October i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
3^7 
LIFE IN IOWA, UNITED STATES. 
A Ceylon mercantile colonist, who left Colombi 
some years ago, has sent a friond. an inteicstin; 
account of his wanderings since, from which we an 
permitted 
(I 
aud after sund 
in the latter 1 
December last, 
tive spot in tin 
of travelling bo 
days at a time 
I required for 
the country be 
" The counti 
ever seen, but 
by so many cc 
new roads seei 
ill 
bu 
jk ; so little has 
compan 
TA 
any go 
Attra 
United 
ic of the most beautiful I have 
ensely wooded aud intersected 
ble rivers, that the making of 
on the banks of one river, in 
r man going the same way as 
week before we were able to 
j how the island will ever be 
ridges and roads are made. 
f pamphlets on fanning in the 
ngland again in February last. 
I visited Tennessee first, where there is an English 
Settlement got up by Mr. Thomas Hughes, author 
of 'Tom T.rowu's School Days.' He calls the settle- 
ment 'New Rugby.' It has been noticed a good 
den] in the homo papers, and, perhaps, through this 
channel you may have heard of it. 
" I cannot say 1 found the prospects particularly 
promising there, the soil being comparatively poor, 
and, moreover, thickly wooded, making the expense 
of clearing considerable. 
" I camo here in April last, and have since bought 
a small farm of 1G0 acres, costing me, with house 
an«l BOme additional improvements 1 have made, about 
2,000 dollars. 
" I do not manage the farm myself, but let it to a 
tenant who pays me one-third of the crops as rent. 
At present, I am living on the farm, working for my 
tenant, to see how I like farming. I am distant 
about 7 miles from Le Mars, which is my post town, 
and a very rising place, on the strength of which 
I have also invented in some town property which 
brings in a fair rent. The latter, 1 believe in, more 
than farming, as a means of making money, so far 
as my experience goes at present," 
NEW PRODUCTS IN CEYLON. 
(From a correspondent.) 
8th Sept. 1SS1. 
I shall, with your permission, from time to time, 
give yon my experience with new products, as a 
kind of supplement to the very interesting and instruct- 
ive monthly reports of your Western Provinco cor- 
respond, nt. 
Liberian Coffee.— I have about a couple acres vary- 
ing in ago from two to three years. The older 
trees are in full bearing; and their branches, heavily 
tfcttea with berries in all stage* of growth, are a very 
cheering sight. A great mi-take has been mado with 
th tot t roes. They hnvo been allowed to grow more than 
one stem. To one accustomed to the sight of the Arabian 
e,.iie • with its branches trimmed to grow regularly, 
the tangled mass of vegetation which these bu-hes 
present is anything but pleasing. When I took 
charge of this .state, moxt of the younger crecs were 
severely affected with loaf disease. A coffee planter 
of ah. Mil :>() \ im 1 / standi 11 ■ and with three or four years' 
ntperiimce ui Liberian coffee cultivation, passing this 
held of coll' e, put his band over eieh affeoted tri o 
and said : " That tree is no good; it will never recover 
from so severe an attack. " I did not despair. I had 
some ashes on the estate, very old and exposed to the 
rains of more than one monsoon. These I spread and 
forked in about the roots of the affected trees, und, 
as if to t ive the lie to my friend's experience, the 
trees have now a goodly show of strong healthy leaves. 
I believe the effect of the ashes would have been better 
nail 
tch of about two 
acres. This patch had been planted the year before 
and the plants had all died, with the exception of 
one solitary plant. The loss of thesp plants has been 
attributed to crickets and drought. The land was 
over grown with ccrub, which I cleared. The grass on 
the ground I allowed to remain, as I believe it in- 
judicious to quite bare the ground and expose it to 
the baking heat of a tropical sun. I cleared a space 
of about three feet diameter round each hole, and 
planted the seed at stake. Each 6eed was shaded by 
a basket of < oco' ut leaves, like those very c mmon 
in the lowcountry for carrying fruit in. This monsoon, 
or at least the earlier portion of it, was particularly 
dry, and from this cause I lost from 15 to 20 per 
cent of the plants. I supplied the vacancies with seed. 
A very small percentage was lost through the ravages of 
cricket, grub and white ants. The second time, I 
supplied this field with plants grown in small, 
bottomless pots. I did not, as is usual in the hill- 
country, break the pots to get out the plants, but 
got them out by a few gentle taps on the 
sides, which brought the plant" out without 
in the least disturbing the roots. The pots are 
available for further use. The cacao plants are 
put out 12 feet apart in regular squares and are 
guincunxed with Liberian coffee plants. These I put 
out both to economize space and to act as shade for 
the cacao, .is this field has hardly a shade tree on it. 
I am of those who believe that cacao, with all fiuit- 
bearing trees, does not want overhead or dense shade. 
All the shade it wants is about the roots and stems, 
and this the cacao gets in the hillcmtntry whero it 
is planted in the coffee. I have, however, not cal- 
culated solely on the shade the Liberian coffee will 
afford, but attempted to grow castor between the cacao 
plants. This, I thought, will serve the double purpose 
of shade and be profitable besides. The cricket or 
bloodsucker, I don't know which, took a wild de- 
light in cutting down each castor plant as it shewed 
itself above ground. I sowed seed a second time, but 
with a like result. I intend now to put down the 
seed of a wild plant with narrow leaves and which 
grows into a graceful bush of about 10 or 12 feet 
high, which will afford the light shade after my own 
heart. AM the weeding this lield will get from me 
is tho keeping of the circles round caeh plant clean by 
a mamotying once in two months, a general hoeing 
twice a year. 
Tea is yet in the nursery. I intend planting all the 
plants I have in the Liberian coffee field between the 
lines, so that I will not have to incur separate ex- 
penditure for cultivating the product, for which this 
elevation is decidedly too low Warmth and moistnre 
arc said to be necessary for tho profitable cultivation 
of tea. We have the warmth without the moisture. 
In weath. r like the present, we may have a few flushes, 
and if I can make sufficient tea for my requirements 
I shall not complain. 
Cinchona.— A few plants of suceirubra 1 havo put 
down in a narrow belt of jungle. 1 am sorry we have 
no forest reserve on this estate, to enable 1110 to try 
whether dense shade will not make up for elevation. 
Tho shade afforded by tho narrow belt, which is but 
a few f et wide, I am afraid, being insufficient, will 
sorely try the plants I have put down ; but s-> far 
they do uot seoni to have suffered from the elevation, 
I have a nursery with a few hundred plant* in it. 
