fMtTAHY t, 1 882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
however was considered by all lo he inferior in color, 
and by some also in size. On the other hand the 
untreated coffee with a lew expenditure by R 20 "47 per 
acre gave 1-Cth of a bushel more per acre of parchment 
worth at 1 ho rate of it 10 per bushel R1'66. It is true 
that the parchment had a larfier percentage of light, 
but as the whole was under 5 per cent, this need 
uol, be taken into account. 
It is to bo exceedingly regretted that Mr. Ward 
iu no way refers to Liberian coffee in connection with 
leaf disease or Hemileia vanlatrix. Those who have 
invested in this product, are naturally anxious to 
know if it be, as is supposed, lose predisposed than 
Arabian coffee, and if it be so, is it likely lo continue 
so? Mr. Ward ought not to be allowed to leave the 
country till he can speak decidedly on this matter. 
In short, though Mr. Ward is very inaccessible, 
and seems to have somewhat of contempt for the lay 
mind, yet it is to be hoped, he will again try to 
make tilings moro plain for men who, though disap- 
pointed at getting so little, are still anxious to learn 
all they can.— Yours truly, A. G. K. BORRON. 
WILL CULTIVATION AND MANURING GIVE 
A COFFEE BUSH IMMUNITY FROM AT- 
TACKS OF HEMILEIA? 
Dear Sik, -I have perused Mr. Ward's reports 
with much interest, and his scientific view of leaf- 
disease I have no doubt is accurate and valuable; 
but from a practical point of view there will he 
many who will differ from him. I am prompted to 
give my reply to his challenge, in his letter in your 
issue of 13th instant, which runs as follows : — 
In cases where trees or groups of trees are pointed out as 
" disease-proof or practically so," on what grounds are the 
assertions made ? Have those who make the statements 
satisfied themselves that there are no other reasons than 
those they give for the comparative immunity from " disease 
spots," at the time of the particular trees referred to ? 
Have they even proved that the trees remain " free from 
disease" for a year ; or that the relations between the 
number of diseased ami healthy leaves are not different in 
the cases cited. And _yct, surely the dims of proof lies 
with those who controvert records of observed facts with 
unsupported statements ; and it is, to say the least, rash to 
affirm that a tree is less '• diseased" than its neighbours, 
without being able to say that the trees was carefully and 
closely observed for a Sufficiently long time* But even 
admitting that "a tree here and there shows fewer 
fdlsease-spots' " during a given period than surrounding 
specimens, who will undertake to prove that it has had 
as much chance of becoming infected as another? 
This time last year I commenced the following sys- 
tem, upon the most worn-out piece of coffee that 
could bo seen, where the trees were alive with a 
few straggling branches and had been every year 
severely attacked with the disease. The soil, however, 
is fairly good but exhausted from overcropping nud 
neglect. Iho area treated is nearly live acres, part 
of a field of about 10 acres, and surrounded by fields 
much in the s.imo condition still to bu compared with 
the experimented part. I opened holes 18 inches from 
the stum and above the tree, •_' feet long v. 10 in. x 
12 iu. deep, breaking into the sub, oil, casting the soil 
round the trees, and covering well over the ground 
above the roots. Very soon afterwards rootlets be- 
gan forming iu the loose soil and the branches to 
show fresh vigour. [0 the mouth of March of this 
year, 1 sprinkled about .'!() bushels per acre of caustic 
dolomite lime over the trees and ground nnd into 
thu hole*. A month afterwards I hall filled the holes 
with soil nnd then applied a bosket of well- rotted 
cattle manure wilh n pound of Bab manure, mixing 
the whole well with the soil and OOVOriog it up by 
opening fresh holes between the trees. In about n 
month, the rootlets h.ul entered freely into the maaoNfa 
and they are now one mass of line feeding rootlets 
and the trees are all clothed with a magnificent growth 
of young dark-coloured foliage, some of the branches 
being more than a yard long; and the coffee only 
wants fine Weather to bring out a fine blossom, where 
it did not give a quarter of a cwt for years. 
This acreage has entirely, "practically," escaped 
the attacks of leaf disease, while the coffee on every 
side of it was several times covered with severe 
disease.* The next two months, however, I dread 
the attack more than at any other time, as I find, 
when the rains cease, that a chill wind follows, which 
often develops the disease in lets than 24 hours. 
I have searched in the manure holes for grub but 
found none, while the year previously, to another 
field, I applied cattle manure in semicircular holes, 
without lime, and found that grub had entered in con- 
siderable numbers very tdiortly after application, and 
the coffee had not shown any very marked improvement. 
I have, therefore, arrived at the conclusion that, dur- 
ing the dry months, the grub follows the moisture 
downwards, and the application of the lime on the 
subsoil, before the rains commence, deters them from 
finding their way up again. 
The five acres treated this year " had as much chance 
of becoming infected as another," and, iu my opinion, 
the richness of the new foliage afforded a tempting 
receptacle for the disease, if floating through the 
atmosphere in search of a resting place. 
There are several other points of Mr. Ward's theo- 
retical views that can be contested, but I do not 
wish to make this article longer, but will add that he 
can see the results I state at any time, should ho wish. 
—I am, yours truly, J. R. G, 
COFFEE LEAF-DISEASE. 
North Kinmundy, Summerhill, 
by Aberdeen, 24th Nov. 1881. 
Dear Sir, — When I received from you, on the 9th 
February 1SS0, copy of " The Campaign of 1879 agaiust 
Coffee Leaf- 1 dscase," along with two diseased leaves, I 
intended, after giving the leaves a cursory examin- 
ation, to thank you for youri teresting communication. 
But, although my gratitude did not evaporate, atten- 
tion to some fungi nearer home, aud a wish that I 
could be able to say something about the Hemileia, 
have prevented my returning thanks till now. But 
now, accept of my best thanks for the means of en- 
abling me to extend to this most important fungus 
what I believe to be the true life-theory of a great 
many fungi which become parasitic in the tissues of 
higher plants. I have also been very obligingly fur- 
nished with leaves, diseased aud undiseased, by Mr. 
James Westland, Golconda estate, Haputale, through 
his brother, Air. Win. Westland, who' is an agent f 01 
Ceylon products in Aberdeen. To these gentlemen my 
best thanks are also due. 
Now, I wish you to understand that I do not pre- 
tend to have made any complete substantive invest; 
igation of the coffee leaf fungus. Without access to the 
living plants, this would have boon impossible ; and 
besides it would have been unnecessary; because the 
labours of Messrs. Abbay, Morris, M. Ward Ol then 
have bi ought most of ti e tacts of the life a I t ho 
structure of this fungus fully into the arena <f com- 
mon knowledge. My work upon it has been in leOffOh 
of sidu light?. I have been occupied for lOini years 
011 the clnbreot fungus, tho rust of wheat, the potato 
•■' Sevei I tune. 00 VI red with disease' ? Tho Crypto* 
garnist will probably atk whether the disease vtOS not 
continuous, merely showing more at times ; while there 
may int bov< been wind enough to carry ipom to u 
feet the ireah foliage of the trios rvtiovaUd by digging 
and manuring ?— Eu. 
