366 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [October i, 1881. 
To the Editor of the Ceyloti Observer. 
CHAMPION BLUE GUMS. 
Langdale, Lindula, 9th September 1881. 
Dear Sir, — The girth of the blue gum mentioned 
by me was measured, but the height was only a 
rough guess from memory. I find it should be some- 
thing more like 50 or GO feet than 35. In Carlabeck 
garden there is a gum, name unknowD, measuring 
56 inches girth at a foot, and 50 at 6 feet high and 
about 45 feet high; but this is a much older tree, 
probably 7j years old, from seed. This tree has now 
plenty of fruit on it, being the only gum I ever saw 
in bearing, — Yours truly, E. H. 
THE APPLICATION OF LIME TO TROPICAL 
PLANTATIONS. 
[To the Editor of the " Tropical Agriculturist."] 
September 5th, 1S81. 
Dear Sir — I see that one of your correspondents 
asks for information regarding the application of 
lime. As one who takes a strong interest in the 
higher cultivation of coffee and brieves that its 
future in Ceylon depends much upon a right con- 
ception ami use of the principles of manuring, I 
hail such enquiries with satisfaction, and hope that 
similar ones wdl draw forth such knowledge of the 
subject as has been acquired of late years in this country. 
If my mite is of any assistance to your correspondent, 
he is heartily welcome to it. 
I have had some experience in the use of lime and 
have seen both good and ill results, according to the 
judgment displayed in its use. Anyone wishing to 
apply lime to his land should first consider well 
what is the object he wishes to attain, and the 
nature of the soil he is to work upon. The effects 
©f lime are various. In the first place, it acts upon 
the soil mechanically : if heavy, opening it up and 
making it free ; thus giving a stiff clay more the 
character of a good loam and enabling the roots of 
anything grown upon it to penetrate it more freely 
in search of food : if light, it tends to consolidate it. 
•Secondly it acts chemically bringing into action the 
latent plant food, neutralizing injurious acids, and 
forming with the organic matter it may meet with 
•carbonic acid water, in which, as Professor Graham says, 
plant food is dissolved before being taken up by the roots. 
Now, concerning the practical application of these 
principles, about which I am in a better position 
to write than as regards the theory of them. If 
the object is to open up a stiff soil, i. e. one in 
■which the clay is in too great a proportion, such 
as is seen in many portions of Dimbula, the lime 
may be applied while quick and forked in on the sur- 
face, the whole ground being first covered with the lime. 
If, however, the soil is a good strong loam such as 
With cultivation usually yields remunerative crops, 
the best plan will be first to fork the surface of 
the ground and then to scatter the lime broadcast 
over die trees and ground. The first shower of rain 
will then slake the lime and carry it down to the 
bottom of the forked soil, part of it acting upon 
the soil in its passage, and the remainder work- 
ing its way downwards to a still lower level and 
opening up the unstirred ground. If the soil of the 
«:state is of a light character or semi-exhausted by 
previous cropping, I consider that the best form of lime 
is then that of ground coral or gypsum, as, if the 
lime were applied in its quick state, it would speedily 
exhaust all the supply of organic matter in which 
such soils are usually somewhat deficient. 
It should be lempmbered that lime is a sub- 
stance finding its way quickly to the lowest ac- 
cessible level, and if forked in direct, ci fairly open 
soil, it rapidly descends with the fiwt rains, leaving 
the upper surface but slightly affected. 
Again, lime sh"uld not be looked upon as a man- 
ure in itself, but as the foundation for subsequent 
manuring, its effects being to bring into action more 
speedily the dem»nd for such matter and thus tend- 
ing rather to exhaust a soil. Its presence iu the soil 
is most beneficially felt when such manures as bones 
come to be applied afterwards, the soil also being 
in a much better mechanical condition for the roots 
to operate upon the manure. 
If, however, it is not intended to follow up the lime 
with manure, then, except in the case of stiff soil, I 
consider that its application is best omitted . — Yours 
faithfully, CULTIVATOR. 
CINCHONA, COFFEE, AND OTHER PRODUCTS 
AT A HIGH ALTITUDE. 
Agrapatana, 6th September 1881. 
Dear Sir, — Is it worth while, or toolate in the day, 
to ^ive a look over the far-famed district of Upper 
Dimbula, with its cinchona and coffee ? The former 
we may regard as a financial success on several pro- 
perties, i.e., looking to the success some superintendents 
have attained lately in planting up new clearings, 
as also in planting among coffee : every open space, 
between the lines, landslips and even straight up 
aud down banks are stuck full of cinchona from 
two to four feet apart ; mostly of the large-leaved 
officinalis, although we m/et now and then with 
calisaya and succirubra. The two former are no doubt 
the best varieties for the higher altitudes. Yet succi- 
rubra is not to be despised, for there are many very 
fine samples to be seen on almost all estates in the 
district, but generally at a lower elevation than the 
more recently planted clearings. 
On going over several, we cannot but be struck 
with numbers going out from canker and disease, 
especially on flat and swampy and wet situations. This 
disease, ouce started, takes its cour-e ; very soon affects 
its neighbours, and goes on killing thousands. 
Don't you think, Mr. Editor, that oa its first appear- 
ance, to uproot all affected plants and immediately cut 
substantial drains, and apply r-ulphate of lime (or gas 
lime) would be a remedy ? It would kill fungus and open 
up and sweeten the sour soil, so that it could be 
planted up afresh. 
But even after this, how are we to prolong cinchona 
for a number of years? Not surely by the scraping 
or shaving process now being carried out upon young 
trees of from 12 to 20 months obi. Such a s\stem 
looks almost contrary to vegetable life, especially on 
such young trees — "killing the goose that lays the 
golden eggs." Healthy trees that have matured seed 
for the second or third time will bear this process 
and give handsome returns ; and it appears to me to 
be the better method for the ultimate good of estates 
i.e. in preference to stripping or uprooting nothing but 
sickly and the weaker trees from crowded portions. 
Also our "bread an:l butter" must not yet be 
altogether neglected. Cojfee intermixed with cin- 
chona is well worth the planting at these high 
altitudes for on some coffee I saw at over an 
elevation of 5,000 feet, five years old, coffee is bearing an 
average crop of 4 to A\ cwt. per acre, at the same 
time intermixed with the email-leaved officinalis five 
years old and looking remarkably well (of course 
under a system of good cultivation). We might now 
notice coffee upon poor ridges on some estates, suffer- 
ing from leaf disease (b. v.), bug, black rot and 
poverty, with but little crop, and whether it would not 
be to tlie proprietor's advantage to plant up the same 
