December i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
December, 1875. This is the sacred tree of the 
Buddhists, always planted near their temples, and is 
the "peepnl " of India.* 
" Close to the river are trees of the candle-nut or 
Otaheite walnut (Aleurites triloba), a native of the 
Moluccas, &c.,but much planted about Ceylon villages 
for the oil (" Kekuna-tel") expressed from the seeds. 
The nettlelike plant, of which several beds will bo 
noticed here and elsewhere, is the Rheea or Ramie 
of India and China (Bochmeria nivea), affording the 
fibre known as "China grass"; it has become a weed 
in the Garden?. Further on, in a small artificial 
swamp, are a number of sago palms (Metroxylon Sagu) 
from Borneo (sago is the food of the people in many 
ot the Blalayan islands.) 
" The dark evergreen trees meeting overhead are old 
nutmegs (Myristica fragrans) ; the well known fruits 
are produced here through nearly all the year, and 
few objects are prettier than a ripe one when the 
yellow leathery rind has split naturally and half 
exposed the dark-brown nutmeg enveloped in the 
brilliant scarlet meshes of the "mace." The taller 
trees are cloves {Eugenia caryophi/llata) and Jamaica 
allspice (Pimento, officinalis), and one tree of the less 
known spice called the Madagascar clove (liavensara 
aromatica)." 
+ 
DB. TEIMEN ON COCONUT LEAF DISEASE. 
Reassuring Report. 
I must apologise to you and your readers for tres- 
passing on your space and on their time by a further 
communication. My excuse is the paramount import- 
ance of the coconut planting industry to the inhabitants 
of the maritime Provinces, and the cheering nature 
of a communication I have to make public. I for- 
warded to Dr. Trimen over a week ago a parcel of 
affected coconut leaves for his opinion, with a letter. 
He again gives it as his opinion that insects, and not 
a fungus, cause the discoloration of the coconut leaves, 
and that the causes are local. This is indeed re- 
assuring, and must greatly cheer the hearts of those 
who had even the slightest misgiving about the " so- 
called " disease. As Dr. Trimen has kindly promised 
to see the disease in situ, it would be more courteous 
that I should defer any remarks on his letter until 
he has declared his final opinion after inspection on 
the spot. But I may be permitted to say (1) 
that the " alarming statement " to which he refers 
w as, or was intended to be, only the expression of a 
tear, and (2) that though no complaints may have 
reached him from elsewhere, Veyangoda is not the 
only District affected, as I have seen the disease in 
every District 1 visited, and the Doctor himself might 
see it travelling by train, on the other side of the line, 
in many places. 
The following is his letter, which though dated on 
the 11th reached my hands only this week, as I was 
absent from home : - 
Peradeniya, 11th Nov. 1889. 
Dear Sir, — I have to acknowledge receipt of your 
letler of6t,h Nov. and the diseased coconut leaves. 
Exunination of the latter confirms me in the opinion 
that the affection is mainly due to mal-nutrition. I 
should suspect it to bo the rosult of quito local conditions 
connected with the soil, especially as regards aeration 
and wator-drainaL'O. The spots are, in at all events the 
great majority of cases, the effects of the punctures of 
minute sucking insects, and not primarily duo to any 
* The sacred Bo tree at Anuradliapura, the ancient 
capital of Oeylou, is the oldest historical tree in the 
world, having been planted B. C. 288. 
parasitic fungus. Small fungi of two or three species 
undoubtedly occur on the leaves (it is difficult to find 
any leaves where they do not), but I am not inclined to 
think that they do any harm. 
Really, I feel quite at a loss to understand on what 
foundation you make the alarming statement that " in 
this affection we are having the history of coffee-leaf 
disease repeated." Is the affection rapidly spreading 
over the country ? I hear of no complaints from else- 
where than Veyangoda. Why, within a month of the 
first notice of Hemileia in Ceylon, there was probably not 
a coffee tree in the island unaffected. 
My time is much occupied, but I will endeavour to 
meet your wishes and see the diseased trees in situ, 1 
will give you timely notice of the day and hour. 
Meanwhile, you should try to catch the little bug 
that sucks the young leaves by a careful watch, eepe^ 
cially at night. 
If there has been anything published in the " Ex- 
aminer" on the disease, I should be obliged if you 
would let me see it. — Yours faithfully, 
Cor., Local " Examiner." Henry Trimen. 
Melons in the South of France.— In the current 
number of the Moniteur de I' Horticulture, mention is 
made of the prodigious quantities of Melons consumed 
in the South. The writer says that at Nismes he 
was startled (effrayi) at the enormous quantities of 
Melons (of the kind known as " Cavaillons" — i .<?,, a 
netted green flesh variety) displayed in the markets 
and in the streets, and supposed this to be the sup- 
ply for a week at least. So far from that being the 
case, it represented only a day's supply, and the 
next morning a fresh lot of equal magnitude was to 
be seen. The inhabitants each consume one or two 
per diem on the average, the price their being merely 
3d. or 4d., as contrasted with the cost in Paris, 
where it amounts to as many shillings, — Gardeners' 
Chronicle. 
Yam-Bean. — A packet of seeds of the Yam-bean 
(Pachyrhizus tuberoms) was received from the Director 
of the Botanical Gardens, Trinidad, from which a few 
healthy seedlings have been raised. In the Kew Bulle- 
tin of Miscellaneous Information, January 1889, it is 
stated 1hat " seeds sent to Ceylon were grown by Dr. 
Trimen, and he discovered that not only were the 
tuberous-like roots edible, but that the pods were a very 
useful vegetable. " He wrote, January 30tb, 1888: " Last 
year you sent me some seeds of a tuberous vegetable, 
labelled Dolichos tuberosus. These grew well 
They are quite new to Oeylon, the vegetable being quite 
unknown here, and, I fancy, little grown in India. The 
young pods, served like French beans, are an admirable 
vegetable, tender and sweet; and the elongated arrow- 
root-like tubercles on the roots are also good when 
cooked. Altogether the plant is a decided acquisition 
to the vegetable garden. The flowers are pure white 
here." — Proceedings of the A. H. Society of Madras. 
The Muttukajawella Paddy Fields. — These fields 
are situated in a large tract of land lying to the North of 
Hendala, extend as far as Pamunugama, and ate be- 
tween the old aud the new canals to Negombo. During 
the time of the Sinhalese kings and later on in the 
Dutch times, these fields yielded an immense wealth to 
the people of the Island. Since then, no proper atten- 
tion was paid to cultivate the fields successfully. The 
late Mr. Home made an attempt once but failed, aud 
recently Mr. Jacob de Mel purchased a large block of 
the fields and with improved appliances is cultivating 
them, and it i= believed that his efforts will int provr> 
futile. In tht c >Lstruction of dams Mr. dj Mel foui d 
at first many obstacles, as did the cultivators of the 
olden days ; hut he has so far overcome them. This 
enterprising Native gentleman has several Goiyas un- 
der him employed in the fields, aud Government would 
do well to give all possible encouragement to him in 
his venture. The name of the fields suggests that they 
un 'oubttdlly wire of a verv rich soil, and produced ex- 
cellent crops of puldy. The grain produced was of 
such an excellent quality, that it was compared to 
royal pearls. This is the popular meaning of the name 
of the fields. — Cor., Lo:al '• Examiner." 
