juLV 1, 1890,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST^ 
trees may thus migrate to a colder climate, but 
they are constantly checked in growth where 
circumstances and climate arc unfavourable by 
the mass of vegetation, hence only a certain 
number of hardy plants will succeed. The same 
may be said of plants introduced by the Agency 
of man. Those of European growth rarely succeed 
in naturalising themselves in the low country, but 
South Ainerioan are in many instances perfect 
weeds. Asclepias Curassavica would really be 
believed to be an indigenous weed, had it no 
native name and many of the productions of our 
gardens will be found in the same neighbourhod 
wild. Again at Nuwera Ellia the Cape Gooseberry, 
(Physalis Ilexuosa) originally introduced, has sp>read 
with the greatest rapidity and altho’ a weed con- 
tributes to the scanty resources for cookery in 
that part of the mountains. In every uncultivated 
country plants best adapted to the climate of the 
place and soil will prove the more hardy, and 
will supplant tho more delicate species. Thus in 
ascending mountains, vegetation will constantly 
vary first from changes of strata and secondly 
because the atmosphere becomes colder as you 
ascend; but there are other causes — Vegetation de- 
pends much upon effects of light and solar influence. 
Leave a barren gravelly soil to itself and it will 
first be covered with sedge and grass, but when 
once weeds have effected a footing many of these 
gra'^ses will disappear, Next will come under shrubs 
and creepers, so that the cleared space is again 
converted into jungle. Jjastly should trees also 
spring up, by the time they have shaded the 
under shrubbery from the effects of the sun’s rays, 
it will have materially altered in character. From 
such causes there must be a constant change of 
Vegetation in mountainous countries and also in 
the lower tracts, but more especially in the former, 
I have been informed by Coffes-plantcrs that after 
clearing jungle many plants and shrubs spring up 
which were not previously known in the Forests 
and it is easily accounted for on those principles. 
I have myself Pavetta latifolia from cleared Coffee 
land, after in vain searching for it in the neighbour- 
ing jungle. 
AV'YNAAD PLANTING NOTES. 
Coffee and Cinchona. 
The crops are a failure with very few exceptions. 
This is duo to the unusual amount of rain, which, 
coming just when it should not, destroyed the blossom 
so that very little indeed of it has set. This misfortune 
was later on followed by another, in the shape of 
hail storms and hurricanes, so that trees without a 
berry on them are with a few exceptions, the melan- 
choly order of the day. Of course there has also been 
any amount of leif disease, and any amount of this 
to follow. Tbe appearance of the trees is splendid 
(just now) fi'r next year, the extraordinary early 
showers having forced forward an enormous amouut 
of new wood. What will bo the effect of this for 
next season, remains to be proved. Weeds are rampant 
and hardly a cooiy has come in. Influenza and 
cholera are so bad in Mysore that the maistries 
declare they cannot make up their gangs, in which 
case we must bid a fond farevell to our advances 
and our h 'pes of planting up new clearing. Influenza 
has also been pretty bad here, but not equally so in 
nil places. Tlio Chennas have suffered most, and 
curiously enough the locals, Moopaa and so on, have 
very generally escaped. A neighbour graphically 
described his labour supply thus ; “ All my coolies 
arc sick except six, and these are chiefly employed 
in digging graves for the rest !” 
' But we do not altogether despair. I think 1 have 
more than once commented upon the oork-like nature 
of planters. Fortune is amazingly fond of popping us 
under water, but somehow we always come up again^ 
and though leaf disease and the elements have done 
their best to annihilate us this year, we can look at 
the “ new wood,” and congratulate ourselves on possi- 
bilities for next. It may even do the trees good td 
have a rest. At the same time it behoves ua to look 
around for more strings for our overstrained bow. 
Liberian, is first favorite just now, and many experi- 
ments are being made with it, and good results are 
reasonably expected, in spite of the adverse criticisms 
of cur Oeylon brethren. We, however, argue that it wa.s 
bad management on their part which was more to 
blame than the Liberian itself. They acknowledge 
to planting it in the open, topping and pruning it, 
and otherwise treating it as we u.sed Arabioa long 
time ago ; moreover they were not sufficiently parti- 
cular in the selection of the seed. Our short ex- 
perience goes to prove that Liberian must bo neither 
topped nor pruned, and that although there are 
many varieties capable of getting leaf disease, but 
one exists which has hitherto defied the enemy. 
Time of course can only show if this will bo the 
case when tbe Liberian is planted in large quantities. 
But no one can deny that it is certainly at present 
much more hardly and easy of cultivation than its 
Arabian brother. 
We hear of projects for opening old land for tea 
on several estates where coffee and cinchona have been 
making a rapid exit. It is evident that tea grows well 
here, as proved by ocular and financial demonstra- 
tion, and there is no reason to doubt the same re- 
sults in other parts of the district. The working it 
is the chief difficulty, as just when the principal 
flushes are on the coolies have departed to their 
country, and labour is exceedingly difficult to obtain. 
And what am I to say about cinchona. lohabod ! 
Ichabod ! The succirubra is suffering very much from 
canker, or some mysterious disease, apparently inex- 
plicable. A great authority has lately come amongst 
u“, who says the trees chiefly want rest — (like the 
coffee perhaps) and that we should only shave them once 
in three years or so . Avery good practice doubtless for 
Government, yvhich, happily for itself, does not depend 
on its plantaticns ; but a poor look out for us, who 
evidently do. In tbe meantime succirubra is taking the 
rnatter out of our hands, and retiring into a blessed 
nirvana of its own. The ledgers seem inclined to fight it 
out, and the shaving so fur has done them no harm. 
And finally, I will conclude by bracketing our con- 
dition after the manner of Kobinson Crusoe when things 
were not very brilliant with him, and taking comfort 
thereby ; — 
No crop ... High prices, and heaps next year. 
Leaf disease ... Liberian. 
Canker ... Tea. 
So up come the planters — Heading the list of good 
things, and its no use for Dame Fortune to try and 
drown us out, yet a while at least.— il/adras Times. 
^ — 
NOTES ON PKODUCE AND FINANCE. 
The Size op Tea Chests. 
Theory in the Lane is that some planters in India 
and Oeylon do not appear to pay any attention to 
tbe .«izes of the chests or half-ohests in which they 
pack their teas. The ordinary custom of the trade is 
to consider a chest as holding about 100 lb. of tea, 
and a half-chest as holding about 601b. It is pointed 
out that packages holding lees than these weights are 
not so readily saleable, as a wholesale dealer, when 
he thinks he has sold say a dozen chests hold ng 
jointly 1,2001b. is disappointed when he finds he has 
taken up his time in selling 9001b. only. A large pro- 
portion of Indian and Ceylon half-chests of tea hold 
only from 401b. to 45 lb. of tea, the chests only 75 lb. 
to 80 lb. This involves an expenditure of much more 
wood in proportion to the weight coutaiued than is 
at all necessary, more freight on the needless >YOod, 
