520 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, 1889. 
To the Editor. 
PEPPER-GROWING IN THE A MB ALAN GOD A 
DISTRICT. 
Eden Estate, Ambalangoda, Jan. 10th, 1889- 
Dear Sib, — I send you herewith a few cuttings 
from the pepper vines growing on this estate, to 
show what can be done in growing pepper of the 
right variety in Ceylon. The pepper on this estate 
was started from cuttings brought from the Malabar 
Coast, and, although in some of our importations 
only ten cuttings out of ten thousand reached 
the island alive, we have now a magnificent cover of 
pepper as fine as the best grown in any part of the 
Malabar Coast. This is without doubt the only suc- 
cessful and satisfactory attempt to grow this spice 
here. Ab support for the vines the jak tree has proved 
our best ally, while the goraka, which is also grow- 
ing plentifully here, will be the next valuable aid. 
Other trees such as godapara, diyapara, milla, are 
also being utilized. 
We started the cultivation of pepper on this 
estate by clearing all the small jungle, leaving 
the larger trees including the above-mentioned for 
support. The vine cuttings, after many importa- 
tions from the Coast, several of the shipments be- 
ing total failures, were planted three to a tree ; and 
the result is now a luxuriant growth, of which the 
cuttings herewith are ordinary specimens. 
More jak has been planted, and on these which 
are making excellent progress the young vines 
thrive remarkably, well growing up together with 
the supporting trees. Success being now assured, 
large nurseries were laid down, and we are now 
about to plant on a large scale. I trust the speci- 
mens of a product which may become of im- 
portance in many other parts of the island as 
well as here will interest you. 
The above information I contribute in continu- 
ation of the notice which pepper has already 
attracted in the columns of the local papers ; and 
if I can give any furthur information to intend- 
ing cultivators, I shall be glad. — Yours faithfully, 
J. MARTIN. 
CHENA LAND FOR COFFEE. 
Devaeolum, J'ravancore. 
Sib, — A considerable venture is about to be made 
in these hills in coffee, and, as economy has to 
be studied in its severest aspects, it has been 
decided to purchase an acreage of cheppakad, as 
secondary growth is here called. Much controversy 
has arisen over this undertaking, and arguments 
are bandied to and fro upon the p ospects of coffee 
growing in cheppakad. On the one hand, old 
hands assert that the enterprise means ruin, for 
coffee will not giow in secondary growths accord- 
ing to their experience. On the other hand, when 
asked to explain why coffee should not grow in 
such land, they are unable to give any reason 
except the ladies' reply, ' cos it won't.' It seems 
certain, however, that, if virgin forest were 
available and price no object the arguments drawn 
from experience would cause selection to be con- 
fined to lorest soil ; but when there is no forest 
(at the proper elevation), but only this secondary 
growth, then we have to inquire into the why 
and the wherefore. That soil should be exhausted 
by having one crop of grain taken off it by the 
hillman seems extraordinary. How can heavy 
treed land, although once felled and planted, lose 
its virtue fur subsequent use by the coffee planter ? 
It would be preferably thought that the value of 
the land for coffee would depend on the conditions 
of Buob uoil after the jungle hw grown again, 
and that no dogmatic assertion such as negatives 
all value to such land should be admitted. A 
reason frequently urged against the selection of 
cheppakad is, that, as the hillman has abandoned 
it after 2 or 3 years of occupation, sufficient proof 
of its exhaustion is afforded by this practice. But, 
so far as inquiry goes, it is thought that the hill- 
man abandons such land, not because its fertility 
is exhausted, but because it is so fertile as to 
send up masses of weeds which he has neither 
labour sufficient, nor implements to eradicate. 
In other coffee countries it is noted that no 
such prejudice exists against replanting abandoned 
properties. For instance, in Java a ooffee garden 
is planted over and over again as trees die down. 
So also in the Brazils and in many places where 
the bush is treated as a garden shrub rather than 
as an agricultural crop plant. 
This brings me to a second much controverted 
question, viz., as to the distances at which 
coffee bushes ought to be planted, and as to 
the height to which they should be allowed to 
grow. The custom in all countries mentioned in 
Spon's " Encyclopaedia of Commercial Products" 
tends to large distance planting as opposed to 
the Ceylon and India custom of close planting. 
The argument in favour of the former method 
rests on the greater room given to the bush, to its 
treatment as a fruit-yielding bush, each several 
plant being attended to like a peach tree at home, 
well-manured, watered if necessary, shaded where 
required; in short following the petite culture of the 
market gardener, rather than the large-acred turnip 
field method of raising the plant. When you have 
600 or 700 bushes to the acre instead of 1,500 or 
2,0u0, this style of caring for each separate bush 
can be prosecuted ; and in this, say the advocates 
of the system, lies the secret of successful planting. 
They seem to go further and hint that the real cause 
of the leaf disease was close planting and conse- 
quent entanglement of roots generating, it is sur- 
mised, fungoid dis-ase, which spread to the leaves 
and so destroyed the tree. Doubtless, however, this 
vi«w of the origin and propagation of that disease has 
received attention from experts and has been fully 
investigated. " In Java estates were (in 1884) being 
said out 10 ft. x 9 ft. and 9 ft. x 9 ft." — Spon's Mnc. 
" In Brazil an acre contains 350 trees. These are 
allowed to grow to 6 ft. high, and at six years 
they yield 1^ lb. on poor land, 31b. on medium 
land, and 4£ lb. superior land." — Ibid. If this means 
coffee prepared for the market, the crop on medium 
land would be 1,050 lb. to the acre, which would 
satisfy even a Ceylon planter 1 If any of your 
readers would kindly discuss to some extent the 
two points of soil and distances, it would be, I 
think, of interest to the many planters, who will 
shortly turn their attention again to growing coffee ; 
for, after all is said and done, there can be little 
doubt that coffee successfully and economically 
grown is by far the most profitable crop that lies 
within the compass of the host of subjects treated 
of by your excellent publication. S. 
THE LOCAL MANUFACTURE OF SLEEPERS. 
The manufacture of the Denham-and-Olphert cast 
iron sleepers is being briskly carried on in the East 
Indian Railway Workshops at Jamalpur, the daily 
outturn being from 400 to 500 complete sleepers. 
This is a move in the right direction ; for while it 
deoreases the home charges, it gives employment to 
a la'ge number of natives, aud is the means of uti- 
lising a large quantity of Burrakur iron monthly, this 
use of imported iron being entirely suspended means 
time. The Company evidently intend to give the local 
manufacture of sleepers a fair trial, a Sleeper In. 
spector having been engaged, who is coming out from 
England shortly.— Indian Engineer, 
