and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



591 



Many estates have already planted up Acacia 

 decurrens — first for wind bolts, or fuel supply, 

 and latterly as a source of green manure. Occa- 

 sionally one hears of a consignment of a few 

 cwts. ot bark to London, and because — as might 

 have been expected — the experiment has proved 

 a financial failure owing to the small quantity 

 sent in, the verdict has always been against it 

 as a possible paying "egg basket"; but any one 

 might as well send a few odd lbs. of— say tea— 

 and expect to get its full value. What is wanted 

 is a regular supply in appreciable quantities. 



In 1904, I wrote an essay (iw the Tropical 

 Agriculturist) entitled "Wattle Cultivation in 

 Ceylon, " — obtainable in pamphlet-t'orm at the 

 Observer office— in which I endeavoured to show 

 what it might do if taken up on a sufficiently 

 large scale: with an estimate, based on actual 

 experience, of the quantity of bark procurablo 

 per tree; and taking £6 in Colombo as probablo 

 value per ton, showing a profit of over 100 per 

 cent in the 8th year, whereas present quotation 

 is £10 10s per ton in London. 



Dv. 



Expenditure on 100 acres to 7th year R18.C00 

 do do in 8th year 73,000 



Cr. 



By 1,500 ton bark at £G in Colombo £n.Po0— 



120,000 trees for fuel at 50 cts. each €0,000 



Total expenditure R91.000 



Profit 101,000 R195.C00 



R195.0IO 



Your3 faithfuliy, 



A. J. KELLOW. 



LOCUSTS ON LAWNS: A CURE. 



May 21st. 



Dear Sir,— A species of small locust or grass- 

 hopper is very destructive to lawns in the 

 Ceylon low-country. Most people, who take 

 pride in having a lawn in the garden, find these 

 pests most troublesome, and on the Colombo 

 Golf Links, 1 believe, they prove to be a great 

 pest. I send you this cutting, which I have had 

 by me for some time, and I feel sure it will bo 

 found worth trial by the Ground- Secretary of 

 the Colombo Golf Club ; while it is worth pub- 

 lication in the Tropical Agriculturist, as of use in 

 all countries where such locusts are troublesome: 



What has come to be known as the ' Griddle mixture' is 

 giving most satisfactory results in dealing with grasshop- 

 pers on the ranches of both the United States ami Canada, 

 The mixture is composed of half a barrel of fresh horse 

 droppings in which is mixed a pound each of salt and 

 Paris green. If the horse droppings mo not fresh the salt 

 is dissolved in water and mixed with the manure and 

 poison. When this mixture is scattered freely about where 

 the grasshoppers are abundant they seem to be attracted 

 to it, for they devour it readily and are poisoned thereby i 

 Dr. James Fletcher, Entomologist for the Dominion of 

 Canada, cites an instance where this mixtuie had been 

 scattered freely around the edges of a field, and states that 

 this particular Held stood out as a, groon patch in a brown 

 plain, as it was situated in the midst of Held where no- 

 thing had been done to destroy the grasshoppers, This 

 ' Criddle mixture' now seems oreferable to the poisoned 

 bran remedy that has given, aiid still continues to give, 

 beneficial results, for it is less expensive than the latter 

 and less likely to poison other animal life. 



The grasshopper in the States and Canada is 

 a species of Melanoplus ; I do not know tho 

 Ceylon species. — Yours truly, 



L. L. C 



PLANTSNG METHODS IN B. C. AFRBCA. 



Nyasaland, April 2nd. 

 Deak Sik, — I see a letter in your issue of 

 January last, written from Mlanji and dated 

 11th November, criticising H. B.'s methods of 

 cultivation, &c, My reply to the gentleman who 

 signs himself " Planter " is : "Would the power 

 the giftie gie us," as Burns put it, to enable 

 " Planter'' to see himself as others see him. 

 Your remarks, viz, that " Planter " does not 

 want Ceylon men to come to Nyasaland is quite 

 true; but it would do him good and others too 

 to have a Jot of Ceylon here, although there 

 might bo the danger of "Planter" losing his billet 

 which is evidently the crux of his whole letter. 



Plenty of men in this country have started 

 planting on less than oven a few hundred 

 pounds of capital— with the assistance of tho 

 Cotton Growers' Association alone, and have 

 done well, too. Of course they had the land. 



Ceara rubber has been in Nyasaland growing 

 like a wood in the bush for '20 years and more, 

 and many, who tried it, could not make it pay 

 any more than Ceylon planters did, and have 

 dug it out. New methods of tapping may yield 

 better results, but this remains to bo proved. 

 "Planter" speaks of drink being the ruin of men 

 here (he might as well have mentioned drugs, 

 too); this takes place all the world over un- 

 fortunately. "Planter" wants figures regarding 

 the yield of tea, &c. There is no need for this 

 request seeing, as he eays, he has been 5 years in 

 Mlanji, for he should be in a position to supply 

 them himself ; and I am sure all will be pleased 

 to see those figures published. 



A great drawback to this country is the want 

 of the experienced Visiting Agents system, the 

 same as exists in Ceylon. 



Company Managers are the men who usually 

 visit and report on estates in Nyasaland and 

 their visits are made perhaps once in a year and 

 perhaps not for two years, so that Superinten- 

 dents of estates do absolutely as they please. 

 The result is reckless expenditure of public 

 money, as far as Companies are concerned, 



I have known a man put in charge of an estato 

 here who, without consulting his neighbours, 

 raised tho pay of ordinary labour to more than 

 twice the amount paid by others— for no reason 

 whatever except to impress upon the natives 

 that he was a big white man. Of course, tho 

 money was not his own. 



Unfortunately this throwing away of money 

 is not confined to new-comers, but to men who 

 have been in the planting line for a long time. 

 So it is not to be wondered at that " Planter" 

 says £1,500 to £2,000 is required to start planting 

 in Nyasaland. 



I have known men hero start paying 3s. Der 

 month, the usual rate for village labourers, and 

 keep these men on, raising their pay to 6s. 

 because they were too lazy to teach other men 

 pruning. How would Ceylon planters fare 

 if they were too lazy or indifferent to teach 

 their coolios pruning ? I guess they would get 

 their walking ticket. 



