270 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1888. 
spondent's letter, is doubtless a mistake, unless it refers 
to a fancy quality. "With all that,Oeylon ought to feel 
some gratitude for the very high prices Austria used 
to pay for Oeylon coffee as long as there was such an 
article. 
+ 
COCONUT PLANTING IN THE LOW- 
COUNTRY OP CEYLON : 
A TERRIBLE DROUGHT ; PEPPER ; COCONUT CULTIVATION. 
Hapitigam Korale, Sept. 1888. 
On the 27th 28th, and 29th August we had showers 
aggregating about two inches. This revived things 
a little, but since then bright sun and a gale of 
dry wind, for six hours daily, has licked up every 
atom of the moisture, and everything that habitually 
suffers from drought, is suffering more than before. 
The coconut trees of all ages have more unseason- 
ably withered leaves than I have ever seen in the S.-W. 
monsoon. My few remaining Liberian coffee trees 
are on their last legs; bread fruit trees are well nigh 
denuded of leaves, the cush-cush beds have withered 
down to the ground in matiy cases and vegetables are 
perishing wholesale. The wells are running dry : we 
are put to much trouble in finding water for the 
cattle and they are greedily eating what a few weeks 
ago they would have scorned. Altogether we are having 
a rather bad time. 
As the question of growing Pepper on protruding 
boulders has been raised, I may as well state my 
experience on that point. I found that the vine will not 
attach itself to a rock that departs more than about 
10° from the perpendicular. That it thrives best 
on the north side, not so well on east and west, 
and ou the south not at all. That it will spread 
over flat or slightly sloping rock but will not attach 
itself. That in a favourable season it will yield a 
good crop but cannot be depended on for a succession. 
I have already communicated to you my plan of 
cultivating Pepp r r as a low bush. It is my intention 
to try the next wet season an experimental patch of 
300 plants so as to place the discovery beyond ques- 
tion, and if the first patch should promise success, 
to extend it the following year to ten acres. 
When in my last I mentioned 60 nuts as the average 
per tree per annum, it was not as an estimate for 
the district, but the ascertained yield of a single 
estate. This record is, however, beaten into chips 
by a Katukenda property said to average 97, or 
within 3 of the number I have always stood up 
for as the result of skilful cultivation. Dr. Shortt 
holds 100 a very safe estimate for the Malabar Coast, 
whereas Ceylon cannot safely be estimated at over 
20, if we include the sea shore and the village topes — 
all the difference lies in an annual expenditure of 
15 cents, the value of seven coconuts annually in labour 
and manure. Taking the general run of Ceylon 
coconut proprietors, the most advanced notion of 
cultivation is a clean surface of pasture grass kept 
up at a cost of 3 cents per tree per annum. 
* 
COFFEE AND CARDAMOMS. 
Notes from Haputale. 
18th Sept. — There is no mistake now about the 
setting in of the N.-E. monsoon, for up here we 
have been having it wet and stormy for the last 24 
hours : thick mists and occasional squalls from all 
points of the compass. This change of weather is very 
appreciable after the long spell of drought we ex- 
perienced for nearly three months, which, if it had 
continued longer, would have done serious damage to 
all cultivation. Coffee blossoms have been retarded 
and only on scattered fields and wherever the bushes 
were in good heart has there been any blossom to 
speak of, this rain has just come in time to save and 
bring out a spike that has been hanging on the trees 
for some time. It is too early yet to conjecture what 
the coining coffee crops will belike; on some places 
tho autumn crop now on the trees is pretty fair and 
generally speaking estates aro in good condition for J 
a fair crop next year, notwithstanding the long J 
neglect una: wui L of proper cultivation and system- I 
atic u»uiuiug and nursing which poor old king ) 
coffee has undergone. I am of opinion, even with all 
diseases and calamities which coffee flesh is heir to, 
that this product will give the best returns and pro- 
fits to those who stick to it, and by proper cultiva- 
tion do justice to it — leaf disease and green bug to 
the contrary. Tea is first favourite at present, and 
everyone with a few acres in bearing "factory mad " 
and inventing new machines, otherwise building 
" castles in the air." Expensive buildings and costly 
machinery were some of the items that added the 
"last straw" to the back of the coffee enterprise, 
and I very much fear, but that gigantic factories 
and costly machines will be the rocks on which the 
tea enterprise will split and fortunes sink. Carda- 
moms in shade have benefited by the long drought, 
as the sun penetrated to the very roots and has 
brought out excellent racemes of blossom and the 
coming crop should be a good one : pity the market 
for this product is so ridiculously low, the prices 
realized barely pay for gathering and curing. To- 
bacco, cotton and pepper are the new " colts" entered 
for the next "Ceylon sports and races"; ever some- 
thing new, planters seem to delight going " ont of 
the frying-pan into the fire," a nd properly stewing 
in their own juice. — J. A. 
♦ 
THE TOON TREE— WHITE AND RED 
VARIETY. 
Mr. Deane of Kintyre, in answer to our inquiry, 
reports :— " The Toonas I referred to are the white 
variety." We learn through Mr. Cross Buchanan 
that Mr. James Taylor's unfortunate experience 
was also of the white toons. So that, it is clear 
there is nothing said against the hardier red 
kind, the planting of which we urge on all tea 
planters above a medium altitude. 
PLANTERS' TROUBLES IN BURMA. 
Tavoy, 10th August, 1888. 
Dear Sir, — Some years ago I saw an advertisement 
by the Burmau Government that they would grunt 
land, and would give every facility to planters that 
would be willing to open up land in the district of 
the Tavoy hills. This induced me to go to see the 
land and judge for myself whether the soil was really 
fit for tea, coffee, or cinchona. Of course, I thought 
that 1 could reach the spot by a road, but am so.ry 
to say that there was only a road of about 20 miles 
from Tavoy; the remainder 30 miles I bad to walk, 
swim, and manage the best way I could. I got up 
to Niadong, where, to my surprise, no shelter was to 
be found, but must confess the land I saw was good. 
But what is the use of land when you have no 
road to get provisions for self and coolies within 50 
miles from any village, let alone the cost of trans- 
port? I was, however, repaid for my troublesome 
and expensive journey, when I arrived on my wav 
back at the Model Duke Estate, where I saw coffee, 
tea, fruit trees of all descriptions thriving as well 
as I have seen in India or Ceylon (if not better), 
and in my opinion the land was not as good as in 
Niadong. 
The Government ought to be extremely thaukful 
to Mr. Watson for having planted up an experim- 
ental garden at his own expense for the good of 
the Government, as I hear he had but little assist- 
ance from the Government. But, after all, what is 
the use of all when the Government stand in their 
own way by not constructing roads to induce pioneers 
to invest their money in the Tavoy hills ? Unless 
roads were constructed to enable them lo get to the 
land conveniently, and the land Jaws made a little 
mere favourable, I have no doubt, that many planters 
from Java, India, and Ceylon, who wuuld only be 
too glad to avail themselves of the la.ij so off. red, 
would refuse to come. 
Trusting, Dear Mr. Editor, you will give this room 
in your valuable paper, so as to prevent others from 
a troublesome and expensive journey. — A Planteb or 
a Quarter Oenturv.— Rangoon Times. 
