186 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



SALT AND COCONUTS, 



Mr. E. O. Felsinger, a coconut estate owner, 

 who has taken a considerable interest in the 

 scientific culture of the palm, writes a letter 

 elsewhere today on the efficacy of salt, or the 

 cheaper substance kainit when applied to the 

 tree. Mr. Felsinger treats manure applied 

 to the tree with kainit. The native method 

 of manuring trees is simply to tie a bullock to 

 the tree for a few nights, gather up the manure 

 and cover it up, where in a short time it is a 

 breeding place for insects and beetles : kainit 

 prevents this. In places where the bleeding 

 disease is very common at present, owners 

 should certainly experiment with kainit : we 

 have always advocated the use of denaturalised 

 salt if Government would only give the needful 

 permission. 



PLANTING NOTES FROM THE N.-W P, 



COCONUT BLEEDING DISEASE — LOW- 

 COUNTRY PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION. 



Marawila, Feb. 7. — Weather very sultry and 

 dry. Indications of rain are present in heavy 

 fleecy clouds being wafted from the N.E. The 

 canal is running very low and navigation along 

 it is becoming very difficult. 



" Incision, Burning and Takking.' ; 

 During a visit I made inland from Madampe, 

 I was much relieved to find the villagers had 

 been treating their diseased coconut trees with 

 incision, burning and tarring. On one estate be- 

 longing to a Sinhalese gentleman, the incised 

 pieces were being carefully gathered in a 

 basket during the operation. All this is as it 

 should be. For how much of this should the 

 Government be thanked. The estates afford 

 object-lessons to those inclined to benefit by 

 them. I believe the majority of the villagers 

 are apathetic and tamely submit to Fate. These 

 ought to be reached by Government Inspec- 

 tors, for the safety of the coconut planting 

 industry. 



A European Matale planter, with whom 1 

 am not acquainted, wrote recently tome : "I 

 shall be glad to hear from you what you think 

 of the coconut bleeding disease. I have it 

 here, but it is quite an easy thing to keep it 

 in check, unless, of course, absolutely nothing 



is done to it. Surely it cannot be true that 

 8,000 trees are dying according to 1 Agricola?'" 

 Quite so. It is easy to keep it in check, un- 

 less nothing is done. What I have been ende- 

 avouring to do for many months past is to move 

 the Government to devise means to keep it 

 in check. So far I have heard of nothing having 

 been done except the ramblings of a solitary 

 Inspector to which the Secretary of the Agri- 

 cultural Society makes reference with evident 

 satisfaction. 



Bleeding Disease in the Cinnam6"n 



Gakdens. 



It is to be found in a virulent form in the 

 Cinnamon Gardens of Colombo. A.V.A. was 

 lately taken to see some trees and he wrote 

 to me:— 11 1 do not think you have ever seen the 

 disease in such a virulent form. Two trees 

 dead and some dying." A few months ago this 

 very gentleman wrote to me. I took too pessi- 

 mistic a view of the disease. Seeing trees with 

 hollowed-out trunks flourishing and bearing 

 heavily, he did not thi nk it was possible for the 

 disease to ki 11 a tree outright. He challenged 

 me to point out to him one tree killed by the 

 disease. He has now seen what neglect can do. 



The New Lowcountry Products 

 Association. 



I welcome most heartily the formation of a 

 " Lowcountry Products Association." The title 

 is more comprehensive than a " Coconut Plan- 

 ters' Association " and will include cinnamon 

 and citronella oil. Why not arrack and plum- 

 bago ? If so, and if carefully piloted, it is 

 bound to be in time as great a power in the land 

 as is the Ceylon Planters' Association. The 

 interests it will represent will be far greater 

 in value and importance than those of the Up- 

 country Association. The initial stage of such 

 an Association will be the most critical, and, 

 therefore, we want such a tried and ex- 

 perienced public man as the Hon. Mr. S. C. 

 Obeyesekere to guide its destinies. We want 

 no fire-eaters. 



The Labour Bureau. 



If the sympathies of Revenue Officers and 

 Headmen can be enlisted, I expect that the 

 proposed Labour Bureau will prove to be of 

 immense benefit to planters and to the indi- 

 genous population. Mr. Westland's crude 

 scheme cannot be accepted. A good scheme 

 can be prepared after consultation with the 

 Association that is to be formed. 



