180 *Fhe Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



8 feet each and then piled over shallow trenches 

 of a definite length in which fuel had been 

 placed. Thus, a natural draught was set up, and 

 once started the trees burnt themselves out. I 

 may mention that Mr John Cotton of Easter 

 fcSeaton estate had also hit on a similar method. 



16. In places where people had already uti- 

 lised the leaves of the fallen trees no fuel was 

 available, and destruction by burying was re- 

 sorted to. 



17. At date, to the best of my knowledge, 

 all the trees blown down by the cyclone have 

 been destroyed, and the Chief Headmen have 

 certified, I believe, to the same effect. There 

 are still trees dying, however, in small numbers, 

 from the severe shaking they got during the 

 cyclone or other causes. The danger from 

 beetles has thus been avoided, as the destruc- 

 tion of the dead trees was effected well within 

 the period allowed by the scientists of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya. 



A. N. Robertson, 

 District Engineer. 



Kalmunai, June 3, 1908. 

 — Sessional Papers IX. of 1908. 



NOTES FROM THE COCONUT DIS- 

 TRICT N.-W, PROVINCE. 



THE BLEEDING DISEASE OF COCONUTS. 



The continued dry weather may have arrested 

 the growth and spread of the fungus that is the 

 cause of this disease, but whatever the cause, 

 the spread has been arrested. Everyone will have 

 observed that the course of the disease on the 

 stem of a young tree is spiral. Mr Fetch told us 

 that the grain of coconut wood ran spirally, there- 

 fore, one could never be sure that remedies applied 

 in a hole in the trunk above the affected parts 

 would reach and counteract the disease. I have 

 old trees here with spiral grooves high up on 

 the trunk, which I always thought was due 

 to cutting-out of red beetle when the trees 

 were young. I am now inclined to think they 

 were due to stem disease— contracted, of course 

 — as it would not then have been epidemic. 

 Well the effect of the grooves on the trunk, 

 when they are many in number, is the gradual 

 tapering of the trunk. This is always an indica- 

 tion of declining health in a coconut tree. As 

 the stein tapers, the fronds get shorter and 

 the bearing becomes less. I wish Dr. Willis 

 and Mr. Drieberg could have seen these trees 

 tind others I was prepared to show them. If 

 Mr. Petch will visit Marawila, as he promised 

 he would to the local Association, I will arrange 

 to show him all I have to show. 



THE COCONUT STEM DISEASE. 



Wilhelms Ruhe, July 23rd. 



Sik, — Permit me a little space in your journal 

 to say a word in grateful acknowledgment of 

 the service rendered to coconut planters by the 

 Government Mycolcgist. And it is the least 

 we can do, remembering that Mr Petch was a 

 few months ago subjected to a great deal of 

 ungenerous criticism in the Press. 



I have just returned from a visit to several 

 coconut estates in the Chiiaw District and was 

 so happy to observe that the stem disease was 

 practically dead. Only one tree could I 

 discover which was affected. This shows that 

 the treatment prescribed by Mr Petch was very 

 effective. No doubt the drought also helped to 

 stay the disease. 



In conclusion let me give my observations for 

 what they'are worth: (1) Where the soil was rich, 

 a greater number of trees were affected. (2) 

 Excepting two trees the disease had attacked 

 only the lower part of the trunk — not more than 

 8 feet off the ground. (3) Of a dozen, the estate 

 most affected was one on which only cattle 

 manure was used. — I am, yours faithfully, 



F. J. DE MEL. 



TAMARIND. 



July 28th. 



Dear Silt, — With reference to a query raised 

 in your columns as to the value of the produce 

 of this tree, one does not realise what a steady 

 demand there is for tamarind pulp. It is only 

 by visiting markets, both in town and country, 

 that the fact comes to be known. 



In Government Forests in India, the tree is 

 farmed out every year to the highest bidder, and 

 the produce constitutes an important item of 

 Forest revenue. According to Watt a good tree 

 will give about 350 lb. per annum, and this, 

 when of good quality, will sell at the wholesale 

 rate of R50 per candy of 7 cwt. Watt states that 

 large quantities are shipped to Europe, Persia 

 and other countries. The price quoted above 

 works out about 6 cts. per lb. so that 350 lb. will 

 be worth over R20. It is then quite conceiv- 

 able that a more than ordinarily prolific tree 

 will fetch, at retail rates, double that amount. 



The percentage of citric acid present in tama- 

 rinds is likely to make them an important 

 source of that chemical.— Youra truly, 



C. D. 



