i^ 



fHE TROPICAL AGRICULTUmST, [March i, 1886, 



personally, but three months later Mr. AlexanJer 

 Oraw, of Los Angeles, made a careful examination 

 of this and some other trees upon which we had 

 experinaeated, and on this one he was unable to 

 find any living scale insects. Taking into consideration 

 the extent to which this tree was infested, and the 

 fact that but a single application of the solution 

 was made, the result is remarkable. In another ex- 

 periment the solution was made as in the above, and 

 then an equal amount of cold water added. The tree 

 Experimented upon was similar to the one used for 

 the former experiment. Four days after the applic- 

 ation no living iusects could be found on the trunk 

 of the tree and only a very few upon the leaves. 

 In fact, the experiment was as successful as could 

 be expected, it being very difficult to reach every 

 insect on the leaves by a single application. "When 

 Mr. Craw examined this tree three months later he 

 found but few living insects on it. As a result of 

 all of my cxperiment.s with soap, I recommend the 

 use of it in the proportion of one-fourth pound of 

 eoap to one gallon of water repeating the application 

 aHer an inter\al of a few days. If a cheap soap 

 be used which can be obtained for from foiu- to six 

 cents per pound, the cost of the remedy will not 

 be great compared with what is to be gainefl. — Indian 

 Agi'icnUuiist. 



[Here in Oeylon, soap made from the coarsestcocouut 

 oil might be tried. — Ed.] 



— -♦ 



MORAAVAK KORALE, RAKWANA AND KUKUL 

 KORALE PLANTINCi DISTRICTS. 

 Rakwana is one of those districts that does not 

 receive the attention it deserves, chiefly because it 

 is neither near Colombo nor Kandy, and has not the 

 advantages of railway communication. The climate 

 is particularly healthy ; so much so, that I do not 

 remember ever hearing of a Rakwana planter dying in 

 the district ; he has usually left its salubrious hills 

 for regions where his shadow has gradually grown less. 

 This I would observe is a matter of no small import- 

 ance to those who have to live many years in this 

 island. Tea now is springing up on all sides: one 

 favored estate expects 45,0UO lb. of made tea for the 

 current season and others expect considerable quant- 

 ieties. The soil of Rakwana appears to be particularly 

 suited for tea; it is of almost any depth, and, if well 

 selected, would equal in quality any district I know, 

 being far in advance of most of those districts which 

 are now the favorites. The difticulty liere, as elsewhere, 

 is the general one, insullicieut capital; and not being 

 upon any of the main routes, it never receives the 

 attention it deserves, aliliough its soil is. I consider, 

 superior to Ambegamuva, and the probable cost of car- 

 riage to Colombo not more costly ; yet the latter is more 

 sought after. Its rainfall is about the same, and there 

 is a good cart road right through it, from end to end, | 

 the extremity of which is only 96 miles from Colombo, 

 the cost of transport now upon tea to Colombo being 

 Ih cent per lb. n«t weighed. Rice is at present sold | 

 at this spot by chetties at R3-75 per bushel. The < 

 district is certainly somewhat difficult to reach from 

 Colombo. A coach goes to PelniaduUe, from whence 

 the Rakwana bazaar is 1(1 miles by road. During the , 

 past few years, many acres ot tea have been planted 

 around this, one promising young estate being owned 

 by an enterpizing native. Like mauy other parts of 

 Ceylon this never ranked very highly as a coffee dis- I 

 trict; although Palamc.ottB, Spriugnood, Deveronside, 

 Caledonia and some other estates did well in olden 

 days, aud were above the average of coffee estates. 

 These are now in a state of transition into tea, and 

 will doubtless do as well, if not better, with this 

 product, than will most of the old estates throughout 

 the islaud. To the west of Uakwaua is the Kukul 

 Korale, where many thousands of acres of line tea 

 land lie; indeed, land suited for tea exists in thousands i 

 of acres from this on to Hen tota. The blocks purchased 

 10 years ago for coffee lie at altitudes ranging from 

 l,5(iO to 3,60n feet, and arc as a rule as healthy as 

 I?ativ#na, aud it is strauge they do not draw more I 



[ attention. They have fair soil, good rainfall, and plenty 

 of large streams for water power. Capita! alone is 



, wanted. Doubtless, when the tea enterprize receives 

 more attention there will be a rush in this direction, but 



; It will be at enhanced rates of piu-cha.se. Of these 



^ .Southern districts, the Jlorowak Korale is the most 

 advanced. Canjpden Hill is now a fine old property, and 

 Hayes quite a picture, without its match in the island 

 for a bill estate. I would strongly advise anyone wish- 

 ing to invest in tea laud to take a look round these 

 .Southern districts before he ventures mto land else- 

 where, for I am sure at present that he would obtain 

 more for his money of good promising and lasting 

 material to work upon than he could pick up elsewhere ; 

 whether he wants forest or an old estate with buildings 

 complete to start upon. — Coi: Local " Times." 



THE MASUN COTTON HAEVESTEB.* 

 An iutercsting correspondence has just p;issed be- 

 tween her liritannic Majesty's Consul at Charleston, 

 South Clarolina, and the Secretary of State for For- 

 eign Affairs, which has been communicated to the 

 Government of India, relating to certain American 

 iuyeutions for the gathering of cotton, aud the separ- 

 ation of foreign subtances from rice and other grains. 

 The first is a machine invented in South Carolina for 

 gathering cotton from the plant on which it grows. 

 It is called tlw»#' Mason Cotton Harvester,'' and It 

 could be used in the cotton fields of India aud Egypt. 

 As the lateness of the season precluded the poss- 

 ibility of any exhibition of the actual working of the 

 Harvester at the 'World's Fair at New (Jrleans, a 

 committee of experts hi cotton culture was appointed 

 to test aud report upon the practical ethciency of 

 the machine at the home of its inventor, before the 

 open cotton should have disappeared from the fields. 

 This is what the committee say on the subject: — 

 " 'We devotc.l the whole day to the objects of our 

 visit, aud found Mr. Mason indefatigable in furnish- 

 ing every facility for examination the most critical. 

 He couducteil us through every part of his workshop, 

 not ouly explaining every part of his Harvester aud 

 Cylinder CJin, Init the process of manufacturing the 

 tools nith which alone he could work. 



" We are not called upon to report on the mechan- 

 ical structure of the machine, but only upon its 

 practical efficiency ; and much curious inforuuitiou we 

 derived from this investigation is uncalled for in this 

 report. 



" We were struck with the fact that every improve- 

 ment made in the course of his experiments tended 

 to simplify the machine, and its chief recommendation 

 when now ready for work is its extreme simplic- 

 ity, combined with stiength aud durabdity. The 

 problem before liiui at the inception of his enterprize, 

 and most pertinaciously adhereil to through all bis 

 experiments, was to invent sornc substitute for the 

 human fingers in picking the lint from the open bolls 

 without damage to the stalk of the plant, its leaves, 

 blooms, and immature bolls. This he has at last fully 

 accompHshed by me.aus of rotatiog points or teeth — 

 minute, but strong aud durablc--\vhich will inevitably 

 seize upon the fibres of the lint brought in contact 

 with them, but so adjusted to the rotating surface 

 as to pass harmlessly over every other form of matter. 

 Fibres, and fibres alone, can reach these teeth, and 

 once seized, the bolls to which they belong must 

 follow. 



"This we saw practically illustcatc<l before our own 

 eyes. The present cumlirous, box-sh:iped locomotive — 

 joined, .screwed, and bolted for any coiiMict with mules 

 and negroes — in which the sinqile machinery was 

 mounted and put in action by power tlerivcd from 

 the rotation of the wheels of the locomotive, was 

 hauled by a single mule over a long cotton row. 

 Frost had moiu than once fallen on the upright 

 stalks; the bolls were all open, with the cotton hang- 

 ing to them loosely and limp. The limbs of the stalks 



* Which, it is supposed, may bo adapted as a tea- 

 picker.— Ed, 



