THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 
[Dec. 1, l69o. 
And in the selection of seed more care is certainly 
necessary. Too often it is the custom to Belect the 
handsomest pods for this purpose, utterly regardless 
of the character of the trees from which they are 
taken A fine looking pod may frequently bB found 
on a tree of imperfect growth, or even on one uutfor- 
inc from canker or specially liable to atta';k= of 
lldopdtis, o.nd the character of the beans themselves, 
whether of good shape and colonr or flat and flmty, 
is very often disregarded. , • ^ t 
Mr Carruthers in his Eepcrf, referrmg to a fungus 
attacking the shade trets, speaks of them as Ary- 
^idla llbrosa. The tre.s exam ned by him, if of thi3 
sneezes, are only one of four kmds commonly used 
?or shade purposes, but the tree which was first 
o^nntpd for the planting of shade on cacao estates 
and which is mostly used is the Dadap, K. Whospcrma 
^nce one of these four kinds is liable to be attacked 
bl the cacao fungas, we may_ safely conclude tnat 
none of them will be proof against the canker. The 
Dadap in addition is frequently attacked and some- 
times killed outright by colonies of the large, stroug- 
Bmelling brown bug, which feed on its sap while ica 
fXage at present on many estates, forms the princi- 
«al food of the brilliantly-coloured locusts. The 
Fhinnine out of our shade trees may do much to 
reduce their liability both to the atta-oks of the fmig.i. 
tn^ the ravages of insect-pests, both being p.;obably 
due to overcrowding; but it is evident that 
^nabt to reduce our risks of these dangers by grow- 
fnl a larger variety of shade trees. Many estates 
vr;.ve still a considerable number of indigenous 
trees o different kinds as shade, either ori- 
• oi innffle trees or trees that were planted 
fallowed to grow up when shade of any kind was 
™»1oom6 Many of these are injurious and niost of 
mtle use - though they afford shade, the cacao beneath 
i£ gives but little crop. The MalloU,-, M^^s 
fKenda Sinh.)* and the LunumideUa appear to be two 
Scies wWch may with advantage be planted : some 
orvour readers can probably suggest others. 
WHh regard to Prices, how long is the Ceylon 
^l«nter to" be content with the rates now ruling? 
r-onsiderin" the laiyely extended consumption of cacao 
ft seemB "Reasonable to expect an improved market 
It !f,^ bas yet suggested that ©ur cacao is subject 
?^°the sime way as"- Ceylon tea to the operations of 
I " rine-' ba^ i£ no combination exists among buyers, 
^1. I ■ t'hfl c-use of low prices? I cannot help 
Thin dug S is m^fnl^y due, a^s is partly the case with 
thinking 1 j„ I large quantity ol ruhhish ex- 
*^*V.^ Nat ve dealers will buy damaged cocoa of 
?nv stt they have methods of ' curing' and ' makmg 
^ J- I ^T^narently baffle the scientific altamments of 
7he CotK me^^^^^^ I have been told, too, that 
. 1,^ nir is freely used in order to get any very 
P^^^n^ riaicels accepted. Of course a fair percen- 
Bpurious parcels acc p ^3^^311, order to pass 
'^^'tpv lut when the merchant prepares the stuff for 
fxport doe^ k« P'^'^ ^'"^^ "'^'^ 
''l^'%?nt^mor?'ltht on the Colombo market : its 
t,rl'nrmetCds ar"e ruinous to the planting industr-y 
En 'an improvement locally we must get the 
1 ailing f: in Loudon to hunt down and ex- 
lt:\^P^oZ^^ instufl "unfit for human con- 
^''w^* want more intelligence, too, amongst native 
* We ^a^f ™" present they mostly rum even 
W woduce by washing the beans within two 
^.'^vs after the poA^ gathered; they say it is no 
^ ^ tV, while to ferment it properly at present prices ! 
^ , lone as the beans are"^ brighs and well-washed 
—as long as ui content. And 
the Moorman dealer they fV^^^^^.^ by the 
IhSX obvious ?easo'ns.cannot often be properly 
Termented, washed and dried. 
''''' feet."-Bi>...... 
The Government has for a long time been trifling 
with the question of Theft's of Preedial Products. 
It is to be hoped that the Planting Member of Coun- 
cil will be able this Session to bring about a reform. 
The licer^sing of traders in estate produce is a 
measure which would confer an immense benefit : 
the honest dealer would gaia aH well as the planter 
by the suppressiou of illicit traders and receivers, and 
the Government would have a welcome additioa to 
its depleted exchequer.— Yours faithfully, 
A MISCELLANEODS PLANTER. 
THE CIIYPTOGAMIST AND CACAO 
DISEASK. 
Norllieru District. Nov. 20. 
DK-VR Sir,— It in a great pity Ilia Excellency 
the Governor was not better posted up on the 
subject of Mr. Carulhers' laifst investigations. 
Although that gentleman may he thougiit by 
some to iiave brought enquiries to a satisfac- 
tory conclusion, any cac&o planter acquainted 
with recent developments kuow.'s that tliere i* 
Blill a large field for enquiriet. Neither from a 
scientilic nor a iiraciical planting view are the 
results arrived at satisfactory. 
At one time it was given out that the fungus 
that allected the pods was enliiely distinct from 
that which attacked tiie bark and lliat the pod 
disease wouhl not spread to the trees nor vice 
versa. The last few weeks have nroved the 
incorrectness of these pieinalure conclusions. 
The bark fungus docs (dlack the nods and spreads 
from the stulk of the fruit to the hark, so thai eaeli 
pod may become a centre of infection to the tree. 
Let any cacao planter e.xauiine liis trees, and he 
will find the fungus working through the stem of 
affected pods into the adjoining bark. 
It is hardly possible to exaggerate the seriousness 
of this development, and Mr. Carruthers will have to 
write a supplementary report yet to correct some 
of his views prematurely irrived at (before the 
N. -E. rains set in) and misleading to planter 
and scientist alike. 
Had His ExcuUency known this, his reply in 
Council to our planting member would have been 
different. 
And I believe, too, that Mr. Parkin is quite 
qualified to continue investigations ; after all 
cryptogamy is only a branch of the greater sub- 
ject. Botany. 
Mr. Giles Walker's position is absolutely sound. 
"A stitch in time saves nine " especially where 
fungus spores are concerned. 
Instructions to headmen in the Cacao Districts 
should be given at once for treatment of trees 
and pods in affected areas. It is childish to ask 
cui bono ? Picture what a centre of infection 
one diseased tree may prove, when we are told 
5,000,000 spores are required to cover the surface 
of a ten cent piece.— Yours truly, T. K. 
^yarriapolla, Matale, Nov. 22. 
Sir, — Will yoa allow me to explain a misappre- 
hension as to the pod disease of the Cacao which 
I think your correspondent "T, K." is under 
la his letter above. 
There is an entirely distinct fungus afTecting 
the pods in addition to the canker fungus. I 
did not state in ray reports that the canker fun- 
gus did not spread to the pods, as it is on^ 
recently that I have been able to be work- 
ing with the trees in fruit to any great extentt 
This is not a new- development of the canker 
chough we have only recently been able to obser>*Q 
