November i, 1887.] tfHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
3i3 
FEUIT AT COONOOE. 
CooDOor has always been famous for the growth of 
fruit trees. Orangos, apples, plums, peaches, nectarines, 
&c, thrive luxuriantly and fruit freely. The. grounds 
of the three Hotels in the station, Gray's, Glenview 
and Hill Grove, are well stocked, and visitors who 
huvo tho good fortune to secure accommodation at 
theso comfortable and picturesquely situated establish- 
ments can enjoy the fruit fresb, or prepared ic deli- 
cious marmalades or preserves. The owners of these 
orchards, who spare no expenso and attend assiduously 
to the condition of the grounds have wisely adopted 
tho procaution of annually planting a number of young 
trees, by which means they avoid the inconvenience 
and disappointment of trcos dying out from ago or 
disease. Either or both have lately become epidemic' 
Orango treos which a few years back we saw loaded 
with the most tempting and luscious fruit arc now 
leafless and without a blossom, the process of decay or 
disease having set in without .1 single instance of re- 
covery, that we are aware of. Tho past season has 
proved similarly inimical to apple trees. Some fine 
pippins which but a year or two ago yielded several 
bushels of fruit have gono completely out, the cause 
not being discoverable. It is suspected to be in the 
soil, which to all appearance is well drained and rich 
in plant food The Orleans plum does admirably, and 
tho dwarf plantain is said to come to maturity and 
freely ripen at tho greatest elevation in the station. 
There is no doubt that the successful cultivation of fruit 
in Coonoor, making every allowance for the advantage 
of a higher tomperature, is in 11 large degree owing to 
a greater amouut of intelligent attention bestowed 
upon the subject by tho residents of that station — at- 
tention which we should he glad to sec omulated by 
thoso engaged in fruit culture in Ootacamund. — 
Ni/t/iri EUpivss. 
♦ 
A FEW NOTES ON EED SPIDEE. 
Kod spider is a pest with an appropriate adjective. 
It does much damage to tea, especially when it attacks 
tho first young shoots of the season. Low jot plants and 
plants that have beon early pruned aro most subject to 
its ravages. Tho best preventive for it is to keep the 
plants in a healthy state, i.e., in soil that is conducive 
to vigorous growth, and having tho sap channels clear, 
so that the reciprocal action of tho root and top is 
allowed to go on freely. I have seen various means 
taken to check red spider after it has attacked tho 
bushes, and tho most etfectivo that I know of is 
plastering the plants with a mixture of clay and eow- 
duug half-and-half. Tho chokra-loy are best adapted 
for this work. Holes are dug in convenient places near 
the tea, and in these the mixture is made to about the 
consistency of cream. Each boy has a harri which he 
fills and carries to tho side of a bush to be done, then, 
holding the harri on his left knee by the left hand, 
and with a bunch of stiff grass in his right hand he 
dips this into the mixture and throws it with a jerky 
motion over all the plains till not a particle of green 
can be seen. This should be doue iu dry weather. If 
the weather continues dry the clay and cow-dung on 
the bushes will soon smother the red spider and in 
a fow days it will crack anil fall off in scab s. When 
rain comes on before the plastering has had the 
desired ell'ect, there is still the benefit that tho plants 
will derive from the cow-dung being washed down to 
their roots to put against the labour expended. Lime 
is not good fur this sort of plastering. It is too 
adhesive, remains too long on the bushes, ami interferes 
prejudicially with the natural functions of the leaves. 
I have seen (lour used for this work too. A large 
consignment was imported for the coolies, but they 
got tired of it and it was allowed to go bad and event- 
ually it was mix.,! with mud ami u-od lor plisti rio^ 
to kill red spider. It killed the insects where applied, 
but, like lime, it proved prejudicial to the plants. 
Mud. without OOW-dungi is of no use: often rain 
conn s on before it has properly dried and the labour 
upended Is lost, There {s nothing liko the iiny and 
cow-dung mixture, for, in applying it, it JfOD. are not 
killing rod spidi r, you are in.iuuriug the bushes,— Indian 
Hauler*' Botdttc 
39 1 
QUINOLOGICAL WOEK IN THE MADEAS 
CINCHONA PLANTATION. 
BY DAVID HOOrER, F.C.S. 
[Abstract.] 
1. // nalysis of Crown Jiark.i.—Twdlvc items of differ- 
ent size, Sec, were taken and analysed so as to show 
how trees of the same age and growing in the sume 
situation vary in alkaloidal strength. The results were 
tabulated, and it was seen that the quinine ranges 
from 3-90 per cent to V15 per cent; the quinidine 
from G'16 per cent to an entire absence in two cases. 
The results bear directly on the practice of coppic- 
ing, and it seems quite probable that there is no ad- 
vantage in raising one stem only from a coppiced 
tree, as two or three stems have equally rich bark. 
But it would be erroneous to suppose that any groat 
advantage would be gained by growing three stem* 
from one stool, except where the neighbouring trees 
are inferior in vigour of growth. The results also 
show that very little dependence can be placed upon 
the appearance of a tree as indicating its market 
value. 
The same trees were again analysed a year later, 
and the results summed up show that for six months 
after the trees were stripped the alkaloids decreased, 
but increased in the subsequent six months, the one 
counterbalancing the other. 
2. Manures. — Cattle, stable, lime and stable, and 
bone manures were each distributed on a piece of 
ground divided into five portions, the fifth being left 
in its natural state. The barks were harvested a 
year afterwards, aud tho result of tho harvest proved 
that the amouut of bark per tree was highest in the 
portion containing cattle manuro, and tho next that 
from prepared bones, but the quantities of bark from 
the stable and limo and stable manured portions did 
not- materially exceed the amount of natural bark 
from the unmanurcd trees. 
3. Lime in Cinchona. — A twenty-year old Cinchona 
suceirubva was incinerated, and quicklime acrounting 
to 7'. ozl obtaiuad from it. It was distributed as 
follows :'— 
oz. 
Hark of stem and root 474 
liark of branches and twigs l - 04 
Leaves "44 
Wood of stem aud root 1"'28 
750 
1. Kenevi&l of Ledgers: — Under this heading Mr. 
Hooper shows the elfects of rouewal upon the alkal- 
oidal value of Ledger barks. Tho total Jalkaloids ic- 
main practically the same, but the quinine had in- 
creased from 135 per cent in the original to 387 
per cent in tho third rouewal, decreasing, however, 
to 303 in tho fourth. 
5. The Influence of Prolonged Covcrimj is to increase 
the amount of alkaloids, but analysis shown thai H 
is a mistake to keep the covering on longer than 
three years; after that there is a decrease. 
Mr. Hooper coucludod his paper by the following : — 
Analyses of Rarer Species of Cinchona. 
0 
a 
\a 
'■3 
Of 
Cincho- 
nidine 
Quini- 
diue 
Cincho- 
nine 
Amor- 
phous 
Alkaloid: 
Total 
C. anglicj. 1... 
410 
•ei 
•27 
•34 
•68 
609 
2 
MH 
•17 
1-40 
•89 
i-oo 
5-33 
" a". 
WW 
IUJ 
•28 
152 
•51 
4*6] 
11 4... 
•84 
•55 
•38 
102 
•90 
3'60 
0. verde, 1... 
a-68 
lis 
•68 
•88 
5-88 
9 
l-.Ys 
117 
1*89 
■40 
4 77 
1 '. morada . . 
1'89 
2 - 2s 
•59 
•88 
5'M 
0. nitida 
L-42 
J-45 
1-18 
•67 
602 
C.mitrantha, 
branch 
i«ao 
•i:> 
2'(V> 
„ n.iturnl 
1-92 
•40 
2 M 
,, rewind 
2-45 
va 
U'J 
4.Y9 
■—Chemist u/iJ Drugjiit. 
