June t, 1894.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
no matter how thin, or how near at hand to the 
plantation, put any practical test entirely out of 
the question when it oame to bo a case of 
ahieldiag some 70 to 80 cooonut palms, or 300 oaoao 
trees, per acre ? We fear that even for the 
garden or compound of a bungalow with but a few 
dozen of trees that might require protection from 
enemies of the type alluded to, " the game would 
not be worth the candle " in the application of 
mioa sheets as a protecting band; although the 
experiment in the case of one or two palma troubled 
with rats and squirrels would be interesting. It 
would be interesting, for instance, to contract 
the crop of nuts from a palm so shielded, with 
that from its unprotected neighbour, Care would 
have to be taken however to select trees suffloiontly 
apart ; for; squirrels, and we suspect rats.haviog got up 
one tree, generally do not require to descend in order 
to get at the young nuts of another, but spring 
across where the branches touch or come within 
easy distance. 
There can ba no doubt of the destruction 
wrought by both squirrels and rats to the fruit 
of the coconut palm in its incipient stage, and 
we suppose in the case of rats, even to nuts of 
larger growth. Where trees return fair crops 
notwithstaudmg, perhaps the owners regard these 
little feeders as of some service in preventing 
the palm from trying to bring too many nuts to 
full maturity at onetime? !□ the case of cacao, 
we know squirrels sometimes do immense mis- 
chief as the late Mr. Tytler found when he first, 
in Ceylon, commenced the industry on a consider- 
able scale in the Dumbara Valley. But mica 
shields for every tree is out of the question for 
cost, aa compared with setting watchers to shoot 
the depredators. 
Turning now, however, to the more serious 
enemies o£ the coconut palm in beetles, idr. 
Hoanly is under a mistake in supposing these 
require to crawl up the stem. The big black 
"Kurumenija" tiies freely about, especially at night, 
—it often gets into Colombo bungalows attracted 
by the lamps, and makes a great humming noise 
88 It goes striking against the walls— and its 
favorite mode is to alight on the top and work 
its way if possible into the pith of the tree. If there ig 
any open or weak place, we suppose, it at once finds 
lodgment and begins to burrow and feed on the 
young leave:* or on the "cabbage." Of course, both 
m the case of this beetle and its more serious red com- 
peer (the "K&ndapanuwa" of the Sinhalese), young 
palms are specially affected, their tender growth 
and liability to injury making them often ready 
viotims. Expert coolies quickly discover where the 
black beetle is at work and armed with a slender 
iron wire with a hook at the end, quickly pull 
him out. la the case of the red beetle, a mioa 
shield— if it were pecuniarily feasible— would be 
more effective; because they aim chiefly at the 
side of the palm, on 6>3ine wounded or injured 
spot, and quickly burrow into the tree. A frequent 
means of giving them a chance of lodgment is the 
breaking off branches from young palms— branches 
or arms which seem superfluous and in the way • 
but which aa Mr. Jacob Dc Mel (odo of the most 
intelligent and enterprising of Sinhalese landed 
proprietors) assured na only jesterday, should 
never ba broken off and in nooordance with that 
view he has issued strict orders for all his coconut 
places. 
Now, we had read a great deal about the 
destruction wrought by beetles among youn- 
palms; and in compiling our Manual "All about tlio 
Cooouul Fain:" it was our special duty to do so. 
But coming face to face with the reality iti this as in 
go ui»Dy other oades, ia worth far more than a pro- 
longed course of reading. Wo had no proper idea 
of what harm can be done until our visit of the 
other day to the Deduru-oya region. The barm 
arises from not keeping young clearings coneistently 
clean from the outset, taking care above all things 
to prevent jungle growth between the y-ouog 
palms, and to burn or get rid of all decaying 
timber. If this is done, there is no breeding 
place available for the beetles. We have learned 
our lesson at some considerable expense and take 
no small share of blame for ignorant uninteu 
tional neglect in one case for which we are- 
indireotly responsible. This is not likely to recur ; 
but here as in the case of thisllo-infested districts 
in Tasmania or white-weed on our coffee planta- 
tions, the proprietor who scrupulously does hiS 
duty by his own clearing, is liable to suffer nearly 
as much from the neglect of his neighbour. The 
beetles once bred in an adjacent plantation make 
no scruple in their nightly flights abous crossing 
boundaries and attacking palms on the c\e%a 
estate. This evil has Deen realised in the new 
Deduru-oya and Rajakadaluwa district, and Mr. 
Da Mel — who is one of the largest proprietors 
there— is very strong on the point that 
something should be dons to remedy the evil, 
in Australia, a " Thistle Prevention Act" was 
passed under almost parallel circumstances, and 
in coffee plantation uays, more than once, an 
ordinance to empower a neighbourmg proprietor 
to clear up a white- weed-covered field vfith 
power to recover the coat as a first charge, was 
talked of. Mr. W. H, Wright of Mirigama 
— who is facile princeps, the most advanced 
and enterprising practical cuconut planter at presen 
at work in Ceyiou — does not wait for tne Go' 
vernmant or public opinion to help him. He 
has opened one of the finest coconut plantations 
in the island, and devoted the utmost care to 
the cultivation and development of his palms. But 
he is surrounded by native gaidens which are 
too often entirely neglected, and so prove .a 
nursery for beetles. Wuat does Mr. Wr'ght do ? 
He requests permission to examine all tiie sur- 
rounding palms, and he pays 50 cents a tree for 
leave to kill auo burn utterly every oua infested 
with beetles paat remedy t Ha thereby, to some 
extent protects himself; but while this course is 
uacessary in the oasa of small village gardens, it 
ought not to be so, between proprietors of consider- 
able claarings. Self-interest in such cases ought 
clearly to point the way and to induce cash 
proprietor or le3see to clear up his land, burn 
all decaying timber or rubbish, to examine hia trees 
and to deal promptly with those affected, for his 
own personal advantage as well as pro bono publico. 
We trust this course will be universally followed 
the new Oooonut District beyond the Deduruoya. 
TE.\ l.N SOUTH INDIA. 
Uousiderible alteutloa is being attraclei ta tea in 
TtHvaucoce, where all conditions point to ouitability 
either in soil, climate or raiiufall. The favorite sites, 
and from whiob the largest jielos «re ob«aiu»ble, ara 
situated between 1,0U0 aud i,-J<IO fuoo above sea lovel, 
which, ttllowiug for uitf-reuce of latitu lo, assimdites 
to the A^sum garduua iibovj Te/.pjre. Aluuijioorio 
iudigcnoua ia ruuali sought after kuJ reoouimoudad 
fur the placo as better alilo to ajoomaiodase ilsolf tj 
the climaio tlmu the usual hybriJised vurietioj ; the 
jiulJ of Iho gardoua in eaid to oo f»r in excess ot tbat 
oi iho NilijiriB, omouu'ing to f loiii tiOO li>. to 1,200 lb. per 
•ore as ag»iiisl '200 lu. to 400 lb. iii ciui in ju.hbuis. (tie 
average price* bomj} much upon .•» car. O^n- 
eidir.iblo m tbo elevation of the rrAvmooro g irJeus i.', 
tha ploiituru complain of lUu lulru iju ot otu^Haui*, 
