Miscellaneous Products. 



248 



[September, 1908. 



by a cheaper one, nevertheless, the pro- 

 blem is by no means easy, as the pepper 

 vine is very sensitive, quickly dropping 

 its leaves if subjected to drastic treat- 

 ment. At any rate an improvement can 

 be effected by the use of a better spraying; 

 apparatus, the one used by the China- 

 man being a comparatively coarse 

 syringe. 



As regards the mauurial treatment, 

 we are here presented with a question 

 of some interest. I have previously 

 mentioned that each vine should be 

 supplied at regular intervals wi ch eer- 

 tain amounts of prawn dust and burnt 

 earth, and that the soil is ordinarily 

 of poor quality ; yet not infrequently 

 does it happen that a gardener unable 

 to afford prawn dust manures his vines 

 with burnt earth only, and for years 

 good crops have thus been obtained. 

 To the pepper grower burnt eai bh is 

 of primary importance, and it is con- 

 sidered to be an absolute essential. 

 The method of preparing it is simple, 

 but it requires sound judgment and 

 care to produce burnt earth of the 

 best quality. In one corner of his 

 garden, the labourer spreads out a 

 quantity of brushwood, and over this 

 some logs of wood cut from the jangle; 

 on the top of this comes another layer 

 of brushwood, and over the whole is 

 heaped up a large quantity of soil. 

 The heap is fired from below, and after 

 some days or weeks when the burning 

 has ceased it is broken up, and after 

 the unburnt pieces of wood and char- 

 coal are removed — the gardener considers 

 that charcoal in the proximity of pepper 

 roots fosters fungoid disease— the whole 

 is mixed up together. Thus is produc- 

 ed burnt earth which varies much in 

 quality according to (1) the kind of soil 

 used to produce it, and (2) the nature of 

 the combustion. The soil preferred for 

 this purpose is a mixture of jungle soil 

 rich in humus, aud ordinary yellow clay 

 of the garden ; if jungle soil only be used, 

 it often acts as a complete damper. 

 During the burning, it is most impor- 

 tant that the combustion shall be slow 

 and that the earth as a whole shall not 

 be overheated as baked earth is useless. 

 If the top or sides fall in during the 

 burning the aperture must be filled up 

 lest the burniing be accelerated. 



Thus prepared it is obvious that the 

 soil which is in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of the burning logs becomes quite 

 overburnt, and the most valuable part 

 of the heap is the black middle stratum. 

 Wherein lies the indisputable virtue 

 of burnt earth is somewhat doubtful, 

 but one may expect it to possess 

 several points of superiority over un- 

 burnt earth, viz :— 



(1) In the absence of living organ- 



isms, fungi bacteria, etc. 



(2) In the presence of wood ashes. 



(3) In the presence of the products 



of the incomplete combustion 

 of the wood. 



(4) In the presence of the products 



of partial decomposition of the 

 organic matter contained iu the 

 jungle soil itself. 



(5) In the increased porosity of the 



product. So far as I know, no 

 experiments have been under- 

 taken to elucidate this problem. 

 The manure proper of the pepper 

 gardener is prawn refuse, and this is 

 excellent. It is rich in organic matter, 

 in phosphates and in Calcium salts, and 

 moreover has a great advantage over 

 ordinary chemical manures in that it 

 is not too easily soluble and is not 

 liable to be entirely dissolved by the 

 first shower of tropical rain. Never- 

 theless, it is expensive and the supply 

 is not unlimited. 



An account of pepper cultivation would 

 not be complete without some mention of 

 diseases resulting from insect ravages 

 and other causes. Very formidable 

 pests are certain small plant bugs which 

 attack the flowers and the setting fruit. 

 When the flower spikes appear, there 

 may be seen flying about the vines a 

 number of small black insects each armed 

 with a long spine on the back and one on 

 either shoulder : these settle on the 

 flowers aud feed thereon. The insects 

 beloug to the Menibracide and is a species 

 of Centrotus. Another plaut bug. but 

 one much more sluggish, is a small black 

 flattened creature which crawls along 

 the spike destroying the flowers. It is 

 one of the Tingididce and is called 

 Ela»uiognalhus Hewitti. Still another 

 flower-eating creatine belonging to the 

 same order is a small flattened insect, 

 green in colour, its sides fringed with 

 tiny spines. This is an immature form 

 whose adult I have not seen ; it may be a 

 Centrocnenvis. This pest is very slug- 

 gish, but it is a serious one. 



Another insect, a destructive Coccid, 

 attacks the young setting fruit. It 

 appears in number on the fruit spike as 

 small but stout soft bodied creatures 

 covered with a white fluff, and on their 

 attack, the flower spike withers and 

 blackens ; the whole of the berries on a 

 spike may thus be destroyed. This in- 

 sect is attended on by colonies of Ants 

 (Cremaxtogaster rogenhoferi) which pro- 

 bably are responsible for the spreading 

 of the Coccid. The four pests just men- 

 tioned are ai vvays a menace to the pepper 

 grower, and hi- only remedy, quite an 

 effectual one, is the insecticide already 



