486 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



EUROPEAN FRUITS IN THE TROPICS. 



The last number of the Tropical Agriculturist 

 contained an account of a visit paid by the Sec- 

 retary of the Ceylon Agricultural Society to a 

 fruit farm in Bangalore, where over a hundred 

 acres of different kinds of European fruits, 

 consisting of apples, grapes, plums, peas, &c, 

 are being grown on a commercial scale, with a 

 view to supplying the Eastern market. From all 

 that can be gathered, the prospects are promis- 

 sing and the success of the undertaking is likely 

 to exert an important influence on the condi- 

 tions under which attempts are being made to 

 grow English fruit in the tropics. 



Hitherto efforts at growing European fruits in 

 Ceylon would appear to have been carried on — 

 if not exactly in a half-hearted way — under cir- 

 cumstances which were hardly calculated to 

 provide an efficient test. 



So far we have had amongst us, only one 

 individual (whose skill as a horticulturist is un- 

 fortunately lost to the island) who had any 

 pretensions to a practical knowledge of fruit- 

 growing as carried on in temperate climes, 

 and that was the late Curator of Hakgala Gar- 

 dens, Mr. J. K. Nock, sr. The work which Mr. 

 Nock has done in the way of introducing and 

 acclimatising new varieties of fruits and 

 vegetables will always stand to his credit. 

 With his English and West Indian experience, 

 the late Curator brought his valuable technical 

 knowledge into requisition tor the benefit of 

 this Island which will always recall his genial 

 personality with kind thoughts, and his ready 

 willingness to help the amateur with gratitude. 



Ceylon has, however, never been witness to 

 such enterprise as characterises the venture 

 referred to above. That venture would appear 

 to have been begun under peculiarly happy 

 auspices, and carried on under the supervision 

 of particularly shrewd business men. Given a 

 careful selection of site, an unfailing water 

 supply, ample funds, and skilled management, 

 the experiment in the cultivation of any crop 

 with the smallest chances of turning out a 

 success is hardly likely to fail except to some 

 unexpected and unavoidable misfortune. 



It has to be remembered, however, that there 

 is a great difference between the climate of 

 South India and that of Ceylon, for while the 

 hillcountry of the former has a comparatively 

 dry climate that of the latter is notoriously wet. 

 Taking Bangalore, with an elevation of some 

 3,000 ft. and a rainfall of some 30 inches, we find 

 that a good many English fruit have been grown 



with comparative success; while the same fruits 

 do not thrive at the higher elevation of Nuwara 

 Eliya owing to its humid atmosphere. But 

 there are probably more likely places (in parts of 

 Uva, for instance, and in Hewahetta) that have 

 not been given the opportunity of proving their 

 suitability. We have heard of figs fruiting in the 

 Matale district and excellent grapes beingprodu- 

 ced in Hangurankefcte, facts which go to indicate 

 that given enterprise, business acumen, technical 

 skill and capital, it is not impossible that tem- 

 perate fruits could be successfully raised in the 

 Island with its variety of climatic conditions. 



The most important desideratum in any 

 ventureof this kind is undoubtedly athoroughly 

 qualified fruit expert — one who not only knows 

 the practical details of his art but the principles 

 that underlie them, and could apply the latter 

 to the varying conditions of a tropical or semi- 

 tropical country, that could so to speak, 

 make his plants adapt themselves to the locality 

 in which they are being grown. One of the 

 chief obstacles in growing temperate plants in 

 the tropics is to induce what is known as the 

 dormant conditions corresponding to the period 

 of wintering. If, as we understand, it is pos- 

 sible to overcome this difficulty, then the pros- 

 pect of raising English fruit must be looked upon 

 as hopeful. As regards financial considerations 

 we have the advantage of such fruit-growing 

 countries as the Australian States and Califor- 

 nia, inasmuch as while labour is infinitely 

 cheaper, there is always a ready market and 

 good prices for English fruit in the tropics. 



THE WILD POTATO OF CHILI. 



Some excellent results have been obtained 

 by Professor Heckel in the experimental cultiv- 

 ation of the Solanum maglia, or wild potato of 

 Chili, at Saint Jerome, near Marseilles. In a 

 communication to the Academie des Sciences, 

 the professor states that each plant produced 

 on the average two kilogs (nearly 4^ lbs.) of 

 tubers, which are of a violet colour. The aver- 

 age weight of each tnber was 350 to 380 gram- 

 mes (12 to 13£ ounces). The wild potato under 

 cultivation is very hardy, and less liable to 

 cryptogamous diseases than the common variety 

 grown in Europe. Specimens of every known 

 variety of the wild potato found growing in 

 South America, both on the sea coast as well 

 as at high altitudes in the Andes, have been 

 obtained for further experiments. 



[The Agricultural Society should get seed. 

 — E», CO.] 



