^22 
THE TROPICAL AaRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1, 190L 
2. Length of round. 
3. Length of time under treatment. 
4. When moat prevalent, 
5. With what result, satisfactory or otherwiei. ? 
VI. Shade— 1. What shade do you prefer if any ? 
2. At what distance for new clearings ? 
3, At what age would you thin out, and how, if 
at a'l? 
.VIII, Crop.-L What is the annual average yield 
■ of pods per tree on your cacao in full bearing ? 
State Caraccas or Forastero (hybrid mixed, &c.) and 
approximate age. 
2. What proportions of good and black cacao do you 
get ? 
3. To what do you attribute any variation of these 
proportions throughout the year ? 
INSECT PESTS. 
CmCULAR TO FRUIT GROWERS- 
The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture 
has caused a circular letter to be sent to all the 
Societies in the State, of which the following is a 
copy " 
" I beg to draw the attention of your Society to 
. the recently amended regulations under ' The Insect 
Fests Amendment Act, 1898, ' and more particularly 
to the new Regulation 20, governing the use of second 
band fruit cases, which reads as follows: 
" The use within the State of second-hand fruit 
oases or packages that may reasonably be supposed 
to have contained fruit is prohibited, and the Chief 
Inspector or Local Inspector may order the disin- 
fection of same, as provided in Order 11, or by any 
other means that may be directed by the Secretary 
of the Department of Agriculture, and failing such 
distinfection shall seize and destroy same, 
" Experts are agreed that the use of second-hand 
fruit cases, without being disinfected, is one of the 
surest methods of disseminating disease. This being 
so, it behoves everyone interested in the horticul- 
tural advancement of the State to prevent the use 
of second-hand cases as far as possible, unless they 
have been previously disinfected. 
•' In accordance with the expressed desire of recent 
Producers' Conference, the Department has, in 
Otder to discourage the use of second-hand cases, 
obtained the co-operation of the Railway Depart- 
ment in the matter of differential rates being levied 
oa new cases imported or locally made, and second- 
band cases. 
" The material for cases in shocks can be obtained 
in Perth, subject to slight market fluctuations, at the 
average price of 8s, 6d .per dozen- 
" Not only is it in tne interests of growers to dis- 
ctnrage the use of second-hand cases, but also to 
encourage the use of an uniform case, and it stands 
to reason that, the contents being good, the more 
attractive the manner in which fruit is marketed 
the higher will be the returns, 
" A new and uniform case, the distinctive indivi- 
daal brand of the shipper, an attractive address- 
label, and careful grading and packing, will secure 
a maximum return and drive the worthless fruit out 
of the market— it is carelessness and rubbishy fruit 
that brings down the average— and, while OESuring 
to the grower a better profit, will also ensure to 
the consumer a cheaper, because a better, and a 
more regular supply of the best fruit. 
" Now local growers have to compete against the 
Eastern States, it is imperative they should attend 
carefully to details. 
■ ' No matter how careful the inspection at the port 
of entry, experts are of opinion that the danger of 
introducing diseases new to this State will always 
be present, and this knowledge should stimulate the 
local growers to exerci»e the greatest vigilance in 
f)reventing the possible introduction of diseases 
D(o their orchards. 
" The saving of a penny or so per case, by usinij 
second-hand cases, may be the means of introducing 
into an orchard a disease that may cost hundreds 
of pounds to eradicate, if it does not finally render 
the orchard worthless. 
" This Department, as you are doubtless aware, 
has only four Inspectors to supervise over four 
thousand widely-scattered orchards and vineyards, 
and I am appealing to your Society now to appoint 
from its membership, one or two, or three or more 
—as you may think fit— honorary inspectors, who 
will assist this Department in administering the 
Insect Pests Act. It is in your own interests I 
ask you to assist the Department. Vou have now 
to face the competition of the Eastern Sta es in 
fruit and diseases, and you can only successfully 
do this by exercising eternal vigilance in keeping 
your orchards and vineyards free from disease, and 
the best way to do this is to follow the lines indi- 
cated ; — 
"1. Plant vigorously, but only the best varie- 
ties, having an eye always on the export trade of 
the future, 
"2. Oaltivate thoroughly and prune properly, 
and do not starve the trees if a little fertilizer will 
help them, 
" 3. Spray carefully and often, remembering 
that a single spraying is seldom of much use. 
"4. Allow no second hand cases to come on to 
your place. If they do disinfect at once. 
" 5. In the interests of your neighbours send no 
second-hand cases away unless disinfected. 
" 6. Ship only the primest fruit turning the rest 
into jam or pork. Either will pay you better than 
spoiling your own market by supplying rubbish. 
" It is an ill bird that fouls its own nest." 
" 7. Pick grade, and pack as if yow were handl- 
ing eggs, and use only n»w cases, branded with 
the name of the orchard, and legibly addressed 
on an attractive label, to your agent. 
" If you decide to appoint honorary inspectors, 
in the different centres of your district, as I hope 
you will, 1 will endeavour to secure them any actual 
out of pocket expenses they may incur in the exe- 
cution of their duties. 
" Remember ' Eternal vigilance is the price of 
success." 
" I have the honour to be, Sir 
" Yours obedient servant, 
L. LiNDLET-CoWEN, 
T , . I ^ " Secretary." 
—Journal of the Department of Agriculture Western 
Australia. 
GOOD AND BAD CASTILLOA. 
{^Translation of an Article in the Journal de Agrictdtu^* 
Tropicale, July 1901,) 
Castilloa is the rubber-tree par excellence of 
Mexico and Central America. The innumerable 
companies for rubber-growing formed lately with 
North -American capital have the Castilloa alway» 
in view. From this we may conceive the very 
strong interest which attaches to the communica- 
tion translated herein. It is extracted from a Ger- 
man pamphlet * appearing early this month, and 
from which we shall have occasionto borrow still fur- 
ther. The author, llr. Th. F. Koschnv, has been a 
settler on the Rio de S. Carlos (RepuL.ic of Costa 
Eioa) for nearly twenty-five yearp. He is cer- 
tainly a most observant man ; Professor Warburg, 
in his book on Castilloa and its culture, quotes 
him on every page; Mr. Kosohny is in fact a 
most devoted correspondent of the Tropenpflan- 
* Th. F. Koschuy :— Die culture des Castilloa- 
Kautschuks, In 8d. ; 60 ; published as a Supple- 
ment (Beiheft) of the Tropenpflanzer, that acmira- 
ble review of Tropical Agriculture, of Berlin. 
