April i, 1891.] 
731 
THt TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Thus, we see that the present average an- 
nual growth in height and girth, taken from 350 
plants, are respectively 5 feet 2 inches and 8 itiche?. 
In the small Tezpur plautadon, where there are now 
794 plints, all of 1874, the average height and girth 
are 47 feet 3 inches and 10 feet 10 iuches respec- 
tively, the average growth in one year being 4 feet 
4 iuches in height. 
The up-keep of the planUtiou consists chiefly in 
clearing the lines round the plants, but four years 
after planting the undergrowth is well kept down by 
the shade of the rubber-trees. 
Experimental tappings were made in 1883 and 1884 
on 50 natural grown rubber-trees in the Obarduar 
Forest, the total yield being 438 pounds in 1883, and 
206 pounds in 1884, giving an average yearly yield 
of pounds per tree. Further information re- 
garding the yield of rubber from trees in the Assam 
forests would doubtless be procurable irom the Assam 
Forest Office, as well as statistics of the cost of the 
plantations, which are not given in the papers at 
present before me. W. 11. Fishee. 
— Nature, Cooper’s Hill College, February 18. 
COTTON AT AVATTEOAMA. 
Sir, — I was mcerested in your article appearing in 
this morning’s paper on the cotton euterprize. 
I have recently had the pleasure of visiting Captain 
Gwatkin’s Estate at AVattegama where he has planted 
over 200 acres of cotton, meant principally as shade 
for cocoa. Most of this cotton is from New Orleans 
seed with a sprinkling of Sea Island. The greater 
part was planted towards the end of September last, 
and during the month of February 19,000 lb. of seed 
cotton was taken from the trees, worth about 7 cents, 
per lb, Pickiug was continued this mouth at about 
the same rate until the rams came, when the plants 
began to throw out leaves end fresh blossom. 
If the rain will now cease there must be another 
heavy crop during Aiaril and May, and probably a 
heavier crop after the S. AV. Monsoon. This cotton 
has had the advantage of land thorougtdy cleaned 
and kept weeded. Captain Gwatkin has done every- 
thing thoroughly well, and he will be well rcpaiii. 
He has a large-sized double acting knife roller gin 
with engine, and is doing his own ginning. The 
Spinning and AA^eaving Co. has bought the whole crop, 
and the seed is being sold in the di.strict for 
K3 per cwt. 
The cotton is beautifully clean and free from stains; 
and is in every way a credit to the grower and the 
district. 
I .am sure European Planters would find it worth 
while to grow cotton for shade. It grows very quickly 
and gives quick returns. 
For natives it ought to be very suitable, but for 
them I should recommend the Kidney kind if ssed 
could be obtained. It will grow almoit anywhere, is 
hardy, bears well, and' is perennial. The Spinning 
and AVeaving Co. can buy all clean cotton grown 
either from America, Kidney or Egyptian seed. The 
Sea Island kind is too long in the staple for our use, 
and unless specially fine and regular in length and 
colour does not sell well in England. 
Yours faithfully, 
Colombo, Ma,rch 18th 1891, H. Atkinson. 
— Local “Independent.” 
Lonoea'ity of Tea. — It is interesting to he 
reminded that Chinese tea “crofters’’ or gar- 
deners regard their tea bushes even when a 
hundred years old or over, as still far from being 
beyond bearing. Many of them say that tea never 
requires renewal but will go on, like Tennyson’s 
brook, “forever.’’ 
Tea in Uva. — A Dimbula planter who has been 
visiting Uva is loud in praise of the splendid 
growth of ton and especially the lino widespreading 
bushes he saw in Ilaputale and Badulla districts. 
The plucking surface on individual bashes will, he 
thinks, be much larger in Uva as a rulo than 
elsewhere in Ceylon. 
STRUCTURE AS A GUIDE TO 
CULTIVATORS OF PALMS. 
AVe have been favoured with a note on the struc- 
ture of Palms in relation to their cultural requirements, 
which orgii'.ally appeared in the Bulletin ddla B. 
iSocieta Toscana di Orticidtura, oud which is amply 
worth bringing before our readers : 
“ Italy is one among the lew States of Europe which, 
by virtue of its climatic conditions, has been able to 
extend hospitality to a very considerable number of 
species of that princely family — the Palm. With the 
dwarf indigenous form (Chamasrops humilia, L.j, 
there has been associated for centuries the majestic 
Pheonix dactylitera, L., but it is only during the 
last decade that, through the general march of horti- 
culture and the special efforts of enthusiastic 
amateurs, about 40 species have beeu successfully 
introduced into thosa looslities specially favoured by 
nature with mildness of climate. The Italian horti- 
cuUurist cannot find greater satisfacdon than in care- 
fully and iutelligontly studying the requirements of 
this plaut, in order that he may treat them in a 
suitable manner. Let ua begin by observiug the 
Date p dm (Phoenix daotylifera, L.). A well-known 
Arab saying give.s briefly the requremeuts for Date- 
palm culture in the words, ‘ Feet in the water, the 
head in the fire.’ 
“ If we substitute sunshine for fire, wo may, to bo 
consistent, reader water as moist soil, especially 
since this Palm is certainly no aquatic plant, but, on 
the contrary, suffers from excess of moisture at the 
root, unless the soil be naturally porous and sandy. 
From this we might proceed to argue that a moist 
.sod is indispensable to the life of the Date Palm, 
but this conclusioa is far from being in accordance 
with our knowledge of the facts. We find rather in 
the Pncouix dactyiifeia, as in many other plants 
long aooiimutised, a capacity to adapt itself to diverse 
cirouinstaacrs, in which it may have been forced to 
live, provided only tnat the temperature permit 
(minimum 25° to 26° Fahr., i.e., 6° to 7° frost) 
modifying its structure according to the local cou- 
ditious. Examining the structure of its leaves, wo 
find that these are iu every part so constructed as 
to receive, hold, aud conduct to the stem the atmo- 
spheric moisture which falls upon them in the form 
of dew or rain. In fact, it may be observed that 
every leaflet adhering to the rachis is moulded to 
the form of a V'Shaped chanuel, in which a film of 
dew, however thin, concentrates itself in drops, which, 
arriving at the base of the leaflet (furnished with a 
gland probably able to absorb a minute quantity of 
water) find their way down the leaf to the trunk. 
The leaf itself is provided with shallow flutings, both 
upon its upper aud its lower surfaces, by which 
more or less quickly (according to the inclination) 
they again discharge themselves upon the trunk. 
The dense fibrous coat which clothes the stein is 
designed for three distinct functions, viz., to defend 
the young leaves against inclemency of the weather ; 
to shield the trunk not yet arrived at the indurated 
stage from bruises ; aud finally to absorb and retain 
the water received from the leaves to the furtherance 
of vegetation throughout the plant. 
“ A phenomenon most deserving of attention on 
dewy mornings is the appearance of sparkling drops 
chasing one another down the leaves towards the 
centre of the plant, so that the thick web upon the 
trunk becomes perfectly saturated with moisture, 
whereas the bark of other trees remains almost com. 
pletely dry. This faculty of appropriation of moisture 
from the air explains why the Date Palm — which 
might be callau a ‘ dew-funnel ’ — can grow in places 
deficient in water, so far as the soil is concerned. 
The inner layer of fibre becomes rotten, little by 
little, owing to the lu'oseuco of the water introduced 
by the leaves, becoming thus reduced to vegetable 
inoubl, winch is ki-pt in its place by the exterior 
web or fiiires yet remaining intact, and ah o, indeed, 
by the dried leaves which hang from the stem. To 
this mould, formed out of the fibre of the plant itself, 
