THE TROPICAL 
AGPJCULTURIST. [Aug. 1, 1901. 
middle or end of August are comparatively smaller 
»nd poorer-looking than those picked subsequently. 
As the heavy pickings are from September to Janu- 
ary, and as the quantity picked previously seldom 
comes up to even one-twentieth of the total outturn, 
there is practically no loss worth mentioning. This 
axtanded period for picking saves me the necessity 
of employing cooly-labour. My permanent stall of 
servants, who are at that period relieved from irri- 
gation vrork, do the picking and pulping. As to 
the quality of my coffee, Messrs. Binny and Co., 
through whom I sent a consignment to England, 
will bear testimony. In 1898, when the London 
market was exceedingly dull, my good kinds fetched 
82 and 78 shillings per cwt. Dr. Lehmann, Agricul- 
tural Chemist to the Mysore Government, visited 
my plantation three weeks ago, and Mr. Cameron, 
of Lai Bagh reputation, so recently as the 4th 
instant, and both were greatly pleased with the 
condition of the plants, to say the least. 
Assuming that my calcjulations will be realised in 
the future also, (and I am sanguine about this) my 
40 acres ought to give me from two years heuce 
about 12 tons a year, or at the rate of 6 cwts a,n 
acre, and this means, at a modest estimate, RIO.OOO. 
Now comes the most important question, viz., what 
it would cost me to raise this crop. The purchase of 
land and sinking wells or other means of irrigation 
will be capital laid up, and this will vary According 
to local circumstances. I may mention here that 
when the plants are four years old and upwards, I 
water them once in three weeks or a month only, 
according to their condition, and this relieves the 
irrigation works to a large extent. 1 have a per- 
manent establishment which costs me R200 a month, 
including my head maistry, which would snf&ce for 
even double the acreage, as in a couple of years 
more the irrigation work of the present plantation 
will abate considerably. I have an oil-mill of my 
own, which after paying its own expenses, gives me 
the requisite oil-cake. In addition to the above 
112,400 a year, T spend about 11200 for manure, and 
a margin of RlOO for contingencies is allowed, making 
Sb total annual expenditure of R2,700, which ought 
to enable me from two years hence to raise a crop 
of 12 tons, which means a ton at an outlay of R225. 
But I have special facilities for collecting, for the 
mere trouble of collecting, a largo quantity of cattle 
manure from short distances where the cattle of 
neighbouring villages are sent out to graze, and I 
fortunately possess a spring the water of which 
flows throughout the year from elevated ground into 
my plantation and irrigates abont 15 acres by 
gravitation. But R900 a year will more than ade- 
quately represent the money value of these special 
advantages, vifhich additional item, in the case of 
others, will bring up the outlay for raising a ton to 
B300. This cheapness in production ought to defy 
mora than one Brazil and the threatened French 
Customs duty. 
Having said so mnch about cofiee under irrigation! 
I must frankly admit that there is one important 
source of danger to this industry under well-irrigation. 
It is patent that water-springs in some localities are 
gradually failing, especially where a large number of 
wells ar« worked. A 50-acre plantation would 
require not leas than 10 ordinary-sized wells. The 
constant drawing of wa.ter from so many wells must 
necessarily affect the under-ground springs in 
coarse of time, whereas a well or two only would 
cause no diminution. For a small plantation of five 
or even ten acres, nnless in specially-favoured locali- 
ties, well-irrigation will answer all purposes, and 
k;u':ii specially favoured locrilities can be had by 
careful enquiry. But there ought to be no fear of 
fnture failuie of water supply if lands are taken up 
for largo plantations under any one oi the magni- 
ficent tanks which the Mysore Government has 
constructed and is constructing. I feel confident 
that the the Dorbar, in its policy of progress under 
the sympathetic adTice of the distinguishad British 
Resident, will encourage the development of the 
coffee industry under such gigantic tanks at Biinua- 
Kanavay and Marikanavay by granting lands under 
special concessions. One very great advantage in 
raising plantations under such tanks will be that 
they could be irrigated by gravitation, and the 
expenses of sinking wells will be saved. Initead of 
" putting all his eggs in one basket " the planter 
could also grow various fruit trees. — Madras Mail, 
— «■ 
BANANAS. 
We have seen it stated that the Banana is one 
the most extravagant plants kuown in its dema"^^* 
upon the soil, and very speedily exhausts it. ^e 
do not think so at. all; on the contrary, there 
comparatively very little taken from the land in * 
banana-walk by the crop, — not so much as by a cr°P 
of corn, and very mnch less than by sweet potato©'* 
or any root crop, not so much even as Sugar Cane, 
and less than half a crop of tobacco does, — in fact 
we know of no common crop, except peas, which 
makes so light a d'^mand. In saying so we may 
astonish many, but we adduce proof. The banana 
plant grows from a large bulb, it spreads a number 
of roots superficially and very widely ; it builds up a 
stem or stalk ten or twelve feet high and a foot to 
six inches in diameter from bottom to top ; this 
breaks into six or eight leaves, nine or ten feet 
long, and about a foot broad ; it shoots forth a 
bunch of nine hands or say 120 bananas on a stem 
three feet long and, say, three inches in circumference 
at the thickest, tapering to one and a-half inch. 
Now all that is taken away from the field is this 
bunch with the stem to which the hands are 
attached, and the trash or withered leaves which 
is used as packing to prevent damage to the fruit. 
If a planter is wise, he brings back all this trash 
or as much of it as the buyers do not use for 
packing the fruit on the railway waggon. All the 
old bulb root and the long feeding roots through 
the soil remain to rot, the 10 or 12 feet of stem 
and the long broad leaves are chopped up and are 
dug or ploughed in around the growing suckers, and 
the young roots of the ratoons thus find plenty of 
available food at once. In a wet climate so much 
rank, juicy matter dug into the soil may cause some 
sourness, but there is usually, in banana walks, 
enough lime in the soil to counteract this, and at any 
rate, the stems and leaves are not generally dug in 
at once, bat lie drying and weathering for a time ; 
besit'es, the banana is as rank and gross a feeder as 
a cabbage (and it would thrive on a dung-hill) and it 
takes a deal of rough feeding to give it indigestion. 
Then again, bananas have usually— until lately, — 
been planted as widely as 14 or 15 feet apart, even 
16 in Portland, and when we consider how fast 
weeds and grass grow here, and that four to six 
hoeings are given a year, we can easily see how 
great a quantity of humus is being tamed in from 
weedings, in an area of seven feet round each root. 
To be sure all this stuff — the stalks, leaves and 
weeds,— is not really an addition to the soil ; it ia 
not manure in the, sense of stable manure carted on 
to the land, but still the point is how really little 
is talcen frmn a banana walk ; at any rate, the rotting 
stalks and weeds form plant food in a very ayailable 
form for the roots of the growing plants to feed 
upon ; and that the roots appreciate such, rather 
than having to search chrough the soil to get inorganic 
food in littles, v/e have only to turn over a heap of 
rotten weeds that have been hoed out a month or 
two and left to decay. We should find a crowd of 
banana roots right under and through the heap. 
We think that when old banana walks begin to flag, 
even when cultivated, that they should be 
replanted in the middle of the old rows, and a free 
application of lime given to counteract probable 
acidioy from the decaying of the old roots and stems 
and also to hasten decay. Or if this replanting 
may not be done, half a bushel of lime flung 
