120 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July i, 1881. 
Mr Moens describes his measurements as being from 
two year old trees in a "flourishing garden at Iji- 
beureum"; mine are from trees planted out on oth 
July 1879 amongst coffee. So, taking all these cir- 
cumstances into consideration, the Ceylon figures are 
so much better than the Java ones that 1 cannot 
help thinking that Mr. Moens dates his four or two 
years from the day the seedlings are packed out 
and not as we do in Ceylon from the day the plant 
is put out in the open. If Mr. Moens continues to 
record the growth of his 50 trees, I will be much 
interested to continue the comparison. 
Mv old trees are planted at an elevation of about 
4 000 feet The 50 recorded above are growing on 
steep land, with deep gritty soil at an elevation of about 
4,250 feet. I believe that the non-clayey slopes of 
the hills in the centre valleys of Dimbula, Dikoya 
and Maskeliya will grow Ledgeriana perfectly, and 
that with a sheltered eastern aspect it ^ ™ 
well up to 5,000 feet, although I would prefer <5,50U 
° r i S °end you a small bit of bark from one of my 
old trees ; in similar hnrk I have seen the alkaloids 
and it gave an analysis of 4"79 sulphate quinine at 
four vears of age— probably the richest Ceylon bark 
of its' aoe, upon record. If you break the piece of 
bark, examine the fracture under a microscope, 1 
dare say you will see the particles. 
I see that Mr. Moens as well as Dr. Tnmen, re- 
marks upon the difficult v of getting "cuttings" to 
strike. I hardly know what the technical meaning 
of a "cutting" is. Does it include stickers from the 
stem of the tree ? I have no difficulty whatever in 
getting suckers to strike, but with the ends ot 
branches it is very different, and only two or three 
per cent root. — Yours truly, 
THOS, NORTH CHRISTIE. 
Tea.— Letters from Darjeeling say that they are 
having an exceptionally hot and dry season though 
it opened very promisingly, indeed, with tine sort 
weather. The latest estimates from this district do 
not place the crop of 18SI as larger than that of 1880 ; 
but labor is reported to be very plentiful, and this, 
coupled with the rising prices at home, many make a 
better season than was anticipated— Indian paper. 
Jamaica planters have been reoiced to learn that 
something is at last to be done towards the improve- 
ment of railway communication in the island. The 
Crown Agents for the Colonies are now advertising 
for tenders for the construction of works described 
as follows : 1. a railway beginning at the Old Harbour 
Terminus of the Jamaica Government Railway and 
terminating at Porus, the total length being 24 miles, 
1 furlong, 7 chains, or thereabouts ; 2. a railway be- 
ginning at the Angel's Branch Terminus of the 
Jamaica Government Railway and terminating at 
Ewartoii, the total length being 14 miles, 2 furlongs, 
3 chains or thereabouts. — Colonial Register. 
Preservation of Egos — I give a few recipes, and 
will feel thankful for satisfactory results. The former 
I have tried from the months of June to February ; 
the eggs kept fresh for ahont three weeks : — 
• 1. — Place the eggs on their smallest end on a per- 
forated wooden rack. 
2. — Oil of linseed or poppies, it is said, will keep 
the eggs fresh for two years (?) 
3. Solution of gum arabic applied to the shells. 
Result :— One year fresh (?) 
4. — -Unslaked lime, 14 lb. ; table salt, 4oz. ; cream of 
tartar, bitartrate of potash, loz. each ; and water 
sufficient to form a solution to float an egg. This is 
Jayne's liquid reduced, 1 believe. Have any of these 
recipes been tried ? The last, it is said, will keep a 
year. - -Axiutk. 
CEYLON AT THE MELBOURNE 
EXHIBITION. 
Fruit as an article ok Food. 
Mr. Buck, before his departure for India with Mr. 
Inglis, came to the conclusion that amongst the mil- 
ions of India, especially Northern India, Australian 
fruit would be acceptable and in demand ae an 
article of food. Hence the article which you will 
see in the Argus of 28th April. Mr. Moody told 
me of the intended trial shipment for India of apples, 
and asked me about a similar shipment to Ceylon. I 
could not honestly hold out the prospect of any 
very large demand in our colony, but I am not 
sorry to learn that a shipment of Tasmanian 
apples was made by last steamer. Had I known 
the fruit was positively going, I should have 
written about it. Knowing that apples from Australia 
are pretty frequently in our markets, I did not care 
to send any on my own account, but I asked Messrs. 
Law, Somner & Co. of this city to forward 20 to 
301b. of grapes through their agents at Adelaide, 
Mr. Withers of the P. & O. Company having kiudh 
consented to allow the box go 'in the ice-room. I 
fear there has been some hitch, as Messrs. Law, Somner 
& Co.'s agents have never responded to their request. 
Non-resinous sawdust is the substance usually em- 
ployed for packing grapes, but I saw an account of 
a very successful shipment to England in cork-dust. 
If this could be obtained, it would, no doubt, be 
preferable, but with special arrangements for carriage, 
quick voyages and cheap freight (which are all close 
at hand), I quite feel that India and Ceylon could 
take and would be immensely benefited in taking 
large quantities of the delicious grapes'grown so pro- 
fusely in these lands. Apart from " the grape cure, ' : 
what nicer or more nutritious lunch could any man 
partake of than a couple of Swallow & Ariell's 
Australian biscuits and a bunch of Australian grapes ? 
What renders a trade in fruit precarious and fruit 
consequently expensive is the liability of fruit to 
spoil. But by attention to mode and period of pluck- 
ing, careful packing and quick transit in cool chambers, 
fruit could certainly be carried to India and Ceylon 
as well as to England in good condition. Mr. Inglis, 
who Tong resided in India,; ha9 made certain calcula- 
tions of cost, profit, &c, which Australians do not 
regard as very encouraging, considering the rather 
high cost of fruit in Melbourne itself, — -this as regards 
apples. But from Tasmania, South Australia and 
Queensland any quantity of fruit could be sent to 
a farely profitable market. The Curator of the Horti- 
caltural Gardens here, having called at the Ceylon 
Court and offered to supply fruit or seeds, I 
visited the gardens a few days ago, and was 
much interested in what Mr. Neillson shewed 
me and told about apples, pears, peaches, cherries, 
"persimmons" (a Japan fruit) &c. The many hund- 
reds of varieties represented surprised me, and I 
was specially interested in trees dwarfed by a species 
ol' double grafting. The stock is the " paradise t ' 
apple, and on the first graft a second graft is put. 
The result is that, frees about the Bize of coffee 
bushes grow 4 dozens each per annum of very 
fine apples. It strikes me that some of these dwarf 
plauted in tubs might bear good fruit even in Ceylon 
I remember Sir John Cheap bringing to the Observer 
office some fine apples produced in Deltota, on small 
three year old trees grown in tubs. Mr. Neillson 
will make up boxes of choice apples for Ceylon when 
I advise him, and is ready to give plants of vines, 
figs, persimmons, &c, I hope to arrange about this- . 
Of peaches a good many remain in these garden, 
although a species of "blight "(aphis, 1 believe) has 
within the past few yea^s, threatened to annihilate 
this fine fruit in Victoria. The American blight has 
also affected apples, and a moth has been very bad 
with ' black spot" on the leaves and fruits of pear trees. 
