THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [January i, x8go> 
only at top, otherwise somewhat resembling our Cyppe 
has not large leaves, nor is umbrageous ; flower greenish 
or greenish yellow, bell-shaped, approaching the tulip 
in form, but smaller, or perhaps resembling Poui ; the 
fruit, somewhat drupe (or plum-like ?), resembling a 
small Mango, but is dry and inedible. The flowers 
grbw in clusters — also the succeeding fruit. The wood, 
he adds, is like a coarse-grained Cyppe (Cordia geras- 
canthus), and in scent it also differs little from that 
wood.— T. W. 0. — Agricultural Record. 
COCONUT AND CINNAMON. 
I do not remember one year since I took to planting 
in which we had better weather for vegetation than 
during the expired portion of this year. We escaped 
the much dreaded drought at the begiuing of the year 
with 1*26 inches of lain in January and 04 in February. 
It was a very mild drought, and it was as well that 
it was mild, otherwise sceptics, and those who now 
can afford to pooh-pooh Coconut leaf disease and 
question whether it is a disease at all would have 
piped a different tune. The very favourable weather 
we have had from March onwards has enabled 
Coconut trees, or rather plants, for it is these that 
were mo t affected, not to shew any visible signs of 
having suffered any permanent injury from the inability 
of their leaves to properly perform their allotted 
functions. Whether the badly affected plants have 
suffered permanently or not time will shew by their 
susceptibility to repeated attacks. Last year the 
disease developed with the North-Eabt rains and at- 
tracted attention in January this year. Three years 
ago I find a correspondent to the Observer speaks 
of a " blight " affecting the branches of Coconut trees. 
Oould that and the present affection be identical I 
wonder, and could it have been slowly but surely 
establishing itself more firmly every year owing to 
Coconut Planters lulling themselves into a state of 
inaction with the belief that of all cultivated products 
the coconuts tree is to be the only one to enjoy a 
perfect immunity from insect or parasitic attack ? 
May experience strengthen their very comforting belief ! 
June was a comparatively rainless month with only 
2 - 09 inches of rain, but July and August have been 
simply splendid months for growing. And yet, in 
spite of such a favourable year when vegetation 
should be looking its best, the senior Editor of the 
Observer records in his notes of a visit to Henaratgoda 
that coconut trees are lookiug " fairly well." Wuch 
has been the result of my observation too, and I 
remarked this to a leading Sinhalese gentleman very 
largely interested in coconuts, and whose buoyancy 
is proverbial. He said that the late Mr. David Wilson 
once attempted to frighten him into the belief that 
coconuts were doomed, and had failed. 
The rain we had on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday 
mornings will greatly aid in speedily maturiug the 
bud now on the Cinnamon bushes, and will make peel- 
.ng easy again. — Local "Examiner." 
FOEESTS OF VANCOUVEE'S ISLAND. 
The forests of the mountains in the interior of 
Vancouver's Island differ materially from those of the 
lowgrounds near the cost, while as one when travels in- 
land the Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia) is the 
chief tree until an elevation of about 800 feet is 
reached. It then becomes insensibly intermixed with 
the western white pine (Pinus monticola), and a 
sprinkling of Eed Cedar (Thuya gigantea). Within a 
few miles of Departure Bay, where all steamers bound 
for Alaska take in coal, rises Mount Benson, attaining 
the height of 3,360 feet, at about eight miles in a 
direct line from the coast. The lower slopes of this 
mountain are covered with Douglas Fir of enormous 
size, many of the trees being nearly 300 feet high 
and over 8 feet in diameter. The chief undergrowth 
is the Bracken (Pteris aquilina var. lanuginosa), which 
is generally from 4 to 6 feet higb, and so interlaced 
that to force one's way through it, without first tear- 
ing it apart with the hands, is impossible. After this 
is paused, the under growth is composed of Sala 
(Gaultheria Shallon), which is, if anything, more diffi- 
cult to get through. Amongst the Salal the trees 
stand closer together, and are much lees in diameter, 
but tower straight as arrows to au imm-nse hei^lv. 
Here the Pine becomes quite frequent, and the Salal 
more interesting, for, in great profusion, the rare 
Boschniakia Hookeri is growing as a parasite upon 
its roots. 
Then, as one ascends stiil higher, the western Hem- 
lock (Tsuga Mertensiana) comes in, and our forest is 
composed of four species. Gradually the trees grow 
less in size, until, as the summit is neared, they 
become stunted, but still healthy and vigorous. On 
the summit two species appear, as if they were new 
creations. These are Tsuga Pattoniana and Abies 
amabilis. 
Later explorations on other mountains showed that 
the same trees kept their relative position, but toward 
the north were found at a decreasing altitude. It 
was ascertained that the forest trees of one mountain 
were those of another, and that Tsuga Pattoniana 
and Abies amabilis were the rule, and not the ex- 
ception, as they were in company on every mountain, 
and were the last to disappear at an altitude of about 
5,500 feet. Above this very few trees are fouud, but 
it was quite evident that their absence is not caused 
so much by cold a9 by the immense snowfall of the 
moist winter, which leaves the mountain summits 
covered to a greatdepth in the spring. Close to enow 
of unknown depth, trees, with a diameter of 2 feet, 
are growing vigorously on Mount Arrowsrnitb. while 
above them all is snow, or depauperated and broken 
trees, flattened down by the snow, growing while they 
can, and lying dormant the remainder ot the year. 
Without exception, the forests of Vancouver's Island 
are the finest now in Canada. It is sad to think 
that these noble forests are being devastated year 
after year by fires started by men who are "improving " 
the land, and what it is impossible to do with the 
axe is being done with fire. In every part of the island 
the timber is sound, and fit for market, and it might 
be kept so but for the recklessness ot irresponsible 
men. For every tree destroyed by the axe, a thousand 
are being destroyed by fire, and year by year the 
number is increasing. During the last half of July 
and August, and early September (1887), the whole 
couutry was enveloped in smoke, aud fire met the 
traveller at every point. A few years more and these 
noble forests will be but the blackened remains of a 
glorious heritage, as every year increases the power 
of the fire, and gives it more prepared fuel for the 
next season. It is not alone on Vancouver's Island 
that this destruction is going on. 
The Olympian Mountains, on the other side of 
Puget Sound, in Washington, are being denuded in 
precisely the same way ; and this autumn (1889) over 
nearly the whole of British Columbia and northern 
Washington, the sky was obscured for six weeks by 
the dense smoke of the forest fires raging in all parts 
of the country. — John Macoun, Ottawa, in " Garden 
and Forest" 
♦ 
DIEE0T INFLUENCE OF POLLEN ON 
THE OEANGE. 
Having read with great interest Mr. Phelps' valu- 
able article on the direct influence of pollen on the 
Orange in a recent number of the Gardeners'' Chronicle, 
I should like to ask him for a little further informa- 
tion on this subject, which would make the matter 
clearer to one unlearned in Oranges. I should be 
very glad if he would state what are the distinctive 
characters of the cellular pulp, flavour and shape of 
Navel Oranges, which distinguish them from the two 
kiuds of Blood Orange which he mentions as having 
been affected directly by the pollen of the Navel 
variety; one might then judge better from his des- 
cription of the fruits how far the Navel character 
appeared in the fruits borne by the Blood Orange 
trees. Also one would like to know the characters 
of the Majorca and Bibbed du Roi Orange which he 
mentions, and to what classes of Orange they belong. 
Further, am I right in judging from Mr. Phelps' re- 
