768 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [March i, 1882. 
often called in, the same as a farmer amongst ourselves 
will trust the opinion of an experienced neighbour 
in the examination of a horse, in addition to that of 
a skilled veterinary surgeon. The number of women 
without husbands and children without parents among 
these shows that either the law of 1871 is not regarded, 
as far as relates to separation of families, or that, 
owing to that law, many slave owners do not allow 
slaves to marry. It has been by Buch a trade that 
the planters of the provinces of Rio de Janeiro, Minas 
Geraes and Sao Paulo have b en able to pick the large 
coffee crops from the numerous new plantations opened 
in late years. 
We now see that railway extension, the high price 
of coffee in the United States and Europe, and the 
removal of slaves from the sugar and cotton plantations 
in the North to the coffee-growing provinces of the 
South, are the three principal factors in considering 
the qu-stion of the large production of coffee in Brazil. 
The most imp'Ttant part of 1 be question, however, 
for the Ceylon coffee plan'er is to find out how long 
this is to continue, and, as I before observed, this is 
the most difficult of all. No doubt it hangs entirely 
on the labour question, and that leads to the per- 
plexing point of bow long slavery is to last. 
Mr. R. B Tytler, in a letter to your valuable paper, 
the Ceylon Observer, as far back as 1852, writing on the 
subject of the large production of cuff e in Brazil as 
it then affected Ceylon — when Brazil was giving 
little more than a third what it gives now — quoted an 
authority, showing that the slave question was then 
embarrassing the landed-proprie ors ; in 1871 the slave 
holders themselves thought the law passed that year 
was to bring them to speedy ruin. I myself, when 
writing you eight years ago, thought slavery could 
not last many years, and in 1875 I prophesied that 
the crop picked that year was the maximum of Brazil's 
capabilities. We have all been wrong in our conjectures. 
Tbe signs of decay are very indistinct, but such as 
these are, I shall notice in a future communication. 
P. S.— I have no doubt annoyed you by giving you 
these pieces in scratches, but you can please yourself 
about publirhing them as they arrive or altogether. 
With tbe compliments of the spason. — I am, yours 
very truly, A. SCOTT BLACKLAW. 
COFFEE IN SOUTH TRAVANCORE. 
South Tra van core. 
Dear Sir, — As regards the statement of coffee ex- 
ported from the Malabar Coast given in the January 
T. A., allow me to remind you that this part of 
Travancore has two ports — Quilon exports even more 
coffee than Colachel — Colachel will only export about 
11,000 cwt, again this year, whilst Quilon will ex- 
port over 14,000 cwt. P. B. P. 
EXPERIMENTS IN THE MANURING OF 
COFFEE. 
Yoxford, Dimbula, Feb. 1st, 1882. 
Dear Sir, — In sending you the following somewhat 
lengthy notes of my manuring experiments, I am ac- 
tuated mainly by the desire of adding to the general 
stock of information on the subject of manuring, and, 
if possible, leading planters in general to adopt a 
more scientific system of experiment than is cus- 
tomary. Some will no doubt be inclined to dispute 
the correctness of my conclusions, but it must he con- 
sidered that the laying down and watching of such 
a series of experiments is in itself a sort of training, 
qualifying one to judge more accurately of the re- 
sults than those who 1 ave not laid themselves out 
for a similar course of self-instruction. 
The experiments were laid down in a field which 
had only borne one fair crop since it was first planted 
in 1871, at an elevation (4,300 feet) which appears 
to be above the line of highest crop production on 
this side of the country, and in a soil of only fair 
average Dimbula quality, which had never been manured 
previously. So that it can hardly be said that the 
results are due to the superior climate or soil of this 
estate over the district in general, with the excep- 
tion, perhaps, of tbe one plot, of which after- mention 
will be made, and which comes in usefully to com- 
pare the value of season with manure. I would warn 
those who may read this report with any interest 
that, if they make use of the mixtures apparently 
most successful here, without any reference to the 
soil or climate they have to deal wi'h, the result 
will in all probability be disappointment. The prin- 
ciples, however, of right application are to be gathered, 
but it is only by experience gained from careful ex- 
periment that any certainty of result ean be expected 
to be attained. 
How far further experiment may modify the pre- 
sent results time alone will shew; one year's trial 
cannot be expected to lead to decisive proof. 
The experiments which follow, were laid down at 
the end of July 1880, a period which, I have since 
come to the conclu-ion, was too late for the best re- 
sults at the elevation before mentioned. 
The plots are parallel numbered from one to ten. 
No. 1. — No manure ground forked. This plot is full 
of boulders of gneiss, which cropping up above the 
coffee and retaining the warmth, appeared to give the 
trees a sort of ariificial climate considerably superior 
to any of the oth- r plots. 
No. 2. — Cattle manure 251b. with ^ lb. bones per tree. 
No. 3.— Complete manure containing nitrogen, phos- 
phoric acid, potash and lime. 
No. 4. — Hughes' mixture, as recommended, castor- 
cake j lb., bones ^lb., superphosphate Jib. 
No. 5. — No manure. 
No. 6 — Manure without potash, i.e., containing all 
the ingredients of No. 3, except potash. 
No. 7. — Manure without lime. 
No 8. — Manure without nitrogen, beyond that con- 
tained in ^lb. bones (steamed). 
No. 9. —Manure without phosphoric acid. 
No. 10.— Complete manure No. 3 applied 6 weeks 
later than to the other plots. 
In comparing the results, the condition of the 
coffee on the different plots at the time of application 
must be taken into consideration. Plots 1, 2 and 5 
were superior coffee in good heart ; next came plot 
10, then plots 6 and 9 ; and, lastly, plots 3, 4, 7 
and 8, which were thin and comparatively poor. 
The results were : — 
Plot 1 Cwt. 7i per acre. 
„ 2 „ Tj 
„ 3 „ 5i 
„ * 2? „ 
„ 5 „ 3 
„ 6 „ 4 „ - r ^.vi 
„ 7 , 4| 
„ 8 „ 6k 
>, 9 „ it 
„ 10 „ 4 
The comparison between plots 1 and 2 is interest- 
ing, as shewing apparently that season is equal to 
the best manuring. For further comparison, plot 1 is 
of little value, as in such a year as last, which was 
unfavourable for high coffee, it gained the advantage 
of a sort of artificial season by reason of the warmth 
retained by the boulders above-mentioned, which was 
so great for a short time as to cause the leaves of 
the trees to droop and look as if they were going 
to die. 
Leaving out No. 1, therefore, I take No. 5 as the 
standard of comparison, still, however, bearing in mind 
the difference in the condition of the different plots 
