34« 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1889 
LOWCOUNTRY PLANTING REPORT. 
WEATHER AND RAIN FALL — COCONUT CROPS AND LEAF 
DISEASE — .HE COCONUT BEETLE — A NEW METHOD OF 
CULTURE. 
Hapitit;am Korale, Oct. 11th. 
During July, August and September of 1888, we 
had not a shower that run to two figures in cents, 
and the aggregate rainfall of the three months was 
only 2'05 inches. In the current year the rainfall was 
July 6 - 33 inches on 22 Jays. 
August 6-56 „ 17 
September 18-37 „ 23 „ 
3126 „ 62 „ 
From 28th Feb. to 30th June, there fell 52 34 inches, 
bo that in seven months we have had 83'60 inches. 
Not bad that for a rather dry district. 
The cooonut crops of the present season have been 
dificient both in size and number in consequence of 
last year's drought, but the promise for next year 
corresponds with the abundant rainfall of this. The 
young fields that were thrown back last year are now 
endeavouring to make up for lost time. The leaf- 
disease that threatened such serious consequences at 
the beginning of the year has ceased to give any 
anxiety. In the very worst cases, no spotted leaf 
has been developed for the past three months, the 
only remaining effect being a slower growth than 
usual, indicating I think, that such plants had to make 
fresh roots to replace those rendered useless by the 
drought. 
As B. has taken a good deal of trouble about this 
leaf-diseasa without reward either in pecuniary result 
or lasting fame, a state of things much to be re- 
gretted, we coconut planters should do something 
for him, and as this appearance of the leaves has 
no name, it has been suggested that it should hence- 
forth be known as the Bevanee. 
I have lately lost several trees from the Kanda- 
panuwa. They only attack a tree in vigorous growth, 
and the most dangerous period is just when the tree 
shows stem above ground and swells out into a bulb 
which splits the leaves in the middle while still 
fresh and succulent. All my recent losses have been 
due to this cause, the beetle deposits its eggs in the 
broken leaf which supports the grubs till they ac- 
quire strength enough to penetrate the stem. The 
only way to prevent this is to remove every 
split leaf as soon as it appears and to this end an 
almost daily inspection should be made of all trees 
in this particular stage of growth. The removal of 
the cracked leaves is a very delicate operation, requir- 
ing great care and it would be well to use a special 
knif..', one without a point and with a slight curve. 
Whhn the pest has once established itself in a young 
tree, the sooner it is cut up into chips and roasted the 
better. I approve of the Straits law that makes this 
compulsory, but not of that part that makes the pos- 
session of dungpits penal. The kuruminiya disfigures 
but does not kill the tree, and as they increase in age, 
they heoome less and less liable to its attacks, kill all 
grubs that turn up in the course of working an estate, 
but there is no necessity for any special law, indeed 
such a law must be inoperative, because agricultural 
aucces8 depends greatly on those very accumulations 
of manure that this law renders criminal. 
I have long been of opinion that garden culture was 
the best way of dealing with coconuts, but it is only 
lately, that I have tried it on any important scale. I 
have now had a bit under experiments for twelve 
months with S'i far the most satisfactory results. The 
lan'l selected was past five and past six years and not 
by «ny menus good at its age, very unequal and the land 
exceedingly ii rty. It was twice dug over mamottie 
deep, weeded as often as necessary, was moderately 
m mured and is now perfectly clean, the only remaining 
weeds being pasture graBS. The plants are growing at 
a rate I have ne.r seen equalled, some of the most 
advanced, developing a fresh leaf every twenty days 
'1 his is a very unuhuul rak; of growth, even on rich 
soil, that is not clean, well pulverized and aerated and if 
this treatment worn begun early, and kept up : there 
scorns little doubt that the trees would be in full bear 
itig in half the time that they usually take. Will it 
pay is the question, well we will see. 
In addition to the 83'60 inches of rain from the end 
of February to the end of Sept. we have to add up to 
date. 
♦ 
HOW TO MAKE TEA :— TEA AND BOILING 
WATER. 
Tea at Home. — As the daily papers are not over- 
whelmed with news just now, tea continues to serve 
as a useful subject for comment. The Daily Tele- 
graph of Saturday last gave its readers nearly two 
columns on the subject of tea and coffee and the 
art of making it. 
It published a letter from Mr. J. Carter Bell, 
county analyst for Lancashire, in reply to one from 
Messrs. Brooke, Bond & Co., in which the state- 
ment of that firm, as to tea being better when made 
with water just boiliDg, is distinctly contraverted. 
Mr. Bell says : — " Last winter I was asked to give a 
lecture on the ' Chemistry of the Breakfast Table.' 
Before doing so I made some special experiments 
upon the action of boiling water upon tea, and my 
results proved that no ordinary person could tell 
whether water had boiled for ten minutes or for ten 
hours. To put this question further to the test I 
prepared three samples of water, and numbered them 
1, 2, and 3. No. 1 was distilled water which had 
boiled for about three hours ; No. 2, Manchester 
water drawn from the main into bottle ; No. 3, 
Manchester water, boiled for ten hours under an 
inverted condenser. These bottles of wi-ter were 
sent to a gentleman who had been tea-taster for 
forty years to one of the largest tea firms in Man- 
chester, with a request that he would kindly say 
which was the best water for lea-making. The fol- 
lowing was his report to me. (The. water was tried 
upon three different kinds of tea) : — Name of tea 
— A strong medium Moning : (1) Distilled water 
developed best flavour. (2) Manchester water 
stronger, less flavour than above. (3) Water boiled 
for ten hours, strong but insipid. Name of tea — 
Our .Russian tea: (1) Distilled water, flavoury, but 
pale. (2) Manchester water, stronger than above, 
flavour inferior. (3) Water boiled for ten hours, 
strong and good, flavour inferior. Name of tea — 
Finest Darjeeling Golden-tipped orange peltoe : (1) 
Distilled water, bright liquor, good, bouquet want- 
ting. (2) Manchester water, exquisite flavour and 
strength. (3) Water boiled for ten hours, very 
strong and good, muddy. This gentleman summed 
up his report by saying : — No. 1, — Though paler 
liquor than Nos. 2 and 3, the infusion is much the 
best of the series, and uniformly good. No. 2. — 
Draws dark liquor, but develops lower better, re- 
latively, than higher qualities. No. 3. — Though 
rather muddy the strength is best of the series, and 
uniformly good. This report rather tends to show 
that water which has long boiled makes better tea 
than water just brought to the boil. This is a 
question which can only be settled by the test of 
experiment."— H. & C. Mail, Sept. 27th. 
Sir, — We notice in your issue of Wednesday a 
reference to a few hints we have recently given on 
this subject. You say " first and foremost the wa f «r 
should be poured on the tea the moment it boils, 
because continuous boiling renders water incapable 
of properly abstracting the aroma. This fairly 
represents what we said on this point, and we 
thought our remark so trite as to be almost 
superfluous. But we notice it has been received with 
scepticism and contradiction. One of the best and 
most influential papers in Great Britain — The 
Manchester Guardian — in some courteous observa- 
tions on our suggestions says on this particular 
point, " Now we are quite aware that this is a 
