666 



THE TKOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1886. 



possessing any such peculiar odour as the above 

 material would certainly produce. 



Quite recently I examined a valuable mixture 

 consisting entirely of Norwegian Fish Guano and 

 Kainit salts, which, as a general manure, has lately 

 been used in this country with marked success, 

 and which is now being introduced by Messrs. 

 Jansen & Co. of London as a fertilizer for sugar- 

 cane in the West Indies. The Kainit salts (which 

 consist of sulphate of potash, sulphate of magnesia 

 and quite one-half of common salt) had been 

 added with the double object of preserving the 

 dried fish powder from the attacks of ants, and 

 at the same time of supplying potash salts to 

 the canes. I have suggested that some superphos- 

 phate should be used in the place of a portion 

 of these Kainit salts as being likely to be still 

 more effective in rendering the dried tish un- 

 palatable to grubs and similar insects and have 

 in a former letter drawn the attention of Ceylon 

 planters to this special advantage of superphos- 

 phate when mixed with ordinary manures. 



There is no doubt that salt is a most u.seful 

 and clieap source of manure, and it seems a dis- 

 tinct loss that any Government should throw 

 difficulties in the way of its local use as manure 

 or in the laudable attempts to destroy insect pests. 

 My own view is that salt applied as an ingredi- 

 ent of a mixed manure is likely to be more 

 effective in an agricultural sense than when ap- 

 plied in large quantity in the hope of destroying 

 grubs. 



^5alt in anything like large quantities such as one 

 or two tons per acre is likely to be injurious to 

 vegetable lite ; indeed it is commonly used as a 

 destroyer of weeds on gravel walks. I fear, therefore, 

 that it cannot be applied in sufficient quantity to 

 kill grubs without at the same time doing damage 

 to the coffee or tea. At home a good dressing of 

 caustic lime is usually found the best application for 

 grubs and slugs, and, as I know very fair lime can be 

 obtained in many coffee districts, I would recommend 

 a trial of it rather than of salt. My object, however, 

 is to urge that no unnecessary obstacles should be 

 placed against the use of salt for agricultural 

 purposes. 



A mixture of 8 parts common salt and 1 part 

 caustic lime would make a capital dressiug, and the 

 lime could be added to the salt under the direction 

 of Government officials ; and I don't think any fear 

 of subsequent separation of the chloride of sodium 

 need be anticipated. 



John Huobus, t'.c.B. 



CINNAMON, LIBERIAN COFFEE, AND TEA. 



VKVANCiOD.*, 15th February ISSG. 



The lain HB had on two days last week has been 

 followed by blight, floudlesB skies— very hot duringthe 

 day and very cold .^t uight. The rain will enable 

 the peeling of Cimiamou to be carried on till about 

 the end of this month; and but for the showers, I 

 doubt if wc could have been peeling at this date. 

 Rain followiup dry hot weather has brought out a 

 bud on the Cinnamon, which makes peeling rather 

 difficult just now : but if we have a good soaking 

 ijhowcr to harden the bud, the freshening up of the 

 wood hy the free circulation of sap will render the 

 har\'estingoftho bark easy. 



Alternate rain and sun during the last few 

 months lias ht.'ped Libcrian Coffee to throw 

 out anl r.et a few good blossoms. Just now 

 there is a bletsom in spike. But the out- 

 tmu ot this variety iu parchment is disappointing iu 

 thff extreme. MeiiKiu-iog with boxes, the Arabian 

 Variety gave au out-tuiu of from 60 to 70 per cent 



according to measurement. Any^vay, I think parch- 

 ment was never less than .'lO percent of cherry with ac- 

 curate measurement. The giaut variety, which was 

 belauded to the skies on its introduction, gives only 

 froiii 20 to '.'5 per cent parchment ! H.ijjpily the jirn- 

 sperity of the Island does not depend on tliis product, 

 but on tea which flushes freely here, except during the 

 long drought. I look with great apprehension on the 

 future of tea, owing to the recklessness with which all 

 kinds of land are being planted up with any and every 

 plant fliat will grow. The severe lesson taught with 

 cotliie— that vast unbroken expanses of any one product, 



I if they do not induce, yet help in, the spr.ad of 

 insect and fungoid plagues, has already been for- 

 gotten. The ruin of coffee estate proprietors was 

 not entirely due to leaf disease, but also 

 to extravagance begotten of prosperity. We have 

 a repitition of it in Tea. Each Estate vies with 

 its neighbour in the erection of mammoth stores with 

 expensive contrivances and every variety of machinery. 

 What with Fairweather's and Gilruth's continuous 

 withering tats where the freshly gathered leaf is laid, 

 and witti the Tea, after passing through the various 

 stages lit manufacture in as many different and pat- 

 ented machines, coming out at last ready packed for 

 export in Gilruth's patented packers, the Ceylon 

 Planter is only a step behind the ingenious Yankee, 

 who putting a whole pig at one end of a macnine re- 

 ceives it at the other in the form ot cured bam m 

 bacon. All this extravagance can be indulged in a,« 

 long as Tea keeps up to present prices. What if to 

 a lessened yield be added low prices? This is a con- 

 tingency that must be honestly anticipated, for in the 

 history of planting in this Island crises like these 

 have been i)assed. out of which only the careful have 

 emerged— I cannot say quite unscathed. All this may 

 be denounced as the croaking of a pessimist, but I 

 always err on the side of caution, and look with dis- 

 trust at a rush to get rich. Two or three years ago 

 when I first had an opportunity of seeing Tea planted 

 largely and an Estate pruned. I expressed doubt 

 publicly of the permanence of Tea, planted as it was 

 on any soil without due cousideratiou being given as 

 to its suitability, and the only rest it had from pick- 

 ing, if rest it can be called, being when the buslies 

 underwent the barbarous treatment called pruning, 

 when it was not possible for them to make any root 

 growth. I see that Mr. Logan, the .Vssam Tea Pbu- 

 ter, who visited the Island recently, gives ideutically 

 the same warning. — "Examiner." 



[It is easy to preach caution, but each bands over 

 the lesson to his neighbour. The adoption uf good 

 machinery is not extravagance, but true economy Tea 

 must be pruned or there will be abundant ilossom but 



no flush.— Eb.1 



THE LANKA PLANTATIONS COMPANY, 

 LIMITED. 

 Kki'obt. 

 To be presented at the Fifth (.Irdiuary General 

 Meeting; of tie Lanka riantatii>ii6 Company Limited, 

 to be hilil hy adjournment at the oflices of the Com- 

 pany on the -JSth January, ISSU, at 12 o'clock at noon. 



1. The Directors fub'uiit their report for the twelve 

 months emling 30th Juae last, together witli the ba- 

 lance .■sheet and accounts of the Company made up 

 to that date. 



2. They regret that adverse weather has again 

 afl'ected the cott'ce crop in Ceylon, whilst the continued 

 depression in trade has so depreciated prices that 

 the rc'.uUoftbc years operations, although better 

 than (o) the yciu- 18S3-1, cannot be regarded as 

 satisf.actory. 



'^. The (juanitity of Coffee shipped home was 

 ;■>. i'.Mt cwt. against an estimate of t»..^80 cwt. : and 

 the ainoniits realised and expected to be realised give 

 a total of ll(i,:iWi Ids. 'id. The average price of the 

 Coniiiany's ColTec during the past year has been (iOs. 

 pcrcvvt. while that of the previous year was tils. Gd, 

 per cwt. 



