The Supplement to the Tropical A griculturisi 



one, and then again repeat the process to the 

 tip of the resulting shoots when they have 

 grown 2' or so more. Once more if possible, and 

 the sapling can be bent down to do so without 

 force, anrl so left to nature. We are all still in 

 the infant scho'ol stage as regards cultivated 

 rubber ; and whether thumb nail pruning is ad- 

 visable — or not — is a debatable point. Ab initio 

 we' grow rubber under unnatural conditions 

 and the proceeding of forcing its growth arti- 

 ficially in a desired direction, that of in- 

 creased girth, at a younger age, and hence 

 earlier tapping, is of considerable importance 

 viewed from any point. I quite agree as to be 

 abnormally bending over of repeatedly thumb- 

 nailed trees ; but I have noticed it in trees done 

 twice only very seldom, and never in those only 

 once topped in this manner. 



As long as we tap by girth and not by age, 

 and as long as experts, scientific and practical, 

 tell us that no harm is done by early tapping, 

 and that the quality of rubber is as good as 

 from older trees, solong — I suppose— will thumb- 

 nail pruning find strong supporters. It ap- 

 pears obvious that if this method is resorted 

 to, the wider should the spacing of your plan- 

 tation be— as the crown of the tree is more in- 

 clined to spread itself out, with a consequent 

 greater root area. The matter is worthy of dis- 

 cussion and careful report as to results and 

 the experiences of Ceylon and Malaya planters, 

 and I hope that some of them will be induced 

 to give us the benefit of their experiments in your' 

 columns. — Yours faithfully, 



BURMAH. 



TOBACCO EXPERIMENTS IN COOCH 

 BEHAR. 



Important experiments with tobacco— one of 

 the chief products of the Cooch Behar State 

 — are in progress, and negotiations have been 

 entered into with a French Company, that pro- 

 poses to start a cigarette factory near Calcutta, 

 with tho object of securing a market for the 

 State tobacco .and a school of piactical train- 

 ing in the industry for such natives as the 

 ruler of the State may nominate. Cooch Behar 

 cigarettes were imported into Calcutta to the 

 value of almost 23 lakhs during 1906-07 and 

 there is, therefore, an ample field apparently 

 for the operations of the company. — Statesman, 

 July 5. 



LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. 



June 24th. 



Dear Sir, — Some months ago I wrote to 

 you that I had read in your columns of a 

 soil-renovating leguminous plant and enquired 

 whether the Agricultural Society had applied 

 for a supply of seed. Not being able to give 

 you the name of the plant, you were not able 

 to supply me with the information I asked for. 



The plant has been brought before the public 

 again by Mr. B. Harrison, of Burringher, N.S. W., 

 Australia, and now I can give its name — 

 Melilotus Officinalis. I want a soil-renovator 

 specially for white, sandy soil, and of this it 

 is said : " This seed has been sown in raw, 

 white sand, and in the course of 5 or 6 years, 



it has changed it into a dark, almost black, 

 rich loam." "Each well-developed plant con- 

 veys to the soil fully 4 lb. nitrogen." It is almost 

 superfluous to say that the latter is the 

 declaration of an American ! 



One drawback, as far as coconut planters 

 are concerned, is that it is a fodder plant. 

 For this reason the seed will have to be sown 

 within a wired enclosure. 



Another leguminous plant is the Japan clover 

 (Lespidiua Striata) ; that, too, is a fodder plant 

 and a valuable soil renovator. 



Will the Agricultural Society kindly obtain 

 seeds of both the above leguminous plants 

 and grow them in the Stock Garden as object 

 lessons and report results in the Tropical 

 Agriculturist. — Truly yours, 



THE BANANA MARKET OF FRANCE. 



Paris, June 17.— The trade in bananas, so 

 flourishing in the United States and England, 

 is only just beginning here, where the imports 

 are not over 9,000 tons, although France is 

 nearer to the producing countries. The reason 

 is that this country 



DOES NOT BUY DIBEC'T, BUT IN ENGLAND 



and second hand. It is calculated, how- 

 over, that, in buying in this way, a parcel 

 of bananas of 66 lb. comes to about 17f. on deli- 

 very, while — if imported direct from the Azores 

 or the Canary Islands— the price would only be 

 13f. to 13f. 50c. If not put up in packets for 

 shipping, the price would be lower still. Unfor- 

 tunately, the consumption is not large enough 

 to permit of buying direct, and it would be 

 necessary for such shippers as might make the 

 attempt to make up their minds for a certain 

 amount of loss at the start in order to increase 

 consumption. As to the other oversea fruits, 

 their sale in a fresh state is still more limited, 

 and all the more so on account of the high price 

 to be paid for the reasons mentioned above. — 

 London Times. 



NUTMEG IN THE MOLUCCAS. 



Evil times have fallen upon the well-known 

 nutmeg plantations at Banda in the Moluccas. 

 The Java Bode says that, in consequence of a 

 heavy fall in the price of that spice, the planters 

 cannot meet the claims upon them. The coolies 

 on the estates can get neither wages nor rations. 

 The ruined planters have not the means to send 

 them back to their homes. Unless the Govern- 

 ment affords relief, the consequences will be 

 disastrous. — Straits Times, J une 30. 



CACTUS FOR FODDER: FOR BEHAR 

 PLANTERS. 



The Behar correspondent of the Indian 

 Planters' Gazette (July 4) writes:— "Our enterpris- 

 ing Collector, Mr Woodman, is distributing cut- 

 tings of Cactus opuntia procured from California 

 to neighbouring planters with a view of seeing 

 whether this thornless species of the Cactus 

 family can be grown successfully in these 

 districts and form a useful fodder for cattle." 

 — M. Mail, July 8. 



