April  i,  1893.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
651 
in  the  way  of  crop,  one  to  pay  for  the  manure 
and  one  profit.  For  the  enoouragement  of  those 
who  are  still  hesitating  I may  mention  that  in 
addition  to  the  extra  yield  the  nuts  from  a well 
cultivated  estate  will  sell  for  from  R2  to  R3  per 
1,010  more  than  those  from  an  unmanured  one. 
Purchasers  of  cooonuts  for  conversion  into  oopra 
know  pretty  accurately  wbat  they  can  afford  to 
give  for  the  coconuts  of  each  estate  or  garden  from 
whioh  they  have  been  in  the  habit  of  buying 
and  regulate  their  prioes  accordingly.  The  more 
highly  an  estate  is  cultivated  the  fewer  nuts  will 
it  take  to  make  a oandy  of  copra.  At  the  same 
time  it  is  undeniable  that  if  trees  are  forced  by 
manuring  to  bear  beyond  say  70  nuts  each,  the 
nuts  will  not  be  so  large  as  if  the  trees  produced, 
with  a less  amount  of  manure  only  60  nuts.  My 
idea  of  the  reason  of  this  is,  that  although  the 
material  is  there,  in  a condition  available  for 
absorption  by  the  rootlets,  the  trees  have  to  make 
greater  effort  to  elaborate  the  crude  sap  into 
pabulum  fit  to  be  laid  down  as  fruit  &o. 
Henoe  in  my  opinion  any  fruit  brought  to  perfec- 
tion beyond  a oertain  number,  which  must  be 
asoeriained  by  observation,  will  be  at  the  cost  of  a 
greater  expenditure  of  energy  by  the  tree  than 
it  took  to  produce  each  fruit  up  to  that  point. 
For  the  same  reason  the  cost  of  production  of 
each  nut  beyond  that  ascertained  number  would 
be  greater  than  for  each  of  those  produced  up  to 
that  number,  and  the  profits  on  outlay  consequently 
from  that  point  a diminishing  ratio. 
I would  therefore  be  inclined  to  limit  the  efforts 
at  production  to  about  70  nuts  per  tree ; this  is 
for  ordinarily  good  soil ; for  inferior  soils  60  to  60 
should  be  the  limit.  Of  oourse  I would  not  men- 
tion these  numbers  if  I was  not  aware  that  they 
have  been  obtained  by  good  cultivation  over  con- 
siderable areas.  Some  soils  are  like  some  human 
beings ; no  matter  how  well  they  are  fed  they  show 
no  signB  of  improvement ; both  are  radically  defec- 
tive, and  until  the  defeot  is  ascertained  and  cured  do 
not  waste  money  upon  them  1 The  number  of  nuts 
a tree  will  produce  without  adventitious  aid  from 
man,  in  the  shape  of  tillage  and  manuring,  but 
by  simply  keeping  the  ground  free  of  juogle  growth 
and  fallen  leaves,  will  vary  with  the  riohness  of 
the  soil  ; and  my  belief  is  that,  with  rare  excep- 
tions, the  highest  yield  over  aoy  large  acreage  is 
not  more  than  40  nuts  per  tree.  Delgolla  is 
exceptionally  favoured.  Its  soil  is  good  ; the  lay  of 
the  land  perfection  ; and  the  rainfall  ample  and 
well  distributed.  It  has  also  excellent  facilities 
for  manuring,  and  if  the  trees  said  to  have  pro- 
duced 80  nuts  each  were  manured,  I have  no  diffi- 
culty in  believing  it,  but  if  otherwise  I am  very 
sceptical,  and  would  require  to  be  authoritatively 
put  right.  The  heaviest  bearing  tract  of  coconuts 
i have  ever  Been  was  about  100  aores  on  the 
Badalgama  estate,  then  leased  by  the  late  Mr. 
David  Wilson  ; this  portion  had  the  Mahaoya  for 
one  boundary,  and  the  Kudaoya  for  the  other. 
During  the  south-west  monsoon  rains,  and  sometimes 
again  during  the  north-east,  the  Maha  Oya  would 
overflow  its  banks  and  inundate  this  land,  leav- 
ing on  subsidence  a deposit  of  from  half-an- 
inch  to  three  inches  in  depth  of  rich  soil.  The 
growth  of  weeds  after  these  inundations  was 
astonishing,  and  men  with  katties  had  to 
be  sent  ahead  to  chop  them  down  before  the 
ploughs  could  be  put  in.  It  was  a complete  oover 
for  pigs,  pythons,  and  all  kinds  of  snakes  ard 
vermin,  so  we  may  safely  say  that  the  soil  was 
rich  and  the  olimate  forcing.  The  trees  on  this 
land  bore  very  heavily,  and  the  old  kankanama 
who  was  then  in  oharge  assured  me  that  they 
averaged  over  1Q0  nuts  yer  tree,  whioh  J ooqld  well 
believe  ; and  I should  not  be  a bit  Burprized  to 
learn  that  now,  after  33  years,  they  are  as  fruit- 
ful as  of  yore. 
The  finest  bearing  trees  I have  seen,  of  re- 
cent years,  over  any  considerable  acreage,  are 
those  of  Messrs.  Akbar  Bros,  in  the  Mahaoya 
Valley.  'When  I visited  their  estate  about  two 
years  ago,  after  a spell  of  drought,  the  trees  were 
looking  as  green  and  vigorous  as  it  was  possible  for 
trees  to  loot  ; there  was  hardly  a decaying  leaf  to 
be  seen,  and  the  trees  were  laden  with  nuts.  The 
contrast  between  the  appearanoe  of  this  estate 
and  those  on  each  side  of  it  was  very  marked ; 
and  the  difference  was  almost  entirely  due  to 
irrigation . Whatever  it  may  have  cost  Messrs. 
Akbar  Brothers  to  erect  the  machinery  and  lay 
out  the  ground  for  irrigating,  was,  I feel  convinced, 
well  spent  ; and  will  prove  a most  profitable  un- 
dertaking. Their  enterprise  is  most  praiseworthy. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Wright,  erst  of  Peradeniya,  Koslanda 
and  Makaldeniya,  and  now  of  Mirigama,  is  a worthy 
and  wonderful  old  gentleman,  with  the  pluck  and 
energy  of  many  who  are  30  years  his  juniors. 
There  are  few  of  his  oountrymen  like  him,  with 
his  appetite  for  hard  work,  dogged  determination, 
straightforwardness,  cheerfulness  and  kindliness  of 
heart.  In  1864  in  Haputale,  when  alone  and  ill 
and  quite  a stranger  to  him,  he  took  me  in  hand 
and  very  soon  put  me  all  right  again,  for  he  is  a 
famous  dootor  in  addition  to  his  other  qualifica- 
tions. Whatever  Mr.  Wright  has  put  his  hands 
and  intelligence  to,  has  prospered  and  hiB  last 
venture  will  not  prove  the  least  of  his  successes. 
It  is  too  soon  yet  to  say  how  great  a suooess  it 
will  be  ; but  it  will  be  suoh  as  to  amply  reward 
him  for  his  unstinting  labour  and  outlay.  May  he 
long  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labours ; and  may  he 
never  be  molested  by  the  ghostly  heads  and  limbs 
of  the  unfortunates  whose  mutilated  trunks  tradi- 
tion says  lie  buried  somewhere  on  “ Kandan* 
gamuwa.”  Coconut  proprietors  are  |in  luok  just 
now  with  such  handsome  prioes  ruling  for  cooonuts, 
copra,  oil  and  poonao,  whioh  should  in  a measure 
compensate  them  for  short  crops,  which  is  no 
doubt  the  main  cause  of  the  present  boom,  though 
no  doubt  there  is  a greater  demand  for  all  the 
produots  of  the  nut.  With  the  advent  of  big 
piokiDgs  in  May  and  June  prioes  are  likely  to  fall, 
though  not  to  last  year’s  figures.  Coconut  property 
is  looked  upon  by  the  natives  as  one  of  the  soundest 
and  safest  investments  for  their  money ; muoh 
safer  than  having  it  in  a bank.  And  that  is  one 
reason  why  gentlemen  of  means  sometimes  pay 
fancy  prices  for  a really  good  estate,  looking  more 
to  the  safety  of  their  money  than  hoping  for  big 
profits.  W.  J. 
INTERESTING  NOTES  ON  TEA:— 
CURIOUS  LOCAL  EXPRESSIONS. 
Kandy,  Maroh  1. 
Dear  Sib, — In  your  morning  edition  of  the  6th 
February  I noticed  under  the  heading  of  “Interesting 
Notes  on  Tea”  a paragraph  headed  “Sheffield  Ex- 
pressions,” referring  to  the  useamoDgst  the  inhabitants 
of  that  town  of  the  words  “gamest”  and  “mashing.” 
The  former  is  quite  wrong,  as  the  word  in  use 
amongst  Hallatnsbire  men,  meaning  the  shortest  road 
to  such  and  such  a place,  or  the  Dearest  to  such  and 
such  an  object  is  “gainest.”  I think  it  may  possibly 
be  derived  from  the  word  “against’’  i.  e,  in  the  sense 
of  “close  to”  or  “nigbest.” 
“Mashing”  is  in  common  use  with  regard  to  tea 
making.  When  I was  at  home  the  usual  way  in  my 
part  of  the  country  was  to  put  a certain  amount  of 
tea  into  a tea  cup,  fill  the  cnp  up  with  boilmg  water, 
pul;  ft  saucer  on  top,  aird  place  the  whole  on  the 
’Lb  or  ou  Uiq  top  q|  the  oven  to  “mash”  $r  b$ew, 
