Correspondence. 



508 



[Dec. 1906. 



the Government of India had not as yet been prevailed upon by Sir Joseph Hooker 

 to give me a free hand in the high forests of Alto-Amazonas, to enable introduction 

 of the original stock from which the present generation of planters may work from* 



I found the best method for Cacao, and also for Rubber, was 

 to bud back the terminal shoots. That is to say : 



3 primary and 

 9 secondary branches. 



Thus to form a well-grown base for the tree to come, in 

 the case of Cacao at 5 feet, in Rubber at 10 feet. 



Very faithfully yours, 



H. A. WICKHAM. 

 London, W.C., October 9. 



TWO INTERESTING TREES OF THE NORTH. 



Dear Sir, — Among the most useful trees of the North are the two species 

 of Balsamodendron (Commiphora) used for live fences, viz. : — 



a. Canudatum (Kivilai) which is thornless. 



b. Berryi (Mul-kilivai) which is thorny, 



The chief recommendation of the plant is the ease with which the cuttings 

 strike in an arid climate like the North, even in dry weather. The spined species 

 is, of course, the more useful plant, offering as it does effectual resistance to stray 

 cattle and goats. The latter, however, find the leaves of both varieties a suitable 

 food especially when fodder is scarce. For this reason or from its habit of growth 

 the trees appeared to me to be very scanty of foliage when I saw them in August. 



The plants justify their inclusion in this balsam-yielding genus in as much 

 as they possess the balsamic odour. Their most notable congeners are the well- 

 known plants which yield myrrh (B. myrrha) and Balm of Gilead (M. opobalsamum). 



If, as Trimen says, B. Berryi grows in Colombo, it is strange that it is not 

 more used for fences, in spite of the alleged tendency of the plant to lose its spinous 

 character in the low wet country. 



There is apparently no definite Sinhalese name for either of these species 

 though "Siviya," " Ensalu," " Masbedde" are given in Trimen's Flora as possible 

 names of the thornless form. Why is it that Trimen spells the last syllable of the 

 generic name " drum," while other authors give it as " dron" ? 



Guettarda speciosa (Tamil, Panir) is an ornamental tree, bearing sweet- 

 smelling flowers, that grows well in close proximity to the sea. Like the " sorrowfu, 

 tree" {Nyctanthes acbro-histis) so dear to Buddhists, it sheds its corollas which are 

 used for distilling a kind of rose-water. Watt refers to the crude way in which 

 the scent is got in India. In the evening a thin muslin cloth is spread over the tree 

 so that it comes in contact with the flower. The cloth, wet with dew, takes in 

 their fragrance, and the " extract " which is wrung out in the morning is sold 

 in the bazaars. 



Yours truly, 



C. DRIEBERG. 



MOSQUITOES AND ANTI-MALARIA CAMPAIGNS. 

 Dear Sir, — In the September number of the "Tropical Agriculturist," Mr. 

 Green has drawn attention to the great success of anti-malaria campaigns in other 

 countries and in our own colonies, and to the need for a similar campaign in Ceylon. 

 No apology need be given for introducing this subject in an agricultural journal, 

 health affects labour supply, and the question of labour supply is a vital one in all 

 agricultural enterprises. 



