July  i,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AtSRIOOLTURIST. 
39 
price,  perhaps,  of  a halfpenny  per  ponnd  beyond 
what  he  ought  to  pay  tor  it  if  it  had  not  been  dyed. 
Tae  addition  of  turmeric  to  pepper  appears  to  be  a 
distinct  adulteration,  for,  although  only  a very  small 
quantity  is  aided,  turmerio  is  an  absolutely  different 
substance  from  pepper,  and  has  no  flavour.  In  fact 
it  is  a drug,  the  main  value  of  which  is  its  colour- 
ing property.  The  adulteration  of  white  pepper  with 
ground  rice  also  goes  on  almost  unchecked,  and  there 
is  surely  room  for  the  public  analysts  to  put  a stop 
to  these  malpractices,  which  are -o  degrading  to  the 
trade  and  so  vexatious  to  honest  traders;” 
Coffee  and  Chicory. — A grooer  in  Bedfordshire 
was  reoently  fined  for  selling  a mixture  of  coffee  and 
chicory,  in  which  there  was  only  90  per  cent,  of 
chicory.  As  the  price  of  this  stuff  was  Is  4d.  per  lb., 
no  wonder  the  magistrate  remarked  “that  it  was  a 
proper  case  for  the  police  to  take  up,  aud  it  was  very 
hard  that  poor  people  who  could  ill  afford  to  be 
mulcted  io  this  way  should  be  supplied  with  a mixture 
containing  90  per  ceDt.  of  chicory.’’  ft  is  hard  on 
coffee  growers  also. — if.  # C.  Mail , May  20th. 

PLANTING  NOTES  FROM  COORG. 
Coorg,  27th  May. — Owing  to  adverse  circumstances, 
such  a9  the  lateness  of  the  rains,  rain  falling  on  open 
blossom,  &e,,  there  has  been  a partial  failure  in  the 
setting  of  this  season’s  crop,  which  has  caused  reduc- 
tions, by  several  tons  in  eaoh  case,  of  all  estimates 
formed  on  the  blossom.  “ A Recent  Traveller,”  in 
his  letter  in  your  issue  of  the  12th  instant  arrives,  I 
think,  at  a fairly  correct  calculation  of  what  the  crop, 
taking  the  country  all  round,  is  likely  to  turn  out. 
He  gives  it  as  an  8 to  10  anna  one,  assuming  16  annas 
to  represent  a full  crop.  The  reaso  s he  gives  to 
account  for  the  shrinkage  are,  however,  not  in  accord- 
ance with  the  actual  stats  of  affairs.  He  says  that 
the  heavy  rains,  which  followed  the  opening  of  tbe 
blossom,  will  make  tbe  trees  throw  out  a flush  of 
wood,  thus  diverting  the  sap  from  the  fruit  germs, 
which  will  in  consequence  “ pale  off.”  A.l  daDger  of 
this  de-cription  is,  I t link,  obviated  once  the  set 
has  taken  place — tbe  berries  that  are  likely  to  come 
off  beiog  the  abortive  ones  that  have  not  set.  The 
rains  do  not  appear  to  have  operated  in  the  way  here 
indicated ; on  the  contrary  a profusion  of  shoots 
is  only  noticeable  on  trees  on  which  last  season’s 
crop  has  not  told  so  severely  as  to  prevent  them 
making  growth,  although  it  has  probably  incapacitated 
them  for  cropping.  It  is  necessary  to  make  this 
specification  as  there  are  trees  so  impoverished 
through  overbearing  that  they  remain  in  a precarious 
condition  a long  time  before  they  recover  sufficiently, 
even  under  the  most  favourable  conditions,  to  begin 
to  sprout.  There  is  also  considerable  growl h on 
lightly  laden  trees.  The  true  explanation  would  there- 
fore appear  to  be  that  the  dropping  of  ill  set  berries 
releases  that  amount  of  nutrient  matter  whioh  would 
have  gone  for  their  support  to  bo  utili-ed  by  the  trees 
in  making  growth.  A pardonable  confusion  of  cause 
and  effect  in  this  connection  would  inevitably  lead  up 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  sap  was  being  diverted 
from  the  young  berries,  thus  causing  them  to  drop. 
Botany  teaches  “ that  the  growing  parts  of  plants 
do  not  necessarily  depend  upon  nutrient  matter 
simultaneously  absorbed  from  without,  but  take  their 
required  Bupply  of  plastic  material  from  the  older 
aod  permanent  portions  which  have  ceased  growing. ” 
Unformed  berries  are  growing  parts  ol  trees  and 
once  their  growth  has  been  started,  which  is  probably 
after  they  have  set,  it  is  inconceivable  how  an  ad- 
dition by  absorption  of  nutrient  matter  from  with- 
out  can  effect  a diverson  of  it  from  them.  It  is 
believed  that  flushes  following  the  pruning  before  the 
blossom  has  been  started  is  detrimental  to  the 
formation  of  the  latter;  but  this  is  “another  story.” 
Light  showers  insufficient  to  move  the  spike  or  just 
enough  to  do  so  partially  ore  instumental  in  bringing 
about  these  flushes  ; also,  heavy  continuous  rain  be- 
tween the  start  and  the  finish  of  the  blossom.  Some 
places  have,  I believe  suffered  in  this  way  this  season 
but  it  must  be  only  in  cases  whero  heavy  bearing 
last  season  has  rendered  the  trees  unequal  to  cropping 
aga’n  this  year.  Considering  the  heavy  crops  that 
have  just  been  gathered  off  South  Coorg  estates, 
results  will  I think  be  highly  gratifying  if  half  crops 
bo  obtained  this  year.  On  the  Santikoppi  side  of  the 
country  men  expected  to  do  very  well,  but  circum- 
stances were  not  entirely  favourable.  Oa  tho  whole 
the  crops  ought  to  turn  out  10  to  12  anna  ones.  A 14 
anna  crop  will  be  exceptional,  and  only  in  isolated 
cases  will  they  drop  as  low  as  6 aud  8 anna  crops. 
A.ttention  is  now  beii  g paid  to  centering,  removing 
borers,  looking  after  last  year’s  supplies  aud  supply 
pitting.  Unfortunately  estates  ore  usually  short  handed 
at  this  time  of  year.  This  being  the  case, 
some  of  us  are  merely  contenting  ourselves  by  re- 
moving suckers  and  creepers  off  tho  trees,  as 
this  carries  us  rapidly  over  the  ground  and  it 
is  the  suokers  that  principally  take  it  out  of 
the  tree*,  centering  being  left  till  a more  convenient 
season,  when  supplies  of  labour  become  more  abundant. 
The  slow  progrets  made  by  small  gangs  removing 
borers  is  very  trying.  The  more  borers  that  are  removed 
now  the  better,  as  it  enables  us  to  put  supplies  into 
their  places.  The  position  of  some  estates  hereabouts 
in  respect  of  labour  is  envious.  Work  is  getting  on 
in  them  by  leaps  and  bounds,  while  ill  others  it  is 
as  bad  as  being  at  a standstill. 
The  recent  heavy  rains  are  making  the  weeds  grow 
apace  and  they  will  soon  be  overtopping  the  trees. 
They  are  less  advanced,  however,  than  they  were  at 
this  tim9  last  year.  If  they  are  allowed  to  remain 
long  it  will  be  to  the  detriment  of  tho  trees,  as  when 
land  is  crowded  with  vegetation  suffocation  is  induced 
to  some  extent,  which  perhaps  is  only  second  to  an 
attack  of  leaf  disease  in  its  ill  effects.  I do  not, 
however,  advocate  anything  beyond  keeping  down  the 
weeds  by  grass-knifing  during  the  early  part  of  the 
year,  leaving  the  forking  to  do  the  re  t in  cleaning 
the  place.  Weeds  are  Dot  an  unmixed  evii.  They  serve 
to  keep  the  soil  together  during  heavy  rains  and  only 
become  injurious  when  allowed  to  grow  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  choke  the  coffee.  As  they  draw  nourishment 
from  tho  atmosphere  they  eventually  return  more 
to  tho  soil  than  they  took  from  it.  This  naturally 
brings  me  to  the  subject  of  green  manuring,  as  this 
is  one  of  the  strongest  points  in  its  favour.  Green 
manures  have  a mechanical  action  on  the  soil  render- 
ing it  more  open.  Plants  of  the  leguminous  order 
would  be  especially  benefioial  in  supplying  the  soil 
whh  nitrogen.  There  is  too  muoli  saneness  in  tbe 
green  manure  obtained  by  tho  burying  in  of  weeds. 
A change  would  therefore  be  advantageous.  There 
would,  I think,  be  no  difficulty  iu  growing  crops  of 
green  manures  if  the  seed  were  put  down  after  the 
pruning,  as  the  thinning  out  of  the  trees  would  admit 
enough  light  for  their  healthy  growth,  and  as  the 
ground  is  at  this  time  free  of  weeds  they  would 
spring  up  with  tho  first  showers.  Now  it  is 
quite  out  of  the  question.  The  next  best  time 
to  grow  them  would  probably  be  in  September 
and  October  next,  after  the  handling  has  been 
finished  and  shade  trees  have  been  lopped  up,  as 
growth  then,  owing  to  alternate  sunshine  aud  ram, 
is  vigorous. 
The  sweet  plaintive  melody  of  that  harbinger  of  the 
monsoon,  the  monsoon  bird,  known  hb  the  “ Lonely 
Ploughboy”  I think,  on  the  Nilgiris,  strikes  pleasantly 
on  the  ear  during  the  day.  The  bird  selects  the  most 
secluded  leafy  spots  where,  undisturbed  it  pours  out 
its  soDg.  The  coolies  call  it  the  Guntay  hakki,  or  hour 
bird,  as  they  say  that  it  whistles  regularly  every  hour 
throughout  the  day,  The  wind  has  veered  round  to  the 
south-west  and  clouds  since  Sunday  last  have  been 
drifting  up  from  that  quarter.  Altogether  it  looks  as 
if  the  monsoon  forecast  for  this  year  will  be  verified  in 
its  bursting  at  an  early  date. 
I had  progressed  thus  far  with  these  notes  when  I 
was  told  about  an  estate  hereabouts  whioh  is  expected 
to  give  50  tons  off  about  180  acres  ! The  rain  had 
been  entirely  favourable,  and  excellent  blossoming 
weather  was  experienced  after  it.— M.  Mail , May  30th, 
