April 2, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
671 
opening up without turning ovor the soil may be car- 
ried out, and will givo the tea plants the best 
chance. Neither of these expedients will convert 
naturally bad soil into good, nor will they atone 
for a poor pit, nor for bad work in planting, but 
they will do what remains possible to be done in 
making the best o£ the old soils. Wherever the 
tea has been dibbled in, or has been planted in 
the little skimpy holes which have lately become 
fashionable, deep forking is the only remedy, and 
this can only bo done where the drawing has 
been thoroughly provided for. This work is more 
than ever necessary, and should be done on prin- 
ciplo, in order that it not only provides against 
surfaco wash but regulate tho absorption of the 
rnoisturo into the soil. In very wet climates the 
water id to be hastened off the land, but in the 
drier places it should be detained by means of 
slow gradients and broad-bottomed drains. On our 
steep estates, and more especially on those old 
lands which have no soil to spare, draining will 
go far to determine the duration of the tea, and 
is absolutely necessary to the work of deep forking 
being done with safety. 
Manuring will eventually become necessary every- 
where, but experience shows that when once com- 
menced it must bo followed up. Hence the 1 im- 
portance of thoroughly working up the soil before 
that work is begun. 

NATAL Tba AT TUB GrAIIAMSTOWN ExiIir.ITION 
is thus noticed in the Natal Mercury : — Natal's 
Bingle exhibit has attracted a good deal of at- 
tention. Yesterday the jurors announced their 
awards in this class, and one may conveniently 
include it in this communication. It is as follows : 
— "Tea. — J.L. Hulett, Natal, is the only exhibitor. 
His excellent teas we cannot too highly commend 
as a now industry. The quality of the various 
kinds is very superior, and if mixed with China 
teas would command a large sale in this colony. 
This exhibit should receive a gold medal." This, 
ono thinks, must be regarded as very satisfactory, 
and oilers further encouragement to the tea-growing 
interests in Natal. 
Effects of Helopkltis and Green Fly on 
Tea Yield in India.— As yet tea estates in Ceylon 
have suffered but little from insect blights, — not 
to an cxtont worth mention, in truth, and we 
trust the immunity will continue. How very differ- 
ent the case is in India and how disastrous the 
effects of insect pests are is exemplified in the 
Reports of three Indian Companies, from which 
wo quote as followi : — 
Indian Terai Tea Company's lieport for 1687. — 
When submitting the estimates for the current season 
in December last, we informed you that tbo crop had 
fallen considerably short of the estimate duo to tho 
garden having suffered very severely from on attack of 
mosquito blight. Tho estimated outturn was placed at 
189,000 lb. but the actual quantity packed only reached 
108,050 lb. being a decrease of 98,050 lb. 
Tbo Soom Tea Company, Limitod. — Tho original 
estimate was for a crop of llti.OOU lb. tea, but the actual 
quantity packed only amounted to 1(>7,'2IX> lb. During 
the (nODUM of June and July the wbolo garden was 
covered with " greenfly" blight, causing a short fall in 
tho quantity of crop and stunting tho growth of new 
wood in the bushes. In September, " greenfly " was 
again active ou portions of the garden. 
I'unkabarco Tea Oompauy, Limited — A considerable 
area of tho garden lias oil' and on been almost 
entirely closed by mosquito blight. This couplod with 
a short rainfall has seriously affected the outturn and 
only I maunds has boou manufactured M compared 
with 837 uiauuds laat year which, however, it must be 
remembered is tho largest Crop the garden his ever 
yielded. The quality of the tea has been better than 
last year, but even this has not compensated for the 
heavy deficiency in outturn. 
Sanitary Effects of Transplanting. — it not ud- 
frequeutly happens that a disease assails some choice 
plant which one would give much trouble to preserve. 
It mny be a really scarco plant, or one that baa some 
special association connected with it — perhaps tho gift 
of a departed frieud, or the happy " find " on sumo 
distant mountain top— the recollection of which is a 
constant pleasure ; and to witness the growing sickness 
of our favourite from tho attaok of a destructive 
fungus without knowing how to cure, it is exceedingly 
vexations. I observe tbat the usual advice is — destroy 
it at once, or it will affect others. Bat this requires 
much courage and self-denial to curry out, and £ am 
not sure that to recommend such drastio treatment is 
in every case wise advice. Certain I am that he who 
has suoh an afflicted favourite, will be thankful for any 
suggestion which offers a chance of success. Let me 
recummeud transplanting it to a new soil and a new 
situation. That diseasu will very of ten disappear by 
this treatment is absolutely certain, as any one accus- 
tomed to introduce diseased plants into his garden for 
the sake of studying the features of the disease perfect- 
ly well knows. I may give two examples of the curativo 
effects of transplanting in illustration of this. Some 
years ago I had in a border some chimps of Star of 
Jiethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum), the leaves of 
which were annually destroyed by a black mould, Hete- 
rosporium ornithogali. I removed them to another 
situation in the same garden a hundred yards distant, 
and the fungus has never appeared on them since. 
The second caso is that 1 saw in a friend's garden six 
miles from here : some Chives (Allium schconopia^nii ) 
badly suffering from a severe attack of Puccinia mixta, 
and I begged some to bring home to plant near my 
Onion bed, to see if the Onions would catch the disea i . 
The result was that the Onions did not take the dis- 
ease, and the Chives were cured. — W. PHILLIPS, Shrews- 
bury. — Gardeners' Chronicle, 
Foresters for tiik CoLONiES.-^-About the middlo 
of last year tho Government of India had addressed 
a communication to the Secretary of State, that as 
they are frequently called upon by the colonial Gov- 
ernments for tho loan of the services of officers on the 
activo list of the Indian Forest service, besides meeting 
similar requisitions from the feudatory princes in tho 
country, whichcould not bo conveniently complied with, 
the Government of India suggested that Dr. Schlich, 
Inspector-G neral of Forosts, now ou deputation at 
Cooper's H 11 Colloge, might be asked to prepare a 
Note, describing the special arrangements in force in 
that institution for the profes-ional trainiugof caudi- 
dates in the Forest service, which might be commuui- 
catod to the Colonial Office for tho information of tho 
colonial Governments, which might aim at having 
a Forest Department of their own. Iu conformity 
with tho instructions conveyed, Dr. Schlich has drawn 
up a paper from which it npppars that, as far as tho 
available accommodation permits students other than 
those nominated for the Indian Forest service may be 
received into tho College. They may pass through 
the conrso of instruction prescribed for tho nomi- 
nees of tho Iudiau Forest servioo or may 
take up cerUin subjects only. There will bo a pre- 
liminary examination such as handwriting, orthography, 
English composition, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, 
plane trigonemetry, olemcnts of physics, botany, me- 
chanics, and minerology and geology, inorganic che- 
mistry, geometrical drawings, ico. Ac. Rut if thoy 
can produce a Univorsity diploma, or other similar 
certificates granted by a recognized examining body, 
the I'rcsideut may dispense with such preliminary ex- 
amination. On attaining tbo prescribed minimi of 
marl's iu the several branches of study and totals at 
the final examination, they will receive cither tho 
college diploma in Forestry, or special certificates 
showing in what subjeots they have followed tho ins- 
truction, aud with what result.— Indian .1.. :. . 
1'cb. *th. 
