January 2, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
627 
in the same degree. With this I cannot agree. I 
consider, on the other hand, that the condition of 
the tree, and consequently of tho leaves, at the time 
of infection, has a great deal to do with the degree 
in which it is affected by Hcmikia. 
In support of this view, I will try and describe 
three fields on this estate and leave it to my readers 
to judge if my inference is correct or not :— 
(1.) A field facing the north-e;ist— it is not there- 
fore much blown — whs not pruned this year, and, 
though it looked well in June, the disease attacked 
it in a virulent form in July and has not left it since. 
(2.) A field of 4 year old coffee that has a crop 
of about 5 cwt. an acre on it, was pruned in June : 
up to the 15th November there was no disease appar- 
ent on it. 
(3.) A field of 3 year old coffee, which was 
planted with coffee raised from seed selected from 
strong and healthy trees : this is a very fine 
field for its age. It had a particularly good crop 
la'" year and is bearing 9 cwt. to 6i cwt. an acre 
this year, and until October this year there has been 
110 disease at all on it. 
In tho case of No. 1, there was too much 
"wood" on the tree. The individual branches, 
therefore, were not vigorous and the leaves were 
not strong enough to withstand tho disease. In the 
case of No. 2 on ihc other baud, none but the strong 
branches wore left on when the trees were pruned before 
the attack ; the vigor of these branches whs increased 
in 1 he pruning off of others : s-o when leaf-disease 
came, the leaves were hard and strong, and the disease 
passed from tin m without being able to injure them. 
Ca-e No. 3 shows, I think that, if the coffee is sufficiently 
strong, it can withstand hemikia for two years and 
more : this field certainlj has leaf-disease now but this 
is accounted for by the fact that in some parts it 
HIS 
the leaf is aol 
jcribes from en 
3ut to return t 
>w, by quoting 
what 1 say," 
ke by hemileia. 
in the 
tissue 
Ward 
:xpr< 
think I can 
" something 
not a fleeted 
e report and 
:— "Careful 
md that all 
On tho first 1 
we find this < 
cultivation and natural advantagi 
enubleccrtiinestatestostand forth prominently as though 
lenf-di -ease did not all'cct them or only to a slight 
extent, while poor nutrition ; the ravages of ineeds, &c, 
have in other cases that effect as well as leaf-disease." 
I read this as going far to prove that there arc certain 
Conditions of coffee which render it easy for and liable 
to attacks, and that there are others which enable it 
to withstand these attacks. On page six, it is said:— 
'a mcculent young leaf with thin c -Mules sometimes | 
devol ve* a spo1 more rapidly, probably because the cells 
arc more olosoly emptied by the mycelium than are those 
of an adult leathery leaf." Now it is admitted that tho 
disease is developed in different degrees on leaves of 
different textures. 
On pago 13 we find :— " High and oxpnsed ridges 
and places are commonly badly diseased. " 'I bis is 
not on account of moisture ; it must bo, therefore, 
Beoau e the tree* are weak and more prone to disease. 
On pago I.") : — "Tho reasons why this district Buffered 
ngg suoh a had attack of leaf disease in July have 
trendy been detailed, and it will be noticed that 
when the winds commenced, a largo surface of noumj 
1(1 succulent leaves was ready to rooeivo the spores 
of Hemileia." Again, on the same page : — " It is 
clear that leaves are formed more slowly from Janu- 
ary to March than from April to June, lor instance 
(in the districts referred to), but the advantage 
gained by either having fewer leaves on the trees in 
May and June, or man;/ hardened one? would prob- 
ably be a decided one." 
These phrases seem to me to say clearly that young 
and succulent leaves take the disease more readily 
than hardened ones, and, if this is the case, as I 
maintain it is, I do not think it can be said that 
there is "no special predisposition for infection," or, 
in other words, that all coffee, whatever its condi- 
tion, takes the disease in the same degree. 
In conclusion, I will say that I consider, on the 
whole, Mr. Ward's report an exhaustive and able 
treatment of the subject, and capable of rendering 
planters much assistance. Wc have now, however, 
all that can be taught us by scientific men about 
Hemileia, and it is for practical planters, in working 
their coffee, to study the disease. I must say, I 
think there is a good deal to be found out yet as 
to the best time to prune and manure with a view 
to dodging the disease in July and August, and 
having healthy wood ready to blossom in January. 
— I remain, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
G. "A. TALBOT. 
CINCHONA COOCINEA. 
Badulla, 30th November 1881. 
Deak Sir, — In Doctor Tri men's remarks on Colom l 
Beddome's Report, he tells us that Dr. Spruce with 
Mr. J. E. Howard has long ago determined his " Pata 
do Gallinazo to be Coccinea Pav. Having some 
time ago come across some large trees which answer 
exactly to the drawing of this species in the " Illust. 
Nuew Quinol.," I should very much like to learn if 
this C'occinea bark is of much value. The trees grow 
quite as large as succirubra, but the leaves are smaller 
and round with pink veins. The fruit is very much 
shorter than that of succirubra and almost round. — 
Yours truly, B. G. 
[Perhaps Dr. Trillion will answer this question. 
Personally we have no knowledge of the species re- 
ferred to. The important question, however, is what is 
the quality of the bark of our correspondent's tree; 
and this analysis will at once decide. The only 
refereuce to the red bark, " Pata do Gallinazo," we 
can find iu Markhain's book, is as follows : — 
Dr. Spruce, from his observations iu the Pumachaca 
forest, came to the conclusion that the "redbirk" 
trees grow best on stouy declivities, where there is, 
however, a good depih of humus, at an elevation of 
from 3000 to 5000 feet above tho sea. The temperat- 
ure was very like that of a summer day in Loudon, 
but with cold mists towards evening, and from 
January to May unceasing rain. He found the cin- 
chona trees, in this part of tho country, almost entirely 
extirpated, and. after a short stay at Lucmas, he pro- 
ceeded to examine tho region of the " hill barks," or 
cascarillaa serranaa, which is at an elevation of 8,500 to 
0,000 feet, on both sides of the river Chanehan. In 
tho forest of Uollo, at tho foot of the mountain of 
Asuay, ho found two kind?, called by tho natives 
cuchi-cara (pig skin) and pata de i/allinazo ; * and on 
a btony bill sido thero wore twenty large trees of the 
former, from 10 to 50 feet high. 
Dr. Trimen has-, said thai C. ooccmea as illustrated 
from authentic Bpocimous, is quite unliko our Coylou 
" robust* u (hybrid). If onr oomtpoudeat would scud 
■peoimeni of "tho loaves (and flower) of his tree* to 
Peradeniya, wo have no doubt they would bo examined 
with. interest. Uan b trace tho history of his trees? — 
Ed.] 
