May i, 1889.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
787 
[lioijiia$ponu£nc>£, 
To the Editor. 
COFFEE AND TEA: A HINT TO LONDON 
BROKERS. 
Dear Sir,— If Mr. John Hamilton of Messrs. . S. 
Rucker & Co. would publish for the year 1868 in pyra- 
mMical diagram (on the 6auie lines as Messrs. Gow, 
Wd>on & Stanton's diagram tor tea) showing the so- 
called World's Oon-umption of Coffee as set forth in 
their statement for 18 8 89 as included in their Coffee 
Trade Review dated 28th Feb. 1889, everyone would 
then be able to see at a glance how coffee and tea 
stood in reUiiou to each 01 her in regard to the so- 
called World's Consumption. Of course, in both 
diagrams the consumption of both staples in «o?i-pro- 
ducing countries only would be included, for it is for 
instance simply impossible to gauge Cliina's home con- 
suming power for tea. Besides the question of most 
importance for British growers of tea and coffee to 
consider is iu what proportion are these articles con- 
sumed in uoi) producing countries. 
If Messrs. S. Rucker & Co. tried to build up a pyrami- 
dicalcoffee diagram in cubes of same sizeas Mtssrs. Gow, 
Wilson & Stanton's tea diagram, each cube represent- 
ing one million of pounds weight only, then their 
coffee diagram would be thrice or quadruple the size, I 
am inclined to think. It would certaiuly be better 
to continue using the same size of cubes, so that 
when the tea and coffee pyramidcal diagrams were 
laid side by side a glance would suffice to show in 
what relation they stood towards each other. The tea 
diagram would state as now that each cube represented 
one million lb. The coffee diagram would state how 
many pounds each of the same size of cubes represented 
in coffee. 
Such diagrams on a large scale placed at the principal 
railway stations or conspicuous places in every great 
city in the world would attract universal attention and 
people who never perhaps and ever tasted British-grown 
tea might seeing for themselves, how it formed the 
everyday drink of millions in other countries, be tempted 
to give it a trial. That a few miles of sea between 
such important countries as Great Britain and France 
should today be the principal reason why tea is almost 
unknown in the latter country, is of itself extraordinary; 
it could be explained years ago when communication 
between these countries was so difficult and tedious, 
but now no such impediments exists. The French like 
the Germans only require to be educated, and they will 
all in lime like British-grown tea ; but they must be 
told to partake of it at least half-a-dozen times before 
finally declaring against it. 0. T. W. 
COCONUT CULTIVATION. 
Colombo, 27 th March 1889. 
Sir, — " B." 's letters in your issue of last night con- 
tains the following : — As to the cause of the bunches 
requring to be propped up, I have a theory. It is 
owing to an insufficiency of salt in the soil, for prop- 
ping becomes necessary in inland districts even when 
trees grow iu moist situations, while on the sea- 
borde the stems are strong enough to support the 
fruit without the aid of a prop." 
This is quite new to me as I have no doubt it 
will be to a great many practical men. " B." seems 
to want a little salt iu everything, but without stay- 
ing to discuss the question of salt or no salt, may 
I venture to suggest that the bunches require to be 
propped up entirely owing to a physical cause, viz. the 
mode of growth oi the branches upon the stem, of 
the coconut tree. In young trees the branches 
are placed far apart on the stem and they al- 
low the bunches to hang down between them neces- 
sitating artificial support, but in older trees the 
branches grow very close together in a whorl which 
support the bunches of fruit, and there are no spaces 
between the branches as in the case of young trees to 
allow the bunches to hang down. Further it is a 
mistake to suppose that trees growing iu the sea-borde 
do not require artificial support to the bunches of fruit. 
09 
All young trees do require propping up whether they 
grow near the sea or otherwise, aud where I own lands 
on the soacoast a cent or a cent and a half 13 
usually paid per tree for propping up. I have been 
brought up nuder the genial shade of the coc 'iiut tree 
in the premier coconut growing district of Ceylon, 
and in the garden wh< re our home i- tLere are 
trees of dilTereut ages. There is the tail giant of 
more than a 100 years, while under it /.row plants 
of two years and trees 10 to 15 years old, and I 
"rite with the experience of a life time so to say. 
A. B. O. 
RICE CULTIVATION IN CEYLON: THE NEED 
OP CHANG K OF SEED AND OF MAKING 
HEADMEN DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE. 
Galle, 3rd April 1889. 
Dear Sir, — My attention having been directed to a 
communication from " W. A. D. S." on the subject of 
paddy cultivation, which appeared in the Overland 
Obt-errcr of the 1st inst., I beg to forward for publica- 
tion copy of a report sent by me on the 3rd March 
1887 to Mr. Elliott, the Government Agent.— I remain, 
dear sir, yours faithfully, WILLIAM JANSZ. 
Galle,3rd March 1887. 
E. Elliott, Esq., Government Agent, Southern 
Province. 
Sir, — Referring to previous correspondence on the 
subject of improving the cultivation of paddy in this 
Province by chaugiug of seed, I have now the pleasure 
to send for your inspection a sample which grew in 
ths field cultivated under my direction at Halpa- 
tota in Gangabodapattu, from seed imported from 
Batticaloa. 
For want of a piece of land in a convenient locality, 
I was obliged to select a field on which a crop had 
been gathered scarcely a month previously, and which 
was therefore unsuited for immediate cultivation, the 
ground not having lain fallow for a sufficient time. 
Besides this the season for sowing had advanced 
when the seed from Batticaloa arrived, and I had 
therefore no time to adopt any other but the ordin- 
ary appliances and the usual manure (bone dust) 
used by natives in cultivating their lands. This cir- 
cumstance though much to be regretted has, I am 
glad to observe, teuded to demonstrate more con- 
clusively that without the aid of any extraordinary 
means change of seed alone is sufficient to give a 
good crop. 
In addition to this impediment, another of a more 
serious nature occurred, which wellnigh threatened 
the success of the experiment. A considerable portion 
of the seed plants when they were about 5 or 6 weeks 
old, were injured by cattle trespassing on them during 
a great part of one night. 
In spite of these disadvantages the crop would 
have been more than double the present yield, were 
it not for a most unfortunate mistake made by some 
one in having mixed up three different kinds of seed 
coming to maturity at three different periods. When 
one kind had ripened and was almost fit to be reaped, 
another of a more luxuriant kind made its appear- 
ance, the first crop was therefore allowed to stand 
till the second had ripened with the result of the 
former crop having been wasted and lost, and 
when the second had ripened a 3rd crop sprang up. 
Fearing that the 2nd would also be wasted if it 
were allowed to remain till the 3rd had ripened, 
it was reaped and gathered, and the crop amounted 
to 11-5 fold of the whole quantity of seed sown 
which is 3 or 4 fold more than the average native 
yield. But this figure is misleading as to the true pro- 
portionate yield, calculating the crop in proportion to 
the parent seed from which it was gathered I may safely 
count upon 25 to 30 fold. 
People who looked on with stolid indifference to this 
new departure from their time-honored system of cul- 
tivation and who were sceptical as to the benefits oc- 
curing from what they believed to be an " unnecessary 
innovation " have been so thoroughly convinced ot the 
success of my venture, that they have sent me letters 
addressed in Sinhalese acknowledging their error and 
complimenting me on my efforts to benefit them. 
