5o6 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Jan. I, 1898. 
Cun'c-Bpondcncc 
7’i/ Ihp. E It Hot. 
CEYLON GAME PROTECTION SOCIETY. 
Dec. 1st. 
Sir,— I have the pleasure to forward for pub 
licatioii iti your columns, if you will be good 
enough to oblige me — a copy of the Report of 
a local meeting of the Game Protection Society 
held in Haputale on Nov. 20th, It is most 
gratifying to me to welcome this new departure, 
and I trust the example of Uva will be followed 
by other districts in Ceylon. 
If only some enthusiastic Sportsman in each 
district would take up the matter of Game Pro- 
tection in the same wholehearted way that Mr. 
Barkley has done, I ani confident that real and 
lasting progress would be made. 
I take this ojinortunity of recording my 
thanks to Mr. H. V. Bagot of Hewaheta, for his 
hearty co-operation. — I am. Sir, yours »&c, 
THOS. EABR, Hon. Secy. 
[The report of the meeting referred to will be 
found on page 505. — Ed. T.A.] 
tea cultivation : PRACTICAL 
PLANTERS ON “FORKING,” “DRAINS 
AND THE “ PREVENTION OF WASH.” 
Pundaluoya, Dec. 17. 
Sir,— I am pleased to see “ Veteian,” (see page 
476) drawing attention to the fact that forking 
on steep land d >es not engender wa-h, if earned 
out as he desciibes, namely, by loi s 'ning the soil 
wilhout turning it over. 1 am prepared to go 
further and assert that it is actually preventive 
of wash. The chief cause ot wash is the in- 
ability of the lain water to pei •irate the ground 
ast enough when the surface soil is firm and 
close. Directly the .soil is loo.sened by the 
proiier use of the fork, the rain will soak in as 
it falls, and there will be no accumulation of 
surface ’ water to rush down thcslopes transport- 
inf' valuable soil in his progress. The plants 
also will benefit by the well-known valuable 
jn-operties of rain water and by the more per- 
fect anation of the soil. 
“ V'^eteran ” also touches upon the question of 
filliiif' up drains to avoid some of the 
eftsers of drought, which, it is thought, might 
follow the breaking-up ot the surface soil. But 
when the rain water has been allowed to pene- 
trate to the subsoil, iuste.ad of being hurried off 
into the nearest ravine, I think 'it will be found 
that the tea plant— with its deep roots— will feel 
the effects of drought much less. 
In connection with both the prevention of wash 
and the closing of drains, I would draw atten- 
tion to another plan that I have been lately 
adopting and which has so far proved most 
satisfactory. This is, to fill up all the drains 
evenly with the primings immediately after a 
field has been pruned. Paradoxical as it may 
seem this really prevents the disastrous block- 
ing of drains that so often occurs during a heavy 
plump of rain. There can be no accidental 
heading back of water. Any solid matter that 
falls into the drain rests where it falls— above 
the primings, and is not carried along to form 
-a dam at the first obstruction. The water filters 
jhrout'h the rubbish, depo.siting any .soil it has 
brought down, and trickles .slowly away below, 
much of it finding its way into the subsoil. The 
repeated clearing out of drains is no safeguard 
against a block — as I have often fouml to m> 
cost. 'J'he cleanest drain is at the mercy of the 
first rock that rolls down the hill. 
I ])!ead the following advantages for my 
method : — 
1. The saving of soil : the water being filtered 
in its passage through the lubbish. 
2. A great saving in expense: there being no 
necessity to clear out the drain until the time 
for the next pruning, when the accumulated soil 
and decayed vegetable matter will be spread over 
the surface below the drain, and the drain will 
be recharged with the new prunings. 
3. The avoidance of any accidental block at 
one spot, with ics consequent leading back of 
water and overflow. 
4. Benefit to the tea by the freer percolation 
of water in its slower flow along the drain ; 
and by the application of accumulated soil and 
humus. 
5. —The convenient disposal of the tioublesome 
primings. — I am, sir, yours truly, 
E. ERNEST GREEN. 
THE CACAO DISEASE. 
Dec. 16. 
Dear Sir, — As the investigation into the Cacao 
disease may benefit all growers of that product, 
and as it would be unfair that the cost of it 
should be borne by a few, I think that, as in the 
case of work done for the benefit of the Tea 
Industry, it should be met by an extra export 
tax on that juoduct, to be levied till the account 
is closed. 
This, at the rale of 25c per cwt., would proba- 
bly take only one year. 
Hoping you will give room to my suggestion, — I 
am, yours tiulj\ A. V. D. P. 
[A very fair suggestion. — E d. T.A.] 
TEA CULTURE AND THE RISK OF 
Al'PLYlNG CERTAIN MANURE.S. 
Colombo, 22nd Dec. 
Dear Sir, — With reference to your comments 
passed in Mond.ay’s issue of j’our paper on the 
question of tainting of the flavour of tea by the 
application of strong smelling manuies, like blood 
or fish, it would read as it the chief argument 
of Mr. John Hughes against their use was in 
this direction, whilst on the contrary his princi- 
pal objection against them — and raw bones — 
was on the ground of the risk of introducing 
some fungoid disease. 
Mr. John Hughes laid special stress on this 
point and declared the use of these substances 
as ^'■dangerous,” unless treated with acid before 
their application. 
The immense damage done by the Coffee leaf- 
disease, and more recently by the Cacao dis- 
ease, whether due to the above cause or not, 
should certainly be a warning to planters not 
to treat this matter lightly, and in their own 
interest try to avoid any such risf s— prevention 
in all cases being better than cure. 
As regards the question of strong-smelling 
substances tainting the flavour of tea I would 
point out that I had been cautioned agaim^t 
their use by more than one authority on this 
matter, and as a practical demonstration one of 
the leading agronomists of Fiance submitted to 
jue samples of wine from a vineyard, which 
