PEDIGREE COFFEE SHED. 183: 
the trees spoil each other. To my mind there is un- 
fortunately not much fear of this, and even if there 
was, you could easily get rid of some of the prima- 
ries. What we want is to tap the soil of superfluous 
moisture, and this cannot, I submit, be accomplished 
by any system of drainage, however complete, UNLESS 
THERE ARE PLENTY OF FEEDING ROOTLETS. On two 
closely planted estates at least within my knowledge 
in the young districts, the return in crops has been 
much above the average.” 
AN ANSWER TO THE ABOVE. 
A planter writing a few days ago preferred a general 
challenge in reference to coffee clearings of the last 
few seasons which we are glad to say has been ac- 
cepted. His words were :— 
‘‘In my opinion the continued attacks of the coffee 
leaf fungus have had a weakening effect on the off- 
spring, and as a proof of this I would ask you to go 
with me over any one of the clearings opened last year 
or even the year before. Select your own, let it be 
either in the young or old districts, Shew me one that 
can compare with the clearing of four or five years ago.” 
Now in answer a visiting agent has been good enough 
to refer us to a 50-acre clearing on Doongalla planta- 
tion, Maturata district, belonging to Mr. G. B. Sparkes. 
The coffee is two years old and as rieh, healthy, strong 
and full of crop as any two year old clearing in the 
old palmy days of coffee. The second instance is 
even more striking, although in the far-famed Hapu- 
tale district. It refers to a 20-acre coffee clearing on 
patana land at an elevation of 4,500 feet above sea 
level, planted in Nov.-Dec. 1877, and now therefore 23 
years old. Already there has been picked from this 
field crop equal to 2 cwts. per acre, and fully another 
hundredweight remains on the trees. This shews what. 
patana land in Uva, well selected and cared for, may 
be expected to do. 
PEDIGREE WHEAT AND DISEASE-PROOF POTATOES ; 
AND WHY NoT FUNGUS-PROOF COFFEE. 
To the Editor, Ceylon Observer. 
London, 21st Jan. 1880. 
Str,—The last time I wrote to you on the sub- 
ject of the coffee leaf disease, I stated that Hallett’s 
pedigree wheat was free from rust and disexse, as 
a proof that lability to disease in plants was con- 
stitutional. In your remarks on it, you said that if 
that were so it would be a case for consideration. 
Lately I have had the advantage of an interview 
with Major Hallett, and he has not only confirmed 
