November i, 1889.] THE. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
345 
COFFEE CULTIVATION : EEPLANTING OLD 
COFFEE FIELDS AND THE ADVAN- 
TAGES OF SHADE. 
We draw attention to the long and interesting 
letter in which Mr. J. P. Hunt of Coorg, an 
old and experienced planter, whoje name has 
long been favourably known to us, gives our 
planting readers, the results of a variety of ex 
periments in replanting old coffee fields with 
coffee and a large amount of information in re- 
spect of shade and shade trees. We have, no 
doubt, that the letter will be read with much 
interest by many mercantile agents and planters. 
What is said about the successful renovation of 
old coffee fields in Mysore iB especially interesting. 
In Ceylon we used to talk of forty years as 
praotically the age of the average coffee bush 
and though, alas, a great many proved useless for 
cultivation long before that age, under favourable 
circumstances not only in Haputale and Badulla, 
but in the Kandy districts, up to the time 
when leaf disease fully developed, there were 
coffee trees 40 years old, which though 
systematically cultivated and cropped every 
year, gave no sign of want of vigour and looked 
as if they would go on for another 40 years. But 
Hcmileia vastatrix changed all that prospect, and 
though in Uva especially, we have still Home old 
coffee fields in cultivation, yet, altogether the area 
of an age to warrant an experiment in replanting, 
is not very extensive. The major portion of the 
coffee cultivated in Ceylon at present said cannot be 
to be suffering from the age of the trees. Nevertheless 
there are fields on which, if there were sufficient 
warrant for successful results, the experiment might 
well be tried, while many abandoned acres not yet 
in tea are still available. But even with a change 
of seed — wiih the use of the carefully selected 
Nalkanad-Coorg seed, which Mr. Hunt offers to 
supply, — the question will be raised here, — have we 
not bad sufficient proof that no new coffee clearing 
is likely to succeed beyond giving a very few crops in 
Ceylon ? Even on virgin forest land and with, 
we believe, Coorg seed, a clearing has been found 
so affected with leaf disease as to prevent any crop 
being gathered larger than 3 cwt. per acre, We 
put these facts prominently forward, because we 
nave no desire that there should be any blink- 
ing of the risk run, while, nevertheless urging, 
that a fair trial has yet to be given here to shade 
cultivation with fresh seed, and after the fashion 
which is still successfully pursued in Mysore. It is 
possible that there have been such local experiments 
— suitable shade trees being grown simultaneously 
with the coffee — without our having heard of the 
results. And this leads us to express the opinion 
that the present would be a favourable time, for 
the Planters' Association to endeavour by meanB 
of a special sub-Committee to draw up a report 
on coffee cultivation and specially on young clearing 
experiments (if any) as carried on since the great 
collapso in our coffee crops six years ago, sent nearly 
every planter to seek relief in " tea." The Com- 
mittee might well take cognizance of the attempts 
made for ten years back to check or prevent the 
threatened doom of our staple. The history of any 
clearings opened with coffee since 1878 could not 
fail to be instructive, and in some cases at least, we 
should hear of trials with Coorg, Mocha and even 
West Indian seed, apart from "the rush" into 
Liberian coffee. It is possible too that there may 
be info-mation available about shade in connection 
with one or other of these expeviments ; and, in any 
case, the Committee might be asked to give its 
opinion as to the wisdom of making further 
attempts to replant, or plant anew, coffee in Ceylon, 
with Coorg seed, and after the Mysore fashion. 
Ip would then be for indiv'dual proprietors or 
planters to follow, or not, the advice in such R e- 
port — a Report which would be certain to attract a 
large amount of attention both in and out of the 
islam'. With coffee at the present very high prices 
and no sign of the supply becoming equal to 
the demand, and moreover with the Coorg ai l 
Mysoie planters still planting and cultivating tuo- 
cessfuily, it may well be thought that something 
ought to be done with coffte still in Ceylon and 
more especially in the Uva districts. New clearings, 
if such were formed now, would come in for the 
benefit of railway transport for fertilizing substances 
as well as for other articles. 
* 
BLUE GUM TIMBER FOR TEA BOXES ? 
We are indebted to Mr. E. Gordon Grinlinton 
for a sample piece of blue gum timber from a 
six year old tree cut down on September 1st. 
The tree was 50 to 60 feet high and at 5 feet 
from ground 30 inches in circumference — being 
a smaller tree however than the average of the same 
age. The piece sent to us is a very clean piece of 
wood 40 inches, 2£ by inch tapeung in width, and 
about \ inch thickness, and has not the slightest 
smell or taint. Mr. Grinlinton, senior, in sending us 
the sample from his son, is good enough to write : — 
"I asked for it to send you, as I thought from the 
light weight of the wood and the absence of all 
smell of turpentine that the wood might be used 
for tea boxes. I think of having two boxes made 
and packed with tea, lead-lined as usual, so as 
to try in London if the wood will suit. If it does, 
as I think it will, blue gums planted on our patanas 
will keep Ceylon in boxes for all time." 
In this connection, we may refer to the recent 
splendid prices obtained for Portswood tea at the sale 
of 24th Sept., 2s 6d for broken orange peko9 and 
broken pekoe, and an average of 2s per lb. all 
round for all three grades, orange pekoe, pekoe 
and pekoe souchong. In Portswood Factory the 
machinery is now all at work : 3 rollers and a 
desiccator being driven at the same time, by one 
20 ft. water-wheel. 
PEPPER CULTIVATION AND POSSIBLE 
PROFITS IN CEYLON. 
Writing in reference to a paper on Pepper Cul- 
tivation in the Madras Times which we submitted 
to him, Mr. W. Jardine says : — 
Many thanks for sending me the paper on pepper 
cultivation, It is interesting and will bear reproducing 
in the T. A., though there is nothing new in it or that 
you have not got embodied in your paper on Pepper 
in "All about Spices." Dadap— the variety witnout 
thorns — would answer better torstaudards for the viu«s 
than Erythrina. When the standards are a few years 
old they require almost yearly thinning to regulate the 
amount of light necessary, and only those who have 
had experience of it, know the great annoyance and 
worse, the lopped branches of the Erythrina are. It is 
almost impossible to move off a road, aud to the bare- 
footed and bare legged coolie it is simply torture. 
The Dadap too gives a more checkered shade, and at no 
time of tho year is it quite bare of leaves. As to yield 
I am not yet in a position to i ay from personal expe- 
rience what the vines over a large acreage would give. 
Individual vines do often yield large crops. One vine 
I know of, now about 10 years old, gave two years in 
succession 40 measures of green fruit, which when 
dry gave 10 measures of merchantable pepper, which 
sold iorR4'50. If every vine wire to yield at thi-rate 
an estate of 1U0 acres would be a princely property ; 
for at 300 vines to the acre it would mean £135,000 ! 
