Sept, i, 1897.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
lowed then these will become very strong— even part 
of the stem below these suckers gets enlarged ; such 
make a hardy tree and after a time you can cut 
down the old tree — so lose m crop — but you can 
saw oS the old tree eighteen inches above ground 
and then allow one or two of the lowest (if two, 
one on each side) suckers to grow — only always cover 
the cut on old tree w’ith a waterproof mixture of 
tar and oil to prevent sap oozing ont and insects 
to come to the sap ; after it becomes sour then they 
would bore into wood, &o. OAOAO. 
TREE planting; AND CACAO. 
13th July 1397, 
Sir , — "A rev.ohdioH in free planting’'’ is very 
interesting reading. It must be very encouraging 
to old coffee planters to know that the system 
had been anticipated and practised by them 
almost from the beginning of the era of coffee 
cultivation in Ceylon. The system of root pruning 
atid cutting of the 'plant was known as “ stump- 
ing” and the plants so treated were known as 
‘■stumps.” I believe the system originated by 
the ]ilanter making tlioughtful provision in his 
imrsery for jibints both for the actual planting 
of hi.s clearing- and for supplying. The planting 
was done during the IS. W. mon.soon and the 
supiilying during the followdng N.-E. and S.-W. 
monsoons. The plants for sujiplying having been 
found to have far out-grown the 6 to 9 inches in 
height, sui)))osed to be the ortliodox height, 
stumping was resorted to .save transport, the too 
great shock to the tran.spla,ntation of large plants 
and chiedy to prei-ent injury to the plant by the 
tearing up of the tap-root and primary roots. 
The system was found to answer well and sup- 
plying was always done with stumps. They 
were found to be hardier than plants, and wdien 
the usual monsoon rains failed, they stood a 
better chance of growing tlian plant.s. 
The same care of and attention to the pruning 
of roots was not given by the planter as is 
directed by Mr. Stringfellow. An ordinary cooly 
was set to the task with a ]n-uniiig-knife. He 
held the plane top upwards and Hist pruned 
the tap root and then the side roots, cutti g 
at each stroke as many as w'ould come between 
his thumb and the knife. We are now advised 
to hold the plant top-downwards and cut the 
roots, so .tliat when planted tlie cut surface will 
be downwards ; for “ experience has shown that 
these roots are generally emitted perpenrlicularly 
to the ])lane or surface of the cut.” Wlieiher 
this was a necessity with a surface feeder like 
coffee is a question, but with a deep feeder like 
tea there can be no question that it should be 
carefnlly followed. 
I wondci- wlictlicr anybody lia,s tried stumping 
cacao. It is considcreil a \ciy delicalc plani 
and a nou-di.iturbauce ut ils root.-, at planting > 
essential to succe.s..ful growth. The general belief 
was that cacao wa.s one of the most diflicult 
plants to raise, but once established that it grew 
on for ever and was as hardy as a jak tree, as I 
once heard it described. With the experience 
of the Boring Tomicus, all that i.s changed now 
and cacao is thought to be hardy only after ‘20 
years’ growth. 
I have a religious love and regard for every- 
thing old and it grieves me to read that the old 
red variety of cacao is condemned as delicate 
and its super.ses.sion by the Eorastero suggested. 
It cannot be so very delicate after all, for there 
arc trees of great .age still existing in Ceylon. 
There arc some very old trees at Mango Lodge, 
Kandy, facetiously called Graves-end, opposite 
the Military Hospital. If I mistake not, tlie.se 
trees have been alleged to be the parents ot the 
trees on the Doombera plantations. At the 
“ Devvala,” Badulla, there are also soine old trees 
and when Mr. Sproule was residing there, the 
pod.s were freely requisitioned by the planters 
on the surrounding estates. At the Mansion, 
Grandpa.ss, Mr. De Bieard has very old trees 
growing vigorously, from which old Mr. Chas. de 
Breard used to manufacture chocolate. Please 
de.sist from condemning the old red variety as deli- 
cate, if on enquiry these old trees are found 
llom-isliing.— Yours' truly MAKAVILLA. 
[The delicacy is associated with unsuitable con- 
(liLions of .soil chietly ; but the great matter noiv 
is to try grafting.— E d. 27 A.] 
COCONUT BEARING-TREES AND NUTS. 
Dear Sir, — Your para re coconut crops in Raja- 
kadalua does not disclose the number qf trees from 
which these 37,000 nuts were plucked. It is im- 
possible to judge whether the return was satisfactory, 
good, bad or indifferent, without this very essential 
item of information. 
Is it fair to institute any comparison between 
Rajakadalua and Kandangomua as to the early 
bearing capacities of coconut trees ? Were the 
Kandangomua trees that came into bearing so soon, 
put down by the present proprielor as young plants, 
or were they trees that had already come into bearing 
and simply transplanted by him after he bought the 
property ? R. 
RED ANTS ON TEA. 
Keenagaha Ella, Balangoda, July 25, 1897. 
Dear Sir, — One of my fields is very badly 
infested -with large I'cd ants, some of the tea 
bushes being full of nests. Can you or any of 
yonr re.aders tell me of any remedy that could 
be applied to drive them away, as they interfere 
a good deal both in plucking and pruning. — 
Yours faithfully, H. H. RIRBY. 
[There is a great deal of information interesting 
to p>lanters scattered througli the volumes of our 
Tropical Agriculturist about red ants. One 
planter welcomed red ants as the “ tigers of 
the insect world ” ready to devour all other in- 
sects, even white ants ! Another complained of 
his young potatoes at 4,000 feet being all eaten 
u|) by red ants. A third in 1882, begged in 
the interests of moiality for a remedy, as his 
coolies were indulging in awful language in 
con.sequence of tlie numerous red ant nests ! But 
the only remedy we find suggested, is the fol- 
lowing and that was for “coffee” not “tea” ! 
liowever wo quote it. — 
A CURE FOR RED ANTS. 
Dimbula, 23rd April, 1882. 
Dear Sir,— Your corresjioudent “ II. J.” will, I 
think, liiid tiro a very effective remedy. I once used 
it on an estate in the Badnlla district where there 
was a patch of coffee that coolies avoided as much as 
possible : some of the trees had so many as three nests 
m them. As it was important to destroy the nests 
without arousing the ants, I tied branches of drymana 
grass to long poles, and having sprinkled the grass 
with kerosine (a very small quantity) placed the fire 
under each nest in succession. A great many of the 
We fancy Llie Rajakadalua tices .'iie pl.anted 
about the usual distance, say 70 to 80 to the acre ; 
the year’s crop was 107,000 nuts. We do not know 
anything of the compari.son referred to, and do 
not in tlie least de.sire anytliing iavidion.s to be 
fostered. The interest is simply in noting at 
what .age and miUi what crop.s, coconut ]ialm.s 
come into bearing in different districts. — E d, T.A^ 
