296 
Siipplcment to the ''Tropical AgricuHurist." [Oct. 1, 1898. 
Coconuts. The returns in tliis particular instance, 
where the Lind was but, lately reclaimed Ironi 
forest v.cre fio lar^e, that to mention figure* 
•would be to test the credulity ot most people. The 
pnmeenorioous profits cannot of coiirfc be expected 
from all soil?, but it at li'ii8t imiilies the certainly 
that chillies can be made to \ield a very Eubstan- 
tial l et urn on nlmo.'it any soil. 
While travelling from Mndras to Tuticorin 
after a trip across the Deccan some five years 
»go, ve were rBtmii-lxd to pee the extent of 
land laid unrler this croj), and tlie enornoou.s 
loads of dried chillies that were beinj^ sh'pijed 
from Tuticorin suggested the question, wb.y cannot 
also Ceylon cairy on an export trade in th.is 
commodity ? The fact, ot cour.'e, is i hat so far 
from Ceylon e.xporlirig, it draws practically 
the \Yhole of its supply of chillies from India. 
Tliis is all the more antoni.-hing, considering the 
great possibilities tliat exist in Ceylon for raising 
tlie crop iii question, and the facilities for 
marketing it. 
Indeed it sfrikea us that the chilli plant is 
perhaps more than any other adapted to the 
conditions of rural cultivation in Ceylon. It is 
a crop that retjuirps little attention after having 
once settled in the s(;il. It has no enemie? to 
epeak of, and the perii)alctic Jloorroan is always 
ttt hand to take over thi^ produce without any 
after-treatment on the s])or. All Ihe.'e circum- 
stances greatly favour the adoption of tlie cliilli 
as a crop for native cullivntion. 
AVe arc aware that chillies are grown to some e - 
tenthy the Sinhalese and pari icuhirly by Ihe Tanrils 
of the North, I;ut such local produce is chiefly con- 
sumed in tlio fresh state. Tlie largest demand for 
cbillie? is in the dry and not the fresh condition, 
for the jircparation of a ''curry stuff" by grinding 
into a ]>apte, and in tliis connection loc il produco 
is of little if any account. "Why is it that the 
plant is not grown more e.vtenf-ivcly for supplying 
our markets v\ ith the dry chilli of commence P 
The Kcw L'uUetin for July lirst contnins a 
paper on chillies which contains some interesting 
. f.icts and figxires. 
We learn that about 100 tons of dried chillies 
are imported every year into Kngland from the 
"West Indies and the East and W^est coast of Africa- 
The prices fetched recording to colour and 
pungency varies from 20/- to 40/- per cwt. 
Mr. Consul Cave reporting on the Trade and 
Commerce of Zanzibar for 1897, say that the 
production in that Inland was over 276 tons. 
The variety cul'ivaied in Zanzibar for export is 
said to be Capsicvm minimi'.m, Bird's eye pepper, 
the Sinhalese nayi-miris, which forms the basis of 
Cayenne ]iepper. 
From Natal the chillies exported are a rariety 
of Capsciiim annum, which is also used for 
Cayenne pejiper. Til's Nepaul chillies, also a variety 
of C. mvium, are the most esteemed for Cayenne 
owing to their violet odour when ground to powder. 
The Saturday lieview relevs to two preparations 
of chillies in vogue in South America. In the case 
of the one, the pods are freed from seeds, ground 
to a paste, and in thi.s condition packed in well- 
dried gourds about the size of an orange (or 
would it bo the Calabash fruit) prepared for the 
purpce. The gourds are sealed over vtitii cl iy 
aijd piit in ihe sua to "ripea," Wlieu leady for 
use these " spurious fruit " are eni<l to hare an 
"exquisite flivour and r*-fired inste." In the f*con<l 
raetliod of preparation the feed's ore also taken, 
so that tlie paste is more pungent and is cooked 
«s n conditnont wit li other foods sucli a* Indian corn. 
Tliese prejiarations cf cliilli, called *' aji," when 
tpecially made with an ndnaixture of dalictt.ely- 
fcented bark or other Fubstnnce, is fnid to lie 
looked upon ns n most acceptable gift in the 
country of the Incns. Apart from its ui^e for 
Cayenne pejiper, chilli is nUo employ*^d in 
medicines and ns a food r>r birds lo improve 
llieir plumage, for which purjiose there is 
a very large demand. Dr. Watt remark.'^ that 
there is great confusion in the nomenclstu'a 
of the chillies. He names four fpecieg: C- 
annum, C. fnittJ'ceni, Copricum groamm, and 
C minimum (C. fa-'tii/intum^. 
All these species, of wliicL there are many 
vaiietie-, are represented in Ceylon. Tlie first by 
the superior full fruits found in our market?, 
the second by the long, pointed (generally) curtei 
chilli, the third by tlie largest variety, with thick 
fleshy skin and little pungency, generally spoken 
of as " C.pficuius," and the fourth by the Sinhalese 
nayi-miri.-:. 
Ur. Morris, in his Cnlalogue of Ceylon Plants 
published in Ceylon, give?, the following with refer 
ence to Chillies: (i) Cayticum frvUfcm* rar 
rubrum, red chilli (rntu-miris),' vnr. lutenm, 
yellow chilli (gns or kahn-miris) vnr. alrum, black 
chilli (kalu-miri.-). (2) C. annum, Guinea pepper, 
ratn-miris, a variety (olive chillies) l^ing called 
kalu-miris. 
Xeoily Rs. 1,000,000 work of "curry f tuffs" 
are imjiorted annuiilly fro^n India, 8n<i n good 
part of this in the shape of dry « hillies, the 
production of which should be encourage*! in 
every way in Ceylon. We trust the nc« ly-f<irroed 
A^in lloriicultural Society will see its" way to 
offer, or induce Government to offer, rewards 
for Ihe largest acreages of cultivated chillies, and 
for the best commercial samples of dried chillie^ 
TUG ANALYSIS OF SOIL AS A GUIDE TO 
ITS FERTILITV. 
BY DR. BF.RNAKO DYER, F.I.C. 
(^Continued.) 
In 1880 Prof. K. Schmidt of Dorpat published a 
series of analyses of Ru.Sfian soils, ia which Le had 
determined not only the total potash and phospho- 
ric acid, but also the proportions of. these consti- 
tuents soluble in hydrochloric acid solutions of 
various strengths, such as hot 10 per cent acid, 
cold 5 per cent acid, and cold 1 i>er cent acid. 
In 1881 P. P. Deherain found some soils at 
Grignon on which pho.<phatic manures produced 
no effect, but which did not contain more than an 
average quantity of phosphoric acid. He ascer- 
tained tliat from ^ to i of the total pho.«phoric 
acid was soluble in acetic acid (a relatively weak 
acid), and he suggested that probably soils wiiich 
contained phosphoric acid removable by acetic acid 
might be indepeudent of phosphatic manures. 
These soils were cropped without manure for some 
eleven years, after which time he found that a 
moderate uiessiiig of phosplialie manure, such as 
