March  2,  T896.I  THE  TROPICAT.  AORLCULTIJRTST. 
591 
89.  Scinpoer.  DiUcniii  spec.  Especially  al  homo  in 
the  itpals  of  the  low-lying  districts  and  proof  against 
fire.  Exceptionally  hard  wood.  Another  kind  or 
variety  is  called  S^mpoer  fjci. 
90.  Soeren.**  Cedrda  spec.  div.  The  quality  of  the 
Cedrelas  indigenous  to  Java  is  very  various.  The 
soeren  wood  is  mostly  very  suitable  for  tea  chests. 
For  planting,  these  trees  are  not  to  be  recommended. 
Outside  of  the  forest  they  s\iifer  badly  from  diseases 
and  soon  die.  It  is  otherwise  with  the  Suinatvan 
Cedrda  serndata,  commonly  called  Soerian,  and  now 
universally  distributed  in  the  Preanger  even  by 
the  natives,  freely  planted.  Few  varieties  of  wood 
are  so  useful  for  all  kinds  of  purposes.  It  is  tolerably 
strong,  easy  to  work,  prettily  marked,  on  which 
account  it  can  be  used  tor  polished  furniture,  and 
durable,  and  also  not  exposed  to  white-ants.  The 
sap-wood  also  and  that  of  young  trees  does  not  differ 
much  from  the  older  heart-wood.  Even  for  building 
timber  it  is  very  satisfactorily  strong.  Tea  chests 
made  of  this  wood  leave  nothing  to  be  desired.  The 
growth  of  the  tree  is  however  not  yet  quick  enough. 
At  .8,000  feet  about  15  years  are  needed  to  produce  a 
beam  of  20  x 20  cm. ; with  very  favorable  growth 
25  < 25.  Older  trees  are  frequently  hollow.  Of  the 
indigenous  Cedrela  odorata,  the  well-known  cigar- 
box  wood,  specimens  have  been  planted,  which  grow 
well,  but  even  up  to  ca.  6 years  of  age  yield  no  seed. 
91.  T(din(ikoep.  Cluoxylon  spec.  A tree,  that  attains 
to  no  large  dimensions,  but  gives  hard,  durable 
wood.  Is  very  abundant. 
92.  Tanykedak.  Lepidadenia  spec.  (Filet).  Soft,  bad 
wood. 
93.  Tonyogo.  C'antaneu  spec.  (Filet).  Hard  timber. 
The  best  of  the  Co  <faneas. 
94.  Tenrenp.  Artoroipns  spec.  A very  large  tree 
with  very  bad  wood. 
95.  Tisoek  * Jlihiscus  spec.  Jjeaf  and  blossom 
greatly  resemble  those  of  the  ii-aroe  No.  100.  As 
fantastically  and  crookedly  as  the  latter  grows,  so 
straight  as  a candle  the  Tisoek  shoots  on  high.  For 
some  purposes,  among  others  for  building,  it  is  there- 
fore more  useful,  although  it  is  not  so  solid  as  waroe. 
The  Tisoek  however  does  not  attain  to  the  bulky 
dimensions  of  the  waroe.  The  natives  often  disfigure 
and  damage  the  tree  by  lopping  so  high,  that  only  a 
small  crown  remains  at  the  top.  Useful  for  tea  chests 
95.  Tjangkring.  Ergihrina  spec.  (See  No.  12  Dadap.) 
97.  Tjangtjaralan.  Kuuclea  (Koordeers).  A straigiit- 
stemmed  tree.  Hard  timber. 
98.  T]aringiii.  Fiexis  spec.  (See  No.  42  Kiarn.) 
99.  Toengeureuk.  Castanea  spec.  Hard  timber. 
100.  ITaroe.*  Jlihiscus  spec.  A very  useful  wood 
when  one  needs  great  breadth  and  little  length.  For 
tea  chests  also,  waroe  wood,  although  somewhat  heavy, 
and  difficult  to  sow  owing  to  its  fibrosity,  can  be  used 
with  advantage.  If  some  planks  and  the  clamps 
consist  of  vuroe  wood,  the  chests  are  very  strong. 
The  tree  grows  everywhere  and  is  not  fastidious. 
A drawback  is,  that  many  trees  become  as  if  over- 
grown with  parasitic  plants  Manguuden"  yLornn- 
thacea),  which  frequently  cause  the  otherwise  so 
strong  tree  to  die.  This  tree  is  very  intolerable, 
just  like  bamboo.  All  that  grows  within  reach  of 
its  roots  languishes. 
A.  E.  Kekkiioven. 

FRUIT  CULTURE  IN  THE  HILLS. 
“ Cosmopolite”  writing  from  Simla  to  our  esteemed 
contemporary  The  Statesman  endeavours  to  show 
that  a writer  in  The  Madras  Mail  takes  a very 
pessimistic  view  of  fruit  culture ; the  correspondent 
of  the  latter  journal  deals  entirely  with  orchards 
which  have  been  started  in  the  NUghiris,  and  have, 
according  to  him,  turned  out  dismal  failures.  The 
picture  lie  draws  is  no  doubt  a gloomy  one,  and 
when  one  reads  of  the  many  drawbacks  unfortunate 
proprietors  have  to  contend  against,  he  woull  indeed 
be  a bold  man  who  would  sink  capital  in  such  an 
industry.  Here  are  a f&w  of  them  as  related  by  the 
Nilghiri  writer:  — 
“I  can  recall  the  case  of  a gentleman  who  at 
great  expense  imported  some  expensive  varities  of 
dwarf  fruit  trees  from  home.  After  patient  waiting 
in  due  course  the  fruit  set  and  began  to  ripen  under 
its  owner’s  eyes,  but  when  about  half-ripe  the  un- 
happy man  found  to  his  disgust,  on  entering  his 
orchard,  that  not  only  had  the  fruit  bejn  stolen 
but  the  branches  broken  off  with  it.  And  worse 
was  to  come,  for  the  following  year  the  plants  were 
found  with  their  steins  cut  off  close  to  the  ground,  in 
some  cases  actually  rooted  up  and  carried  away!  Though 
this  fruit-grower  had  comparatively  few  animal  and 
bird  enemies  to  contend  against,  since  he  was  living 
in  Ootacainund  itself,  the  genus  homo  proved  almost 
too  much  for  him.  In  another  case  a fruit-grower 
enclosed  bis  little  garden  with  a trench  and  a wall 
about  three  feet  high.  This  proved  ineffectual  to 
keep  out  sambur,  which  vaulted  over  and  did  infinite 
damage  nibbling  off  grafts,  etc.  Porcupines  followed 
in  a way  best  known  to  themselves,  and  they  rooted 
up  pineapples,  and  ate  the  rippeniug  melons, 
and  cucumbers,  and  tomatoes.  When  the  porcupines 
were  excluded  the  rata  and  squirrels  came  in  and 
nearly  completed  the  ruin  of  the  orchard.  By  day 
the  place  was  infested  with  birds,  that  nothing  short 
of  shooting  could  drive  away.  The  depredations  of 
beetles,  plant-lice,  bores  and  other  insect  pests, 
though  serious  enough,  can  almost  be  passed  over 
in  comparison  with  these  troubles.  In  addition,  in 
this  case,  the  would-be  fruit-grower  suffered  from 
the  depredations  of  his  own  servants,  who  went 
in  one  night  and  gathered  some  pines  that  were 
ripening  and  by  their  clumsiness  de.stroyed  several 
of  the  plants.  As  the  pines  were  a valuable  variety 
the  owner’s  loss  was  a heavy  one.  It  may  not 
be  generally  known  that  the  • jackal  is  a 
terrible  enemy  to  the  fruit  garden.  Coffee  planters 
know  to  their  cost  what  be  can  do  to  their  coffee. 
He  will  eat  anything  in  the  shape  of  fruit  that  he 
can  reach — .strawberries,  Brazil  cherries,  melons,  figs, 
etc,  and  the  fable  of  the  fox  and  the  grapes  has  a 
practical  significance  for  the  fruit-grower  which  per- 
haps it  may  not  have  for  others.  The  toddy-cat  of  the 
plains  has  a cousin  on  the  Nilghiris  who  practically 
lives  on  fruit.  It  is  a black  greyish  animal  with 
white  spots  and  more  mischievous  than  the  jackal,  from 
the  fact  that  it  can  climb  trees  and  reach  any  fruit. 
Now  we  have  a firm  belief  that  the  real  enemy 
to  European  fruit-growers  is  the  gentle  Aryan,  and 
not  the  insects,  birds,  or  animals  which  agriculturists 
all  over  the  world  have  to  contend  against ; and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  as  things  stand  at  present,  this 
enemy  is  unconquerable. 
“Cosmopolite”  in  The  Statesman  takes  a much 
more  hopeful  view  of  the  industry  and  shows  how 
successful  it  has  proved  elsewhere.  He  says; — “ My 
main  object,  howeveig  in  writing  to  you  is  not  to 
comment  on  the  failure  of  fruit  culture  in  the 
Madr.as  Presidency,  but  to  set  off  against  it  the 
raraked  success  which  has  attended  that  enterprise 
in  the  Himalayas.  Indeed,  so  hopeful  have  been 
the  results  that  the  N.  W.  Himalayas  bid  fair  to 
realise  the  proud  distinction  of  becoming,  what  they 
have  been  called,  the  orchard  of  India.  Let  me 
glance  at  the  results  of  an  experiment  which  has 
scarcely  lasted  a dozen  years. 
“ Formerly  Simla  used  to  bo  supplied  with  fruit 
from  Naini  Tal,  and  up  to  1883  seems  to  have  been 
destitute  of  any  gardens  of  English  fruit  trees,  ex- 
cept perhaps  a private  one  on  Summer-hill  Since 
then,  however,  Anuaudale  has  been  covered  with 
fruit  trees  bearing  apples,  pears,  apricots,  grapes,  etc., 
no  less  than  5,000  plants  having  been  grafted  in  its 
soil.  Private  enterprise  has  also  been  busy  in  the 
same  direction,  and  Simla  now  numbers  about  a 
dozen  gardens,  owned  by  residents,  containing  2,000 
to  3,000  trees  be.iring  English  fruit. 
“ I do  not  possess  particulars  of  the  cultivation 
on  the  Kulu  range  of  hills,  which  are  visible  from 
Simla ; but  Kulu  apples  have  already  gained  a name  in 
the  market.  Indeed,  it  has  been  established  that 
apples,  and  pears  flourish  on  high  elevations,  and  if  we 
compare  the  English  fruit  produced  in  these  parts 
from  imported  seeds  or  grafts  with  the  miserable  small 
spongy  and  tasteless  fruit  known  in  Calcutta  as  Gabul 
apples,  the  enormous  advantage  of  having  Himalaya 
fruit  instead  becomes  at  once  apparent. 
“Imagine  for  a moment  the  improvements  in  the 
Calcutta  market  were  scope  afforded  for  the  supply 
