THE ENEMIES OF COFFEE :—WHITE GRUB, 223 
had been planted 8x8; but, as we have said, the 
returns of tea from the closely-planted bushes exceeded 
that from any equal area on the property. We have, 
therefore, reason for advocating close planting in the 
case of tea, while in that of cinchonas, especially 
0. officinalis, close planting provides for casualties at 
all ages. With plenty of gum-trees, cinchonas and 
tea bushes, coffee estates could be scored with rows 
which would act both as terraces and breakwinds 
combined. We are speaking now, of course, of high 
and exposed estates, so numerous in Ceylon. Holes 
and catchwater drains are, no doubt, useful expedi- 
‘ents on steep sloping lands, but they are costly and 
difficult of upkeep. Whether they are adopted or 
not, we feel safe in recommending far closer planting 
-of tea to a lesser extent of coffee, than on comparat- 
ively level land, land which, by the way, is not the 
‘most suitable for cinchonas. But it is not merely flat 
land or very exposed land on which they fail. On 
certain portions of a hill-side they will flourish: in 
other parts large patches refuse to grow or gradually 
die off. Wash, wind and soil are no doubt each re- 
sponsible, but we seem to have yet a good deal to 
learn regarding the fever-trees and their likes and 
dislikes. That the Java tea planter should prefer 
cattle dung and rotted weeds to artificial manures, 
shews how unsettled opinions are, or rather how 
largely they are influenced by local circumstances. As 
regards the low topping of the Java trees, we suspect 
this fact and the smallness of the beautifully curled 
tea leaves which we have seen and admired, without 
admiring the taste of the ‘‘liquor,” are explained by 
the other fact that the “‘jat” cultivated in Java is 
pure China. The digression regarding tea cultivation, 
though perfectly germane to the subject of our arti- 
ele, for most of the principles which apply to the one 
cultivation apply also to the other, has so lengthened 
our remarks that we must defer the discussion of 
Mr. Hughes’ analyses of coffee fruit and leaves and 
the results they point to, for another occasion. 
THE ENEMIES OF COFFEE :—WHITE GRUB. 
(From Ictters and ariicles in the ** Ceylon Observer.’’) 
A local planter, who is the last man to look only at 
one side of a picture, told me that ten years ago when 
entering on the coffee enterprise he estimated a return 
of 6 cwts. per acre at least, after making allowance for 
all possible adverse contingencies! He could not fortell 
the appearance and disastrous influence of white grubs 
