512 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Feb. 1, 1902. 
part of the land ; sub-mains branch along the minor 
ridges, giving off smaller mains and twigs where 
necessary. Care should be taken to run the twigs, 
so that the water may thoroughly wet the soil 
without saturating it unduly ; and also that the 
water should not run so quickly as to scour the 
land. Forcing the water along the twigs should be 
avoided, as it leads to ponding, which is detrimental 
to the plants aad a waste of water ; besides settling 
the soil and making aeration faulty. Various 
methods of overcoming minor difficulties will suggest 
themselves by practice. 
Santa Martha.— In Santa Martha a different plan 
is adopted. The land is divided into squares by 
means of banks, the squares being larger or smaller 
as the land is flit or slopes sharply. The upper 
squares are iilled with water, which is then allowed 
to run into the next set, and so on to the lower 
part of the lield. This is really flooding the land, 
and is apt to cause water. logging. This system is 
called " catch-work '' irrigation. The object of irri- 
gating is to put sufficient water on to the land to 
supply the plant with water and to render the 
plant food in the soil soluble and so available to 
the plants. Any water put on in excess of the 
necessary quantity is, I take it, wasted, is apt to 
wash out, through drainage, part of the plant food 
from the soil, and to deteriorate the carrying 
qualities of the fruit. |It is therefore important 
that a method should be followed which will 
enable the planter to wet the land without bringing 
it to the saturation point, and to ensure that, 
the water being put on, it is not evaporated too 
quickly by the action of the sun and wind. This 
brings us to the important question of cultivation. 
Accumulation of Alkalies. — Before dealing with 
this it may be well to point out that with inten- 
sive' cultivation there is some danger of the rising 
water in the soil leaving behind it on the surface 
an excess of salts which will prove injurious to 
vegetation. In the more extreme cases, such lands 
are known as " alkali lands." For full information 
on the subject, I would refer you to the " Bulletin" 
for March 1901. The remedy for such a condition 
is good drainage, and an occassional excess of 
moisture, such as we get during the May and 
October seasons. Dinger from this source is hardly 
to be apprehended in this district, however, though 
in one case it actually occurred to my knowledge. 
This was on a piece of land recently taken up, which 
froin its location was naturally adapted to the ac- 
cumulation of alkalies. A cure was affected by dig. 
sing a deep drain at the lower end of the field, 
thorough ploughing, and a free use of irrigation water. 
The water in the drain ran brakish for a time. In 
such a ca^eitis of course highly necessary to stop 
the application of excess water as soon as the acou- 
mulated salts have been washed away. Continuation 
of the process beyond this point would result in 
washing away much valuable plant food. 
Cultivation. — The object of cultivating the soil 
are to destroy weeds, to loosen the soil to admit air 
and moibture, to keep the soil at a fairly even tem- 
perature, to admit the free passage of roots, to assist 
drainage and the escape of surplus water, and to 
assist the retention of moisture in dry situations. 
Weeding. -The prevention of the growth of weeds 
is an important point, as every weed, however, 
small, is busily engaged in pumping up water from 
the soil, and robbing the cultivaled plants of -the 
moisture and mineral substances which are absolutely 
necessary for their growth. Where cultivators are 
not in use, the hoe is the most useful implement for 
the purpose ; but the use of cultivators will be 
found cheaper and better, besides gWing better 
results as regards yield and quality of fruit,— T/(e 
Journal of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, 
(To be concluded. J 
J.MPOUTATION OF INDIAN ORANGES. 
> The late Minister for Agriculture, Mr. 0. Sommers, 
' Jjaving Btthimitted to the Departmeat of Agriculture 
the following paragraph relating to the famoui 
Sylhet orange of India, the matter Wf s referred to 
Mr. Despeissis, the viticultural and horticultn»'al ex- 
pert of the department, whose report also follows : — 
Our orange-growers should endeavour to obtain 
seeds of the famed Sylhet orange, Dr. Bouavia, in 
the Gardeners' Chronicle, says that ttiis lino variety 
is grown solely from seed in Eastern Bengal, and is 
sent in large numbers to Calcutta. The tree is an 
upright grower, the fruit is of the loose-skinned 
kind and of fine quality. At Shalla, amongst the 
hills, there was an orange-garc'en of about 1,000 
acres, and one might walk for a good hour or two, 
always under the shade of orange trees, without 
reaching the limits of cultivation. Ripe oranges of 
this variety were sent from Lucknow to England, 
and although the fruits decayed on the way, the 
seeds remained fresh ; they were sown, and a number 
of plants were the result. The seedlings fruit in 
five or six years. As the Sylhet orange is to be 
had in many parts of India, there should be no diffi- 
culty in obtaining seeds, and there seems no reason 
why this variety should not do well in Australia. 
Oranges grown from seeds, seldom reproduce with- 
out alterating the characteristics of the parent plant, 
the flowers being often cross-fertilised by bees and 
other insects. The " Sylhet " of Calcutta is, however, 
one of the varieties which show fairly constant re- 
sults when raised from seeds. The Director of the 
Botanical Garden at Calcutta, would, I dare say, 
undertake to forward to this Department a few ca^es 
of Indian oranges, and also a Wardian case with 
plants raised from layers from trees noted for the 
excellence of their fruit, or raised by bulding on 
seedling trees. There are several vp..rietic-s of Indian 
oranges I would like to see introduct-d, and a case 
each of the lollowiDg varieties coald be shipped to 
Western Australia. The fruit thould be caiefully 
picked and clipi^ed at the stalk and not pulled ; 
it should be well co'cuied, but not fully ripe, and 
should be freefiom punctu:es caufed by thorns or, 
by scale insects. The cases should be firmly packed 
and each fruit wrapped up in tissue paper three or 
four days after picking, so as to rid the rind of any 
surplus moisture, and thus minimise the chances of 
bruising. These oranges would be about 18 days in 
transit, and should land in good order at Fremant'e . 
(1.) The "Sylhet" of Calcutta, derives its name 
from the station of that name in the Khosia Hills 
of Eastern Bengal, where it is said to be generally 
pro|) ngated from seeds. The " Syihet " is a tall 
upright tree and belongs to the " Siintolah " group 
of loose-skinned oranges; as does also. 
(2.) The "Nagpore" of Bombay, which is much 
like the " Sylhet ; " the tree of this variety how- 
ever, is of a spreading habit. Both are excellent 
varieties for exportation. 
(3.) The " S;into'ah," a very small but extremely 
sweet orange, which grows wild in the hot, humid 
part of india, between the Himalayas and the 
Ganges. Naturally, it requires very little attention. 
It is sweet almost before it is qaite yellow. 
(4 ) The "Keonla" greatly recommended on account 
of its lateness. Long after the oranges have been ga- 
thered the '■ Keonla " hangs on the tree, when it turns 
a beautiful dark red colour and only then becomes sweet. 
(5.) The '• Mussembi " brought from Poona and 
sold in Bombay. It is said it can be left to hang 
on the tree for a whole year without hardly deteri- 
orating. The fruit is orange yellow, and shows 
longitudinal furrows from stalk to eye. 
The Minister having approved of the expert's 
recommendation, the Secretary of the Department 
of Agriculture has communicated with the Director 
of tiie Botanical Garden, Calcutta, tj procure both 
fruit and plants of the varieties enumerated in the 
above report, and ship them to Penh. 
On arrival of the fruit they will be submitted to lead- 
ing growers and dealers, and thus an opportunity will be 
efforded of comparing some of the most famous orangea 
from oriental stock with the varieties from Portuguese 
origin mostly cultivated in Australia. — Journal of ths 
Pqaiinunt pf AyrkuUure of ir«iff)» M^lrdia, 
