June 1, 1899.] 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTUEIST. 
8-266 
rcairlen crop, it will be seeu approximately what 
merits they possess from a productive point of view. 
But other merits, which may be roughly termed 
conatitiUional, will only become apparent after a lapse 
of time and under different modes of treatment. 
I can readily imagine that a judicious selection 
of the fittest would prove a most diffloult task, even 
to an expfart. 
The operations discussed from the beginning until 
now, when the second generation has borne its first 
crop of fruit, covers a period of about six years. This is 
a long time, and some men would doubtless say 
" is the trouble worth the candle? especifi.Uy as there 
is nothing to prove that much good would come 
out of it.'- In answer to such a remark, I am pretty 
firmly convinced that good wonld come out of it and 
have already planted up a small crossing-plot with 
the view of raising hybrids. The plot consists "of 
130 bushes, and includes C. arahica, C. liherica and 
the variety — Maragopipe." A few of the bushes are 
already well advanced in growth, so that the first 
batch of crossed seedlings may fruit within five years 
from date. But when matured bushes can be cross- 
fertilized this season, the results might be known 
within four years, which is not very long for a 
planter to wait. My object, so far, has been to 
explain the modus operandi of fertilization rather than 
to discuss side-issues bearing on its application to 
the genus CoJ/ece. But now, I may refer briefly to 
argumentative views on the latter question. As the 
coffee bush possesses a hermaphrodite , flower, it may 
be held by some that crossing is neither possible 
nor desirable. But it does not follow that a flower 
is self-pollinated because it contains both sexes. In 
numerous hermaphrodite flowers the sexes attain 
maturity at different periods, and in all such cases 
self-pollination is cfl'ectrjally prerented. That riicho- 
gamy prevails to some extent in the coffee-flower is 
ceitain, as 1 h-.ve often observed stigmas in the 
receptive stage when the antheres had not dehisced. 
I am unable to say, however, if this is a general 
condition, or if it only h&xipeus in occasional flowers. 
A flower may thus be slructur.illy hermaphrodite and 
functionally unisexual. Then, ilie sweet-scented ccfl'ee- 
flower offers great attraction to inssets, which is a 
pretty sure sign that 'he diKpersion of pollen is 
favoured by Nature. Indeed, the condition of the 
pollen is such as wonld adhere readily to the hairy 
limbs of insectt!. It is not of the fine powdery kind 
(so-called dust of flowers) that would be suspended 
in the air or lightly carried by the wind. 
Considered, therefore, from a morphological stand- 
point there is little doubt but the ganus Coffece is 
subject to cross-fertilization, and that its flowers are 
entomophilous. Lastly, I wish to dispel the idea that 
establirthed coffee can be infli:;en''e i one way or the 
other by operations of cro -sing, tho results of which 
are only discover, d in a subsfr<|uent gensratioi:. 
But it is highly necessary that the planter should 
strictly couseive his testing-ground, and not allow 
any unknown seed lo be utilised for estate purposes. 
The golden rule in the testing or experimsutnl ground 
18 lo destroy all inferior forms as quickly as possible. 
Ne* strains of seeds reserved for trial could be 
treated separately until such lime ns their merits 
are fully establi.-ilied. Tids is all I have to say on 
the fertilization of the coffee flower at present. 
MR. CAMERON'S REPORT ON COFFEE IN 
^•COORG." 
Wk have been requested to give publicity to the 
following correspondence between Mr. Alfx. M. Neilsoi), 
F.C S., of Coimbiitore, and Mr. John Cameron, F.L.S., 
of the Government (Jardens, Bangalore : — 
I — From Mr. Neilsonio Mi . Cameron. 
ConiBATOHF, •I'llh M'li ch 1899. 
Tear Sir, — I have rend your Report on Coffee Culti- 
vation in Coorg with much interest. There are some 
•tatements, however, underthe the he iding ".Manures," 
which, I think, rcqnir<^ cxphinntioii. Yi^ii do not mpi\- 
tion Sftltpcire at all Ihoupli it is one of the chief sources 
of Nitrogen and tlic principal nvtificial Fonrcen of 
l'ota»h ta most South Indian Ccffee. In Europeau 
Works on Agriculture it is scarcely meutionad as its 
price precludes its use where Nitrate of Soda and 
Sulphate and Muriate o( Potash are cheaper. In this 
country, where it occurs naturally, it is a much cheaper 
and more inportant manure than either of these three. 
Then you do not include Dried Blood in your list of 
Nitrogenous Manures, but mention it as a source of 
Potash. This is no doubt a slip, as Dried Blood 
contains only about one I per cent, of Potash and 12-14 
per cent, of Nitrogen, which is tho ingredient which 
gives it its value. I should like to know, also, on what 
experimental fact the statement is based that " for quick 
effect on growth the soluble superphosphates are the 
beat, especinlhi the double superphosphate manufactured at 
Tfefzlar in Oermany. Are double supers better than an 
equivalent quantity of tho ordinary kind, and in what 
way are those manufactured at V/etzlar superior to the 
numerous other makes ? I can understand that in eases 
when the cost of transport is very heavy the double 
supers might prove more ecouonomical, but only iu very 
exceptional cases as tho unit price of the phosphate is 
very much higher than in the ordinary kind, t have 
thought it bettor that these things should be pointed 
out to yourself personally, rather than through the 
newspapers ; a' d this is my apology for addressing you, 
II. — From Mr. Cameron to Mr. Neilson. 
Bangalore, 7th April 1899. 
Dear Sir, — Owing to my absence at Mysore, I regret 
that your letter of the 25th ultimo has not been answered 
promptly. I have to thank you for drawing attention to 
tho weak points in my statmenta about manure. Salt- 
petre was inadvertently overlooked, although I was 
under the impression that nitrate of potasli had been 
recommended and entsredin the list. Dried Blood is of 
course wrongly place ', being a nilrogenoi;s fertilizer. 
I have not heard that German superphosphates are ia 
use in this country, but tlisy are highly spoken of by 
continental cultivators, and 1 am going to try them here 
on coffee and other plants. Beiog specially prepared 
for export to distant countries, they are worthy of trial. 
But lean understand that their use on a large scale 
niight seriously affect local intsrests— a phase of the 
question which did not occur to me until I had read 
your letter. I may tell you, in conclusion, that niy 
report to the plaiitorS of Coorghas no pretension to be 
exhaustive, and that sound ciiticism may be of more 
value, if made known to the planters, than the report 
itself. 
Yours faithfully, (Sd.) J. Cameron, 
, o 
SEEDING OF THE GREAT BAMBOO 
( B A M B U S A A K U N DI N AC E A ) . 
Some account of the seeding of this plant in its native 
country may not be out of place at the present time, 
vrhen the cultivation of the hardier kinds of Bamb ;.o in 
Great Britain is receiving such general attention, cre.^t- 
ing, as it weie, anotlier link of sympathy between the 
nations of the Bast and West, bringing to the minds of 
former travellers familiar and graceful objects in the 
landscapes of foreign climes, and lO the uu travelled some 
idea of the graceful beauty of one of tho most interesting 
and wonderful genera of plants. It would ahuoet appear 
that there is nothing in this life unaccompanied with 
some disappointing drawback, and the more exquisite 
" a thing of beauty " it first appears, the more crushing 
the subs-iquent disappointment. 
In the ciise of tho genus under notice, the drawback 
undoubtedly is the death of the plant after producing 
seed, this effort o[ reproduction beii'g, I heliern, in 
most if not all the species, f.xtal lo the existence of tlie 
parent plant. 
The seeding and eubspqucnt death of at least some of 
the hardier kinds of Bamboo in Britain may, perhaps, 
be familiar onougli to some people, but it niny be 
doubted if it has fallen to the lot of many English men 
in have witnessed the pbenomeiia on a large acale in 
the native country of the Bamboo. It was my lot early 
in life to see this rnvstorions art of Nature in relation to 
(hp huge forostscif BambuHii urundioncrn civcrinK hni)- 
dreOM of squnre niile^ of cnnlry in Malahnr and t'oorp, 
in Southern Tndin.nnd reaching far into the Rdjoinimr 
provin( u of Mjboic. It whs attho close of the year 1M;2 
