May i, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



«33 



One can scarcely believe how harmful are the attacks 

 of these small insects. The. coolies of this part <if the 

 world (pabanahs) all wear trousers, which plainsmen 

 despise. Having to clear a little piece of ground in my 

 garden, and wishing to do it before evening] I called a 

 plainsman to assist: he only wore a dhotee, and, con- 

 sequently, was soon slapping his legs, on account of the 

 pipsaB, to the great amusement of the pahariabs. These 

 pipsas also attacked my hands, and produced very great 

 irritation. I can quite believe that some of the tea trees 

 are almost, one might say, stung to death. Any one 

 fresh from England, smarting from mosquito bites, can 

 readily believe this. "Wo cannot understand that jungle 

 has any advantages; but I believe it lias oue, — than of 

 being food for insects. It is well known that when 

 grass is destroyed, then the grubs begiu to attack the 

 roots of the tea plant. One can scarcely understand 

 that such a bitter shrub should be naturally sought for 

 by insects. Indigo and tobacco are, I believe, also 

 eaten, when green, by caterpillars, and if they have not 

 their natural food, they will eat anything else that they 

 can get hold of. Flies like tea in the tea-cup ; they 

 may be attracted by the sugar and milk, but it is death 

 t,o them. 



It will be seen from what we have mentioned, how 

 much more inquiry and experiments remains to be con- 

 ducted than are found referred to in Mr. "Wood -Ma son's 

 book. The subject of Tea blights and pests is so 

 important that, we trust, iuquiry will not stop at its 

 present point. Tin- Tea Industry is large enough and 

 rich enough to employ a special expert, to make every 

 possible research, and we trust that the Indian Tea 

 Association will see its way to considering the employ- 

 ment of such a specialist to go thoroughly into the 

 matter of ''Blights," and complete the work which 

 Mr. Wood-Mason has begun. We shall return to the 

 subject iu a future issue. — Indian Tea Gazette. 



THE TILLAGE OF THE SOIL 



constitutes one of the most essential elemeuts in the 

 successful germination and cultivation of young plants, 

 and the gardener who sows his small seeds in an im- 

 perfectly pulverised soil is only throwing away time and 

 money. 



The influence of soil upon the quantity of seed necess- 

 ary to be sown is accounted for by the fact that in rich 

 garden mould more or stronger stems will be thrown up 

 faom each plant-root than if the soil he poor. To make 

 up for this deficiency, and also to enable the crop more 

 •thoroughly to search for food, a greater number of plants 

 is necessary, and a large allowance of seed is the con- 

 sequence. 



The depth most desirable for the germination of seed 

 depends to a very great extent upon the closeness and 

 adhesive character of the soil; the seed should be plant- 

 ed in that position which will secure to it such a supply 

 of moisture, warmth, and air as will most rapidly pro- 1 

 mote healthy germination. It is clear that these con- ! 

 ditions cannot be secured in soils of different texture at : 

 oue uniform depth, and that this can only be safely | 

 decided by local experience. 



The lighter and more loamy the soil the gardener has 

 to deal with, the more important he will find it to sow 

 his seeds at a considerable depth, as this not only favours 

 the stability of the plant, but enable the small root-fibrils 

 to obtain their necessary supply of moisture ; the stronger 

 and more clayey the soil, the greater the necessity for 

 keeping near the surface. 



In clay soils seed should be sown as a rule whilst the 

 land is as dry as possible; it will bo sure to receive moist- 

 ure from the fall of rain ; but wetness in adhesive soils 

 causes the particles to hind together to the prejudice of 

 the crop. As the soils we have to cultivate assume a 

 large texture, there is less objection to working them 

 when wet; in some cases, indeed, this even b comes 

 essential in order to give the soil the required firmness, 

 and the seed a suffici mcy of moisture. 



YA hen a proper degree of tilth has been obtained and 

 the seed sown, the introduction of atmospheric air be- 



106 



neath the surface of the soil by means of hand-hoe and similar 

 imptements cannot be too frequent. For as the ma 

 of garden outdoor seeds are sown in early spring, their 

 growth takes place at a time of year which is not only 

 very favourable for active nitrification of the soil, but the 

 soil is also less exposed to the loss of the soluble nitric 

 acid by excess of rain. 



Seeds sown in the spring and early summer have still 

 one other advantage: nitric acid contains an immense 

 .amount of oxygen, and as it is only those particles of carbon 

 which arc close to the surface of the soil that can have 

 access to oxygen, the constant stirring which a soil should 

 receive during the early growth of plants is doubtless the 

 means of continually exposing fresh surface to the action 

 of atmospheric air, and so providing the young plants 

 with food easily to be assimilated. Sir J. I?. Lawes 

 says, in an article on the "Action of Manures," he. has 

 more faith in these several causes being sufficient to ex- 

 plain the reason why mineral manure, or even phosphate 

 of lime alone, is able to grow largo crops of roots with- 

 out a direct supply of nitrogen in manure — than he has 

 iu the explanation sometimes put forward, that plants 

 with large leaves take ttieir nitrogen from the atmosphere. 

 — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



THE COST OF A DEMERAKA SUGAR ESTATE. 

 {From the Demerara " Aryosy .*' ') 



Sir, — I see the Produce Markets' Review, of December 

 6, wishes for information concerning capital invested in 

 a Demerara estate. Below is an estimate of the cost of 

 one to make 1,000 hhds. or 900 tons of Sugar per annum. 

 What such an estate could be purchased for just now 

 would be certainly much less. The generally accepter] 

 selling price of a Demerara estate, viz., "One year's gross 

 crop value,' 1 would make it about 80,000 dollars, but pro- 

 prietors are hard y yet reduced to sell at such a figure. 

 The P. M. IL, in comparing cost of production in Deme- 

 rara and Barbados, puts the profits, on a 1,000-ton estate 

 iu tue latter place, at £2,500. He cannot be aware that 

 a 1,000-ton estate in Barbados would cost £100,000 at 

 least; and that, until this past year, it would have given 

 its proprietor £10,000 to £15,006 per annum. It is this 

 land value which causes the distre-s amongst the pro- 

 prietary body there. Most estates are owned by families 

 whose capital is invested in them at interest. With pre- 

 sent price? and present system of manufacture, the Sugar 

 pays the cost of production and leaves a snvtll surplus, 

 but quite insufficient to pay the interest on the. capital, 

 which is usually about £5 per hogshead. By erecting 

 Central Factories, with improved machinery, tin- Barbadi- 

 ans will obtain 10 per cent of Sugar from the Canes in- 

 sted of 5 per cent as at present, and the price of land 

 may then remain at nearly £100 per acre. If the present 

 system be continued, the existing proprietors will have to 

 live on their properties, and out of them, or let them 

 go out of their po-session. 



The P. M. R. appears to think that the Sugar made 

 into rum could be retained as Sugar. This may be poss- 

 ible in the future, but at present we cannot manufacture 

 Sugar without debasing at least 40 per cent of the weight 

 recovered. As to the charges imposed upon the Sugar 

 hhd. from the time it leaves the estate, until it reaches 

 the consumer, there is a good deal of mystery in their 

 nature. To the uninitiated Is. 6d. per cwt. freight, 3d. 

 insurance, and 3d. commissions, dock charges, kc, would 

 appear to be sufficient, as £2 per ton appear to pay very 

 well for outward cargoes, even if the vessel returns wi h 

 ballaM ; but when items such as primage, ell'ecting insurance, 

 del credere, brokerage, discount, <x<\, creep in. the total 

 charges per cwt. mount up sometimes to 4s. About a 

 year or more ago there was a correspondence in the 

 P. M. U. about these charges, which was never satisfact- 

 orily concluded. Perhaps the editor will publish a clear 

 account of the various charges necessaiily incurred by 

 on.* cwt. Sugar in transit from the estate to the buyi i-. 

 Then one of your correspondents will give the 

 charges, and some export will explain to the unl< 

 -.vliit they mean, who gets the money, and what he geta 

 it for. — I am, sir, your obedient Servant, 0, 



