440 
THF TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[December i, 1890. 
COORG AND ITS COFFEE. 
i^From a Oorres]iondent.) 
The Oommissioner of Coorg, in a recent Statement 
of the past season’s crop of plantation coffee, showed 
that 1,746 tons were exported from the district, via 
the AVest Coast, against 1,098 tons— and 700 tons East- 
ward, against 596 tons — in 1688-89, making a total of 
2,446 tons against 1,684 tons in 1888-89. The returns 
are prepared from data furnished by the various curing 
Orras through whose hands the produce passes. The 
Commissioner also gives the quantities passing through 
the toll gates where accounts are kept. The figures 
for the past season are 3,353 tons against 2,760 tens 
in 1888-89. These quantities are understood to repre- 
sent all the cjffee that leaves the province, native 
grown as well as plantation ; but in connection with 
them the Commissioner remarks that “no dependence 
can be placed upon the toll gate returns as showing 
accurately all the coffee which passes out of the 
province,” making allowance for quantities exported 
through channels not included in Colonel Oiarke’s re- 
turns the following will probably he '{ound a close 
approximation to the actual exports for the past sea- 
son : — 
Plantation Coffee tons 2,700 
Native Coffee „ 1,500 
Total Crop of the season ... tons 4,200 
A forecast of the crop in the early part of the season 
had been made by the Commissioner from figures sup. 
plied by the principal owners of estates. Tha estimate 
was 6,715 tons, so tho shortfall is quite 2,500 tons. 
The forecast was framed no doubt on the belief that 
the crop would be a good one, judging from what tho 
blossom promised j and a good crop was due, for the 
previous season’s had been miserably small. Some time 
before it ripened, however, tlie planters had made up 
their miuds for figures much below estimates, and in 
most cases disappointment increased with tlie gathering 
of the crop. It is seldom too such small yie'ds have 
followed each other; not only so, hut it is feared the 
one about to be picked will be little belter than the 
last, making three small crops in succession, a thing 
almost unknown in the annals of Ooorg coffee planting. 
The same remarks, however, apply to the neighbouring 
districts of Mysore. The question new is, is this 
simply the result of unfavourable seasons, or does it 
indicate a more serious condition of affairs, actual 
deteriora'ion and impaired fertility in the plant!’ 
There are pessimists who take the latter view, aud 
who point to the poor returns which young estates 
give, oven in good seasons, in these daj s com- 
pared with what the same sort of places gave in 
former times. They point to properties on tho ghauts 
which, in spite of all that was done for them, went 
steadily, rapidly, and irretrievably to the bad. Open 
new land in the ghaut and you cannot make it yield 
as the old land did. Travancore, North aud South 
Wynaad, they say, have had a shorter life, only because 
shade in Coorg and the Blysore districts have helped 
to baffle lor a while that fell destroyer, leaf di.sease. 
But every plant and sapling has felt its fatal touch. 
Its germs have entered the sap, and the deep green 
aud glossy leaf, with sturdy stem and lithe branch, 
must ere long wither aud die under tho baneful blight. 
This is certainly a gloomy picture, hogotteu perhaps 
ol a despondent and morbid state of mind. Still it is 
so sufficiently true to nature that it would he foolish 
not to keep it in view, although the more hopeful need 
not allow themselves to be too seriously impressed by it. 
It cannot, of course, be gainsaid that he is sur- 
rounded by evidences of tlie extensive aud destruc- 
tive effects of 1( af diseaso, for it has caused all 
but the total extinction of coffeu in Ceylon, while 
in .lava, which showed a yield second only to Brazil 
some years ago, tilings are little better. Travancore 
and Wynoad have gone the samo way. Those who 
take a hopeful view point to tho healthful appearauco 
of estates that are properly cultivated aud attribute 
the short yields of late years solely to uupropitions 
seasons. As to shortage of yield on young estates they 
say that the land, v/here such is the case, is only second 
class, all the beat land having been taken up years 
ago. To what extent shade will neutralise the effect 
of leaf disease time alone will show whether it will 
save it entirely, or only delay the fatal period. A year 
or two will probably show whether the pessimist or 
optimist is right, and the next crop or two will doubt- 
less be watched with nervou-: auxiety. There is, of 
course, in Ooorg a good deal of coffee which may now 
be considered old, having been planted 25 to 30 years 
ago — at these ages it is conaidtrad that the plant has 
passed its i>rimeand its yielding powers begin to fail ; 
and there is no doubt this is only too evident on 
several estates. 
The failure of the old Munzerabad plant or 
“ chick” was fraught with useful lessons. It was un- 
derstood to have originated from seed brought by the 
Arabs from Arabia and planted in tho Bababoodin 
Hills. It had always been grown under the original 
forest shade and it produced a berry second only in 
quality to Mocha itself. But 15 or 20 years ago a 
general failing of its fertile powers became apparent. 
Crop in any quantity was only obtained once in two 
years, and it was difficult to get seedlings when planted 
as supplies to come ou at all. It became worse and 
wor: e, but meantime some planter — was it Mr. Japp 
of Igoor? — happened to bring some Coorg seed from 
Mercr.ra, where he lud been on a visit. He tried it 
ou laud he had several times planted up with local 
supplies uusucoessfully. The result was most satis- 
factory. It was found that the Ooorg sprang up and 
flourished as if on fresh virgin soil, producing a plant 
much more vigorous and fertile than the old Monzo- 
raba l. Some time, however, elapsed before its supe- 
riority became generally known, and longer before 
the fact was generally admitted. But it was only a 
matter of time. At length nothing was planted but 
“Coorgs.” 'The old plant seemed quite used up, its bear- 
ing power becoming less and less though this might 
appear all the greater by contrast with the heavy yield 
of the Ooorg tree. It bad not suffered much if at all 
from leaf disease, btieg always well protected by 
shade, aud it would hardly be said that the soil ou 
which it drew was exhausted. The heavy deposits of 
leaf from the original forest trees, with which they 
were shaded, along with the moderate amount of 
manuring which was generally done, maintained the 
integrity of the soil. On the same soil at least the new 
plant grew spendidly. This seems to point to the 
advantage of the timely introduction of a new variety 
of plant, and the Coorg planters would do well to le- 
turn their atteutioa to the subject. Seed from Arabia, 
or bettor still perhaps from the indigenous coffee found 
growing in our new African pos.sessions on the shores 
of the Victoria Nyanza and other parts, might be ob- 
tained. The Government would no doubt willingly 
help tho planter in procuring it. Planters iu Wynaad 
are going iu for Liberian, but I think most men would 
probably prefer the Arabian species. It is to be hoped 
that everything will be done to avert such ruin as has 
overtaken the coffee enterprise iu Ceylon and dse- 
where, for although (he fears of those who thick 
the Ooorg plantations likely to meet the same 
fato may not bo realised, the planter should do all he 
can to provide against such a serious contingency. The 
Government, too, should be alive to the importance of 
the matter,— /T/u/7rns Mail, Oct, 28th. 
^ 
Snakhs of the Boid.T? family are sometimes found 
very tightly coiled within the clusters of bananas 
imported into the United States from the West 
Indies and tropical America. Not long ago a 
specimen, which proved to be the Fpicmfcs UM(?uZi/hr 
of Cuba, was captured in Savannah, and is now 
in the United States National Museum. Another 
was taktn ia the same way at Chicago, and found 
to be the boa imperator of Central America. They 
are generally young ones, as the adults could not 
bo so easily concealed there. — Glohe, 
