and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



303 



be obviated by interplanting with leguminous 

 trees, such as Albizzia moluccana. These trees 

 together with others of the leguminosao have 

 been 



GROWN WITH GREAT BENEFIT TO TEA AND 

 COFFEE IN CEYLON 



and elsewhere for at least twenty-five years- 

 such growths as Orotalaria mimosa, etc., being 

 utterly unsuitedto this class of cultivation. 



In conclusion there are no grounds for the 

 alarmist view of the T. geslroi pest, though it 

 is imperative that it should be taken in hand at 

 once and deal t with very thoroughly, and although 

 the initial cost may be heavy, it will be more than 

 justified by the subsequent saving in expen- 

 diture, on keeping the pest in check, to say 

 nothing of the saving in loss of trees. 



Walter Towgood. 

 —Straits Agricultural Bulletin for March. 



ROOT DIS EASE OF RUBBER. 



I have received a number of communications 

 about the " Fomes " or white fungus root- 

 disease of para rubber. The disease appears 

 to be more widespread than I thought when I 

 wrote in the last November number. A com- 

 mon mistake is cutting the trenches too broad 

 — this demauds extra and unnecessary labour, 

 and the excessive quantity of earth taken out 

 covers the inner area round the diseased tree 

 so much that the turning-over does not go deep 

 enough. Whore circumstances do not allow of 

 the outer trenches being made, the adjacent row 

 of trees should be examined from time to time. 



Crotalaria striata is also attacked by a root 

 fungus, but up to the present I have not been 

 able to infect healthy Para rubber from diseased 

 Crotalaria. Planters who have sown Crotalaria 

 should watch their plants carefully and should 

 immediately notify the Department of 

 Agriculture if any die or even look unhealthy. 

 It is extremely important to know the extent 

 of this Orotalaria disease and if Para is immune 

 to it. The symptoms of diseased Orotalaria are 

 much the same as those described for root 

 disease in Para but of course not so easily 

 noticed. — W. J. Gallagher. 

 — Straits Agricultural Bulletin for March. 



FRUI T GROW ING. 



Sandwich Islands Pineapple Industry.— 

 There are about 4,540 acres in Hawaii taken 

 up with growing pineapples. There are nine 

 canneries — five on Oahu, two on Hawaii, one on 

 Maui, and one on Kauai. The pack of canned 

 pineapples for the year ending May 31, 1908, was 

 190,000 cases, and will be about doubled for the 

 present year. Of fresh pines, about 700 tons 

 were shipped during the past year.— Hawaii Pro- 

 motion Committee Press Neivs. 



Good Results with Ceylon Papayas.— The 

 Report on the Experimental Farm at Outtack 

 says :—" Ceylon papayas at this farm and for 

 this district can only be described as won- 

 derful. From seed, in one year they give a 

 tree 8 feet high. Sown in boxes in August, 

 transplanted in the field in the middle of Sept- 

 ember, the trees begin to flower from the follow- 

 ing March, and fruits are ready for plucking 



from June onwards and will give fruits con- 

 tinually until the following January. The 

 largest will be ready in August and September, 

 twelve months after sowing the seed. We got 

 up to 100 papayas off one tree, and the size and 

 flavour were such as to leave nothing to be 

 desired. For fruits of the same size we have to 

 pay five annas in the Calcutta bazaar. In short, 

 the quick growth of this tree is phenomenal."— 

 Indian Trade Journal, Feb. 11. 



THE COLOMBO PRODUCE MARKET. 



Desiccated Coconut— Cacao— and Fibre. 



The recent drought, combined with the de- 

 structive cyclone not long ago, led to a shorter 

 output of coconuts, with the result that desic- 

 cated coconut went up in price by leaps and 

 bounds. Local exporters did not anticipate 

 that an easier tone would prevail for some time 

 to come ; but, contrary to these expectations, 

 we learn that the " fine " grade now has a 

 market value of 15| cents per lb. No cause is 

 attributed for this decline; but it is conjectured 

 that the financial or trade position of America 

 is largely responsible for the unexpected change. 

 During the past year the shipments of de- 

 siccated coconut to Australia had materially 

 declined— from l,236,707lb. in 1907 to 951,626 lb. 

 in 1903. Whether this is— or is not— owing to 

 the establishment of a costly desiccating factory, 

 the only one in Australia, or perhaps outside 

 Ceylon, it would be interesting to know. This 

 factory is at Paramatta where as "Messrs. 

 Meggitts, Ltd., "Messrs. Thompson, Fraser, Ram- 

 say, Proprietary Ltd., who are the principal 

 shareholders, are carrying on a flourishing busi- 

 ness. The coconuts, which are principally im- 

 ported from the Solomon Islands, Fiji, are said 

 to possess a thicker kernel than the Ceylon 

 nuts, but their productive capability of the 

 desiccated material falls far short of the local 

 nuts. For instance a ton of desiccated coco- 

 nut would require nearly 6 tons of Fiji nuts, 

 whereas the same quantity can be produced 

 by about 4J,- tons of Ceylon nuts. It is only 

 lately that, through the instrumentality of the 

 firm above-named, a reduction was obtained 

 from the Shipping Conference of the rate of 

 freight ; but unless the market for the local 

 nuts declines, it is thought in some quarters 

 that it will some day be impossible for the 

 Ceylon to compete against the Fiji product. 

 This year to date, however, the exports to 

 Australia are 50 per cent, above last year to the 

 same date ! 



The late season's cocoa crops have been very 

 unsatisfactory, for the supplies have been un- 

 usually short, and the beans are much smaller 

 than the average size. Climate conditions are 

 no doubt answerable to a great extent for 

 these results ; but at the same time an impetus 

 is thereby given to producing centres in other 

 parts of the world. The latest cabled advices 

 from London intimate that the market there 

 for the local product has advanced. 



The absence of rain has contributed in a lar»e 

 measure to an abnormally big output of mattress 

 fibre during the present season. Millers have, 

 therefore, had the opportunity of drying their stuff 



