104 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [AUG. 1, 1903. 
ot win<?, the female J in, in length, with ]^ in. 
expanse of wing, Tlie moths fly at night, and 
like mosb night flying moths aie attracted by 
artificial light ; so th^t lamps make more or less 
effective traps. The mo.st useful is the Verniid 
acetylene lamps (described ia the original pam 
phlet.) 
THERE ASK CliRTAIN NATURAL CHECKS 
to the cea tortrix, the most important being an 
infectious fungal disease which invades the body 
and chokes it up with mycelin, the dead cater- 
pillar lying on the surface of the leaf. The dis- 
eased spores are spiead by wind and rain over 
other bushes, and more worms are infected. This 
process ot infeciioa could possibly be hastened 
by spraying bushes with a mixture composed of 
dead caterpillars crushed and beaten up iu water. 
An experiiiienc on these lines is to be conducted 
by the Government Mycologist. O.hcr natural 
enemies to the tortrix are Ichneumon flies ( Hy 
menoptera J, Tachinid Hies ( Diptara), several 
kinds of spideis, and two birds, both " white-eyes " 
{ZosterofS ceyloncnsis, and Z. palpebrosa), small 
gteenish-yellow birds which fly iu flouks and dili- 
gently search tke tortrix-infested bushes. 
Beside tea the tortrix attacks acacias, albizzias, 
eucaiypts among tea, and grevilleas ; it was once 
an enemy ot the coffee. Its distribution probably 
coincides with the tea plant, but as a pest is 
only recorded at Dikoya, Bogawantalawa, Mas- 
keliya, Dimbula, Fundaluoya, Ambegamuvva and 
Yatiyantota, As we have stated above, there 
should be 
A RECOGNISED SYSTEM OF CO OPERATION 
amongst planters to fight sucIj a pest. Every man 
must take his share of the laboui, bear his portion 
of the expense ; one dirty estate may rapidly 
infect a whole clean district. On the Hist appear- 
ance of the pest immediate notificatioa should be 
made to the local Planters' Association, and 
Superintendents warned. Neighbouring planters 
should join forces to destroy the plague in its 
initial stages ; and, as Mr. Green says in his 
pamphlet such co-operation and work should be 
voluntary to make it unnecessary in Ceylon 
to introduce legislation to compel proprietors 
to take the necessary mep.sures for tUe control 
of disease. 
INDIAN TEA IN 1902 03. 
From London returas to hand we find that for 
the season 1902-03, now closed, the total aver- 
age of tea sold on garden accou.nt amounted to 
7'48d for 1,207,987 ' packages against 7'65d for 
1,291,724 packages in -.lie preceding season, 1901-02. 
An analysis of the results from 1st June to 31st 
May 1902-03 compared with the preceding year 
shows the following ;— 
1902-03, 1901-02. 
Packages, d, Paoakas. d. 
Assam .. 560,069 8 57 611,753 8-69 
Cacbar and Sylhet 311,450 0 15 322,127 C-25 
Chittagong 2,947 6-00 3,771 C'll 
Chota Na^/pur . . 1,925 5-42 1,772 5 33 
Dirjeehng ... 73,173 9-70 75,391 9 83 
Dooars ,.. 174,069 6-5U 195,761 6 65 
Kangra, etc. ... 16,328 6'06 11,789 6 47 
Neilgheriy ,. 6,.5e9 6-50 6,207 6 78 
Terai .. 12,230 6 27 12,769 6-55 
Travancore ... 55,261 608 50,564 6 31 
The present season has commenced with a fairer 
basis of prices, and if nothing untoward liappens 
this feature should continue throughout ihe year. 
We hear of a rush of leaf iu several districts 
and much tea being made, but if careful plucking 
is the order of the d.-jy, Llie markets of ilie 
\vo;id may be expected to absorb the reasonable 
crop Dhat will ensue. —//icZittJi. Plantitig and Gar- 
deiiinij, June 20. 
PRODUCE AND PLANTING. 
REDUCTION OF THE TEA DDTY. 
Although nothing practical in the interest of tea 
came of the debate in the House of Gommous, iu 
showed that the feeling in favour of reduction of duty 
is stronger than the division list indicates. If 
there is one article of universal consumption 
second in importance to bread alone to the work- 
ing classes of England, it is tea, which has long 
ceased to be an article of luxury in the lioraes of 
the poor. Tea, and bread and butter form the 
staple diet ot the millions who can least afford to 
pay an unnecessary penny of taxation, and the 
mischievous effecis of the 6J duty have been 
proved to demonstration. Inconsistency in policy 
is found in the fact that the extra duty presses 
heavily upon India, and our great Asiatic de- 
pendency is surely entitled to be laken inso con- 
sideration by a Goverament which professes 
ardent Imperialism and propounds preferential 
treatment to the Colonies as the highest form of 
political wisdom. 
TOBACCO-GROWING 
in the Transvaal is a profitable industry. One man 
grew less than an acre and realised £270for the crop. 
The Transvaal is a tobacco-growing country second 
to none in the world at this rate. Another 
grower cleared in six months a net profit of £15J 
per acre,— i? and 0 Mail, June 26. 
THE TEA MARXET AND PROSPEGTc!. 
Messrs. Wm. James and Heury Thompson, 
the leading Tea Broking House in Mincing 
Lane, furnish their constituents with an 
eminently instructive and sensible Report 
covering the year from June 1902 to 31st May 
IWOS'-". There is not much that is new to 
us in Ceylon in the resumd given of the 
liistory of tea planting and crops from 1895 
onw irds. But it is well to be reminded of 
pask experience as a means of checking 
any unduly sanguine view for the future. 
Of cuurse we have the usual warning 
against "coarse plucking," and Messrs. 
Thompson <& Co. go so far as to say that 
"proprietors will now realize they are 
masters ot the situation." But are they? 
So soon as medium and lowcountry estates 
" pluck fine" common teas get scarce and the 
price rises ; but high country prices often 
suffer in proportion; and then, too often to 
meet the situation, a renewed call is mada 
on Java and China teas. How can the Ceylon 
or Indian proprietors prevent this ? Indeed 
the Report it will be aetm, recognises the 
difficulty and the only real remedy, namely 
that consumers should desire to drink a 
