478 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[J^N. 1, 1900. 
THE HEAVIEST-YIELDING TEA. PLANTA- 
TION IN CEYLON-IJ? NOT IN THE 
WORLD ? 
Mariawatte plantation near Gampola 
^-opened originally in tea by the late Mr. 
David Reid with Messrs. Rutherford, Tod 
and Mackay as partners and now owned by 
the Ceylon Tea Plantation Company, 
Limited — has brought much credit :o the Tea 
Enterprise of Ceylon as well as much profit 
to its fortunate proprietors. It covers a 
considerable portion of the site of Royal 
Gardens belonging to the Kandyan Kings, 
which came into possession of the Byrde 
family, and by them was cultivated by 
coffee, but never with much success. This 
is explained by the easy undulating, almost 
flat, character of most of the fields, which 
does not at all suit a fruit crop like coffee ; 
while tea revels in flats where the soil is 
fairly good or well-manured. In the assets 
of the late firm of Messrs. Byrde & Co., het 
Gampola lands were put down for a mere 
trifle, so little did the experienced coffee 
planting valuators anticipate that they 
would ever include the richest tea plantation 
in Ceylon. But such a few years later proved 
to be the case, and it will be seen from the 
interesting return appended— which we owe 
to the Company's Manager — that tea reach- 
ing now to 20 years old shows no sign of 
falling off, but rather gave an increase of 
crop during the past year. Mariawatte began 
to be a show-place for visitors interested 
in tea about 1885-1888, and we can recall 
Assam proprietois (of whom we had many 
calling in those days) declaring to us, after 
an inspection of the estate and of other 
upcountry places, that they were quite satis- 
fied tea could not last in Ceylon— th-At 8 or 10 
years more would see both the bushes and 
the soil exhausted! Twelve and fourteen 
years have already passed and yet Maria- 
watte continues to flourish exceedingly ; 
while we have heard of no abatement of 
vigour in the tea of Loolecondura, Hewa- 
heta, which includes one of the oldest 
fields in regular cultivation in Ceylon, namely 
30 to 32 years of age. This is very satis- 
factory in reference to the permanence of 
the industry, which, indeed, is based on a 
shrub, regarded by the Kandyans as a regular 
■jungle plant, and not a temporary visitor 
like coffee. Meantime here is tlie return 
which has just come to hand and which 
will, as usual, be embodied in ouv Handhooh; — 
MARIAWATTE ESTATE. 
Yield of old Tea, 101a. 1e. Op. 
Made Tea 
Yield per 
Year. 
lb. 
acre lb. 
1884 
109,230 
1,078 
1885 
117,842 
1,163 
1886- 
105,925 
1,046 
1887 
115,996 
1,145 
1888 
106,410 
1,050 
1889 
113,834 
1,124 
1899 
140,144 
1,384 
1891 
120,366 
1,188 
1892 
119,909 
1,184 
189.3 
115,440 
1,140 
1894 
110,448 
1,090 
1895 
118,.560 
1,170 
1896 
113,300 
1,119 
1897 
105,729 
1,044 
1898 
108,423 
1,073 
1899 
111,987 
1,108 
Yield for the 
whole Estate, 
458a. 1e. 17p. 
Year. 
lb. 
Rainfall. 
1892 
643 
95-74 
1893 
817 
86-22 
1894 
750 
72-00 
1895 
886 
100-28 
1896 
896 
115-41 
1897 
926 
111-25 
1898 
738 
79-90 
1899 
749 
106-81 
Mariawatte Estate, 
Gampola, 1st .Jan. 
1900. 
D. M. Salmond. 
Superintendent. 
CACAO AND THE AGRICULTURAL 
SOCIETY OF TRINIDAD. 
Botanical Department, Trinidad. 
E. Tripp, Esq., Secretary, Agi-icultural Society, 
Port of Spain. 
Sir. — I beg to forward herewith a report npon a 
portion of diseased Cacao recently forwarded to this 
Department by a prominent planter, who reports 
that many tiees are affected. 
The Fungus now reported upon is qnite distinct 
from those formerly described as phy topthora omnivora 
and nectria bainii— but is a species of the latter genus, 
which is thought to be identical with that attacking 
the Cacao trees in Ceylon. 
The treatme nt recommended by Mr. IMassee is sim- 
ple and I wculd strongly urge that it should be fol- 
lowed by our planters wherever the disease is seen. I 
should be glad to have the report laid before the 
Society.— I am, yours truly, J. H. HART, F.i..a. 
DISEASED CACAO BAKK FEOM THINIDAD. 
The bark is killed by a parasitic fungus, a species 
of Nectria. The sketch in the letter that acompanied 
the bark represents the conidial-Fusarium stage, and 
the densely clustered, bright red spots-on the outside 
of the bark are the ascigerous condition. These latter, 
which appear after the conidial stage, had probably 
developed during the journey. 
The symptoms appear to be absolutely identical 
with the Cacao disease in Ceylon, bat as no scientific 
report has yet appeared, it is impossible to state 
whether the West Indian Nectria is specifically identi- 
cal with the one causing damage in Ceylon. 
Damp, stuffy, conditions favour the disease, and as 
Nectrias are wound fungi, care should be taken to 
minimise the number of bark wounds. 
Cut out diseased portions and wash the wound with 
corrosive sublimate in methylated spirit, afterwards 
cover with tar or other suitable material. The conidial 
form which appears under the form of small white 
patches, should be sought for, and destroyed as ab ve, 
G. M. 
2-11-99. 
The above is — Mr. Massee'a report. 
Received from Director Royal Gardens Kew, 
November 29th, 1899. 
J. H. H. 
{Port-of-Spain Gazette, Dee. 7, 1899.) 
CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE FOR CACAO 
BARK DISEASES. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PORT-OF-SPAIN "GAZETTE." 
Sir, — Mr. Massee's report accompanying Mr. Hart's 
letter, published by Mr. Tripp in today's Gazette will 
be read and welcomed by ihe cacao proprietors of 
Trinidad 
It is satisfactory to know, on the authority of Kew 
Gardens, to which we owe so much, that the cacao- 
bark disease is due to the parasitic fungus " nectria" 
and that corrosive sublimate will eradicate it, and 
planters will gladly turn to the remedy. 
It is well, however, that directions should be 
given for the use of snch a piowerful disin- 
fectant and poison ; and pending such directions from 
the Botanical authorities, it should be generally known 
that corrosive sublimate corrodes metals, and can only 
be used in glass, porcelain, or vulcanite vessels— In aolu- 
