&6 Supplement to ihe " Tropical Agrcultinvf." [July ], 1902. 
is i!0 more tlinn the rational system, or, as Dr. 
\Vntt is reported to hiive termed it, the correct 
scientific system. What Mr. Leeming has done 
is what every otlier grower of "Iruiis" might have 
done before him, viz,, he thont;ht out and apjjli d 
to ct'ifee glowing the principles carried out by 
practical and scientific growers of fruit trees in 
various parts of the world. , L:irge cultivators are 
too apt to lock uj)on and treat their estates as a 
composite mass without sufficiently recogniziug 
the claims and requirements of trees as individual 
living oiganisms. We need not here refer 
to the various elements that go to secure 
the benefits resulting from what some are pleased 
to call "intensive cultivation": we are only 
concerned with the necessity for giving room — 
air space and ground space — for the full develojje- 
nient of trees, without which there must always 
be limits to developement which the most liberal 
treatment in other res])ects cannot extend. 
Vi'e read with regard to the Leeming system cf 
coifee culture that the crop? were increased enor- 
ni'iu.-iy by the removal of more than half the 
bushes I'ud proper attention given to the biilante, 
To quote the Indian AgricuUiirisi :— "Mr. Leeming 
has cut out his trees from G f'^et to 8 feet, aud 
from S feet to 12 feet, and the lurthei- apart the 
trees are grown, the better he liiids the yield in 
quality \u.(X quantity." Those who are interested 
in tie details of cultivation should consult lie 
pre cei dings of the United Planters' Association 
of S' uihern India for 1901, but we would now 
only point to that one important condition which, 
Avl'.en attended to, would appear to allow not only 
Eccpe for tlie developement of the trees, but sco])e 
also for the ingenuity of the planter and for the 
possibilities of more successful and remunerative 
cultivation. 
* 
OCCASIONAL NOTES. 
• Cocoa and its Acinlteraiion " by an "E.'!pert" 
will be found i lustructive and racy reading, 
and should, if jninted in the form of a " Circular," 
appeal to the convictions of many with whom 
cocoa is now only a casual beverage. Before 
long, we have no doubt, t he economical house- 
holder will discover that cocoa, unlike lea, is 
not merely a diUitent of sweetened milk, 
but in itself a nutritious food. I'he infusion of 
tea leaves will do for the better-ofi to siu to their 
heart's content, but those who possess a moderate- 
sized purse and wish to get their money's worth of 
nutriment, will very soon talce to buying pure 
cocoa where it can be had at reasonable rates. 
The dressing of the horse's hoof is a matter of 
interest to many. We give below the views of Mr. 
A. Chinniah, Veterinary Surgeon, on the suliject. 
"Covering the hoof with tar is a pernicious 
practice whicli has taken deej) root in most .stables 
in Ceylon. Tar gives a mechanical and imper- 
meable coating, and is no doubt favoured on 
account of its cheapness. Tar, as we know, is 
used as a ])rotective agent against the action of 
air on iron, &c,, and thus prevents o.xidation. Now 
the wall of the hool' is uot dewcl tissue, aiul though 
hard in consistency, ib is thin and protects 
very sensitive tissue, r.ot merely against concus- 
sion but against excessive heat and cold and other 
atmospheric changes. When tar is ai)plit-d, it 
effectually keeps out ;iir, with the ultimate result 
of 'brittle hoof,' All that is v.iuiied is a good 
dry stable and an atienlive syce. As a protective 
substance any bland oil may be used. When tar is 
recommended by some as a hoof dressing, it is 
no doubt intended to be applied not to the walls 
of the hoof but the sole surface (and that with 
discretion), viz , the frog, bars, clei't., Sic. But 
this is only necessary where a. number of animals 
are kept (as in omnibus stables) uiider the care 
of one man ; it is out of place in a private stabl". 
There iire many hoof dressings on tlie marker, but 
tlie one commonly in use in Ceyloa is St^ickholm 
tar and fish, oil, which is often seen foi'minga thick 
layer over the hoof, when this ' finger nail,' 
as it indeed is, should appear in its natural beauty." 
The Director of the Eoyal Botanic Gardens 
accompanied by the Director of Public Instruc- 
tion and the Superintendent of School Gardens 
inspected some of the School Garden.s in the 
Western Province on the 18i.h June. 
AVe ob o"ve with much regret that there is a 
].o-.-i!):lity <'F the company of wLich Mr. E. Elliott 
i .M iiiMg' !' !ic:ng wound up. In India, we read, 
ag ie-il :iir:.i farming is just being taken up by 
Eun.p-Miis, :i;id that a Mr. Wilde has obtained a 
grant of 1,000 acres of waste land in the Darrang 
district on a oO years' lease, and will devote his 
attention to mi.xed farming, cultivating commercial 
crops, such as oil-seeds, fla.v, jute, aloes, &c. 
The following note from the Veterinai-y Journal 
for June will doubtless prove of interest to the 
authorities in control of the ITarrasbedde Breeding 
Farm, where hitherto the lambs born have all 
turned out to be males ! 
Working on the hypothesis that sex is detei- 
mined by the infliience of the more vigorous 
parent, M. Dechambi o gives the following obser- 
vations. He deauceil from the hyi'iotliosis that in 
a lambingseason the influence of the male might be 
predominatit at the b^'ginning, and that of the 
female towards the end. M. Decliambre examinr 
ed three flocks, and found tlmt (ait of l,Ot>r> 
lambs 519 Vi'ere male and 546 female. Dividirig 
the season of copul.iion into two piortious he 
found : — 
First half, for evey 100 males 96'6 females. 
Second ,, ,, " 100 ,, 117 
Dividing the season ii-to three portions he found— 
First third, for every 100 males 89-6 females. 
Second ,, ,, ]()0 „ 119 „ 
Third „ ,, 100 „ 125 „ 
Dividing the season into four portions he found — 
First quarter, for every 100 males 8 !- 8 feiiiales. 
Second „ ,, 100 ,, 1()7'3 ,, 
Third ,, „ 100 ., 109-3 ., 
Fourth „ „ li 0 „ 146-3 . „. 
It will thus be seen that at the beginning of the 
copulative period male Iambs were iu the maj uify, 
but the females soon made np on them, and at 
the end formed a distinct majority. M. Dech- 
