and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



91 



the paper of mine he refers to before flatly con- 

 tradicting ray statements. I give in parallel 

 columns both my statements and " B's" contra- 

 dictions and leave your readers to decide wherein 

 we differ, adding only that in my paper I gave 

 reasons for my statements. I shall be glad if 

 others as well as "B" will undertake the simple 

 "surgical operations and investigations " " B ' 

 scoffingly refers to in this and a previous con- 

 tribution and report results. I was in hopes 

 that many would have done so in the interests 

 of accurate knowledge : — 



"B" J. D. V.'s paper:—" In 

 Mr. J. D. Vanderstraaten manuring we find an in 

 not long ago read a paper in crease in the crops during 

 which he said that the crops the 1st year, simply because 

 of three years are inside the the blossoms for the 1st 

 stem of. the tree. I must, year's crops were all out and 

 however, state that my in- set and in various stages of 

 variable experience has not development already when 

 been in accord with the con- the manuring took place- 

 elusions drawn by Mr. J.D. perhaps after a few months 

 V. as the result of his surgi- we rind less of the tender 

 cal investigation. young coconuts falling,owing 

 Without exception, I have to the increased nourishment 

 always found improvement afforded by the manure ; so 

 in the appearance of the *lso we noticj a slight 

 trees and in blossoms, 12 to improvement in the kernel 

 18 months after the appli- from the same cause. During 

 cation of manure. The re- the 2nd and 3rd years there 

 suiting crops are gathered is a marked and gradual 

 twelve months after that, increase of crop, still due 



to the improved vigour of the trees and consequent ferti- 

 lising properties of the pollen which otherwise would 

 have been largely infertile. The increase of crop during 

 the 3rd year may be quite double the previous yield 

 or even more, but it is after the 3rd year that the 

 full effect of manuring are felt by the trees, the increase 

 in nuts of previously unmanured gardons being quite 

 four to five fold. .. Counting all the flowers from the one 

 just opened to the smallest spathe in the heart or cab- 

 bage that could be examined by a magnifying glass, I found 

 there were 34 flower spathes in the tree I examined and 

 the smallest spathe had clearly distinguishable fe- 

 male flowers. Now takiug 1G as the average number of 

 branches put forth on a healthy tree wo get two years 

 and say two or three months for the last distinguishable 

 spathe to arrive at the crown of the tree and burst into 

 blossom— to this must be added another 10 or 12 months 

 before we can gather the fully matured nuts from that 

 branch. 



The question of how long it would take for 

 the bleeding disease to kill a treo or to affect 

 the crops is quite distinct from that of the time 

 from first formation of the flower buds to the 

 maturing of the fruit in ordinary ca«es. What- 

 ever affects the vitality and nutrition of the 

 tree must necessarily affect it throughout — to 

 what degree and within what time depending 

 entirely on the extent of the interference. 



J. D. VANDERSTRAATEN. 



June 19th. 



Dkar Sib, — Before I reply to my friend, "J. 

 D. V."'s letter. I must bow my acknowledgments 

 to him for his complimentary refcrenco to my 

 experience, though it is moro than counteracted 

 by his expression of disappointment at my not 

 answering his expectations of "accurate know- 

 ledge," &c, &c. It is very evident that what 

 moved "J. D. V." to write and to indulge in 

 comparisons through the means of parallel 

 columns, was his discovery of "ill-disguised 

 sneers," where such wore not intended. 



In his lecture before the Agricultural Society, 

 Mr. Vanderstraaten stated that he dissected 

 the heart or cabbage of a coconut tree. I play- 

 fully referred to that as a " surgical operation " 



and in another instance as a " surgical investi- 

 gation." Was my interpra^tipn of the word 

 wrong? No, uot by »iny ,rr>e.au;i unless my 

 motives are "dissected." and false ^conclusions 

 drawn from them. ',»', ,., , ; ^ I; 



1 must, however, ;a=pologjs.o to JVI>,:.* Vander- 

 straaten for not studying his lecture with the 

 attention that so valuable a contribution to 

 coconut cultivation deserved. I glanced over 

 it and discovered, immediately after his long 

 quotations in parallel columns : "this gives us 

 the period of three, years at least, and I sup- 

 pose a few months must be allowed from the be- 

 ginning of the manuring period, for the initial 

 formation of the flower spathe in embryo." I 

 got the idea of " three years '' from the hasty 

 perusal of the paper. I see I must deduct nine 

 months from that period. I have not the incli- 

 nation, qualification or time, to criticise Mr 

 Vanderstraaten's or any other lecture. I made 

 a few romarks on it casually, and have very un- 

 fortunately trodden on his ultra-sensitive corns. 



It might be news to Mr Vanderstraaten to 

 be told that I too dissected the womb of a 

 coconut tree, called in Sinhalese parlance " pol- 

 bada,'' and discovered immature flower-spathes 

 with "kurumbetties," or immature nuts formed 

 on them. But I must confess that the opera- 

 tion wasnot performed to gain " accurate know- 

 ledge," but to satisfy idle curiosity. I did not 

 use a magnifying glass, nor did I count the 

 flower-spathes. The more shame to me. 



During a business visit to the estate from 

 whore 1 write, I imparted the information 

 had gained by my idle curiosity to Mr Kelway 

 Bambor and presented him with a "polbada." 

 It is to be hoped that he has investigated the 

 subject scientifically. — Truly yours, 



B. 



1908-9 EXPORTS OF GHINA TEA. 



Sussex, J une 3rd. 



Sir, — The difficulty experienced at home and 

 abroad of obtaining accurate information re- 

 specting the China toa trade has beeu forcibly 

 illustrated by tho difference noticeable during 

 the past season between the statistics issued in 

 Hongkong— which have been quoted in Colombo 

 and copied in London— and a computation made 

 from information derived direct from other 

 sources in China. For example, it was reckoned 

 here months ago that the total exports were 

 rather heavier than in 1907-8, whereas at the 

 beginning of April the figures printed in Ceylon 

 stated that they were 24,000,000 lb. lighter, 

 while at the end of the month an increase of 

 26,000,000 lb. was mentioned. [Tho latter error 

 was afterwards corrected. — Ed., O.O. ] In theso 

 tabular statements the entries relating to 

 Russian aud American shipments are not re- 

 concilable with the advicos received in England 

 from China; The final statistics have not yot 

 been published, and tho figures at the foot are 

 subject to correction, but they are based upon 

 the best information obtainable here, and will 

 probably prove to be nearly exact. 



It is, of course, recognised that the volume of 

 business done in China tea has not now tho 

 same influence upon the market for Ceylon or for 

 Indian tea as it had in times past ; but it is 



