November 2, 1891.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTU R!ST. 
325 
whole ioto more mauageable plots. It must be re- 
membered that it is very rare to find any one species 
of plant growing in masses toicetber unmixed with 
any other in a natural state. Tho effect is somewhat 
like that of herding many animals of one kind 
together in the same space. However, for crops such as 
coffee it is essential to do this. Thr-y require to be grown 
under unnatural conditions but as tbis is unavoidable, 
it is still possible to break up the plantation at least 
to a small extent by havincr belts o£ jungle, here 
and there, running through the piaatations. The 
quantity of coffee lost by cot putting the-e belts 
under cultivation is trifling compared with the ad- 
vantage to be derived from tliem. These belts will 
arrest the spread of fungus spores, and blight. They 
will also be of signal use in attracting ihe insec- 
tivorous birds which will aid to keep down the icseots 
which injure the coffee, and they will also be useful 
as supplies of sticks, poles, &o, required from time 
to time in the plantations. It is of course possible 
that monkeys and mnsangs will resort to thesa jungle 
patches, and sally forth at night to devour the coffee, 
but they ate tolerably easily kt pt down in small woods 
and it is usually when there is extensive forest nesr 
the plantatioon that they are so injurious. Whore the 
jungle has been destroyed, and where there no bushes to 
make screens, I would suggest the planting of such trees 
as Adenanthera pavonina, Saman, Jamhus, Erythrinas, 
Jacktrees, etc., in thiek rows, so as to break up the 
plantation". Nor would I rostriot tbe use of Jangle 
bells to the cultivation of cotlee only. With all crops 
cultivated on a large scale her?, I think_ it would 
be advisable to break up the plantntious, if possible. 
It may be that with some cultivalion no enemy worth 
considering is yet known, but r^o plant is entirely 
free from enemies either fun;.;al or insectal, and al- 
though it may seem strange to say that a small jungle 
belt can and will act as a defence against strong 
winged insects, yet such is the case for the insects 
when they rise in the air high enough to clear the 
jungle, are very liable to be borne far away over the 
plantation, and if evtn they do invade the plantation 
they come but a few at a time and can be easily dealt 
with. The peculiarities of insect attactrs on crops here 
must, however, be treated of at some future time. 
But with respect to Dr. Burck's treitment with the 
sulphuric acid and scissors, and also the tobacco water 
treatment. At present the disease in the Straits does 
not seem to bo sufficiently destructive to require such 
elaborate attacks uponit. For although it is very difficult 
to find ft tree entirely free from attack, yet the Libe- 
rian coffee, unless a weak plant, seems capable of 
resisting any ordinary outbreak. Nevertheless, we may 
expect, should the cultivation over become extensive, to 
find, as ye^irs go on, the disease becoming in time 
virulent, and this is the more likely as the sjil in which 
we have to cultivate coffee is immensely poorer than 
that of Java. 
Dr. Burck, it appears, does not attribute much 
of the violence of the dispase to poverty of soil, yet 
I have doubts as to whether this rady not have played 
a great part in the ruinous catastrophe of Ceylon. 
For a long period tho same land had been under 
coffee. There was no rotation of crops, which indeed 
is impracticable for the the most psrt with any crops 
except thnse of annuals or biennials. This oonatant 
growth of the same species of plant on the s ime soil, 
cannot but remove a large portion cf tbe moat valuable 
8»Uh, and tho pUnts must get gradually weaker, nor 
do;s there seem to bo auy reason to doubt but that 
weak y plants are more liable to suooumh to disease, 
whether animal or vegetable, than healthy ones. There 
is abundant evidence of this throughout both the 
animal and vegetable kingdoms. Of course thoroughly 
healthj phiuti may also be attacked, but they have a 
muoh better chance to throw off thsdiseas?. 
I do not think Arabian coffee can ever be successfully 
oalivaked in the Straits SettUmouts. It Heems here to 
bo very liiiblo to produce " brush," that is to say, ab- 
normal tl jwers, with minute, green, irreguhir sepnla 
and potiil-i, no stamens, and the pistal very small and 
upparuiUly elToto. I iiingine this is due to the perma. 
iieut danipce!-8 of tho oliuiate, and absence of any 
period of rest from growth. It appears to be a preli- 
minary stage of what ia known ag phyllody of the 
flowers, i.e., conversion of tho part of the fl )wer into 
leaves, instead of reproductive organs. This is common 
here also in certain orchids as Phalcenopsis Schilleriana, 
which prorluces bulbs and leaves on the flower spike 
instead of flowers. 
Besides the fungus, hemileia, the coffee suffers to a 
smaller extent from several destructive animahs, among 
which are monkeys, mnsaugs, a species of locust, the 
caterpillar of the bce-hawk-moth and a scale insect. 
Of the monkeys the most destructive are the golden 
monkey (JIfaeacu.i sinicus) and the black monkey {Sem- 
nopithecus sp.). The latter does not occur in Singa- 
pore but is common in Johore. These monkeys eat the 
fruit whole, passing the seeds uninjured, and the seeds 
passed by them are stated to be the best for cultiva- 
tion. If this is correct it is perhaps due partly to the 
animals selecting tho best fruit, but it is possible also 
that the seeds are absolutely improved by passing 
through the animal's b3dy and SD bting manured, as has 
been shown to be the case with seeds of hawthorn trees 
swoliowed by turkeys. 
The musaags ( Viverra malaccensis) are even more 
destructive than .nonkeys, and a good deal harder to 
destroy, as they are strictly nocturnal and very skilful 
at avoiding traps. They may, however, be caught in 
traps baited with piecos of bananas. On one estate, 
I am informed, that these animala eat a pikul of 
coffee per diem. 
The locust is a large species of grasshopper not yet 
idoutifiod. It is about 3 inches long, yellowish green 
spotted with black. The hind wings are pink and 
very conspicuous when it flies, which it does very 
briskly. It does not eat the coffee leaves, bu% injures 
the bushes by laying its eggs in the shoots, i'his 
it does by making a series of slits in the bark of 
the shoota spirally, in each of which cuts ii deposits 
a long narrow white egg. The larv;e do not appear 
to injure the shoot at all, and probably leave the 
plant aa soon as hatched. The shoots, however, soon 
wither and turn black and finally fall off, and this 
is certain evidence of the presence of fhj locust. Ag 
a rule it does not do much harm, but under certain 
circumstances it may become exceedingly abundant 
and injurious. It is quite a common insect here, but 
I have sten it most abundant in J.jhoro. It must 
be caught in butterfly nets, and destroyed. 
The bee-hawk-raoth {Cephonodes hylas). — The cater- 
pillar of this instcfc is very destructive to the coffee 
by devouring the leaves, and clearing bushes with 
astonishing rapidity. The moth lays its eggs upon 
the leaves of the trees and the caterpillars quickly 
emerge and commence the work of destruction, 
usually attacking weakly plants. When full grown 
the lirva is about three inches in length and of a 
bright green colour. The head is smaU and dull green, 
the next segment ia ornamented with a number of 
raised yellow dots, the rest of tbe body is smooth 
bright green, bluish above, along each side is a raised 
pink line and down the middle of the back runs a 
double white lino from the head to the tail meeting 
behind the horn which, like most of hawk-moth 
caterpillars, this animal has upon its tail. This horn 
is curved and sharp, yellow with raised black 
dots. The last segment and hiudmosli feet are 
ornamented with raised yellow dots. The feet 
are furnished with tufts of hair, but otherwise 
the caterpillar is quite smooth. When full grown 
the calcrijillr.r spins a web between tho leaves and 
becomes a chrysalis. It remains in this state for about 
a fortnight and then emerges as the moth. The per- 
fect insects is very beautiful, it is about H inches 
lontr, the boJy dark green, the tail fan-shaped black and 
yellow. The wings are perfectly transparent except 
along the edges, which are of a dull dark red. It ia 
very active and not very easy to catch, flying briskly 
about in the evening ehortly before sundown, and may 
be seoii suoking the honey from the coffee flowers, which 
it probibly fertilizdB, but aa there are many other 
harmless insects which do this equally well it may 
be destroyed whenever met with without detriment 
to tbe fertilization of the c.ft'ee, lb is most easily 
destroyed in tho onterpillar state. The latv:e should 
