so 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



form until the bark separates from the wood. 

 The cambium is killed ; that causes the black 

 patch and separates the bark from the wood. 

 The black patch is the death of the cambium 

 round the pricker-hole. There would be a black 

 mark with the old pricker, but there is a bigger 

 one in this case because the old pricker was 

 sharp, and this one is blunt. Mr Northway 

 certainly has pricked without touching the 

 cambium, but Mr North way : s bark— at least 

 that which I measured — is about six to eight 

 millimetres thick. Other people are working on 

 thinner bark. A lot of rubber trees have a 

 much thinner bark than that at the age of from 

 four to.- seven years. If they prick this thinner 

 bark, they are absolutely bound to go into the 

 wood. These questions of rubber pads, and 

 whether you can prick without touching the 

 cambium, miss the main objection to the pric- 

 ker, a id that is that the bark which is formed 

 under the pricker cuts is not laticiferous. That 

 is Dr. Fitting's discovery, and [ found it fully 

 borne out in samples of Mr. Northway's bark. 

 Tho use of the renewed bark would be delayed, 

 say, eight or ten months, as compared with 

 the renewed bark with the knife. I do not sup- 

 pose that the effect of the pricker would never 

 work out, but it certainly would take more 

 than six months. This is the main objection. 

 The black patches and rubber pads may be a 

 little alarming, but the ultimate effect of the 

 black patches will be absolutely nil. It is 

 against the system inasmuch as you cannot go 

 on pricking as long as you ought to. The tree 

 will recover. The results complained of by 

 planters are the effect of following the North- 

 way system too well. Their bark is probably thin, 

 and they have put the pricker right through. 



LORANTHUS IN NUWARA ELIYA 

 DI STRIC T. 



New Galway, June 5th. 



Dear Sir, — The discussion re Loranthus at 

 the recent meeting of the Nuwara Eliya District 

 Planters' Association though— in a way— inter- 

 esting is scarcely instructive, as it makes it 

 appear that this undoubted pest is of recent 

 origin, or introduction. I do not know how 

 many years back the speakers alluded to, but 

 I can remember over 40 years ago the dilapi- 

 dated appearance of the Acacia Melanoxylon 

 trees then growing round "Barnes' Hall," (now 

 the Grand Hotel), and how they were gradually 

 killed out by this parasite. The spaces now 

 occupied by the market and K. A. Saibo's shop 

 were then covered with dense growths of Rho- 

 dodendron trees, many of them carrying finer 

 specimens of Loranthus than are generally seen 

 now ; and the surrounding jungles were full of 

 it, so it is rather misleading to say that " it has 

 begun to enter our jungles." 



As to a scientific report on Loranthus, not 

 many years ago — under 10, probably— a member 

 of the then Scientific staff of the Botanic 

 Gardens madea study of the subject and I think 

 read a paper on it. His great concern was to 

 discover how it was propagated, i.e., did the 

 birds swallow the fruit, and so spread them, or 

 did they merely carry them to the most con- 

 venient perch, swallow the pulp, and allow the 

 seeds to remain to grow in time into other 



plants ? Several birds were sacrificed to his 

 thirst for knowledge. Some time back the pre- 

 servation of bird life was much advocated with 

 a view to keeping down insect pests. Does 

 this account for the "alarming spread of Lor- 

 anthus to the tea fields ?" If so, shall we now 

 be called upon to shoot all birds at sight ? How 

 is it proposed to work the Pest Ordinance in 

 this connection ? The source, from which it has 

 spread, is undoubtedly the Government jungle. 

 Will Government ignore its responsibility, and 

 only require private owners to eradicate the 

 pest ? — or will there be a general crusade ? If 

 so, " what will it cost, and what will it pay ?'' 

 and "is the game worth the candle?" Like 

 everything else, it takes time to develop, and 

 as the tea bushes are so frequently pruned there 

 should be very little difficulty in keeping them 

 free of the parasite. The case cited of a large 

 area having to be collar-pruned on account of 

 it must be quite exceptional ! 



1 have seen Loranthus on coffee, tea, cin- 

 chona, camphor, gums, grevillea, and dozens of 

 other trees. The question is not — where will it 

 grow, but the reverse: during the fruiting season 

 it is not uncommon to see the germinated seeds 

 hanging from the telegraph wire where it 

 passes by Loranthus infested trees. — Yours 

 faithfully, A . J. K ELLOW. 



DRIED PLANT AINS F ROM CEYLON. 



I. 



Croydon, May 20th. 

 Sir, — It seems to have been forgotten that in 

 the '60s the Rev. Mr. Thurstan used to prepare 

 dried plantains for export. They were packed 

 in soldered tins to preserve them from damp. 

 When I was a boy at school in England, an 

 occasional present of a tin of these dried plan- 

 tains was most welcome. As regards reviving 

 this industry, I fear that Ceylon cannot compete 

 with Jamaica, which is able to send its Mafuta 

 dried bananas to England in wooden boxes or 

 even cartons. 



DONALD FERGUSON. 

 II. 



June 11th. 



Dear Sir,— The information given by Mr. 

 Donald Ferguson in your last issue is most inter- 

 esting. 



There is a great difference between 

 " dried plantains " and the Mafuta brand 

 bananas. I knew of people who sun-dry plan- 

 tains, but the product is very different from 

 thearticle on the English market, which brings 

 out the fig flavour that is absent in ordinary sun- 

 dried fruit. One thing is certain, viz., that it 

 is not every variety of the fruit that is suitable 

 fordrying. Mr. J. D. Vanderstraaten, who has 

 been lately experimenting in the desiccation 

 of ripe plantains, has proved this fact con- 

 clusively. Our finer "table plantains" will 

 not do, but coarse mawkish fruit common in 

 upcountry bazaars seem to be the most suit- 

 able. There is also possibly something in the 

 " curing,'' even if it be only of the simple kind 

 which makes all the difference between new 

 cheese and " ripe ' cheese. It would be worth 

 knowing how Mafuta bananas are prepared. — 

 Yours truly, 



C. D. 



