JJ . l. ] Miscellaneous Notes, 47 



sulphur seems to have hitherto been successfully used in other parts of 

 the world. 1 



14th March 1892.—" I am talcing advantage of the present hot weather to apply 

 the sulphur as advised by Mr. Christison, who makes a point of putting it on during 

 times of bright sunshine. 1 find the quantity used is exactly one cwt. to the acre, 

 and cost of application Rl-6. Up to date 1 have sulphured 60 acres, and will keep on 

 as long as the sulphur lasts, or the drought continues. I have given up my original 

 intention of applying half now, and the balance when red spider becomes active, as 1 

 find in places a good deal of blight is ahead}' visible, and I am hopeful that the 

 sulphur will stamp it out before the insect has time to propagate. Some experiments 

 with the mosquito itself tend to show that it dies if lightly dusted with the sulphur." 

 25th March 1892.— " Red spider began to show itself all over the early pruned 

 sections, but I applied the sulphur as fast as I could, and whenever the application 

 was made not a trace of spider remains. Altogether 138 acres have been sulphured 

 with the 5 tons sent up. The sulphuring has been most carefully done, either a Babu 

 or Mr. Burns being in constant attendance, and as far as can be judged at this early 

 stage the experiment is likely to be a very remunerative one. Whether or not the 

 spider will come back remains to be seen, but at the present moment I cau guarantee 

 there is not a single affected bush over the whole 138 acres." 



13th April 1892. — "The drought still continues, only *86 inches of rain having 

 fallen in April, the total to date since the 1st January being 4*05 inches. iNotwith- 

 standing, Bundookmara is looking very well and would flush at once with rain. The 

 great heat and dryness of the soil have brought on some red spider, but not much, as 

 the earl} 7 pruned sections were all sulphured, and the later pruned have not yet sufficient 

 foliage to make red spider harmful. It is gratifying to observe that not a single 

 plant over the sulphured area shows the slightest sign of red spider, and blight which 

 nad appeared with the first growth has also entirely disappeared. I believe that in 

 dealing with the one disease, we have also dealt with the other, and that the early 

 part of the season will be free from blight. " 



18th April 1892. — " There have been no charges in connection with the sulphur, 

 it having been brought up to the garden by my own boats. From the invoice, and 

 estimating for freight, I make out the five tons have cost approximately R900 and 

 applied to the bushes about R8-4 per acre. A very small increase in yield will cover 

 the expense, and I am hopeful, from the look of the salphured sections, of proving to 

 you that the money has been well spent. You must not expect to see any very start- 

 ling increase in outturn in consequence of the sulphuring, as 1 have naturally treated 

 those flats which are the poorest and most in want of encouragement, but if by doing 

 away with spider and possibly blight, I can in time bring thesn flats from poor to good ; 

 the gain will be great indeed. At the present moment I believe that the application 

 of sulphur will result in an increase of a maund of tea per acre; it certainly will be so 

 if blight is mitigated as well. 



" 1 have written out extracts from my diary giving you full particulars respecting 



1 It may be noticed that washes made of soap and sulphur combined have been recommended both 

 in the United States and in England for use against mites like the red spider. The wash is sprayed on to 

 the plants by means of a force pump fitted with a nozzle to give a very finely divided spray. This 

 method of upplying the sulphur may possibly prove cheaper and more effectual than dusting it on to th e 

 leaves, though Mr. Playfatr's experiments with sulphur in powder seem so successful as to leave little to be 

 desired. Compounds of soft soap and sulphur can now be purchased in England ready made, so as 

 only to require the addition of water. In her fifteenth annual report on Injurious Insects, Mist 

 Ormerod mentions the Chiswick Soap Co., of Chiswick, England, as a firm from which the mitt ure 

 can be procured. 



