8 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[July r, 1897. 
how things are going to “ pan out.” In eighteen 
or twenty mouths the plants will have grown sufficiently 
high to be topped — that is, cutting the top off the 
plant at 3 ft. 6 in. or 4 feet, according to soil and 
aspect, if at all exposed to wind the former height 
is the best. Topping has the effect of making the 
tree spread out laterally, covering the ground from 
the sun, thus tending to prevent the growth of weeds, 
besides facilitating the gathering of the crop. Trees 
grown in the “ native” style — namely, allowed to grow 
to their full height, never bear more than half the 
erop they otherwise do, having so much useless 
old wood to sustain, besides the difficulty of gathering 
crop from branches 8 or 10 feet from the ground. 
In the third year the ” maiden,” or first crop — generally 
amounting to 2 or 3 cwt. per acre — may be expected, 
and preparations accordingly will have to be made for 
it by erecting the necessary pulping-house, store, and 
platforms for drying the coffee upon, purchase of 
machinery, &o. I may here state that in selecting 
a site for the works it is absolutely necessary to fl.K 
upon one to which it is possible ro lead a stream 
of water, and if practicable, sufficient to drive a 
water-wheel, which will be found a very great 
convenience and saving of labour; in fact, if any 
considerable area is to be put under coffee it will 
be found almost impossible to get through the work 
without one ; in any case water is indispensable for 
pulping and washing the crop. To give directions 
for the erection of the necessary works, to be of any 
practical use, is scarcely within the scope of an 
article of this sort. Illustrative diagrams would have 
to bo given and the most minute details entered 
into to make it intelligible to the ordinary under- 
standing. Messrs. John Walker & Co., Bogambra 
Mills, Kandy, Ceylon, supply all the machinery neces- 
sary on coffee plantations, and if applied to, I have 
no doubt will be glai to forward price lists. A 
Walker’s disc pulper, sufficient for the crop to be 
obtained off 25 or 30 acres of coffee, can be purchased 
for about T15 ; laid down in this Colony for about 
T17 lOs. In Ceylon and Southern India the usual 
estimate for bringing coffee into bearing was £10 
per acre; that embraces felling, clearing, planting, 
and general maintenance till the coffee begins to 
yield returns, namely, in the third year after planting. 
As previously stated the first or ‘‘ maiden ” crop is 
usually from 2 to 3 cwt. per acre ; it goes on in- 
creasing up to the sixth year, when the tree is supposed 
to be in full bearing, when with good soil and favourable 
seasons it may yield 10, 12, or even 15 cwt. per acre. 
Under these circumstances it is not difficult to see 
how paying a speculation coffee-growing is, with aunutl 
working expenses at £8 or £10 per acre, and London 
ruling prices for ‘‘ plantation” coffee at 100s., and 
sometimes over that, per cwt. Unfortunately, results 
do not always come up to expectations ; the coffee 
planter, like the farmer, has many difficulties to 
contend with, white bug and black bug, too much 
wet or too much dry weather, scarcity of labour at 
critical times when he most requires it, and, sometimes, 
that which is worst of all, scarcity of money. However, 
taking it all in all, a little discomfort and hard work 
is easily borne when there is a prospect of making 
a competency, of which I do not think there can 
be much doubt should judgment and care be exercised. 
It is as easy to lose money at coffee as it is at 
almost anything else with a reckless hand at the 
helm, — Agricultural Gazette. 
« 
THE DIMENSIONS OF TREES. 
In our last issue we called attention to some trees, 
of extraordinary dimensions, recorded in Kerner and 
Oliver’s Natural Histonj of Plants : we now add some 
notes of measurements of large trees of Indian 
species which may be of interest. 
Cedrus Deodara. — A section of a Deodar tree from 
the Jaunsar forest in the Forest School museum 
measures 27 feet in girth and shows 655 annual rings. 
Cupressus torulosa. — Brandis’ Forest flora mentions 
a Cyprus tree measured by Dr. Steward which was 
27 feet in girth near the ground. 
Tectona grandis. — Teak trees of enormous size are 
not infrequent in Upper Burmah. A felled log in 
the A'amethin forest measured by S. Carr »as 6t 
feet long and 13 feet 9 inches in mean girth ; it 
was perfectly sound, and, when found, was in process 
of being split up to build a Buddhist monastery. 
In the Myittha — Panlauug forest there are two 
immense teak trees standing side by side, the largest 
of which was found by H. Calthrop to be 20 feet 
in girth at 6 feet from the ground with a height 
60 ft. to the first branch; and at Alaungdaw-Kathaba 
in the Chindwin a tree measured by C. B. Murid 
girthed 17 feet 4 inches at 5 feet from the ground. 
Bomhax 2Ialal)aricum. — We have a photograph of a 
tree said to be 87J feet in girth one foot from the 
ground, but it is believed that the measurement 
was taken along the contour of the buttresses. 
Santalum album. — As a record measurement of a tree 
of the smaller classes may be mentioned a sandal tree 
felled by A. B. Lawrie in Coorg which measured 5 feet 
6 inches at 5 feet from the ground. — Indian Forester. 
THE PROXIMATE CONSTITUENTS OF TEA. 
Assam. 
Per cent. 
Non- Nitrogenous Bodies : — 
a . ( Gallic and oxalic acids, &c 1 
*S ^ I 
osl2-( Tannic acid 11 to 18 
be o J 
O uBoheic (Assamic) acid 1'50 to 2'5 
. K r Cellulose 18 
o “ I 
'S g ■< Glum and dextrine 2'75 
Glucose trace 
Mucilage, pectin, Ac 9'75 
Resins, Ac 2 
Fixed Oil and Theol (volatile essen-’ 
tial oil) '7 to ’9 
Gums and Waxes. .. . 3'75 
Nitrogenous Bodies : — 
Chlorophyll I’S to 3 
Amides traces 
Theine 3 to 6 
Other Alkaloids traces 
Albuminoids 20 
Inor/anic Bodies : — 
Mineral Substances 4’5 
Moisture 0to8 
■ — Journal of the Society of Arts, 
Ceylon. 
Java. 
China. 
Japan. 
Natal. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent. 
Per cent, 
•65 
•50 
•25 
•25 
•50 
15 
14 
12 to 20 
12 to 16 
10 to 14 
1’75 
1-50 
1 
1-25 
1^25 
20 
22 
25 
22 to 2G^5 
24 
2-5 
3 
3-25 
3-25 
2-75 
— 
trace 
— 
— 
trace 
5’5 
6-5 
7-2 
7 
3'75 
3 25 
3-25 
3-5 
2-75 
■6 
•55 
•4 to •o 
•5 
•6 
4-25 
4 
4-25 
4-50 
4-2 
1’5 to 2-5 
1^25 to 2 
1 to 2-2 
1^8 to 2 
1 to 2 
traces 
traces 
traces 
traces 
ti ac 3S 
2 to 4 5 
0 
1-5 to 2-25 
1 to 2 5 
3 7 
traces 
traces 
traces 
traces 
traces 
22 
20 
21-5 
20 
21-7 
5-0 
5'5 
6'7 
6-5 
5^75 
1-5 to 10 
6 to 12 
8 to 16 
12 
8 to U 
