Nov. 1, 1900. 1 Supplem&nt to the ' Tropical Agriculturist." 
soaking it, with warm water, and sow the seeds 
one inch apart. See that the soil does not get dry. 
When the plants are two inches high, or have 
four leaves besides the seed leaves, they should 
be pricked out and transplanted into three inch 
pots (for a limited number) or put three inches 
apart iu boxes or in a bed. 
From here they are finally planted out as soon 
as they are found to have developed into sturdy 
plants, even up to the time they are 12 or 
15 in. high with shortly stalks as thick as 
one's finger, and with crown blossoms and side 
branches. 
The tomato does not require a very great 
supply of water, but it must have enough to 
sustain its health and -vigour of vegetation. 
For preference, rich, warm, mellow, loamy soil 
is best, but with care the plant could be grown iu 
almost any soil. P^or early crops a warm, well- 
drained soil and a sunny aspect, sheltered from 
the south, south-west and south-east are necessary. 
The land should be worked deeply and manured 
well, preferably with both cattle manure and 
artificial fertilizers. The Americans find that too 
rich a soil, or one which is highly fertilized 
is not desirable, such soils tending to produce 
a too rapid and too large growth of the vine, 
thus partially defeating the object in view, viz., 
a quick growth of the plant and a rapid develope- 
ment of fruit. The active fertilizing matter should 
be concentrated within the reach of the roots. 
A soil not naturally very poor, in which the 
added fertility may be provided both as to place 
and time, as will best serve the purpose, is most 
desirable. A light sandy loam high and well 
drained is perhaps the ideal for tomatoes, pro- 
vided the proper nourishment is given from 
artificial sources. 
Tlie plants are best set four feet each way. 
A well-proved American practice is to apply 
400 lbs. of Superphosphate and 200 lbs. of Potas- 
sium chloride per acre and thoroughly harrow it in 
when the plants are being set out, from 100 to 
150 lbs. of nitrate of soda per acre are applied 
to the places where the plants are to stand. 
Three or four weeks later another dose of 100 
to 150 lbs. nitrate of soda is given, the nitrate being 
mixed with very fine soil to ensure proper 
distribution. In this way the plants are in a 
position to readily make use of the nitrogenous 
manure and respond splendidly to the treatment. 
The soil should be well worked till the plants 
begin to cover the ground. 
Local growers seem to fight shy of artificial 
manures, and appear to think that they will 
harm tomatoes, but it is time they took the 
hint as to the use of artificials from Americim 
cultivators who are such successful cultivators 
of the plant. In New Jersey, the average yield 
for 2,500 acres under tomittoes is given as six 
tons per acre, though 12 and 15 tons per acre 
have been gathered from large tracts in some 
parts. With such experience surely credit should 
be given to the Americans for a knowledge of 
how to manure the tomato. At the rate given per 
acre, the proportion of artificial manures required 
for the small plots generally found in vegetable 
gardens should not cost more than a trifle, 
^67 
In getting out long stemmed plants it is best 
to bend down the length of the stem and 
burj' it also, leaving the crown of the plant 
to come out perpendicularly from the ground. 
CULTIVATIOX OF THE ARECANUT IN 
BOMBAY PRESIDENCY. 
[A note by Mr. J. W. Mollison, Deputy Director 
of Agriculture, Poona.] 
(Concluded.) 
The bunches on a tree ripen unequally, vhe 
lowest bunch first, the uppermost last. Moreover, 
in the same bunch some nuts may be ripe 
and yellow and others unripe and more or less 
green. The ripe nuts are much the same size 
and shape as small apples. The outer skin is 
yellow, smooth, and shining. The inner husk 
is very fibrous and not easily removed. The 
first process in preparing for market is to 
remove the husk. This is done very deftly by 
means of the hattigatti. It is an implement like 
a sickle. It is fixed at the heel end of its 
blade securely into a hole near one end of a 
plank somewhat iu the same way as if it were 
fixed in a handle. The back of the blade at 
the bent part rests in order to steady it in 
a notch in the plank. The blade of the sickle 
is presented in an upward ])osition opposite to 
the workman. He sits on the other end of the 
plank. The plank is about .3 feet long, 1 foot 
wide and H inches thick. The husk from each 
nut is cut out in sections. A nut is grasp ed 
in the palm of the hand and pressed against 
the point and blades. The husk is thus cut 
through to the nut, then by leverage a sec- 
tion of husk is jerked off. The nut with 
remnant of husk is turned in the hand so quickly 
that to au onlooker the action appears in- 
voluntary, and another, section of the husk is 
removed like the first. With four or five 
movements of this sort the whole husk is re- 
moved. A clever workman can husk 5,000 
nuts per day, but 3,000 is nearer the average. 
The contract rate for the work is one anna per 
1,000 with two or three meals per day. The 
husked nuts are scraped free of fibre also by 
the matti-gatti. The process is essentially a 
scraping process and costs at contract rates 1^ 
to 2 annas per 1,000. The scraped nuts are 
next boiled for about two hours in fairly largo 
copper pots. A handful of lime or of the ash 
of the bark of matti {Terminalia tomentosa) 
is added to the water. The presence of lime 
causes the water to become red or red-brown 
iu colour as the boiling proceeds. The water 
also becomts thick with a resinous extract 
from the nuts. The boiling is continued until 
the eye-bud or germ of growth from each nut 
comes out or becomss absorbed in the extract. 
The nuts are removed by a long-handled ladle 
(zraa). The ladle has perforations in its bowl 
which allow the extract to drain from the nuts 
back into the pot. The extract is again and 
again used for boiling fresh supplies of nuts, 
pure water as required being added from time to 
time to prevent the decoction becoming too tjiick 
