Fee. t, 1898.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
515 
There is considerable difference of opinion as to the 
flourishable habitat of the Castilloa so far as New 
South Wales is concerned. Ordinarily speaking it 
is found best suited to tropical localities with a 
heavy rainfall; but it has been claimed that, owing 
to its adaptiveness, a sub-tropical climate would 
supply the necessary environment. Moreover it is 
at least suggestive to find the Ipomea Borna Nox, the 
juice of which is used to coagulate the caoutchouc milk 
of the Castilloa in Mexico, should grow luxuriantly in 
many part of New South Wales. So far, it is believed, 
no castilloas have ever been introduced into New 
South Wales. When full-grown it is a magnificent 
forest tree; but it must not be confounded with the 
Castilloa Markhamii, which belongs to the Perebea 
class. At maturity this tree’s trunk often measures 
10ft. in circumference, and its height will sometimes 
top 1.30 ft. It is easily distinguished by its immense 
hairy, oblong, and lanceolate leaves, often 18 in. by 
7in., which are substrigose, as also are the branchlets 
the colour on the latter being buff. It is of small 
foliage area, taprooted, and requires a scrub surround- 
ing when young. If grown as in a plantation the 
seeds should be set at a distance of 15ft. apart in 
uncleared ground. This is most important, a small 
area of about 1ft. in diameter being left clear around 
the young plant. So much do these trees desire shade 
in their youth that tests prove that whereas seedlings 
planted in uncleared ground develop a ti in. trunk 
diameter, and flower and fruit in four years, those 
planted in well-cleared ground show nothing like 
similar advancement. In point of fact the young 
Castilloa needs above all things shade, for its stem’s 
growth and juice supply else will be checked. Once 
suitably planted they require little or no attention. 
The rubber obtained at the fourth or fifth year is 
worth 2s 9d to 3s per lb., and so far as is known the 
tree with each year gives a large increase, expanding 
in geometrical progression. As for the collection of 
the juice and its metamorphosis into a commercial 
product that is an easy matter. It may be here added 
that recent discoveries show that a fair supply can 
be obtained from a crushing of the leaves. Whether 
this deciduous tree could be grown on the sugar 
lands of New South Wales has yet to be proved. 
The other tree, the Sapium aforesaid, which it is 
likely could be advantageously introduced here, is one 
of the Euphorbiaoeas. For years past rubber has been 
exported from the Port of Cartagena, and under the 
name of .hat Colombian city it was supposed to be 
a species of castilloa. This idea, however, is exploded, 
and the sapium mentioned now gets its due credit, with 
the acquiescent approval of the botanical authorities 
at Kew Gardens (vide “ Kew Bulletin To BIr. R. B. 
White is due the honour of the initiatory indications 
on which subsequently Mr. Rob. Thompson, formerly 
in charge of the cinchona plantations, Jamaica, 
went so successfully to work. Mr. Thompson, vl o 
now resides at Chapperal, Sante Fe do Bogota. 
Colombia, has established since 1891 a plantation of 
TO, COO sapium trees, and in his report to Kew he 
states that this tree — trade name of it,' “Colombia 
virgen ’’—has this peculiarity ; “Unlike all other 
known sources of this substance it grows at a high 
elevation, and therefore, in a comparatively cool cli- 
mate.’’ There can be little doubt that the tree is 
one of the multiform varieties of the Sapium big- 
landulosum (Muell. Arg.), one of the Euphorbiaceae, 
to which the Para hevea and the Ceara manihot 
belong. The variegations which this widely-spread 
species present areas extreme as are to be met with 
in the vegetable kingdom. . . . Under cultivation 
this tree thrives admirably, growing with great rapidity 
at the rate ef 5ft. per year. Crops are obtainable in 
five to six years, at five years, the yield begin lib. of 
rubber per tree, which is worth about 2s (id per lb., 
and when matured the tree, planted at the rate 
of 150 to the acre, attains a diameter of from 6ft. 
to 7ft. This, bear in mind, has received the cachet 
of Kew. 
Mr. Thompson’s plantation, lying at an elevation 
of between 6,000ft. and 7,000ft. above the sea level, is 
on land quite useless for other purposes., and so much 
success has attended his efiorts that at Monteira, 
Rio Sinn, Mons. M. P. Durand has put in no less 
than 100,000 cuttings ,rnd seedings, which are now 
flourishing. Mr. Thompson, so the “ Kew Bullet in ’’ 
reports, has offered the Indian Government to deliver 
at the Nilgirris a large supply of Sapium plants 
and seeds insured to germinate for £1,000. Inquiries 
as to this tree are now being made by the ^ .uj er 
authorities in Sydney, and should the replies be 
satisfactory no doubt an attempt will be made to 
acclimatise this tree. 
Before concluding this article, it is as well may 
be, to disabuse the public mind of the belief that 
very cheap labour is required to make rubber-getting 
by tree-tapping a success. In the first place, little 
or no labour is needed until the trees have sufficiently 
grown. In the second place, from personal experience, 
and quoting from an exhaustive article on this industry 
as carried on by the half-civilised half-bloods of the 
Amazon Valley, those mestizos can and do earn £1 per 
day during the season of five months. — Stjdneij Mail. 
CATALOGUE OF COCCIDrE COLLECTED 
IN CEYLON. 
By Mr. E. E. Green. 
[The following list of Coccidse, which contains many 
undescribed species, is to be regarded as preliminary 
to a more exhaustive paper with figures of all the 
new species, now in course of preparation by the 
same author. — Ed.'\ 
1. Cldonasins hraziliensis, Sign. — On cultivated ferns, 
St/vbilanthus sp., and Acacia mdanoxylon, occurring, 
when present, in enormous nirmbers, the males usually 
predominating. A remarkable exception being in the 
case of specimens found on the Acacia which were 
all females. 
Locality Punduloya. 
2. C. biclavis, Comst. — Very common on stems of 
Cinchona and Tea, sometimes in such numbers as to 
considerably injure the plants. Found also occasionally 
on stems of Grevillea and Coffee ; never on leaves, 
though the American type is described from examples 
found on leaves of fig. Male unknown. The female 
shield very inconspicuous, from the fact that it is 
always covered with the superficial fibres and loose 
material of the bark upon which it rests. 
Locality Punduloya. 
3. C. aspidinti CB, Sign. , var. mustscenda;, n. var. 
Found on stems and twigs of Musscenda frondosa. 
Differs from type chiefly in tho character of the 
female shield, which is opaque, greyish white, and 
covered with the hairs and fibres of the bark instead 
of being of a “clear transparent yellow’’ as in 
Signoret’s type. The male puparia are crowded to 
gether in large groupjs, each individual attached by 
the anterior extremity only, the rest of the body 
elevated. 
Locality Punduloya. 
C. eugenice, Mask., var varicosa, n. var. — Found 
on under surface of leaves of Gelonuim lanceolatuvi. 
Differs from type chiefly in character of female shield 
which is proportionately broader and marked with 
ramifying raised creases resembling veins. 
Locality Punduloya. 
5. C. eugenice. Mask., var. litzece, n. var. — Found 
on under surface of leaves of Litzea zeylanica. Differs 
form type in the female shield being very thin and 
semi-transparent. Male with 3 knobbed uigitules on 
feet. 
Locality Punduloya. 
6. C. vitis, n. sp. — Found on under surface of leaves 
of Vitis, producing discoloration of the leaf, the 
punctured parts turning pale yellow. Very occasionally 
found on upper surface ct leaves of E ce, gnus. Female 
shield thin, colourless and semi-tran>p,.rcnt. Psgidial 
lobes small buc prominent. Female insect paie'ytrlow 
before gestation; afterwards rttiuish. Male with 4 
knobbed digitules on feet. 
Locality Punduloya. 
7. C. graminis,\x.%p. — Onlemon-gi&ss (AndropogonJ, 
Pnuctured area of leaf turning dark purple. Female 
