134 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [August i, 1889. 
Fine Plucking. — 200 acres at 200 lb. an acre. 
40,000 lb. at 50 cts. ... R20.000 
Costing at 35 „ ... 14,000 
Profit ... 6,000 
No difference between the two systems. 
Now, at present exchange, 40 cents is about equi- 
valent to 8fd. and low as tea has fallen it has not 
gone down to that yet, so that most estates must 
realize a better price than that rate; and yet, not 
until the average touches that figure will fine plucking 
leave the same margin of profit that medium plucking 
will do. Of course, many exceptions can be taken 
to the above calculations, but it is impossible to 
draw up a table that is not open to this objection ; 
and if we have brought it home to our readers that, 
under ordinary conditions, fine plucking as a panacea 
for low prices is a snare and a delusion, we shall 
have accomplished all we have attempted. What- 
ever the average of an estate may be — provided that 
average price includes the rates paid for all 
grades, that is for Pekoe, Broken, Pekoe, Pekoe 
Souchong and cost — it will only pay to pluck fine, 
seemingly when the average closely approaches the 
cost of production. But it does not, of course, re- 
quire mathematical demonstration, but is obvious on 
the face of it. The above calculations, however, 
considerably astonished us when we first examined 
the figures, and we should very much like to have 
the opinion of our readers on the matter. 
There is yet another point of vital importance with 
which we have not dealt, namely, the effects upon 
the tree itself of a continuation of fine plucking. 
It is thought by many planters whose opinion is 
entitled to weight, that few estates could stand a 
prolonged system of fine plucking, and, if this be so, 
it would add another powerful argument to our con- 
tention, that medium plucking is the safest from a 
commercial aB well as from an agricultural stand- 
point.— Local "Times." 
«. 
Potato Growing. — My friends in Western Vic- 
toria are always interested, I know, in anything 
relating to the cultivation of potatoes. Perhaps one 
of our most famous English scientific potato-growers 
is Dr. Gilbert, of Eothamsted. He has recently 
shown that there cannot be too liberal a supply 
of farm-yard manure, mixed with artificial. Perhaps 
the most important point he made is that the 
continuous growth of potatoes upon the same land 
does not render the crop more liable to disease, 
but actually the reverse, and this in spite of any 
fluctuations of the seasons. Of course this state- 
ment which is borne out by a large number of ex- 
periments tends to overthrow the idea that the potato 
disease is propagated by the existence of resting 
sporeB in the ground. At the same time Dr. Gilbert 
insists upon the importance of destroying all diseased 
tubers by fire. — Dr. Taylor in " Australasian." 
Timber Diseases. — At thelioyal Society conversazione, 
among the curiosities e:±ibited, were, says Nature, vari- 
ous parasitic fungi, by Prof. H. Marshall Ward. These 
specimens included : a piece of deal with grey mycelium 
of Merulius lacrymans, causing the common "dry rot" 
of timber ; and a similar piece of timber attacked^by the 
white mycelium of Polyporus vaporarius, another and 
quite different fungus, which produces a form of " dry 
rut;" portion of Piue-stern infected with Peridermium 
pini, the ^Ecidium form of Oofeosporiurh. senecionis— the 
other form of this parasite ia found on various species 
ol Krauudsel (it does much damage to the Pines in 
some forests, producing so-called "cankers" as dis- 
astrous as those of the "Larch disease"); specimen 
ot Wheat infested by Ustiiago carbo (U. segetum), 
showing the destruction of the -ears by the fungus, 
the black spores of which completely occupy the in- 
terior ol the grain; specimen of grass attacked by 
Wpichhe typhina, » destructive ascomycetous fungus 
which infests the flowering shoots of pasture, grasses; 
culture specimens of Sclerotia developed; from species 
ol Botrytis, which destroy certain garden plants. 
Microscopic preparations of those were also exhibited. 
The Factory for making sulphate of quinine 
in the cinchona plantations, Naduvatam, is now 
built, and working has commenced under the 
superintendence of Mr. Hooper, the Madras Gov- 
ernment Quinologist. — Madras Mail, July 6th. 
A Safe Method of Transporting Sulphuri* 
Acid.— Herr Bickmann has patented in Germany 
a process for enbaling sulphuric acid for manu- 
facturing purposes to be safely transported. He 
takes advantage of a property of certain salts — 
of which alkaline sulphates are representatives — 
by which they give up their water of crystalli- 
sation when heated and take it up again when 
cool ; and he does so by mixing these salts in 
an anhydrous condition with a calculated quantity 
of sulphuric acid. The whole mass becomes 
granular, or may be formed into cakes ; and when 
heated the whole liquefies and may be used as if it 
were sulphuric acid, for the presence of bisulphate of 
soda does no harm.— Electrician. 
Coffee under Shade : A New Clearing. — 
For an interesting young clearing in coffee we are 
referred to Kondesalle estate in the Dumbara Valley, 
where 100 acres of old cultivated land, but which 
have been under lantana for 20 years, have been 
cleared and planted with coffee 5 by 5 feet, cacao 
10 by 10 feet, and also at 10 by 10 feet, as shade 
for the coffee, with the Ficus glomerata (the shade tree 
used in Coorg and which is plentiful in Ceylon 
from 1,000 up to 5,000 feet — native name "attikka"). 
This clearing of young coffee flourishes exceedingly 
without a sign of fungus or bug so far ; but, 
strange enough, plants taken from the same nursery 
and put out amongst old coffee as supplies, and 
more or less shaded by jak trees, are already covered 
with the leaf fungus. If the coffee in the young 
clearing keeps all right long enough even to give 
three or four decent crops, Mr. Hamlin considers 
his Company may be well satisfied ; for they will 
then have the cacao well established to form 
their permanent plantation, that is should the 
coffee begin to fail after, say, the 6th or 7th year. 
This is a mode of planting which may well be 
recommended wherever there is soil deep and rich 
enough to carry cacao as well as coffee ; but where 
the soil is too light for cacao, we should like to 
see coffee and the shade tree (F. glomerata) tried 
together after the Coorg fashion up to 3,000 feet 
or even higher wherever there is chena, or a bit of 
forest-land left. 
BIace and Nutmegs. — The important spice market 
of Amsterdam is evidently coming under the control 
of a syndicate who are at present manipulating the 
stocks of nutmegs and mace, basing their operations 
on the small crop of November-December of last year. 
Messrs. Schroeter & Co., of Amsterdam, inform us 
that the "ring" is composed of speculators not directly 
associated with the trade who are operating through 
a Rotterdam firm. The syndicate, our informants 
tell us, appear to command abundant capital, and 
in that respect at least may be expected to make 
their venture a success, and may raise the prices of 
mace aud nutmegs to an enormous figure. Supposing 
it to be a fact that the shipments for the second half 
of this year will be small, the Holland stock of nutmegs 
— which are specially preferred by the "ring" — will 
be quite sufficient for the world's consumption for a 
whole year, and stocks have steadily increased since 
January last; On the other hand, there is only suf- 
ficient stock of mace for at most three months, as 
mace has suffered comparatively more from drought. 
But Messrs. Schroeter & Co. believe the short crop has 
been fully discounted by present high prioes, and, 
according to latest advices from Banda, the trees are 
again in full blossom, and promise a good crop for 
this year. Under these circumstances it is doubtful 
whether the "ring" will find their operation pay in 
the end, aud they are the less likely to succeed if con- 
sumers continue to buy for actual wants only. — Chemist 
and Druggist, June 22nd. 
