8^8 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[JUXR  I,  1896. 
attacked  by  insects,  that  would  be  a powerful  reason  for 
its  greatly  extended  use  in  all  cases  where  laiting 
properties  were  essential.  The  writer  would  wish  it 
to  be  distinctly  undersiood,  however,  that  in  deal- 
ing with  the  subject  of  the  preventive  power  of  al 
against  white-ants,  he  desires  to  give  greater  cur- 
rency merely  to  a very  generally -accepted  Native 
opinion,  and  one  which  has  not  as  yet.  been  either 
confirmed  or  disproved  by  scientific  investigation.” 
Since  the  above  wrs  written,  says  Dr.  Watt,  the 
subject  of  the  red  paint  to  bo  employed  against 
white  ants  has  attracted  very  considerable  attention. 
So  far  the  results  obtained  have  abundantly  con- 
firmed the  previous  statements.  I can  confidently  re- 
commend the  subject  to  the  attention  of  planters 
troubled  with  white  ants  or  other  pests  that  attack 
the  bark  of  the  tea  bush.  The  paint  is  perfectly 
harmless.  The  ingredients  are  all  readily  procurable, 
'i’hey  are  cheep.  The  effects  of  one  painting  are  said 
to  last  for  two  or  three  years.  The  thorough  or  im- 
perfect manner  in  which  it  has  been  applied  can  be 
readily  seen  owing  to  the  red  colour. 
So  far  as  I can  discover,  were  tea  bushes  affected 
by  white  ants  to  be  thoroughly  cleansed,  to  have  the 
earth  around  them  deeply  hoed  even  at  the  expense 
of  cutting  some  of  the  roots,  to  have  all  ants'  lusts 
removed  when  found,  and  to  have  the  stems  and 
branches  even  some  inches  below  ground  and  for  two 
feet  above,  thoroughly  painted  with  the  Gondal  pre- 
ventive fluid,  we  should  very  soon  hear  compara- 
tively little  of  white  ants  as  a serious  malady  to  tea 
orltivation. 
THE  EASTERN  rUODHCE  AND  ESTATES 
COMPANY,  LIMITED. 
Directors  : — Messrs.  Ralph  A.  Cameron  (m>maging 
director),  Norman  W.  Grieve,  C.  J.  Liudsay  Nichol- 
son, David  Reid,  Christopher  R.  Smith,  and  Edw’ard 
Wahab. 
The  following  is  from  the  report  to  be  presented 
at  the  ninth  ordinary  general  meeting,  to  be  held 
at  Winchester  House,  Old  Broad  S.reet,  on  the 
29th  inst. 
The  directors  herewith  submit  report  and  balance- 
sheet  for  the  year  ending  December  31,  1895. 
The  profit  for  the  year  (including  t‘415  Os  2d 
balance  from  last  account  after  payment 
of  debentures  for  fM,000)  amounts  to  T45,t529 
Is.  From  this  ha^  to  be  deducted  : Interest 
on  debentures,  £7,577  Is  fid  ; debentures  on 
new  issue  for  £7,500  drawn  and  paid  off,  with  bonus 
of  5 per  cent,  on  December  31,  1895,  £7,875  ; an  in- 
terim dividend  of  2j  per  cent  on  preferred,  and  1^ 
per  cent  on  ordinary  share  capital,  paid  November 
5,  1895,  £4,595  17s,  leaving  a balance  of  £25,C71  2s  (>d, 
which  it  is  proposed  to  appropriate  as  follows  : — 
Final  dividend  on  preferred  shares,  .£18  Bis  Gd  ; 
final  dividend  on  ordinary  shares  at  3.J  per  cent, 
making  with  interim  dividend,  5 per  cent  for  the 
year,  £10,469  14  6d  ; to  reserve  fund,  £5,0t)0  ; balance 
to  be  carried  forward  as  a provision  for  re- 
tirement of  debentin-es  in  the  ciu-rent  year, 
£10,182  11s  6d.  As  the  shareholders  are  aware, 
tne  foregoing  disposition  of  profits  is  now  per- 
missible by  virtue  of  the  special  resolutions  alto  iug 
the  articles  of  association  which  were  duly  passed  at 
the  extraordinary  general  meetings  held  for  that 
purpose  in  July  and  August  last;  the  effect  of  those 
resolutions  being  that  after  provision  for  dividend  on 
the  preferred  shares,  and  for  the  annual  payment  of 
a minimum  of  £'7, 500  debentures,  the  remaining 
profits  are  availal)lo  for  such  dividends  on  the  or- 
dinary share  capital,  additions  to  the  leservc  fund, 
or  further  payment  of  debentures  as  may  be  deemed 
expedient.  . . , . , 
The  directors  have  tlie  satisfaction  of  ,stating  that 
the  old  issue  of  6 per  cent  debentures,  which 
stood  in  the  last  report  at  6149,880,  has 
been  extinguished.  of  this  sum  £19,880  was 
paid  off,  and  for  the  remainder  a new  issue  of 
£130,000  mortgage  debentures  at  4i  per  cent  interest, 
redeemable  during  ten  years  at  105,  was  substituted. 
In  terms  of  the  issue  £7,.500  of  these  debentures 
were  paid  off  on  December  31st,  1895,  leaving  a 
balance  of  outstanding  of  £122,500.  As  shown  on 
the  annexed  sche''’ule,  the  cmipany  have  10,347  aores 
under  tea  cultivation,  of  which  9,192  are  over  four 
years  old.  The  yield  of  tea  in  1895  was  3,276,000  lb., 
being  in  excess  of  the  estimate,  the  average  gross 
sale  price  being  7'87d  per  lb.  The  es  ima  ed  yield 
for  1896  is  3,458,000  Ur  Kolapataiia  mid  Goiigalla 
Estate,  which  was  purchased  in  1891  on  account  of 
its  forest  reserve,  has  been  sold,  without  the  forest, 
at  more  than  its  co.s'r  In  accordance  with  the  arti- 
cles association,  two  of  the  directors  Mr.  Ralph  A. 
Cameron  and  Mr  C.  J.  Lindsay  Nicholson,  retire 
from  office,  and  being  eligible  offer  themselves  for 
re-election.—  //.  A-  C.  .I/o//,  April  17. 
^ - 
AGRICULTURE. 
(.'Ot!ON  U T C'U  LT I VAT  1 0 \ . 
Some  people  have  an  unconquerable  aversion  to 
the  application  of  fibre  dust  to  coconut  trees.  It  is 
said  to  attract  rootlets  in  large  numbers  which  get 
quite  matted  in  time  and  check  the  growth  of  the  ree. 
Fibre  dust  is  known  to  be  as  absorbent  as  a sponge, 
and  it  is  difficult  to  expel  moisture  from  it.  For  this 
reason  the  latest  use  which  Science  put  it  to  was 
in  elecric  batteries.  A coconut  tree  is  a large  vege- 
table pump,  and  for  its  successful  growth  requires 
a large  quantity  of  moisture.  The  centre  of  the 
tree  is  like  a sponge  almost  from  the  base  to  top.  For 
the  development  of  the  nuts,  abundance  of  water  is  a 
necessity,  and  by  the  constant  waving  of  the  branches 
moisture  is  being  exhaled.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, any  substance  which  will  supply  the  tree 
with  a sufficiency  of  moisture  in  situations  where 
moisture  does  not  abound  is  to  my  mind  a very 
desirable  ajjplication,  and  such  situations  are  in 
hard,  upland,  and  in  arid,  sandy  soils.  Besides  this, 
the  application  of  a substance  such  as  this  plays  an 
important  part  in  improving  the  mechanical  condi- 
tion of  the  soil.  Hard  soils  are  rendered  porous 
and  friable  by  its  application,  and  light,  sandy  soils 
soils  get  body.  Any  vegetable  substance  that 
improves  the  mechanical  condition  of  a soil  exerts 
a chemical  effect  as  well,  first  bj'  its  decay  and 
afterwards  by  the  admission  into  it  of  gases  caused 
by  this  decay  and  from  the  atmosphere. 
To  my  mind  the  aversion  to  the  application  of 
fibre  dust  is  due  to  its  having  been  applied  un- 
skilfully. I would  not  heap  up  large  quantities  o] 
it  round  the  trunk  of  trees.  I would  spread  it 
thickly  in  a radius  of  three  or  four  feet  and  dig  it 
well  into  the  soil.  I would  use  it  chiefly  as  a 
vehicle  of  artificial  manures  and  in  the  nuvnufac- 
ture  of  cattle  manure.  Indeed,  according  to  my 
thinking,  it  can  supersede  it  entii'ely  if  the  small 
quantities  of  fertilising  matter  to  be  found  in  cattle 
manure  be  added  to  it. 
Mulching  is  a recognised  branch  of  agriculture. 
It  is  practised  successfully  in  European  fruit-culture. 
It  had  adherents  in  the  old  coffee  days  Those  who  did 
not  believe  in  it  said  it  had  the  tendency  of  attracting 
rootlets  to  the  surface  which  would  got  scorched  when 
the  mulch  (usually  m ua  grass)  h.id  rotted  off. 
These  very  people,  who  were  so  anxious  of  the  fate 
of  rootlets  which  ai’e  being  constantly  renewed, 
thought  nothing  of  cutting  m inure  liole.s  for  their 
coffee  trees  near  the  stem  with  mimoties  and  de- 
stroying for  ever  the  primary  roots,  iilulch  shaded 
the  soil  while  it  lasted  and  thoroughly  opened  it  up  ; 
when  decayed  and  become  mould  or  humus  it  was 
beneficially  dug  into  the  soil  with  lime. 
In  coconut  cultivation  I have  observed  beneficial 
results  follow  mulching  with  the  branches  of  the 
tree  itself.  This  is  only  following  the  teaching  of 
Nature,  the  safest  guide.  Observe  the  base  of  a tree 
which  has  not  been  attended  to  for  some  time,  and 
you  will  see  the  ground  in  a radius  of  about  4 feet 
completely  protected  with  the  fallen  fron...8,  which 
curiously  in  falling  have  their  butt  ends  mined uway 
from  the  stem.  Anybody  who  has  taken  the  trouble 
to  examine  the  soil  under  the  fallen  branches,  es- 
pecially in  upland  situations,  will  find  it  quite  per- 
forated, raised  up,  loosened  and  covered  with  earth, 
worm  castings.  These  unobtrusive  and  littlo-s 
