312 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1887. 
wood and leaf Bone, dust being a phosphatic manure 
is a fruit-former, therefore all that is applied beyond 
the reach of the fruit-forming roots in literally thrown 
away. 
I cannot understand your correspondent's objection 
to manure being applied within four feet of the 
stem or to its being applied in holes or trenches. 
Perhaps if he gives his reasons I may be able to 
appreciate the force of his objections. As for myself 
I think a shallow hole or trench from 18 inches from 
the stem to 6 or 7 feet form it a splendid receptacle for 
manure, as the bulk or of the feeding roots will be found 
within that area. If holes or trenches are tabooed 
how is bulky manure to be applied, and how husks 
and branches ? Surely not in the form of ashes, for science 
has proved by repeated and crucial tests that it is 
not good husbandry " to hum any refuse that will 
rot in the soil." Your correspondent advocates dig- 
ging in of manure within 6 or 7 inches of the sur- 
face, for the coconut is a surface-feeder and any 
food presented to it must be placed where most 
easily available. All very good and true I say, but 
slightly contradictory of a previous utterance when 
he advocates constant stirring of the soil with the 
plough, for " disturbing the roots is a matter of no 
oonsequence" and he wants no mains within nine 
inches of the surface. 
I ask in no spirit of carping criticism, but with 
a desire for information, what is the meaning of the 
word " fallow" as used by your correspondent in 
his frequent communications on coconut planting? 
If the land is dirty, I keep it in fallow for twelve 
mouths. 
♦ 
GREEN BUG. 
Sir, — In your issue of the 24th instant there appears 
a short letter by Mr. Thomas Stanes, of Ooonoor, 
from which it appears that what coffee planters on 
these hills have of late begun to fear is a fact, and 
this notorious pest, that has devastated so many 
estates in Oeylon, is fairly in our midst. Mr. Stanes 
kindly makes known to the public the ingredients of 
a mixture which has done good as applied on the Runny - 
medeEstate. If all of us follow the example thus set, and 
make public the results of experiments, valuable data 
will doubtless be shortly forthcoming. The "green 
bug " made its appearance on Adderley over a year 
ago, and there is every reason to suppose that it 
has been more or less on other places for a long 
time ; but it has not been recognised till quite lately. 
At the beginning it kept to guavas, and to a tree 
of the ficus tribe called in Cana-ese " Kad Goni." 
The Ooorg orange trees in the fruit garden were then 
attacked, and this and last season's crops have been 
almost entirely destroyed. Subsequently the Atti trees 
began to get covered with it; and here and there 
it is now to be seen on the coffee. To my mind it 
does not seem to be very fond of coffee, at present ; 
but what it may do in the future it is impossible to 
tell. It shows its patiality for the following trees in 
a diminishing degree in the order named : — Guava, 
Orange, Atti (Jicu.i racemosa), other varieties of the 
fig tribe, certain jungle trees, the " Norel " (Ndga 
Maram Tam.) coffee, and 0. Succirubra. As to the 
last I have only noticed one Cinchona tree on which 
the bug was to be seen. The Jack appears never to 
be touched. It is an open question whether the Atties 
do good, by attracting the bug to themselves, away 
from the coffee ; or harm, by attracting this pest to 
the estate. I most reluctantly admit that my own 
opinion is that they must, and cannot but do harm. 
For they form great breeding places all over the estate, 
and although for the time being, the bug may keep 
to them in presence, I fear that it would cease to 
do so with the disappearance of green leaves and 
shoots. It is a terrible dilemma that we are inj 
extermination — if it be possible — cannot be carried 
out, unless every Atti tree on the ostate so soon as 
attacked, is cut down and burnt. And this is the 
tree that we have so carefully reared, and brought 
up for shade ! ! If vigorous measures are decided 
upon, then I feel sure that all (roes which attract 
the green bug must at once be cut down, chopped up, 
and burned. In the case of Atties, shade could be 
raised again, and quickly, by suckers from the stumps. 
Meanwhile a smart maistry could be appointed with 
a sufficient gang of picked coolies to apply whatever 
mixture may prove to be best, whatever required. 
And I think a strong incentive, to search out in every 
nook and corner for infested trees, ought to be offered 
to the maistry say R50 to be paid to him six months 
hence, if by that time, through hia exertions, 
the " green bug " shall have disappeared. These 
suggestions I offer, and doubtless other planters will 
be able to improve upon them. — R. H. Mobris. — 
Adderley Estate, 26th Sept. — Madras Mail, Oct. 1st. 
« 
The China Tea Crop. — It is a significant fact 
that the crop this year is 27,000,000 lb. short of 
former production. The only inference is, that the 
Chinese agriculturist is finding that there are more 
profitable local crops, the inferior quality of late 
years having rendered shipments unprofitable. — 
Indian Tea Gazette. 
Coconut Pearls. — Referring to the letter of Dr. 
Sydney J. Hickson, published in your paper of June 
16th last (p. 157), I have the pleasure to communicate 
to you that I have a collection of fourteen coconut 
pearls (one of them I myself found in I860 at 
Holontalo, North Celebes, in the endosperm of the 
seed of the coconut) ; two melati pearls (Jasminium 
sambae); one tjampaka pea<-l (Michelia longifolia), 
found in the flowers, according to the natives. One 
of the coconut pearls has a pear-shaped form, the 
length being 28 mm. The common name amongst 
the natives for this kind of pearls is mustika. — 
J. G. P. Riedel, Utrecht, Septemoer 6th. — Nature. 
Tea Adulteration. — So muoh has been heard 
about the wonderful excellence of Russian tea and 
its great superiority to the article whioh is retailed 
in England, that it is rather surprising (says the 
British Medical Journal) to read in the Peterbargskia 
Vedomosti that a large numoer of analyses made in 
the Sanitary (Analytical) Station of the St. Peters- 
burg Vratchebnaia Obshtchina led to the conclusion 
that adulteration of tea has attained enormous 
dimensions in the nothern capital of Russia. Some 
specimens, sold at 1 rouble 20 kopecks (about 
2s 6d,) contained only 15 to 20 per cent of genuine 
leaves, the remaining 85 or 80 per cent consisting 
of various admixtures, including such an injurious 
substance as the leaves and flowers of epilobium 
angustifolium, or the French willow-herb (Russian, 
Kapor skytchai or Ivan-tchai). — Globe. 
Coconut Oil as a Soap Material is thus noticed 
in an article on the manufacture of soap in the 
Indian Engineer: — 
" The importation of palm and coconut oils 
added an important variety to the list of soaps, 
particularly of toilet soaps, the former being a 
useful and pleasant material, improving all soaps 
into which it enters ; which cannot, however, be 
said of coconut oil as it retains a rancid odour 
which it seems impossible to remove, and which 
is to most people objectionable, so that it should 
be used sparingly. On the other hand, it has 
many good qualities, giving soap a fine appearance 
and in use giving a copious lather. It has also 
properties peculiar to itself ; thus, it saponifies 
only in strong lyes, and will dissolve, in salt water, 
and is often called ' marine' soap. It will also 
retain a large percentage of water without im- 
pairing its solidity or appearance. These properties 
it in some degree imparts to other soaps to which 
it may be added, and it has been the means of 
much sophistication and adulteration, which has 
given to purchasers an idea of inferior quality, 
yet to some it is a favourite because of the richness 
of its lather. 
