§54 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [June 1, 1908. 
€0rre0poubence. 
To the Editor. 
INSECT FOR DESTROYING LANTANA. 
Cavite, Philippines, April 28. 
De\r Sir,— I think that the Ceylon Go- 
vernment siiould geotlie Mexican insect which 
is destructive to Lantana (see annexed 
cutting). Insects and eggs might be obtained 
from the Government Entomologist, Hawaii.— 
Yours truly, 
T, H. STEPHENS, Dentist. 
(Extract.) 
San Francisco, March 17. — Professor Koebele. 
Government Entomologist of Hawaii, ha? dis- 
covered an inject that is destructive to lantana. 
Koebele has been spending some months in Mexico 
in search of such an insect and has since been ill 
in Oakland, suffering with Mexican fever. — 
Manila Timen. 
[But does lantana deserve to be destroyed ? 
It has done much towards renovating 
abandoned land in Ceylon.— Ed. T.A.] 
DEAD FISH IN THE COLOMBO LAKE. 
Apiil 20. 
Deab Sir,— Many years ago, at the time 
the late General O'Brien was Acting Gover- 
nor, there was a severe dr^ohght in Colombo. 
The dry season commenced about the end of 
January and lasted for months before the 
rains set in ; and the fish in the lake were 
seen dead, floating on the water, and the 
margin of the lake was getting dry and 
exposed to the fierce rays of the sun, 
the public in Colombo was greatly alarmed 
at this and expected an epidemic of some 
kind. 'fhe ci'y was so great that the Act- 
ing Governor had to pay occasional visits 
to the exposed banks of the lake to satisfy 
himself, that all that needed to be done was 
properly carried out. The crows, our 
scavengers, bad a good time and the dead 
fish was soon removed. No epidemic of any 
sort occurred. The probable cause of the 
fish in the lake dying may be attributed 
to the rapid sinking of the water in the 
lake and the water becoming saturated 
with sewage. It may also be partly due to 
the rise in the temperature of the water 
from the fierce rays of the sun daring the 
day, and to more sea water being admitted 
into the lake from the lock-gate as the river 
must be trackish in the dry season. This is 
only a supposition and it is left for science 
to settle the question. — Yours truly, X. 
RHEA FIBRE FOR THE WEST INDIEe 
Bulls, Ran^itikei, New Zealand, March 15. 
Dkae .Sir,— yoiiio months ago I was in one 
of your is-ues a short para, relatinj^ to the growth 
of itliea fibre, and as I have not been able to 
ohiain any information regarding the plant out 
here I am going to trouble you ia lh« matter. 
The points upon which I am seeking informa* 
tion are :— 
(1.) Can the fibre be grown in the climate of 
the Bahama Islands ? 
(2.) What is the period between planting and 
maturity ? 
(3.) What plant is necessary for milling the 
fibre and who are the best people to supply the 
same ? 
1 am aware that it is not the editorial custom 
to reply personally to enquiries like the foregoing, 
but my excuse must be the inaccessibility of this 
place to any centres of reference. — I am, dear Sir, 
Yours faithfully, RICHARD H. DALHOUSIE. 
[Seeing that the Rhea Fibre plant grows in Ceylon 
its profitable cultivation here has yet to be eflected) 
rora sea level up to Nuwai a Eliya, 6,300 feet above 
the sea, we have no doubt it will grow on 
ordinary soil in the Bahama islands ; but sisal 
fibre is the great produce already cultivated there, 
although, we fear, not very profitably. To the 
second question, we should say from 1 to 2 
years according to soil from seed to maturity, 
" Death and EUwoods " patent machinery has 
been most spoken of, though there are rivals ; 
an enquiry through any large Machine and Iron 
Firm would bring the needful information. — 
Ed. T.A.] 
Since writing the above, we have come 
across the following in the Indian Planters' 
Gazette of April 11th :— 
"Rhea is undoubtedly one of the coming crops 
which Behar planters look forward to as a saver of 
the situation, and as many of our constituents 
are purchasing and planting out roots, the follow- 
ing hints for cultivating it, given by those clever 
pioneers of the industry, Messrs, Jules Karpfelei 
and Co., will doubtless be welcome,— Light Sandy 
land free of water-logging. Plants should be 
planted for permanent cultivation 4' x 4' apart. 
In purchasing roots buy them in lumps and place 
them in the ground as received 2' x 2' and after 
one year's growth divide them into pieces of about 
8" long and transplant them as described above 
4' X 4^ by burying them 2 to 3 inches below ground 
with about 1 inch of root above ground. Planting 
should be done in the months of July and August. 
After two years the plants should be ready for 
decortication. Keep the eultivatiop clean of weeds 
by hoeing and ploughing between the bushes, and 
every two or three years prune away below ground 
the old roots which accumulate at the side and top 
of the roots, to induce the growth of stems from 
the fresh roots below the surf .ice. The stems when 
ready to be cut should be about 6 feet high and 
the i ark should appear brown at the hase to 15 
inches from the ground. Plant the roots in well- 
manured 1 nd and keep giving back to the soil 
what is taken from it either in the shape of the 
refuse from decortication or the addition of other 
manures." 
THE LABOUR QUESTION. 
PRELIMINARY REPORT OP THE CEYLON 
LABOUR COMMISSIONERS. 
Rookwood, Hewaheta, April 22. 
Sir,— I enclose for publication the preli- 
minary report of our Labour Commissioners, 
Messrs. Turner and Hill. Additional in- 
formation will be available at the Planters' 
Association Committee and general meetings, 
on the 1st and 2nd proximo. 
