76o 
THP TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [May i, 1890- 
rates would thus seem to be much too low, and 
the Government desires to be favoured with the 
Director's opinion on this point. The loss by leakage 
was very high — 14 6 per cent. Mr. Lawson's atten. 
tion should be given to this matter and he should 
report what measures are taken to prevent thefts of 
the quinine and other preparations now turned out 
at the factory. 
3. Since the close of the year the manufacture of 
sulphate of quinine has been started, and it has been 
estimated that it can be turned out for something less 
thanR2U a pound. The selling price will, therefore, be 
fixed at that rate, but as the present prices of English 
and German quinine are lower than this, it is not likely 
that the Naduvatam drug will find a sale among the 
chemists and tradesmen of India. The present prices 
of quinine are, however, due to special causes, and as 
soon as these have been removed and the cinchona 
market has returned to its normal condition, prices 
must rise ; but meanwhile the Naduvatam factory will 
probably be obliged to confine itself to the supply of 
Government Departments. The Surgeon-General with 
the Government has been instructed to get future 
supplies of quinine from this source, and Mr. Lawson 
should ascertain from the Bombay Medical Department 
whether it is williug to buy Naduvatam quinine, and if 
so at what price. This should be reported to Govern- 
ment. It is possible, however, that quinine would find 
a ready sale at the rate of R20 a pound if it were made 
up in quantities of a quarter and half an ounce and dis- 
tributed for sale to village heads and other officers of 
the Revenue Department. Its value as a febrifuge is 
well known to the people of feverish districts, and 
they may buy it if they can get a quarter of an 
ounoe lor six annas. The distribution should be made 
through the Medical Stores, and the Surgeon-General 
should at once indent upon Mr. Lawson for the quantity 
that he considers sufficient for experiment. The bottles 
should bear a distinctive label, on which the price and 
the amount required for a dose shou!d be stated in 
English and the vernacular of the district to which 
the bottle is to be sent. The Board will issue 
instructions to all Collectors directing them to see that 
the drug is brought to the notice of villagers, especially 
in feverish localities. 
4. The Director should report, as soon as possible, 
what quantity of sulphate of quinine and other products 
of cinchona he can turn out per annum. He should 
manufacture as much as possible, as the produce of 
the plantations can be stored more easily in the manu- 
factured than in the unmanufactured state. 
5. The Governor in Council is glad to see that 
Mr.' Lawson is making further experiments in the 
growing of hay. There is no reason why excellent 
hay should not be grown on the Nilgiris, and it is clear 
that at present the demand is in excess of the supply. 
The account of the aualyses of the barks of various types 
of cinchona trees, and the estimate of the yield of 
sulphate of quinine per acre will be read with interest 
by planters. The result of the use of solid febrifuge 
in the treatment of Rinderpest' should be reported by 
the Inspector of Cattle diseases. 
fi. Mr. Hooper's report is not so interesting as usual, 
the reason apparently beiDg that the results of much 
of his work during the year are considered by him 
to be too elaborate for reproduction in the annual 
report. They have accordingly been embodied in 
papers' which have been published in British and 
American Scientific Journals ; but His Excellency in 
Council thinks that a republication of these papers 
may be desirable, and he desires that copies of them 
may bo submitted for his perusal and orders. 
THE COCONUT PLANTING INDUSTRY. 
Much has been said and written on the disease now 
affecting the fronds of the Coconut palm that is dis- 
ouietiDg. The preponderance of opinion, as you remark, 
seems to be that the affection is such as not to cause 
alarm. Dr. Trimen is reported to have visited an af- 
fected estate recently. His opinion on the affection 
will be looked forward to with interest, and he will 
possibly be able to Bay whether the appearance of 
affected trees is such as to cause anxiety or not. 
Meanwhile, it may interest those engage ! in Coconut 
cultivation to know that they are not, alone in troubles 
and anxieties. Mr. Fawcetr, the Director of the Bo- 
tanical Gardens of Jamaica, says, on the disease that 
is devastating the palms on certain Islands of the 
West Indies that the disease is present on the palms 
on Grand Cayman, but not on Cayman Brae. No 
trustworthy information can be had as to when the 
disease first appeared. Some say it was no 'iced 15 
years ago, others 40. In Ceylon too people with grey 
hairs say the spotting of the leaves of the coconut 
was known to them from infancy. While that is 
reassuring, it must not be forgotten that what has 
been in existence for many years may, under favour- 
able atmospheric or climatic influences, assume a 
virulent form, as with the affections which attacked 
Coffee here and the Coconut palm in the West 
Indies. In 1834 the Blarquis of Sligo says in a Des- 
patch that the Coconuts on the leeward side of the 
West Indian Islands were destroyed, but those on 
the windward side were not affected. It is inferred 
that the present affection is identical with that of 
1834. Mr. Fawcett has noticed the disease everywhere 
he went, and on trees of various ages The Natives 
have been assiduous in their attempts to re-eastablish 
their plantations, but have been uusuccessful. The 
trees get suddenly attacked and die off, even after 
they have commenced to bear, the foremost and most 
promising very often being those that are first 
attacked. The disease travels as ofteu against, as 
with the wind. The outer leaves first show signs of 
the attack by turning yellow, then those of more re- 
cent growth; but examination showed the seat of the 
disease to be at the apex of the bud leaf. On cut- 
ting through, the heart of the tree was found to be dis- 
coloured and to smell and taste sour. The trees 
attacked showed no signs of either the scale insect 
or of beetle. During the early stages of the disease 
no insect could be found on the trees, but during 
the later stages and after decay insects were present. 
The affection in Ceylon, so far as it has been written 
about, seems something different. It is confined to 
the leaves and is not as deep seated as that in the 
West Indian Islands. The remedy suggested in the 
West Indies is to cut down and burn every affected 
trees where it stands. Mr. Fawcett thinks that "the 
disease is due to the presence of a bacterium, and 
it is possible that it may gain access to the tissues 
through the stomata of the tender leaf buds." It is 
thought that lime and phosphates encourage the 
disease, but how we are not told, and the advice is 
given to dig in cattle manure, or in its absence de- 
caying weeds round the stems. It may be remembered 
that Mr. Hart, the Superintendent of the Botanical 
Gardens at Trinidad, suggested the same treatment 
for the trees affected with the scale insect, so as to 
conserve moisture at the roots, and in the absence 
of cattle manure or vegetable matter, salt or brine. 
— Local " Examiner." 
Betel Leaves {Piper betle) are quoted by 
Boehringer & Sdhne at 5s per lb. ! Whether in a 
dried state or as produced in conservatories is not 
stated, but we should think the former. 
The Bahama Planters are unlucky. One of the 
worst " weeds" they had to do with — one they 
could not eradicate — was a certain speoies of caotus. 
Now it has been discovered that this plant is 
valuable for its fibre in paper-making. It is said 
to be worth £50 per ton. And now a company is 
being got up to oultivate the very " weed" the 
Bahama planters have been doing their level best 
for years to eradicate. This " caotus" is in 
reality an agave, and it is also being used for the 
production of Sisal hemp. The plant will grow on 
arid and worthless land where nothing else will 
flourish, and perhaps some day Australia will be 
able to take part in its cultivation in those "desert" 
areas hitherto unoocupied,— Dr. Taylor in the 
" Australasian." 
