March i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
583 
weeks and the ordinary varieties of bark were abso- 
lutely unsalable. But, as a Ceylon contemporary very 
pertinently observe*, cinchona is not so much a crop 
as a reserve, of which tho planter produces much or 
little as he pleases, or as exigencies demand. Now is it 
not, we will not say likely, but at least possible, that 
the Ceylon planters, il they should once become 
thoroughly couviuced that in a few years they must 
succumb to tb<: Java competition, will prefer to harvest 
their barks while tliey still fetch any money at all, 
and flood our market with as much • as they can 
possibly get away, turning their attention to other 
crops, the steady rise in tho value of which promises 
a surer reward than the treacherous cinchona? What- 
ever may be the case, we confess that wo cannot 
share the sanguine views entertained in many qunrters 
of improved values of the cinchona alkaloids. A rinjc 
amoug the quinine-i&akers may, indeed, have the effect 
of artificially raising the value, but it seems reason- 
able to assume that the consumption of quinine is 
certainly not increasing in larger proportion than 
the production of the alkaloid in the bark, and of 
the latter, so far as wo can see, enough wiU be 
forthcoming from different countries to keep prices 
at the lowest possible level consistent with a moderate 
profit to the grower. 
To the above we reply : — 
To tin' Editor of " Hit Chemist and Dntggtst." 
Considering that you so often quote from 
the Ceylon Observer press publications, and 
moro particularly the Tropical Agriculturist, it is 
surprising that you should do us so much less 
than justice in the editorial on '.' The Production 
of Cinchona" in your issue of December 17th. 
You scarify the " knowing ones," " the most com- 
petent judges," the Ceylon " wiseacres," on the 
wide discrepancy between their estimates of bark 
shipments at tho beginning of each season and 
the result. Where you have got your figures for 
"estimates," we cannot say ; but, considering that 
the only statistics Of cinchona cultivation in Ceylon 
have been embodied in the Observer's " Handbook 
and Directory " from time to time, we should sup- 
pose, that, to get the best and most reliable export 
estimates of bark, you would refer to the same 
authority. Fully acknowledging the wide discrepancy 
between estimates and results in the earlier years 
you refer to,— when all concerned were taken utterly 
by surprise, — we have to point out to you that our 
eHtimate for the Ceylon exports in season 1885-6 was 
ten and not nine millions of lb. as given by "tho most 
oompetont judges" whom you quote; while we particu- 
larly drawyour attention to the fact, that our estimate 
framed on October 9th, 188(i, for season 1886-7 
ran :—" Cinchona Bark from 11 to 1 1 million lb." 
while later on we said not less than 12 million lb. 
For tho current season we have taken 10 millions 
as the probable export, for the reason chiefly, that 
with tho increasing demand on our labour supply 
on account of extended tea cultivation, and tho 
plucking and preparing of the leaf, there 
should bo neither tho coolies nor tho time to 
secure as much bark as in previous yoars. A great 
difference, too, is shown in the available supply 
in our planting districts; nevertheless, if tliere were 
a return to really good prices, we should not be sur- 
prised onco more to seo our estimate oxceeded. 
— Ens. 
PLANTING PROGRESS IN TRAVANCORE. 
In sending us full Statistics of the Plantations 
in Travaucore for our " Handbook and Directory," 
Mr. Cox, Chairman of tho local Planters' Associ- 
ation, also affords a very valuablo Report on the 
present position of tho Planting Enterprise under 
the variety of heads which distinguish il over 
the way, now-a-days oven as in Coylon. Tho 
products included in Mr. Cox's paper are : 
— Coffee, Tea, Cinchona, Cacao and Pepper, and 
we give the Report in full in February's 
Tropical Agriculturist. It is satisfactory to learn 
that coffee is by no means extinct in the outly- 
ing planting offspring of Ceylon (as Travancore 
has been callrd), while cinchona robusta flourishes 
— the grafting of le.igers on succirubra stocks being 
successfully carried out, of course, on a limited scale. 
No one need fear, however, that Travancore cin- 
chona will ever interfere greatly with the Bark 
market. It is in tea rather that Travancore should 
assume a respectable potition, for, equally in soil, 
climate, abundance of timber and cheap labour, 
the district has many advantages, and its teas have 
been very favourably reported on by London experts. 
Pepper (long a native export) and cacao ought to 
strengthen the Travancore enterprise. We lately 
heard of the sale of a fourth share in a Travan- 
core Tea estate to a young planter trained in 
Ceylon, which shows that things are at least moving 
over the way, and a renewal of prosperity may 
shortly be anticipated. 
COCONUT PLANTING IN THE LOWCOUNTRY 
OF CEYLON. 
TITF. DROUGHT AND ITS EFFECTS ON COCONUTS— P ADD! 
CULTIVATION — MR. COCHRAN'S EXPERIMENTS — PLOUGH- 
ING AERATION OF THE SUBSOIL— EFFECT OF DROUGHT 
ON RICE CULTIVATION IN INDIA — WHAT IS CLAY ? — HOW 
TO IMPROVE POOR SOILS—' LIVE' AND ' DEAH' SOILS — 
ANALYSIS OF CLAY. 
Siyane Korale, 30th January 1888. 
No rain or signs of rain since the dawn of the New 
Year. If the drought be as severe as it threatens to be, 
tho look-out for coconut planters is very gloomy. 
Prices are lower than they have been since 1 became 
interested in coconut cultivation. The general belief 
is, that with ever-increasing stocks of oil and tho con- 
sequent low prices, mill-owners are not eniraged in a 
business that takes to the full their resources or yields 
much profit : this is evidently a popular delusion, as wit- 
ness the alleged mission of Mr. W. 0. Leechnian to 
Europe. 
The thanks of all paddy growers are due to Mr. 
Cochran for his highly interesting communication 
which appears on p^gc 560 of the February No. Un- 
fortunately the vast majority of those engaged in this 
culture are ignorant natives who will in no way be 
benefited by the lessons his analysis and experiments 
teach. The deduction I draw from his experimens with 
the soil from Nuwara Kliyais that the vast majority 
of our paddy fields suffer by being kept perpetually 
under water, and that fertility will be restored to them 
if they be broken up and aerated during the dry weather, 
so that the different compounds of iron in it may be 
rendered insoluble in water, and consequently harm- 
less. It will be seen from the results of the experi- 
ments as given in a tabulated form that the grains of 
paddy corn on the unmanurod soils gave comparatively 
better results than those sown in the Foils manured 
with bones, cattle manure or lime. Why ? Because 
iu a pot tho soil had no chance of becoming 
sodden and was well aerated. I think this gives 
us the key to the wonderful results yielded by the 
experiments of the agricultural instructors, for be it 
remembered that Mr. (irecu insists on the fields beiug 
ploughed during the dry months at the beginning of 
the year with tho iron plough, and cross-ploughed 
with the native plough after the soil is saturated 
with the S. W. rains, so that the noxious iron com- 
pounds have been rendered innocuous in the interval. 
I do not agree with Mr. Green that it is neceaiary 
for tho field to be perfectly dry before it is ploughed 
with the English plough, for if the soil be rather 
moist an it is now, the work is facilitated nod is in my 
I opinion ninn* thorough. Exposed as it will br nftor 
| tho operation to the sc >rching sun of the next few 
I mouth*, it will have a longer timo to bo perfectly 
aerated and rendered sweet. 
