September i, 1888.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Rodents. — The muridio or rat family aro oxtreraely 
destructive. Iu certain localities they infest coconut 
trees, building their nests in the hollows of tho base 
of tint from! and foeding on the tender leaf or young 
kernels, aucl also on the mature nut. In the lat.l'.T they 
bito a hole on tho top, whore the uut is attached to 
tho stalk and food on tho kernol. It is difficult to get 
at these rats; at the Laccadives and tho neighbouring 
islands, people, get up rat hunts occasionally ; a fow 
men climb up the trees, an 1 tho whole of the islanders 
turn out with sticks and clubs. As soon as the rats 
on tho trees are disturbed they either spring to tho 
ground or rush down tho stein, when they aro chased 
and killod. Sometimes over a thousand are killed on 
such occasions. After witnessing one of these hunts, 
I suggested smoking the tries. This was not feasiblo ; 
but a chatty with some damp straw stuffed into it 
was placed over the opeuing of each rat hole, and 
through a small hole bored at the bottom of the ohatty, 
pieces of live coal were forced and blown upon. The 
smoke was thus sent into the hole, and most of the rats 
smothered in them. A few, half-smothered, escaped 
from the counter-openings ; these were soon killed. 
The people were well pleased with this mode. I also 
suggested that a few good terriers should be kept ; 
after a little training, all the men would have to do 
would be to turn tho rats out of tho trees, and the dogs 
uudor them would despatch the rats. Unfortunately 
these islanders were all Muhammadans, and do not care 
for dogs. I do not remember meeting with a single 
dog of any kind on any of these islands during my 
visit to them in February 1873. In the province of 
Travancorc, it is said that tho "flying squirrel" 
or Pteromyea petauristct takes up its abode in the 
coconut groves near woods or forest trees, and 
attacks the nut at night, doing much damjge. 
The common striped palm squirrel or Seiurus pal- 
marum, attacks the blossom chiefly ; they are met with 
in most districts, but the damage they do is small, as 
they only resort to ejeouut trees in the absence of 
other food. The llyiug fox or Pteropus Edwardsi is 
said to do much damage to the youug fruit in Travan- 
corc ; but this is buyond my personal knowledge. If 
the tact be so, tho damage must be confiued to that 
province. The wood-dog or tree-dog, "mara nai" of the 
Tamils, and tho Paradoxurus Mnaa/ngOi of scientists, 
the "Toddy cat" of Europeans, does much damage to 
the young nuts; it gnaws a round hole through the 
husk at the tenderest part near the stalk, and feeds 
on the tender albumen which it scoops out with its 
Eon paws. It. cleans out tho shell of its kernel in tho 
most perfect manner. These animals commit their 
depredations always at night, and tho number of 
empty shells picked up every morning under the trees 
shows the amount of damage done. 
But it was not coconut cultivation alono which 
had suffered from tho abnormal droughts so as 
to prosent sad contrasts to tho emerald green rice, 
peeping above its watery habitat in the irrigated 
valleys. The toa we went specially to see had 
Buffered. Not only had seedlings perished, while 
the work of supplying had been stopped, but even 
bushos had died. In prolonged dry weather we 
are propared for the loss of some plants on the 
edgos of drains, but on this occasion trees had 
diod for want of moisture even on spaces between 
drains. Tho causo was evidently a "pan" of 
moohanically hard cabook in lieu of subsoil. 
Coconuts llourish in cabook soil, and so do tea 
plants, providod there is moisture sufficient to keep 
tho rook in a suitable ineohanical condition. Some- 
what more than two years ago I recorded having 
soon at Awisawolla a block of cabook, which had been 
cut out for transmission to Colombo, in ordor to 
show how tho taproot of a toa plant had pi^rood 
through it. Uut then the climato of Awisawolla has 
a larger rainfall and ono bettor distributed than tho 
place I have just visited can boast of, and tho 
cabook which was piorccd was saturated with 
moisturo. tta with tho place I am roforring to 
in ordinary years, but in the late sovero and 
prolonged drought the moisture was, in spots 
where the bed rock of cabook was near tho 
surface, evaporated from soil and rock, and hence 
tho dece ase of a certain number of tea bushes, — 
a very small percentage, after all, not much 
more, perhaps, than fall victims to uymplocos on 
upcountry estates, but they were regretted never- 
theless. * The proportion of hard cabook on tho 
little estate is not great, and over the larger portion, 
where the soil is deep and free and retentive of 
moisture, it was a matter of remark how well 
not only the older bushes but tho seedlings (well 
shaded with ferns) had borne the drought. There 
are few cultivated plants possessing such tenacity of 
life as tho tea plant, which is specially at home, not 
merely within fifteen degrees of each side of the equa- 
tor, liko coffee, but has more than twice that range. 
Scattered over one portion of the place (a ridge rising 
to about 100 or 150 feet) are scattered blocks 
and boulders, chiefly of fine red granite, so " con- 
fusedly hurled " as to form a very romantic feature, 
while a beautiful and extensive view is obtained 
from the top of the ridge. Up the sides of tho 
rocks we are successfully cultivating pepper 
vines, whioh rooted in the rich soil at tho 
base of the rocks have well resisted the drought, 
showing only a few yellow leaves. Run had fallen 
a couple of days previously to our visit, and 
while up amongst the rocks we were glad to be 
compelled by a smart shower to take refuge in some 
of the numerous caves, formed by the decomposi- 
tion of the softer portions. After disappointments 
with Liberian coffee and cacao (in common with 
many others), tea is doing well in this locality, 
while coconut plants, put in at distances which 
give only 66 to the acre, instead of 150 to 200 
in nativo gardens, are flourishing so as to give 
good promise for the future. Now that the 
second drought of 1888 is broken, let U3 hope 
that for many years to come abundance of rain 
well distributed over tho months of each year 
may be the rule, so that tho hearts of the 
oultivators may be made glad. 
PEPPER CULTIVATION ON EOCKS. 
In our notice of the effects of the rroont drought, 
pepper was mentioned as growing luxuriantly up 
tho faces of rocks on a placo to the south of Hena- 
ratgoda which we may as well indicatoaj Eilandhu. 
Wishing to extend this cultivation wo wrote to ask 
Ur. Trimcn as to tho advisability of introducing 
foreign kinds. With his consent we publish his reply, 
as of general interest : — 
"With regard to peppor, experiments in the low- 
country have shown that it is not a good plan to 
grow it over rocks, which io hot dry weather become 
much heated and shrivel up the plants. There are 
several varieties of black pepper in cultivation by the 
natives, and one is a superior sort, perhaps as good as 
any you could get, unless the choicest Travancorc or 
Malabar sorts. The conductor at Henaratgoda garden 
knows the peppers well, an 1 could supply you with 
the right sort. Wo have tried tho Singapore sort 
grown there so largely by tho Chinese. It is less of a 
climber than any of our sorts, and though it docs well 
hero at Peradeniya, it did not succoed in tho lower 
country. If you think of trying foreign sorts, I should 
recommend you to got some from the .Malabar Coast. 
" Calebs is another matter. I doubt if you will 
succeed in obtaining seed of this from anyone, that is 
seed that will grow. Of course it is oasy to go into 
the ba'/.air and buy it, but such send is useless, and 
that is what is generally sent from Netherlands, [ndio. 
• On some places in tho Kelani Valley, we leirnt, 
tho drought not only stopped tlushiug but proved fatal 
(o not a few tea tress. 
