February i, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
673 
CINCHONA CULTURE IN MADULSIMA. 
Our attention lias been attracted to Mr. Symons' 
analyses of cinchona bark taken from trees only 
two to throe years old on Cocogalla estate, Madul- 
" Copy of analyses of Cocogalla cinchona barks, 
November 28th, 18S1 :— 
Ledgeriana 4"41G 
Officinalis 1 433 
Condaminea 2 233 
all 2 to 3 years old barks. C. E. S. " 
There can be no doubt of the very promising char- 
acter of these analyses, but we do uot quite under- 
stand the distinction drawn between "officinalis" 
and "Condaminea." Does the latter term in this 
case refer to the fast-growing, robust "hybrid," as 
Dr. Trimen inclines to consider it? If so, ils su- 
periority to ordinary crown bark is hero very marked. 
NEW PRODUCTS IN CEYLON. 
Lowcountry, 12th Dec. 1881. 
A. quarter has elapsed since my last report. My plant, 
ing operations in the interval have been almost nil. 
Now that I liml we have had such a wet season, I am 
heartily sorry 1 did not plant for the N.E. rains. The 
failure of the south-west monsoon deceived me. Every 
interval of bright weather 1 looked upon as the end of 
the rains, and so on from day to day, till we have now 
reached I fear the tail-end of the wet season. In 
spite of the season being so vet, and it being spoken 
of as a most favourable one for planting operations 
in the lowcountry, I have been most unsuccessful 
w{tb. my BOUth«west monsoon planting. In' the inter- 
vals of fine weather we have had, the sun shone with 
a fierceness that entirely scorched the heads of my 
plants that had been tor months in the ground, and 
wIikIi 1 Fondly hoped had established themselves suffici- 
ently, to be proof against hot weather for a long while. 
My experience of planting in the lowcountry, though 
short, has been in what is generally called a favourable 
season, and, if, in spite of the season being favourable, 
1 was so unsuccessful in my planting, I think I can 
safely attribute my "want of success to planting new 
products without shade — natural, overhead shade. As 
far as shading with twigs, ferns, &c, was concerned, 
my plants were amply shaded ; but I am convinced 
this does not make up for tree shade. If I had the 
planting of new products in the lowcountry, I would, 
when felling, clear only the undergrowth, and such 
big trees as wore too closo to each other — tho shade 
trees, if in a cacao field, to be permanent, with occa- 
sional lopping : if in a field of Liberian coffee, to be 
gradually removed from the 2nd to the 3rd year of 
the planting. The patch 1 last reported as being 
planted with cacao, and quincanxed with Liberian 
coffer, and which was coining on tolerably well, is 
now .ill but bare. In "pite of repeated shading, tho 
■e«k of hot scorching sun we had towards the middle 
of October played sad havoc with these plants. Castor 
seed for shade I planted three or four limes over in 
uja field, but the young plants only served to afford 
gmuiemenl to crickets in their destructive propensi- 
ties. When next 1 plan! this field, I intend to 
shade it with manioc cuttings stuck at intervals, or 
with a brinjal plant put down about 12 or 15 inches 
from fiach cacao plant, so as to completely oVershadow 
it in a short while. The brinjal plants can be 
tlnnnr.l From time to time as occasion requires, In the 
meantime, 1 um providing for permanent shade with 
fruit plants, which, as they grow up, will serve as 
support* lor vanilla ce- pem; hi that this field will 
bo n cacao walk, orchard and yanillerie combined if 
my planting pmves hiicci'xmI'iiI My ten plants are 
already in the Liberitu coffee patph where 1 intended 
planting Ihein, and are doing BZOI cdingly well. 1 
167 
have not as yet discovered one failure, and I attribute 
my success mainly to using two clips of bamboo, 
or what, is commonly known as Phipson's transplanter, 
in pulling up my plants. I can recommend this as a 
cheap and efficient transplanter. Bamboo has only 
one drawback, its thickness, which occupies too mucii 
space. I purpose getting a transplanter made, some, 
thing like a garden trowel, only not so broad, for 
then too much earth will be removed with each plant. 
A pair of those and paper cones to receive the 
plants will be as efficient, and a far cheaper trans- 
planter than any yet invented. As far as I can judge, 
the cinchona plants I mentioned as having been 
planted in a narrow belt of jungle have made no 
progress at all, even in this weather. The plants in 
the nursery too are mostly all dying out ; so that I 
(ear that does not make up for want of elevation. 
I have taken in my crop of tobacco. Its sale will 
settle the question whether cultivating this product 
on a small scale will pay. I very much fear it will 
not. Curing is a slow, tedious, and consequently 
costly operation. I think this cultivation ought to 
be undertaken on what is known as the gowiya sys- 
tem. By that the owner of the ground must prepare 
the ground for planting and contribute half the 
labour towards planting. After that ho has nothing 
to do but to wait till the crop is cured to get his 
half-share. Each gowiya is supposed to be able to 
tend only 500 plants : that is water and manure 
them. Watering I must say is a very costly opera- 
tion. I was to a great extent saved the cost of this 
by timely rain. What I want greatly to learn is a 
proper mode of curing. The native style is at the 
best defective. Though I appealed directly to Messrs. 
Macartney and Bisset in my last for a few hints, 
none have been given. Am I to infer that they wish 
to keep the special knowledge they have acquired to 
themselves ? I am likely to prove no rival to them, 
as I have barely an acre of ground to grow tobacco 
in. Let me again ask these gentlemen for a few hints 
on the 6tyle of cultivation and curing. 
South Coorg, 28th Nov. 1SS1. — I have to thank your 
Maskeliya correspondent for the; information regarding 
his cinchonas. 1 do not expect ours will equal his, 
at the same age, as we have a long and trying dry 
season to contend with, when, for a time, all vegetable 
growth seems to beat a stand still. It is very satisfact- 
ory, however, to know we have no cause for complaint. 
The weather, at all times much abused, has during 
the past two months been censured in tho strongest, 
and, at times, not the choicest language, the prover- 
bial oldest inhabitant never having experienced its 
like. Not being the " proverbial old man," I simply 
take the past five years of which I have authentic 
written record, and find the past October has been 
tho dryest of any, excepting 1S70. Tho total rainfall 
was only L "51 inch, against an average of 6 '446 for 
past five years. Whilst ( Ictobcr was the dryest, Novem- 
ber has been tho exaet reverse. During the past IS 
days the sun never once showed his face, and on 16 
days wo had rain, tho total being S lfl inches. This is 
far ahovo our average, which is only 1 '342 for the whole 
month. With tluu wo are still nearly ten inches be- 
low tho average, and that amount tells greatly where 
the average is only ">4 '330 for tho year. We can expect 
but little in December, the average for which is "JMi. 
The result of short ruinlall is already tolling at our 
pulpiuil-houses : many estates being short ami i-cveral 
with none, so that tho crop has to bo carted to 
sumo more favoured estate and cured there. Crops 
are ripening l ant, anil as a rule are to bo well 
up to estimates, nuiio few being over. This variance 
i» alike pi easing p^nnetors ami itinerant agents. 
The average rate for picking has Ix'en ol>out two an- 
nas for a neaped box It cube, but there is a tendency 
