198^ 
THE TEOPiCAL AGKICULTURLST. 
[Sept. 1, 1899. 
You rrexbaskme-, could the officer work in connection 
with my Department. I have no doubt he could, iind 
that I should be able to suggest many lines of enquiry 
that would save him from much loss ol time through 
fruitless investigations. T was asked a similar 
question on a former occasion, and the Government 
of India submitted to your Association the appended 
passage from my replv (of which for convenience of 
reference I furnish herewith a copy). It will there 
be seen that I assumed cbemistry was to be the 
primary qualification of the officer. That I also pro- 
posed .(para 5) his assooi-ition with the laboratory of 
this- office, but that he would require several other 
laboratories and a camp laboratory to conduct investi- 
grstiona while on tour through the tea districts. 
you next ask me how far my investigations would 
render the employment of such an officer desirable or 
unnecessary. iVIy personal investigations were con- 
ducted in , one province only — Assam. They lasted for 
2^: months, and were and are now intended purely and 
simply as denoting the urgency of the work. If they 
serve the further purpose of affording a useful pro- 
gramme for detailed and final operations they will 
fulfil all that I ever contemplated. I may add, how- 
ever, that my report has been so favourably received 
tli^t .I have been looked upon as more or less a)i 
expert and have been constantly consulted, since its 
appearance, by planters all over India. As the result, 
much new information has been brought to light, so 
that already. a ^second edition (if called for) would be 
a considerable improvement on the first. 
•What remu,nera.tion should the scientific officer 
receive ? ' 
The answer to this question turns on the term of 
years forwnich employed. If the Association were to 
seek for the services of an officer to be permanently 
employed the course which I should recommend^ — it 
might be possible to get a doctor of science with special 
qualifications in the chemistry of plant-life for K1,000 
rising by annual increments to R1,5U0. This a-npoint- 
ment would of course cari'y no pension, therefore 
would have to commence at a higher figure than 
would be -the case, with a Government servant. But 
if the- appaintment is to last only five years and it is 
desired to secure an officer of made reputation, the 
Association would have to offer not less than Rl,500 
a month, with all expenses paid to and from India. 
The Government of India engaged an agricultural 
chemist and paid lll,.')00. That circumstanc, I 
flunk, is Si fairly good reply to the question you put 
to me. Of course whether permanent or temporoxy, 
provision would have to he made for travelling- 
allowance, framed on the scale granted by Govern- 
ment to its servants, viz., — double first class »ticket 
by train or steamer. This covers servants, excess 
luggage, etc. A halting allowance of R5 a day while 
away frqm head-quarters should also be made. In 
Assam , everything is very expensive, hence the rates 
allowed in that province are higher tlian in most 
other provinces. The planters would no doubt assist 
the Scientiflce officer very greatly, but I may say 
that with, all the assistance rendered to me, I was 
out. of pocket by my tour in Assam, over and above 
the allowances made to me according to rules under 
which 1 come. I mention this circumstance in order 
to'; show that the- scale I have proposed is the lov/est 
possible rate that should be contemplates. In some in- 
siances Government commutes travelling allowances 
into a monthly grant, but I should think the Associa- 
tion would, be safe in putting down E3<J0 a month as 
Bu&cient to cover these charges. 
VVhere should his headquarters be ? That is a very 
difficult question to answer. Were he to be employed 
in Assam only I should instantly have said Shillong. 
There is no occasion that he should be confined to 
an unhealthy cUmate, or one in which laboratory 
■work would be difficult if not impossible. But as 
he. would, I presume, have to investigate tea in Dar- 
jceling, the Pooars, Assam, Cachar, etc., Shillong 
might not be the most central. I half think that 
if (JalciUt;!, itoclf was thought loo far off, he might 
ho located in Darjeeling. But he should have a 
pmall h^use with laboratory constructed in Dibnigarh 
and in one or two centres as well. I Bhould insist 
that he spent a distinct period of every year on tour 
and visited in turn every garden under the Associa- 
tion. I should also lay down a hard and fast rule 
that every discovery he made, connected with tea, 
became the property of the Association. In other 
words he pliould not be allowed to patent any pro- 
cess or method within a fixed term of years. 
I think the above fully disposes of all the questions 
raised by you, but if there were other points on 
which you wi.ih my opinion, I shall be happy to be 
of service. — Planting Opinion, July 22. 
WHITE SPOTS ON PASSION FKUIT. 
Mr. AFT Somerville, of Kurrajon<; Heights, 
mentions, tliat nearly .ill the passion frnit in 
his district is affected to some extent by a little 
white spot. Mr. W J Allen, Fruit Expert, reports, 
that the spots are due to a fungn.s di«ea-«e. which 
may be kept in cheek by sprayinj; oc?asioiially 
—when the fruit is .small — with Bordeaux mixture, 
and later with anuiioniacarbonate of copper. 
Tiie vines should be jiruned well back once a 
year and receive in all three or four .sprayings. 
Such treatment will entirely prevent the appear- 
ance of the disease. — Agricultural Gazette, July. 
FERTILIZERS FOR FRUIT-TREES. 
The manuring of fruit-trees has recently under- 
gone considerable modification, it having been found 
that the plant food whose application is most be- 
neficial is potash, and that it pays best to consider- 
ahly increase the amount of this ingredient, the phos- 
phoric acid and nitrogen being of less importance. 
It is better to limit the amount of nitrogen applied, 
and to apply this ingredient in quantity only if 
the tree requires it, and then in the form of a top- 
dressing, before the flowers are oat, and not at a 
later stage. All manures for fruit-trees should be well 
worked into the soil. 
For Citrus Fruits. 
No. 7. 
Quantity per 
half ton. Cost, 
lb. f s. d. 
Bone oust 520 1 ,S 3 
Superphosphate ... 250 0 JO 6 
Sulphate of potash ... 350 2 7 3 
10 cwt 
S.i 1 
This contains — 
Nitrogen 
Phosphoric acid 
2 per cent. 
151 per cent. (4 per cent 
water — soluble). 
Potash 18 per cent 
Apply at the rate of 4 lb. per young tree, at a cost 
of little under 4d per tree, or £1 123 per acre of 
one hundred trees. — Agricultural O-'nsefie (New South 
Wales), July. 
THE COORG COFFEE CROP. 
The official forecast of the coffee crop in Coorg 
for 1899-1900 is calculated at IJ cwt. per acre for 
Kui'opean estates and ^ cwt. per acre for Native 
estates, and it is estimated that the total out-turn 
will be about 2,800 tons— 2,100 from European and 
700 from Native esates. The estimated average 
yield per acre of ordinarily well-cultivated coffee 
in full bearing for the present year is only 2 cwt. 
as against 3 cwt last year. Last year's yield was 
estimated at 4,200 tons, and the toll-gate returns 
showed that 4,1.34-^ tons had been passed through. 
The amount of coffee exported during the ten pre- 
vious years was 33,268 tons, or an annual average 
of 3,326 tons. No particular reason is as.signed for 
tlie comparatively small crop expected this year.— 
/]/. Mail 
