May t, iSSz/j 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST; 
963 
bard as certainly to break the knives of the machine 
should they come in contact with any of the mounds. 
There is another use to which this machine may pro- 
bably be put, i. e. , in gathering the paddy craps. 
We understand that certain Chinese planters, who 
were present at Mr. Brown's trial of the cutter, were 
bo satisfied with the result, that they have desired 
him to procure from Eugland cutters for their rer- 
pective estates. 
The machine is a very light one and not at all ex- 
pensive; the blade is eo arranged that it mows about 
three feet at a time and continues its action as the 
animals drawing it walk along. The men required 
are a driver, a machine-guide, and another cooly to 
occasionally clear the blade when coming in contact 
with roots but two men would be enough after some 
practice. 
PtYXNG Foxes and Mangoes in North Queensland 
are thus noticed in the Mackatj Standard : — Owing 
to the severe depredations of the flying foxes, the 
crop of mangoes is Buffering greatly Tne fumes of 
sulphur have the effect of causing them to fall off 
their camps during the day time, and probably they 
would avoid orchards at nijjht where a moderate 
amount of sulphur fumes are floating about. The ex- 
periment is worth a trial. 
Early Flowering of C. Officinalis and Removal 
ok the Blossoms. — A correspondent writes : — I have 
noticed what you have said from time to time 
about C. officinalis dying out in the second and 
third year. I am glad to say that on this estate 
we do not suffer in that way. I have some 4£ to 5 
years old quite healthy and strong and only trees in 
damp situations die off. We arc troubled with our 
C. officinalis trees seeding in two years and even UDder ; 
that is a proportion of them do so. I have cut off 
a great deal of flower and seed, and 1 believe the 
trees have improved since that was done. 
Progress in Johore. — Mr. R. W. Fowke writes, 
under <livto March 9th. — "I am felling a shade clear- 
ing for cacao. I have about 120 acres down, but it 
is not all cleared. My district is in the opposite 
direction to Pulai, and the highest point is only 300 
feet above sca-lcvel." My bungalow is abmt 30 feet 
above the sea, but the thermometer at half-past 5 
in the morning frequently registers only G9 degrees. 
This, I suppose, you would consider low. I saw a 
letter in the T. A., saying that the safest way of 
sendiug cacao seed was packed in sawdust. I have 
had two batches (the seeds out of 1,000 pods); 
both batches were complete failures. I found that ttie 
pods packed in shavings had the fewest percentage of 
bad onos " 
Cinchona in Java.—" Batavia, 1st fib. — From the 
otlicial report on the Government chinobona culture 
in Java for the 4th quarter of 1S8I, we take the 
following: — In November a beginning was made with 
planting out, and the number of plants growing in 
the prepared ground was thereby increased by 05,220 
Ledgerinnas, 54,000 officinalis and 40,000 succirubi as. 
These plants grew vigorously after rain had fallen. 
Formerly it was always noticed that chinchona treos 
in general, but especially the Ledgerianas, flowered 
abundantly after a regular long-continued dry season. 
The same circumstance also happened in the period 
under report. The trees originally planted are now 
almost all envied wuh liln^pmu », s,. that m ( Vtntu-r 
next abundance of seeds may be expected. As soon 
as the present wet weather admits of it, a beginning 
will be made with the partial pooling of the trees. 
The whole bark crop of 1S»1 amounted to fully Ui.">00H 
Amsterdam pounds. This quantity was despatched 
from liandong 111 December U»t, in linn t,, be sold by 
auction at Amsterdam 111 April UOXt. — IlandiJdad. 
Lkdgekiana Seedlings and a Snail Enemy. — 
Some of the merchants in Colombo who weut to 
expense and trouble to give a fair trial to the 
early packets of the "precious seed" from Java, 
have found to their disappointment that although 
nearly all the seed germinated, the young plants have 
been killed off. In one case, the seed was sown in boxes 
carefully attended to daily in the Fort office, and 
everything promised well until the dying down began, 
An examination with the microscope chewed a tin;, 
spiral snail to be the enemy, and this experience is 
a warning to have the soil used for such purposi 
carefully selected and baked beforehand to kill ofl 
insect life. 
Tin: Edibility of Coir RopEhas recently beoD proved. 
In lat. 43 N., long. 143 E., a boat containing 1 he capt, 
his son and eleven men, the crew of a Japmese 
fishing vessel, was picked up by the " Abbie Carver." 
Their vessel had been blown out to sea and caps ; zed 
in a storm, and they had been in the boat 
days wheu the "Ahbie Carver" fell in with them. 
For ten days they had eaten nothing but coir rope 
boiled in salt water. When rescued the lish rmi a 
had afire in their boat and a large pot on the tire with 
rope boilingi in it. The men were in an exhausted 
condition when taken on board the barque. Medi- 
cine and nourishment were administered bo them, 
and they subsequently regained their strength. — 
Madras Mail. 
Cinchona Plants on the side of the Mahawila 
GANGa. — A correspondent writes to us: — "In survey- 
ing the Mahavillaganga I have come upon three young 
cinchona plants growing together, b^low flood level 1 
fear: I believe them to be robustas but am not Bure. 
What will you advise me : to chance their removal into 
the jungle or leave them alone where ihey are. Being 
near the Bellihuloya, where lots of jungle is available, it 
would be interesting, I take it, to see if these plants 
would flourish and how grow at this elevation. I 
this is at all interesting, I will take the elevation &c." 
The fact is certainly interesting, and. if th» plants 
can be taken up with masses of earth aDd placed beysnd 
danger from floods, it would be interesting to watch 
their progress. 
Lower Maskeliya, 19th March.— We had a nice 
blossom out on 15th and IGth, which seems to have 
set well. This is No. 3 (a small one end of January and 
small in February), and now we have a very fine one 
in spike, which only requires a few days like today 
and yesterday to bring it out. Seasonable weather now 
will give us a good crop this coming season There 
are a few estates that cannot give crop. They say it 
is grub. If so, why not catch the nettles now flying at 
about six o'clock every evening in millions? Those 
who do not holieve flint catching beetles does good, 
should go and see Forres estate. The portion said 
to have been most affected by grub i* now the hest 
c .ffee on the estate. No one now would believe that 
at one time it was, as described, the very wor ; t 
in the district. Now I will dofy any field of ooffee 
in Ceylon to beat it, in appearance or show of spike. 
Unless seen, no one can form any idea of the numb, rs of 
beetles that come out of the grou' d. Watched from 
a road looking up a line of coffee it seems like a 
swarm of bee< rising out of the soil in any pa'.ch 
affected by grub. Monday night's catch wis 272 
chumloes (3 to a meiisure). 550 to each cl undoe gives 
127,600 beetles, (i cents a ohundoe 1 pay; d< 1. bul 
worth it. .Maskeliya plant' rs should all join 11 tn Bg 
to reduce this plague, ifwoeauiiot destroy it. I have 
so' 11 a good deal of cinchona in many districts, aud 
1 think our Miccmibra and hybrids can hold their 
own against all comers, Not to speak off Andrew's 
Mahauilu Ledgerinnas, which are worth Mil 
still more to toe point, money slio. 
