August 1, 1898.1 THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURISt, 
131 
We Tiiight say time the Campaign is going on 
most satisfactorily at all points; in the United 
States. But itis slow and laborious, as we have 
found it in Canada in times gone-by. Yet there 
is a constant gain there, as there was here, and 
we have every reason to feel sanguine that in a 
few years, Ceylon Teas will be as |iopulav in the 
United States as today they are in Canada. 
Sometime ago, in writing to your Commissionpr, 
Mr. McKenzie, 1 predicted that at some ilate 
within a period of 25 years there will be more Cey- 
lon tea consumed on tliis Continent than there is 
today in all England. 
With kind regards, I remain yours, truly, 
P. C. LARKTN. 
EFFECTS OF GKEVILLEAS ON TEA. 
Abbotsford, Nanuoj'a, June 20. 
Dkar Sir, — As this subject keeps cropping up 
periodically in the local press and as such an 
eniinent authority on tea as Mr. Kelway Bamber 
appears to think that grevilleas i>lanted through- 
out the tea may be detrimental to the product, both 
as regards strength and flavor I venture (as an 
investigation of the question is ripeiied) to cive 
niy opinion and experience thou!;h they may be 
practically of no value whatever. 
Abbotsford, as is well-known is about the best 
wooded estate in Ceylon. Its trees consist of 
all sorts of gunis, grevilleas, wattles, &c., and 
as they were )iiostly planted in the days of coffee, 
the tea has had to contend against them from 
its infancy. That they have injuriously affected 
the growtii cf the tea is undoubted, but 1 very 
much question their having injured its quality 
in any way and I base my belief as to tliis on 
results. 
The nett prices lealised for the teas from this 
estate during the past three years are as follows : 
1895 . . r»-I9d per lb. 
I«!i6 .. .. 8-99d 
18i>7 .. .. 8 29.1 
The drop is not nice to look at, but it is not 
more than may be accounted for by the drop in 
the market and as the yield has considerably 
increased during this time, although the youusest 
tea is 12 years old and a pretty large propor- 
tion ranges fioni 20 to 25 j'ears'. I look on it 
with a certain amount of pliilosophieal equani- 
mity and cannot think that the gums or grevilleas 
have misbehaved themselves in any way. — Yours 
truly, JOHiSf FKASEK. 
LADY-BIliD BEETLE^ND BUG. 
Eton, Pundaluoya, 24th June, 1S98. 
Dear Sir, — There are one or two points in the 
Lady-bird" corre-pondcnce, (see page 90,) that 
call for comment. 
The Director of the Royal Gardens, Kew, re- 
ni:irk« that for tlie most pai t ea,i.'h kijid of lady- 
bird will feed only on one kinri of scale insect. 
This is fortunately tiot ai! igoflu;)' the ..■.ise. 
Several kinds are very general f^'udpis upon not 
only different species, but diffeient genera of 
scale insects. Mr. C. P. Lounsbiiry — Government 
Entomologist at the (Jape — infor nis me that one 
of their local lady birds (Exocliomus nigrnviacn- 
latH.i) is an all-ronnd feeder — including Aphides 
and Psylli(l;e as well as Cocciua\ ('>tlier kinds 
will often prey promiscuously npon closely allied 
species. The beetles that feed njion the vari- 
ous species of Le.canln i)i in one country would 
most probably attack allied species in an- 
other country. Those that prey upon the J)ia- 
sjjidiine {Aspidiolus, C/doiiaspis, Diaspis, Jbc), ai'e 
very wide feeders within that group. 
Mr. Newport, though possibly not a trained 
P^ntomologist, will no doubt receive assistance and 
advice from the several Government Entomologists 
in Anstralia. 
Mr. Blanford remarks that " there are plenty 
of Indian lady-birds which perhaps already ac- 
complish all the destruction that imported kinds 
could do." There certainly are — both in India 
and Ceylon —several kinds of lady-birds that at- 
tack the '-green-bug'' (Lccaiiiiim viridc). But, 
being themselves indigenous species, they are ham- 
pered and ke])t in check by tl^cir own long- 
standing natural enemies. 
It is a well established fact that imported in- 
sects, (beneficial as well as injurious), if they 
find an ample supply of 3ongenial food, will in- 
crease much more rapidly than they did in 
their own country where they were subject to 
their own natural enemies. It is this that con- 
stitutes the special danger from imported insect 
pests and the corresponding advantage from, the 
importation of beneficial insects. 
The natural home ot Lecanium riride has never 
been definitely determined, I have always been 
of opinion that it was introduced with Libeiian 
colfee. It is a comparative'y recent pest (long 
after Nietner's time). In its oiiginal home it 
may attract little attention, being doubtless kept 
in check by the balance of nature. It is when 
taken away from its home and placed amidst an 
unlimited supply of congenial food that it is en- 
abled to increase without check. 
Mr. Blanford quotes the fact that an Indian 
species of Vedalia [V. funida roseipennis) was 
found to attack an imported scale insect. Iccry 
mjilptiuca, and aigues that " in this case the 
intioduction of the Austialian VcAcdia "cardinalis 
would have been utterly unnecessary," I do not 
agree with Mr. Blanford on this point — for the 
reasons stated above — \ iz., tiuit tiie Indian Veda- 
lia, being an indigenous species, would be un- 
lilcoly to multiply ra,pidly enough to cope with an 
introduced, pest. 
With reference to the last paragraph of Mr. 
Blanford's letter, I would point out that it is not 
absolutely necessary that the beetles should be 
fed during the v'oyage. Some of Mr. Koebele's 
most successful consignments were imported in a 
dormant condition on ice. When the insects are 
imported in an active condition, together with 
a supply of food, I quite agree with Mr. Blan- 
ford that the utmost caution is necessaiy to pre- 
vent the accidental introduction of further in- 
jurious insects. On this account, importa- 
tions should not be turned directly into the field, 
but kept for a time in carefully constructed 
breeding cages. All diseased specimens, and any 
sus|:)icious insects of other kinds that nuiy appear 
in tlie breeding cages, should he at once destroyed, 
and only healthy examples liberated.— Yours truly, 
E. ERNEST GREEN, 
Hony. Governiiient Kntonu'logist. 
MICRO ORGANISMS IN SOILS. 
Djiar Sir, — "Ex-Planter" sipcordinf? to his leitpr 
xvhich p.ppf-arod in yoi r issue of the 2ij'i instant lias 
apparently no sympathy with tnicro-orf;auism.=i. This 
may be more due to con er atism than to any 
special knowledgp of the subject. Hut let me tell 
him that though he rices not know the theory of 
their existeuce he will one day have to accept their 
practice and then I am afraid " Ex-Planter " 's criti- 
cising powers will be lost to us, The day we shall 
