May i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
999 
To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 
MR. STORCK'S CURE FOR COFFEE LEAF- 
DISEASE. 
Upper Rewa, Feb. 10th, 18S2. 
Sik, — In one of your November issues I am in- 
formed that it is my intention to visit Ceylon via 
Java, but I am not aware of having authorized any 
one to make the statement. [It appeared first, in a 
Java piper. — Ed.] 
You also suggest that, in that case, I should h«ive 
an opportunity provided for proving my me hod simuL 
taneously and under even conditions with those of 
Mr. Sphrpttky and Mr. Ward, which I take to mean 
a sort of public competition. I do not fear competi- 
tion and would court a trial, for which I liave little 
scope in this country ; but what is the substantial 
inducement, the award to be made to the t-iice< ssful man 
because of barren honors 1 have had plenty ? 
Let the Planters' Association give me guarantees for 
expenses, which, on an award being made me, I would 
undertake to refund. 
After what I have written to the Tropical Agri- 
culturist, aud since again to the Gardeners' Chron- 
icle, on my " Method of Permanent Vaporisation," 
I cauuot conceive that any one could doubt ihe bona 
jiden of my statements ; tho very publicity I have 
given the matter muse be my pledge. — I remain, sir, 
your obedient servant, JACUB P. STORCK. 
[We are glad to learn that a Ceylon proprietor 
has already written to Mr. Storck direct, that he 
is prepared to pay him tho sum of £200 if he keeps off 
Ilemileia vastatrix from his coffee estate for one year. 
Thore are other Ceylon proprietors no doubt pre- 
pared to pay in the same proportion, provided the 
condition stringently interpreted is exactly complied 
with. If Mr. Storck is certain of success, there can be 
no doubt of a good Held for him in Ceylon ; but we 
would advise him first to try the cure on the largest 
Held of coffee available iu Fiji for a year. We have 
had wonderful "cures" in Ceylon lasting over a 
few months, but nothing permanently successful as 
yet. What has Mr. A. J. Stephens to say of Mr. 
Storck's remedy? — En.] 
CHAMPION COCOA PODS IN THE PAN- 
WILA DISTRICT. 
Goonambil estate, March 31st, 1882. 
DlAB Sir, — In my letter to you, dated Nov. 26th, 
I inform d you that I got 43-41 seeds respectively 
out of two cocoa pods and whicli in your note 
below you said was extraordinary and quite unpre- 
cedented. I have now the pleasure to inform you that 
today 1 cut two more pods from the same tree 
aud found iu them 44 and 41 seeds. From the last 
lot I wrote you about 1 have 80 Hue plants in the 
nursery. I liud the average from the pods from 
Gangwarily »nd other estates is about 2.3, but then 
they are not the same kind as the tree 1 an getting 
miue from.— Yours faithfully, H. A. QJLLIAT. 
GERMINATING CARDAMOM SEED. 
(Ellngalla) Kattota, 3id April 1882. 
Dkar Sir,— The following plan for germinating 
cardamom seed may be useful to some: after various 
experiments 1 have found i' to, n,.,si mcees,tiil 
All that ie required is n shallow and watertight 
open tin pun or box; -ay Mir to five in h. 1 deep, #i limits 
edges ent level, aud a Hat piece of tin to cover it. 
The tin box is tilled to within 1 inch of the tun with 
a mixture of good mould and river sand, equal parts ; 
a piece of flaunel spread on the mixture and pressed 
closely down. 
The seed is then laid on thickly and warm water 
pouted upon it, until the soil is thoroughly saturated 
and the water rises just above the seed. The lid is 
then placed on the box and held down by a weight. 
The box should be placed in a warm sunny place 
and looked to every tour or live days as in hot weathermoro 
water may be necessary, but in ordinary weather the 
watering process will go on of itself for many days, 
if the lid be properly kept down. 
The seed germinates (for cardamom seed) very quickly 
under this process, iu from 17 to 21 clays. 
When all are well germinated the flannel is removed 
with the seed adhering to it, and held ov.ir an ordinary 
rooted nursery bed, and tapped on the reverse side. 
Phis will shake off the seed, which should then be 
very lightly covered with sifted soil. I have grown 
many tine healthy plants in this way, but only for 
the sake of experiment ; as I find after all that' sow- 
ing well-soaked seed "at stake" is both the most 
satisfactory and cheapest plau.— I am, yours faithfully 
E. G. 11. ' 
COFFEE ADULTERATION AND THE ENGLISH 
CONSUMERS. 
Agras, 4th April. 
Dear Sir,— I have read with interest in jour paper 
of the eff 'rts being made in England by Messrs 
Dickson, Pasteur, &c. to try and stop the adulteration 
of coffee, and the letters of your co respondents beariue 
on the subject, but I have never seen what has always 
appeared to me the real evil, even alluded to. 
The fault chiefly lies with the British public, which, 
atfon i n° bottl e or \in?jThel led ^ot&T Essence, Jfrr?nch 
Coffee, Coffee and Milk, &c, &c, thereby putting a 
direct premium on adulteration. In addition ihere 
is a widely spread idea that pure coffee is unwhole- 
some and that a mixture of chicory or dandelion is 
highly beneficial. 
On the continent of Europe (I speak chiefly of 
F rance and Italy) the poore-t 1 iborer who can afford to 
drink coffee at all, roasts and grinds it himself. It 
is true that oft-n roasted beans and peas are added : 
but that is from necessity, not choice. Until the mass 
of consumers can be brought to recognize that coffee 
is not worthy of the name, unless freshly roasted and 
ground, there will be no appreciable increase in the 
cousumpti >u. Cheap cookery schools are doing an 
incalculable amount of good among the manufacturing 
olasses iu Scotland; but I do not know if coffee- 
making is included in the, instruction given. From 
the several prospectuses and class lists I have seen, 
I tear not. 
That the value of these courses of practical instruc- 
tion in cheap household rookery is only beginning to 
be fi , 1 know from the papers of the Glasgow society 
which is the centre of the movement in Scotland, and 
I feel convinced that bt- fore long I he school boards will 
include simple cookery among the subjects of com- 
pulsory education. In the in antime, if the directors 
of t. e many s cieties for the improvement of the 
working classes wire to impress on the peoplu tho 
ad vantage of preparing their coffee tlnmsclvce, more 
Would be gained in months than by yen's of parlia- 
ment j citation against vest* ! trade interest*, With 
which all Governments are equally loath to in • rft re, 
I remain, yours faithfully, H. I-YCE PATBRSON, 
