8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, TJuly 2, 1894. 
but that I feel bound to give both sides of the 
question when it is proposed to introduce such a 
plant as a wattle iuto a new distriol. To briefly 
sum up the foregoing : many on these hills declare 
from their experience of the Acacia dealbata that it 
is a curse to the country ; a few others have very 
opposite views ; these latter would recommend plant- 
ing it up all over the country, but the former heartily 
wish it had never left Australia. 
However, if after this warning, Mr. Leslie Rogers 
etill cares to take up the matter I will proceed to 
the next iten — i c, when you have got the seed how 
to sow it. I should say that to l>egin with an acre 
would be quite enough to put down in wattlp, in 
fact a quarter of an acre— yie'ding probably enough 
green manure for two to four acres — would be 
ample. Well, the land should be first cloaredofall 
■jungle, grass, etc., but roots, stumpc, etc., can be left 
standing, and the seed can be sown broad-cast aud 
lightly hoed or harrowed in in the showery seasen. 
Before the end of the year the wattle will have grown 
up some two feet, when the first crop can be cut level 
with thegroun l and subsequent cuttings may be taken 
every two or three -Booths. 
It is of importance to note that the chief value of 
the wattle lies in the nitrogen whioh is found in its 
tender le ify shoots ; the wo id itself being of but little 
mauurial value. As to the quantity to be applied to 
each tree, I would recommend not more thau 25 pounds 
of sun-dried tops previously passed through a ohaff- 
outter — to eacu tree. 
I have mainly bicked up using wattle as a manure 
on account of its growing in such abundance on 
these hills, but probably any leguminous plant 
would do as well. 1 do not kuow what kind of vetches 
yon have up >n Dehra D >oa or other tea-districts up 
North, but surely seed could ea3ily be obtained of the 
hardier and more prolific kindn. The main point is 
I thick, not to grow them among the tea itself, but 
to plant up a certain portion of land and merely cut 
what is required, dry it in the sun for a day or two, 
and apply direct to the field. By the way, it is as well 
to remember that deep pits are ceitainlynot advisable 
to use for green m inure, or in fact manure of any 
kind. The test method of all is to scatter the ferti- 
lizer broadcast immediately previous to a deep hoeing 
or forking, but if this is ujt practicable then long 
shallow treuohes would do, covering the manure with 
oulya very slight layer of soil.— Indian Planters' Gazette. 
MARAGOGIPE COFFEE, 
This is a large-growing variety of Arabian Coffee 
found in Brazil and imrouuoed to this country by 
Mr. Thomas Ohristy, f.l s.. iu 1883. The plant has 
been gro,vu ia the Palm Housj at Kew and this 
year it has produced a good crop of fruit. It is large 
and vigorous looking, having, at first bight, much of 
the habit of Liberiau Coffee. Tne leaves though 
fully twice the tize of those of Arabian Coffee, have 
however, the pipery texture and Hie undulating char- 
acter CiatinguishiBg that specie.'. The flowers, also 
are tbe flowers of O. arabica, aud so are the cherries 
except in size. Tho latter are nearly an inoh long, 
red and toH when ripo with a silky smooth surface 
and a very small proportion of pulp. The cbartsceous 
integument Imowa ts the ' parehnunt skip, ' is th'n 
as in Aratiiu Coffee aiU nos hard aud horny ai in 
Liberian Coffee. The cleaned beans before drying, 
from luliy 30 per cent by weight of tbe cherries, aud 
iu this respaoti Maragogipe Coffee is certainly very 
promising. From a culture point of view the htavy 
whippy trancbos msy be a drawbaok, as also the 
very long iuterntdes showing a coLsiderable atoount 
of barren wood. When first introduced marsg^gipd 
Coffte was descr.bed as follows: "It grows with 
" extraordinary vigour, aud trees three to four ye.irs 
old were already eight to t-'u feet high aud full of 
fiuit. The tree teems to come iuto full bearing 
much sooner then the ordii.ary coffee and the bean 
is very much larger the weight of coffte per 
ftcre must be very much more than trcm the ordi- 
naiy ooifee \fdi," A; v hough Majagogipe Upffee hss 
been grown experimentally in Ceylon, Java Jamaica 
and Trindad no reports have so far reached Kew 
as to the results. In Ceylou and Java tbe fact that 
it was attacked, equally with Arabian Coffee by the 
coftee-leaf fungus (Hemileia vastatrix) gave Maragogipe 
coffee no speoial advantage in those islands aod possi- 
bly ou that account it failed to receive atteutioo. 
it is mentioned, however, in the Tropkal Agriculturut 
(Vol. IV., p. 491), that a large quaotity of seed was 
(•hipp'd to Ceylon direct from Brazil iu 1884. As 
regards tbe West Indie), lue Superintendent of the 
Botauie Gardens, Trinida \, men'ions Maragogipe ooffee 
us one of the sorts cultivated at tbat establishment 
in 1887* At Jamaica seed wis received iu 1883 and 
about a dozen plants raised from it were distributed 
for trial amoug»t tbe leadiug planters in tbe Bine 
Mountain district during 1881 and 1885. 
The following account is eztr«cte t from the Trans- 
actions of the Queensland Acclimatisation Society for 
June 1893 (p. 56): — 
"The deman I for coffee plants during the paat year 
has been on the inert is?, 5,956 plants having been 
sent from the girdeos. These have been planted at 
various places along the coast, at Miokay, Buodaberg, 
Maryborough, Gympie, Maroochie, Mooloolah, Cleve. 
land, &c. The kinds sent wero varieties of the 
Arabiin and a few plants of the Maragogepic, or 
Brazilian Coffee, have also been distributed. The 
important plant of this fine coffee, o i,'iually introduced 
from Kew [Report, 1890, p. 14] growing in the 
society's gardens, is this reason bearing heavily, and 
a large stock of plants will be raised from seeds 
for next year's distribution. Two hybrid coffee plants 
are also in full bearing this season. One of these 
plants has shown a distinct character , the cross was 
effected between the Mocha and the Mai wjogepie, 
tbe pollen from tbe latter being used to fertilise the 
Mooha." — Kew Bulletin. 
VARIOUS PLANTING NOTES. 
Quinine at Posi Oiticbs.— Up to the close of last 
year, over a million-and-a-quarter pioe packets of 
quinine wero sold by the Post Oftioes of Bengal. 
If, it is announced, the distribution continues to 
be worked at a profit, it may te possible to allow 
a larger commission, or soma reduction in price, 
to purchasers of large quantities. It is impossible 
to retluce tho prioe be'ow one pice per paoket, or 
to increase the dose above five grains; and as it 
is cot the object of Government to make any 
profit from the industry, reductions calculated to 
encourage agents to push the sale of tbe packets 
are the only means of absorbing any balance on the 
oredit side. — Englishman. 
Coffeb A3 an Antiseptic — The experiments of 
Luderitz,of Vienna, tend to establish tbe belief in the 
antiseptio properties of coffee. A Strong solution of 
coffee, for example, ended the oareer of a baoillus of 
typhoid in about twenty-four hours, tbe active 
streptoooocus of erysipelas in twelve hours, while 
not longer than from three to four hours was 
sufficient to kill tbe malignant comma bacillus of 
cholera. Strong decootions acted more qu : cklj stiil ; 
the effects, however, are stated to be due more to 
the products of ihe roasting of the ccrfe9 than to 
the active principle of the berry. In this con- 
nection it has been pointed out by a correspondent 
of the Indian Medical Gazette that it would be 
worth while to substitute ceffes for tea among the 
cases of enterio fever in the European hospitals in 
Irdia. Coffee also might be given a trial in the 
treatment of typhoid fever in this oountry. As & 
beverage, doubtless, it wculd be appreciated by 
the patient, and in the light of Ludentz a lesearches 
there is juet the possibility that it might have some 
controlling influance over the cjissase.— Public 
Opinion. 
