466 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



on hillsides to prevent wash, but even then they 

 generally used Passiflora. The tree3 growing ni 

 estates not clean weeded could not be compared 

 in size with the others. 



Tapping. 



Another feature was thatthey all used 5/16 in. 

 gouges, there were no patent knives to be found 

 and with these they did splendid tapping work. 

 The coolies seemed to understand the use of 

 the gouges quite well. 



Diseases. 



They were fighting diseases most successfully. 

 White ants had been traced to be due to stumps 

 and trunks left in the ground. These were 

 always now removed as soon as possible and the 

 white ants were got rid of very easily. It was 

 only on low, swampy and peaty soil that they 

 had trouble. On soils of this nature rubber 

 trees grew extremely well, but 



Did Not Give Much .Rubber. 



The distance most favoured for planting was 

 20 feet square. 



Mr. Gallagher's Experiments. 



M. Leplae has been very much interested in 

 the experiments of Mr. Gallagher, the Malay 

 States mycologist. These led to the conclusion 

 that the best method of tapping was the one by 

 which one quarter only of the tree was tapped. 

 This seemed to give very good results and could 

 be undertaken every day. The yield of rubber 

 was estimated at 160 to 200 lb. an acre at six 

 years and 500 lb. at ten years. 



Genebal Remarks. 



In answer to further questions M Leplae said 

 that he thought prices would go down, but he 

 did not think they ever would go under 3s. to 4s. 

 a pound or that the cost of production would 

 ever rise above Is. to Is. 2d. From the financial 

 point of view rubber was a sound proposition 

 for many years to come. There would probably 

 be a slight drop in a few months, but not a 

 severe one for some years. 



PTEROCARPUS TREES DESTROYED 

 B Y A FUN GUS. 



The last number of the " Agricultural Bulle- 

 tin " of the Straits refers to a fungoid disease 

 attacking the Pterocarpus trees used as shade 

 in Penang. Mr. W. Fox. Superintendent of 

 Forests and Gardens, and Mr. Gallagher, the 

 Government Mycologist, together examined 

 the diseased trees (of which some 100 are said 

 to have succumbed) and the parasitic fungus 

 discovered (Polystictus Occidentalis) is thought 

 to be the cause of the disease, which, according 

 to Mr. Massie, of Kew, cannot be suppressed by 

 any remedial measures, though he suggests as an 

 expedient for prolonging the life of the tree to 

 some degree that a trench should be dug round 

 the base and filled with a solution of nitrate of 

 potash or soda. As the Pterocarpus is a common 

 shade tree with us, it would be as well that pre- 

 cautions should be taken against the appearance 

 of this disease, if it has not already appeared. In 

 this connection we would draw attention to the 

 treatment (referred to by Mr. Fox) adopted by 

 Mr. G. F. Scott-Elliott in curing plant diseases, 

 viz., a process of forcing fungicides into the 

 tissues of the tree through the trunk. We 

 should like to have Mr. Petch's opinion as to 

 the value of his treatment. 



TEA CULTIVATION LECTURE BY 

 MR. ANSTEAD. 



Prevention of Helopeltis by Spraying. 



In an interesting lecture Mr R D Anstead, 

 Scientific Officer of the U.P.A.S.I., said :— 



Tea. — I suppose that your great trouble is 

 the attack of Helopeltis, but from what I have 

 been shown up here, it seems to me that you 

 have got the thing ,very weil in hand. From 

 what 1 have seen, you are doiDg the right thing. 

 When the attack is really bad, you must prune 

 it down, burn your prunings, clean up the land, 

 and then spray. I think that the burning of 

 prunings is the really most important thing. 

 If under local difficulties of labour, money and 

 time, you cannot carry out the full programme, 

 do not let this item be neglected. Mr Antramhas 

 proved that mosquitoes will hatch out from 

 prunings for a period of sixteen days or more, 

 especially if these are kept fresh and green in 

 nullahs, or by showers of rain, so you seetheim- 

 portance of getting prunings burned the same 

 day, so do not neglect the burning of prunings, do 

 not let them lie on the ground. With regard to 

 spraying I am a great believer in prevention ra- 

 ther than cure. Spraying keeps the insects away 

 from the bushes, and prevents them laying eggs 

 to a certain extent, and so can be used as a 

 preventive method. Once the attack is got in 

 hand, spray the whole tea jf necessary, and do 

 not wait until the blight gets bad again. One 

 pound of imperial soap to 20 gallons of water 

 will work out at an application of 20U to 300 

 gallons per acre. Spraying is absolutely useless 

 unless it is well done; every part of the bush must 

 be wetted. An ordinary garden Syringe will do 

 good work, but the spraying machine is a matter 

 for yourselves, as your water may be near or 

 far off. The great point to be attended to in 

 spraying is to wet every part of each bush with 

 the wash. 1 attach great importance to attack- 

 ing the dieease in the very beginning. Watch 

 your tea, and let your pluckers keep a watch 

 for the presence of mosquito blight and have 

 the sprayers behind the pluckers. It is at the 

 beginning of the attack that it can be most 

 easily stamped out ; once it has got under way, 

 it is difficult to deal with. 



Manuring to Prevent Helopeltis. 



I think this is an extremely important matter 

 for tea growers to take up and will get more and 

 more important every year. I think there is 

 nothing like manuring to tackle Helopeltis. It 

 is an axiom when dealing with all diseases, that 

 to keep the plant vigorous and at the top of its 

 health, by manuring, is half the battle. In 

 selecting your manure you cannot look at the 

 soil and the condition of your tea, and say you 

 want this and you want that ; you must have a 

 starting-point. This starting-point is a chemical 

 analysis of the soil. I strongly advise all of you 

 to, as soon as possible, get an analysis of your 

 soil made, and the analysis I want is one that 

 shows the availability of plant food in the soil. 

 I think at present with the big district that I 

 have, that you will be wasting my time by 

 making me do these analyses ; that you should 

 get the same done by professional chemists, and 



