November i, 1881.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
4i5 
great as to utterly eclipse the neighbouring lands, 
and ftow that the opening of I he fresh water canal 
from ab'jve tlm tidal influence of the Kreeau supplies 
the one want, the whole of the lands have no doubt 
been applied for. Further up the river, also, much 
enterprise his existed for a considerable period, and 
Selania and its n -ighbourhood, besides producing large 
quantities of tin, is in a high state of cultivation. 
On the b mks of the river again, near Province Wellesley, 
a very exten-ive sugar estate exists, the energetic 
Chinese proprietor of which has gone in for machinery, 
so that there is a continuous line of eetiled cultiva- 
tion from the mouth of the river for some consider- 
able length of its course, and again near its source. 
Now is 1 his enhanced price fur the land a wise act 
on the part of the Regent and his advisers ? It will, 
of course, if it does not put a stO|j to the opening 
up, add considerably to tlie funds in the Treasury ; 
but is this pecuniary advantage likely to be nullified 
by the uncertainty which will arise in the minds of 
capitalists with reference to the acts of the Perak 
Government ? When other States are contending for 
the patronage of capitalists, it is questionable whether 
it is a wise policy to pursue. Time will show ; but 
if the result is disadvantageous, more harm than a 
return to the easy terms can remedy will be done. 
Surely it would be far better to adhere lo one set 
of conditions, and not change it because it has been 
beneficial. We should have thought that was the 
greatest argument in the system adopted. There may 
be local circumstances which justify the alteration, 
and we can only hope there are, otherwise the change 
is assuredly a penny wise and pouud foolish one. 
DECAY OP EUCALYPTUS AT CHANGA 
MANGA. 
[Indian Forester, July 1881.) 
I see that Mr. J. C. McDonell draws attention 
to the destruction of Eucalyptus at Changa Manga 
Plantation. It is a pity that ho does not state what 
specie* have suffered, or whether only one kind has 
been affected. I was reading lately a paper " On 
the Timber-supply of Australia" by the Hon'ble Mr. 
Krichauff. He says: — "I heard at different times 
the gum trees died without any apparent cause in 
many parts of the colony, especially in the south- 
east. I observed once, many years ago, that our 
blue gums died suddenly over an area of perhaps 
fifteen or twenty acres, in the Bugle Ranges in the 
midst of a well-wooded district. Last summer, how- 
ever, my attention was called to the following alarm- 
ing fact :— On a very large tract of timbered country 
on the Hundred of Stratbalbyn, said to be about 
fifteen or twenty square miles in extent, not a blue 
gum remained alive. All other gums — white, yellow 
or red — were luxuriant, while the blue gums, from 
the largest tree to the smallest sapling, were dry, 
and the birk, already cracked, ready to fall down 
this winter. It was remarkable and perplexing to 
observe the exactly straight boundary line on one 
of the outskirts of this tract of land which I visited. 
Within a few yards all blue gums were dead, and 
Sptlide tho line thoy were as vigorous as ever. My 
timu being short, I could not examine the trees pro- 
perly to ascertain anything further ; but such an 
nomination ought yet to be nude. At all events, 
^explicable as it is to me, I thought it right to 
mention it, so that one or other of my hearers or 
readers may vonturo an explanation, or tho cuigma 
may be solved by c uniiariug the observations of a 
number of p r.sons at different 1 and times, and 
perhaps as regards different kinds of trees." 
In the instance quoted it is tile blue yum (BltCalyptUS 
pbbultu] which alone Buffered. Whs it also this species 
at Cbanga Manga? 
Above, the bine gums were growing in their native 
climate along with their accustomed associates; the 
blue gums suffered but the others flourished. The 
cause might have been supposed to be frost or drought, 
but that blue gums were said to be unaffected on 
the other side of a boundary line. 
Again, one would expect that, if the cause were 
drought, the older trees with roots penetrating more 
deeply would have resisted longer than young sap- 
lings. The other trees, too, even though of hardier 
constitution, would have probably suffered to some 
Thus, though without the opportunity of observing 
the facts, it is rash to hazard an explanation. I 
should imagine that the damage was caused by an 
inroad of animals, perhaps rats and mice, or other 
rodents. I should examine the roots of a tree that 
bad shown signs of suffering, to see if it had been 
gnawed, and also search for any other indications of 
the presence of animals, such as their holes, droppings, 
&c. Or the evil might be due to fungus ; and per- 
haps this is more in accordance with the fact of the 
boundary line separating the invaded tract from the 
flourishing tract alongside. The intervening few yards 
of cleared land forming the boundry line might 
readily be crossed by »uch animals as rats and mice, 
but the mycelium of fungus would take some time 
to cross it, or be stopped for want of nourishment. 
White ants are generally credited with forbearing 
any living tree, and besides they are certainly not 
exclusively partial to blue gum. So I think we must 
seek the cause of death in some peculiarity of the 
species. The malady may have attacked other vital 
parts, for instance the cambium ; but the roots, I 
think, are most vital — the most lik< ly seat of the evil. 
The Revue des Eaux et Forits for November 1880 
contains an interesting paper on the " Maladie ronde " 
which ravages the pine forests in Sologne. The writer 
comes to the conclusion that the malady, which 
attacks the Maritime and Scotch pine?, is due to the 
mycelium of certain fungi, notably the Rhyzina v.n- 
dulata (Fries.)— F. B. M. 
SILK GROWING IN AMERICA. 
The rapid growth of the silk manufacturing interest 
in the United States was recently made evident in 
these columns by a review of the census statistics 
gathered by Mr. Wycoff. Commenting upon the same 
facts, and the superior quality of American manu- 
factured silk, the Philadelphia Puhlic Ledger gives a 
large amouut of interesting information touching the 
production of raw silk and its possibilities in the 
United States. 
"It is as easy to raise cocoons as sheep — easier. 
The intermediate stages between the cocoon and the 
factory have yet to be undertaken, but cocoon? and 
eggs are both" raised in this State, in North Carolina, 
and in Missouri, for sale and export. The shearing 
of the cocoons or tho filature is the step that has to 
be taken on an extended scale. The great cocoon 
market for tho world is Marseilles. The silk lila'ures 
are grouped in tho departments around Lyons, and 
the French raised cocoons are consumed in the immedi- 
ate neighbourhood in whioh they are raised ; but 
the foreign cocoons, coming from all countries, ara 
distributed from Marseilles, and there they are pur- 
chased to the best advantage. Consul Peixotto points 
out in a private letter to tho American Minister at 
Paris, in answer to some enquiries made through Mr, 
Noyes by the Philadelphia silk school, that Americau- 
grown cocoons can bo sold at Marseille* as readily as 
any others, as soon ns the quality and e peoially the 
uniformity of tho cocoons become known in the mark* 
et*. By tho efforts of this school American-grown 
cocoons will doubtless soon bo placed on sale in this 
