402 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



and in place of the leathery, inert roots, thousands of 

 thread- like radicles are formed, which push their way 

 through the new space, and healthy growth is resumed. I 

 have applied this to Coffee trees, and I have gone the 

 length of putting the plow through acres and acres 

 of coconuts with the best results, and I see no reason 

 why the same effect should not be obtained with Hevea, 

 seeing the thickness of its root system and its tendency 

 to intermatting when confined from want of space. The 

 most efficient way to carry out pruning is to make a 

 trench, one foot deep, right through between the rows 

 of trees and 10 feet distant from the trunks, merely 

 turning the sod up to the side ; this is best done with a 

 plow ; and then, with a light cultivator 2 parallel trenches 

 one foot away on each side of the first but only i inches 

 deep so as not to injure the main roots. The work can 

 be done with the changkol, but the plow is much more 

 expeditious and less cosily, as it can easily do i to 5 

 acres in one day. Root-pruning is no innovation, and it 

 is practised almost universally on the large orange groves 

 of South California. In passing, I may also mention 

 another advantage of root-pruning, i. e., by turning over 

 the earth it exposes to the air and kills grubs and 

 fungoid growths, beside breaking up the galleries and nests 

 of termites. 



The author then deals with the latex and 

 methods of tapping, coagulating, curing, &c, 

 but want of space forbids us quoting any fur- 

 ther or extracting from a lot of interesting 

 matter in these chapters. The packing and 

 weighing of rubber are referred to, and the 

 charges on rubber exported are quoted from 

 the Cfylon Observer of March 12th, 19U6, show- 

 ing the actual costs of shipping and selling 

 rubber in the London market ; but we under- 

 stand that owing to changes these must now 

 be slightly modified. The book concludes with 

 estimates of expenditure and returns of 3,000 

 acres of virgin land in the Malay Peninsula 

 planted in Para rubber, divided in three estates 

 of 1,000 acres each, the trees planted in quin- 

 cunx 20 feet by 17 feet 4 inches = 120 to the 

 acre ; these estimates go to the 12th year ; from 

 which period, the author says, the annual ex- 

 penditure will average $650,000, and the net 

 profit available for dividend will average a like 

 sum. 



M. Mathieu has produced a most interesting 

 and able book on the cultivation of Para Rubber 

 in Malaya, one which can be studied with ad- 

 vantage by all planters in the East, and the 

 photographs and diagrams in it add to the value 

 of a comprehensive study of the subject. 

 (Copies of this work may be ordered through 

 Messrs. A. M. & J. Ferguson, Colombo.) 



CEYLON BANANAS AT LEICESTER. 



A fruiterer told me a month ago that the first 

 consignment of bananas from Colombo had just 

 reached Leicester. I bought some. They were 

 very good fruit. — Cor. 



Ceilon Bananas in England. 

 1. 



March 25th. 



Dear Sik,— The Ceylon bananas in England, 

 mentioned in your columns— I am inclined 

 to doubt that they were shipped as a busi- 

 ness transaction, and rather imagine they 

 were a surplus stock of fruits carried for use 

 during the voyage by some passenger boat. 

 More probably, however, the fruiterer was 

 trading on the fair name and fame of this 

 renowned island ! 



It is unlikely that any profitable trade in 

 bananas could be carried on between Ceylon 



and England, in view of the peculiar facilities 

 available to the West Indies, and particularly 

 the Canaries. 



Mr. Macmillan, Curator of the R B Gardens, 

 who has recently been making notes of the 

 tropical fruit at Covent Gardens, should be able 

 to tell us something interesting.— Yours truly, 



C. D. 



II. 



Peradeniya, April 7th. 



Dear Sir, — With reference to "C.D."'s letter 

 I can only support suggestion with regard to the 

 origin of the "Ceylon Bananas" at Leicester. 

 Commercially, of course, no bananasare imported 

 into Covent Garden (the fruit emporium of 

 England) from East of Suez, the English markets 

 being supplied by the Canary Islands and, 

 lately, by Jamaica. 



On a recent visit to a fruitarian (which is 

 distinct from vegetarian) restaurant in London, 

 I tasted " dried bananas," which are made up in 

 the form of dried tigs ; they are peeled, halved, 

 and pressed in small wooden boxes, which hold 

 perhaps a dozen each. In this condition they 

 keep in good order for a comparatively long 

 time, which can by no means be said of the 

 usual shop bananas. 



It is interesting to note the variety of uses to 

 which bananas are now adapted, such as 

 " banana flour (for bread), " banana oats " (for 

 porridge), " banana custard powder," " banana 

 cocoa,'' " banana cake," " blanc mange," "jelly 

 powders," and " banana health salts." A Com- 

 pany has been formed in London recently under 

 the name of " Banana Fruit Foods Company," 

 which has for its object the preparation of such 

 substances as those named. — Yours faithfully, 



H. F. MACMILLAN. 



[We are much obliged to Mr H F Mac- 

 millan for his informing letter. We trust 

 experiments in dried bananas will be made 

 here, under Peradeniya or Agricultural Society 

 auspices, and shipments sent home; the great 

 thing will be to select the right kinds and see 

 they are properly desiccated, and packed. Even 

 then the "Banana Fruit Foods Company," 

 dealing in West Indian and Canaries bananas, 

 will probably have the pull.— A. M. & J. F.] 

 III. 



April 14th. 



Dear Sir,— Mr Macmillan's letter with re- 

 ference to bananas in London ought to settle 

 the question of the possibility of exporting 

 Ceylon fruit to England. The geographical 

 position of this Colony places it at a great 

 disadvantage when compared with the 

 Western tropics. Some time ago banana 

 figs (Mafuta brand) reached Ceylon, but I 

 have not heard of the article— an excellent 

 preparation— lately. There is no reason why 

 this form of preserving our plantains should 

 not be carried on locally. Of the other 

 banana preparations mentioned by Mr. Mac- 

 millan, Messrs. Miller & Co. of Colombo kept 

 this in stock for some time ; but, I believe, 

 gave up doing; so as there was no demand 

 for them. — Yours faithfully, 



AGRICULTURIST. 



