Nov. 1, 1900.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
353 
«^ 
To the Editor. 
IGNORANCE OF CACAO :-THIS PICTURE 
AND THAT. 
Oct. 22. 
Dear Sir, — With reference to your remarks 
on cacao in Saturday's Observer, one might 
regard the word of a botanist, according to 
the vehement criticism by Mr. Chas. Gibbon 
in the local "Times," as something akin to 
the wand of a conjuror. 1 he young botanist 
from Kew, Mr. Arden, could not be expected 
to give an opinion from personal experience 
on cacao cultivation in Ceylon, nor do I see 
how his general remarks as reported by the 
"Times " can have materially influenced any 
person of larger experience.* Is it not a fact, 
however, that at Kew there may be seen 
growing on a small scale practically all 
tropical products, the uses, value and culti- 
vation ot which the students at that insti- 
tution are regularly taught ? Is it not through 
Kew that our best varieties of cacao have 
been introduced to Ceylon ? t 
Mr. Carruthers, the Cryptogamist, in his 
report last year on the cacao disease, stated 
that "some estates are practically wiped out 
by the disease," whilst leading cacao planters 
declared that there were prospects of the 
cacao enterprise being doomed. It is not 
surprising therefoi'e that a new-comer, taught 
in Eui>opean principles of agriculture, should 
be led to the opinion that cacao "in the 
course of time" should have a bad time of 
it unless the present methods of cultivation 
were altered. "In the course of time" is 
an indefinite period. Mr. Chas. Gibbon, how- 
ever, calls this " crass ignorance," and makes 
a direct libel when he says that Mr. Arden 
"goes on to describe a very exceptional in- 
stance of tapping trees to promote thick 
growth.." Mr. Gibbon, for some reason of 
his own, interprets "topping" (which term 
in England meaning "coppicing," he appar- 
ently is not acquainted with) into "tapping" 
and he takes pains to show that this is not 
applied to cacao, which is ridiculous. It is 
amusing to see Mr. Chas. Gibbon use such 
big words to make a " contradiction " which 
he afterwards contradicts himself by stating 
that "the cacao has many enemies to com- 
bat." 'I hat cacao can, however, luxuriate in 
many parts of Ceylon, with careful culti- 
vation, is amply testified.— I am, yours faith- 
fully, ONE INTERESTED. 
LIME AND MALARIAL MOSQUITOES. 
Matale, Oct. 22. 
Sir, — Last week j'ou had an editorial, wishing 
to know the local experience of using lime as a 
preventive of mosquitoes. As you know there 
* How are people absent from Ceylon to know o{ 
Mr. Arden's experience? "We scarcely think he 
could ha^e meant his words to be printed as they 
stand : he waa very cantioua in his conversation with 
onraelves. — Ed, 7\a. 
t But what does Kew know of cultivation on at 
large seal?,— Ed. T'd, 
45 
are several places in Ceylon that have lime in the 
soil. The Matale district (notoriously malarious) 
is full of lime ; and yet mosquitoes and their 
larvte are plentiful in every swamp. The only 
effective germicides are Jeyes' Fhiid or Kerosine; 
and as neither of these is expensive they should 
be use<l for every swamp or pool in malarious 
localities. 
By the way, can any of your readers explain why 
new clearings, digging up of soil, etc., should 
cause fever ? 
I am a believer in the mosquito malaria theory; 
but the theory does not cover the cases where a 
deadly outbreak of malaria follow the disturbance 
of the soil ; as for instance, the outbreak of fever 
when the railway to Galle was being opened. 
ENQUIRER. 
[The mosquitoes to give an attack of malarial 
fever have first to feed on an afflicted patient: 
but turning up the soil in a malarious district 
releases germs which, imbibed, result in fever.— 
Ed. T.A.] 
VARIETIES OP CASTILLOA RUBBER 
IN CEYLON. 
ss. "Shropshire," Oct. 23. 
Deab Sib,— I enclose a note of the 
references bearing on the dispute as to the 
identity of tunu or iile with castilloa elasticaj 
and of C Markhamiana with C elastica, 
also of C elastica with the tree yielding the 
caucho rubber of the Amazon valley. The 
matter is, I am afraid rather, obscure stilL 
But it would appear probable that you have 
7iot got the true Castilloa elastica in Ceylon. 
Perhaps your Paris correspondent might be 
asked to tell us what he knows about tunu^ 
Besides the references I have quoted, I 
rememberreading an article (I think in the 
New York " India Rubber World," two or 
three years ago) on the prospects of trade 
in Honduras in tunu, but to the best of 
my recollection the writer claimed it to he 
the source of chicle or chewing gum, which 
would make it out to be the achras sapota. 
This rather adds to the confusion than 
otherwise, but my memory may be at fault. 
I am sorry I cannot find this reference in 
my file My reference I. (b) seems to point 
to the possibility of tunu being a balata. — 
Truly yours, J. A. WYLLIE. 
I. — Ceylon Manual " All about India rubber " 
1899— p. cxvii. 
(a) Plants sent out from Kew 1876 differ from 
tUe of Mexico as described by Cervantes. 
(b) Castilloa from Honduras three species. 
'Swo=ule, the third is tumi—said to yield a 
gutta percha. 
(c) p. exix— item IV., description of tunu, 
II. — Ceylon Manual, p. cxx.. Cross says there 
is only one species— difference is due to growth 
in sun or under shade. 
III. — Ibid p. cxlviii. Clements Markham 
thinks there are two species— (1) C elastica (ii.) 
Markhamiana. 
IV. — Tropical Agriculturist Sept. 1st, 1899, p» 
206. Name ule or #M,nu=Castilloa in Central 
America. 
V. -Ibid, March 1st ,1899. p. 602, C Mark- 
hamiana turns out to be a perehea species, so 
Seeligmann says. 
m.-India-rubher World, Oct. 1st, 1899, p. 4. 
Dr. Huber (Curator, Para Museum), says 
caucho of Amazon valley is a Castilloa— identj- 
fles it AYith C elastica by ule. 
