492 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



were found to be somewhat superior to the for- 

 mer, though neither could be called extremely 

 fertile. Chlorine was determined in the first 

 six of these samples, with the idea that this 

 element might play some part in the better 

 growth of trees near the sea, but the amounts 

 found were so small as to be almost negligible.' 1 

 Philippine Journal of Science Vol. 1. No. 2. 



u The Keeping Qualities and the Causes of 

 Rancidity in Coconut Oil," byH S Walker. 



Summary P. 140.— "The salt water from the 

 sea has no influence on trees in its vicinity, as 

 only amounts of chlorine so small as to be 

 negligible were found to be present even at the 

 bases of coconut trees which were actually 

 growing cn the beach." 



P. 141. — "The difference between the trees near 

 the sea-shore and those farther inland is solely 

 in the quantity, not in the quality, of nuts which 

 they produce, coconuts from inland regions 

 averaging fully as well as those from the beach. 

 This fact is shown both by analyses, and by 

 practical tests on a large scale." 



The first thing that strikes us is that the 

 absence, as a rule, of lime from our Ceylon 

 soils may account for much of the difference 

 in local experience and that gained in the 

 Philippines. But this would not apply to the 

 Jaffna peninsula with its coral formation, and yet 

 it was there that the late Mr, R. Davidson (one 

 of the mostcultured, not to say scientific planters 

 who ever came to Ceylon) laboured so long, and 

 in 1861 give us as the result of his reading, ob- 

 servation and personal experience, so unquali- 

 fied a testimony in favour of the lue of salt for 

 coconut palms. We quoted part from one of 

 his letters the other day ; but much more might 

 bo given. Moreover, Dr. Gardner, p. l. s., was 

 quoted as to the great value attached to the 

 use of salt for coconuts in Brazil. So wedded 

 are the natives of Ceylon to its use that they 

 generally put a handful of salt into each hole 

 before planting a coconut; and as to seaweed, 

 they use it freely wherever it can be obtained. 

 Here are two other short extracts from author- 

 ities, to which we would direct the attention 

 of the American Board of Agriculture in the 

 Philippines : — 



" Some idea may be formed of the amount 

 of saline matter required for a fertile soil, if 

 we consider that it requires 500 lb. to add 1 

 grain to every pound of earth, a foot deep 

 in an acre. Yet this is only in the proportion 

 of 1 to 7,000— it would require 7,500 lb. to add 

 that proportion of saline matter to an acre 

 to the depth of 15 feet. — B. Davidson, Jaffna. 



" Experiments have actually been abused, as 

 proofs and arguments against the reduction 

 of the impost on salt — of all taxes on the con- 

 tinent that which is the most odious, the most 

 unnatural, and the most disgraceful to human 

 reason." — Leibiq's Letters on Chemistry. 



Still more puzzling is the fact that the following 

 mixture was applied with success by coconut 

 planters in the Jaffna district forty years 

 ago, on, we believe, Mr, Davidson's recommend- 

 ation ;— 



Salt ... 30 lb. cost 2s Cd 



Ashes ... 240 „ ,, 0s 4|d 



Bones ... 56 ,, ,, Is Od 



Lime ... 15 ,, 0s OJd 



Poracre: 3411b. cost 3s lid 



We are aware that Mr. Kelway-Bamber has 

 offered a warning as to " over-salting the soil "• 

 but there is no danger of that in view of the 

 policy pursued by the Ceylon Government in 

 refusing to allow salt — often lying in superabund- 

 ant uselessness at Puttalam and Hambantota — 

 to be denatured and used by local agriculturists. 

 What cannot be allowed in Ceylon is permitted 

 and arranged for in highly scientific Germany as 

 is shown in the following letter (the original is 

 in our possession) handed to us by the late Hon. 

 Mr. P. Coomaraswamy when he was Tamil M.L. 

 C. It was addrossed to him by a German fellow- 

 traveller and speaks for itself : — 



Berlin, W. BendlerSt. 13, Feb. 22nd, 1897. 

 The Honourable P. Coomara Swamy, London. 



Dear Sir, — According to your wish, I adjoin 

 an abstract of the German law re inland revenue 

 on salt, dated of the 12th December. 1867. I 

 translate as well as I am able to do : — 



§2. The inland revenue on salt is 6 Marks for 

 50 kgr. (about 6 sb. a hundredweight.) 



§20. Free of revenue is :— No. 2, the salt used 

 for agricultural purposes, i.e., for the feeding of 

 cattle and for manuring. 



No. 3, for pickling herrings and similar fish. 



No. 4, the salt employed for all other indus- 

 trial purposes with the exception of that for 

 industries preparing nourishment and relish for 

 men (vide No. 3 exception.) 



The salt for purposes, vide No. 2 and No. 4, 

 must be denaturalised. (Article 5 of the Agree- 

 ment of 8th May, 1867.) This shall be accom- 

 plished by means of pulverised wormwood. 

 (Enactment of the 25th March, 1878 ) I shall 

 be glad to give any more information, if wanted, 

 and remain, dear Sir, yours faithfully, 



Fk. Lange. 



Very extraordinary that what is so readily pro- 

 vided for in Germany cannot "be allowed in 

 Ceylon ! But meantime, we have to learn how 

 the different experiences recorded for coconut 

 cultivation, and the use of salt in the Philippines 

 and Ceylon, are to be explained. The Com- 

 mittee of the Lowcountry Products Association 

 should arrange for the application of salt on 

 two or three experimental coconut plots, and 

 care'ully record the results. 



CAMPHOR CULTIVATION IN MYSORE. 



Mudigere, Kadur District, 



Mysore State, April 17th. 

 Dear Sir, — I got Mr Nock's pamphlet on cam- 

 phor cultivation, but 1 cannot find there, or any- 

 where else, whether the camphor plants should 

 be put in a clearing like coffee under shade or 

 planted bang in the open like tea. With your 

 usual good nature will you kindly tell me, or if 

 you are not sure yourself, let me know name of 

 someone who can tell me. 



