362 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov 1, 1900. 
- If in special cJistricts the extraction of root rubber 
is permitted, the rate of replantatioQ muat bs high — 
not less than two to oue. (c.) The forest trees which 
provide the indispensable shade mast also bo protected 
from destruction, {f.) Powers should be taken to 
forbid absolutely the extraction or sale of rubber in 
a district for a fixed period ; as a penalty for breach 
of re£<ulation3, or merely as a protective matter. 
As regards the future development of the industry, 
the important points are as io\[o\si:—(a.) The steady 
renlantmc' of indigenous trees, and the preservation 
of the slTade trees in forest areas (6.) Improved 
methods of extraction and preparation (c.) The m- 
troduction of superior species lu cultivated areas, (d.) 
The formation of a small forestry department a mem 
ber of which would have special experience of rubber. 
[o) And is not the complaint of " stinginess " prob- 
ably owing to the fact that the free cropping Foras- 
tero varieties have been saddled with the "stinginess" 
of other Forastero varieties and which have no 
(colloquial^ distinctive name? It is not possible that 
planters have been too " sweeping " in their state- 
ments when they have compared the cropping capacity 
of the highly-cultivated Caraocas with that of the 
numerous varieties of Forastero from time to time im- 
ported into the Islan 1, and between which scarcely 
any trouble is taken to disinguish ? 
Well, Sir, this is a long list. The truth is when I 
first begin asking questions I had no notion my ig- 
norance was so great. — Yours, etc., POD. 
S0M3 QUESTIONS ON OACAO- 
giE,— Will you kindly allow me elbow room in this 
column to ask — 
(a) If anyone in the Island knows Jvhat Mr. Arden 
actually meant by " topping cacao ? Mr. Gibbon 
alludes to it as " very unirsual. 
fb' It however, "topping " is merely what is more 
commonly known as '■ suckering " (i. e. ridding the 
tree of voung shoots upwards from the stem in order 
to promote crop, and decrease height), is not this 
■^vsteni of " topping "rather the rule than the exception 
(c) And what is the allusion to the "topping" of 
shade trees ? 
Id And if Mr. Arden was " presumptious " to com- 
ment on au " absence ot light and air," why have most 
cacao planters exemplified the justice of the verdict by 
increasing the intervals between the^ir shade trees ? 
ic) And is it not probable that Mr. Arden s remark 
on this head had as much, if not more, to do with the 
distance at which cacao itself has been planted in 
''^fv^F'^^lnd why does one gentleman talk about " top- 
Bius cacao," and another about " cacao topping itself 
[g) And why should it be supposed that " suckering 
(ie forcing) a 'tree strengthens it? 
i'h) And if "s-jiokering" strengthens a tree why 
was it considered " not wise to remove them all (the 
" suckers "?) . , i i u 
(i) And if " suckering" weakens a tree why should 
Caraccas be considered doomed ? Has it not always 
been " suckered " (weakened) systematically until its 
health has become such that, when the canker came, 
it was unable to resist it ? Has it, therefore, had a 
fair chance ? ^ j ii, t 
(/) And has it been satisfactorily demonstrated that 
Forestero is such a far more hardy variety than the 
"red 
ik) And is there anyone who can say that " suck- 
ering " Forastero will not eventually reduce it to the 
present anemic condition of Caraccas ? 
(1) And why is it planters consider Forastero a 
" stingy cropper " in comparison with Caraccas, when 
the former (a tree many sizes larger than the 
"red " variety), is rarely planted at greater distance 
^'^('°)''''lf Fmistero at 12 ft. by 12 ft. gives 2 cwts. per 
acre, what will Forastero at 24 ft. by 24 ft. give per 
^Tn/ TTnLil someone is in a position to answer this 
question from practical experien ce, what sort of ]U3tice 
is that rQ;tedout to I'Yrastero 
MR. J. B. CARRUTHBR'S ANSWERS. 
PUCKEKING — FRUNING— ANEMIA— VARIETI — EXPEBIMENT3- 
On referring ' Pod's' queries to Mr. .1. B. Carruthers, 
hehas kindly jotted down some pirtial answers to the 
questions asked, which he considers are of interest as 
shewing a desire to get an accurate knowledge of cacao, 
and as such he welcome them. He takes the queries 
in the alphabetical order thus ; — 
"pods" quebies, 
a. to /'. Mr. Arden's remarks mu?t be considered 
only in relation to the cacao estate he saw and the 
methods carried out there. 
"Topping" probably means pruning the highest 
vertical branches. 
y.&h. — '• Suckering" — i. p. cutting off " suckers " 
is not " forcing" — it gives the impression of strength- 
ening the tree, because the nutrition taken up by tlie 
rjot has less branches to support and consequently 
those that remain are strengthened. 
j— Pruning for fruit is only necessary when a tree pro- 
duces long, unbranching shoots which shows no flower 
buds, suckers in cacao produce flower buds and 
fruit after one year's growth. Nature should not be 
interfered with unless an increase in the yield can be 
obtained. 
/. — There is much evidence that Forastero is hardier. 
Exact experiments would, however, give a moreabso- 
lutely trustworthy proof. 
h — "Ana3mia"is a disease of the blood in animals 
with a circulatory system, and in plant life tliere is no 
analogous system and therefore no disease which has 
any similarity to " auasmia." 
I. — Do planters consider Forastero a " stingy crop- 
per ?'' The largest tree in Ceylon are red cacao 
(Caraccas), but they are older in most cases than the 
Forastero. 
m — Such an experiment would undoubtedly give know- 
ledge of great importance to planters. 
0. — No experiments of an accurate kind have been 
made to show the relative fruit-producing qualities of 
the two varieties, and all opinions are only based upon 
local observations often not very correctly made, and 
the deductions obtained not very carefully or legically 
worked out. — Local " Times." 
Ramie Fibue as a Substitute for Cotton. — Mr. 
D. Edward Badclyffe, Regent's Park, writes that 
Lancashire is threatened in connection with the cotton 
industry with a serious loss, and he asks why this 
country does not profit by its lessons. When the last 
great famine took place during the American war 
Great Britain, he says, was sliown the folly of relying 
on one country for it supplies. " We have," he adds, 
"a vast territory in which we could grow Ramie, 
which is a fibre far superior to cotton. It will grow 
where cotton grows, and where it will not. The possi- 
bilities of this plant are enormous. It grows wild in 
India and many other of our possessions. It will 
make anything that can be made by flax, cotton, trool, 
or silk. If our Colonies would turn their attention to 
Ramie growing, the possibility of a vast industry being 
crippled for the want of supplies would be a thing qI 
the past," — Jov.vnal oj Horticulture, 
