THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST.  869 
June  i,  iSg).] 
THE  NEED  OF  THE  DAY  TN  CEYLON: 
“A  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE.” 
Ceylon,  altlioujili  ahead  in  nnu-li,  is  still  be- 
hind in  a ”00(1  deal  as  coinpaied  with  its 
neighbours.  So  much  of  our  prosperity  de- 
])end.s  on  Agriculture,  that  one  would  naturally 
conclude  the  Govermn.-nt  would  .see  to  it  that 
every  kind  of  scientific  assistance  was  rendered 
to  those  who  are  engaged  in  the  work,  and  when 
ditliculties  arose,  ora  blight  of  any  kind  threat- 
ened the  prosperity  of  any  of  its  hrauches,  that 
there  was  a Department  of  Agriculture  to  which 
men  might  go  for  expert  advice.  Rut  as  we  ail 
know,  this  is  not  so.  Just  at  pre.sent  there  is  con- 
siderable anxiety  as  to  w'here  the  cacao  pest  may 
land  its  planters  and  those  dependent  on  the  in- 
dustry. It  may  be  something  else  later  on;  indeed 
there  is  much  even  now  that  ought  to  be  studied 
in  respect  of  our  tea  and  coconuts,  not  to  speak 
of  minor,  new  and  untried  prexlucts.  India  has 
its  Agricultural  Department  and  s])ecial  otlicials 
— so  has  Java,  w'liere  indeed  all  the  cadets  for 
the  Covenanted  Civil  Service  have  to  ac(|uire  a 
special  grounding  in  Agricultural  knowledge 
before  they  are  allowed  to  take  up  i-evenue  or  ad- 
ministrative work.  In  Java,  moreover,  there  is  a 
considerable  scientific  staff  ready  at  all  times  to 
turn  its  clear  light  on  obscure  causes  of 
destruction,  and  to  work  out  the  life  history  of 
enemies  of  products  as  well  as  to  suggest  and 
experiment  with  remedies.  But  here  we  have 
not  even  an  Entomologist  in  the  Government  ser- 
vice to  verify  a “poochee” — mucli  less  an  allowance 
made  to  a competent  Entomologist  available  on 
the  spot — but  have  to  depend  on  the  gracious 
services  of  private  observers  who  have  taken  to 
the  study  for  pure  love  of  it. 
When  one  thinks  how  much  money  is  at  stake 
in  connection  with  the  Agriculture  of  Ceylon;  how 
every  race  which  people  this  island  are  more  or 
less  employed  in  it;  how  even  the  very  stability 
of  .the  Government  depends  on  its  prosperity,  it  is 
passing  strange  that  so  little  is  done  to  guard  its 
interests  or  guide  its  destinies.  When  an  Ento. 
mologiet  was  asked  for  by  the  Planters’  As- 
sociation, the  request  was  refused,  and  it  is 
only  when  the  steed  has  been  stolen  that  our 
authorities  bestir  tliemsehes  and  endeavour  to 
lock  the  door,  by  promising  to  import  a specialist 
to  ferret  out  the  reason  for  the  large  mortality  in 
cacao,  but  without  the  ]»roper  preliminary  inquiry 
by  Me.ssrs.  Willis  and  Green  to  show  in  what 
direction — if  any — the  services  of  a scientist  from 
Europe  is  nece.ssary. 
A London  merchant,  who  has  interests  in  cacao 
in  Ceylon,  has  been  writing  out,  regarding  the 
Government  Reports  which  tlie  Republic  of  the 
United  States  issue  from  its  Departments 
of  Agriculture,  for  the  advice  and  guidance 
of  fruit-growers  there.  These  Reports  are 
extremely  practical,  and  explain  how  in.sect 
pests  or  fungoid  growths — s|)ecial  enemies  of 
the  American  fruit-growers— can  successfully  be 
combated  ; and  for  the  lazy  or  unbelieving,  there 
are  pliotographs  of  “ struck  ” and  barren-looking 
trees  which  have  been  uncared  for,  to  com])are 
with  other  vigorous  and  crojdaden  ones  which 
have  been  regularly  sprayed.  It  is  an  object  le.sson 
which  carries  conviction,  and  the  fruit-grower  if 
his  garden  or  plantation  be  a failure,  has  himself 
to  thank  for  the  want  of  success.  For  he  is 
not  left  as  is  the  cacao,  the  tea  and  coco- 
nut planter  in  Ceylon  to  puzzle  out  what  ought 
to  be  done  -.—that  has  been  scientifically  workei-l 
out  for  him,  and  he  is  directed  as  the  case  may 
be  to  spray  the  stricken  trees  with  kerosine, 
preparations  of  arsenic,  sulphate  of  copper,  wtih 
lime  and  water,  &c..  I've.  The  fruit-grower  of 
America  knows  now  that  it  he  neglects  the 
insecticides  and  fungicides,  his  time  and  lab.mr 
will  he  wasted,  and  that  spraying  at  insect  or 
fungoid  enemies,  must  he  regardecl  as  a regu'ar 
and  necessary  [lart  of  a fruit-grower’s  work.  There 
is  nothing  new  nor  wonderful  in  this  : it  is 
as  true  now  as  it  was  when  “ Adam  delved  and 
Eve  span  ” that  “ in  the  sweat  of  thy  face  ” are 
cacao  and  fruit,  like  all  other  products,  to  be 
reaped. 
In  the  Ceylon  crusade  against  the  cacao  pe.st, 
men  seem  to  he  all  at  sixes  and  sevens. 
That  it  is  a fungus  is  the  belief  of  some, 
w'hile  others  hold  it  is  a beetle ; and  as 
for  remedies,  the  white-wash  and  tar  brushes 
have  been  much  in  evidence,  and  after  that 
too  often  comes  alas  ! the  saw  and  the  furnace. 
Cacao  culture  here  is  a comparatively  .small 
affair  as  compared  with  tea  or  coconuts  ; but  it 
Is  an  extra  string  to  the  bow  of  the  island’s  pios- 
perity,  and  is  not  grown  without  jirolit.  If  the 
men  who  are  interested  in  it  only  knew  what 
to  do,  there  would  be  a determined  effort  to  do 
it  ; but  they  fight  their  enemy  in  the  dark, 
Avaste  their  strength  in  wild  blows  at  nothing — 
and  many  are  so  sick  of  experiments  that  they 
are  letting  things  take  their  course  till  the  ex- 
pert promised,  has  arrived,  studied  and  spoken. 
Had  there  been  a Department  of  Agriculture 
to  turn  to  or  even  an  Entomologist  to  examine 
carefully,  experiment  and  then  advise,  this  weary 
waiting  might  have  been  avoided,  and  less 
treasure  lost.  Scientific  advisers  aie  the  need 
of  the  day. 
As  if  to  emphasize  the  lesson  sought  to  be  en- 
forced on  His  Excellency  the  Governor  and  his 
Executive  in  the  foregoing,  we  have  now  to 
direct  attention  to  the  instructive  letter  of  Mr. 
A.  Van  Der  Poorten,  in  which  that  accom- 
plished cacao  planter  gives  his  experience  of 
enemies  of  his  product.  He  apologises  most  un- 
necessarily for  his  imperfect  expression  in  a 
language  not  Ids  own ; but  would  that  all  our 
English  cacao  planters  could  tell  us  as  nipch 
and  as  clearly  as  this  Belgian  gentleman.  The 
indebtedne.ss  of  the  Ceylon  Planting  Enterprise 
in  times  past  to  gentlemen  who  owed  tlieir  birth 
to  the  Continent  of  Europe,  for  valuable  obser- 
vations benefitting  the  community  as  a whole, 
is  well-recognised  and  historic.  The  accom- 
plished compiler  of  the  “ Enemies  of  the  Coffee 
Plant” — long  a most  useful  and  standard 
work  —was  the  late  Mr.  Nietner  of  Pundaluoya, 
a Prus.sian.  The  letters  of  Mr.  G.  A.  Cruwell 
(Cruvelli)  in  the  Observer  on  coffee  planting 
here  ami  in  other  lands,  added  much  to  our 
informati(m  in  times  past,  and  other  planters  could 
be  mentioned  to  whom  Mr.  Van  Der  Poorten 
is  a most  worthy  successor.  He  shows  very  clearly 
where  and  when  he  should  have  been  glad  of  the 
aid  of  a scientist  in  trying  to  understand 
fully,  and  to  combat  the  jrarticular  enemy  of 
his  trees  ; and  we  can  simply  repeat  tliat  it 
must  be  deemed  a lasting  disgrace  to  the  Gov- 
ernment of  Sir  Arthur  Havelock  that  it  should 
have  refused  the  Planters’  Association  the  aid 
of  an  Entomologist  at  the  time  a special  ajipeal 
for  one  was  made.  Now,  we  have  a Governor 
whose  fan  It- -if  fault  it  be- is  to  act  perhaps 
too  impulsively  and  with  a desire  to  have 
affairs  which  require  a good  deal  of  consider- 
ation and  careful  inquiry,  cleared  out  of  hand 
right  off,  in  the  minimum  of  time.  The  Hills 
