APRIL I, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
899 
from Liberia to London in ordinary packing casts, 
and were forwarded to me without any covering and 
in the original cases. I have got 195 of them growing, 
over 23 years old now." 
This is reassuring as to tho ability of well-grown plants, 
to bear " stumping," and also long carriage. The gentle- 
man from whom we have quoted, writes further : — 
" I send you the daily memoranda sent me by 
Mr. — — - from . Picking is still going on 
at the same rate, and 1 don't know when it is likely 
to stop. We arc picking off 30 acres, three years 
old last November and December. (The first plant 
was put in the ground on the 21st October). There 
is another 22 acres about, eight months younger, from 
which we are picking too. The plants are 10x10 
apart. So far as one can judge the thing is a success." 
Our friend might safely use less qualified language. On 
looking over the daily memoranda, which extend from 
12th Jany. to 2nd March, wo find that, besides 77i 
bushels dry coffee despatched, 141 were drying on 
12th Jany., while 10 were picked on that clay. Then 
came 12 picked on the 13th, and so on until the 
17tb, when 23 bushels were gathered and the remark 
made, " Crop is again ripening on new clearings.' 
On the 18th the picking was 25 bushels ; 19th, 27 ; 20th 
16 ; (only i day at work, owing to rain) 21st, 27 ; and bo 
on, until 25th Jany., when tho report is " A good blossom 
out this morning : picking stopped." Nevertheless 14 
bushols were picked on the 2Gth ; 20 on the 27th until 26 
wore picked on 3rd February and 27 on the 4th ; 
the same figure being attained on the 6th ; 28 on the 
7th and so on until on 11th February 32 were obtained. 
Up to 20th February 8S3 bushels had been picked 
and a small blossom was out on that day. The total 
picked from the commencement of the year to 2nd 
March — a period of two mouths was — 9-15 bushels ; while 
there were no signs of cessation, but rather of steady 
increase. As, in this case, the cherries seem to be dried 
on the estate and then sent to Galle for preparation, 
we should be much obliged if our courteous corre- 
spondent would afford us information as to the mode 
adopted to clean the beans, and their quality as com- 
pared with others pulped on the place of growth. 
Are tho cherries soaked, or are they "hulled," as the 
Americana have have it, in their dry state ? We sup- 
poso the lattor, and, although the beans may not be 
quito so free of "silver skiu " aj those regularly 
pulped, we have no doubt of their line flavour. Ac- 
cording to Laborie, the French planters of San Domingo 
always dried t ho coffeo intended for their own use, in 
the oherry, and kept it so for several years. By these 
means, 1 ahorie alleged, a superior flavoured coffee was 
obtained. Wbnt is the result of expericuce hero on 
this point J 
All the information which roaches us regarding 
Hberi in coffee leads us to believe that, although this new 
product is not entirely exempt from attacks of insects 
in i to early stages and fungus later on, it remains truo 
to its comparatively robust character, its rapid growth 
and its exceptional bearing properties. Wo aro, 
therefore, sanguino of its ultimate suocosa. 
After wo had written tho above, we received a 
communication stating that tho estates at Udugama, 
■n tho Southern Province, aro well worthy of a visit, 
which wo trust wo may soon lind time to pay. 
Meantime, we trust our correspondent will forgivo 
us, if we extract, for the benefit of our readers, 
information which is probably as new to most of 
them as it is new and gratifying to us. Those south- 
ern estates are believed to be the first where nut- 
megs and popper have ever been regularly cultivated 
in the island by Europeans, as they are in the Straits. 
There are already 87 acres planted with nutmegs and 72 
with pepper, which acreage will be doubled in both pro- 
duets this year. Besides this, there are 310 acres of Li- 
berian coffee planted, some of which is in bearing, and 
238 acres being planted this year. The small acreage in 
tea promises exceedingly well, and the laud and 
climate appear well suited to it. There is any ex- 
tent of jungle in the district suitable and available for 
the above products. Ciuchona Calisaya and Ledgeriana 
are both growing well. From.seed put into the nursery iu 
April, there are plants 2 feet high : will they, it is asked, 
have any quinine? They look very healthy. The Liberiau 
coffee has had one small, and one very fine blossom, 
and another is in spike. Malabar cardamoms, IS 
months old, are commencing to shew signs of blos- 
som, ami their growth is equal to any ever seen in 
the island. Government have given the district a 
post office and are thinking of providing a bridle- 
path, as a short cut to Galle. Any amount of Sin- 
halese labour is available, and as much Tamil as the 
planters want. About 400 mangosteen plants have 
been put out in each estate, and they are coming on 
well. The distance from Galle is 26 miles, 24 of 
which is by cart road. A traveller can, by leaving 
Galle at 6 a.m., get there to breakfast. All the land 
in the district is felled only in the hollows, leaving 
all prominent ridges in jungle ; so that it is hoped 
to have no bad patches on any of the estates. There 
are 1,000 acres now under cultivation on 6 estates. 
All this is very cheeriug in the midst of depicssion 
from the position of our old staple. We trust that, 
besides the main product of Liberian coffee, nutmegs 
and pepper may be successful, and also that the 
prince of all tropical fruits, the mangoeteen, may at 
length be naturalized in Ceylon. Mangosteens were 
in full season — plentiful, cheap and delicious when 
we were in Java In Singapore tho season wns over, 
but we took special note of the fact that the most 
flourishing mangosteen orchards were in semi swampy 
flats. 
Before this goes to press, a planter, who ought to 
know more about " New Products " and especially 
Liberian coffeo than any other man in the island, 
writes to us in this strain : — 
" From all the industries I have seen since my re- 
turn to the island. I think Liberian coffee looks the 
most prosperous. Cocoa is very encourngiug, at d will 
in time bear well, but it does uot give a return as 
soon as Liberian. 
" I do not know how it is iu tho rest of Coylon, 
but hero, north of Knudy, wo are having far nioro 
than our eharo of rain. 
" Returning to Liberian coffee, we have upon Liberia 
estate every expectation of picking 400 ewt., whioh, 
owing to tho estato having lirst been planted I J L2 
is oil really few more than hall' tho right number ot 
trees— say 60 acres." 
