April  1,  1896.] 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturist^ 
731 
sary  to  have  the  mill  in  a central  position  as  near 
to  the  growers  as  possible  ; it  is  also  of  greatest 
importance  that  the  mill  should  be  erected  on  the 
banks  of  a river  where  water  can  be  obtained  the 
whole  year  round,  and  that  easy  access  can  be 
obtained  to  a railway  or  navigable  river. 
The  leaves  of  the  ramie  plant  are  very  nutritious, 
and  are  eagerly  eaten  by  cattle,  and  as  a 25-acre 
patch  will  produce  about  tons  per  day  of  leaves 
and  the  sweet  tops  of  the  stems,  this  will  form 
an  additional  source  of  income  to  the  farmer  as 
cattle  food,  the  manure  being  used  on  the  land. 
If  a guarantee  could  be  given  that  500  acres 
would  be  put  under  cultivation  and  the  product 
supplied  to  the  mill,  my  Company  would  be  dis- 
posed to  put  up  the  mill  and  the  necessary  ma- 
chinery, and  pay  the  farmers  at  the  rate  of  2d  per 
lb  for  every  lb  of  white  degummed  filasse  produc- 
ed from  the  stems  supplied  by  them,  or  so  much 
per  ton  for  the  stems  supplied  after  we  have 
tested  the  amount  of  fibre  produced,  which  would 
be  about  4 per  cent  of  the  weight  of  the  green 
stems. 
Department  of  Agriculture, 
Brisbane,  January  16th,  1896. 
6^orr6spond^nct^. 
To  the  Editor,  “ Agricultural  Magazine.” 
Dombowinne  Estate, 
Mirigama,  18th  March,  1896. 
8ib, — In  that  very  valuable  work  “Ceylon 
Manual  of  Chemical  Analyses,’’  Mr.  Cochran  gives 
a large  number  of  tables.  They  are  all  of  im- 
portance to  agriculturists  in  the  Island. 
To  complete  those  of  the  third  chapter  devoted 
to  the  “products  of  the  coconut  plan,”  there  are 
wanting  the  following  tables  of  analysis  : — 
1.  — Of  the  husk  of  the  coconut. 
2.  — Of  the  shell. 
3.  — Of  the  reticula. 
4.  — Of  the  various  parts  of  the  frond. 
5.  — Of  the  various  parts  of  the  flower,  and 
6.  — Of- the  various  parts  of  the  trunk  (bark,  root, 
wood,  sago). 
I write  this  in  the  hope  that  the  learned  author 
will  publish  a supplement  containing  the  informa- 
tion desiderated,  together  with  other  matters  of 
usefulness. 
Mrs.  Jules  Lepiue’s  table  quoted  in  page  44 
needs  confirmation,  because  many  other  things  of 
which  he  treats  in  the  same  connexion  ai'o 
erroneous  within  my  knowing.  See  page  57  of 
“ All  about  the  Coconut  Palm”  where  some  of  his 
errors  are  shewn  up.  As  a rule  sugar,  gum  and 
fatty  matter  ought  to  be  shewn  distinct  from 
each  other. 
In  “ All  about  the  Coconut  Palm,”  I find  the 
following  statement : — 
“ One  great  difference  exists  between  the  coco- 
nut tree  and  such  trees  as  the  mango ; for, 
whereas  in  the  latter,  there  is  bark  surrounding 
the  wood,  in  the  former  there  is,  none.  Indeed, 
the  whole  trunk  of  the  coconut  tree  appears  to 
be  tolerably  well  adapted  for  carrying  on  all  the 
functions  of  life.  On  one  hand  you  see  fruit- 
bearing trees,  of  which,  for  some  feet  high,  almost 
the  entire  trunk  has  been  destroyed,  so  as  to 
leave  a mere  shell,  barely  sufficient  to  support 
the  tree  ; on  the  other  hand,  the  outside  of  the  tree 
is  destroyed  so  as  to  leave  merely  a central  column  ; 
from  which  it  would  appear,  that  all  parts  of 
the  trunk  indiscriminately  are  capable  of  discharg- 
ing all  the  necessary  functions  of  life.”  (pp.  72- 
73).  Ls  this  so  ? I have  seen  barkless  coconut 
trees  invariably  die  in  4 or  5 years.  How  is  this 
accounted  for  ? 
I subjoin  an  article  from  the  Fiji  Argus  as 
found  in  page  171  of  “All  about  the  Coconut 
Palm.”  I know  of  only  one  planter  in  Ceylon 
who  limits  the  number  of  trees  to  something  like 
40  trees  per  acre  to  the  intense  amusement  of  his 
neighbours.  But  his  produce,  instead  of  being  72 
sound  nuts,  varies  from  200  to  800  per  tree  per 
annum  without  a single  unsound  nut  being  found 
amongst  the  whole.  He  counts  36  bunches  in  the 
year  per  tree,  instead  of  25.  Will  the  ordinary 
cocalist  believe  this  ? 
Yours  truly, 
COCOAPALMIST. 
“ COCONUT  CULTIVATION  IN  FIJI.” 
“ A great  amount  of  nonsense  was  spoken  at  a 
recent  meeting  here  about  coconuts,  and  this 
nonsense  has  gone  forth  to  the  world  under  the 
endorsement  of  the  aforesaid  Fiji  notables. 
I desire  now,  as  a coconut  planter,  to  give  you 
the  result,  so  far  of  my  experience.  Thirty-five 
feet  apart  is  the  smallest  space  that  should  be 
allowed  to  coconut  trees,  and  this  will  give  about 
thirty-five  trees  to  the  acre  ; apple  trees  in  Canada 
are  planted  forty  feet  apart.  A coconut  tree 
under  ordinary  fair  circumstances  will  throw  out 
a flower  bunch  or  spathe  every  fortnight,  say 
twenty-five  in  the  year.  Of  these  one-third  will 
be  abortive  and  barren,  the  other  two-thirds,  say 
in  round  numbers,  eighteen  will  produce  on  an 
average  on  a one-acre  plantation  four  nuts  to  the 
bunch,  making  the  yield  of  each  tree  in  the  year 
seventy-two  .sound  nuts  fit  for  copra — many  nuts 
are  infected,  and  I am  sure  I am  giving  the  full 
yield  under  ordinary  circumstances,  of  a healthy 
cocoanut  tree,  one  of  many  thousands  growing 
together.  A coconut,  from  the  flower  to  the  ripe 
nut,  takes  nearly  twelve  months  before  it  drops, 
and  if  sound  and  w’ell  formed,  will  give  half  a 
pound  of  copra,  equal  to  thirty-six  pounds  of 
copra  to  each  tree,  or  something  over  half  a ton  to 
the  acre,  and  under  the  present  labour  regulations, 
added  to  the  heavy  charges  on  planting,  in  other 
ways,  copra  at  present  costs  the  planter  not  less 
than  £5  a ton  to  make,  which  amount  leaves  but 
a small  margin,  if  any,  to  meet  failures  in  the 
crops  at  any  time  arising  from  hurricanes  or 
other  causes" 
“ A Planter.  ” 
GENERAL  ITEMS. 
The  following,  sent  by  a correspondent  to  the 
Cape  Agricultural  Journal,  contains  goodnews 
for  those  whose  crops  are  sometimes  ravaged  by 
locusts.  In  certain  parts  of  the  Sabaragamuwa 
Province — as  in  the  Jvolomia  Rorale — locusts 
have  been  known  to  do  great  damage  : — 
As  in  every  paper  1 look  at  1 see  accounts  of  the 
destruction  ilone  to  crops  in  some  district  or  other 
by  locustSi  I wish,  through  the  medium  of  the 
Agricultural  Journal,  to  let  other  farmers  know 
how  1 have  so  far  succeeded  in  saving  my  crops. 
