November t, 1881.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
457 
their villngi j;, an 1 at pn : nt tiler ■ is uo surplu ; ol 
coolie?, but scarcity, in many districts where coolies 
are required for planting; or to assist in taking in a 
larger crop than usual. 
Roads— Railway and Tkansport.— Roads at pre- 
sent are generally in good order, probably owing to 
the traffic being little than in former years. On the 
Dikoya road there has been a great increase of traffic, 
on account of the railway works, and it is a very com- 
mon thing for carts going to Dimbula taking this 
route, which, though longer, is easier than the Kot- 
male road. There is no valid reason why Govern- 
ment should any longer refuse to undertake the en- 
tiro upkeep of this road, seeing so much extra traffic 
is thrown upon it. 
The coaches now running on the Dimbula and Dik- 
oya roads are a great convenience, and are well patron- 
ized. 
Manuring^ &c. — Very few estates are now able to 
afford artificial manure, and many long ago broke up 
their caitle establishments. However not a few old 
estates still retain their cattle, it being well under- 
stood that to give up manuring where it has been 
continued for years is almost equivalent to throwing 
up the estate, and this is especially the case with 
old coffee. Wliere it can be done, manuring still 
pays ; the trees are kept in good heart, and a larger 
proportion of the blossom sets. 
Medical Okdinance and Health of Coolies.— 
Medical Committees have been doing their utmost to 
keep down expenditure, and reduce the assessment 
to rates that estates can pay. It is the manifest 
duty of Government in the present depressed state 
of the coffee industry to remove this burden from 
the shoulders of the planters, and let it be borne by 
the general revenue. It will probably come to this 
in the end, and the sooner the better. On low- 
country estates there has been a good deal of sick- 
ness during the past six months, but not so much 
a9 there has been among the Sinhalese in the villages. 
Enrunegala has boen unusually unhealthy for many 
months, but is now improving. 
KEW PRODUCTS :— CINCHONA, TEA, CACAO, CARDAMOMS. 
Cinchona — The planting up of cinchona in coffee 
has boen more general than ever this year, and where 
it is not being doue, or done on a small scale, the 
reason is that sufficient forethought was not given 
to the preparation of • nurseries, and the purchase of 
plants cannot he afforded. Planters have at last come 
to realize that Arabiau coffeo alone cannot now be 
depended on, and something else must be planted 
along with it. Cinchona answers this purpose best, 
where tho elevation is suitable, but succirubra 
cannot be planted with more than 200 trees to the 
acre without injuring tho coffee, and the branches 
must bo kept well lopped. vVhen succirubra i3 over 
6 years old, 100 trees per acre are as many as can bo 
had, without serious injury to tho coffee. In the 
case of officinalis, much closer planting i9 practicable 
without harm to the coffee, and as many as 1,200 to 
1,500 per acre may be planted, if they are thinned 
out when they re ich 4 years old. 
Ti: v.— No cultivated plant seems to grow so well and 
readily as tea, and there cannot be tho slightest 
flonbt that when Ceylon tea planters have attained 
the requisite skill in the manufacture of it they will 
be able to compote successfully with Indian teas. We 
HV6 great advantages over tho Indian tea districts 
in climate, labour, and means of transport, and we 
shall b" able to put our tea on board ship at a lower 
cost than it is possible for them to do it. What we 
require is to give increased attoution to "manufact- 
ure,' atul be able to turn out really good tens, and 
then without doubt tea cultivation will be one of tho 
best investments in the Island. 
Coooa. — Nothing is likely to pay better than cocoa, 
115 
but it will not grow everywhere. Good, deep soil is 
required, and perfect shelter from wind. Under 
these conditions it, will pay handsomely. It grows 
well up to 2,000 feet, and even higher. It does not 
object to a rainfall of 150 inches, and finer trees or 
pods cannot be seen everywhere than tho?e Mr. Drum- 
monrl can show on Gang-warily, where there is a con- 
siderable rainfall. 
Cardamoms. — The area under cardamoms is rapidly 
increasing. They can be grown from a few hundreds 
up to 4,000 feet, although they bear best at from 
2,000 to 3,000 feet. Tho cultivation is very simple, 
and a very moderate capital is required. Should a 
large quantity be produced, many fear there will be a 
fall in the price. Those who are fortunate enough at 
present to have an acreage of cardamoms in bearing arc 
reaping a rich harvest. 
TROPICAL AGRICULTURE IN THE 
SEYCHELLES ISLANDS. 
The Ceylon Government Gazette gives as a Supplement 
a report by the acting Civil Commissioner of the Sey- 
chelles, Mr. Cockbum Stewart, (formerly Private 
Secretary to Sir Hercules Robinson in Ceylon) 
on the agricultural resources of those depen- 
dencies of Mauritius, and observations on the 
same by Mr. J. Home, Director of Forests 
and Gardens at Mauritius. These are published at the 
request of the Mauritius Government in the hope 
that capital will be attracted to the islands. Un- 
fortunately Ceylon has at present no capital to spare, 
but some of our planters may wish to try their 
fortunes in the Seychelles, and shew the Seychellois 
"how to do it" with regard to coffee, &c. But it 
will be seen that they will have to undergo fumiga- 
tion on arrival there, lest some of the insidious 
spores of hemileia should be concealed about their 
persons ! Mr. Stewart's letter is dated 20th June, 
and is addressed to the acting Colonial Secretary at 
Mauritius. He begins by stating that the present is 
a turning-point with regard to the future prosperity 
of the islands, on account, of the coconut disease 
having assumed such alarming proportions as to 
threaten the extinction of that product. It is, there- 
fore, all the more necessary for other products old 
or new to be extended or introduced. Hitherto the 
area of Mah<5, the principal island, has been un- 
ascertained, the report of Mr. Salmon for 187S putting 
it down at 110 square miles, or 70,400 acres, of 
which 40,000 were estimated to be forest. Mr. Stewart 
has had careful measurements taken, however, which 
show that the total acreage is only 34,749 acres. He 
says : — 
" Of these 34,749 acres, about 12,000 acres are planted 
in coconuts, and 9,500, as according to a return 
which I caused to be prepared, are divided into estates 
not planted with coccuut-i, and of which about 500 
acres arc planted with vanilla, cocoa, coffee, cloves, 
maise, manioc, &c., and 1,500 is forest. The addition 
of theso figures, viz :— 12,000, 9,500, 1,500, gives 
2-1,000 acres. We find that there remain 1 1,749 acres 
of non cultivated and waste land. Of these 11,749 
acres, | 8,000 aro well suited for vanilla, cocoa and coffee 
planting, which, witli the 9,0tK) acres referred to above 
as divided into estates not planted with coconut*, 
gives a total of 17,000 acres of land admirably suited 
to tho production of every knowu spice, vanilla, 
cocoa, and coffee." 
Tho three principal products of Seychelles in tho 
future ho says will be vanilla, cocoa, and Libcrian 
coffee. Of vanilla there wero 150 acres planted, one- 
half being in bearing. At the last Paris exhibition 
