May,! 1912.] 



403 



Edible Products 



of years grown to a larger size than 

 trees planted from stumps. The only 

 disadvantage, if it does exist, is that the 

 immortel seeds ripen in February and 

 March, and if the dry season is very 

 severe it would be advisable not to plant 

 until May. 



Contractors have often told me that 

 Immortel trees will not grow from seed ; 

 the reason for this failure is obvious — 

 the elementary rules of preservation 

 have not been observed. Immortel seeds 

 are liable to be bored by small insects, 

 and will, undoubtedly, not germinate 

 when planted under such conditions. 

 My experience has been that fully 95 per 

 cent, of sound seeds planted under 

 favourable conditions before the end of 

 June have not only germinated, but 

 grown to healthy trees. 1 have also 

 observed that when stored in a dry place 

 Immortel seeds keep fairly sound until 

 September. From October it would be 

 preferable to use small plants, care being 

 taken not to damage the tap-roots. 



The above notes only refer to the 

 planting of the Anauco Immortel* in 

 young contracts ; I do not think it would 

 be a success to attempt planting seed or 

 small plants in bearing cacao fields un- 

 less the spot was very open. 



I have spoken to a few planters on this 

 subject, and the opinion generally ex- 

 pressed was that the Immortel tree 

 never gave a tap root, or that, if it did, 

 after a time it rotted. Being of a totally 

 opposite opinion I dug round a young 

 tree four to five years old, which I knew 

 had grown from seed, and satisfied my- 

 self that not only the tap root was pre- 

 sent, but that it was as healthy as could 

 be desired. I examined an older tree 

 nine to ten years old with the same 

 result. It might be worth recording 

 that this older tree, besides the tap root 

 which grew vertically into the soil, had 

 what may be called four secondary tap 



* Erythrina umbrosa, generally used as a shade- 

 tree for cacao growing on hills, but in the 

 writer's opinion equally suitable for well-drained 

 Hat lands. 



roots forming angles of about 30° with 

 the tap root. 



Joseph de Verteuil, 



Note. 



I am entirely in favour of growing 

 Immortel from seeds as a shade for cacao 

 and strongly against growing them from 

 cuttings. 



Besides developing a stronger root 

 system, the seedling tree attains a 

 greater height and gives a clear space of 

 20 feet or more between its lower 

 branches and the cacao below. 



I have no doubt that the seeds would 

 keep for a few months before sowing, 

 and by that time any that were damaged 

 by insects would clearly show outward 

 sign of the damage. 



Immortel is geuerally speaking a 

 surface-rooted tree, though doubtless 

 roots that go deeper are given off from 

 the underside of the large lateral sur- 

 face roots. 



On the other hand Immortel trees 

 grown from cuttings, besides having less 

 power to resist wind, also require con- 

 stant trimming of branches, a matter of 

 some expense, and do not allow a clear 

 space between their lower branches and 

 the cacao beneath them that gives the 

 necessary circulation of air to ensure 

 healthy and vigorous growth of the 

 cacao. 



C. S. Rogers, 

 Forest Officer. 



PADDY CULTIVATION IN CEYLON 

 DURING THE XIXTH CENTURY. 



By E. Elliott. 



{Continued from page 318.) 



Chapter IX. 

 Period 1890-6, 

 In view of the views expressed by the 

 Committee already related, there was 

 considerable surprise when it became 

 known that the incoming Governor Sir 

 Arthur Havelock, who arrived on the 

 27th May, 1890, had as a result of a study 

 of the above report during his voyage, 



