and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society, 



308 



Djati Nangor type started on a rather low basis 

 at 8 to 8i; hut they sold better as the year pro- 

 ceeded, until prices of 9.j to 10J were reached in 

 August and maintained till the end of tho year. 

 Gedeh teas did not, till late in the year, show 

 their usual fine quality and the price of his 

 BOP did not touch 10 pence until August; but 

 with improved quality, the prices advanced until 

 the Goalpara level of 11 pence was reached and 

 kept to until the end of the year. Good liquorinp 

 medium grade teas without tip, of the Malabar 

 BP type, which are particularly suitable for 

 London and for which there is always a great 

 demand, sold well throughout the year, with a 

 lowest price of 7 pence for a few sales and a 

 highest price of 8J and with an average rate for 

 the 12 months of 7J pence, against 7J in 1907. 

 For ordinary and low grade teas, we find that 

 prices in January were standing on the 

 unusually high basis of 7& and 7^ for Dust, 

 BT, BP. PS and Pekoes ; but these prices 

 by February had already fallen to 0^ Gj and 7 

 pence, and by September/October the quotation 

 had further declined to 3| for Dusts, 5 for PS, 

 5 J for Pekoe and 5| for BP's. The lowest 

 quotations for clean ordinary teas during tho 

 year were as follows :— Dusts 3| ; BT : s4J;PS 



5 pence ; Pekoes 5-J and BP 5J ; but the average 

 rate for the whole year for all these teas is 

 much above these prices and stands at 5| ; 5f ; 



6 ; 6£ and 6^ respectively. 



It will be seen, therefore, that 190S has for 

 Java been 



A RECORD YEAR 



as regards the quantity of tea produced and that 

 for the class of tea that we produce, the prices 

 have throughout the year been on a satisfactory 

 and certainly a good paying basis for estates of 

 all elevations and of all qualities. The outlook 

 for the present year is good. With average 

 weather conditions we must see a further in- 

 crease in our exports, as it is only a few of the 

 very oldest estates that have reached their full 

 production ; while on the other hand there are 

 probably but few who have not young gardens 

 still coming forward. It must also be noted 

 that the teas grown by the native population 

 and sold as green unmanufactured leaf to Eu- 

 ropeans is now a very big item and is still 

 increasing. As regards prices it is impossible to 

 make any forecast, but it is satisfactory to 

 already see a considerable recovery from the 

 lowest point of the market in October/Novem- 

 ber last for low grade and ordinary sorts. 

 Below will be found statistics of Java exports 

 during the past 8 years, and also a table of 

 Amsterdam and London selling prices in 1908 

 and 1907. [We quote only the former for 1907-8. 

 —Ed., CO.] 



Java Tea Shipments. 





In 1908. 



In 1907. 





lb. 



lb. 



Holland 



20,059,252 



15,670,474 



Knglaml 



12,629,117 . 



9,167,312 



Russia 



1,294,540 



813,562 



Austra'ia 



335,095 



724.165 



Singapore 



2,061,162 



1,974,825 



Other Porta 



200,361 



936,002 



Total 



36,579,68H 



29,286,420 



H. Lambe, 



THE CULTIVATION OF PASSIFLORA 

 F GETS OA AND MIKANIA SCANDENS: 



TO KEEP DOWN OTHER WEEDS. 



By M. Kelway Bamber. 

 The former plant, which grows luxuriantly in 

 the dry and wet zones of Ceylon and the rich allu- 

 vial soils of the Federated Malay States, was re- 

 commended to be grown on estates badly infested 

 with lalang, in order to choke out the grass and 

 other jungle growth?, and provide a dense cover- 4 

 ing of organic matter over the whole surface of 

 the soil. Its use was first suggested in the Fede- 

 rated Malay States about a year ago, when it 

 was noticed how the plant was completely over- 

 running the abandoned Malay campongs, and 

 choking out every form of weed in them, includ- 

 ing tho much-dreaded lalang. 



The cost of digging out the latter to com- 

 pletely eradicate it was proving prohibitive, 

 often as much as ,$65 or 11113, per acre; and 

 many estates could not aft'ord this enormous un- 

 remunerative outlay. Ordinary weeding also was 

 proving in many cases very expensive, and a 

 heavy drain on the reserve capital for bringing 

 the planted areas into bearing ; and it became 

 necessary to find some means of reducing ex- 

 penditure without injuring or delaying the 

 growth of the rubber. From the climbing 

 habit of the plant it spreads more rapidly over 

 strong growing lalang or small jungle than over 

 a bare soil, as its tendrils run over the tops of 

 plants, gradually smothering and bearing 

 them down as the weight of leafy matter in- 

 creases. It is therefore unnecessary to cut the 

 grass before planting the Passiflora [better 

 known as Passion Flower.— Ed., CO.] 



(n all estates it is customary to keep the rows 

 of rubber lor 3 ft on either side free from weeds, 

 and to utilise the plant it is best planted up 

 the borders of the clean rows, and induced to 

 grow outwards over the intervening weeds. 



For lalang, a Selangor planter suggests a 

 method adopted by a native tribe of tying large 

 double-liandsful of the growing grass together 

 with a few blades of the grass itself. This com- 

 pletely prevents growth', and the rain in the 

 tied bundle soon rots the growing points. By 

 planting cuttings or seed of the Passiflora 

 between the bundles, the whole field will be 

 over-run in a few weeks or months and the 

 lalang entirely destroyed. 



When the growth has attained its maximum, 

 and before the plants die down, the whole mass 

 of material, usually 12 in. to 18 in. deep, can be 

 rolled up like a huge carpet, leaving the surface 

 soil in a perfect loamy condition, and quite 

 clean and free from weeds. Such material 

 is best mulched in large rings round each 

 rubber tree, so that there is no continuous 

 line of dry material running through the field, 

 though the chance of damage from fire of such 

 material -is very remote. 



Unlike Crolalaria, this plant is not legumi- 

 nous, and consequently does not increase the 

 total nitrogen in the soil. But from its dense low 

 habit of growth, which entirely covers the soil. 



