The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



were measured by Messrs Bamber and Sand- 

 raann. Two trees of the same age measured 93 

 and 133 inches in girth respectively, the 

 difference being accounted for by the fact that 

 the former was one of two closely planted 

 trees, Mr Sandmann took several snapshots of 

 the tappers at work. 



The party returned to Colombo by the train 

 leaving Henaratgoda at 1-55 p.m. Mr Sand- 

 mann leaves for Germany on the 25th inst. 



CACAO IN JAMAICA. 



It is conceded that not even with the excep- 

 tion of bananas and sugar, cocoa can be our 

 most steadily profitable crop in suitable soils 

 and climates here. As with other things, how- 

 ever, it seems that where cocoa grows most 

 readily of itself it has been allowed to do so, and 

 the owners have gone on the principle of taking 

 what they got. There are some highly cutli- 

 vated and well-regulated cultivations not in the 

 best situations for cocoa growing, where good 

 results are obtained, as well as the splendid 

 results in typical good locations where care and 

 thought and labour are expended on the plan- 

 tation. Even in these places, however, the 

 owers have many troubles with their trees, so 

 that the same constant care and attention and 

 never-ending watchfulness have to be kept up. 

 What then must be the result where cocoa trees 

 having grown strong and rampant for many 

 years without any attention, without pruning to 

 let light and air in, without drainage to carry 

 oft* surplus moisture in wet weather, without the 

 soil ever being broken, without rotten branches 

 and diseased pods ever being cleared out of the 

 way, until, the trees themselves are covered with 

 moss and the soil is stiff and sour There are 

 many places where this applies, — in S. Thomas- 

 in-the-East and Portland, and Upper S. Andrew 

 and S. Mary especially. Surely it would be a 



GOOD POLICY TO CONCENTRATE ATTENTION IN 

 GETTING ALL COCOA TREES HEALTHY 



and brought into full bearing rather than get- 

 ting the same owners to plant more cocoa in 

 other parts of the same land. Of course if the 

 owners of trees are hopeless, and do not see 

 what is to their advantage, and there are other 

 men who have not planted cocoa at all yet who 

 wish to do so, and have a suitable location, it is 

 good to encourage them, but with hotbeds of 

 disease close by unattended to, the other planta- 

 tions despite great care (which they will not 

 always receive), will be attacked by and by when 

 the trees begin to cover the ground, probably 

 just when they are coming into full bearing. 



A REGULAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST COCOA AND 

 COCONUT DISEASES IS NECESSARY. 



Amongst small settlers it is a rare thing to see 

 cocoa trees that are bearing to anything like the 

 full extent they are capable of. It is even more 

 necessary than manuring, this question of get- 

 ting the cocoa trees healthy first, but in S. 

 Thomas-in-the-East and Portland, very little 

 manuring requires to be done, it is aeration that 

 is wanted most in the cocoa field. — Journal oy 

 the Jamaica Agricultural Society for July. 



TO DESTROY WHITE ANTS. 



A German Apparatus. 

 We have received the following from a Ger- 

 man firm which may interest some readers who 

 have been complaining about damage done by 

 white ants. In figuring with the fact that many 

 agricultural undertakings suffer more or less 

 from termites, so-called " white ants," I take 

 the liberty of recommending my apparatus and 

 preparation for their destruction. Firstly, I have 

 constructed an apparatus the " termite finder," 

 which makes it possible to locate the insects' 

 nests. The " termite finder" is a steel pipe, at 

 the top end of which is placed a microphone. 

 This is further connected with a telephone by a 

 cord. If the pipe is put in the earth, one will 

 hear plainly the noise made by the so-called 

 white ants in their subterranean habitations, 

 even at great depths. If one wishes to seek 

 termites near trees, all that is necessary is to 

 put the end of the pipe against the tree. If one 

 wants to locate a certain district, the best way 

 is to have two labourers each with 



A ' TERMITE-FINDER ' 



at distances of 5-6 metres. In this way, all 

 the nesting places of the ants will be located. 

 To smoke out the nest, the same must be bored 

 with a simple "earth-borer " (a crow ?), 3^ feet 

 long and 4 inches in diameter. Generally several 

 nests are together and are connected by walks. 

 In the hole bored one places a miniature oven 

 " Pandora-box." The top of this oven must be 

 just visible. Into this, air must be pumped to 

 keep alive the cumbustion of a specially pre- 

 pared mass contained therein and which gene- 

 rates smoke. Slowly and carefully a hand pump 

 is to be used so that the oxygen reaches the fire 

 and the poisonous gases from the mass are 

 forced below through the air pressure, The pre- 

 paration manufactured by me called "Smoke- 

 snake," generates sulphuric acid. The prepared 

 stuff is about one metre long and as thick as a 

 finger, is rolled up, and fits into the ■' Pandora- 

 box " after taking off cwo tops (coils). In this 

 way they are carried easily even by domestic 

 labour. The same manipulation is necessary for 

 trees which have been attacked by termites and 

 rendered hollow by them. The insects by brea- 

 thing the poisonous gases die very soon. The 

 holes naturally, which have been made on the 

 living trees, would have to be stopped up with 

 cement or clay. It is to be recommended that 

 the above way of exterminating the termite is 

 to be done frequently, regularly and systemati- 

 cally. The cost is not great comparing it with 

 the damage done by the termites. — Friedrich 

 Suck, Hamburg, 15 (Sachsenhof). — Journal of 

 the Jamaica Agricultural Society, for July. 



GROWTH OF PARA RUBBER IN 

 SUMATRA. 



A well grown Para rubber tree on Bandar 

 Pinang Estate (owned by the Bandar Sumatra 

 Rubber Co.), Sumatra, was planted in 1904 and 

 at the time the photograph was taken (June 

 1909), it had attained a circumference of 38£ 

 inches. The rubber, it will be seen, is inter- 



Elanted with coffee. —India-Rubber Journal, 

 ept. 6, 



