741 
May  1,  1897.]  THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
MR.  J.  B.  FERGUSON  ON  COFFEE  IN 
BRITISH  CEM'KAL  AFRICA. 
Mr.  Ferguson,  the  coffee  expert  in  the  service  of 
the  African  Lakes  Corporation  has  paid  a visit  to 
Zomba  and  the  neighbouring  plantations,  and  has 
been  kind  enough  to  give  us  some  nctes  on  the  siib- 
ject  of  the  impressiors  he  has  gained  in  British 
Central  Africa. 
Mr.  Ferguson  was  unwilling  to  give  a final  opinion 
as  to  the  future  prospects  of  this  Protectorate  in  the 
matter  of  coffee  growing,  on  the  ground  that  he  had 
not  yet  completed  his  tour  of  the  plantations,  and 
also  considers  a longer  residence  in  the  country 
necessary.  He  has,  however,  visited  most  of  those 
belonging  to  tbe  African  Lakes  Corporation,  both 
in  the  Shire  Hi^lands  and  in  Angoniland;  the 
estates  of  Messrs.  Buchanan  Brothers,  and  also  those 
of  the  principal  traders  and  missionaries,  and  so 
far  as  he  has  gone  his  opinion  is  a favourable  one, 
if  shade  and  manure  be  supplied  to  the  coffee. 
He  states  that  there  is  not  a trace  of  coffee  leaf 
disease  in  the  country,  and  he  does  not  attach  much 
importance  to  the  minor  ills  to  which  coffee  is  sub- 
ject here.  He  mentioned  three  things  however  as 
worthy  of  attention,  tu'a.,  the  Borer  Grub,  want  of 
Manuring,  and  Drought. 
Mr.  Ferguson  informs  us  that,  the  British  Central 
African  borer  is  different  from  the  Indian,  inasmuch 
as  the  former  ultimately  becomes  a beetle,  the  latter 
a fly.  The  presence  of  borer  may  be  detected  in 
several  ways ; dust  from  the  holes  is  scattered  on 
the  ground  round  the  base  of  the  tree,  and  at  the 
time  of  blossoming,  after  a shower  of  rain,  the 
flowers  open  up  immediately  in  the  case  of  healthy 
trees,  whereas  in  the  case  of  trees  affected  with 
borer  the  blossoming  “hangs  fire.” 
Planters  in  this  country  simply  employ  boys  to 
pull  out  the  grubs  with  a piece  of  wire.  Mr.  Ferguson 
does  not  think  this  plan  effective.  He  tried  it  on 
some  trees  at  Mandala,  but  after  having  extracted 
the  grub,  he  cut  down  the  treee,  divided  it  into 
sections,  and  found  several  other  borers  still  in  it 
in  different  stages  of  maturity.  A tree  that  is  bored 
is  not  in  a healthy  state,  and  probably  some  of 
the  light  berries  may  be  produced  from  this  cause. 
Mr.  Ferguson,  therefore,  recommends  that  a tree 
with  borers  should  be  dug  out  at  once  and  burnt, 
so  that  all  the  borers  may  be  destroyed,  otherwise 
the  tree  becomes  a nursery  of  borei’s.  The  matured 
insect,  id  the  form  of  a beetle,  is  said  to  appear 
generally  at  the  beginning  of  the  rains,  therefore, 
the  proper  time  to  get  rid  of  borers  is  during  the 
dry  season  before  the  beetle  appears,  otherwise  a 
fresh  series  of  eggs  will  be  deposited  under  tbe  bark 
of  the  coffee  tree  and  a new  progeny  established. 
Drought,  Mr.  Ferguson  thinks,  might  be  success- 
fully counteracted  by  efficient  shade.  He  states 
that  "there  is  not  so  long  a drought  in  Ceylon  and 
India  as  in  B.  C.  A.,  as  between  wet  season  and 
wet  season  there  are  what  are  called  “ blossom 
showers,”  often  amounting  to  several  inches  of  rain ; 
whereas,  in  most  parts  of  British  Central  Africa  there 
is  very  'little  rain  between  the  wet  seasons.  Mr. 
Ferguson  tells  us  that  the  principal  shade  trees 
grown  in  Cevlou  and  India  are  different  varieties 
of  the  ficus, 'the  best  of  which  are  of  the  Banyan 
species.  There  are  about  eleven  different  varieties  of 
Ficus  some  of  them  natives  of  British  Central  Africa, 
but  all  of  them  different  from  the  Indian  species. 
Good  specimen  may  be  seen  in  the  Residency  garden, 
Zomba.  The  banyan  tree  is  of  this  species,  and  Mr. 
Ferguson  was  very  emphatic  in  recommending  it 
for  shade  purposes.  He  says  it  is  very  generally 
used  in  India,  and  the  most  valuable  estates  in 
Coorg  are  those  shaded  with  it.  The  reason  why  this 
tree  is  a favourite  is  that  the  wood  it  is  composed 
of  contains  a great  amount  of  moisture,  and  has 
thus  a cooling  effect  on  its  surroundings  : again,  the 
leaves  fall  off  during  the  cool  season,  when  shade 
is  not  required,  and  it  is  thus  a source  of  manure, 
while  on  the  other  hand,  during  the  hot  season  it 
is  always  in  full  foliage  and  affords  perfect  shade. 
and  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  branches  prevent 
“ drip,”  and  tends  to  carry  the  rain  falling  on  the 
tree  down  the  main  stem  to  the  ground. 
As  to  manuring,  the  manure  generally  applied  in 
India  and  Ceylon  is  that  obtained  from  cattle  sheds 
and  stables,  also  bone  meal  and  poonac  (oil  cake). 
A small  pit  is  dug  near  the  tree,  the  manure  placed 
in  it,  and  then  severed  up  again. 
In  a few  cases  recently  where  young  planters  have 
opened  up  estates  in  B.  C.  A.,  they  have  collected 
a great  deal  of  the  brushwoed  and  branches  together 
and  burned  them.  The  ashes  have  then  been  scattered 
on  the  plantations  in  small  patches  round  each 
coffee  tree,  thrown  on  the  surface.  Mr.  Ferguson 
condemns  this  practice.  Ashes  he  considers  a good 
manure  when  mixed  with  other  manures  into  a com- 
post, or  when  applied  alone,  but  it  should  not  be 
scattered  on  the  surfuce  of  the  ground,  but  in  a pit 
near  the  tree,  and  then  covered  up  or  dug  into  the 
soil.  If  thrown  about  loosely  the  wind  carries  it 
away  altogether,  or  it  may  be  carried  entirely  off 
the  plantation  by  a heavy  shower,  especially  if  the 
land  is  on  slope, 
Mr.  Ferguson  attache  great  importance  to  shade. 
He  says  that  not  only  does  shade  counteract  long 
spells  of  drought,  but,  as  in  Coorg,  it  is  a certain 
preventive  of  coffee  leaf  disease.  He  considers  that 
there  are  trees  indigenous  to  British  Central  Africa 
which  might  do  for  shade,  but  thinks  it  would  be 
well  to  introduce  seed  of  trees  which  have  been  found 
by  experience  to  give  admirable  shade,  such  as  the 
banyan  tree  from  India. 
Note : — As  there  appears  to  be  some  doubt  as  to 
the  generally  understood  meaning  of  the  word 
“ Banyan  ” Tree,  we  have  asked  Mr.  Alexander  Whyte 
for  information  on  this  point,  and  he  has  been  good 
enough  to  give  us  the  following  note; — “It  is  quite 
customary,  noth  in  India  and  Ceylon,  to  apply  the 
term  Banyan  to  other  members  of  the  genus  of  Ficus 
as  well  as  to  Ficus  Indica,  the  true  “ banyan  ” tree. 
It  is  perhaps  a loose  way  of  speaking,  yet  I have 
seen  it  frequently  in  print  and  it  has  been  used  by 
distinguished  authorities,  e.  g.  Sir  Emmerson Tennant, 
if  I mistake  not,  while  referring  to  Ficus  Religiosa, 
speaks  of  it  as  the  ‘ Sacred  Banyan  Tree,’  though 
it  has  two  other  names  well-known  in  India  and 
Ceylon — ‘Pippul’  Tree,  or  ‘Booh’  Tree.  There  is 
one  word  of  caution  I should  like  to  give  with  regard 
to  the  opinions  of  coffee  experts  who  come  from 
other  coffee  growing  countries  to  the  Shire  High- 
lands. It  is  impossible  to  suppose  or  expert  that 
one  who  is  new  to  this  country,  although  with  very 
large  experience  in  coffee,  can  definitely  say  at  once 
that  what  is  good  in  India  or  Ceylon  for  coffee 
may  be  equally  good  in  this  country.  Innumerable 
valuable  hints  and  suggestions  can  be  had  from  an 
experienced  coffee  groover  from  an  outside  country, 
but,  at  the  same  time,  as  the  conditions  may  be 
so  different,  it  is  well  not  to  adopt  in  too  great  a 
hurry  the  course  which  is  taken  in  such  other 
countries,  as  possibly  further  experience  here  might 
show  that  they  require  modification.” 
♦ 
DISTRICT  OF  THE  ARUWIMI, 
CENTRAL  AFRICA. 
This  district  is  really  an  annex  of  that  of  the 
Stanley  Falls.  All  that  I have  said  of  the  one 
might  be  applied  to  the  other.  The  portion  between 
Bena-Kamba  and  Batoko,  along  the  Louiami  consists 
of  sandy  plains  unsuitable  for  planting,  so  also  with 
the  banks  of  the  lower  Aruwimi,  and  hero  there 
are  rapids  also It  would  not  do  to  cultivate 
coffee  for  export  beyond  (he  rapids  or  in  the  Nelle 
district.  According  to  what  is  told  us  of  thi.s  country, 
it  is  to  the  north  of  the  grand  forest  what  the 
Mauyema  (grass  region)  is  in  the  South  Savannahs, 
very  populous,  well-cultivated  by  the  natives,  who 
belong  to  strong  races  and  are  snsceptible  of  great 
improvement. 
Here  and  there  along  the  river  between  the 
Lomami  tributary  and  the  eastern  frontier  of  the 
