100 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [AUGUST I, 1889. 
enough to reach nearly to their topa must be used. 
For this purpose a convenient device may be made 
by passing the small rubber hose through a yellow 
bamboo rod of the required length. A three-six- 
teenth brass tube inserted iu a bamboo rod has also 
been used. 
Several Applications necessary. — Unless exceptional 
care is exercised some portions of the bark or leaves 
will escape thorough wetting and isolated scales will 
be left alive. The eggs also to some extent will 
escape destruction and may hatch in sufficient num- 
bers to restock the plant. As a rule therefore, two, 
or even more, appplications will be necessary. A 
second application should not follow too closely on 
the first. Sufficient time should be given for the 
hatching of all the eggs which may have been left 
alive. On the other hand, if delayed too long, a 
brood interval will have elapsed and fresh eggs will be 
deposited. Successive applications should, therefore, 
be made at intervals of not less than three and not ex- 
ceeding six weeks. 
When the air is charged with moisture, and the nights 
are cold, with heavy dews or frost, the evaporation, 
even of volatile oils, is checked, and they remain too 
loDg in contact with the plant. Applications made 
under suoh atmospheric conditions sometimes prove 
very severe, and cause the tree to shed all its leaves, 
or even kill the branches. 
COCONUTS A SUCCESS IN 
RAJAKADALUWA (CHILAW) DISTRICT. 
Bajakadaluwa, June 10th, 1889. 
Dear Sir,— One of my 3^-year old trees in bearing 1 
The tree, quite an average one in the middle of a 
clearing, has had no special treatment whatever, 
save weeding of course ; and though it may be con- 
sidered by some to be an infantile prodigy, a " sport" 
of nature or the exception which proves the rule 
connected with the slow cropping of coconuts, — I 
take it to be a very indisputable sign of the quality 
of our soil and the fitness of this region in general 
for coconut-growing, which I was the first to discern 
and the first to put under trial. Long flourish the 
district 1— Yours sincerely, GEORGE D. MILLER. 
COTTON CULTIVATION. 
Sib, — I trust those who are interesting them- 
selves in this cultivation, " both European and 
native," will not be discouraged by the simple 
information conveyed by "Peppercorn" and his 
neighbour "G. P." from garden experiments made on 
the hillsides of Hantane. No regular cotton 
planter would think of cultivating on such land. 
Let them travel and see the fine healthy patches 
of cotton now growing on suitable land.- We 
have thousands of acres in the Central, Western, 
North-Western, North-Central, Southern and Uva 
Provinces most admirably adopted for cotton cul- 
tivation. Only careful attention is required to se- 
cure a profitable return. 
There is not the least doubt that it will become 
a valuable industry to the natives. — Yours, 
TRAVELLER. 
COFFEE :— GREEN BUG AND KEROSENE 
TREATMENT IN THE AGRAPATANAS, 
DIMBULA. 
St. George, 13th June 1889. 
Dear Mr. Editor, — I have already gone through 
a deal of correspondence about my treatment for 
green bug, and a good many have been over at 
different times and seen the results for themselves. 
I read the letter of Mr. Cotes with much in- 
terest and was quite prepared to hear that the "Kero- 
sene Emulsion " had destroyed the bug wherever 
it was applied ; but I have certainly no experience 
myself beyond this:— nothing that I have tried has 
succeeded by first application in both destroying 
the bug and keeping it away for the future. With 
me it has regularly returned each season fat and 
flourishing ; but I am glad to say it has not spread 
so rapidly or to the same extent, the last two 
seasons, as previously; and that the trees treated 
for bug seem to stand the attacks better now than 
at first, and I think it probable that the pest will 
gradually leave us. I notice you say that " good 
results were obtained for a time, yet experience did 
not nvove it to be such a case as would warrant 
general application or repay all the outlay," I 
really do not know how you arrive at such con- 
clusions ; for whatever doubt there may have been 
in the early experimental stage, there can be no 
doubt now that the treatment carried out on these 
estates has been very successful. The cost has 
been anything but excessive and perhaps much 
less than many would think. 
The first year's cost was the heaviest, and I 
give actual figures of this on one of the estates as 
follows : — 
187 acres, lot of coffee besides in tea: — labour cost 
Rl,322-81 ; lime cost R453-39 ; kerosene oil and 
soap &c. cost R82-98 : total Rl, 859-18. 
On another estate it was — 98 acres, and a lot of 
coffee in tea:— labour cost R710-27; lime cost R428-71; 
kerosine emulsion cost R59 , 01 : total Rl,197 97. 
This is for the full 12 months, which means two 
general attacks upon all affected trees right through, 
and then several gangs of coolies being kept on 
to watch for any return of the bug and to wash it 
off wherever it appears. 
This year the cost is considerably less. The lime is 
altogether an extra, but I have found it very benefi- 
cial to the trees aftei being treated for bug, and it 
helps both to ripen up the crop and to keep up the 
condition of the tree. The above 287 acres are well 
cultivated coffee and have been regularly manured. 
I found however that the highest cultivation of 
itself could not withstand the severe attack of bug 
which we had at first, and that equally good coffee 
side by side with this 187 acres and 98 acres — to 
which we did not apply the kerosene emulsion but 
which had extra manuring — utterly failed to keep 
its condition or to ripen its crop to any extent. 
The application in my case is a very simple one. 
The cooly has a rough piece of cloch which he 
soaks in the kerosene oil mixture and rubs over the 
bug wherever it is to be found (I do not wash the 
stems of the trees), and this means sudden death. 
In the early life of the young bug, I have found 
even water will remove it ; but when older, it takes 
a good strong rub to unhinge it. The details of 
application are easily worked out, each one for him- 
self. I believe a great deal of valuable coffee might 
have been saved had the kerosine emulsion been 
carried on more generally. 
The difficulty at present is to spare labour with 
such demands as tea makes upon us just about the 
time that the bug begins to put in an appearance : 
so that any plan giving equally good results, 
wnich could reduce the labour required, even at an 
increased cost, might be valuable. W. J. 
GRAIN TAX SETTLEMENT, MATALE, 
AND PADDY CULTIVATION. 
14th June. 
Dear Sir, — Mr. King's report with diagrams is 
very clear and should show the Executive how to 
treat the policy of the acting A. G. A. who 
now wishes to restore all the tanks in the two 
korales, Innamulawa and Kandepola, where the 
paddy crop is only given at 5-fold : most un- 
