October i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
329 
— — 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
CAOUTCHOUC OR INDIA-RUBBER- YIELDING 
TREES. 
Dsar Mu. Editor. —Can you, or some of the numer- 
ous readers of your valuable paper, give one thirsting 
for information a few hints on the question of the 
Ceara rubber tree. Dr. Trimen might, should this 
meet his eye, throw some light on the subject. We 
have now a number of fine handsome trees of Ceara 
growing here with large quantities of seeds, their 
outward appearances bring of a fresh, green-looking 
colour. How is one to know a ripe from an unripe 
seed? The seeds are most, wonderfully covered by 
nature, and are somewhat difficult to get at. There 
are three seeds in a pod, black, I presume, when ripe ; 
but the difficulty is, to find out if the seed is ripe 
before opening the outer green skin and the inner 
parchment ineasement. The trees here are over 23 feet 
high by 20 inches circumference at the thick part of 
the stem. Is it not time for us to commence tupping 
some of the larger trees 3 If so, what is the approved 
method of tapping/ What should be the yield of 
milk per tree, and to what proportions should it 
manufacture .' The age of the trees in epiestion varies 
form 9 months to a year and 3 months. Ceara rubber 
trees will grow! Will they pay'; — Yours faithfully, 
RUBBER. 
[So far from "Rubber" asking other people to help 
him to an answer to most of these questions, we 
consider it is he who ought to be the first to decide 
points which all Ceylon India-rubber planters have 
to settle for themselves. Let him experiment with 
Beed and tapping, and report results. — Ed.] 
" NAKANAAD COFFEE"; AND CROP 
PROSPECTS. 
Dkai: Siu, — I have noticed in the issues of your 
paper lat 
lv some remarks ah 
ut tho introduction of 
the Naka 
iaad coffee into Ceyh 
u. I remember travel- 
ling with 
an old Ceylon plant 
er who had settled in 
3, when he visited 
the island after an 
abse^ce^ 
20 years We wen 
on our way to Matale, 
the scene 
of his first labo 1S , a 
Pass estat 
cm, he said thai if 
le had any interest in 
that di.ee 
tion he would cortai 
lly try there what he 
was doint 
at Travancore : that 
is, as ins Coffea Arabica 
showed si 
what ho 
<ns of .unproductive! 
ess, here placed it with 
viz., the 
Nakanaad coffee wiii 
lous coffee of Coorg," 
ih he had found very 
hardy, an 
d though Hemileia ra 
Btdtrix attacked it, the 
trees appi 
and to suffer less f 
•om it than tho C. A. 
He said t 
lies, Nakanaad trees 
lid yielded 8 cwt. an 
mding IT. v. 
advertized, and lately I saw some line nursery plants 
raised from it in the neighbourhood of Matale. It 
cannot he amiss to try these plants among tho C A. 
in the hope that the two may hybridize and givo 
us a steady plant aide to resist attacks of //. v. 
It is WOI tli a trial. 
AN OBSERVER. 
CURE FOR COFFEE LEAF DISEASE. 
Rowa river, Fiji, July 11th, 1SSI. 
S 1 1 : , Ever since the importation of tie Ceylon 
coffee leaf disease (Hemikia VtUta<rii),l have made 
its life history n study, not microscopically, but from 
tin- tardener's point of view, and have arrived at 
eeitnin remits, whioh lam DOW ready to bring before 
thi' planters of Ceylon and other collet ■•growing o in. 
83 
tries suffering from the pest There being very little- 
hope of the Fijian Government entertaining the ques- 
tion of a cure at public expense after the disappoint- 
ment they have met with, 1 shall have to look abroad 
for support, and hereby announce to the planters of 
Ceylon that I have applied for patents in this country, 
Ceylon, and elsewhere for my process. It was my aim 
to entirely stamp out the disease here, which is yet 
possible, as every plantation, nursery, native patch, and 
even solitary tree, is.known. The whole could be done 
in six months, if the Government would assist me with 
regard to their nurseries and the nalivc plantations, 
without which the planters of this group will have 
to adopt the permanent system of treatment, just as 
much as such a treatment is necessary in Ceylon, 
where there are so many sources of reinfection beyond 
the operator's control. 
I have made two cures by different treatments, 
the one direct, the other atmospherical. The first, 
although a very useful experiment, and which there 
may be many occasions to employ, I have rejected for 
general use, the system being open to failure through 
vicissitude of weather and careless work of labourers. 
The treatment 1 have finally adopted is, as stated 
above, purely atmospherical, will cost no more (or even 
less) than the one alluded to in a former letter to you, 
and can, once established, be carried on for years at 
a mere nominal cost. Nothing will interfere witli it, 
and women and children can do the work. The sys- 
tem means the establishment of a permanent enemy 
to the fungus : all-pervading, ever present, as subtile as 
the disease itself. It enables me to keep an estate 
free from disease, even though it were surrounded by 
plantations reekiag with the fungus. 
With the assurance that I am still at work with 
success to back me, I sign myself, until I can make 
it convenient to pay you a visit, yours very faithfully. 
JACOB P. STORCK. 
ALOE FIBRE AND A FIBKE MACHINE 
Lagalla, Rattota, 24th August 1S81. 
Sir, — I see a correspondent, in writing to you on 
the subject of aloe fibre, says he has 60 tons in the 
course of preparation. I have paid some attention to 
the preparation of this fibre, and, unless he can get 
a very quick process for cleaning it, I fear he will find 
it comparatively valueless, except, perhaps, for paper 
making, as aloes deteriorate more rapidly by soaking 
than Duy fibre I know of. 
Some months ago, Messrs. John Gordon & Co., of 
I 9 New Broad Street, London, sent me out a fibre 
machiue, exhibited working at the last Paris Exhibi- 
tion and said to be capable of cleaning fibre of aloe, 
plantain, &c, &c, at the rate ot 10 cwt. per diem. 
It has been attached to the machinery on this estate, 
but the S. W. monsoon having utterly failed, as re- 
gards rain, in this part of the country, we have not 
yet had a fair opportunity of testing it, and probably 
shall not, until the N. E. sets in. A half cwt. Bample 
of its work is now on the way home for report and 
valuation. 
'] his machine is said to be working in Mauriti- 
us. It costs £90 f. o. b. in London. I enclose a draw 
ing for inspection. — Yours truly, W. 0. DUNCAN. 
COFFEE CULTIVATION IN CEYLON : nil 
system OF BREEDING-IN; HEAVY I* RUN- 
ING AXI) WEEDING A MISTAKE. 
Kotmale, 26th Aug. 1881, 
Sir, — As in the human system all diseases, save, 
peibaps old age, may he traced to some deviation 
from the paths laid down by intuitive reason, sonu 
cramping of the limb*, overcharge (or the rhi.i. i or 
tho internal machinery, in ^iort to eomo uunatiiral 
or artificial treatment — mal-treatmcnt would be tip 
