82 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. |Augist 1, 1898. 
of a Ceylon-London Tea Company congratulated 
the shareholders on havin;; secured as their 
adviser in Ceylon a f;v?ntl';nian notorious (I don't 
nse this in fi bad sense) for his iarjje out-put 
per acre of iioor-priccd tea ! The fact is that 
Directors of poor payin<; Cotni)aiiies are at their 
wits, ends to prolong tlieir e.xistence* in tlie 
face ot low tea price-? an<l liigh exchange. There 
is a crumb of comfort in the fact that our 
Ceylon tea per last London circular May 27th 1898 
is averaging 72d against 7id in the same week 1897. 
What has come over our Lantan'A? You see 
large tracts of Lantana dying off or Ijlackened in 
Dumbara, Kadugannawa, etc. Kumour has it that 
an imported bug is responsible for this iind that 
we shall have no lantana in Ceylon in two or three 
years' time. If the bug then fi.ids ils wayon to tea, 
what a treat the tea'farmer has in store tor himself! 
A young Ckekpru wlien he arrives in the 
island finds Ceyi-ON Mo.«(iUn'OES and fleas 
quite willing to feast on his new blood. It 
appears that new insect pests have no enemies 
to attack them for some time after their arrival, 
hence the rate tliey multiply at. I would ratiier 
be a new bug than a crerjicr. 
"CEYLON" COFFEE IN CONGO 
FREE STATE. 
MR. VANDER POORTEN RESI'ONSIULE KOR IT.S 
INTRODUCTION. 
(From the £. C. Africa Gazette, April 9.) 
At Uesso experiments have been made on a modest 
scale both with the Liberian bash, and with what 
la described by the " Mouveraont Geographique " as 
indigenous coffee. The former appears to have been 
a failure bat the latter is said to have afforded the 
moat gratifying results. A specimen of this bo called 
indigenoDs coffee was transmitted to Belgium with a 
view to obtaining the opinion of experts upon origin 
and capabilities, and tbc following report has been 
issued by the Vice-President of the Chamber of Com- 
merce and hia colleagues. " After a minute analysis 
we have come to the conclusion that this coffee 
must have originated in Ceylon. Our decision on 
this point is to a certain extent confirmRd by the 
fact that, in 1893-94 M. de Porter, formerly Belgian 
Consul in Ceylon, came to Africa and began to plant, 
in a tentative fashion, opon the Congo plateau. It 
is more than probable that he introduced in this way 
what is known as Ceylon coffee. The specimens sub- 
mitted to us though rather smaller than the Ceylon 
berry resemble it closely in colour and form. Their 
flavour is decidely superior and rivals that of our 
choicest varieties. The gathering of the coffee must 
have been effected at precisely the right moment, 
for it has retained to perfection its tender bluish 
green colour and silvery outer skin. The preparation 
and transport must also have been carried out in 
the most careful manner, the specimens being entirely 
free from bruises and containing no black or withered 
bean. We should advise the authorities of the Free 
State to propagate this variety as widely as possible 
and to institute experiments with it in every part 
of the country under their jurisdiction. We have 
no doubts as to its favourable reception by consumers, 
nor can it fail to be highly remunerative, being 
nearly double the value of the varieties known as 
Liberian, African Mocha, and San Thome of which 
our export has hitherto consisted, and which are, 
for the most part weak aud of doubtful flavour." 
Experiments are also being made in the cultivation 
of nutmeg, pepper, and ot a species of vanilla peculiar 
to the Congo from which an excellent cream has 
been extracted. 
* That explains the story current about a circular, 
letter from one London Chairman to his Superin- 
tendent, presenting alternatives : — " Pat ' tuppence- 
ft lb. on yoar tea, or expect the ' sack ' " !— Ed. T,A, 
THE liUC ON LANTANA: 
A SEUIOUS MATTEK. UNLES.S DEALT 
WITH I'KOMl'TLV. 
We re-cived recently a branch of bti;; afTerted 
lantana from Mr.S. A;,'ar, which we at once re dea- 
paUhcd to Mr. E. E. Green, Punduloya, the l^st 
authority in the island on any ((uestion of En- 
tomology. Mr. (Jreen had, however, no occasion 
to see this specimen as the appended letter which 
crossed ours will show. The pe«t, indeed. 
IS not a new one, having been fnlly deserilied 
three years ago. It will be observed on con- 
sideration of Mr. (ireen's fac's and opinions 
that the matter is now a serious one, caliiu;; for 
immediate aeiion on the part of private individuals 
as well as of the Government. Mr. Green 
writes : — 
" June 15.— Referricg to vonr note »ni Mr. Shelton 
Agar's letter in CVwrre' of June Uth, it may inter- 
est you to learn thai the Bug on Laniaaa is our 
old friend (or rather enemy), the Orlhrzia tHui'ini,, 
about which you printed a paper in IWta (t. A. 
vol. iy , p. 4S7), republished as a pamphlet under 
the title " An Important Insect Enemy." In thia 
paper, written when the insect ttrst appeared in 
Peradeniya Gardens, I prophesied extension of the 
pest over the island by means of lantana, which 
18 one of its favorite foods. My report was con- 
sidered in some quarters to be of au unnecessardy 
alarmist character. The pest has now spread 
throughout a radius of at least 20 miles around 
Kandy, and it will be almost imposhible to pr». 
vent its further progres. Id the high jangles, it will 
find an equally favourable stronghold in the rarions 
species of Utivbitanlhus (" niln ' ). Besides proving 
an eyesore on waste land, the pest is an intolerable 
scourge in the flower garden, attacking numbers of 
ornamental foliage plants, and it is most difficult 
to eradicate whore once established. I am sorry to 
say that I have already found it attacking tea plants 
in the immediate neighbourhood of infected lantana 
bushes. In the case in question the lantana bush was 
destroyed, the affected tea heavily pruned, and 
the pruiiings burned, which has prevented the 
spread of the disease in this quarter. Unlike most 
scale insects," the oiihezia attacks and prefers the 
young shoots of the plant. On the tea plants, it was 
found crowded upon the ' flash.' It is moreover a 
very active insect, and wander* freely from one plant 
to another. 
" There is no doubt that this pest was introduced 
into the Botanical Gardens on imported plants. — 
whether from Kew or some other country remains 
an open question. This is only one of the many 
lessons that should turn our attention to the impor- 
tance of establishing a system for the proper in- 
spection and disinfection of all imported plants and 
fruit. Ail our most serious insect pests are im- 
ported ones. Situated as we are in Ceylon, with but 
a single port of entry, a little outlay in the establish- 
ment of a quarantine station might prevent enormoaa 
loss from the ravages of introduced pests." 
In the first place must we not all as a com- 
munity—and especially the leading nlantersaround 
Kandy, Ganipola and Matale— take blame for 
not attending to Mr. Green's warning in 1895? 
No doubt it may be said that the Government and 
its Gardens Staff should have led the way ; bnt 
their inaction is probably explained by the ill- 
ness and deatii of Dr. Trinien, while his successor 
may never have had the description of this 
pestiferous importation, brought specially to 
his notice. We quite recall Mr. Green's paper 
and the resulting pamphlet, copies of which are 
still available. Fortunately it is not too late 
to light this "bug" with some prospect of 
success if the contest is gone into with heartiness 
and unanimity. According to Mr. Green, the bug 
