June i, 1882.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
the graft is fco grow or not, and, if the success is com- 
plete, the top of the stock plant is carefully cutoff 
a little above the junction. Henceforth the vigour of 
the stock U thrown into the graft, which grows apace. 
The plants are gtadually hardened by being 
taken out of the melon beds to the floor or shelves 
of the conservatory ; then to a shed ; and finally to 
the open air. When thoroughly established and at 
the proper planting season, the grafted plants are 
taken out of the pots and put out into the field. Of 
course there is a degree of risk in all the processes 
up to that of taking the plant out of the pot. 
It never seems to have occurred to Mr. Moons— 
at least lie neither tried the experiment nor said any- 
trying it— that on stock plants grown 
thin-. 
.•nl 1 
1 tin-. 
the 
>peu 
r might succeed. Mr. 
1 to say) become the 
tuber of Ledgerianas, 
Dst valuable types, de- 
; of multiplying them 
•ees already scattered 
application of glass in 
of handbells, would 
expense. The shelter 
Wm. Smith of Mattel 
our means, he is goo- 
possessor of a conside 
proved by analysis to 
term i tied to try the e 
by grafting on to suci 
over his estate. Of CO 
such a case, even in 
be impossible on the 
resorted to was obtained by reversed bottomless man- 
ure baskets, further shade, where deemed necessary, 
being obtained by means of pieces of old gunny bags. 
Even this amount of shelter, Mr. Smith believes he 
can dispense with, by commencing his grafting oper- 
ations with the advent of the south-west mousoon rains, 
which this season he means to do. We trust he may be 
even more successful than he has been with his original 
experiments, which we have watched with a degree of 
interest in proportion to the importance of the re- 
sults to the planting interest in Ceylon. Beside pub- 
lic roads, aloug estate paths and scattered over plant- 
ations generally, are hundreds of thousands of succi- 
rubra plants capable of yielding, when mature, bark- 
giving about 3 per cent (a high average) of quinine. 
These are all, up to the ago of 5 or 7 years, Mr. 
Smith holds, capable of being converted by the graft- 
ing process into Ledgerianas, with bark yielding from 
7 to over 12 per cent of the most precious of the 
cinchona alkaloids. Taking only the succulent ends 
of twigs for his grafts, Mr. Moens's power of repro- 
ducing his Ledgerianas is, of course, considerably- 
limited, but Mr. Smith improved on the .Java system not 
only by grafting in the open air but by using ripe 
wood as well as s-ucculeut, so that, practically, every 
portion of a tree except the stock and thick branches 
can bo utilized. We repeatedly visited Mr. Smith's 
plants, and we were not contented with the junction 
nud growth of the grafts. "The great danger," we 
said, " will be death from copious bleeding and its 
effects, when you cut olT tho tops of the, in so many 
cases, thick stock plants." So wo went back again, 
when the plants had had time to recover from the 
shock of the tops bring taken ..|), which they were, 
very skilfully, by means of an amputating saw, but 
for the purpose by Dr. Duke. "Healed with the 
first intention " would liavo boon the worthy doctor's 
verdict, had he been with us when wo inspected tho 
plants, at a period sulhciciitly subsequent to the am- 
putation to put further danger out of tho question. 
Some of the grafted plants aro now sights worth 
seeing, and, as Mr. Smith states, his failures in this 
preliminary experiment were far less numerous than 
might be expected. We have suggested to Mr. Smith 
that shelter from heavy rain as well as from hot 
sun may be necessary, but he, having thoroughly 
studied the subject of grafting, knows what he is 
ubout, and we can only repeat our good wishes for 
his perfect success, because, as wo have already said, 
that success means the success of hundreds of Ceylon 
planters, and the revival largely of the prosperity and 
progress of the colony. 
SOUTH AUSTEALIA. 
THE MINISTERIAL VISIT TO THE NORTH EKfJ 
TERRITORY. 
Port Darwin, March 21st.— The Minister of Educ- 
ation and party returned today from their visit to 
Delissaville, where they were capitally entertained at 
a formal dinner, at which the usual speeches were 
made. An inspection was made of tho sugarcancs 
which have been planted there. They are in a healthy 
condition, though not big. The appointments of the 
plantation belonging to the De Li>sa Sugar Company are 
completo. Two hundred acres are under sugar and 
fifty under maize. The white ants have been almost 
overcome by the free use of lime and cross-ploughing. 
A dozen lb. of table sugar were manufactured in pre- 
sence of the party from the product of the crushing. 
The Government Garden may be considered the b it 
in South Australia. The land about here is generally 
good, with ironstone patches. At the banquet, which 
was given to the party, the speakers expressed their 
great satisfaction and astonishment at the amount of 
work which had been done on the plantation. It was 
stated that a rumour was afloat that it was intended io 
merge other sections on Cox's Peninsula in the De- 
lissaville plantation under the power given by the Act 
of last session, but this was opposed strongly, and the 
arguments used by the Register at the time the measure 
was under discussion were upheld. .Sixteen thousand 
pounds have been spent on the Delissaville plantation, 
which is beyond the requirements of the Act, and if 
another 10,000 acres were merged into that plant- 
ation not a farthing need be spent on the added area. 
There are also plantations of tobacco, rice, and coffee 
on a small scale on the Cox's Peninsula. 
Port Darwin (Later.)— Mr. Edwards, planter of Natal 
and Fiji, and Mr. Kcece, a sugar and cotton planter in 
Fiji, have arrived from the Daly in a small open boat. 
They inspected Owston's I'almerston Plantation Com- 
pany's land, which consists of twenty thousand acres, 
and also the blocks of the other selector*. Mr. Ed- 
wards considers the land capital, and far better than 
Delissaville for the plantation of su^ar, but Mr. 
Reeco fears that it is not strong enougl , though the 
soil is deep black and chocoMe loam. He. however, 
thinks it very good for cotton. For tb i first thirty 
miles from the mouth of the river, flo >fis surround 
the land in the wet season, and tho dry ground is 
caked and praetieally useless. Thouco, as far as is 
known, extend boundless plains of impenetrable grass, 
which have a grand soil, are lightly timbered, ami are* 
well drained by the river. Mr. Reeoe intends to im- 
portune the Government fco grant him land for tho 
cultivation of cot ton on similar conditions to tho graut 
made to Mr. Oweton, guaranteeing to immediately 
start a plantation nud import machinery From Fiji w ith 
Melbourne eapiUl. The I'almerMon" i ..nipai-v hnvo 
twenty acre* of cane planted, which is I.- Uing healthy, 
especially tho meet* kind. Maize is grtwinj i ..iiV- 
