July r, 1897 ,] 
THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
57 
To the Editor* 
THE CULTIVATION OF “ VANILLA.” 
Seychelles, Feb. 18, 1897. 
Sir, — K nowing no one in Ceylon, I am taking 
the liberty of aildres.sing you to ask, can you put 
me in the way of obtaining information as to 
the cultivation of vanilla in your i.sland ? I 
have occa.sionally seen Ceylon vanilla, mentioned 
in Broker.s’ reports — so suppose a little is grown. 
What I most desire to know is, could one 
obtain cuttings cf the vine to start new plan- 
tations ? Has the fungus yet attacked your 
plants in Ceylon? — I am, sir, yours faithfully, 
[We referied the above queries to one of the 
mo.st com[)etent practical authorities in the island 
— Mr. W. H Wright — and have got the following 
reply 
•• I have grown vanilla since 1811 (when 1 was at 
Peradeniya) and am still cultivating it in a small 
W'ay at Mirigama. In 1841 I sent some to England 
through Messrs. Buing Brothers. I got 115.5 per lb.— 
the price of it just now is E7 50 per ID. I can supply 
cuttings for a new plantation, say, to cultivate 
10 acres at B15 per 1,000 cuttings. I am glad to 
say that I have never seen fungus attacking vanilla 
plants. I find that vanillar may be cultivated partially 
under shade, allowing it to grow on Dadap or Ere- 
modo trees planted 30 feet apart and intervening on 
stumps. The best manure for vanilla is refuse coir- 
dust which can be had any quantity for nothing, any 
one who wishes to go in for vanilla cultivation, 1 will 
be glad- to show them the mode of cultivating it on 
this estate.” 
—Ed. r.N.] 
TEA PLUCKING AND PKUNING &c : 
A LEITEII OUT OF DUE SEASON. 
Kelani Valley. 
(1) Would you say how far you think Coarser 
Plucking of Leaf may have had to do with it ? 
Coarser plucking is the main cause, and this 
not voluntary but from larger area to pluck and 
limited labor. 
(2) Or the more prevalent attention to Manur- 
ing Tea ? 
Manuring brings the larger yield but doe.s 
not bring the coolies to pluck it. 
(.3) Or severe Pruning — cutting the bushes too 
far down ? 
Severe Pruning gives a weaker liquor and 
thus for a time rerluce.s the value. 
(4) Or less attention to careful Preparation in 
the Factory? 
No, as much attention as ever is paid to 
manufacture. Given ample labor and ample 
Factory room and careful plucking, as good teas 
can be made now as those of the best years. 
(.5) How far Shortness of Labour Supply has 
aft'ected your work in field or factory ? 
Affected both. 
( 6 ) Any other cause that strikes you — apart 
from (7) Overproduction and Increased Supply in 
Competition at the Sales ? 
The Home value of equal Teas of 1893 and 1897 
is a very great factor, teas of equal make and look 
are now sold for 50 per cent less. 
OLD PLANTER. 
“ACACIA DECURRENS.” 
Dear Sir, — In a controversy some years ago, 
I collapsed when after having received seed from 
Australia repeatedly of A. Decurrens and all the 
])lants derived therefrom provin" decurrent 
(althoug the color of the bark diftered greatly 
among plants from the same lot of seed, the bark 
was mostly a pretty purple ; but there were 
plants with bark of all shades of green). Yet 
there were local writers who argued that A. 
Decurrens was not decurrent ; named I suppose 
on the same principle that the earwig is said to 
be named, i.e. , one was never yet known to enter 
a person’s ear. 
Possibly you will be surprised at the number 
of varieties of a de-currens (over 70) yet please 
note that without e.xception all are decurrent. 
If some ))ublic-spirited merchant would take the 
trouble and go to the expense of sending a ship- 
ment of the bark to England, it might lead to 
a new and profitable industry in Ceylon. The 
result of my own experiment although the ana- 
lysis turned out so good, and the London valua- 
tion so high, and the yield of bark so encouraging: 
was that the proceeds of the bark in London 
only covered the expenses after it was delivered 
into the merchants share in Colombo. 
It cannot be so in Australia for the bark is 
selling at £5 [>er ton at the shipping post. My 
parcel being a sm'all one I based the above cal- 
culation upon the cost of drying, packiim-, and 
shipping charges on Cinchona bark in Colombo. 
If it can be done for mucli less, then it is a 
])ity that no merchant came forward to say so. 
If a decurrens bark is worth £5 per ton at the 
ship])ing port in Australia, one would think it 
would be worth as much in Colombo. The 
question might be revived. Around Nuwara 
Eliya, in irarticular, what a grand thing for the 
estates to be able to supply themselves with fuel 
from about the quickest-growing tree we have ; 
and at the same time to harvest a valuable com- 
mercial product from the same trees. — Yours 
truly, T. 
THE CULTIVATION OF RHEA FIBRE. 
Kandy, May 24th. 
Sir, - I enclose for publication copy of cor- 
res|iondence received from the Rhea Fibre Treat- 
ment Company, Limited, London, on the subject 
of cultivationj decortication and baling of rhea, 
and the subsequent treatment of the ribbons by 
the Gomes’s process, and offering £10 a ton 
delivered in London or Liverpool.— I am, sir, 
your faithfully. A, PHILIP, Secretary. 
{Copy.) 
Piccadilly Mansions, 17 Shaftesbury Avenue, 
W. London, April 2nd. 
Messrs. The Planters’ Association of Ceylon, 
Kandy, Ceylon. 
Dear Sir, — We have had forwarded to us a copy of 
your 43rd Annual Report, for the year ending 17th 
February 1897, and we read with great interest the 
paragraph therein relating to Rhea Fibre. 
We have pleasure in sending you copy of a pamphlet 
dealing with the cultivation, decortication and bal- 
ing of” rhea, and the subsequent treatment of the 
ribbons by the Gomes’s process, compiled under the 
direction of this Company, which we venture to 
think you will appreciate. 
You will note therefrom that for the purposes of 
the Gomes’s process treatment, it is only necessary 
to strip the bark from the stems and to thoroughly 
dry it, and that no other manipulation or cleaning 
is necessary. 
8 
