May 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
773 
' shoots ' have been forced out of the hard trunk- 
bark anywhere and everyvhere. But of these it 
has been deprived, and every shoot or 'sucker ' so 
pulled off has had its certain effect on the nature 
of the tree; and the energy of the tree, expended 
in frustrated efforts to grow to its normal 
height, has been transformed, according to 
certain natural laws, with development of 
its laterals. But these laterals have 
developed slower than the energy was stored, 
and this stored energy therefore has been trans- 
formed into the extra crop we needed. In other 
words the- tree has gradually been degenerated 
into a perennial condition of reproduction — con- 
sidered a condition of high culture in many plants, 
and some animals. But prevention is better than 
cure, and, long before the tree reaches this pre- 
maturely senile period, such steps should, to my 
mind, be taken to prevent it ever arriving at it, 
A tree once afflicted is, if nothing else, a source 
of infection : and it is a question whether more 
harm is not done trying to pick out all the 
' borers ' (the small ' borers ' are ineradicable) 
and cutting out the canker than by felling the 
tree ' root and branch,' then and there. Perhaps 
it may be preferable to lose the tree, especially 
if we have already a plant close by, just begin- 
ning to bear. Then the loss is nil — a gain in fact, 
for we have a new tree for an old tree, youth 
for age. What, I ask, is to prevent us deliber- 
ately re-planting the whole estate, say, every 
fifteen to twenty years and cutting out the old 
cacao, either en masse or tree by tree if we pre- 
fer it ? The expense is not great, and if canker 
can be avoided by the simple contrivance of not 
permitting the cacao to reach that age when, in 
the opinion of many practical planters, it be- 
comes more liable to it, the better procedure is 
obvious. For nothing can be worse than canker. 
We should then have a clean bill of health, a 
brand new estate (bearing proportioriately to our 
own foresight) and essentially a new lease of life. 
POD. 
«. . — 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Agriculture. — The whole of the splendid Dunga 
estate, with the exception of land selected for 
Vanilla, and experimental products, is now being 
planted with coconut and clove seedlings. The 
careful cultivation of cloves, with the aid of the 
plough tor the last year or two, is now begin- 
ning to prove how much superior the plough is 
to the native hoe. The trees are much larger 
than they used to be, and are bearing heavily. 
Nurseries" for clove and coconut seedlings are 
being rapidly prepared at different stations on 
the island for a supply of seedlings to planters. 
— Zanzibar Gazette, March 20. 
Somali and Tea Pkoduction.— While Indian and 
Ceylon planters are thinking out the best means to 
restrict! the output of tea, Mr. Joseph Fonlkes, an 
African' explorer, tells ns that the region traversed by 
the Juba river is an ideal tea-growing country, as the 
wild-growing tea plant is found there. There is rea- 
son to suppose that Jubaland may become in the not 
distant future a considerable rubber-producing terri- 
tory also. Mr. Foulkea, who is now on his way via 
Mombasa to the Juba district in command of an 
expedition, will make an especial study of these two 
plants with the object of furthering, if possible, their 
cultivation in Jubaland. It is understood that he has 
considerable flnancial support, and should his sur- 
mises with regard to the possibilities of the country 
turn out to be correct, he will be in a position to at 
once commence arrangements for the transforming of 
|he ctUUvabls into xubl^eK mi tea glau^diUouSt 
The Orange Trade of Coorg,— A Coorg 
correspondent writes to tlie Madras Mail : — "A 
good thing is being made out of oranges by traders 
from Mysore, who purchas* a cartload of fruit at 
RlO or K15 and realise 1130 to R35 for the same. 
Allowing the liberal sum of K8 for cart hire 
to Mysore, it will readily be perceived that a 
handsome margin ot profit remains over. In view 
of the Railway being made through Coorg, oranges 
might be largely planted. The trees would pro- 
bably come into bearing just when the iron horse 
reaches the country, ready to take away their 
burdens of golden fruit. Other fruit trees might 
also be planted, but it would have to be done on a 
sufficient scale to allow of measures being adopted 
for safeguarding the crops. In one case, I believe 
the cultivation of fruit as an auxiliary to coffee 
will be underbakeu here next season. ' 
Rubber and its Extraction.— We are in- 
debted to Mr. Godefroy-Lebeuf for another 
letter on this subject, and we trust he wul 
continue to report to us the progress and 
improvements made in the extraction of 
rubber from the bark, branches and twigs 
of rubber-yielding trees. It is marvellous to 
us how well our correspondent expresses 
himself in English, and we hope he will con- 
tinue to write in that language '; but it 
might help us where difficult points come 
up, if he gave his sentence also in French, 
which might lead all the more quickly to the 
clearing up of any difficulty in the understand- 
ing of a particular phrase or scientific process. 
We sent some time ago a small bag of bark 
samples from a Ceylon rubber plantation to 
be tested ; but the result was disappointing 
— indeed 7iil — showing that the trees were too 
young to yield rubber from their bark or 
branches. Our correspondent sends us now a 
sample ot Borneo rubber prepared by the new 
process. It seems very satisfactory. 
Fruit from the West Indies.— The steamer 
"Port Morant" arrived at Aronmouth recently, 
fully laden with fruit, besides carrying thirty-five 
passengers and mails, being the first of the Im- 
perial direct West India Mail line to make the 
return voyage from Jamaica to Bristol. The ves- 
sel had a stormy homeward trip. Interest cen- 
tred in the condition of the Bananas which formed 
the main part of the cargo, 18,000 bunches being 
stored in bins, the temperature of which was re- 
gulated by air-currents. Mr. Robert Thomson, 
formerly head of the Jamaican Botanical Depart- 
ment, has been appointed adviser to Messrs. El- 
der, Dempster, & Co., owners of the line, with 
regard to the growing and packing of fruit, the 
appointment giving great satisfaction in Jamaica, 
where his scientific attainments are greatly ap- 
preciated. Bananas in various degrees of fulness 
were packed, so as to thoroughly test the appli- 
ances of the vessel, and all the fruit arrived in 
splendid condition. The London and Liverpool 
buyers, who had an opportunity of inspecting the 
bins, expressed gratification at the excellence and 
soundness of the fruit. The whole cargo was 
sold, mainly for London, Liverpool, Manchester, 
and Bristol markets. The vessel also brought a 
large consignment of Mangoes, Pineapples, and 
Oranges, all of which stood the voyage remarkably 
well, fully answering the expectations formed as 
to the capabilities of the line in developing new 
trade with the West ladies.— (?«rc?6ner§' QhrQUf 
idle, March 3Q, - - - - • , ^« 
