Dec. 1, 1903.] 
THE TEOPICAL 
AGRICULTUBIST. 
429 
Mr. Charles RvaN :— I should like to know if 
there is any ready means of distinguishi:)<? 
between the dangerous fungus growtlis and the 
innocuous ones in the holes. 
Mr. Bamber :— There are no means ; until it gets 
to the fruiting stage you cannot determine it. But 
J think, that wherever you see a tea bush dying out 
near a pruning hole or dead grevillea you may be 
quite certain iu nine cases out of ten it is due to this 
root fungus ; that it is present iu the soil and greater 
precaution is necessary. 
Mr. Ryan : — The tea must die first. 
Mr. Bamber :— No, you can dig up the pruniugs 
as soon as signs of the disease appear. 
The Chairman :— Is this fungus general all over 
the island? 
Mr. Bamber :— I don't think it is known at all 
in the low-country. I have not seen it below 2,000 
or 3,000 feet, so my remarks apply to districts 
above that elevation. 
The Chairman said he asked the question 
because Mr. Bamber said at Kandy there was very 
little risk in growing Albizzias in the lovv-country. 
Was he in favour of growing them in Dimbula 2 
Mr. IBamber : — I think there is some risk from 
what we see from the grevillea which is a harder 
wood and not so liable to disease. Unless the 
fungus was in the ground, the decay of wood would 
not cause the disease. 
The Chairman :— How is it carried about? 
Mr. Bamber:— That we do not know yet. 
Mr. Graeme Sinclair :— I have found where 
prunings were buried ihat the tipping takes much 
longer to come on. , 
Mr. Bamber : — I think in the majority of cases 
the holes dug for prunings are far too wide, with the 
result that the roots are considerably injured for 
some weeks and months, which would account for 
the tipping taking longer to come on. That is one 
of the reasons why I should suggest burying in a 
narrow trench one foot wide, so as not to injure 
the roots of the bushes. 
Mr. Masefield : — Would you think that Jjurying 
in steep land is objectionable owing to the wash ? 
Mr. Bamber .'—As far as I have seen, if burying 
is carefully done, and as long as the land is nob too 
steep, I don't think there is much danger from 
wash. 
Mr. Masefield ; — It depends on the rainfall a 
good deal, I suppose ? 
Mr, Bamber . — Yes, and if it is exposed direct to 
the South- West monsoon I think there is consider- 
able danger of wash ? 
Mr. Masefield :— In the lo-vcountry, would you 
say the rainfall is too heavy for the burial of 
prunings ? 
Mr. IJamber :— Not in some cases. 
Mr. Masefield :— You recommend the burial 
of prunings in the lowcountry ? 
Mr. Bamber :- -I do certainly. 
Mr. Masefield :— What is the method adopted 
of growing Crotalaria '! 
Mr. Bamber : — I think the general method is to 
grow it up every olliev row and continue weeding 
between the intermediate lines, then to pullitupaud 
use it as a mulch or bury it as yon would prunings. 
It is absolutely essential that sowing is done at tlie 
right period of the year, because although the 
seed may germinate at most periods the growth is 
limited unless it is sown at a period suitable to the 
plants. This varies in every district, but I thiuk 
it is easily seen by those who watch its growth 
alongside of the load, I have nyt ^oticel^ any here, 
but on the other side of Uva I have seen it, I think 
the best time would be about January or February 
as the main growth appears to be in March, 
April and May, the same time when tea is most 
luxuriant, and again at the end of the year, 
Mr, Masefield :— Will it give two crops of seed ? 
Mr. Bamber :— Yes, I think it advisable to let it 
seed, I have seen seed germinating after the crop. 
I have seen it stated that the growth of leguminous 
plants would considerably send up the cost of weed- 
ing, but as far as I can understand, those who have 
tried it notice that the plants choke out the weeds 
and the cost of manuring is not increased in the 
slightest. In fact 1 do not see why it should not 
be considerably reduced. I would suggest to sow 
crotalaria about the end of January with a certain 
amount of sulphate of potash and basic slag, so that 
by the time you pull it up to either use as a mulch, 
or dig it iu, you will have a very largecrop of green 
material. I should advise that the crop should nob 
be cut, but should be pulled up and used as a 
mulch. The root is very tough and fibrous and 
when the plant is pulled up it breaks up the soil and 
if left on this broken soil the leaves are very soon 
taken in, 
Mr. C.E. Welldon :— -There is one thing I should 
like to ask you. You say you recommend the 
burying of prunings on steep faces 2 
Mr. Bamber :— Not on very steep faces 2 
Mr, Welldon :— I was going to ask, would you 
recommend burying prunings where the land was 
so steep that when you took the earth out of 
the hole it rolled down into the ravine instead 
of remaining where it is put 2 
Mr. Bamber said he did not think he would 
in that case. 
Mr. Welldon :— My experience is the coolies 
have to replace that soil by scraping between 
the side bushes and that leaves the tea tree 
on a mound. 
Mr, Bamber ;— I should say that face was too 
steep. 
Mr. Graeme Sinclair :— Are feeding roots an 
annual growth 2 
Mr. Bamber :— I think they grow twice a year, 
In reply to another question by Mr; Sinclair, 
Mr. Bamber said ; — You must avoid the cutting 
of holes when the growth is most active. 
Mr. Sinclair :— In May and November 2 
Mr. Bamber :— As far as I can see, there is a 
very good growth in March, 
Mr. Sinclair ;— We begin to flush heavily then. 
The Chairman :— May I ask, Sir, if all the 
manurial value of prunings is lost by leaving them 
on the ground 2 
Mr. Bamber :— Not by any means, I daresay 
a certain amount of nitrogen is given off, but,* L 
think, the chief loss is from wash and wind. One 
objection I noted was that wherever prunings were 
left on the surface the tea sent up a large number 
of rootlets into the decomposing mass, and as soon 
as.ihe wind and rain came and washed the prunings 
away, these rootlets were left on the surface, and 
iu the heat of the sun they were quickly killed. 
It seemed to mo better that these should be en', 
couraged to grow in, and not waste tlieir energy in 
growing upon the surface. 
This concluded the discussion and 
Mr. DuNiiAR then proposed a hearty vote of 
thanks to Mr. Bamber tor his attendance at that 
meeting and for giving such valuable information, 
Load applause.) 
