888 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 1882. 
South Travancore, it was found impossible to carry out 
the scheme, and tbe recent rapid fall of prices com- 
pels us in strict economy to abstain from any ex- 
penditure that will not be immediately remunerative. 
Now, gentlemen, there seems to be a great diversity 
of opinion on the subject, and a great many sug- 
gestions have been properly discussed. The ori- 
ginal idea was to have one analysis made of the 
soil in the Northern districts, and that manures 
should be sent out for experiment with the hope 
of forcing a crop. But a little consideration will 
show you that, however suitable nitrogenous man- 
ures may be for wheat and other annuals, it is a most 
dangerous thing in our forcing climate to apply stimul- 
ating manures, even if they are afterwards to be 
supplemented with supporting manures. We know 
how coffee in Ceylon and nutmegs in the Spice Islands 
have been killed out by the indiscriminate use of 
so highly forcing a manure as guano, and we know 
from our own experience that, if coffee is in good 
heart in November, we are pretty sure to get a 
good crop from it next year. The inference is ob- 
vious, tbat what we require is to keep our trees from 
overbearing year by year rather than to force them. 
Now, gentlemen, though we cannot afford to go in for 
the experimental stations as originally intended, we 
can do a great deal among ourselves in experiment- 
ing with manures cheaply obtainable in the country. 
So eminent an authority as Mr. Ville tells us that 
analyses of soils are of little value, because, though 
the chemist can tell us exactly what the soil contains, 
he cannot place himself in the position of the plant 
and say what it can take up at once and what it 
cannot, and he recommends that experiments should 
be tried with different combinations of manures with 
the object of returning to the soil what has been 
or is being abstracted by crop. Hitherto it has been 
the custom to apply manures containing scarcely any- 
thing but nitrogen, which certainly have a great effect 
both on foliage and crop, but leave the trees in an 
exhausted condition afterwards. Now, if we could 
arrange among ourselves to carry out Mr. Ville's idea, 
I believe it would be more effectual and much less 
expensive than the idea suggested by Mr. Macdonakl 
Cameron. It is not of much use, one or two persons 
experimenting, as their results would only answer for 
their particular soils and climates ; what I should like 
is, for all of us, to try simultaneously some three or 
four combinations and keep very accurate notes of 
the results. I now pass on to another subject, that 
of leaf-disease, an attempt was made in August last 
to get up a discussion on it, but the time chosen was 
unfortunate, and in consequence of the short notice 
no recorded observations were announced to the meet- 
ing, since then Mr. Ward's pamphlet has appeared,- 
and though we must all regret that he was not a 
practical planter, yet there is no doubt that the re- 
port is most valuable. There can be no longer any 
doubt that leaf disease will remain permanently with 
us ready to attack sickly plants as potato disease is 
an ever present scourge at home. It is a great thing 
to know something of the laws that regulate the 
growth of this mysterious fungus, and if we know that 
it will certainly begin to attack our coffee at a part- 
icular time and will spoil a percentage of the crop, 
we must accept the inevitable, and by removing early 
what would certainly be lost and supporting the trees 
to ripen what is left, make leaf-disease do as little 
harm as possible. But we require to know a great 
deal yet, how much crop leaf-disease will allow to 
ripen ; what kinds of trees stand its effects best ; what 
soils are the least favourable for its production, and 
what manures most eff ctual in checking its ravages ; 
all these subjects and many others I commend to your 
careful consideration for the coming year. Any ad- 
dress would be incomplete without some reference to 
the present low prices ruling for coffee. Thoss of 
you who have au opportunity of seeing the different 
prices obtained for different sorts of coffee, not merely 
the average published in the daily papers cannot fail 
to be astonished at the extreme range of prices be- 
tween the better and poorer sorts, and not only that, 
but in a glutted market the burthen of the song is 
always the same; "a fair demand for coloury, the 
paler sorts much depressed"; your coloury coffee, 
therefore, fetches firmer rates in a fluctuating mirket. 
as well as higher rates always. Now, gentlemen, there 
must be something radically wrong, if we send home 
coffee that fetches 112s and 62s, at the same time. 
If we can produce the better kind, why cannot we 
produce it and nothing else ? We are all agreed that 
the same trees produce both, for in a bad crop, the 
sample is always much larger and finer than in a good 
one : it therefore appears certain that inattention to 
the coffee trees themselves produces this great variety 
of coffee and I quite believe it possible to get 70 per 
cent, or 80 per cent of the very best kinds, and fa^r 
crops, too, did we only know how. Here then is some- 
thing for you to find out : if it is a question of soil or 
manure, or, if of curing, the remedy is equally in your 
hands. I feel confident that if you will give your 
minds to this subject, Travancore coffee will, in a few 
years, obtain the highest averages of any country in 
the world. But, gemlemen, there is a silver lining 
to every cloud, and though prices are so low at pre- 
sent we may hope that in a few years they will be 
very high. If you will look at the yearly average 
of prices extending over a long period, I think you 
will find that the lowest prices have always been 
followed in a very few years by very good prices, 
and the reason is sufficiently obvious, for low prices 
increase the demand while they check the supply, I 
may also, I think, congratulate you on the prospect 
of being able to grow the very best variety of cinchona 
with profit. 
INDIAN AND CEYLON TEA IN MELBOURNE. 
( From our Correspondent ) 
Great Sale of Indian Tea. 
Melbourne, 15th Febuary 1882. 
One of the best Indian tea sales yet held took 
place on the 9th February, when 4,639 half-chests of 
Darjeeling, Assam, Cachar Doons and Dehra Doon 
teas were sold at prices ranging from lljd to2s.'4d. 
per lb. in bond. 
The attendance was very large ; all eager buyers, 
the competition for some of the lots being very brisk. 
When the present state of our market is considered, 
this clearly shews that Indian teas are getting a strong 
hold on the public taste. Our present stocks in 
bond of all kinds of tea stand at 7,000,000 lb. weight 
as against at the same time last year 4,000,000 lb. 
weight or an excess of three million pounds for the pre- 
sent time. As a result, prices of China teas are unrea- 
sonably low, even taking into account their inferior 
quality this year, and yet in the face of this and 
the large quantity of tea offered, (the heaviest sale 
yet by 1,300 packages) Indian teas advanced fully Id. 
per lb. on the rates obtained at the previous sale 
of 24th November, or, in other, words every sale 
of the five public sales held this season, has shown 
a slight advance on its predecessor. 
The enclosed -catalogue will give you full particulars, 
but which may be summarized as follows : — 
Assam sold at ll/£ to 2/4 per lb. in box. 
Darjeeling „ 1/2 „ 2/3£ 
Cachar „ 11/| „ 1/9 
Dehra Doons „ 1/2 ,, l/4f ,, „ 
Indian Teas „ 1/i ,, l/8£ „ 
Darjeelings as usual in great request. 
