November 2, 1891.] 
The tropical agriculturist, 
325 
wbole into more manageable plots. It must be re- 
membered that it IS very rare to find any one species 
of plant growing in marses together unmixed with 
any other lU a natural state. Tim effect is somewhat 
like that ot herding many animals of one kind 
together in the same space. However, for crops such as 
coffee it is essential to do this. They require to be grown 
nnder unnatural conditions but ns this is unavoidable, 
it is still possible to break up the plantation at least 
to a small extent by having bells of jungle, here 
and there, tunning through the plantation". The 
quantity of coffee lost by not putting them balls 
under cultivation is triSing compared with the ad- 
vantage to be derived from them. These belts will 
arrest the spread of fungns spores, and blight. They 
wilt also be of signal use in attracting the inseo- 
tivorons birds which will aid to keep down the insects 
which injure the coffee, and they will also be useful 
as supplies ot sticks, poles, &o. required from time 
to time in the plantations. It is of course po.ssible 
that monkeys and mosangs will resort to these jungle 
patches, and sally forth at night to devour the coffee, 
but they are tolerably easily kept dowu in small woods 
and it is usually when there is extensive forest near 
the plantatinon that they are so injurious. Whoro the 
jungle bus been destroyed, and where there no bushes to 
make screens, I would suggest the planting of such trees 
as Adetuinthera jiavouina, flaman, Jaiulnts, Erj/thriiias, 
Jaoktrees, etc., in thiak rows, so as to break up the 
plantation". Nor would I restrict the use ot Jungle 
belts to the onitivation of coffee ouly. With all crops 
onitivated on a largo scale hi rv. I think it would 
be advisable to break op tbu plantations, if possible. 
It may bo that with some onitivation no oneiny worth 
considering is yet known, lint lo plant is entirely 
free from enemies either fungal or inaoota), and ah 
though it may seem strange to say that a small jangle 
belt can and will act as a defuuco against strong 
winged insects, yet sueh is tho case for the inseols 
when they rise in the sir high enough to clear the 
jungle, are very liable to bo borne far away over the 
plantation, and if evi-n they do invade the plantation 
they come but a few at a time and can be on.sily dealt 
with. The peculiarities of insect attacks on crops here 
must, however, be treated of at some future time. 
But with respect to Dr. Uurok's treatment with tho 
sulphuric acid and soisaors, and also tho tobacco water 
treatment. At present the disease in tho Straits docs 
not seem to bo suftioieutly destructive to require such 
elaborats attacks upon it. For although it is very dilHoult 
to find a tree entirely free from attack, yet the Libe- 
rian coffee, unless a wesk plaut, seems capable of 
resisting any ordinary oulbreak. Nevortbelesi, we may 
expect, should tho cultivation ever become extensive, to 
fipd, 08 yours go on, tho diseoso becoming in time 
virulent, and this is the more likely as the soil in which 
wo have to oullivatu coffee is immensely poorer than 
that of Java. 
Dr. Burck, it appears, does not attributo much 
of the violence of tho disease to poverty of soil, yet 
1 have doubts as to whether this nisy not have played 
a great part in the rniuous catastrophe of Ceylou. 
li'or a long period tbo same laud bad been under 
coffee. There was no rotstiou of crops, which indeed 
is impraotieabie for the the most part with any crops 
except thi'So of annuals or biennials. This ooustuut 
growth of tho same species of plant on the sumo soil, 
cannot but remove a large portion ( f tne most valusblc 
sails, and tho plants must get gradually weaker, nor 
does there soem to bo any reason to doubt but that 
weak y plants are more liable to suooumb to disease, 
whether animal or vegetable, than healthy ones. There 
is abundant evideuce of this throughout both tho 
animal and vegetable kingdoms. Of oonrse thoroughly 
healthy plants may also bo attacked, bat they have a 
much better chanoe to throw off the disease. 
I do not think Arabian ooffeo can ever be successfully 
enlivated in the Straits SettUmonts. it seems hero to 
bo very liable to produce " brush," that is lo say, ab- 
normal flowers, with minute, green, irregular sepsis 
and potsis, no stsmens, and the pietsl very small snd 
apparently effete. I im.igine this is duo to the perma. 
iieut dampeess of tho climate, and abaenoe of any 
period of rest from growth. It appears to be a preli- 
minary stage of what is known as phyllody of the 
flowers, i.e., conversion ot tho part ot the flower into 
iMves, instead of roprod active organs. This is common 
here also in oortaiu orchids as J*)ialanop/tis ^chilleriatta. 
which produpos bulbs and leaves on the flower spike 
instead of flowers, 
Biwidos tho f imgm, homileis, the coffee suffers to a 
smaller extent from several destruotivo animals, emong 
which are monkeys, mnsangs, a species of locust, the 
cst^rpil sr of the be 6 *h&wk *010111 sod e scele inseot* 
ur the monkeys the most destructive are the golden 
monkey (J/acatni.< m'niais) and the black monkey (Sm- 
nopithecus sp.). The latlor docs not occur in Singa- 
pore blit is common in Johore. Tho‘e monkeys oat the 
fruit whole, passing the seeds uninjured, and the seids 
passed by. them are stated to be the beat for oiiltiva- 
tiou. If this is correot it is perhaps due partly to ths 
oniraala selecting the best fruit, but it is possible also 
that the seeds are absolutely improved by passing 
tbrough tlie animal's body and so being manured, as has 
been shown to bo (bo case with seeds of hawthorn trees 
swotlowed by turkeys. 
The mnsangs ( I t'ccrriJ malaecensia) are even more 
destruotivo than .nonkoys, and a good deal harder to 
destroy, as they are strictly nooturnal and very skilful 
at avoiding traps. They may, however, be caught in 
traps baited with pieces of bananss. On one estate 
I am informed, that these animals oat a pikul of' 
coffee per diem. 
The locust is a large speeioa of grasshopper not yet 
identified. ^ It is about 3 inches long, yellowish green 
spotted with black. The bind wings aro pink and 
very conspicuous wlisu it Hies, which it does very 
briskly. It does not eat the coffee leaves, but injures 
the bunhes by laying its eggs in the shoots. This 
It di.es by making a series of slits in the bark of 
the shoots spirally, in each of which cats it deposits 
a long narrow white egg. The larvio do not appear 
to injure the shoot at all, and probably leave tho 
plant as soon as hatched. The shoots, however, socn 
wither and tutu black and finally fall off, and tills 
is oertain evidonoe ot tho presence of tha locust. "As 
a rule it does not do much harm, but under certain 
oironinstanoes it may become exoocdingly abandant 
and injurious. It is quite a common inseot here, hut 
1 have seen it most abundant in .Tohoro, It must 
be caught lu butterfly nets, and destroyed 
The bechawk-motb (Crji/icaodra hph,).-Tbe catei- 
pillar of tbia mseeb is very destructive to tho coffee 
>y uevouring the Icavo*, aod cleAriuir bashes with 
astonishing ra,)idity. Tho moth lays its eggs upon 
tho leaves of the trees anil tho caterpillars quickly 
emerge and oommonos the work of desttuotion, 
usually attacking weakly plants. When full grown 
the larva is about three inchos in Icugth anil of a 
bright green colour. Tho head is sma'l aud dull greon 
the next segment is ornamented with a number of 
riiised yellow dots, the rest of tho body is smooth 
bnght greon, bluish above, along each side is a raised 
pink lino and down the middle of the back runs a 
j ‘he head to tha tail mectiog 
behind the horn winch, like most of hawk.moth 
caterpillars, this animal has upon its tail. This horn 
is curved and sharp, yellow with raised black 
dota. ihe last segmeut aud hiudmoob feet are 
ornamented with raised yellow doU. The feet 
nra furnished with tufts of hsir, but otherwiaa 
the caterpillar is quite smooth. When full grown 
the caterpilUr spiua n web betweeu tho loaves aud 
becomes a chrysalis. It remaioa in this stato for about 
a fortnight and then emerges aa the moth, Tho pot- 
fect insects is very beautiful, ib is about l.J inches 
loag, the bo jy dark greeu, the tail faii'Shapod black and 
)ellow« The wings are perfectly trai^apsreut except 
along the edges, which are cf a dull dark red. It ia 
very active aod not very easy to catch, flying briskly 
about in tbo evening i^bortly before sundowu, and may 
bo aeon sucking the houcy from tbo coffue flowers, which 
it probibly fertilizes, but as there are many other 
harmless insects which do this cquallv well it mav 
be ileatroyod whenever met with without detriment 
to tha fertilization ot the oeffeo. It j, mn.l easilv 
destroyed in the caterpillar state. The larvto should 
