494 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [December i, 1881. 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
ALUM A CURE FOR WHITE ANTS ATTACKING 
COCO PALMS AND CACAO PLANTS. 
Matale, 13th October. 
Dear Sib, — I have been trying to grow coconuts 
for a long time, but have found that the greatest 
enen.y I had to contend with was wliiteants. To 
prevent these destructive insects from attacking the 
young plants, I only knew o£ the sawdust of five 
different kinds of woods, namely jak, sapu, del, 
wavarmne or javarenne and lunumadilla, but as 
the sawyers asked me 50 cents a bushel for the 
sawdust, I found it too expensive, and so had to 
look about for something else. Seeing in your Directory 
that alum is a preventative of several noxious insects, 
I thought I would try it for whiteants. Nearly 
two months ago I put down about a dozen young 
plants, and underneath and all round them I sprinkled 
powdered alum (about one tablespoonful to a plant), 
since which time I have not se< n a whiteaut near 
them, although in one or two places where I planted 
them I had previously lost several— this over a 
period of more than 5 years. I therefore conclude 
that alum is a decided success. It is quite possible 
that powdered alum may also turn out to be a 
preventative of grub. I mentioned my experiment 
to Mr. E. Grigson, and he said he would give 
it a trial ^for grub. I have no doubt that if he does 
do so and finds it succeed, he will let the public know 
through your columns. 
I may mention that I found the whiteants had 
attacked a cacao plant. I therefore sprinkled a little 
powdered alum round it, and, as it was dry weather, 
I watered it once, immediately after applying the 
alum, and I am happy to say that the whiteants 
have left it, and it is now flourishing. I give you 
this in the hope that it may turn out of use to any 
who have been pestered, as I have been, with white- 
ants. I fancy for grub about 2 lb. per acre would 
be enough, and, as it is procurable in the bazars at 
from 19 to 25 cents per lb. (if a success) it would 
be cheaper than collecting the beetles as at present. — 
Yours faithfully, L. E. K. 
P.S. — Mr, Ward may, perhaps, find that alum may 
be useful in the cure of leaf disease. 
PLANTING OPERATIONS IN THE PANWILA 
DISTRICT. 
Maria, 14th October 1881. 
Dear Sir, — Will you allow me to thank those 
gentlemen who visited this estate since my challenge 
made last July : all have expressed themselves satis- 
fied. 
I would feel obliged for a visit from those gentlemen 
who visited this estate between July and November 1880, 
when I showed them some fields which were then 
bearing about 15 cwt per acre. Some then thought 
the trees would not be able to bear any crop this 
year ; they (no doubt remembering the field) will be 
agreeably surprized even this year to find a crop of 
from 10 to 12 cwt. per acre and trees looking more 
fit for another crop next year than they looked last 
year. 
The weather for the last three months being very 
dry, our trees are somewhat feeling the want of rain ; 
some crop is lost at the end of branches and the beans 
of our first picking was rather small. But the coffee 
we are now gathering will be of larger size and as soon 
ii a rain sets in the crop will ripen: that is from 
February blossom. But our crop from April blossom 
will not be ready to pick till the end of November 
or middle of December. Whereas the Planters' Asso- 
ciation gave a prize for an essay on opening a new 
Arabian coffee estate (now not wanted, so some say); then 
for elaborate buildings which sosomesay was notrequired; 
and then sp-nt so much money on a sulphur and lime 
cure book before it was proved a success — I think that 
the planters ought to reward me as the champion of 
Arabian coffee who have proved beyond a doubt that 
Arabian coffee even with leaf disease can and will 
pay handsome profits (if properly worked); at least 
with a small outlay. Cocoa is doing first late and I 
trust next year to show both cocoa and coffee Ride 
by side (cocoa planted in 40 acres between coffee) 
giving good crops. This year the cocoa is giving the 
first (maiden) crop ; there are only some 200 trees in 
full bearing this year, which are full of crop. — Yours 
truly, J. HOLLO WAY. 
CINCHONA CULTIVATION: 
WHAT ISC. PUBESCENS (INDIAN VAR.)? 
Dear Sirs, — What are we in Ceylon cultivating under 
the name of C . pubescens ? 
Mr. Cross, in his late report of the Indian Govern- 
ment's Nilgiri Cinchona Plantations, after shewing 
what are Condamineas, goes on to say : — " But that 
known as Pubescens, and specially claimed as a hybrids 
is a narrow leaved variety of red bark from Soute 
America." The South American bark collectors called 
it " Pata de Gallinazo" in contradistinction to the 
large leaved or "Teja" bark. So far well; the Nilgir, 
pubescens, can be a red bark and yet be very value 
able, but here comes an anomaly. Howard in his 
" Quinology de Pavon " gives this variety called ,; Pata 
de Gallinazo" and calls it " Nitide C. Peruviana" 
and says its bark is comparatively useless in commerce. 
Both Mr. Howard and Mr. Cross are authorities on 
cinchona. The latter doubtless saw this variety growing 
when collecting with Markham and would not be likely 
to make a mistake in identity. The question there- 
fore remains, are we in Ceylon cultivating a com- 
paratively useless bark or not? Any information tending 
to clear up the above, will, I am sure, be gladly re- 
ceived by proprietors of C. pubescens and all cinchona 
planters. The best and most reassuring w ould be the 
results of a sale of bark, if any Ceylon grown has 
reached the London market yet ? — Yours faithfully, 
TEJA. 
[" Teja " cannot have the " Cinchona Planters' Manu- 
al " by him — indispensable, it may be said to be, to 
all who wish to have the answers to such questions 
as the above. On page 43, he will read : — 
" G. pubescens, generally considered a cross between 
officinalis and mcciruhra, has a bark very rich in 
alkaloids. It has a stem free from lichens, grows 
very luxuriantly, and renews its bark rapidly. Mr. 
Mclvor says of it: — ' Up to the present time C. sue- 
cirubra has produced in the same period of growth 
more than twice as much stem bark as any other 
species we have in cultivation, andC. pubescens Howard* 
will produce nearly twice as much stem bark in the 
same period of growth as C. succirubra.' It is very 
unlikely that such extremely sanguine hopes will be 
realized, but its robustness of growth seems undoubted. 
De Vrij got from a specimen of the bark of this 
hybrid 9 47 per cent of alkaloids, of which 5 - 728 was 
pure quinine, sulphate of quinine being 7 637. From 
another sample analysed by Howard, the return was 
12 90 per cent of alkaloids, of which 6 94 was sul- 
phate of quinine. A tree yielding such quantities of 
splendid bark is simply invaluable, but being a hybrid, 
plants raised from its seed are but little to be de- 
pended on as being true to type; indeed in some cases 
its bark is said to have been found altogether devoid 
of alkaloid. The preceding analyses are undoubtedly 
* Mr. Howard does not wish hie name to be con 
nected with " Pubescens."— Ed. 
