Nov.  r,  1892.] 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
361 
$oijtI$8pond$na<L 
— — o- - 
To  the  Editor. 
INFORMATION  WANTED  AS  TO  THE 
APPLICATION  OF  ELECTRICITY  IN 
AGRICULTURE. 
Elk  Hill  Farm,  Coonoor,  Nilgiris,  Sept.  26. 
Sib, — In  the  August  number  of  3 our  interesting 
paper  the  Tropical  Agriculturist  appeai'3  a short 
extract  headed  ‘-The  Eleotric  Light  in  Agriculture” 
(page  118).  This  affirms  that  by  simply  placing  a 
number  of  conductors  (lightning-rods,  I assume) 
round  a field,  active  currents  can  be  produced 
by  which  the  crop  is  increased  50  per  cent. 
I should  be  greatly  indebted  to  you  if  you  or 
any  of  your  numerous  subscribei’3  could  give  me 
some  plain  directions  as  to  the  manner  of  carrying 
out  a similar  experiment,  keeping  in  mind,  however, 
that  I am  intensely  ignorant  of  practical  eleotrioity, 
CREIGHTON. 
TEA  NOT  OYER-PRUNED  IN  CEYLON. 
Sept.  30. 
De4B  Sib,— When  Mr.  Hughes  expressed  his 
opinion  as  to  the  evil  effeots  of  your  London  Cor- 
respondent’s suppositionary  excessive  pruning  of 
tea  in  Ceylon,  he  was  evidently  not  fully  cognizant 
of  what  actually  takes  place  after  we  prune  our 
bushes. 
The  prunings  are  either  buried  or  they  are  not. 
In  the  first  case  the  soil  is  more  or  less 
generally  broken  up  during  the  prooess  and  there- 
fore made  more  capable  of  absorbing  rainwater, 
and  there  is  consequently  less  waste  during 
this  time  than  when  the  buBhes  are  fully 
covered  with  leaves.  When  the  prunings  are  not 
buried  they  completely  cover  the  ground  and  so 
shade  it  from  the  scorching  effects  of  the 
sun  until  the  bushes  have  renewed  their  foliage 
and  they  form  a better  preventative  of  wash  and 
waste  of  soil  on  steep  land  than  any  system 
of  digging  or  holing  for  the  purpose  of  their 
burial  could  do. 
At  the  higher  elevations,  where  moss  forms  a 
perfect  carpet  of  green  on  the  surface  of  the 
soil,  a thorough  good  scorching  every  second  year 
when  the  bushes  are  pruned  must  be  more  bene- 
fioial  than  the  reverse. 
Look  at  the  appearance  of  our  fields  15  or  more 
years  old  and  study  their  returns,  and  you  will 
not  be  alarmed  as  to  the  longevity  of  our  bushes.  I 
know  such  fields  which  are  looking  as  well  and  doing 
as  well  as  ever  they  did.  A word  or  two  in  re- 
ference to  Jackson’s  puff  of  our  neighbours  over  the 
water.  Borjulli,  with  its  15  maunds  or  1,200  lb. 
per  acre,  at  a cost  of  3fd  per  lb  , must  be  a very 
rare  exception  indeed. 
In  your  issue  of  the  15th  inst.  you  give  a list 
of  28  Indian  Tea  Companies  owning  70,000  aores 
of  tea  in  cultivation,  the  returns  from  which 
ranged  from  2651b.  to  672  lb.  per  acre,  at  a cost  of 
from  6|d  to  Is  0£d  per  lb. 
The  dividends  paid  by  these  companies  ranged 
from  Isbs  than  nothing  to  17  per  cent. 
I see  nothing  much  to  be  afraid  of  there,  and 
must  therefore  sign  myself  yours  truly, 
SCEPTIC. 
WEEDS  AS  MANURE. 
Marakona  Estate,  19th  Oct. 
Dear  Sib,— With  reforence  to  your  footnote  to 
my  letter  of  15th  September,  I have  the  pleasure 
of  stating  that  I have  tested  my  system  of  using 
weeds  for  the  saving  of  wash  and  also  as  a manure 
in  the  cultivation  of  ooffee,  cinchona,  caoao  and 
tea  to  my  entire  satisfaction,  and  am  now  carrying 
out  the  some  system  on  this  estate  with  marked 
suocess  in  the  cultivation  of  caoao. 
I now  send  you  by  this  morning’s  train  three 
samples  of  the  most  suitable  grasses  to  plant  on 
steep  land  (where  great  loss  of  soil  is  occasioned 
by  wash)  for  the  purpose  of  cheoking  the  waBh, 
saving  and  making  soil  and  retaining  the  rain. 
And  eventually  the  weeds  are  worked  into  the  soil 
with  BDy  other  patent  manure  as  may  be  found 
necessary. 
The  following  is  a list  of  the  samples  sent  with 
particulars  of  native  names,  etc-,  on  which  I would 
like  you  to  give  me  the  technical  names. 
No.  1.  Native  name:  Tamil,  Moorogu-pillu  ; 
Sinhalese,  Unnura-wall.  (sic.) 
No.  2.  Native  name : Tamil,  Pallara-ooodi, 
Sinhalese,  Gotukola. 
No.  3.  Native  name  : Tamil,  Sivan  ooddie  ; 
Sinhalese  Undupiyali. 
No.  1. — This  grass  is  specially  suited  for  th9 
purpose  of  retaining  moisture,  as  it  grows  to  the 
height  of  about  four  inohes  with  a very  small  depth 
of  root.  It  is  useful  as  a clover  for  feeding  oattle, 
and  also  serves  the  purpose  of  a manure,  if 
hacked  down  and  allowed  to  rot.  This  operation 
can  be  repeated  as  soon  as  it  grows  up  again,  whioh 
means  a continual  collecting  of  deoayed  vegetable 
matter.  In  addition  to  this  you  will  find  that  this 
grass  is  a surface  feeder,  and  the  roots  do  not  pene> 
trate  to  any  depth  in  the  soil.  I do  not  consider 
it  as  good  as  some  other  grasses  of  deeper  root, 
for  the  purpose  of  manuring,  for  in  my  opinion  it 
is  the  roots  which  constitute  the  manuring  qualities  5 
^for  instance  look  at  the  native  paddy  fields,  how 
*they  first  turn  the  turf  over  and  allow  it  to  rot ! 
It  was  only  the  other  day  that  a planter  remarked, 
when  asked  if  he  believed  in  this  system  of  allowing 
weeds  to  grow  as  a manure,  etc.:  ” What  about 
exhausting  in  the  soil?”  Talk  of  exhausting  the  soil 
when  at  that  very  moment  the  “ cream  ” of  his 
soil  was  rolling  down  the  ravines  in  the  shape  of 
liquid  mud. 
No.  2 — This  oreeper  grows  to  an  even  height  of 
about  two  inches,  but  of  thick  growth,  which  helps 
it  to  retain  moisture  save  wash,  etc.  Growing  to 
a small  height  it  was  the  trouble  of  hacking.  The 
roots  go  down  to  a somewhat  deeper  depth  than  the 
former.  It  will  serve  as  a good  manure  if  cut  and 
applied  with  patent  manures  in  holes. 
No.  3. — This  grass  is  in  my  opinion  the  best, 
as  it  requires  no  cutting  whatever  and  makes  a 
thick  covering  on  the  top  of  the  soil,  and  has  a 
thiok  network  of  roots  under  the  surfaoe,  whioh  go 
down  to  a deeper  depth  than  the  two  preceding 
ones.  It  is  the  best  of  the  three  in  manuring 
qualities. 
As  to  their  respective  qualities  of  retaining  the 
nitrogen,  either  in  the  leaves  or  roots,  kindly  refer 
to  analysis,— Yours  faithfully,  J.  HOLLOWAY. 
FOOD  FOR  POULTRY. 
Dear  Sib,— In  reply  to  E.  H.  B.’s  letter  in  your 
issue  of  the  22nd  inst.  'I  would  suggest  her  try 
ing  “Indian  corn.”  It  contains  both  egg  and 
bone  making  material,  whereas  paddy  is  chiefly 
composed  of  starch, 
is 
