552 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [December i, i88i. 
(The Editor of the " Tropical Agriculturist."' ) 
LEAF DISEASE IN LOWEK MAT ALE. 
Lower Matale, 20th Nov. 1881. 
Dear Sir, — During December and January last, the 
coffee hereabout suffered very much from a severe and 
prolonged attack of leaf disease. The ground became 
thickly covered with fallen leaf, the denuded branches 
blackened and died oft, while a very fine blossom, which 
had previously seemed to have set well in the most 
favourable weather, also blackened and died off. In 
fact, on my return after a few days' absence, the coffee 
looked as if a fire had passed over it. In this forcing 
climate, however, the coffee with a good pruning quickly 
recovered, and though the crop is moderate and late, 
yet till the other day I have never since seen any 
appreciable leaf disease, while the trees have been better 
and more largely clothed with leaf and wood than I have 
known them to be for many years back. A few days 
ago, however, I noticed leaf disease rather bad here 
and there in all stages, while in parts there had been a 
rather heavy fall of leaf, particularly on trees that had 
cropped well. I may mention that the latter part of 
the S.W. and the early part of the N.E. monsoons have 
been very showery, but that the coffee is very little 
exposed to the wind of either monsoon : of the latter 
monsoon there has as yet been hardly a breath. The 
soil is good, the coffee well cultivated, and is quite an 
average for lowcountry, the elevation being from 1,200 
to 1,500 feet. 
Returning home yesterday morning, I thought I would 
pass through an estate in the neighbourhood which I 
knew had been systematically " schrottkied," just to com- 
pare notes. This estate is in all respects very similar 
to this, though perhaps not so well cultivated as regards 
weeding and pruning, but under Mr. Schrottky's direc- 
tions, the whole of its coffee was treated with his po v- 
der. Later on I understand this was done a second 
time, and that, besides, any trees showing signs of disease 
had one or two other applications. Mr. Ward may per- 
haps be interested in hearing that early in the year the 
fallen coflee leaves were carefully collected and burned 
all over the estate. I would just further add that this 
property, like my own, is well surrounded with chenas 
and paddy-fields, with the exception maybe of a few 
small coffee gardens. 
As I approached the estate, I perceived a very fine 
coral plant clearing, but, on passing through it, I dis- 
covered this was merely shade and shelter for chocolate 
and Liberian of all ages, from three years downwards. 
I w T as sorry to notice a little leaf disease both in the 
pin-spot and germinating stages on several of the Libe- 
rian plants, and some rather bad on a few younger spec> 
mens. As I reached the store, I observed a large pile 
of empty barrels, wliich I concluded had brought up the 
mixture. Round about I saw a good deal of very vigor- 
ous looking coffee, which, after careful examination, 
seemed to be practically free from disease. As, how- 
ever, I have such patches on my own unschrottkied 
place, I determined to advance, and I veiy quickly came 
upon coffee with the fell disease in all its glory, in all 
its stages, quite as bad as anything I have. And yet 
this coffee had been several times treated with Mr. 
Schrottky's mixtm-e, the last as late as last month or 
early La this, and the foliage was even yet largely covered 
with the mixture. The pest seemed chiefly in the fruit- 
Lag stage, and the spores appeared to be remarkably 
healthy an.l well-coloured. One little collection of spores 
sevi iral particles of the mixture right on the top 
of them, so that apparently the filament had grown 
right out of a stoma and fruited, quite unaffected by 
the little pile of mixture over or near. The pin-spots 
generally looked healthy, and I do not think more had 
gone bad than the usual percentage resulting from natural 
causes. Near the bungalow I was shown a few trees 
of vigorous coffee, which I was told liad been treated 
six times with the mixture during the last ten months. 
On these I found abundant healthy leaf disease. On 
the other hand, I found one redeeming promising point. 
There seemed to be no fresh fall of the leaf, and, con- 
sidering the comparative less vigour of the trees, one 
would have expected to find a very considerable fall. 
Still, it does not follow, that this absence of fall is a 
result of the Schrottky treatment. The time for the 
fall then may not have yet come, or it may be retarded 
by some unknown natural cause, or it may have taken 
place some time ago. Nevertheless, there is the fact, and 
Mr. Schrottky is entitled to make the most of it. If at a 
small cost we can only manage to prolong the attach- 
ment of the leaf, the benefit woidd be enormous, and 
would give promise of hope for something further. But, 
so far as the warding off of the disease, his system, I 
fear, is practically a failure. 
I tliink it was this gentleman who reminded us that 
one fact was better than a dozen theories. Let him 
then come up and study these facts, instead of wasting 
his time theorizing on paper to Government. I wish 
him every success, partly for my own interests, and 
partly because he has worked away at the practical 
part, and mainly at his own expense. Whereas, at the 
country's expense, Mr. Ward has laboured diligently for 
the scientific world. Any practical suggestions made by 
him have been little more than a re-warming of the 
recommendations of others. Shortly after his arrival he 
told me, that, if he found he could do the planters no 
good, he would pack up and be gone. 'T is a pity that 
he only found out this sorry result, just as his term 
of engagement was about to expire. As he is if any- 
thing more confident and dogmatic than Mr. Monis was, 
it is to be hoped that his " life history," when he is 
gone, will not also be found wanting ; but when one thinks 
of host plants and the imperfectly followed up class 
of spore, one feels not merely practically uubenefited, 
but also scientifically doubtful.— Yours truly, 
A. G. K. BORRON. 
Jamaica. — The Gleaner complains that the export 
of walking-sticks threatens the extinction of the pi- 
mento, from which such caues are cut, the negroes 
s'ealing them from the pimento walks. The islaud still 
escapes the yellow fever now raging in other West 
Indian Colonies. Sir Anthony Musgrave has contra- 
dieted a report that he would be immediately succeed- 
ed in the Governorship by Sir Henry lining. The 
port of Havana (Cuba) has been declared infected. — 
Colonies and India. 
Tea Farm. — The American Grocer speaks as follows 
of an experimental tea farm started by the United 
States Government : — 'Tiie Commissioner of Agricul- 
ture, Hon. W. G. LeDuc, has recently leased for 
twenty years two hundred acres of land to be used 
as an experimental tea farm It is situated at Sum- 
merville, C, twenty-two miles north- w st of Char- 
leston on the line of railway running from Charleston 
to Augusta. Lands were first examined in Florida 
in the vicinity of Jacksonville and along the St. 
John's River as far as Palatka. Tea plants that had 
been furnished hy the D partment were found grow- 
ing in a thrifty manner. The farm in Soutb Caro- 
lina is to be placed in charge of an expert whose 
experience was acquired in tea cultivation in India. 
The Commissioner is firm in the belief that tea cul- 
ture can be made a profitable industry in the United 
Stat s. There would be a better chance for success 
were the enterprise not dependent upon the whims 
of Congress." — Produce Markets Review. 
