24 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
(July 2, 1894. 
COFFEE IN JAMAICA. 
A Novel Auction. — Among the propeities brought 
to the hammer at Tokeuhouse-yard yesterday, 
was a freehold estate in the parish of Manchester, 
Jamaica, consisting in all of about 3481 acres of 
ooffee growing, pasture and orange growing lands. 
Bidding was exceptionally keen, wi'h the result 
that a sale was effected at £4,330. — Daily Chro- 
nicle, May 10. 
TEA IN THE WYNAAD. 
COLOMBO TEA MARKET AS THE MINCING LANK OF THE EAiT. 
Now that the Wynaad Tea Comia-iy h»s com- 
meoosil op< rations, it may be s>ii that the cult.va- 
ticD of this product baa b en firmly established iu 
this district, whioh, it h s b en proved, is to w II 
suited for it. It is a matter for r<gtet that it was 
not taken up sooner and when c f'fee AraMea stowed 
unmistaktblo signs of dying ba^k in tertain loca ities 
that its place was Lot at ones occupied by the Indira. 
However better late than never. This new departure 
has caused a gojd deal of attention to bo attracted in 
one way and another to Wynaad, which is all the bet- 
ter if only it is followed by capital. Ceylon stmdts 
forth as a great tea-produeiog country, aud so it is 
not surprising that comparisons have been made with 
that Islaud. Cornparitoua, said Mrs. Mitluprop, are 
odorous ; and we may add they are cuite as often 
ridiculous. Nevertheless people will make them. It 
was only the other day that we pub i-.hed a ktt r 
from ''Old Wynaadiuu," a gmt'emau wi.o to k a 
jaundicted view of Ceylon generally, while boartiug 
in an unnecessarily extravagant ton-, so it s emed to 
us, of his own district ; and now we see that a cores- 
pondent has wii ten lo a contemporary stating that 
Wynaad can eatily oust Ceylon trom the t> a-niarket. 
It is perhaps hardly necessary to remark ihat ihtre 
is about as much sense in this observation in if he had 
said Mysore cau easily oust Brazil from the coffee mar- 
ket. Not only will Wynaad not oust Ceylon from the tea 
markets of the world, but neither will Southern India. 
It would need a b ild prophet to prophesy today th»t 
ten years hence the total exports of tea from Southern 
India amounted to ten million lbs. Ceylon, it seenia 
to us, is creating a necessary bugle ir out of Southern 
India ; its own extensions are likely to do it far more 
harm than ever the latter will. So far as Wynaad 
is concerned, it is to the aivauta&e ol C \ Ion thai 
tei should be cultivated there, for it tun been shown 
that this Indian Dittiict produces a leaf drawing 
string full-bodied liquor, which mixes well with Ceylon 
leaf of inferior quality aud therefore creatts au in- 
creased demand for the latter. We should like to 
see the import duty on Indian teas wiihdrawn by the 
Ceylon Govtroment, us there is no doubt that Travau- 
core also grows a tea that mixes well with much if 
Oejlon, and when the young fields of Wynaad come 
into bearing, as they will shortly, there will ba tt 11 
greater supply of this quality. It is always an ad- 
vantage to an agricultural enterprise to have a good 
market close to its doors, and, so far as we are aware, 
it is not to the ditadvantags of the market-town to 
have fresh fields to draw its supplies from. There is 
no reason why Colombo should not become the Minoiug 
Lane of the East. The tea industries of Ceykn and 
Southern India ought to work more in harmony with 
one another than they da at pr sent for we feel certain 
that itwould be greatly to tteir mutual advantage. — 
M. Mail. 
A NEW COCOID FKOM CEYLON. 
The latest number of Indian Museum Notes " is 
distinctly above the average and the notes gain much 
by being neatly illustrated. Mr.G. B. Buckton, f.h.s., 
contributes a paper on a new Coccid from Ceylon, 
which occupies first place. The insect which he 
had seen and describes he believes to be a distinct 
variety and since they only live a few days the oppor- 
tunities for observing them must naturally be rare. 
Attention and address are therefore required in 
securing them, and it is desirable that this should 
be done without delay, seeing that the insect has 
proved very troublesome in the Botanical Garden 
at Peradeniya where it multiplies with great rapi- 
dity and attacks the most showy plants iu the Gar- 
den. A new species of Fulgoridse is next described 
by M. Lethierry. The specimen reported upon 
was taken from Ceylon, at d 16, it eeems, to be found 
ia itsva-ious stages of growth, swrmiug wthm the 
claapirig ab< aths of the leaves ot the Indian corn plant. 
In «et weather it is covered by a mjiy fuugut, wbicb 
has tot been noticed at otbi r times. It ia alto at- 
tended by anto. The eggs r.re tuned in lie timutBot 
the plant on the inside of the shotting have* the 
orifice being concealed by a depesi'. of white woolly 
s cretion. The ir effect en the plants depended much 
npou the period a». wh eh they were attacked, the 
younger oi e i Ucoming stunted and weakened, the 
older oni s Buffering in a alij,t< r decree. A iiew enemy 
of the cuataid-app'e i« Lest dealt with. Tin rpeeimeo 
upon which the genm ard Bptotea are founded *.- 
reared in the Museum Itt in ca'erpil'ai'j f juud tuuuelJiuu 
into the fruit of the custsrd-apple in Calcutta. Tke 
itsect proved to be new to tie Indun Muteuui 
collectitn. so it was for«ard««l to Lord Walsu gaauj 
whOf-ibmi ted itto Sir F. Mooie. Mr. Mooie writes:— 
— "The moth from the enstar l-apple is also apbyeid, 
tie specim n tent tome bii >g that of a fema'e 
This haa bee;i kindly examined and described for 
uie by my friend Mot,*. Ragorot, who haa chart* 
terised it as belonging lo a new genus and species 
of Phyeitidie. to which he has giv n the name of 
Anonaj,estishe)itjaUUa." As the feaiuli only has yet been 
described, it would be detirable to procure tt e male. 
Mr. G. 13. Bnckton thou contiibutes aome i.otte ou 
Indian Aphidre describing particularly aod an aphis 
whioh infests the bamboo throughout Brnish India. 
The wiuged female, which is tow described by Mr. 
Bucktop, aud for the first time was taken by 
Mr. E. B. Or<-( n, upon the cultivated yeliow-t?rumt d 
bamboo in Ceylon. Mr. Gr. eu noticts that altlougb 
the aperon* form is some in>es si abundant as to 
completely cover the surfnee of the barntoo Kb< ot--, 
the plant dots n t appear to be injured to a»y Very 
grtat extent. He adds tbat in life the wiugleaa form 
is of a dull sta'.e r.rey colour el ghtly obscured by 
a whitish bkom, the gravid females having a coahion 
of white meal upon the extremity of the abdomen. 
The winged form, on ths otter hand, is so dark in 
colour as to be almost black, aud is without any 
whitish blojm. Finally, Mr. E. C. Cotes, Deputy 
Superiuten lent of the Indian Museum, c ntiibuue a 
series of miscellaneous notes for the Entomological 
Section of the Mu-eum, wrr'ch would alone render 
the number readable.— Times of India. 
♦ — 
Mixed Forests.— We have before us a 
pamphlet " on Mixed Forests and their Advantages 
over Pure Forests by John Nisbet of the Indian 
Forest Service. The argument seems to be that 
" mixed forests have the great advantages of 
denser growth, larger and finer production of 
timber both as regards quantity and quality, and 
lessened danger from storms, insects and fungoid 
diseases." We are told that, " in France where 
forestry is well understood and practised, although 
not quite eo scientifically as in Germany, mixed 
forests form the bulk cf the woodlands." There 
would appear, therefore, to be . nothing novel in 
the question, but that it is not so well understood 
in Britain. Natural forests are of mixed growths, 
bus in the struggle for existence shade-bearing 
species succeed in ousting trees that make greater 
demands on light. A oondit on of things however 
which can be controlled by the forester in culti- 
vated areas. The principle would seem to have 
only a limited value for application in Ceylon, yet 
its guiding principles already named might well 
be borne in mind where extensive areas are set 
apart for the growth of timber trees. 
