May i, 1885.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



851 



the Director of the Government Experimental 

 Gardens might take up such a subject as this 

 ami work it out. It is something more than leaf-disease 

 that is killing out our coffee. Could not something 

 similar be expected from tho experiment X suggest to 

 what occurred to the apple tree iu America ? Very 

 mauy remedies have been tried as regards coffee; 

 surely all is not done, and there is yet an opening 

 for fresh investigation. 



It is a pity we so seldom now see the advertise. 

 meats of useful products for sale or distribution.* 

 The Hardens are one of the sights Australasian and 

 other visitors delight to see.— Yours faithfully. 



T. J. GRIGG. 



TIMBER PRESERVATION. 



Colombo, 11th April 18S5. 



Sir, — We enclose a cutting from Engineering bearing 

 on the preservation of timber. It may be of interest to 

 readers of your daily issue and the Tropical Agri- 

 culturist.— -Yours, &c, CARSON & Co. 



[The extract, which ought to be of special value to 

 planters, is as follows. — Ed.] 



I'ukseuvinc: Timber. — About five years ago the chemist 

 of a corporation iu the United States, wishing to preserve 

 shingles against decay, and also render them incom- 

 bustible, impregnated them with lime and salt by boiling 

 them in a solution of 1Mb of salt and 201b of lime with 

 250 gallons (-,5501b) water. Ten bundles of shingles were 

 boiled until thoroughly saturated; the process costing 

 50 cents per 1,000 shingles. These prepared shingles have 

 been used for rooting purposes, but with and without the 

 protection afforded by paint, and the result has proved in 

 every way satisfactory. Recently some prepared shingles 

 were subjected to trials iu competition with ordinary 

 shingles. They were dipped into naptha and lighted, the 

 ordinary shingle burning until consumed, while the flame 

 on the prepareel shingle went out as soon as the naptha 

 was burned, and without igniting the shingle. A sp.\rk test 

 made by a burning mixture of charcoal, sulphur anil saltpetre 

 on the shingles burned the ordinary shingles, but only 

 charred those which were prepared. Exposure to gas flames 

 showed similar resistance to combustion in the prepared 

 shingles. The antiseptic properties of lime upon wood and 

 iron are well-known, the only element of uncertainty 

 being the rate at which such lime and salt deposits iu the 

 pores of the wood woulel be removed by rain storms. 

 Tho experience of five years shows that this decrease is a 

 slow one. and may be retarded by paint. It is considered 

 that such preparations may be applied more thoroughly 

 to green lumber where the sap cells are still open and 

 capable of absorbing moisture than in seasoned stock, 

 which cannot have so much permeability. 



BULKING AND PACKING TEA IN COLOMBO. 



13th April 1885. 

 Dear Sir, — I have read with interest the letter by 

 " C. W. H." on bulking and packiDg tea in Colombo. 

 I notice he has omitted a very important point, viz., 

 the additioual cost to the proprietor of the handling 

 iu Colombo; that it would be an additional siurceof 

 expense without any eepuivalent saving or advantage, 

 1 think, there can be no doubt. It is obvious there 

 would be no saving effected in material, carriage, or 

 labour on the estate. '' C. W. H." says "freight to 

 the estate ou tea lead aud uails was saved." Was 

 his zinc- or tm-liueel case— made probably of one incii 

 boards — lighter than an ordinary lead-lined tea chest? 

 As they were unscrewed in Colombo, it is evident 

 screw nails would have to be carried to the estate 

 to rcfasten them. Then as regards carriage to Colombo, 

 the fact that only about half the weight of unsortcd 

 tea can be put in a chest or case has been lost 

 sight of; consccjuently more cas:s are necessary anel 

 the carriage on empty cases or shoots of chests nearly 

 doubl i what is requisite when sorting and packing 



* It is produced ouce a mouth.— Ed, 



is done on the estate. The ouly apparent saving on 

 the estate is in sorting, auel this is so trillin 

 than half a cent per pound— that it might aim 

 left out of consideration. 



There is doubtless some necessity for such "a factory 

 to manipulate the tea purchased at local 

 as these sales become popular and of more important 

 sufficient work might be found for one establishment; 

 this would, however, merely be for hulking andpackin ;. 

 Superintendents will prefer sorting their tea in the 

 estate factory even when making iu quantities too 

 small for shipment. 



The empty stores and grass-grown barbacues to be seen 

 in Colombo just now are certainly painful spectacles, re- 

 minding us— espe ially their owners — of the profits of 

 other days, but I trust your able pen will devise 

 some more appropriate use for them than that of 

 repacking tea, which, as will be generally admitted, 

 can be elone as well auel with less expense ou the 

 estate. S. 



HEAVY CROPS FROM YOUNG COFFEE. 

 Colombo, 15th April I 



Sir, — I have gathered and shipped from coffee in 

 Uva planted during the mouth of October anel Novem- 

 ber over 5 cwt. per acre at two years old ; that is to 

 say a clearing of fifty acres planted, we will say in 

 November 1S70, produced 2C0 cwt. of cured e See 

 oplaced on bard ship in Colombo in December 1S72. 

 Mr. Dyers took several similar maiden crops from 

 Angodde. I have also taken a little under 4 cwt. per 

 acre from a clearing at two years old, and 12 cwt. 

 per acre from the same clearing the following year. 

 1 have seen 8 cwt. taken as maiden crop in Pussel- 

 lawa, but, owing to difference in season for planting 

 and maturing, the coffee was from four to six months 

 older than what we called two-year old coffee in 

 Uva. The largest maiden crop I ever saw was on 

 Hangranoya, VV. King's. The clearing was a forest 

 ravine in patina. I forget what the crop actually 

 turned out, but it was over S cwt. I have seen gathered 

 from a tiehl of four years old in Uva one cutty- 

 siek from every tree or one box from every four trees, 

 which, at only 1,000 trees to the acre (the ground ! 

 n el;;. ), gave 2:30 Inxes or 125 bushi Is parchment, ray 25 

 cwt. per acre cured coffee, and the field was not then 

 picked ; this may seem a gross exaggeration, but I stood 

 in the field myself and saw it piekeel : tho ground over 

 which this hirge crop was gathered would bo about ten 

 acres ; the average for the whole estate was about 12 cwt. 



Your corresponelent asks how much coffee actually 

 set at from oue year to fifteen months. In all cases 

 of heavy bearing, the crop actually set would be 

 largely iu excess of the quantity gathered as the trees 

 throw it off. I have seen 5 to G cwt. per acre 

 small berries imcler the" trees : six or eight weeks after 

 blossoms the trees could not carry the crop set, I 

 should think 5 to 6 cwt. crop set ou young trees, say 

 of fifteen months old, not uncommon in Uva some 

 years ago. JAMES IRVINE. 



[Mr. W. II. Wright has gathereel -1 cwt. per acre 

 oil 18 months' old coffee at Peradi mya and iu Haputale, 

 mi 1 6 to 7 cwt. from Haputale coffee 2 yi ais 1 Id, grown 

 however from fine healthy stumps— all in the good olel 

 days. — Ed ] 



THE TREATMENT OF YOUNG TEA. 

 Teatotum, loth April IS 



Sir, -Where dees Mr. A. E. V. 1 his author- 



ity for faying Indian tea planters are in favour of 

 the plan :—" to keep the stem of the tree, or bush, 

 clean siv inches from the ground, by pallis 

 ' all suckers and side-shoots below that height " 



