August i, 1801.] 
THE TROPICAL AQRIOULTURIST. 
93 
Thii system of cultitstion is speoislly suited to poor 
soils such as shown in sDslysis C. 
It will also improve the condition of heavy nud rotou- 
tive lauds. If put in foroo the land should be limed 
once in thcen years or so, and the plants should be 
grown in rotation. In this way it will be possible to 
olean the laud aud free it from an excess of in- 
jurious salts. The coffee tree is wanted as a 
permanency, and the best way oi keeping the land 
healthy is to grow a rotation of annuals under 
the coffee, aud as far as poasiblu a rotation or diver- 
Ity of shade over it. Whenever a shade tree shows 
signs of becoming a surface feeder it should be rooted 
out; slow-growing shade should be put in to take the 
place of the quick-grown shade as it dies off. 
By these measures it will bs possible to prevent the 
land in a groat measure from becoming coffee sick, 
which it does by becoming infested with microscopic 
fungi and bacteria when kept under one crop too long. 
The invcstigaticni into polalo and vine diroises, and 
olover sickness show this to be the main cause of land 
refuting to bear one crop in continued succession. 
It is from this cause that the greater uumber of 
coffee supply plants fail, white mealy bog assi.stiug 
in the devaatatlon. All these pests can bo eradicated 
by proper treattnent at the right season. W. P. 
PLUMBAGO AND MICA. 
For some time Messrs. Parry A Oo. have been 
tjego'.iating with the Travauooro Government for 
the grant to them of a monopoly for mining for 
plumbago and mien in ctrtuin selected taluks in 
Travaucore teiritory, which were reputed to be rich 
in these minerals. These negotiations have so far 
progressed that a draft agreement has b;'on drawn 
“Pi together with the orilioisms passed upon 
B by the Advocate-General, and the remarks of the 
Madras Government thereon, has been forwarded 
to the Government of India for final orders, — Indtaii 
■dprieiilturist. 
JAYA cinchona, cacao AND TKA EXPORTS. 
From the Batavia Eiohange lleport we see that 
Java oonliiiuoB to more than make up for the falling- 
?n Ceylon exports of hark. From Ist July 1800 to 
30th April luet, ten raonlhs of the year, Java has sent 
“^®y~o*roo8t entirely to Holland — no loss than 
ifttrsv “Private” estates bark and 
avnooii®' P* Government gardens bark against 
. and 416,910 respectively daring the same 
period of 1800. This shows a very big advance 
oonsidoring that 2 million Ib. of Java bark is 
equal *0 the average to 4 million lb. of Oeylon 
•‘ttports are in Amsterdam lb. 
mifr - whtoh iH equal to I’OO lb. avoirdupois. 
several seasons for the ten 
months period is as follows 
Total OiucUoua Bai 
Private Gov 
let July to 30th Apr.l,..lX^S:v,^^ . 
-1839-90. ..3,700,648 . 
GO- -1888 89.. ,2,989,780 . 
^0- •■•18S7-88...2, 3.63, -123 . 
Go. -1833-87...1.3, 67,673 . 
prwjt. »d Q..,,' itaV;; 
nlnlA ■‘itainst 477,849 and 39 
fallf „ "^POO.t'VBly in 1889-90, showing an enor 
bv Z rn ‘he ease of private , 
Bcarr ”hilo of Government c 
i^sn^ ““ previous setson’s export 
it is ib ooffoe reviving in . 
the evidently going back very grievo 
the total export in 1890 91 probably not exoee 
484 , 
44,6 
723 . 
532, 
571, 
■lo 
400,000 owt. against l,SCO.000 cwt. in 1889 90 
and 1,100,000 owt. in 1888 89. — Pepper also 
shows a lalling-ofr of about 30 per cent this 
Bcasoii BO far, in quantity exported. — Cocoa or cacao 
shows a sadden and very large inoraasa lo IO,COO owt. 
in the ten months, against only 1,860 owl. in the 
same period of 1889 90, and 1,100 owt. the season 
before. Cacao caltlvation is now in Java ; but it is 
evidently going to snooeed and Oeylon planters may 
look out for a serious rival in this product.— In Tea 
not mueh progress seems to be made. Here are 
the exports for ten months of the several seasons 
1890-81 
1869-90 
1888-89 
1887-88 
1886-87 
Kilogrammes. 
2,883,277 
2,648,609 
2,770,900 
2,662,072 
2,722,736 
These returns are iu kilogrammes, so that one-tenth 
should be added tor Kuglisb lb. making 3,171,6041b. 
export for ten months of the present season. 
NOTES ON POPULAR SCIENCE. 
By Du. J. E. Tavlok, r. L. s., &c., Editob or 
“SCIB.NCK Gossif.” 
A Gorman ohemibt and physician has recently 
demonstrated that there is an increase of nitrogen in 
the perspiiatiun during excessive muscular work over 
and abuvo tliat normally excreted. Another experi- 
menter has shown that the output of nitrogen aud 
urea are closely parallel. The increase of both is 
most marked duriug working hours, and it takes some 
time to subside afterwards. 
It is now geuerslly couoluded that the little nodules 
found on the roots ol legumiuose plants contain bas- 
lerial organisms wliioh tiave tlie power of ssiimilating 
free nitrogen, and that this is the true reason why 
tbia order uf plants obtain part of that valuable gas 
direc ly. Professor Frank thinks there is only one 
kind ol nodule organism common to all legcminous 
plants, and that it is present iu all natural soils. The 
relat oiiahip is one of rymbiosis. 
Pr.i'.ossor do Candolle, the distinguished Frenoh 
botn ist, lias given a new and original explaoaion Of 
certain monstrosities ill dowering plants. Borne speoi- 
meut were sent him in whiob the fiowers wore borne 
on the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf. The 
explirjatioii hitherto given ol this phenomenon is 
that there has been an adhesion (or want of repara- 
tion) between the flower-stslks aud the adjacent 
lesvi so that they have grown together. Professor 
de Coidolle, however, is of opinion that such inUor- 
eso. i.cea are real outgrowths from the leaves, and not 
axill try shoots growing and fusing with them. Ha 
regal Is such examples as proofs that botanioal dis- 
tinct ons between stem and loaf are purely arbitrary. 
— Ar ‘Iralcuian. 
HEMILEIA VASTATRIX. 
(7'o the Kdilor " Madras Mail") 
Sii “ Nilgiri,” in your issne of the 2nd instant, 
writ s about “ two different gentlemen’’ having found 
the euro for leaf diseaso. If “ Nilgiri ’’ includes mu 
ill iliat number I can au.swer his questions satisfao- 
toril . 'The remedy I tiso will cure leaf diseaso. In- 
vaiiiihly one application will bo snfiioient : but at 
time I a rocoml application may be found lo be nucei- 
sary utter a couple of ye.ars. The cost per tore, in« 
eluding labor, will not exceed K20. It is impossible 
to e adiote leaf disease from any parhionlar estate, 
when thounands of acres round it may be atfooted with 
tbo p.st; but the remedy I have, basin every in.stauoe 
cured the diseeae Irom ihe parts applied to, suffioienHy 
to enable the trees to yield fair crops for years. 
Ooouoor, 4th June. 0- E. P. Vibitbdii. 
[As wo have so often remarked, Mr, D. Mortiis’i 
