8o 
[Sept, t, 1897, 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
E 
PLANTING NOTES. 
Lemon -CULTURE is extending (says a home 
paper) very rapidly in California. Tliis year 
what is said to be the largest lemon-grove in 
the world has been planted near Colton, in San 
Bernardino County. It comprises 9,000 trees on 
100 acres. 
Cacao Cultivation.— The lesson taught by 
the experience of Mr. Van Starrex— see his letter 
elsewhere — would seem to be, to leave nature 
alone as much as possible in regard to the growth 
of the cacao tree — no handling or pruning 
whatever, at any rate for many years. 
“ Coffee Planting on the Shevaroy Hills” 
— is . the title of an interesting, not to say 
flattering, description of the condition and pro- 
spects of coffee estates on that range, contributed 
to the Madras Mad, see our Tropical Agriculturist. 
“ No leaf disease ” and “ live cwt. an acre of crop ” 
is an experience worth going a long way to note 
in the present day in Southern India ; but the con- 
tributor must have overlooked some drawbacks,— 
or if not, how is it that Shevaroy planters do not 
make a fortune andclear out every ten years or so? 
Coffee in Mexico, &c.— In San Salvador and 
Mexico coffee planters “ are highly incensed at the 
low nrices and do not wish to part with their coffee. 
In either country they have not shipped more than 
95 ner cent up to the present time. They are stdl 
makine fully 100 P’r cent profit, as both countries 
Maim that it costs them about 10 cents in silver to 
nroducethe coffee, which is 6 cents in gold in our cur- 
J^encv and they are still getting 12 cents. It is a 
litv that they are so dissatisfied with these ‘ misera- 
ble^’ nrofits, but it speaks volumes for the danger 
in which the article still finds itself. Even if some 
of the countries like Central America and Menco 
hold back a part of their crop we believe that our 
estimate of 14,000,000 bags production for the present 
cron is a conservative one.” — W. H. Crossman & Co. 
'The Decortication of Ramie.— A communica- 
tion from the Board of Tr.ade was submitted to 
the Manchester Chamber of Commerce enclosing 
COPY of a letter received by the Department from 
Tourcoinc', respeciing a new method of decorticat- 
ing ramie less expensive than that now employed. 
A sample of the decorticated fibre was enclosed. 
This \vas stated by the inventor to have been 
freed from the bark by a machine capable of 
burning out 500 kilogrammes of cleaned fibre per 
day under steam power, or 40 to 50 kilogrammes 
when worked by hand. It was ordered that the 
samples and the communication from the inventor 
should be exhibited to any inquireij^s interested 
in the cultivation or manufacture of ramie. — X, 
A; C. Express, July 9. 
The Rajakadaluwa District.— A coconut 
Mantel writes The returns published recently 
of 107 000 nuts from 160 acres eight to eiglit 
and lialf years’ old are inagnificent. Only in 
the North-West parts of the island, I fancy, 
can such quick returns be expected, though 
exceptional soil and exceptional planting, as at 
Mirigama, may secure similar results ; but, 
surelv the estimator had no experience of the 
district when he provided only for three-fifths of 
the actual yield. That is certainly erring on 
the safe side' Will trees that crop so easily last as 
long as those whifli are slower in giving returns?’’ 
If liberally cultivated, we should think there 
would be no risk— at any rate the neighbour- 
ing- district can show very old, rich- bearing 
oahns to the “ estimate,” more than one- 
third of the crop was got in the last picking, 
shewin*^ how the trees had improved in the year. 
To estimate higher a year ago could not be justified 
to the time. 
Ceylon Tea for Pekin.— It is of interest to 
learn that Ceylon tea is finding its ivay to the 
very capital of the Chinese Empire to be used 
in the British Embassy. Who could have 
dreamt of tlii.s when twenty or thirty years 
ago every drop of tea drunk in Ceylon was 
brought in ‘‘5 catty boxes” from China? 
Cacao and Orange Cultivation.— There is 
food for reflection in more than one communication 
in our Correspondence columns: ‘‘Potts” in the 
Cacao Dialogue (see page 64, July issue) discourses 
on the sin of cutting off suckers or any branches from 
the cacao tree ; while the successful orange culti- 
vator in Queensland (a man with trees bearing 
up to 175 dozen fruits each in a year) declares 
he never prunes his trees nor disturb their roots ! 
A Fertiliser for Orchids.— MM. A. Hebert 
and G. Truffaut have addressed a short paper 
to the Paris Academy of Sciences regarding the 
withering which attacks orchids cultivated in 
hothouses. They have endeavoured to trace the 
cause, and have experimented with the Cattleya 
species. Analy.sis made by them on a series of 
these plants in 1891, 1893, and 1897, that is, 
from the moment of importation to the de- 
gener.acy period, proves that at the latter moment 
the orchids are poor in nitrogen, potash, lime, mag- 
nesia, and phosphoric acid. The remedy they sug- 
gest is a fertiliser containing exactly these matters. 
— liemist and Druggist, July 3. 
Ehea Cultivation.— Mr. J. Cameron, Super- 
intendent, Mysore Government Botanical Gardens, 
Bangalore, has published a short but interesting 
memorandum on the Rhea fibre plant. (Bceh- 
meria Nivea) with an explanatory plate. Mr. 
Cameron has, under the direction of the Mysore 
Government, raised large nurseries of this plant, 
and every facility, in the shape of grants of 
plants is, we believe, given to planters, ryots 
and others to extend its cultivation. In favour- 
able situations the rhea plant -will to a certain 
extent, run wild, and a good suggestion made 
in the memorandum is that endeavour should be 
made to make it replace the aggressive and 
useless lantana. — Pioneer. 
Bi NGAL OR Nepal Cardamoms.— Two case® 
of this fruit, imported this year and marked 
“ land carriage,” w'ere sold at Id. per lb. at a 
recent drug-sale. The “Nepal” cardamom has 
not been seen at the public auctions for many 
years. At one time considerable doubt existed 
as to the plant yielding it, but the matter was 
cleared up by Dr. King, of the Calcutta Botanic 
Gardens, who came to the conchrsion that the 
‘■Nepal” fruits were the produce of Amoumsubu- 
latum, a native of the mountainous parts of 
India. The fruits are of a dark-brown colour, 
three-valved, and coarsely striated, the seeds 
being arranged as in the true cardamom, but 
much more numerous, and held together by a 
viscid pulp. In India this product is generally 
known as the greater or larger cardamom, the 
Bengali name being “ Bara-elachi.” They are 
plentiful in the bazaars, and are valued at about 
12r. per maund of 37| lb. The seeds are aro- 
matic and camphoraceous. They are employed in 
India as a cheap substitute for the true carda- 
mom, and are largely used in the preparation of 
sweetmeats. An oil is also obtained from them 
of a pale-yellow colour. The fruit is an agree- 
able aromatic stimulant, and is applied to the 
eyelids to allay inflammation . — Chemist and 
Druggist, June 26th. 
