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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [April i, 1891. 
THE STEAAVBEERY GUAVA. 
A. K. Smiley, beeoeb the Eedlands 
IIOBTICULTUHAL SOCIETYL 
The p;uava belongs to the genus Fsidium, a name 
derived from the word I'suhoii, a pomegranate, and 
belongs to the order Myrtacex or Myrtle family- 
There are at least six different species of gua'-a 
— most of them belongiiig to the tropical regi< us. 
The guava jelly of commerce is princii)ally obtained 
from Fsidium Guaiva — a low-growing tropical Iree 
found in the AVest Indies, and also raised in the 
southern part of Florida. There are a number of 
varieties of it, such as the pear guava, with white 
yellow pulp, and the apple guava with red pulp. 
This guava has become a necessity to southern Florida, 
and is to that region what the peach is to more 
noitbern climes. The pear and apple guavas piove 
hardy in this climate, but the reports are somewhat 
conflicting. Parties at Pasadena, in Lns Angeles 
county, and Ballena, in San Diego county, report 
it to be hardy. 
There is another species of the guava well suited 
to our climate — a beautiful, the roughly hardy, easily 
raised evergreen shrub, fine for lawn or garden, called 
the strawberry gunva, or in scientific terms, Psidiam 
Cattleyana. Some authorities say that B azil is its 
native clime. The fruit is globular, about one inch 
in diameter, borne in clusters of fine claret color, 
and flavored like a strawberry, hence its common name. 
The skin has much the consistence of that of the fig, 
but thinner. The interior is a soft fleshy pulp, 
purplish red next to the skiu, paler t-iwards the 
middle and white iu the centre. It is juicy and in 
consistence is much like a Strawberry, to which it 
bears some resemblance in flavor. The foliage is of a 
rich dark-green colo’-, thick and sbiniug, resembling 
the Camelia. This shrub is one of most persistent 
fruit-producing p'ants in the whole lis*’. One can 
frequently find on one plant, flower, half ripened 
and fully lipeucd fruit. 
The Dictionary of Gardening say s that the strawberry 
guava grows! from ten to twenty feet in height. It 
bears fruit when vi ry young. It can be treatoil as »n 
ornamental shrub, or planted in rovis from four to 
eight feet apart and raised as currants are. — Cali- 
fornia Fruit Grower. 
^ 
SEASON EEPOETS ON GEAIN CEOPS IN 
CEYLON. 
From the Abstract of Season Reports, February 1891, 
published in \'bet Gazette of March 6tb, we learn tliat 
in the Western Province the paddy crop was good or 
fair, except in the Hapitigam Korale, where it was 
poor, owing to want of water last September. The 
dry grain crop was also generally fairly good. In the 
Central Province, the Matale district was the worst 
off : for of the paddy crop the report was “ poor, 
•worst in Matale North,” and of the dry grain crop 
“ very poor.” In AValapane too the dry grain crop 
was reported “poor.” In Dumbara the paddy crop was 
also stated to be mostly a poor one. In the Northern 
Province the prospects of paddy and dry grain were 
on the whole good, except in Mannar, where half 
the paddy crop bad foiled ; and in Vavuniya, where, 
except in two divisions which had rain, moat of the 
crops must fail. In the Jaffna district tobacco was 
also extensively cultivated and was looking very 
promising, also benefited by rain. In the Soutborii 
Province the prospects wore generally good, except 
ill the Four Gravets and Tulpo Pattu of Gallo, and 
the Wellaboda Pattu of Matara, where tlie drought 
had affected the paddy ; and the Giruwa Patlus, 
where all the crops were generally bad, owing to want 
of rain. In the F/astern Province the crops were good 
or fair. In tho Batticalon district, we are told, 
“ Indian corn and cheua products are plentiful and 
cheap except in Hinhalcse villages on borders of Uva, 
witore Indian corn w»b injured by the drought last 
year, and fine grain crops destroyed by locusts iu 
January. Co-.-onut crops promise well.” In the North- 
AA^estern Piovinoe crops were mostly very light, being 
affeotfad by the drought. In the Cbilaw district the 
dry grain crops were good ; and we read: ‘‘Tobacco 
crop pro-pec'ts noi tlieru division good.” In the North- 
Central Province th.o maha paddy crop was nil, owing 
to failure of north-east monsoon rain for the third 
time ; but tlie dry grain crop was generally fair. 
Wo also lead: “Village tanks dry except a few in 
north-east and two iu the south. Tank cbeuas nil 
lest. Drinking water very scarce ; some villages have 
none. Some partial shows rs fell during tho mouth, 
which raved about half the growing kurakkan crop, 
which was dying. Anxiety about deficient food sup- 
ply relieved. Prospects of yala crop df:peiid on rains 
in April, May. Heavy rains fell iu Tamankaduwa, 
which will allow of meda ciop being cultivated.” 
Iu the Province of Uva the paddy crops were good ; 
tho dry graiu crop fairly good ; the Indian corn 
crops everywhere good; and the kurakkau crops just 
harvest-cd fairly good. In the I’rovince of Sibara- 
gauiuwa tho crops were good or fair. 
THE EAEID OE SLOAV ACTION OF MANUEES. 
AVe conamend to the attention of our planters 
the remarks recently made by Mr. John Hughes, 
tho well-known Agricultural Chemist, to our London 
Correspondent, and reported by the latter in his 
letter by last mail, (see page GOO) o-i the subject of de- 
ferred action in the case of certain fertilizing agents. 
The special case which has produced these 
remarks is ore on which at the time it was first 
brought under notice we offered some observations. 
It may be as well just briefly to recall to 
the memory of our readers some of Iha more 
prominent points connected with that case. Mr. 
Hughes — whose opinion upon such subjects all 
w 11 acknowledge to be of the highest value — had, 
while travelling throughout Italy an-i Spain, 
remarked the extremely unpleasant odour pervading 
many of the olive gardens visited by him in those 
countries. His inquiry as to the cause of this 
led to his acquiring the information that the 
odour was due to the quantity of rotting rags 
that had been applied with the object of manuring 
the olive trees. Mr. Hughes saw these, partly buried 
and in all stages of putvefication, in the gardens 
he visited, and his olfactory organa made him well 
realize ihe fact of the uncleanly habits of the peas- 
ants, whose cast-off garments were thus made to do 
a final and very useful duty. His knowledge of the 
constituents best adapted for fertilizing special 
forms of culture made him fully understand the 
value of this special application ; but to that 
knowledge ho added the important further know- 
ledge that much of the value to bo attached to 
the peculiar form of manuring must be due to 
the very gradual way in which the constituents 
were yielded up by the slowly decaying rags. It 
was this second property which induced Mr. 
Hughes to suggest the application of a manure 
having a kindred basis, on the widely celebrated 
Mariawatle estate. AVe have waited some lime to 
learn what results have followed this application, 
and have only now done so. AVe hear that 
the manure was applied on a patch adjacent to 
another which had received a dressing of cattle 
manure, and that the observed result of a single 
year showed that the latter had had a far more 
striking effect upon the tea bushes than the former 
had had- 
J’o those less acquainted with the science of 
manuring tea — for it is a science of the highest 
class — than is Mr. Hughes, this fact would have 
told against tho “ rotten rag ” fertilizer, That 
