THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1881, 
"Id this way, all 'intended' planting would, of 
course, be excluded ; and the number of trees would 
be of those fairly reco nizabl". True, many of the 
cinchonas, and some few cacaos, would fail after the 
6 monlhs; hut, as the failures would b supplied, 
the statistical value of the record would be but little 
affected, as the percentage of failures after that age may 
be very fairly estimated. 
"You will see that I wrote the first six pages of 
this letter before leaving home. In the meantime, 
I have thought well over the subject, and am satis- 
fied th t the suggestions are worth your considera- 
tion ; though at this moment they are too late for 
your present issue. 
"This idea, viz., that it is too late, deters me from 
making other suggestions, especially as they are com- 
paratively unimportant, and your preliminary review 
is admirably good and complete as it is. But I add 
a few notes : — 
" Mixed cultivation will, I believe, be hence- 
forth rather the rule than the exception. There >s 
a strong feeling now against great breadths of land 
being occupied by any single product ; and there is 
a. growing belief that the qualities of the soil may 
be more completely utilized by mixed products than 
by single. Hence, a strong reason why a good and 
satisfactory system of statistical record should be 
at once established. 
"I feel confident that the apportionment of the acre- 
age between the various products, by an imaginary 
division f the area occupied by both, will not answer 
in the long run. So satisfied am I, that I would 
most willingly confer with you, and give you any 
help you may think proper to accept, to make the 
record at once reliable and intelligible. 
" You set down the failure of crop in 1871, our 
first general and serious disaster, to leaf disease ! 
But it was not till 1872 and '73 that it became 
general, n >r till 1 875 that it was quite universal. 
" A Quaker firm, who were much interested in 
Liberia, showed me samples of Liberian coflee iu 
1851 ; and they were classed with our very highest 
Ceylon marks ; which, at that time, and for years 
afterwards, realized much higher prices than the 
ordinary run of estates in general. I mean such 
marks as IMP, DLB, K & G, C H C, Gonavy, &c. 
These fetched 20s more than ordinary marks. I 
was then the owner of K & G (Pallagolla), on the 
Ramboda pass, and I got 80s odd when Elkadua and 
other good plantation was worth only 60s. My 
Quaker friends were great coffee roasters. The reason 
I did not then bring this kind of coffee to Ceylon, 
was that the low-country was universally regarded 
as extremely unhealthy, and there was abundance of 
cheap land in the fine mountain regions ; and very 
little inducement to extend coffee cultivation even 
there Still, I well remember that these excellent 
judges classed Liberian (when property cured) with our 
best Ar.ibica kinds. 
"A most important feature of Liberian coffee in 
said to be its fruiting again and again on the same 
eyes. The fact that Arabica fruits only once from 
the same eyes, is the reason why pruning is imperat- 
ive and why the trees ultimately must become crippled. 
Wheu I say that pruning is impel ative, I mean that 
unless you cut off the exhausted twigs, they must 
die of their own accord : and when they die, it is 
always uncertain where the process of mortification, 
once begun, will stop. The fact, if it prove to be 
one, that Liberian will go on produciug from the 
same eyes, will not merely be a saving of pruning to 
a great, extent, and a preservation of the symmetrical 
framewo k of the trees, but it is a guarantee tor 
longevity and permanence ! 
" The case of a tree that goes on producing fruit, 
must not bu confounded with that of an annual, 
which ha,, s leparate g"w ration every year. We are, 
in fact, raising our new plants from the fruit, in many 
cases, of the identical trees from which most of the 
early plantations were raised. Nearly all the estates 
I have planted have been from AUac«Ua (M^turata; 
seed. 'ihe introduction of Blue Mountain seed 
offered very little encouragement ; for the plants so 
raised w ere worse punished than any others by leaf 
disease ! A great many of them are said to have 
succumbed outright ! 
'• I think it is a mistake to say that the samples of our 
coffee have fallen off in quality : Ceylon f i ■ er marks 
still maintain their high character in all respects, price, 
outturn, and proportion of triage. Mr. Da ndlicker 
(Volkarts) remarked, spontaneously, a few weeks ago, 
on the high quality of the produce, especially from 
the old estates and old districts. A short time ago, 
one of the leading merchants asserted that the quality 
hud declined, and I forthwith challenged the opinion, 
Put to the proof by extensive comparisons of Mill 
accounts, he was obliged to give in ; but maintained 
that the proportion of triage was greater. The com- 
parison was therefore reservfdard it was proved that 
there has been no such falling-off. Seasons make a 
difference, no doubt ; but, on the whole, there is no 
proof of decline in quality, but the contrary. 
" In the matter of precarious blossomiug season, 
it fhould be remarked th»tt Liberian seems able to 
blossom at almost any time, and in spite of almost 
any weather ! Of course, we need more experience- 
to confirm this idea, but it seems, so far. probable. 
" It is quite illusory to set down any number of trees 
of cinchona as representing an acre. Almost any num- 
ber, from 1,000 to 5,000 might, under certain con. 
ditions of species and circumstance ; but none actually 
does so statistically. 
" The principal factor in the calculation of the 
future prospect of cinchona, in my opinion, is the 
relative future values of quinine and qninetum. The 
very best authorities (though I did rib) know Howard 
was amongst them till I read your paragraph) agree, 
that the alkaloids are as efficacious ai d as valuable as 
quinine ! King appears to have proved it. J'r Trimen 
remarked to me one day lately that nothing but 
fashion and prestige kept quinine in the position it 
has hitherto held ! Recent advices from home show 
that the value of the other quinoid alkalies is be- 
coming rapidly recognized. Will, then if this be 
so, what will be the future position of the hardy 
succirubra with its high perceutage of alkaloids, as 
compared with the less robust kinds, that proriuce 
less alkaloid, but more quinine ? The prospect of a 
febrifuge for the million is grand f^r humanity, but 
the degradation of quinine proper to the level of 
quinetum as an article of commerce, will seiiously 
disturb calculations based on existing relative values ! ! 
"Wheu I said that I did not know Howird a3 an 
authority ; I meant, of course, a* one who. recognized 
the value of the other alkaloids. Everyone knows 
Howard as one of the very highest authoiities on 
this suhject, but I had an impression that he held 
the relatively high estimate of quinin.' over all the 
other alkaloids." 
On the other hand, here is Dr. Trimen in the 
Report just published warning planters against succi- 
rubra and other poor yielders of quinine, and advoc- 
ating, above all, the cultivation of the rich Ledgeriaua. 
So far as the market at present goes, the worthy 
Director is, of course right ; but, the question of what 
grows best in our climate and soil must be con- 
sidered, and, as we have said in our Handbook, and 
as Mr. Wall points out. we may possibly ere long see 
a revolution in the market, and the inferior but 
cheaper alkaloids more sought after than quinine. 
As regards our apportionment of the area planted 
