Nov. 2, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



331 



■SVOODS AND FORESTS IN EUEOPK AND 

 AMERICA. 

 Area iu statute Woods and Forests 



£ussia iu Europe 

 Norway 

 Sweden 

 Denmark ... 

 Germany ... 



Holland 



Belgium 



France 



Italy 



Australia Proper .. 

 Hungary 



acres. 



1,244,31)7,351 



76.71ti.9«5 



100,614,950 



8,573,396 



133,075,923 



8,1109.328 



7,2^0,3G2 



30,557.281 



73,UI1,SS2 



C9,3S8,4S2 



83,205,120 



acres. 



527,420,510 



18,920,509 



42,305,938 



398,877 



34,181,974 



532,714 



1,073,452 



22,687,716 



9.031,310 



23,280,412 



22,514,450 



Woods and Forests in England, 1881. 



In Grazing counties 



In Corn counties 



England l 



Scotland (say) \ Totalarea,77,COO,000 



Ireland (say) 



761,892 



704.146 



r 1,466,038 



! 750,01:10 



350.000 



America ' 2,291,355,048 380,000,000 



From a Lecture by Dr. Lyon. — Toitrnul 0/ Fore/tri/. 



CULTIVATION OF TEA IN MALABAK. 



On tlie higher portions of the Nilgiri Hills and in 

 the AVynaad, 400 lb. of tea per acre per annum is 

 looked "upon as an excellent return ; but I think the 

 time has now arrived when the South Indian planters 

 should take the initiative from those of Ceylon, and 

 plant at lower elevations than they have hitherto 

 attempted. Taking into consideration the tact that 

 some of the Ceylon tea estates have yielded from 

 800 lb. to 1000 lb., and even so high as I,20O lb. per 

 acre per annum, lilalubar and Wynaad, with superior 

 soil, facilities for manure, cheaper and more constant 

 labour supply, lo say nothing of the forcing climate, 

 Kliould compare favourably wilh Ceylon, even to the 

 extent of exceeding these excellent results. 



According to Ceylon estimates, the upkeep charges 

 are put at 45 rupees per acre, exculsive of manur- 

 ing; but, as I have advocated the system of liberal 

 manuring, almost from the commencement, I have 

 placed the upkeep charges at SO rupees per acre, 

 and assuming these figurres the cost of a pouud of tea 

 should be as follows: — 



400 lb. 600 lb. 



per acre, per acre. 



an. pi. an. pi. 



Cultivation 3 3 2 2 



Crop charges 16 16 



Trau8p,.rt,packing&shipping 2 2 



800 lb. 



per acre, 

 an. pi. 

 1 7 

 1 6 

 2 



Cost per lb. free on board 4 11 3 10 3 3 



The London charges, including freight, amount to 



41d. per lb., which gives the gross cost as follows: — 

 400 1b. 0001b. 8001b. 

 s. d. s. d, B. d. 



London charges inclusive 4i 4J 4^ 



Indi m charges as above: — 



4an. llpi. at Is 8d. 

 exchange ... ... 6 — — 



San. lOpi. at „ — 5 — 



3au. 3pi. at „ — — 4 



101 091 8i 



V.i'.iiu ; I'm tev at only 1< pj.- lb., the follow ing table 



will give results: — 

 Yield. Profit. Profit. Profit. Interest on 



ner acre per lb. per acre, per 100 acres, capital. 



' £. s. d. £. s. d. 



400 1b 1^ 210 2.50 about IU per ct. 



600 lb. 2j 6 5 925 „ 28 „ 



800 1b. 3| II 13 4 1,168 „ 56 „ 



[Given as an extract in the Indian Tea Gazette, but 



not credited to any paper, a practice now too common 



with Indian papers.— Ed.] 



MANGO INSECT PESTS. 



Dr. E. Bonavia writes to the Indian Ayricidturist 

 in reply to the question of a correspondent, regarding 

 the larvae of some insect which destroys the mango 

 fruit: — I regret to say I have not studied the habits 

 of this insect, as in the North- West and Oudh 

 mangoes are not often injured in this way, but peaches 

 are. I think it probable that it may be a moth 

 which deposits its eggs iu the flower, and when they 

 hatch they work their way iuto the young fruit, as 

 it sets, and grow with it and ultimately emerge from 

 the ripe fruit. If some of the mangoes containing 

 the larvie are sent to the Director of the Entomological 

 Department of the Indian Museum, Calcutta, he may 

 take steps to secure the perfect insect, when it emerges 

 and throw some light on its habits, whether a moth 

 or a beetle which would be a great step. I might 

 also suggest that some one should during the flowering 

 and setting seasi-.n endeavour to observe what insects — 

 moths especially — visit the mango flowers, either by 

 day or after sunset. They might be abto to observe 

 with a large magnifying gla.ss what they are about 

 if they see any. As long as ouly a few mangoes are 

 spoilt by these insects, it does not much signify, but 

 when the fruit of a whole district is thus destroyed 

 it is time to study the cause and search for some 

 remedy. If the insect deposits eggs on the young 

 ovary, either before or after setting some insecticide 

 syringed over the young fruit when set (not while 

 the flower is in pollen) might destroy the eggs or 

 young larvas before penetrating the young fruit. 

 Tobacco juice iu water is often used for destroying 

 insects on plants; caustic ashes iu water, and other 

 solutions might be tried. Of course, the insecticide 

 should not damage the fruit also. But the first step 

 is to get a clue to the natural history of this insect 

 whatever it is. As it destroys so much fruit, there 

 can be no harm done by making some experiments 

 with a garden .syringe or pump, and nothing the side 

 of the tree, or the whole tree on which experiments 

 have been tried. Some of the very young fruit should 

 be examined with a good magnifying glass to ascertain 

 whether there be any evidence of a hole or broken 

 surface, through which the minute larva may have 

 crept in, and also to cut open the very young fruit 

 and explore it wilh a glass in every way. In short to 

 obtain a clue how this insect gets into the mango 

 fruit, and when and then endeavour to work out its 

 history. If the study of Entomology has any u.ses at 

 all, a great one is to discover a remedy against 

 the worry insects give us, and the loss they entail. 

 But until we learn something about their " manners 

 and customs," we may be only w;isting time in fruit- 

 less attempts to circumvent them. Another observation 

 is worth making— are all the mangoes iu the districts 

 named attacked by this pest ? If there be some which 

 are not, then the "seeds of those ouly shoulil be sown 

 there, and grafts from those only taken. The extreme 

 dampness of the climate of those districts may facilitate 

 the ravages of this insect. Other kinds from upcountry, 

 such as the solid fleshed ones, safida, bhadania, and 

 others might be also tried. There may be a hundred 

 (lodges by which one cau oppose these little pests. — 

 Madras Mall. 



4. 



RICE IN MEXICO. 

 The United St.ates Consul at JIanyanillo says that 

 the State of Colinia is the principal rice-producing 

 State of the Mexican Republic, having produced dur- 

 ing the year 1883, over 4,000,000 lb., and this pro- 

 duction is steadily on the increase. The adjoining 

 State of .lalisco produce, during the same period, over 

 2,500,0001b., and Michoacan a'. out 2,000,000 lb. The 

 method employed in the production of rice is as fol- 

 lows:— The field suitable for the cultivation is plough- 

 ed in July, and the seed rice is sown broadcast 

 over the field, by hand, then cross ploughed. The 

 irrigation water is" allowed to overrun the entire ground 

 as soon as the yoang shoots are from three to four 

 inches high, and the field is left under running water 

 until the plant has attained a height of about two 



