and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



603 



latter amounting to 0"224 per cent. The elastic 

 substance was found to be a good form of caout- 

 chouc. Although no white coating can be de- 

 tected in the adult green leaves, caoutchouc can 

 be obtained by five minutes' contact with ether. 

 As the species descends, as in E. cinerea E. pul- 

 verulenta, E. globulus, etc., the ratio of the 

 amount of wax increases, and in the several 

 species last mentioned the white pulverulent 

 appearance is due to a comparatively large 

 amount of this wax, together with the elastic 

 substance. The collection is too costly for the 

 rubber to be of commercial value.— Chemist 

 and Druggist, October 24. 



TEA AND SHOT-HOLE BORER: 



We are pleased to have the following informa- 

 tion from one who sees much of our tea country 

 in the course of his duties : — " I do not think shot- 

 hole borer is more serious than it was five years 

 ago, although a possible larger acreage is infected. 

 It varies with the season and to a certain 

 extent with shade conditions. On well culti- 

 vated estates the effect does not appear to 

 be serious so far as the crops are concerned, 

 but on places that have run down it un- 

 doubtedly still further reduces yield." 



A Remedy in a New Beetle to be Imported. 



We have received information as to shot- 

 hole borer doing considerable injury to tea 

 in districts around Gampola and to have 

 invaded the Kelani Valley. But we believe 

 it is little known in the higher districts. It 

 seems that although Mr, E. E. Green (who, it 

 must be remembered, is a practical planter as 

 well as scientific Entomologist) at first re- 

 commended " the burning of prunings," he 

 afterwards withdrew that recommendation in 

 favour of burying and manuring ; and it 

 has been matter of actual experience — we 

 learn on good authority — that the borer 

 keeps clear of, or does not at all like, tea 

 that has been rendered vigorous by manuring. 

 But the latest remedy talked of, is a beetle dis- 

 covered in Saxony, Germany, and we understand 

 the P. A. Committee have gone so far as to 

 authorise a certain expenditure, to enable Mr. 

 E. E. Green (now at home) to come back via 

 Saxony and to carry with him to Ceylon a 

 colony of beetles, provided he is satisfied that 

 their introduction while proving actively ini- 

 mical to the ''borer, - ' may not be the intro- 

 duction of an independent beetle pest. Rather 

 a difficult matter to decide in Saxony, we 

 should say ! 



MANURIAL EXPER3MENTS IN 

 TEA CULTURE, 



The Report of Mr C M Hutchinson, Scientific 

 Officer to the Indian Tea Association, on the 

 Heeleaka Experimental Station describing the 

 investigations during the seasons of 1905, 1906 

 and 1907, deals in great detail with the effects 

 of manurial treatment on tea culture and should 

 prove of much use to planters. It should bo 

 noted that the Heeleaka soils are in an advanced 

 stage of exhaustion due to some forty years' 



growth and cultivation of tea, and the manurial 

 experiments were carried out on half-acre plots, 

 which were treated with cattle manure, oilcakes, 

 and artificial manures. Reviewing the results 

 of the experiments referred to, Mr Hutchinson 

 arrives at the following general conclusions : — ■ 

 (1) Oilcake, as a means of renovating old tea on 

 such light soils as that of Heeleaka, is the most 

 economical in use of any manure tried ; (2) 

 mineral manures, such as superphosphate, 

 sulphate of potash, and nitrate of soda, can un- 

 doubtedly be utilised successfully for the same 

 purpose, though at a higher cost ; (3) nitro- 

 genous manures, such as nitrate of soda and 

 sulphate of ammonia produce a better effect if 

 used in conjunction with superphosphate and 

 potash, these latter in their turn being also 

 dependent for their full effect upon the pre- 

 sence of adequate supplies of nitrogen ; (4) 

 manures, Euch as oilcake produce a very much 

 greater effect if applied in annual small doses 

 than if put on in the same total amount at longer 

 intervals. — Indian Trade Journal, Nov. 5. 



THE MAKING OF TEA CHESTS. 



In Southern India: Cochin Chiefly. 

 The Ceylon papers have recently been venti- 

 lating the question of the supply of tea chests. 

 A shortage in the imports of momi tea chests 

 from Japan, which have been in considerable 

 request of late years, gave rise to the discussion, 

 and a suggestion has been put forward that 

 wood should be imported from West Australia 

 for the local manufacture of the chests. It has 

 also been suggested that China should be in- 

 dented upon in case Japan chests cease to be 

 forthcoming. That there will also be a greatly 

 increased 



DEMAND FOR CHESTS FROM RUBBER PLANTERS 



in the near future is anticipated, but these 

 will have to be of a heavier type than the pre- 

 sent tea box. Ceylon tea-packers also depend 

 to some extent upon Southern India for tea 

 chests. In 1906-07, there were exported from 

 the Madras Presidency coconut oil casks and 

 tea chests of the value of R122 lakhs against 

 Rl'll lakhs in the previous year ; and of this 

 total Ceylon's takings amounted to the value of 

 Rl'10 lakhs. In 1907-08, the exports decreased 

 in value to R - 97 lakh, but Ceylon again took the 

 greater part, i.e., to the value of R-84 lakhs. The 

 local requirements of tea chests on the part of 

 the tea planters of this Presidency must also be 

 considerable, the area under tea in Southern 

 India having been gradually extending during 

 the past few years. Patented and other foreign 

 boxes, however, are to some extent used owing 

 to the locally made article being difficult to 

 procure. The reason assigned is that the wood 

 from which tea chests are manufactured, viz., 

 that of the Bombay M<Uabaricum, is becoming 

 increasingly scarce. 



At one time, the industry of tea chest making 

 was carried on regularly at various places on 

 the Malabar Coast ; but now it is practically 

 confined to Cochin, where the required wood 

 is still procurable in sufficient quantities. Bo 

 this as it may, it would appear that imported 

 chests are gradually driving the nativo 



