THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
fAu«. 1, 1902. 
CEYLON COCOA IN GERMANY, 
A HINT FKOM MR. EENION. 
Ceyloa cocoa growers will feel grateful for 
the keen interest displayed in their interests by 
Mr. Kenton. Today through the - courtesy of 
Mr. Philip we .'ire enabled to publish a hint 
which Mr. Renton sends to cocoa growers ia 
Ceylon and which is specially applicable to thofe 
who export their produce to Germany. A va'.ued 
correspondent with considerable knowledge of 
the subject gives us the following information 
of interest: — "The washing of cocoa and conse- 
quent removal of mucilage is pretty general in 
Ceylon, though there are, I understand, two 
or three estates where cocoa is not washed and 
mucilage is allowed to dry on the bean. ■ I sent 
a sample of eccoa home some weeks ago, with 
mucilage dried on. Brokers reported " dark 
stained skin, good brownish break, well fer- 
mented and of even colour. The dark stain on 
skin would prevent its sale on type. Bright fiery 
skin is preferred, and, if this can be obtained, 
couple with ' break ' same as sample, a fancy 
price might be secured." I do not suppose it 
is possible to get the bright appearance when 
the slimy mucilage is dried on the bean. Of 
course, if buyers generally began to realise that 
the " break of the daik-skinned beans was 
always better, the fiery skin would cease to 
attract. Fiery skin lias hitherto, I expect, 
generally indicated probable good " break."' 
Enclosed are 2 samples : A, washed, B, unwashed. 
The latter has suffered in the keeping somewhat 
but not a great deal." (To the unpractised eye 
at any rate the washed beans look the most 
attractive.) What Germany wants, it is evident 
from the above, is not wanted at home. 
It would be interesting, however, and would 
save others experimenting, if some of those 
who expert "unwashed" cocoa would give their 
opinion on the extracb sent by Mr, Renton, 
THE OBYLON, JUNGLE-FOWL. 
Gallus lafayetlii, Blanford, Fauu. Brit. India' 
Birds, Vol. IV. 
Native names; — Weli ^tt^'iiia (the male) Wdihihil 
(the female) Cingalese, Icatu koli, Tamils of Ceylon. 
The cook of this speoioa bears a strong general 
resemblance to the red juugle-oock, but is orange red 
below as well as above, the breast feathers being 
glossy aud pointed — very like hacklea, in fact. The 
secondary quills of the wing are also purple black 
instead of chestnut. The throat and most of the 
rump-feathers, which are not so long and hacaled as 
in the continental bird, are glossy violet, and the 
tail has a purple rather than a screen gloss- The comb 
also in this species has a yellow patch in the middle ; 
the face and wattles are darker, and the legs are 
yellow instead of slate colour. The hen is quite as 
different in her way from the red jungle-fowl heu ; she 
is of much the Karae partri'lge-brown hue abova but 
has no diitiuct .ba"kle on the neck; her wings are 
boldly barred with black, aud her nnderparts cot 
cinnamon but mottled black, biown and white, 
becoming lighter further back. Her legs are yellow 
like the cock's. She has no wattles, and is feathered 
on the face. ■ Young cocks are redder above and 
darker below than hens. The size of this species is 
about the same as that of the red jungle-fowl, except 
that the cock's tail is longer ; the hens, on the other 
hand, appear to be shorter in the species. 
The Ceylon Jungle-fowl is confined to the island 
"where every prospect pleases '" ; but the parts thereof 
that especially gratify the tastes of tbe bird are the 
northern jungle and the southern hills. There seems 
to be a good deal of variation in the breeding season 
and also in the number of ti:.g3 laid, which is given 
as from two to twelve by different authors. There is 
nothing noteworthy about the appearance of these 
eggs. The crow of the Ceylon cock is very different 
from that of the rival chanticleer of India, being two- 
syllabled and eommonly rendered as a call to one 
" George Joyce." A Ceylon planter, however, told 
me recently that the general opinion now-a-days wns 
that the bird's friend's name was " John." The cock 
is a gentleman of somewhat Don Jnan-like instincts 
and apt to int.xude on the domestic happiness of village 
roosters, without the excuse that the red junglef owl 
can offer of community of descent. But there is as 
yet no proof that the offsprings of these viesallinnoes is 
fertile, much as the present species resembles the 
Indian ancestor of the domestic fowl.— "The Indian 
Forester," Jnly, 
RUBBER CULTIVATION IN CEYLON : 
CAiSTILLOA (AND PARA): VALUABLE 
. RESULTS FOR THE FORMER IN 
MATALE DISTRICT. 
We are well-pleased to stand corrected in 
the following letter from Major Gordon 
Reeves, which affords such practical and valu- 
able informatiou as we feel sure must lead 
tea new departure in regard to rubber culti- 
vation in the drier districts not suitable for 
"Para" which can only be grown in a limited 
area in Ceylon. Undoubtedly we were wrong 
in saying in general terms tJhat "Para" was 
the safer species to plant. Our warning 
should rather have been to take care about 
imported seed or plants of Cristilloa being 
of the right kind. But let Major Reeves 
give his experience :— " I read your leading 
article on rubber in a recent issue with 
interest, but I am at issue with you when 
you state generally that Para is the kind to 
cultivate. The cultivation of rubber must, I 
imagine, be governed by cliniatical conditions. 
Para rubber will flourish in a moist climate 
even in marshy land, where Ca&tilloa and Ceara 
would refuse to grow at all. Because there 
may be even a dozen species of Ca&tilloa 
that are practically worthless, is that any 
reason why the species that is really valu- 
able should be rejected by those owning land 
suitable for its cultivation ? Planters were 
wise enough in their generation not to base 
their action on that argument, in the case 
of cinchona. 
"The good species of Castiiioa are doubtless 
as well-known find distingui.shed as those of the 
cinchona. My own experience is most decid- 
edly in favour of Castiiioa as against Para 
in such districts as Matale. Experiments 
carefully carried out at Wiharegama by Mr. 
G. H. Gibson, extending over six months 
proved that a yield of 1^ lb. of rubber, valued 
