THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
Jan. I, i8g8.] 
on rocky hedges to prevent wash. The estate was a 
steep one and W. J. (No. XVIII) will perhaps, be 
interested to learn that the mosses grew luxuriantly 
even below 1,000 feet elevation. 
As regards cusous grass, another contributor No. 
(XXXII) complains that it suffers often from fungus, 
scale insect, and black bug. This is the case only 
when it has been carelessly planted; often with all 
its rootlets chopped oft the plant is shoved into a small 
hole in perhaps stiff clay, without any pretence even 
of forking up the soil. It is a grass : it must grow ! 
Cuscus or lemou-grass is much to be preferred to 
hedges of tea as a means of stopping wash or pre- 
venting drains being choked, but it should be cut 
regularly, and if not required for cattle bedding, be 
spread on the ground and, if possible, forked in. 
INSPECTOR. 
MR. T. N. CHRISTIE AND CEYLON 
TEA IN RUSSIA. 
Kandy, 4th Dec. 
Sir,— I enclose copy of a letter from Mr. Christie, 
acknowledging vote of thanks pas.sed at a recent 
general meeting. I also send extract of a private 
letter from Mr. Christie as giving interesting in- 
formation regarding his visit to Russia. — I am, 
dear sir, your obedient servant, 
A. PHILIP, 
The Hon. Secy,, Planters’ Association of Ceylon. 
(Extract of a Letter from Mr. TIios. North Christie, 
dated 11th Nov. 1897.) 
I am leaving London about the 25th for Russia. 
I have already obtained a good deal of information, 
and am well provided with letters of introduction for 
St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Odessa, and the Colonial 
Offtce people are providing me with letters of official 
commendation to the British Consuls. I hope to 
be able to report by the 1st January. 
Drumblair House, Forgue, by Huntly. N.B., 
llth November, 1897. 
The Secretary, Planters’ Association of Ceylon. 
Dear Sir, — I have to acknowledge your letter of 
the 27th ultimo, giving cover to copy of a Resolu- 
tion passed by your Association. I much appre- 
ciate the kindly manner in which my services, as 
M. L. C., are referred to, and I beg to thank the Asso- 
ciation therefore. — I am, dear sir, yours faithfully, 
(Signed), Thos. North Christie. 
RICE FROM SOUTH INDIA. 
Glenomera, Talawakelle, Dec. 4. 
Sib, — I am in receipt of a letter from Capt. 
Shelley, General Manager, South Indian Raihv.ay, 
from which I quote as follow.s. Date 29th ult. ; 
— “ The through rates we quote for a bag of rice 
not exceeding 190 lb. in weight include Indian 
export and Colombo import duties, Colombo 
harbour dues, and all other incidental cliarges. 
Provided the bags of rice do not exceed 190 lb. in 
weight, our rates cover everything after receipt 
at one oi our stations to arrival at station on the 
Ceylon Government Railway. It may interest 
you to know the actual details of the harbour 
and Customs charges included in the through rates 
which are as under : — 
R. A . i>. 
Pier dues at Tuticorin ..002 
Export Customs duty at Tuticorin .. 0 6 9 
Harbour dues at Colombo . . 0 1 3| 
Import duty at Colombo . . 0 13 5 
Landing at Colombo and loading on carts 0 1. IJ 
Total R1 6 9 
(say Rl'42| ots.) 
Captain Shelley suggests that the writer 
should pay a ijersonal visit to the Tanjore 
district, when he has little doubt that busiiuss 
might be done with a great saving of time 
415 
and money. For the information of the public 
he states that cheap excursion tickets for the 
Christmas holidays between Colombo and 
Madras are to be issued by his Company. The 
cost of S.I.R. time-table (to be procured from 
the Company at Trichinopoly) is 2 annas or 
12j cents Ceylon cuirency. 
So far Captain Shelley, to whom our thanks 
are due for this information. It will be ap- 
parent that the cost of transport of rice by this 
route compares very favourably with that of 
sea-borne rice as estimated by Mr James Gib- 
son, whose large experience of the rice-trade 
places his ligures above suspicion. ’ 
Taking t.he 1901b. bag of rice at 2| bushels 
nett (it really amounts to a little more) it will 
be seen that the rate of transport to Bandara- 
wella amounts to R.5-02 cents per bag orKl-82A 
cents per bushel, as against Mr James Gibson’s 
estimate of III '97— delivery charges by sea and 
Ceylon Government Railway at the same spot 
a saving of 14| cents per 'bushel. ’ 
It is therefore clear that Soutli Indian rice 
can compete with sea-borne rice in the matter 
of trans])ort rates, and I am informed that in 
January, 1896, the cost price of rice at Tanjore 
was slightly under R2 per bushel. This 'rice 
might have been placed at Bandarawella at R.S-824 
per bushel as against R3’9.5 for Calcutta rice pm-- 
chased at 112. I am also informed that the rice 
in question was Mootoo Samba and Kalunda, 
which are superior in quality to the average 
Soolye rice given to coolies. 
Under these circumstances it might be advis- 
able for some one to go from this side to Tanjore 
about Christmas time and purchase a trial ship- 
ment of rice, and I shall be happy toljoin a small 
syndicate of not less than ten members to pur- 
chase 1,000 or more bushels of rice at a cost not 
exceeding tlie current Colombo rate. I regret 
that I cannot spare the time to go myself, but 
there will be little difficulty in finding a ’more 
efficient substitute. 
I must apologise for trespa.ssing so far on 
your space, and the patience of your readers 
and remain, yours faithfully, ' ’ 
JAMES RYAN. 
AN INSECT ENEMY OF TEA. 
Dolasbage, Dee. 8. 
Dear Sir,— Under separate cover I send por- 
tions of tea brandies killed by a borer. You-will 
see the borer (resembling a w^eevil) eggs &c 
in and on the branches. You can also see the 
perforations on the outside of the branches 
through which the borer enters. I have referred 
to a W’ork on tea pests, but nothing resemblin<>- 
this is shewn.— Yours faithfully, “ 
WALTER R. TRINGHAM. 
[Our reference to the Honorary Entomologist 
has brought the following " 
“ The insect is a seblytid beetle,— by name 
Xyleborns fornicaius, Eichhoff. It was described and 
figured in the ‘ Indian Museum Notes ’ Vol. IV No 2 
page 37, from specimens sent by me in 1895,’ which 
specimens were obtained from the same district viz. 
from Craighead Estate, Nawalapitiya. The article 
from the ‘Indian Miweum Notes’ was copied, (with 
description of this particular pest in full) into the 
Tropical A<j)icuturisl , September 1897, Vd. XVII 
page 207.” 
Our correspondent has no doubt his T.A. by him 
to refer to— it ought to be filed in every Tea Factory 
in Ceylon ; and if Mr. Tringham, requires further 
information and advice, he should consult Mr. E. 
E. Green, the Hony. Government EutomolocisL 
—Ed. T.A.] ^ 
