and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, 



75 



of course, all lateral growth protruding over 

 the cleared rubber lines is cut back. My 

 theory is that not only does this strip of jungle 

 act as a very efficient windbreak and as partial 

 shade from the sun, by lines being run N. and 

 S., but also as a ready source of copious mulch, 

 and also of surface soil and dead and rotting 

 leaves which will be annually scraped into 

 trenches 3 ft. by 2 ft. by 1 ft. These will be 

 this year dug for the first time between each 

 rubber tree in the case of the field planted 

 15 ft. by 10 ft., and 3 ft. or more feet, accord- 

 ing to the size of each tree, from each tree 

 on the upper side of the hill slope, in the case 

 of 15 ft. by 15 ft. areas. 



The weeding of my rubber under the above 

 conditions costs on an average 8 annas per acre 

 for six months of the year. In December, the 

 7th month, and the beginning of our somewhat 

 prolonged hot weather, a very thorough weed- 

 ing is done and the ground in the rubber rows 

 thoroughly mulched with branches and leaves 

 from the uncut intervals. This weeding costs on 

 an average Rl - 8 per acre. This, though mulch- 

 ing, of course, also prevents to a great extent 

 weed re-growth. In my case no weeding is 

 found necessary, or done, till the succeed- 

 ing June although we usually have good 

 showers in March, April and May. The total 

 cost of weeding then per annum under this 

 system is R4'8 per acre per annum. This 

 is done where rubber is grown as its own 

 catch crop so to speak, and close planted, anil 

 no catch crops are troubled about. In the 

 course of 7 or 8 years our rubber, it is hoped, 

 will have so covered the ground with its 

 canopy as to preclude the necessity of any 

 weeding and will also have considerably sup- 

 pressed the interspaces grown over with jungle, 

 which, as I have noted above, is at no time 

 allowed to exceed more than a foot or two 

 in height the rubber in the rows. There is 

 the fact that this method tends to run up the 

 rubber trees very rapidly ; but this is counter- 

 balanced by adopting Mr Wright's thumbnail 

 pruning and topping all trees at 10 feet and 

 again the succeeding lateral branches at 2 feet 

 or so more. 



A pure crop of any vegetable growth is 

 known to lead to the spread of disease fungoid, 

 cankerous, and of insect pests ; and this inter- 

 mixing of jungle tree growth suggests itself 

 as a possible remedy. I should say that the 

 weeding done is what is generally known as 

 " grass kniving " only : that is, cutting down, 



as close to the ground as possible, all growth 

 in tho rows. This is loft to lie as a cover to 

 the ground and to obviate wash to a great 

 extent by preventing the direct impact of the 

 torrential rains we get in Lower Burmah for 

 4 to 5 months of the year. 



In calculating cost I would ask your reader* 

 to note that our coolies here get 8 annas per 

 day pay. In the first year the cost of weeding 

 was rather heavier than tho figures I give above, 

 but owing to constant grass-kniving, covering 

 with subsoil from the trenches, lateral shade, 

 and heavy mulching, the cost has been reduced 

 and I hope will be even more reduced until 

 it reaches, practically, a vanishing point. It 

 is, perhaps, unnecessary to point out that if your 

 lines run at such an angle (according to your 

 latitude) as to get the maximum amount of 

 lateral shade from the West sun, also run 

 along your hill centres, the interstrips of jung 

 would obviate wash to a great extent, and ca,tch 

 what little does occur for future re-applica tio 

 to the rubber. — I am, Sir, yours truly, 



J. G. F. MARSHALL. 



PALM DISEASE IN S. INDIA. 



How it is Spread. 

 The following information — says our contem- 

 porary's Tuticorin correspondent-has been circu- 

 lated in Travancore and Malabar by the Collector 

 of the latter district .—The ryots in Travancore 

 have lost a great deal of money from a new 

 disease which has attacked their coconut trees 

 lately. The disease is spreading slowly, and may 

 appear in other districts ere long. It causes the 

 trees gradually to become barren; in some gar- 

 dens the best trees, that used to give over a hun- 

 dred nuts a few years ago, now only give 10 or 

 20 or even sometimes none at all. The first sign 

 of this disease is that some or all of the trees turn 

 yellow, as if they did not get enough water. Then 

 the tips of the leaflets dry up and hang down. 

 At the same time the outer leaves bend away 

 from the crown and become loosened, so that 

 they can easily be torn off the tree. In one or 

 two years all the leaves will have turned yellow 

 and dried up at the tips. When this happens the 

 bunches of nuts get affected. At first some of the 

 nuts do not ripen properly, but fall to the 

 ground in an immature condition; next year 

 there will be fewer and smaller nuts ; and 

 after four or five years there may be none 

 at all. Sometimes the flower spathes are un- 

 able to break out from the base of the leaves. 



