THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIS  I\ 
I Nov.  2,  1896 
3SO 
During  1894-it5  much  greater  care  was  taken  in 
the  cultivation  of  coffee  than  was  hitherto  the  case. 
The  system  of  “topping”*  was  universally  adopted, 
though  not  to  the  extent  to  which  it  is  carried  on 
in  Ceylon  and  India.  This  will  to  a greater  extent 
necessitate  the  training  and  np-keop  of  a permanent 
staff  of  natives  to  handle  and  prune  the  coffee  in 
a proper  manner,  otherwise  “ topping  ” will  do 
more  harm  than  good.  Another  measure  that  has 
been  more  adopted  than  formerly  is  the  replenishing 
of  the  soil  by  manure  in  some  cases,  and  in  others 
by  trenching  and  forking.  The  results  of  these 
measures  will  on  the  one  hand  tend  to  reduce  the 
excessive  bearing  of  the  maiden  crop,  but  will  bring 
about  a more  regular  syotein  of  bearing  for  a 
number  of  years.  A great  deal  of  diseased  berry 
was  found  amongst  the  18911)5  crop,  due,  it  is 
thought,  to  the  early  fall  of  the  rains,  which  brought 
the  coffee  prematurely  into  blossom,  leaving  the 
seed  to  suffer  from  subsequent  droughts.  Other 
persons  hold  the  opinion  that  empty  or  diseased 
berry  is  caused  by  the  presence  of  a beetle  resem- 
bling the  ladybird,  which  has  been  very  prevalent  in 
some  districts.  The  Ceylon  planters  assert  that  the 
cause  lies  with  the  well-known  green  bug,  an  insect 
which  sucks  the  sap  of  the  coffee  tree,  and  that  the 
remedy  is  to  bo  found  in  shade  and  good  manure. 
The  coffee  sent  homo  in  1895  realised  higher  prices 
than  those  quoted  for  1891.  ar.d  some  samples  are 
said  to  have  been  bought  at  the  record  price  of 
Ills  per  cwt.  The  prospects  of  the  coming  crop  of 
1896  are  good  beyond  all  previous  years,  chiefly  owing 
to  the  abundant  rainfall,  which  has  been  at  least 
10  inches  above  the  average. 
I attach  to  this  Appendix  a sketch  map  showing 
the  estates,  a portion  of  which  are  under  coffee,  or 
which  are  intended  for  the  cultivation  of  coffee. 
The  area  covered  by  this  map  is  the  southern  por- 
tion of  the  Shire  Province. 
In  drawing  up  this  Appendix  on  coffee  planting  I 
have  to  acknowledge  much  assistance  from  Mr.  J.  E. 
McMaster,  and  have  also  to  mention  that  all  the 
planters  when  applied  to  were  ready  to  supply  me 
with  information.  II.  H.  J. 
LANTANA— THE  FORESTER’S  FRIEND? 
I do  not  see  why  your  esteemed  correspondent,  C. 
Bagshasve,  should  accuse  me  of  jesting  on  this  sad 
subject.  Sure  nobody  can  have  a more  thorough 
objection  to  jokes — at  times  than  myself.  I am, 
however,  seriously  obliged  for  the  intero  ting  extract 
quoted  and  can  only  hope  for  pardon  if  I suggest  that 
the  real  inward  gist  thereof  is  precisely  what  I said 
in  March;  viz.,  that  we  do  not  know  everything  about 
Lantana,  and  that  there  is  at  least  room  for  two 
opinions  as  to  its  possible  utility  in  forests,  if  rightly 
used.  I am  quite  ignorant  as  to  who  was  Mr.  Lawrie’s 
predecessor,  so  have  no  idea  which  of  the  two  carries 
the  greater  professional  weight,  but  the  extract  from 
the  Coorg  report  simply  shows  that  Mr.  Lawrie  dis- 
approves of  Jjaittana,  whereas  his  predecssor  held  the 
contrary  opinion.  Having  had  under  my  charge 
certain  of  these  impenetrable  Lantana  jungles,  I 
certainly  never  advocated  sitting  at  ease  while  the 
Lantana  over  runs  the  whole  country.  What  I still 
advocate  is  using  the  J.antana  as  a servant,  and  finding 
out  the  conditions  in  which  it  can  be  utilised, 
instead  of  going  blindly  to  work  trying  to  extermi- 
nate it  by  sheer  expenditure  of  money,  its.  17,000  have 
almost  exterminated  the  plant  from  Berar,  and  it  is 
open  to  Mr.  Bagshawe  to  think  that  the  expenditure 
in  the  future  will  be  trifling  but,  it  is  also  open  to 
others  to  be  less  sanguine,  and  even  to  anticipate  the 
need  for  a similar  expenditure  before  say  ton  years 
are  out.  What  have  they  got  on  the  ground  in  place 
of  the  Berar  Jjantana  ? I do  not  know  the  circumst  inces 
or  Berar,  but  if  it  is  h.vre  soil,  I should  be  inclined 
to  think  the  mousy  none  too  well  invested,  while  if 
* Cutting  off  the  primary  shoots  of  the  tree  so  that 
its  secondaries  may  develop  and  come  into  bearing. 
it  is  grass,  I should  be  inclined  to  think  a good  deal 
loss  of  the  bargain  still,  for  it  is  my  experience  that 
grass  is  infinitely  more  dangerous  than  Lantana 
The  facts  disclosed  in  the  Coorg  report  do  not,  in  my 
opinion,  go  any  way  at  all  towards  disposing  of  the 
T orester’s-friend  theory.  All  they  prove  is  that  a 
crop  of  young  sandalwood  was  allowed  to  be  ruined 
by  Lantana  for  want  of  timely  care.  This  want 
of  timely  care  is  not  to  imply  any  fault  of  the  F’orests 
.being,  doubtless,  the  necessary  result  of  present 
conditions,  but  it  would  be  equally  unjust  to  blame 
the  Lantana.  What  was  wrong  was  the  treatment 
Brereof.  I might  venture  to  suggest  that  if  the 
lis.  17,000  spent  in  Berar  had  been  spent  in  Coorg,  the 
latter  might  have  been  the  richer  by  large  areas 
of  sandal  saved  till  it  was  able  to  kill  out  the  Latitana 
on  its  own  account,  while  Berar  might  have  been,  as 
Ingoldsby  says,  not  one  penny  the  worse.  Vai.lp.da. — 
Indian  Forester. 
.#■ 
BBAlNllJNLr  HRUSFEUTS  IN  FIJI. 
With  its  productive  soil  and,  without  doubt 
the  healthiest  tropical  country  in  the  world,  Fiji 
iiae  a magnificent  futuie  in  store  for  it,  but  the 
pity  of  it  is  that  its_consummation  is  not  soine- 
wiiat  hastened  by  a little  display  of  wisdom  in 
the  directing  of  its  affairs.  New  blood,  in  the 
shape  of  intelligent,  young  and  energetic  men, 
with  a small  amount  of  capital,  is  sorely  needed 
to  settle  upon  and  develope  its  acres,  and  money 
in  the  shape  of  a loan  to  be  devoted  to  the 
specific  purpose  of  improving  its  fortunes  is  of 
first  importance.  If  the  condition  of  the  country 
is  te  be  improved,  coolie  labourers  require  to  be 
imported,  and  otlier  initial  expenses,  insepar- 
able ^ with  any  scheme  for  encouraging 
colonisation,  require  to  be  provided  for.  If 
an  addftion  of  desirable  colonists  is  to  be 
secured  it  will  be  necessary  that  the  induce- 
ments be  such  that  they  be  sufficiently  attrac- 
tive. Were  a dozen  or  two  of  planters  to  arrive 
here,  tomorrow  say,  from  the  sugar  districts  of 
New  South  Wales,  where  they  are  threatened  to 
be  “froze  out”  by  the  new  tariff  conditions  of 
that  colony  ; or,  it  m.ny  be — and  many  of  us 
fondly  hope  that  such  will  be  the  case— that  a 
few  gentlemen,  learning  that  Fiji  is  likely  to 
be  ^famerl  as  a tobacco  producing  country,  were 
desirous  of  throwing  in  their  fortunes  with  us, 
the  (piestion  of  an  adequate  supply  of  laboui'ers 
would  be  a very  .serious  matter,  and  its  absence 
would  go  a long  way  to  cause  tliem  10  waver 
in  their  preconceived  determination  of  makin«' 
their  home  in  this  country.  New  people  com- 
ing here  with  monvy  in  their  pockets,  bent  on 
a certain  2^urpose,  would  not  appreciate  havino' 
to  wait  the  best  part  of  a year  before  their 
re(iuirements  with  regard  to  labour  could  be  satis- 
hei.  “Life  is  too  short,”  they  would  say,  “We’ll 
go  and  try  Queensland  or  the  New  Hebrides  : both 
out  money  and  our  presence  will  be  welcome  there.” 
Again,  another  drawback  to  our  labour  condi- 
tions in  the  employment  of  coolie  labourers  to 
men  of  small  capital,  would  be  the  plank- 
ing down  of  the  whole  cost  of  their  introduction 
fees  before  they  entered  service.  For  lar»e 
caj)ita  ists  and  corporations  this  course  woutd 
possibly  be  a matter  of  supreme  indifference  but 
It  would  be  otherwise  vvitli  indiviiluals  of  limi- 
ted meiuis.  To  a well-regulated  system  of  labour 
sapply  in  the  hands  of  tiie  Lrovernment,  it  should 
not  be  of  supreme  importance  whether  or  not 
the  cost  of  introduction  were  paid  down  on  the 
nail  or  .listributcd  by  half-yearly  |.ayments  over 
the  li\e  years  of  coohe  indentureship.  Jiefore 
however,  the  Government  could  so  accommodate 
the  planter  it  would  be  necessary  that  it  poss- 
