January i, 1890/] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
469 
cartloads of rotten cowdung sprinkled throughout the 
field, and this manure assisted the plants to threw up 
new shoots, and in spite of this misfortune however, 
my crop was decide 1ly superior to those of my neighbours. 
From these experiments, I have gathered that the 
proper quautity of seed paddy for transplanting (leaving 
a small margin for wastage) is one bushel per acre or 
two pelas of land. 
That the proper age for transplanting ma vi (paddy 
of six months duration and upwards) is when the 
plants are four weeks old, and bala vi (paddy of five 
months duration and Iobs.) When the plants oro 
three weeks old and that the stage of growth of 
both should be, before the plants begin to throw out 
their lateral shoots, and I may state that the sucoess 
of transplanting greatly depends on the strict adherence 
to this rule. 
That the proper distance for transplanting is four 
inches, This, I have found out by planting at 
distances varying from three to six inches. 
That it is quite practicable to have a ma vi crop 
after yala, and that this could be successfully done 
only transplanting be resorted to. 
That transplanting is more advantageous than broad- 
casting, for many reasons. 
1. That it will save at the very outset half the 
quantity of seed paddy at each harvest. 
2. That it prevents the necessity of the tedious 
work of cultivating whole tracts of fields at once ; as 
there is a long period of time to prepare the soil 
before and after the nurseries are made, and thus 
allowing both the cultivators and animals to rest after 
each operation. 
That it enables the paddy plants to bear drough tbetter 
as the plants have their roots two or three inches deep in 
the ground, instead of onjthe surface when broad oasted. 
That it materially increases the crops to such an ex- 
tent as sometimes to double the ordinary yield of fields. 
Considering the satisfactory water supply and the 
peculiar nature of the soil in this district, I am of 
opinion that every effort should be made to advance 
the transplanting system which I am glad to find 
is gradually being adopted in the villages about 
Rambukkana and a few other places. — I am, sir, your 
obedient servant, (Signed) S. Weerackody. 
Liberian Coffee, Bentota. Dec. 5th. — "With reference 
to an inquiry in your paper of the 2nd instant by " E. 
K," whether Li berian coffee plants can be grown by 
suckers the following information may be of use to him. 
About the year 1878 or early in 1879 I tried growing 
plants from the tops of the trees and tip ends of primary 
branches cutting them off with about half an inoh 
of the matured or brown wood and setting them in 
shallow boxes with leaf mould and succeeded in 
raising about half a doz. plants from about a doz. 
cuttings put in ; so I suppose suckers will answer 
about as well. I may, however, mention that these 
cuttings took a long time to grow, and as they re- 
sulted in only about 50 per cent of plants, I did 
not think it worth while continuing the experiment. 
Many years ago when quite a boy I remember 
being shown a fine pieoe of old Coffee arabica on Scarpa 
estate (now the Great Western oi Dimbula) of about 
20 to 25 acres supposed to have been grown from 
Buckers. At the time I did not quite believe this 
and put it down to a cooly yarn to account for the 
fine appaarance of the piece of old ooffee surrounded 
by miserable looking and bugged trees. I wonder if 
any old planter in the island now can show any light in 
this. Weather exceedingly dry with cold mornings 
and dewy evenings. Tea flushing well and new 
clearing.-), growing A. 1. Snipe rather more plentiful 
than they were a few weeks ago and a good many 
Colombo folks have been d >wii after them this 
year. Sun. lays aro quite lively with the bang bangs 
one hears all day long in the fields and so we are not 
likely to have the railway opened till about March 
next. I wo dei what is to prevent Government open- 
ing ihe line as far as lieruwalla in January. I hear 
Col. Clarke has been down inspecting the forests and 
there 1 is likely to be a land salo soon chiefly small 
1 jts to Buit natives. 
Tea in Perak.— If only abundance of cheap 
labour can be procured, we suspect tea will be 
largely grown in the Malay Peninsula. We find 
an advertisement in the Perak Gazette to which 
we give gratuitous insertion because of its unique 
character : — 
Perak Tea. 
One thousand pounds of Tea for Sale. Manufactured 
at the Government Tea Factory, Perak. 
Prices : 
Quality, Unassorted, 65 cents (Mexican dollar,) or 3s 
sterling per lb delivered in Europe, Colonies or America. 
Quality, Pekoe Souchong, 60 cents (Mexican dollar,) 
or 2s 9d sterling per lb delivered in Europe, Colonies or 
America. 
Higher qualities Tea, as well as Tea of Lower grade 
obtainable. 
Tea packed iu leid, in One or Two Pounds packets. 
A reduction in price on orders exceeding 20 pounds. 
May be obtained of the following Agents — 
Tapping ...Moun Gee, Main Boad 
Penang ...Messrs. Thean Chee & Co., Beach Street 
Singapore ...Messrs. John Little & Go. 
Orders hooked and further particulars supplied by 
The Superintendent, Government Plantations, 
The Hermitage. Perak, Straits Settlements. 
Coffee in Java. — The report of the Royal 
Commsision appointed for the purpose of inquiring 
into the Government coffee cultivation in Java has 
been published : — 
" After a prolonged consideration the Commission 
arrived at the following conclusions :— 1. To raise tbe 
price of coffee, to be paid to the natives, to f.20 per 
picul, and maintaining the compulsory delivery. 2. 
To decide in principle to abolish the compulsory culti- 
vation, to be introduced five years after the announce- 
ment of the Bill to that effect. 3. Tj take preliminary 
measures during these five years in order to release the 
population, which is inclined to cultivate coffee, from 
heavy burdens, and to grant tbe liberty to planters of 
choosing the grounds, and the way in which they will 
work it- Further, that Section 56 of the Government 
regulations may be better applied. This relates to the 
cultivation in Java. For the west cost of Sumatra 
another regulation is proposed— viz., the increase of the 
price to f .25, and the maintenance of compulsory culti- 
vation, but with the free choice with regard to the 
grounds, and the method of cultivation; and, further, 
the introduction of a poll-tax for the equivalent of the 
higher price. It is further proposed to abolish the 
present position of inspector of the coffee cultivation of 
Java, to commence ^cultivation of woods, and the 
establishment, if necessary, of Government under, 
takings, with payment of labour as an example and 
encouragement.^^, 0. Express. 
Coffee Leaf Disease in Java. — Dr. W. 
Burck, the Assistant Director of the Government 
Botanical Gardens in Java, has for some years 
been engaged in experiments having for their 
object the mitigation if not prevention of the 
coffee leaf disease, Hemileia vastatrix ; and he has 
published the results of his investigations in a 
pamphlet, a copy of which has reached us, en- 
titled " Over de Koffiebladziekte en de Middelen 
om haar te Bestrijden " (" On the Coffee Leaf Dis- 
ease and the Means of Combating it"). In the 
Introduction Dr. Burck warns the reader that he 
does not olaim to have discovered a cure for the 
disease but only a means of mitigating its 
effects. The methods he recommends are the for- 
mation of high windbelts to prevent the spread- 
ing of the spores, and the treatment of the leaves 
with sulphuric acid and tobacco water, details of 
the processes being given, as also figures of the 
instruments used. The history of the fungus, a 
full description of its appaarance, its effects in 
Java, &o. are fully dealt with. We hope that Dr. 
Burck may be ultimately successful in discovering 
a cure for the fell plague that has ruined the 
coffee industry of Ceylon, and threatens to do the 
same in Java. 
