

 land with the intention of raising its level. The coconut 

 trees on this land have been thriving well, and they have 

 been in bearing for the last year. But now their stems are 

 being injured by the cockchafer and the grub, and some 

 6tems have fallen dowu by the destructive effects of these 

 insects. Will any of your readers kindly inform me 

 through ttie medium of your journal what means should be 

 adopted to put a stop to this? — Yours obediently, 



J. F. G. RODRIGO 



[Our correspondent will find full information on the sub- 

 ject in the book on " Coconut Cultivation " which we shall 

 publish shortly. Meanwhile, we may say that little can be 

 done in the way of remedy for grubs, though much can be 

 done for prevention : the fibrous sheath with which the 

 ptems of young trees are surrounded should be removed, as 

 stherwise beetles will lay their eggs there, which will 

 oevelop into grubs that will destroy the trees when older. — 

 Ed.] 



CARDAMOM CULTIVATION IN CEYLON : 



ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD, AND ALL THAT ARE 

 CARDAMOMS IS NOT A FORTUNE. 



Sir,— Cardamoms generally in Ceylon have beeu a 

 fair success, in some iustances a great one. On the 

 other hand more than one clearing throughout the 

 country has sigually failed to crop, and sometimes, 

 though one portion of an estate has done well, an- 

 other part has borne badly. 



As cultivation extends it becomes evident that like 

 everything else cardamoms have their peculiar enemies, 

 pests aud sicknesses. Harvesting in India is usually 

 carried oil, I understand, for some three years only, 

 and then the land is abandoned.* Probably as the 

 average Ceylon garden will continue for a similar 

 period, and then rapidly fall off till it ceases to be 

 profitable. In very favoral le circumstances, however, 

 at least double the number of these good yeais may 

 be expected. 



* That is the mode adopted by the natives of Trsvaucore, 

 who go into the forest, fell a certain number of trees, 

 allow the plants to spring up, and in due time gather 

 the produce, the felling process being repeated as crops 

 lessen. But this surely cannot be the system 011 fcheCoorg 

 estates of Mr. Middleton and others.— En. 



