1§4 
THE TEOPICAL AGEICULTURIST. [Sept. 1, 1899. 
of the features described above, and early stages 
should be looked for on other leaves until the attack 
can be recognized at a very early stage, even before 
the gray or brown colour has begun to show (when 
this shows it means that that part of the leaf is 
dead or nearly so and is beginning to form spores to 
spread to new leaves). By tracing backwards this 
way a series of stages may often be found, and it will 
be seen that when the disease iirst begins it is indi- 
cated by the leaf at the points af attack beginning to 
turn yellow, especially at first upon the upper side. 
This appearance can be produced by artificially infect- 
ing the leaf with spores from a diseased leaf : the 
yellow colour will make its appearance in a few days 
after rubbing with a diseased leaf, unless it be very dry 
weather. This experiment is best tried indoors with a 
branch of tea cut and placed in water, and as soon 
as the leaves begin to turn dark-coloured they should 
be burnt before they can produce any new spores. 
The general principle to be kept in mind in any 
attack on the leaf parasites we have been describing 
is this : the disease is confined to the leaf, and is not 
perennial there ; to survive for more than a limited 
period it must be able to form spores, which may 
reproduce the disease on new leaves. If, thet), we 
can destroy all leaves bearing the disease, we shall 
at oncereduce the extent of the attack very much. 
There will still be many spores about, however, and 
these will soon cause a fresh outbreak. If the new 
crop if diseased leaves be plucked and destroyed, a 
further reduction of the disease will be made, especially 
if the destruction be carried out before any new spores 
ate formed. The next crop of disease will be smaller, 
and if we go on upon the same lines the disease 
may at length be practically stamped out. In theory 
this would be quite possible, but in actual practice 
the expense would be prohibitive, and we must simply 
do the best that can be done within reasonable 
limits of expenditure, remembering that the great 
object in view is to destroy all existing spores and 
prevent the formation of any new ones. Leaves begin 
to form new spores soon after the gray or brown 
colour appears, and leaves which drop from the 
bush will produce spores as they lie on the 
ground. 
Methods op Treatment. — The chief measure recom- 
mended is constant plucking and burning of all dis- 
eased leaves. On most estates, at moderate or high 
elevations, the cold prevents the very rapid formation 
of new spores, and probably if the diseased leaves be 
plucked at the same time as the regular flush this 
will be found sufficient. On low-lying estates, espe- 
cially in warm damp weather, or where the blight is 
very common, probably at first it would be well to 
pluck twice as often. The regular pluckers may be 
provided with bags, or special podiyans put on to pluck 
the diseased leaves. 
The leaves should be taken off right at the base, 
ao as to leave no portion in which the disease may 
continue to grow. 
The bags or baskets used should be airtight, other- 
wise the spores on the diseased leaves they contain 
will be simply sown all over the estate as the bags 
are carried about. 
The contents of the bags should be immediately 
burnt when brought in and never left lying about, 
and the bags themselves should not be kept anywhere 
that they may infect tea bushes. It would be well 
perhaps to disinfect them before putting them away 
by aid of a little Bordeaux mixture or other poison. 
The pluckers should be instructed to pluck diseased 
leaves by taking hold of the healthy portion. If they 
touch the diseased part they will be liable to get a 
number of the spores upon their hands, and then 
afterwards they will deposit these upon other leaves. 
Remember that fungus blights are very infectious. 
Do not allow an uninjured leaf to be touched by a 
diseased one or by hands which have touched a 
diseased one, if it can be helped. 
Plucking of diseased leaves should be done through 
the estate in the direction of the wind as far as pos- 
sible. If the diseased leaves be rumored from a 
field which has other diseased fields to v.'indward of 
it, the former will be reinfected from the latter. 
Special care should be taken not to allow fields that 
lie to windward of other estates to become infected 
with disease. 
If the ground be covered with dead leaves on a part 
of the estate where there has been blight, many 
of these are sure to be covered with spores. They 
should be swept up and burnt or buried with a little 
lime, say, an ounce for each bush. 
Special on slaught should be made upon disease 
at pruning time. The diseased leaves, including 
those that show any sign of the yellowing above 
described, should be plucked and put with the 
prunings, and the whole, together with all 
dead leaves and twigs lying on the ground, should be 
burnt or buried. If a little manure is buried with 
the prunings their decay will be more rapid, and 
the fermentation set up will help to destroy the 
spores. 
The most common method of attacking leaf parasites 
— spraying— is impracticable in most cases on tea 
estates on account of the steepness of the ground, 
the cost of application, and the great difficulty of 
getting a fine enough spray to cling to the hard 
glossy leaves of the tea. If only one small patch 
of disease is found on an estate, however, it might 
be worth while to spiay the bushes there and all those 
round them, after plucking and burning the diseased 
leaves, with Bordeaux mixture, as described in the 
circulars on cacao canker. Care must be taken that 
the spray is so fine that it hangs in the air like a 
mist, otherwise it will form drops on the leaves 
and run off. The spray should bo applied to the 
debris on the ground as well. 
These notes have been hasitily put together 
from incomplete knowledge of the diseases aa 
present in Ceylon. Planters would confer mutual 
benefit upon one another by making notes 
upon the extent of the disease, the methods 
tried for reducing it, their effect, and so on, and com- 
municating these to me on my return towards the end 
of the year, 
John C. Willis, 
Director, Eoyal Botanic Gardens. 
Peradeniya, June 6, 1899. 
COCONUT PLANTING IN VEYANGODA. 
A PLANTER writes : — " We have not your 
quick growth ot Rajakadaluwa to show. 
In this district, the soil, which is generally 
stifl, has to be quite conquered by the 
roots before the palms are in full bearing — 
or say 10 to 15 years to come into bearing, and 
20 to 25 to get to full bearing, which should last 
40 to 50 years under care and cultivation ; and 
then the decline might commence. That is my 
idea and observation. Trees slow of growth last 
longer than quick growers —nature's compensation ; 
and I believe our trees will last longer than 
those of Kajakadaluwa ; but I agree with you 
that trees on soil like the latter can be main- 
tained in good heart, long enough to be a really 
good investment by liberal treatment. In 
a reclaimed paddy field and in a sandy loam 
patch, my trees have come into bearing in five 
and six years, but tliat is exceptional. The village 
theory is thau the trees here benefit by proximity 
to the cloui's ! This estate was opened in 
patches, first by Sir R. F. M., 27 or 28 years 
ago ; then completed by H. D. Andree 17 or 18 
years ago. Little was left for me ; and my 
patches of five to eight years are very promising. 
"My best recommendation for nuts here is that 
Mr. Jardioe is a buyer of local seed. He took 
4,000 last February, and last week we sent him 
4,000 more. I wish the natives understood the 
exchange and improvement of seed better. 
"My acreage in bearing is about 120 acres of 
coconuts, and I got 292,000 lait year ; and my June 
