30 
THE  1'ROPICAL  AGRICUI/rURIST. 
[July  i,  1896. 
young  shoots  will  of  their  own  accord  spring  up 
from  the  present  single  stem  an  incli  or  two  beyond 
ground  level,  nature  clearly  pointing  out  that  the 
natural  flow  of  sap  was  stopped  in  some  way  and 
the  old  stump  or  stem,  unable  to  perform  its  func- 
tions, had  thrown  out  below  the  surface,  when  the 
bark  was  soft,  a young  generation,  strong  and  vigo- 
rous and  able  to  do  the  appointed  work.  With  re- 
gard to  using  the  red  print,  wliich  he  says  is  so 
effective  in  the  Gondul  State,  how  is  this  to  be  ap- 
plied when  white  ants  will  eat  their  way  right  up 
the  stem  of  bush,  and  there  is  no  outward  sign 
that  any  damage  is  done  at  all,  the  first  indica- 
tion being  the  drooping  of  the  leaves,  and  a very 
few  days  after  this  appears,  the  bush  will  topple 
over  and  disclose  the  stem  as  nothing  but  a shell '! 
I have  known  many  experiments  made  to  pre- 
vent this,  and  hitherto  without  doing  any 
good.  Kerosine  oil  has  been  suggested  and  tried, 
but  without  efficacy,  though  the  soil  all  round  the 
roots  stank  of  the  oil  months  afterwards.  With  re- 
gard to  the  different  kinds,  there  is  little  doubt  but 
that  two  distinct  Juts  (to  use  a Hindustani  word) 
work,  and  there  is  no  doubt  that  one  of  these  is 
much  more  destructive  than  the  other,  but  this  is 
no  new  discovery  and  we  are  not  much  “forrar- 
der”  than  we  were.  The  largo  tuuiu/i,  ixrounds 
which  one  jut  raises,  makes  excellent  material  for 
top-dressing,  when  judiciously  mixed  with  lime.  As 
regards  the  question,  how  far  stakes  in  a young  plan- 
tation attract  white  ants,  there  was  never  any  ques- 
tion in  the  mind  of  a careful  planter  as  to  this,  and 
one  of  the  hookums  of  such  an  one,  always  is  to  keep 
the  stakes  some  distance  away  from  the  young  plant, 
so  that  if  the  white  ant  attacked  the  stake  it  would 
leave  the  plant  alone,  and  no  careful  Manager  leaves 
the  stakes  in  longer  than  can  be  helped,  but  to  remo-.  o 
the  stakes  at  so  early  a period  as  Dr.  Watt  suggests 
would  be  suicidal,  for  the  coolie  looks  as  keenly  for  the 
stakes  to  direct  his  hoeing  or  weeding,  as  a 
Babu  does  after  his  garden  dustoonj,  and  it 
would  be  as  difficult  to  prevent  the  hoe- 
ing out  of  plant.s  without  stakes  as  to  pre- 
vent the  Hooghly  ruuning  past  Calcutta,  always 
provided  they  are  of  course  not  grown  to  a 
height  of  a footer  eighteen  inches.  In  planting  oiit 
a garden  with  6 mouths  seedlings,  it  is  usual  to  re- 
move the  stakes  during  the  following  cold  weather 
say  in  November  and  December,  and  as  tho  stakes 
are  made  of  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  jungle  pro- 
duce, according  to  what  predominates  in  the  e.stato, 
no  opinion  could  possibly  be  given  as  to  its  being  an 
attraction  or  not ; on  many  estates  bamboos  are  largely 
used  and  the  skin  of  this  is  quite  impervious  to  white 
ants  for  a much  longer  period  than  the  stake  is  used 
in  planting  out.  In  hked  gardens,  where  there  is 
water  between  the  bliecls  and  consequently  Ihe  white 
ant  cannot  expend  its  peregrinations  beyond  one 
bhed,  its  ravages  are  simply  appalling  and  there  seems 
no  remedy,  as  it  attacks  everything  living  or  dead 
within  that  bed.  and  the  planter  can  simply  stand  and 
fold  his  hands  and  watch  in  grief  and  dismay  the  des- 
truction of  whole  rows  of  strong,  vigorous  plant. 
— Indian  rianlin^  (Sazette,  May  10. 
DRUG  REPORT. 
(From  the  Chemist  and  Drni^gisi.) 
May  7th. 
CocA-i.u\vi;s  h.ive  been  oiCtuiim;  Hoiucwli.ut  more  froolv  ; 
fine  green  Truxillo  may  bo  had  at  is  2d  iier  If),  bn’ 
tlie  spot. 
(JUTi'l.n-Klsil  Bo.xk  is  quoted  at  Idgliar  rates,  .Sevm'.ii 
of  the  parcels  recently  olfering  have  "been  t.ikeu  out  of 
tho  niarket,  ami  tlie  demand  has  been  fairly  g»od. 
On.  (Kssential).— Oitronella  oil  easier  at  Is  f.d  per  li). 
on  tlie  spot,  perhaps  less. 
Ceylon  V.\nii,l.v  : A Recoud  J’uice.  It  will 
be  seen  from  the  extract  given  in  our  comnioicial 
column  th.at  at  the  late,st  drug  sales  in  Imndmi 
19s  (Id  per  11).  was  paid  fur  a paline  roflecodi  id 
Ceylon  vanilla,  lieing  the  hio-hest  price  ever  paid 
for  this  variety.  We  .slionUI  like  to  know  where  it 
was  grown. 
A FORMER  CEYLON  PLANTER  IN 
CANAD.V. 
Mr.  h'.  W.  Codsal  writes  to  us,  from  Sontli 
Ford  lianclie,  I’inclier  Creek,  All)erta,  Canada, 
respecting  book.s  on  collec  cultivation,  and  adds  : — 
“.Some  Id  t>r  lb  years  ago,  I was  coH'ce  planting 
in  Ceylon.  I lately  paid  a visit  to  tho  Hawaiian 
islands,  and  was  nmeli  struck  by  the  prospect.s 
of  the  coli’ee  there.  Tlianks  to  tiie  introduction 
of  tlic  ladybiial  bug,  it  has  quite  recovered  from 
the  blight,  whicli  covered  coilee,  oranges,  guavas 
etc.  I lound  a few'  old  Ceylon  planters  there. 
I hope  the  Observer  is  nourishing : I lio])e  much, 
some  day,  to  visit  Ceylon  again.” 
X c.,  ivi:.  vxv 
Despite  the  gloomy  forebodings  of  those  who  croak 
and  cry  that  Jamaica  has  passed  from  the  land  of 
the  present  to  the  land  of  the  past  there  are  those 
who  consider  that  her  prosperity  is  just  begiuning, 
arguing  tliat  the  prosperity  of  tho  past  was  au  in- 
sipid and  uncertain  thing  as  compared  with  the  pro- 
spects of  the  future.  No  doubt  the  failure  of  the 
sugar  plantatious  to  compete  successfully  with  their 
rivals  in  northeiii  regions  has  to  a great  extent  in- 
duced Inis  view;  but  Jamaica,  as  we  have  alw'ays 
maiUtiiiueJ,  is  uot  a country  of  one  achievement  of 
one  attainment  or  of  one  purpose  ; the  resources,  the 
possibilities  of  Jamaica  ai'o  boundless;  the  fertility 
of  the  soil  has  never  been  thoroughly  tested — indeed 
It  may  well  be  said,  .Jamaica  is  the  land  of  the  future  * 
And  were  impelled  to  this  statement  by  the  event 
w'iuch  IS  chronicled  in  another  column— The  immi- 
gration  of  orange  planters  from  Florida  to  Jamaica. 
Florida  has  long  claimed  the  proud  distinction  of 
providing  the  American  market  with  that  fruit,  but 
a succession  of  adverse  seasons  has  been  suflicient 
to  humble*  tho  vain-glorious  vannters,  who  scoffed  at 
Jamaica  and  put  their  trust  in  Florida.  As  our 
readois  are  aware  planters  in  Florida  have  for  some 
considerable  time  been  considering  tho  advisability 
ot  emigrating  to  Jamaica  and  when  it  was  mooted 
some  time  ago  that  the  project  was  on  the  laiiix 
the  wire-pullers  of  Florida  indignantly  denied  tlie 
ruinour,  asserting  that  so  long  as  a single  orange 
could  bo  exported  from  Florida,  so  long  would  Ja- 
maica remain  ill  tho  background.  But  it  must  now 
be  apparent  that  these  assertions  w'ero  not  the  re- 
suit  of  convicUoii  but  7'athor  an  expression  of  tlio 
paroxysm  of  rage  which  possessed  the  defenders  ol 
Fioiida  au  the  bare  thought  that  Jamaica  might  vet 
supplant  “ the  garden  of  AmericLa  ” in  the  produc- 
tion ot  oranges.  A change  has  come  over  these 
spouters.  Planters,  not  to  bo  hood-winked  by  the 
statements  made  regarding  the  impossibility  of  Ja- 
maica as  an  orange  producing  country,  have  lefc 
Florida,  and  at  present  a large  number  of  planters 
who  were  succe.ssful  in  F’iorida  so  long  as  a measure 
ox  success  was  attainable,  are  in  .Jamaica,  on  tlio 
outlook  for  plantations  to  rai.se  oranges.  Comment 
on  tiis  significance  of  this  immigration  is  iicedioss. 
File  Jamaica  orange  has  never  been  properly  tested  • 
its^  qualities  are  practically  unknown  to  the  outside 
pnolic,  and  therefore  it  has  been  allowed  to  remain  in 
ilio  background.  But  now  that  men  of  experience 
and  inteJligeuce  have  ariiveil  with  tho  purpose  of 
giving  the  orange  a fair  trial  it  may  be  couttdentlv 
cxpociod  that  the  result,  instead  of  jusliLing  tlio 
r..ucaslic  remarks  of  Florida’s  favoiuitos,  W'ill  sali-fv 
even  tlie  anticipations  of  .Tamiican  grower.s,  and 
prove  diicn  more  that  monopolies  were  never  rocot^- 
niscd  by  Nature.  It  is  argue  I that  the  Jamaica  oraime 
IS  too  sweet  for  the  northern  palate;  but  it  must 
he  roinemnorcd  that  the  average  Florida  orange  coii- 
tamed  uoo  much  acidity  until  by  the  use  of  chemic.ils 
a gicauor  degree  of  sweetness  and  a more  higlilv 
-Snnm  ^ produced.  The  same  moans  fo^ 
ucing  the  excessive  sw'eetness  is  within  reach  of 
oia  in  the  history  of  Jamaica  has  not  begun  ?- fZ/rminv 
