368 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



peasant is willing to grow cotton on condition 

 thathei^ not obliged to carry his crop on his 

 head for more than a 2 -days' journey. Con- 

 siderable crops of cotton are said to be left to 

 rot owing to the difficulty of conveying them. 

 H. B. looks forward to the time when the dis- 

 tressing system of human porterage will become 

 a thing of the past and the natives of Cganda, 

 ceasing to act as beasts of burden, will be in a 

 position to turn their attention to the cultiva- 

 ion of the soil. 



PRESERVING COPRA FROM MOULD. 



In answer to a query in the Journal of the 

 Royal Society of Arts the following reply appears 

 in the August 13th number : — 



Copra. — " Malay " will be interested to hear 

 that M Bybowski, Director of the Paris Colonial 

 Gardens, has been conducting experiments in 

 the preservation of copra from mould by means 

 of sulphurous acid. Rome samples so treated in 

 1905 still show no signs of deterioration. In 

 June last he made a further trial on a consign- 

 ment of 3,000 coconuts importer! from the 

 Malay Archipelago. The nuts, after being cut 

 in two, were exposed to the action of the sul 

 phurous gases by means of the Marot apparatus. 

 The operation has been repeated on successive 

 batches, anditnowseemstobe proved that under 

 the sterilising influence of this gas the original 

 condition of the copra is maintained. — H.M. 



GRASS AND FRUIT TREES :— ROUND 

 COCON UT PALM S, <&c. 



We are indebted to Mr. John Hughes for the 

 following useful reminder and information : — 

 " The enclosed cutting is from a recent issue of 

 the Field and may be useful for the Supplement 

 to the Tropical Agriculturist. You remember 

 asking me some years ago what my opinion was 

 in reference to grass being allowed to grow 

 between coconut trees, and I remember writing 

 you that I considered grass had a bad influence 

 as it seemed to smother the young rootlets of 

 newly-planted trees. Since your query I have 

 paid a visit to Homburg and the Rhine districts 

 and noticed that orchards in Germany are not 

 in grass as so common in this country, but 

 are always kept under cultivation — frequently 

 potatoes being raised, at other times gooseberry 

 or currant trees between the apple trees. The 

 important point is to keep the ground under 

 cultivation rather than allow grass to spring up 

 and smother the roots of the fruit trees," The 

 extract from the Field is as follows : — 



Effects of Grass on Fruit Trees. — Notwith- 

 standing all that has been said and written in 

 condemnation of the practice of allowing grass 

 to cover the soil right up to the stem of fruit 

 trees, it has had very little effect, the number of 

 young trees that are to be seen in all parts of 

 the country fighting for very existence against 

 grass being disheartening to those who would 

 bring, about a better state of things. Last week 

 we saw a large orchard planted about eighteen 

 months ago with standard fruit trees, every one 

 of which not only bore evidences of semi-starva- 

 tion, but looked sick almost beyond recovery. 

 It did not need actual demonstration by experi- 

 ment at Harpenden and Woburn to satisfy any 

 observant cultivator that grass was bad as a root 



covering for young trees, It is not a question of 

 water at the root, for there has been more than 

 enough rain this month to keep the soil satu- 

 rated ; yet those trees that are grass covered are 

 suffering where those in open soil are fat and 

 well. We advise all who have fruit trees in grass 

 to keep the surface of the soil for at least a yard 

 from the stem quite free of grass and weeds. The 

 turf should be removed at once, and if it is sliced 

 off with a spade taking care that in doing it the 

 stem is not bruised, the tree will certainly be 

 benefited. When once the soil has been bared 

 a boy with a hoe once a month or so will be able 

 to keep grass and weeds from again getting pos- 

 session. Not only is there a difference in the 

 growth of the trees, but the fruit is better in 

 quality and about 100 per cent more in quantity 

 from trees that are on open soil compared with 

 those on grass. 



TOBACCO GROWING IN TRINCOMALE? 

 DISTRECT: A PROMI SING E XPERIMENT 



We are glad to hear of a successful— or at any rate 

 vei y promising — tobacco experimental Mr. G. N. 

 Mulesworth's estate (Uppar) near Trincomalee. 

 We under stand this planter, who with the late 

 Col. Molesworth was fortunate in the land he sel- 

 ected and has added to good fortune enterprise 

 of various kinds, has been growing tobacco 

 experimentally over 20 acres during the past 

 two or three years and has turned out excellent 

 cigars. Specimens seen are of fine flavour — ap- 

 proximating to good Indian — and only require to 

 be made of even colour, and a little less tightly 

 rolled, to command a good market. We hear, 

 however, that already an offer of 18 shillings per 

 100 (provided at least 25,000 such cigars were 

 supplied) has been made from home. We do 

 not know that any contract was made ; but we 

 understand Mr. Molesworth has leaf stored now 

 of two or three years' growth, and extension of 

 the area under tobacco — on the banks of the 

 Mahaweliganga— will depend upon results. 



CULTIVATI ON IN SOU TH COORG. 



In recommending the growing of leguminous 

 weeds in coffee, Mr Anstead, the new Scientific 

 Officer, is reiterating the advice of other experts 

 in the past. To Mr B Nelson, of Shencottah, 

 belongs the credit of having introduced, Eryth- 

 rina lithosperma, and haviug successfully grown 

 coffee under it, the practice followed being to 

 mulch the laud with the loppings of the trees. 

 Dr. Watt condemned this owing to the plant 

 having in some localities favoured the multipli- 

 cation of white mealy bug, and advocated the 

 growing of Albizzi* slipulata instead. Professor 

 Herbert Wright, of rubber fame, favoured Mi- 

 Nelson's practice. "Green manuring" has 

 been carried out in a small way in the District 

 and has been found especially beneficial in rai- 

 sing supplies in bare places. 



Though black bug occurs infrequently in 

 these parts, it is matter for congratulation that 

 the Pulney scale insect has not yet ma<lo an 

 incursion into the district. Black bug usually 

 attacks shade trees and subsequently the coffee 

 under them. As the bug usually recurs on the 

 same tree, season after season, the best policy 

 would seem to be to cut it down and destroy it 

 with fire.— M. Mail, Aug. 31. 



