June r, 1882.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
specified distance for opening the boles in the soil, then 
the seed is dropped in, and a small layer of fine earth 
covers it ; by an endless screw arrangement, a certain 
quantity of manure can be simultaneously deposited. 
The cultivation of beet root, at present a monopoly 
in the north of Franco, in rapidly extending to the oast 
and centre. Societies are being established not only to 
work up the roots, but to grow them. The aim of 
French cultivators now is to produce a root containing 
one per cent more in yield of sugar, which is a super- 
iority that the German farmers at present possess. 
The common enemy, the phylloxera, has encountered 
a new remedy in the employment of bitumen against 
its ravages. So far back as 1879 that agent was spoken 
of favourably, especially 6uch as was imported from 
Judoa. Sulphuret of carbon is still, however, regarded 
as among the perfect cures, doublet the quantity of that 
high-priced chemical being employed in 1881 as com- 
pared with the previous years. The government rail- 
way companies contribute liberally to testing all practical 
remedies. Nothing serious is now attached to the vines 
of Soudan and Cochin China. American stocks alone 
are in favour ; the others are but curiosities. 
M. Plauchon attributes the plague to which the chest- 
nut trees are subject to a microscopic mushroom feod- 
ing on tho roots, the same as that which created such 
havoc in the pino forests of Germany a few years ago. 
M. Bella draws attontion to the depredations of rats 
on troes growing along the banks of rivers ; the animals 
in winter, when short of food, feed on the roots and 
so kill the trees. 
WYNAAD COFFEE PROSPECTS. 
(Madras Mail, April 12th.) 
SlR, — I wonder if many of your planter-readers 
have noticed in their districts hundreds of moths 
flying about the coffee treis during this blossom, 
and could tell me if they ever saw it before. They 
were seemingly alter honey, making quite a din with 
their wi gs, but on watching closer, the females were 
seen to lie as busy as could be laying eggs, small 
green balls not so large as a pin's bead, on the young 
shoots of coftV, dep> sited singly, aud on t^e unrier 
side of a teuder leaf. The moth, to d< scribe it 
roughly, was a yellowish grem color, clear winged, 
like a bee, with a black brush on the tail, about 1 
inch long in body, and 1 J inches from tips of wings. 
Now the larva> of this will be no small size, when 
full grown, and, if there are several to a tree, they 
will "gobble up" many pounds of leaves daily. As 
yet the coffee leaves are wonderfully free from any 
insect pest. Can the wily lepidoptera have mado a 
mistake? 1 fear not ! Is this to be another plague, 
thougli only for a season? It was the last straw 
that broke the camel's luck. What with leaf-disease 
everywhere, bmer within and caterpillar without, and 
coffee at l>"s, things are not looking bright. 
6th April. South Wain-ad. 
jThe creatnro alluded to is Purely not a moth, but 
tho beo-liko beetle with which we are familiar 
euough in Ceylon, a* abounding in blossom time. — Ed ] 
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
The following is the text of the Bill adopted by 
the llou-e Committee on A i'"i.u 1 1 nr .-, at Washington, 
on February 13th, and subsequently introduced in the 
House of Representative?. A similar lull i- far im.ro 
wanted n India than fresh amendments i.i the Crim- 
inal and Civil Procedure Codes : — 
"A Bill to enlarge the power and duties of ihe 
Department of Agriculture, 
Bo it enacted, etc., that the Department ol Agri- 
culture, established nt tho seat of Government of (ha 
Uuitud Status, shall bo an executive department, under 
the supervision and control of a Secretary of Agricult- 
ure, who shall bit appointed by the President, by and 
with the advice and consent of the Senate. 
"Sec. 2. That there shall be in said department 
an assistant Secretary of Agriculture, who shall be a 
practical agriculturist, and the several chiefs of the 
bureaus hereinafter named to be appointed by the 
President, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate, for a term of four years, who shall perform 
such duties as may be required by law or prescribed 
by the Secretary. 
" Sec 3. For the purpose of collecting and dissemin- 
ating all important and useful information concern- 
ing agriculture, and also concerning such scientific 
■natters and industrial pursuits as relate to the in- 
terests of agriculture, the Secretary shall organise the 
following bureaus, nam-ly :— 1. The Bureau of Agri- 
cultural products, which shall include divisions of 
botauy, entomology, and chemistry, the chief of which 
bureau shall be a practical agriculturist, who shall 
investiga'e the modes of farming in the several States 
and Territories, and shall report such practical iuform- 
tion as shall tend to increase the profits of the 
farmer ; respecting the various methods, the crops most 
profitable in the several sections, the preferable 
varieties of seeds, vine3, plants and fruits, fertilizers, 
implements, buildings, and similar matters. 2. The 
Bureau of Auimal Industry, to be in charge of a 
competent veterinary surgeon, who shall investigate 
and report upon the number, value, and con- 
dition of the domestic animals of tho United States, 
their protection, growth, and use, the causes, preven- 
tion, and cure of contagious, communicable, or other 
diseases, and the kinds, races, or breeds, best adapted 
. to the several b. ctions for profitable raising. .3. The 
Bureau of Lands, the chief of which shall investigate 
and report upon the resources or capabilities of°the 
public or other lands for farming, stockraising, timber, 
manufacturing, mining, or other industrial use3, and 
all powers and duties vested in the commission now 
known as the Geological Survey, together with all 
clerks, employes, and agents, and all instruments, 
records, b >oks, papers, &c. are hereby transferred to 
the Department of Agriculture, and the Secretary 
may, through said bureau, institute such iu vestigations 
and collect such information, facts, and statistics re- 
lative to the mines aud mining of the United States 
as may be deemed of value and importance. 4. The 
Bureau of statistics, the chief of which shall collect 
and report the agricultural statistics of the United 
States, |and, in addition, all important information or 
Statistics relating to industrial, educational, and agri- 
cultural colleges ; to labour and wages in this and 
other countries; to markets and price-; to mode and 
cost of transporting agricultural products and live 
stock to their final market; to the di mand, supply 
aud prices in foreign markets ; to the locatii n, num- 
ber, aud products of manufacturing establishments of 
whatever sort, their sources of raw material, methods, 
makets, aud prices, and to such commercial and 
other conditions as may affect the market valuo of 
lai n products or tho interests of the industrial clafsea 
of the United States. And the Secretary is hereby 
authorized to establish such divisions in this bureau, 
and to make such monthly or other reports as he 
shall deem mo?t effective for the prompt dissemin- 
ation of such reliable information respec:ing raops 
ai d domestic and foreign markets as will l„- or M-rviee 
to i he farmers and other industrialists of the United 
Stales 
'•Sec. 4. The Sec n- tat y of Agriculture shall lo re. 
iltli r receive the -a-ne -alary as is paid to the Secret- 
ary i.i each of tin exeontive department*, The nalary 
..I the As»istaut S ere arv of Agriculture shall be I he 
Mine as that paid to the A -isUnt Secretary of the 
Department ot tho luierior. The salary of a chief of 
