674 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[April i, 1898 . 
welcomed for plants planted out late last year, 
and I am inclined to think, we shall have it before 
long. A large acreage is going down this season 
for coconuts. The liealth of the people is good, 
but cattle are suftering from a dise.ase, I don’t 
quite understand ; it is neither murrain, nor hoof 
and mouth disease. I have lost two animals, 
and I hear that many animals .are down with it in 
this neighbourhood. 
^ 
PULPINCi FRUIT. 
Several correspondents have asked for information 
concerning the pulping of fruit. The Fruit Ex- 
pert, Mr. W. J. Allen, reports : — The following is 
the method of pulping fruit in Mildura, where apri- 
cots and peaches are the principal fruits used, viz. : 
— The fruit is first pitted and put into a copper or 
cauldron, and a little water added (proportion — 1 
gallon of water to 3 cwt of fruit). It is then boiled 
for twenty minutes (t.e., tw-enty minutes from the 
time it starts boiling). Unripe fruit will require a 
little longer, and should the fruit be watery it 
can bo cooked without adding water. When first 
put it is stirred constantly to keep it from bin ning. 
After cooking it is put into tins and the tins soldered 
whilst hot. Occasionally the fruit is cooked in the 
tins, and when this is done the tins, after being 
filled and closed, are punctured and immersed in 
water to within, say, 2 inches of the top, or just 
80 that the water will not boil over the top of 
the tin and get into the punctured hole. The fruit 
is cooked for twenty minutes, as explained, and the 
hot air is blown off through the hole. As soon as cooked 
the tins are sealed. Ten pound tins are the beat when 
the fruit is cooked in this way, as the reaction 
draws in and disfigures larger ones. The fruit done 
in tins is not pulped or mashed to the same extent 
as that which is boiled and stirred in the cauldron 
—Agricultural Gazette 
♦ 
COFFEE PLANTING IN CEYLON. 
Mr. Frank A'dam, largely interested in coffee 
planting in Java, who has been on a visit to 
our island since December last, leaves next week 
for India, and we trust that he may have a 
pleasant and profitable trip. Since our last in- 
Wview he has visited the Nuwara Eliya, 
Kandapola and Dolosbage districts, and whilst 
he has been favourably impressed with the state 
of these he prefers not to express any opinion 
in regard to the tea industry as it may be 
judged ironi what he has seen in the course of 
his travels, as he considers that he has not 
been long enough in the country. With regard 
to coffee, Mr. Adam considers that bold coloury 
plantation sorts such as tliose of Ceylon 
and Java, which can only, be cultivated on 
certain favoured grounds will always hold their 
own despite any drop that may occur in the 
price of coarse coffees such as Liberian, Brazil, 
&c. That had been demonstrated by the fact 
that in the London market recently some Ceylon 
Plantation Coffee was quoted at 151s whilst 
Liberian was quoted at 35s. His latest advices 
from Java were that notwithstanding the drop 
on the other side and the fact that the new 
crop would nob begin to come in until March 
offers were being rmade for delivery in Java 
at 60 guilders p r picul, crops of pi ivate estates 
W.I.P. coffee, that is about 97s 6 d p.er cwt. in 
London. Private estate coffee from Java is 
assorted in four grades, viz., large, miditle-size, 
small, and peaberry, as compared witl> five 
assortments from Ceylon, the additional one 
from Ceylon being extra large size. One thing 
that had struck him on going through 
Ceylon in 1894 compared with now was the 
great increase in shade planting as seen on different 
estates. He thought that in Ceylon shade trees 
were in some respects even more important 
than in Java inasmuch as he observed a 
large area in 1894 deforested and carrying nothing 
but tea. In the event of an insect pest making 
its appearance it would on sucli deforested aieas 
have nothing but tea to attack whereas shade 
trees would form an alternative object of attack ; 
besides this shade trees served to attract birds, 
who are the foes of insect pests. Several planters 
had asked him his opinion as to the best kind 
of shade tree. His opinion distinctly was that 
the Dadap was the best shade tree. The Dadap 
houeverin some districts in Java had suffered 
from disease which had baffled the scientist so 
far and dried up the sap in the rees leaving 
a wilderness of skeletons. In such cases Java 
planters found it better to replant with 
Albizzia, the Moluccana variety being pre- 
ferred. On some young coffee plantations in 
order to doubly safeguard the matter of 
shade it h id been found advantageous to 
plant alongside of each other the Dadap cut- 
ting and Albizza seedling. In the event of the 
Dadap failing the Albizza is allowed to grow 
up in its place whereas should the Dadap strike 
well the Albizza can be stumped. The grevillea 
is not very much useu in Java. Whereas grevillea 
is a good alternative to Albizza on a new planta- 
tion it has a tendency to grow up of a poplar and 
spindly character if planted on an old plantation 
to replace Dadap, the reason being that owing 
to the shade of the coffee trees which in Java 
are at a height of 5 ft. and higher, the young 
grevillea growing beneath the shade does not get 
the same amount of air and sun as it would on 
a new clearing alongside the coffee seedlings 
which it is later on intended it should shade. 
RUBBER CULTIVATION. 
The cultivation of Rubber is attracting a good 
deal of attention in the Malayan Peninsula, in 
Borneo and other far Eastern Lands. Mr. Ridley, 
of the Singaiiore Gardens, has compiled a valu- 
able bulletin on the subject, and Mr. L. Wray. 
Curator in Perak, has come out with a second 
paper, supplemented bj' a “ report on the tap- 
ping of the Para Rubber trees at Kuala Kaug- 
sar.” All that is of essential v.alue in these 
several papers wo hope to include in detail 
in our future issues. But meantime, we 
may notice, that Mr. Wray is in favour of the “her- 
ring-bone” method of tapping, with lateral and 
vertical cuts, but not to meet each other. He 
quotes Dr. Trimen, Dr. G. Watt, and Mr. J. C. 
Willis. — From the Kuala Kang.sar Report of Mr. 
Derry, Superintendent of the Government Gar- 
dens, we quote at once some very practical and 
interesting remarks : — 
I would particularly point out that the experiments 
have not been conducted to test how much each tree 
would yield, for the reason that these trees are of 
much greater value to the Government at the present 
time as seed bearers than rubber producers ; as an in- 
stance of this I would mention that applications for 
70,Ui'n seeds have been received for the current year (of 
which 25,000 have been supplied) and an application 
filed for 100,1 00 seeds next year. The Para rubber 
trees [Tlevea braziliensis) at Kuala Kangsar were first 
tapped during the month of August, and the work has 
been proceeding up to the present time. The frequent 
wet days have delayed the work considerably. At the 
end of October, 60 trees had been tapped and 88 pounds 
of dry marketable rubber prepared. Most of the trees 
tapped were six years old, and from these trees an 
average of 10 ounces of dry rubber has been obtained. 
