THR  TROPICAT,  AGRTCULTURIST. 
[Ffb.  T,  lSq6 
rtf  lioiilf'n,  from  drawings  made  liy  tlio  AuLlior  dirocL 
from  natiu’e. 
To  be  published  in  Tour  Parts,  each,  containing 
Thirty  Coloured  Plates  and  about  Sixty  Pages  of 
Letterpress  (octavo). 
^ The  subscription  price  for  the  complete  work  is 
Five  Pounds  (t.'5),  payable  in  advance,  in  one  sum, 
or  by  ■!  instalments  of  T1  .'is  each. 
From  a specimen  ]ilate,  ami  [tage  of  lotterjtre.ss, 
issued  with  this  [trospectus,  we  judge  iliat  it 
will  be  a work  of  much  value  a.s  well  as  intere.st, 
Mr.  Green  being  a careful  observer  and  a facile  artist. 
With  the  prospectus  is  circulated  the  following 
letter  : — 
To  Messrs.  Dulau  A Co. -—Having  been  informed 
that  you  are  contemplating  the  publication  of  a work 
on  The  Coccid"  of  Ciiijlun.  by  Mr.  Pi.  E.  Green,  wc 
desire  to  point  out  that  what  is  known  of  the  dis- 
tribution of  this  cosmopolitan  group  justifies  the  be- 
lief that  many  of  the  new  species  from  Ceylon  des- 
cribed by  Mr.  Green  will  prove,  as  inquiry  advances, 
to  be  world-wide.  The  literature  connected  with 
this  important  group  of  insects  is  at  present  of  a 
very  scattered  and  fragmentary  nature,  and  the  crea- 
tures are  not  easily  recognised  from  descri])tions. 
Having  regard  to  this — to  the  economic  interest  of 
Mr.  (Tieen's  investigation — to  the  fact  that  wherever 
possible  he  has  recorded  the  leading  stages  in  the 
life-history  of  the  creatures,  aud  that  in  all  cases 
his  delineations  and  descriptions  are  from  materials 
studied  in  life — we  have  much  pleasure  in  recom- 
mending the  work  to  the  consideration  of  subscribers, 
believing  that  a treatise  like  thi.s,  in  which  a great 
variety  ot  forms  will  be  figured  with  very  uumerou.s 
details,  wull  be  of  great  assistance  to  gardneis  and 
to  naturalists  generally,  and  of  considerable  value 
to  those  engaged  in  economic  entomology  or  in  the 
management  of  plantations  i.u  any  part  of  the  world, 
as  well  as  to  systematic  entomologists  and  n.or])ho- 
logists. 
K.  McLachlan,  f.u.s.  ; It.  Meldola,  f.k.s.,  r.7:.s. ; 
Newstead,  i-.k.s.  ; 1).  Sharp,  .u.n.,  f.u.s.;  C.  Svvinhoe, 
li.A.,  F.E.s. ; Walsiugham.  >r..\..  i.i..i>..  iMi.s. ; G.  Pi. 
Howes,  Sec.  Ij.S. 
Jjondon,  Ifec.  18'.l.‘>. 
PT’om  a ])rivate  letter  of  .Mr.  (ireen's  to  us  we 
venture  to  extract  as  follows  : — • 
I have  received  most  kind  encouragement  from 
some  of  the  leading  Plnglish  Plntoinologists  to  whom 
I have  submitted  my  drawings  and  uote.s.  ..t  few 
of  them  Avere  good  enough  to  form  themselves  into 
a committee  to  support  and  push  the  ])ublication  of 
the  work.  With  this  view  they  have  allow'ed  me  to 
circulate  the  letter  which  I enclose  with  tlie  pros- 
pectus. They  also  very  kindly  applied  for  a grant 
Horn  the  British  Association  at  its  meeting  at 
Ipswich  in  September  last ; but  earlier  and  more 
important  claims  absorbed  the  funds  at  their  disposal. 
Another  application  is  to  be  Tiiade  at  the  next 
session  this  year. 
My  work  will  consist  of  a natni’al  history  of  all 
the  scale  insects  (coccidab  of  Ceylon  ; describing  and 
figuring  not  only  those  species  that  have  made  them- 
selves conspicuous  as  specially  injurious  insects,  but 
every  member  of  the  family — many  of  them  at  present 
of  no  economic  importance,  though  under  special 
circumstances  liable  at  any  time  to  increase  and 
multiply  as  suddenly  as  did  the  “green  scale-bug" 
on  coffee. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  bow  wddely  distributed 
many  of  these  insects  are.  My  list  will  include  some 
species  that  have  lieen  recorded  from  America. 
Plurope,  India,  Japan,  Au.stvalia  and  New  Zealand. 
In  walking  through  tlie  plant  Jionses  at  Kew  last 
week  I noticed  two  spocie.s— attacking  Bamboo  and 
Kitnl  Balm  (Cai-ifoln  vrenn)  respectively— which  are 
identical  with  species  found  on  the  same  plants  in 
Ceylon.  To  show  bow  easily  scale  insects  may  be 
imported  fiom  one  conn  li  y to  another  I may  mention 
that  I have  found  upon  Tasmanian  apples  sold  in 
Colombo  living  specimens  of  the  “ mussel-shaped  scale” 
[Miilihuipi.-i  jioinoiHiii).  And  morn  recently,'  upon 
oranges  brought  in  a village  shop  in  England,  I 
have  found  living  and  breeding  specimens  of  an 
important  Americau  pest  {Tarlatoria  penjandii). 
The  demand  for  specialized  work  of  this  kind  is  so 
limited  aud  the  cost  of  prod  ction  so  great  that  I am 
compelled  to  put  a high  price  upon  the  book.  But 
when  you  take  iuto  con.sideration  the  fact  that  it  will 
contai:i  between  120  and  l;iO  chromolithogr.iphed 
plates  the  cost  will  not  apjie.ir  excessi'  o.  I a:n 
bringing  out  an  edition  of  ‘J.'iU  copies  only;  but  I am 
warned  that  I cannot  h pc  to  dispose  of  mors  than 
half  thi’t  number.  My  publishers  estimate  the  total 
cost  of  production  at  d'1,000  ; so  I am  bound  to  drop 
money  over  the  business  unless  I receive  assistance 
from  the  Ceylon  Government. 
We  certainly  hope  that  such  assistance  tvill  he  given 
by  our  Government  ; and  we  think  the  Planters’ 
As.sociation  might  also  give  a grant  in  aid  of  Mr. 
Green’s  work,  which  cannot  fail  to  lie  of  use  to 
the  Planters  of  Ceylon, 
I'KA  L\  1MS,S|.\. 
\ (Ml  will  be  interested  in  the  following 
1 1 notation  of  a p.aragraidi  appearing  in  tlic 
leading  jimnial.  'Flie  subject  is  one  witli  whicli 
we  may  expect  Mr.  Hogivnc  will  fee!  ninch 
conconi,  as  it  is  evidently  in  contemplation  to 
extend  the  cultivation  of  tea  in  lliissia  on  a 
largo  .scale.  It  may  he  concluded  from  the  iii- 
forniatioii  gi\'eu  that  Kussia  is  desirous  of 
making  hei.self  independent  of  any  foreign  siiji- 
plies  of  tea.  We  do  not  recollect  to  have 
heard  if  the  expedition  which  is  said  to  have 
studied  the  siiliject  of  tea  culture  abroad  in 
eluded  Ceylon  among  tlie  countries  n'sited.  It 
seems  going  rather  far  alield  to  li.ave  studied 
tlie  system  of  tea  planting  piir.siied  in  Califor- 
nia, where  Ihe  enterprise  cannot  but  he  as  yet 
in  ils  inhancy. 
Te.a  Cultuue  in  the  Tii.ans-C.auc.ases. — The  Con- 
sular report  on  tlie  agriculture  of  the  district  ot 
Batum.  just  issued,  contains  some  interesting  re- 
marks concerning  the  cultivation  of  tea  along  the 
south-eastern  corner  of  the  Black  Sea  littoral.  Tlio 
experiments  made  during  the  last  few  years  appear 
to  have  disclosed  certain  conditions  whicli  promise 
a great  future  for  the  industry.  The  soil,  moi’e 
especially  in  the  hilly  country  round  Batum.  and  the 
climate  .are  said  to  be  eminently  suitable.  A num- 
ber of  proprietors  have  acquired  land  for  planting, 
among  them  the  Imperial  Domains  Department, 
which  has  in  addition  sent  a special  expedition  of 
inquiry  to  tea-growing  countries.  This  expedition 
has  already  completed  its  tour  through  India,  China, 
and  .Japan.  In  China  it  procured  seeds  and  plants 
and  machinery,  as  well  as  staying  an  entire  month 
in  a village  near  Shanghai  to  study  the  preparation 
of  tea.  In  .Tapan,  likewise,  the  expedition  collected 
samples  of  tea  plants  and  seedlings  ; and  it  is  intended 
to  engage  .Tap.nnese  labourers.  Some  of  the  members 
of  the  expetiition  are  studying  the  American  system 
of  culture  near  San  Francisco.  The  report  concludes 
this  part  of  its  observations  wtith  the  remark  that, 
if  tea  is  ever  cultivated  in  tlie  Trans-Caucasus  in 
quantities  which  would  enable  Russia  to  profitably 
compete  with  China  and  other  countries  for  the  sup- 
],ly  of  her  home  markets,  the  bulk  of  such  tea  would 
have  to  be  grown  inthe  district  of  Batum. — London  Cor. 
TEA  T\  AMERICA. 
New  Vokk,  Dec.  2.5,  189r>. 
It  has  been  a very  slow  week  with  tea  dealers.  Tlio 
market  is  unchanged  in  any  particular.  Buyers 
have  the  advantage  on  everything  hut  Fornioaas. 
No  auction  sale  this  week,  which  emphasises  the 
dull  Condition  of  the  market. — .Imerivan  ilroiff 
Dec,  2.5, 
