the tropical agriculturist. 
[January i, 1891 . 
514 
In Nuwara Eliya they do not grow to any size, 
probably in oonsequenee of the cold, but at lower 
elevations they thrive well and multiply amazingly. 
Some that I sent in the fry-stage to a gentleman 
in Daltota last year are now IJ lb. in weight, and 
are excellent eating ; and the experience of another 
gentleman in Dimbula, who also had some, is to the 
same effect. 
Any pond will do for them, and if a stream of water 
runs through it, so much the better. 
To insure a supply of fish for the table they 
should be constantly fed with boiled rice or brewer’s 
grains, when they will rapidly increase in size 
and become so tame that they may almost be 
lifted out of the water with the hand. 
Any number of fry can be had here. They are 
easily transported ; the only thing necessary being 
a large chatty slung on a pole with two coolies 
to carry it.— Yours faithfully, 
C. J. E. LE MESUEIEE, 
COFFEE CULTUEE GBEEN BUG AND 
ITS TEEATMENT ON THE AGRAPATANAS. 
Dear Sir, — I should be vary glad to respond to 
the request you make in Observer of 1st inst. , could 
I give any more information on the subject, but 
really I have not much to add to what I have 
already given, for the simple reason that the com- 
paratively little “bug” that we have had on these 
estates for the last two years or so has disappeared 
so quickly and done so little damage, that I have 
not found it necessary to do anything to it. I 
think this has been the general experience with 
good coffee about here, though I know from cor- 
respondence that I have had this has not been 
the ease in some other quarters, and to such I 
strongly recommend the kerosene emulsion treat- 
ment supported by good manuring, if they wish to 
keep up the coffee and get crops. I believe that one 
of the principal reasons why we have had such 
comparatively mild attacks of bug is to be attributed 
to the earlier appearance of leaf-disease for the last 
few years compared with previous ones, for, I have 
carefully noticed that the bug begins to show signs 
of unhealthy life and dying off as soon as this 
disease really sets in. For the last few years leaf- 
disease has reappeared much earlier in the year 
than previously, and the bug has had a much shorter 
life than when it attacked us several months later. 
Of course the coffee has only been kept in really 
good heart by good cultivation. We have kept only 
the best fields, the rest having been planted up 
with tea year by year. It goes without saying that 
where there is not good cultivation the trees are 
altogether unfitted to stand the eombintd attacks of 
even a mild dose of bug and leaf-disease year after 
year and yet hear profitable crops. When I first 
commenced to apply the kerosene emulsion and 
lime, the “ bug” was in full force and rampant; and 
I have already explained, that no othtr trea'ment (and 
I tried many experiments) succeeded in both saving 
the crop and leaving the coffee in good bearing con- 
dition. In fact, I lost some very fine coffee bearing 
heavily side by side with what I treated with 
kerosene onaulsion, and which is still to the front, 
having given several good crops since then; and 
though this year's crop is a small one, yet the 
trees are healthy and promising, and this in spite 
of a bad attack of grub last year. There are 
other estates not far from this who can show similar 
results from following similar treatment, followed 
with good manuring. Htill I think it is more 
than ever becoming a question as to which pays 
tlio bettor, with such tea as wo have in this dis- 
trict, and the good yields per acre we are getting 
will show what even good coffee has to compete 
with. You ask for details of cost of application, but 
I think I have already given you this in a previous 
letter. The first year (the worst) was some ElO an 
acre including all cost of labour and materials on 
some 300 acres treated as I fully etrplained, — and 
the next year was about E5 with only part ap- 
plication of lime on some 150 acres; we have spent 
very little indeed since then. 
The labour question would be to some an im- 
portant one, for where there is much tea it gene- 
rally takes all the labour to pluck at the time of 
the year that we get this bug worst, say April- 
May. Yes the coolies took some time to get into 
the most economical way of carrying on the work 
and required a good deal of looking after, but 
they gradually found it easy enough, or at least 
this was the case with the picked gangs whom I 
put on to “follow up” the first general application. 
We first want straight through all affected coffte, 
with all hands — merely sprinkling with lime tbe 
trees not attacked with bug, then I put on several 
small gangs of men to follow behind to wash off 
(simply ‘unhinge” is all that is actually required) 
any bug that was left and to watch for the re-appear- 
ance of new life until the leaf-disease came on, when I 
found nothing further was needed. 
I would just mention that as lime is supposed 
to be bad for tea I tried a thick mixture of liquid 
cowdung on the principle advocated in the interest- 
ing letter “ From the Hills” i. e. to smother the bug. 
All I can say is that it seems to have been effec- 
tual, but I have not done it on a large enough sca’e 
to teat the cost. It should be done in dry weather; 
Of course on some estates this would not be avail- 
able, and it is a question whether it wruldnotbe 
most valuable as manure.* W. B. J. 
“ Coffee is being cultivated successfully in 
Bavaria,’’ we read in the latest Graphic. But it 
must be a new species of coffee plant— an 
annual — to judge by the dfscription which 
follows: — “It ripens well and has an excellent 
flavour, though tasting more bitter than the 
original tropical product. The plant is sown in 
the spring on sandy soil, and produces a delicate 
blue blossom about July, while the berry becomes 
ripe in August, being then a pale yellow.” We 
should like to see this coffee, “sown in the 
spring ” and blossoming a delicate blue in July 1 
Failure or Tobacco Experimests. — In an order 
which it issued, the Madras Government “ regrets 
to learn that the results of the experiments con- 
ducted by Mr. Caine in the growing and curing of 
tobacco during the last two years have proved to 
be so unsatisfactory. The reports of the several 
firms, to whom samples we;e sent by the Board 
for opinion, show that the leaves, when cured, 
were decidedly defective in the qualities required by 
the European market, and the very poor prices 
obtained in the local market for the indigenous 
tobacco, grown under the personal supervision of 
Mr. Caine, are evidence of the inferiority of the 
leaf to that raised by the natives themselves.” The 
Government is not prepared to re-engage the services 
of Mr. Caine. — Pioneer. [The question now is, 
can success bo expected in Ceylon, such as has 
not been attained in India? — Ed.T.A] 
* Of course, if there were r.o bug, but the double 
advantage of tbe application is that after smothering 
tbe bug and falling to the ground it is still valuable 
as manure. But how cun even the best coffeo survive 
the ixten al attacks of green bug, which gives way 
only to JleniiUia vastatrix, while the subterranean 
enemy grub gives way to neither?— Eu. fi. A, 
