720 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [February i, 1882. 
applied, for I may mention that the estate has not 
been recently manured, and has certainly no advant- 
age in climate, soil, or general cultivation, over the 
other estates in the district, with which it is com- 
pared, and previous to Mr. Schrottky's treatment it 
had not suffered less from Jlemileia. 
I should add that no injury whatever from the 
powder could be seen on the tenderest leaf. 
Whatever the ultimate result of the experiment may 
be, the most sceptical observer must admit that, on 
this estate, it has been so far highly satisfactory, and 
such as to justify, at least, further continuance of 
same treatment. J. Shipton. 
II. 
Extract from Mr. Young's, the Visiting Agent's, report on 
Gangapittiya estate, dated 3rd Dec. 1881: — 
" I visited this estate on the 2nd Dec. with Messrs. 
Schrottky, Shipton and Munton, All the coffee was look- 
ing remarkably strong and vigorous. In fact, I do not think 
I have ever seen it looking better ; leaf-disease was 
scarcely to be seen, and it was only after a good deal of 
searching we found diseased leaves here and there, while 
on neighbouring estates there was more or less disease on 
most of the trees." 
III. 
Extracts from estate reports sent by Mr. P. A. Raymond, 
the manager, to Messrs. Whittall & Co. :— 
12th December 1881. 
" The estate books very well indeed. There is more or 
less leaf-disease here and there about the place, but as 
yet it has not spread and there does not appear to be 
more now than there was when Mr. Yonng and Dr. 
Shipton were here." 
21st December 1881. 
" Leaf-disease is showing on various places in Ganga- 
pitiya, it has increased during the last ten days, but as 
yet it is very little, when compared with the other estates 
jn the district." 
2nd January 1882. 
" I am gla-l to be able to report that, during the last 
ten days, there has been no visible increase of leaf-disease 
and no perceptible fall of leaves has taken place. The 
coffee looks remarkably well and the new wood is growing 
apace and as yet lias resisted the disease so well that I 
have great hopes Gangapittiya will pass through the 
season with the minimum evil-effect from leaf-disease. 
Mr. Schrottky's concluding notes : — 
The north-east mon con has passed away, and with in 
the time during which serious attacks of leaf-disease take 
place. We know from experience that during January (or 
in fact during any dry part of the year) we can keep 
the disease successfully within bounds by the carbolized 
powder treatment, and I feel therefore justified in finally 
closing the results of these experiments. 
The above reports on the result of the treatment at 
Gangapitiya estate should be read together with those 
previously published. 
The estate is one that for years past has been chronic- 
ally suffering from leaf-disease, most severely during 
the month of September, October and again during December. 
Leaf-disease began to show in surrounding estates during 
July, and from tli it time forth a series of attacks took place, 
the most severe of which occurred in the middle of Dec. 
The comparative freedom from di-sease enjoyed by 
Gangapittiya estate leaves no room for doubt as to the 
merits of the carbolized powder treatment. 'I be carbolized 
powder on tho estate being finisheu and no more procu able 
in the island, we could not pre.vent,evon if possible, the enorm- 
ous mass of spores supplied ' y the surrounding estates 
affecting Gangapitiya to a small extent during almost t e 
very last week of (for the development of the fungus) 
favourable weather : bat nothing can now qualify or 
reduce iho importance of tho established fact, that the 
carbolized powder treatment has kept this estate, pract- 
ically speaking, freo from disease for six months, during 
all which time it was prevalent in adjoining estates. 
The elements of success here have been :— 
1st. Systematic treatment of the estate during the early 
part of the year. 
2nd. Unremitting attention on the part of the manager, 
Mr. P. A. Raymond. 
The months during which the fungus can be most 
successfully battled with are, in most districts this side 
of Nuwara Eliya, March and April ; very little head- 
way can be made against it at a later period. At 
Gangapitiya estate we succeeded in virtually stamping out 
the disease bythe end of May, and the benefit derived from 
the treatment I am bound to consider mainly due to this. 
We had of course to gain experience as regards time and 
mode of application, and the thanks of the plantiug com- 
munity are due to those of their number who, at a con- 
siderable expense, have carried on experiments which con- 
cerned the whole community; for in not every instance 
has the benefit derived from the treatment been great 
enough to pay for the trouble and expense. And this 
applies more especially to estates where the treatment 
was commenced at what we now know to be a wrong 
time of the year. 
The carbolized powder possesses one great defect. 
It cannot be used with commensurate benefit against 
the fungus when it is most wanted, i. e. during the 
rainy season. The rain washes it into the soil, before it 
can affect the fungus to any appreciable extent. I have, 
however, devised a method of developing the carbolic 
acid vapour, which will make it more active and permanent 
during this critical period; and I shall carefully test it 
before I leave the island. But, during the dry season, with 
sufficient dew to supply moisture for contact, no form 
of carbolic acid will, I am of opmion, be found to give 
better results at such a small cost, as the carbolized powder 
used by me. 
In the resume of my preliminary experiments, dated 7th 
June 1881, 1 stated as my conviction that " if an estate is 
dosed in a proper manner, and a proper time, with this carb- 
olic acid powder, it may be carried through the /« riod of 
an attack with little appreciable damage:" and I think it will 
now be admitted that this has been proved. It cannot 
reasonably be doubted any further that, with some modi- 
fication so as to ensure greater permanency of the action 
of the carbolic acid vapour during rainy weather, the 
treatment recommended by me has some claim to be 
considered a useful and cheap remedy against coffee leaf 
disease. 
EUGENE 0. SCHROTTKY". 
Colombo, 16th January 1882. 
"ALL ABOUT THE COFFEE GRUB." 
We given the following remarks as the critique 
of one of the few who refuse to believe that the 
grub attacks healthy rootlets and who hold that 
the grub is rather a useful scavenger to clear away 
deleterious matter. The writer's sentiments are deserv- 
ing of resx^ect, but he is no more infallible than 
we are in feeling ourselves compelled to arrive at 
a very different conclusion: — 
I have perused with interest your useful little 
publication, ' All About Grub," being the observ- 
ations of Mr. Haldane. It consist of 24 pp. of letter- 
press and 4 plates hand-painted. 
With respect to the cause of grub, surely we have 
not planted more suitable food for the grub than 
that which was its natural food. If so, why then 
does not the grub like the young tender rootlets of 
coffee under the age of four years? 
In the primitive state before coffee was planted, 
food for these creatures must have been more 
abundant than it is now. At the same time we 
must remember that birds and other creatures, which 
kept them in check, were much more plentiful. 
The sour and disordered condition of the soil referred 
to in the essay, has probably more to do wuh it fhaife 
anything else, as being indncive for them to scavenge and 
so cleanse and purify the soil. Note D in the appendix 
