August i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
21 7 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
JUTE. 
Colombo, 15th July. 
Dear Sir,— Referring to toe bundles of jute you 
sent rouud the Fort to-day for inspection, I notice 
you hint in your issue of last night that, failing your 
getting a mercantile opinion here, of its value, 
samples may have to be sent to Dundee for report 
As jute, I believe, is not sent to Europe in its 
natural state, but only after its conversion into the 
fibre or jute of trade, would it not be better, in 
every respect, if you were to scud a sample to 
Calcutta, whence the article is exported so largely? 
It occurs to me that you would obtain all the infor- 
mation you require from this quarter more com- 
pletely and in less time than from Europe. — Yours 
faithfully, Z. 
NEW COFFEE SEED AND LEAF DISEASE. 
Sir,— The further progress of the small plantation 
of Blue Mountain coffee at Henaratgoda should be of 
paramount interest to planters at the present time 
when our once faithful friend from Araby the Blest has 
failed us bo signally. 
To have used the same seed as we have been doing 
for about half a century seems, as fur as the purpose 
for which we cultivate this plant — ils fruit-bearing 
capability— is concerned, little short of slow murder. 
1 verily believe the appearance of the fungus in one 
of the last planted of the coffee districts was due to 
a blindly suicidal custom of putting in the same old 
seed. Parts of the Madulsima estates were planted 
with stumps from abandoned land belonging to Gowara- 
kelle, which land was abandoned, not because it 
would not boar, but for the reason that it was too 
distant from the pulping-housc. Local influences, such 
as an excess of humidity, might have caused the 
development of a fungus in the already weakened and 
dettcuerato plant.* For instance, I remember there 
was a long continuance of wet weather towards the 
end of 18GS. It lasted niuc weeks with only two or 
three days' cessation. So persistent were the rain and 
mist that despite constant turning, the coffee was 
sprouting in store, and in about tho following May 
leaf disease showed in its most virulent form— 
I have never subsequently seen a worse-stricken 
patch— on a portion ot Galoolla, but on the adjacent 
estates very partially, as an affected leaf only here 
and thorc could be found. 
Ob I planters who can look back some five lustres 
will readily admit that the general bearing of estates 
was much greater then than at any time afterwards, 
and that u gradual decadence has occurred. Sixteen 
cwts. an acre was not rare, ten cwts. on very many 
estates was as a matter of course yearly looked for, 
and if there was a sufficiency of coolies on the place 
was yearly obtained. Indeed it would be difficult to 
say what the bearing powers of tho trees were then, 
as in the majority of cases a large proportion of crop 
wa* lost from a want of coolios to pick it. It is said 
the llainbarabotuwa estates were abandoned twenty-five 
years ago, because they would not bear more than 
live cwts. an acre. 
An old Ceylon planter, now a proprietor in Coorg, 
mentioned to a friend that the old Holds of coffee 
there, possibly enough planted with Ceylon seed, w-n 
now quinennxed with the indigenous Nakanaud variety, 
which he asserted gave him at the rate of eight owte. 
a n acre. If that can be doue in Coorg, it is surely 
•Wo see in tho mineral kingdom subjeets that arc 
in the lust stages of weakness or sickness become the 
victims of insect parasites. 
65 
worth a trial in Ceylon. All varieties of coffee, as 
Dr. Trimeu recently pointed out, arc liable to the 
fungoid contagion, but it does not follow all arc 
equally unhealthy ; and I assume it is quite analogous 
to say that a constitutionally healthy person would 
easily recover from a contagious disease that might 
cauue the death of a constitutionally unhealthy one. 
—Yours &c., 
A TWENTY-FOUR YEARS PLANTER. 
"THE CHILAW JUTE" NOT JUTE BUT 
CEYLON HEMP! 
An Old Product : Sunn. 
Dear Sir, — In reference to a paragraph in your 
issue of yesterday headed, "A New Industry — Jute," 
I can scarcely think that I misled Mr. Elliott by 
calling his bundles of fibre-producing stems from Chilaw 
jute, which is the Bengali term for the fibre of the Cor- 
chorus capsularis, and C. olitoriu^, about which you 
extracted an account from MauuJer'a Treasury of 
Botany a short time ago. 1 at once recognised Mr. 
Elliott's bundles as the produce of Crolalaria juncea, 
Linn., the Hana of the Sinhalese, called Ueylon Homo. 
Sunn is the Hindi name for this plant or its 
fibre, and under this name it is known in most 
parts of India. The Sunn, Crotalaria juncea, is no 
new product in Ceylon, as it has been cultivated 
and manufactured by the Sinhalese into twine, time 
out of mind, and fields of this plant grown in the 
Chilaw district, with its broom-like flowers, are very 
conspicuous. 
The two species of jute plants, Corchoius, are com- 
mon enough about Colombo, and several years ago 
the late Sandy Brown tried an experiment in grow- 
ing them from Indian seed, but with no useful result 
tbat I can recollect. As already stated, the Sinha- 
lese have grown the Sunn plant for their own use. 
time out of mind, but I question much if we 
have the soil and the labour in Ceylon to com- 
pote with India in the cultivationof jute or sunn for 
export. 
1 send you with this branches of corchorus cap- 
sularis, with ripe and unripe fruits on it, which I 
found growing near the Bridge of Boats this morning. 
—Yours truly, 
W. FERGUSON. 
[Nothing like giving the jute plant a trial, and Mr. 
Dobroe must have both good soil and abundance of 
labour near Galle for the purpose. — Ed.] 
MR. GRAHAM ANDERSON'S VIEWS ON 
COFFEE LEAF DISEASE. 
Barguui, Muuzerabad, Mysore, 26th June 1S81. 
Dear Sir,— As you have not yet honored me by 
passing your promised detailed remarks on my essay 
on "Fungoid Disease," I feel sure you will pardon 
me if I venture to draw attention to the gratifying 
manner in which I consider Mr. Schrottky's lucidly 
expressed opinions support many of tho views 1 have 
long entertained in regard to the chain of event! 
which precede an attack of leaf disease. I am natur. 
ally proud to find that portions of my theory — founded 
on a careful study of tho subject during the last six 
years— have at last obtained tho support of such an 
eminent authority, who, having brought so much 
talent, and energy to bear on the investigation of the 
Bcourge, is peculiarly well fitted to express a matured 
and reliable opinion. I now feel that many of my 
remarks in regard to the analogy which exists be- 
tween the causes of certain zvmotio diseases which 
alllict tho human boing, and those conditions which 
induce, or at least precede or accompany, some f< rnu 
ol pai itio disease iu plants h.iv- ret- ived most * lis- 
factory confirmation. My constant endeavour has boon 
