8 3 o 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 1882. 
sea level, with glorious views of the plains of Seven 
Korales and of the hills and mountain ranges from 
Belgoda to Kirigalpotta and Totapela) were vigorous 
and fresh and evidently able to resist the attacks of 
the insidious fungus. A more beautiful sight can 
rarely be witnessed than this fine plantation of 
Liberian coffee, interspersed with cocoa trees, kept 
clear of weeds, no easy task in the hot lowcountry 
(with a rainfall of about 90 inches), by means of 
fortnightly weedings. When these were insisted*on, 
the contractors, who received R125 per acre per 
mensem, grumbled ; but now that they see the advantage 
of keeping the weeds down by preventing them from 
seeding, they are more than reconciled to the fre- 
quent weeding. The most prevalent weed here and 
the most difficult to eradicate, we were surprised to 
learn, was a soft, succulent spreading plant, which the 
natives convert into curries. Europeans who have 
partaken of it so cooked declare it to be very nice. 
The native names are : Sinhalese, ktri ; Tamil, " holi 
kurumban." We have heard of much worse weeds 
than this, which surely ought to be utilized by being 
sent to market? Having asked about the " topping" 
of these Liberian coffee trees, we were told by Mr. 
Porter that the best average height was 5 to 5£ feet, 
but that the altitude varied from 4^ feet in situations 
much exposed to wind, to 6 feet extreme in rich soil 
and good shelter. If the trees were allowed to grow 
higher than 6 feet, the pickers would need the aid 
of ladders, which arc actually put in requisition in 
Java in the case of Arabian trees, allowed to grow at 
their own sweet will, and to become the hosts of 
luxuriant mosses, ferns, and orchids. We brought a 
dendrobium to Ceylon which we saw in full blossom 
at a height of 12 feet high in an old coffee tree which 
was at least 20 feet high and as thick in the stem 
as a man's thigh. We do not recommend the Java 
mode of cultivation, but we hope some planter will 
spare a few exceptional trees, in order that the ex- 
treme height Liberian coffee can attain to may he 
settled. In very hot low districts, like than in which 
Udapolla is situated, rapid growth upwards is not likely 
to be so much the rule as in moist climates such as 
prevail at Kalutara and towards the Adam's Peak 
ranges. At Kalutara it has been already proved that 
the growth of secondary wood is more luxuriant than 
in the Seven Korales districts. Here at Udapolla 
the real danger will be that of trees exhausting them- 
selves by enormous crops of fruit. Supplies of good 
manure will constitute the remedy, which indeed has 
already been applied with good effect. The con- 
tiguity of the railway station is a great advantage for 
the carriage of artificial manures from Colombo, 
while a good deal of old well-rotted cow-dung has 
been obtained from the natives. The manner in 
which the manured trees have responded to the ap- 
plication is most encouraging, as shewing that strength 
of tree and luxuriance of foliage can be preserved 
while large crops of fruit are gathered. We heard 
most encouraging accounts here of the great success 
of Scowcn's transplanter, supplemented by a tin shield 
and cup, which effectually prevent the breaking of 
the cylinder of earth taken up around the plant, 
while en route to the field, By this means plants 
can be put out in any weather, only a few ferns 
being required in periods of drought. A plant was 
taken out of its hole and put down again to shew 
us the modus operandi. The hollow cylinder of the 
transplanter was put down over the plant and pushed 
by the haudle to a 'depth of fully four inches. The 
instrument was then drawn up, and the plant came 
with it in the centre of a cylinder of earth. That 
portion of the earth taken up was carefully cut away 
with a sharp knife. The earth and plant were then 
pushed up by a wooden peg, over which the instru- 
ment was placed and pressed. The cylinder of earth, 
if carried any distance with the plant, would now 
be liable to break away and leave the roots ex- 
posed. Of course Mr. Owen's expedient of old news- 
papers converted into funnels might be at this stage 
adopted ; but what was actually used, as safer and 
more effectual, was an elastic tin shield, open on one 
side, so as to enable the operator to make it clasp 
the earth. As soon as this was done, a tin 
cup was put on underneath, and the plant and earth 
could be carried any distance. Hundreds of thousands 
°f plants have thus been put out with scarcely any 
appreciable loss. 
No. IV. 
VARIOUS PKODUCTS ON UDAPOLLA INSECT PESTS. 
A visitor whose eye has been educated into an ideal 
of coffee by the characteristics of the Arabian (properly 
Abyssinian) species will be struck not merely by the 
aomparatively enormous size of the foliage, generally, 
of the Liberian species, but by the robust stems and 
branches even of young trees, the exterior of the bark 
being much rougher than is the case with the ordinary 
coffee. Some excellent varieties of the new coffee, 
however, are distinguished by comparatively small and 
pointed leaves. All coffee blossom is beautiful, although 
evanescent, but there is a positive grandeur about 
both the blossom and the cherries of the gigantic 
species. The period for the two or three great blossoms is 
between December and May. Although there is more or 
less blossom and fruit all the jear round, yet the period 
between July and November is comparatively quiescent : 
the resting time of a coffee which sleeps with its eyes 
open. As may naturally be supposed, the Liberian trees 
grown at low, hot elevations, like that of Udapolla, 
come into bearing at an early stage ; but it is as yet 
impossible to fix the limit of altitude for the profit- 
able cultivation of this extraordinary plant. A gen- 
tleman who accompanied us on our visit stated that 
he had grown plants at Pussellawa (at from 2,500 to 
3,000 feet elevation), which, at the same age, were 
taller and bore more cherries per tree than any of the 
Udapolla trees, fruitful as these were. He referred 
to a few isolated plants, however, which had probably 
received special attention. We have attempted, with- 
out success, to acclimatize the Liberian coffee in a 
valley 4,900 feet above sea -level in Dimbula : the 
plants live but refuse to grow. About 2 \ years ago, 
however, we gave a New Galway planter a couple of 
plants for trial which were about a year old at the 
time. They were recently reported to have blossomed 
and matured fruit at an elevation of 4,300 feet ! 
This, we suppose, is the extreme height yet in Ceylon 
