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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [August r, 1881. 
NEW AND OLD PRODUCTS. 
THE RAINY SEASON— CRICKETS— BLOSSOM ON LIBERIAN 
COFFEE — CACAO AND WHITE ANTS. 
Western Province, 16th July. 
I see many complaints from various districts, of 
nsufiieient rain for planting purposes. I am glad to 
Bay that since the middle of March the longest 
apell we have had without rain was eight days in 
the middle of May. We have had nothing like the 
thunder showers of the first four months of the 
year lately, but we have had ample rainfall for the 
growth of our cultivated plants in June. 1 suppose 
the amount would not have made a great figure 
on the register of a rain-gauge, but there was no 
day on which more or less did not fall. In 1879 
we had no rain from 23rd June to 26th July, and in 
1880 there was hardly any rain in June. July so far 
has given more sunshine than usual, but we have 
had rain enough to maintaiu the growth of the 
weeds, which have been, and continue to be, very 
troublesome, — so much so, that 1 had all hands 
weeding during the whole of last month, and I 
have had to make some addition to my labour 
force, to enable me to deal with them. 
I have ascertained the number of plants destroyed by 
Crickets to be 19 per cent. The whole proportion cut was 
34 per cent, but 15 per cent are growing again, but they 
are, and will continue to be, six months behind those 
that remained untouched, which now range from 
nine to eighteen inches in height, and the most for- 
ward have begun to branch. I was absent for four 
days last week, and on my return I saw a decided 
advance, that I would perhaps not have noticed had 
I seen them daily as usual. 
The nursery plants are so far advanced, that I 
might plant at once, if 1 could be certain of the 
weather, but we dare not assume that the next three 
months will be as favourable as the past three. 
There was a small blossom ten days ago, but the 
heaviest blossom is still to come, and, if the weather 
is tolerably favourable, may be expected towards 
the end of this month. The numerous varieties of the 
Liberian coffee have each their special habit as to 
flowering. One variety branches at fifteen inches and 
bears heavily on its primaries without producing a 
secondary; while another, that commonly begins to 
branch at two feet, produces little or nothing on its 
primaries, but throws out its secondaries by the time 
the primaries are a foot long. Those that run up 
from three to five feet, before branching, bear well 
On the primaries, but show much more inclina- 
tion to grow to suckers than secondaries. This 
variety is, I fancy, the tree coffee, that is said to grow 
thirty feet high and yields 30 lb. of produce. (?) There 
is still another variety, with a long smooth leaf with 
a much lighter shade of green than the others, that 
is extremely liable to leaf disease, and once attacked 
ia never able to shake it off. My idea of the proper 
method of dealing with this kind is to root them 
out and burn them, but I will give them a respite 
till I see they get on, between now and the opening 
of the north-east rains. I have on my place near 
the Mahaoya a single plant that came up among 
the Liberians, and that was planted out in the field 
With the others, in November 1879. It produced its 
first flowers in January last, and has now about a 
dozen half-grown berries, and has a very full blossom 
forming. It has dark green rather curly leaves, 
nearly as broad as long ; it is two feet high, and 
has lifteen pairs of branches, the lowest about a 
foot long ; it has the appearance of perfect health, 
and a stiff sturdy aspect, that seems, to chal- 
lenge any wind that blows to do its worst. Of 
Course I propose to use all the fruit of this plant 
for seed, but whether the produce will keep true 
to the parent type, or whether its cultivation will 
turn out profitable, are questions for the future. 
The white ants still continue to cut the cacao plant is 
Their boldest exploit was a plant thirty inches hig'q 
with a stem an inch and a half in girth, but at 
this size they are generally safe from this foe. The 
older cacao plants are growing very freely, but the 
smaller ones still suffer from the wind, and on the 
more exposed spots look very forlorn : many of the 
large ones are flowering, one especially for the last 
six months, but there is no fruit forming. It appears 
to me now that they will take up all the space 
allotted to them. The branches extend rapidly, and 
as the stem becomes a branch as soon as others 
come out to balance it, the growth comes out in width, 
rather than height. White ants got into my nursery 
baskets, and destroyed nearly 100 plants in one night, 
I promptly removed them to other ground, and 
saved them from further ravage. I am told that a 
blend of a bushel of hydrate of lime with two ounces of 
arsenic, dusted over the trees, is a perfect protection. 
Since writing the above, I have filled up 500 vacan- 
cies in the coffee. I did not like to let the fine showery 
weather we had for four days pass without availing 
myself of it. Everything will depend on the weather 
we may have between to-day and the end of August. 
Another season like 1879 would kill them off; but 
we never have two seasons alike, and in this climate 
it is somewhat of a venture to plant in any season. 
TOBACCO IN THE NORTH OP CEYLON. 
The trade in this article seems to suffer from 
great depression, produced by causes which are not 
far to seek. Tobacco exported to India last year re- 
mains in stock, there beiug no demand. The Indiana 
turn out as good tobacco as any sent from Jaffna. The 
crop produced in India this year is reported to be 
sufficient to meet the demand there. Another cause 
is that a larger number of men than in any preced- 
ing year having taken to tobacco cultivation the out- 
turn is far in excess of the demand. This year's crop 
has been gathered in and the market is now flooded, 
with tobacco. Prices have considerably fallen. We 
are assured by men whose veracity is unimpeachable 
that it is found difficult to sell tobacco even at a rate 
that would barely cover the expenses of cultivation, 
the cultivator making up his mind not to charge for his 
labor and trouble. This is indeed a sad state of things. 
None but those who are acquainted with Jaffna affairs 
are able to understand what depression in tobacco 
means. As we have often remarked the chief industry 
of the place is the cultivation of tobacco : when tobacco 
produced at great trouble and expense lies in hands 
uncalled for and unsold, you may safely conclude that 
distress and want have made their appearance. Money 
is very scarce : tobacco cultivators struggle hard to 
keep body and soul together and we fear that should 
this depression continue even for a short time it will 
affect the well-to-do classes. 
The only class of men that seem to derive benefit 
from the existing depression are the cigar traders. 
They combine and keep down prices. The mysteries 
of trade are so strange that what is ruin to one is a 
benefit to another. Now that there is no demand in 
India for tobacco, the cigar traders buy it cheap, and 
rejoice in the prospect before them. 
Times of depression are also times of sickness. When 
tobacco is dull or when paddy is short, you may ex- 
pect with certainty the appearance of some sickness. 
Want generally drives people to live upon unwhole- 
some articles. It was so in 1877- A speedy change 
in the trade is very desirable and any measure cal- 
culated to effect it will be heartily welcomed. — Jaffna 
Patriot, July 9th. 
