THE 
Vol. IX.] 
COLOMBO, NOVEMBER ist, 1889. 
[No. 5. 
"GREVILLEA ROBUSTA" AN ANTIDOTE TO 
COFFEE LEAF DISEASE ? 
HE author of a very inter- 
esting account of "A Hot 
Weather Tour in South 
India" makes mention in 
the second part, which we 
quote below from the Pioneer' 
of the " silk oak " as securing 
immunity from coffee leaf disease to bushes growing 
within its influence. In no authority within our 
reaoh, and we have consulted the Dictionary of 
Botany, Von Mueller's Extra-Tropical Plants, and 
Gamble's Manual of Indian Timbers, can we find 
any mention of Quertidia rohusta. We feel quite 
oonfident that the tree intended is the " silk oak" 
of the Australians, the beautiful and useful Grevillea 
rohusta, which has found a second home in the 
hill regions of India and Ceylon. This tree has 
no affinity to the true oaks (quercus), so that the 
popular name must have referred to the excellent 
quality of the timber. We have a very high 
opinion of this member of the Proteaacece, but we 
have never observed that it prevented coffee bushes 
in its neighbourhood from being attacked by leaf 
disease. It is so common on coffee estates in Ceylon 
that its effects if it have any in this direction must 
have been observed. Will planters who have 
oofiee and grevilleas growing together kindly let 
us know if coffee seems benefited. Besides being a 
good shade tree for coffee, Grevillea rohusta is 
said to enrioh the soil by the large quantity of 
leaves it sheds. The extract is as follows :— 
A HOT WEATHER TOUR IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 
Kuin of the Permade coffee plantations — the silver 
oak, (quercidia rohusta,) alleged to be an antidote 
to leaf-disease — coffee cultivation in shade and the 
bushes allowed to grow unpruned— pepper vines 
growing on forest trees. 
The elevation of the country round Permade is from 
3,r>00 feet to 4,000 feet. Eight years ago it waa a 
most prosperous settlement. There were more than 
forty planters, each with a thriving coffee estate, 
lear »fter year they raised bumper crops, prices were 
good, and all went merry as a marriage bell. But 
"black care" was behind. As Schiller says in the 
Song of the Bell :— 
"But with the powers of weal and woe 
No man may bargain here below." 
First prices fell, and then leaf-disease put in its ap- 
pearance. The trees abnormally crippled and stunted 
so as to be forced into bearing the valuable seed 
were more liable to be attacked than if they had 
been in a healthy condition ; the soil was exhausted 
by all that had been taken out of it, and not being 
very rich was no longer able to give the trees sus- 
tenance. The disease spread from year to year until 
almost all the plantations were destroyed by it. 
The planters lately so prosperous were reduced to 
beggary. The gentleman with whom we stayed, who 
a few years ago waB making a clear profit of £3,000 
per annum, told us that two years ago he was 
almost ruined. His land yielded next to nothing, 
he had to sell his trophies, his gun and even his 
pony in order to keep the pot boiling. Instead of 
keeping three assistants, he had to do the over- 
seer's work himself. By cutting down a great por- 
tion of the coffee and planting out tea he was 
able at last to get a small return. Last year he just 
paid his expenses, but this year he hopes to make 
a fair profit. As regards the others the story 
is the same. Instead of there being more than 
forty planters there are now about half a dozen. 
One man has to look after several estates, instead 
of having an assistant to help him on his own. Most 
of the houses are empty and are occupied only during 
the hot season by visitors from Cochin and Trevan- 
drurn. Latterly the coffee has shown signs of recover- 
ing, and by accident a tree has been discovered which 
forms an antidote to leaf disease. When laying out 
his estate the gentleman before alluded to planted 
avenues of silver oak (quercidia robusta) along his 
roads. When the leaf disease broke out these trees 
had grown to a considerable height, and it was found 
that not a single bush beneath the shade of a silver 
oak was ever attacked by leaf disease. The tree drops 
an enormous quantity of leaves, and thus not onlv 
gives shade, but also manure. The coffee trees beneath 
do not give such rich crops, but they give a steady 
return. This gentleman, as also others, are now plant- 
ing silver oaks amongst their diseased coffee, and by 
tbis means hope to get the better of the enemy who 
almost ruined them. The silver oak may have special 
qualities, but from what we subsequently heard it is 
probable that the disease was due chiefly to irrational 
planting. 
Some sixty or seventy miles further north on 
the same range of hills is a portion called the 
Lower Pulneys. Here during the last ten years 
a number of plantations have been started on 
a system totally opposed to what in most places 
is in foroe. Instead of felling the forest the 
planter simply clears away the undergrowth, and 
plants his coffee amongst the forest trees. He 
does not prune or cut the shrubs down, but lets them 
I grow as Nature intended them. Instead of exhausting 
