Aug. 1, 1899.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 131 
NORTH TRAVANCORE NOTES. 
July 2. 
TEA FACTORIES 
are not so busy just at present, although 
there is a considerable quantity of leaf com- 
ing in. On the whole I do not think this mon- 
soon quite so bad as it was last year ; the rain 
measured up to date is much about the same but 
the wind probably not so strong. 
I had the iileasure of taking a short trip down 
to some 
COFFEE 
estates in the Valley, a few miles away one day 
last week. Although but a short couple of days 
I enjoyed it very much, I was eager once more 
to behold old king coffee, and must say that the 
bushes laden with green berries, and in good heart 
was a pleasure to look upon — no sign of disease 
of any kind, the trees crowded with fine healthy 
wood, and now being all nicely " handled " out. 
The elevation of these estates is about 4,000 to 
5,000 feet and certainly seems to suit the coffee 
tree. During my morning walk down through the 
heavy jungle luy friend and self passed through 
a wealth of vegetation, enormous timber trees 
standing out here and there, and lesser ones loaded 
with creepers, a great number of which were in 
bloom, the colours of these being many and varied, 
but all beautiful. The lower down we descended 
they changed considerably, and being more nu- 
merous, until we reached the coffee regions, 
where the hand of man has stepped in to try and 
improve upon tiie wealth of flowers adding climb- 
ing roses, and many oth.er kinds introduced there, 
from the gardens of civilization. There are some 
200 acres of new clearings now being opened up, 
but for tea and not coffee. Soil is good, but a good 
deal of rock about ; it looked to be grand, lay, 
and soil for cinchona, too many rocks for tea, and 
I should say the cinchona trees in such land would 
grow to be giants. I was rather unlucky in my 
visit finding most of the Valley men away at- 
tending 
I have been on the out-look for some time 
back for any news regarding what we call our 
TRAMWAY 
from the flat country west of Bodinayakanur. 
This tram is being erected from the bottom cf 
the Ghaut up to Yellapatti, this latter being 
the top of the hill, or rather gap in these hills. 
It is on the principle of some tramways v.diich 
I have seen in Ceylon, but only much stronger, 
I had some little news of it the other day, and 
from what I could learn it ought to be in work- 
ing order, before this year ends. Loads of 5 cwt. 
will be carried up and down; loads will be fixed on 
rope every 500 feet, to be worked in middle by an 
engine. Should this work all right, which I see 
no reason to doubt, it will make an immense difFer- 
ence to transport of both goods and passengers 
(for the latter are to be carried). Engineers go 
first trip, of course, to show that they have every 
confidence in their tramway. Then from Yella- 
patti the road tramway will bring goods, etc., 
all the way on to Munaar and later on still 
nearer. The opening of this interesting and 
much-needed tramway ought to be quite a red- 
letter day for these parts. I may be lucky 
enough to be at this function and, if so, you 
shall have notes on the day's doings. With this 
tram going and a railway hom the station called 
Amraayanayakanur via Perri Kolam and Bodi to 
foot of the ghaut, we will be worderfully much 
better off for transport of goods, etc. 
Klondyke. 
CULTIVATION OF SEEDLESS PLANTS. 
Diiscussing some recent experiments of the 
Agricultural Department, the New York Sim says : 
"Under modem methods of cultivation the seeds of 
our best varieties of fruits can easily be dispensed 
with, as they are of little practical value. Seedling 
stock, raised from the wild or common varieties, 
answer the purpose as well as the rare or choice 
trees, and their usnal combination of hardiness and 
virility influences the budded scions for good. Nature 
had already anticipated horticulturists in dispensing 
with the seeds aud depending upon, other methods of 
propagation. The banana, for instance, is a seedless 
fruit which nature has apparently changed through 
some peculiar process. Rudimentary seeds are to be 
found in the fruit today. By slitting the banana down 
lengthwise rows of the rudimentary seeds will be 
exposed to view. Undoubtedly at one time, in its 
primitive wild state, the banana propagated itself by 
means of seeds, but the use of suckers for this pur- 
pose gradually made the seeds of less and less value. 
Following out the law of nature, the seeds, becom- 
ing useless organs, degenerated. Occasionally a banana, 
is found that does propagate itself by means of 
its seeds, or at least perfect seeds are produced in 
the fruit which cau germinate. If for any reason the 
suckers of this plant should fail to do the work 
entrusted to them, it is not unlikely that nature would 
reinstate the seed organs and develop them gradually 
to their early I'esponsible position. 
" The pineapple and cauliflower are two other 
common illustrations of how nature occasionally 
dispenses with seeds. The pineapple is almost seed- 
less, and, like the banana, its propagation is entirely 
by suckers. The seeds are in a low, rudimentary 
condition, but at onetime they must have had their 
function to perform in life, and they are capable, 
under stress of circumstances to renew their vitality. 
The type would not be exterminated if the suckers 
should fail to perpetuate the plants. All the x-esourcea 
of the plants would go to the assistance of the seeds 
to develop and vitalize them once more. This haa 
been found possible by experiment. By selecting the 
pineapple with the most promising seeds, and propa- 
gating them by the usual process, the seed organs have 
gradually been developed until they are able to repro- 
duce their kind. 
" The eggplant is more interesting than either 
the banana or pineapple. Here we have a fruit which 
is only occasionally seedless. That the seeds are 
really immaterial to the welfare of the plant is evi- 
denced by the fact that perfect fruits are often de- 
veloped whether the blossoms are fertilized or not. If 
the hands of the horticulturists it would be at» easy 
matter to produce eggplants that would have only 
the slightest trace of rudimentary seed organs, or vice 
versa, it would be possible to develop a class of fruits 
that would be supplied with an abundance of large, full- 
grown seeds. 
" Nature's hints, thus supplied in a few isolated 
cases, have been the opportunities of man to raise 
a class of seedless fruits. Sometimes it is merely 
a freak of nature that happens only once or twice in 
a generation, and if the opportunity is missed the 
loss is great. To this origin we owe our fine California 
navel orange, which is generally a seedless fruit' 
although occasionally a few small seeds are to be found 
in it. The navel orange was an effort of nature to 
produce twins, but one of the twins aborted, merely 
surviving as a protuberance in the blossom end of 
the orange, a little kernel enveloped in the skin, 
which closely resembles the human navel in appear- 
ance. In the effort to produce a monstrosity the 
seeds were apparently neglected. By taking the 
scions of this fruit tree and grafting them on seed- 
ling stock we have practically established a seedless 
orange. It is, further more, remarkable because of its 
excellent quality and size. Usually the freaks of nature 
produce fruits that are not very good. Thus quite a 
number of apple trees have been produced, the fruit 
of which is nearly or quite seedless. Their origin haq 
been largely the same as that o£ the navel orange, 
