1 Apri, 1899.] QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. © 291 
GuateMAtA.—733 bags partly sold: Smalls, 28s. 6d. to 29s.; fine to fine 
fine ordinary dull greenish, 42s. 6d. to 48s. 6d.; middling, 55s. 
Vera Paz.—OF£ 1,719 bags offered, 480 bags sold: Mixed small, 26s. to 
99s. Gd.; ordinary to fine ordinary pale and brownish, 30s. to 38s. 61.; fine fine 
ordinary, 43s. to 46s. 6d.; middling, 61s. 6d. to 70s. | ic 
Mextcay.—170 bags sold: Damazed pale, 30s. to 33s. 6d.; sound, 35s. 
VeEneZuELAN.—OF 486 bags offered, 150 bags sold: Ordinary, 41s. to 
42s. 6d.; low middling grey, 55s. 
ConomBtay.—2,388 bags partly sold: Ordinary mixed and damaged, 
28s. Gd. to 40:.; fine to fine fine ordinary pale and pale-grey, 383. to 51s.; soft 
greenish mixel red, 52s. to 58s; middling to good middiing coloury greenish, 
60s. to 71s.; bold, 77s. to 93s. a 
Guavaquin.—OF 1,375 bags catalogued, 300 bags sold: Damaged 'pale, 33s. 
sound pale, 35s.; greenish, 44s. 
Braztt.—260 bags washed Santos sold: Good at 44s. to 45s.; small, 33s. 
—landed terms. 
Recerprs 1n Rro anp Sanros. 
1898-9. 1897-8. 1896-7. 1895-6. 
Since 1st July— 
: Bags. Bagse Bags. Bags. 
Rio re 1,914,000 2,882,000 2,303,000 1,639,000 
Santos... 3,959,000 4,597,000 3,718,009 2,473,000 
Totals wees 5,873,000 7,429,000 6,019,000 4,162,000 
__ —— a 
Crop... ... 10,461,000 8,680,000 5,489,000 
COFFEE LEAF DISEASE IN AFRICA. 
As we Queenslanders are congratulating ourselves that the coffee leaf disease 
has not put in an appearance on our little plantations, so did the Central 
Africans jubilate until just lately. The Liberian coffee-trees at Mbweni (says 
the British Central African Tims) bear the unmistakeable stamp of the well- 
known coffee leaf disease (Hemeleia vastatrix). This disease is a fungus which 
first attacks the under sides of the leaves, causing spots or blotches, at first 
yellow, but subsequently turning black. These blotches are, on examination, 
found to be covered with a pale orange-coloured dust or powder which easily 
rubs off. ‘The blotches gradually increase in size till at last they have spread 
over the leaves, which then drop off, leaving the trees in a short time quite bare, 
inwhich state they are, of course, unable to produce crops, or bring that which may 
already have been produced to maturity. Its ravages in Ceylon in the eighties 
converted hundreds of acres of beautiful Arabian coffee into withered sticks, 
asif a fire had raged through the fields. The whole of the Eastern world was 
‘more or less affected from Ceylon, but, as far as we know, this is the first 
actual appearance of the disease in Zanzibar. The Liberian variety is not 
supposed to be subject to its attacks, and this makes its appearance at Mbweni 
all the more interesting. Otherwise the trees there show a most robust and 
healthy growth in spite of dry weather. 
Should the coffee leaf disease spread over British Central Africa, the 
effects cannot but be disastrous, and cause serious loss to many planters who 
have spent very large sums in starting and extending their plantations. 
The British Central African Gazette last year gave its readers an excellent 
summary of planting operations in that portion of Africa, and we regret that 
itescaped our notice at the time. Still, whatever interests coffee-planters in 
other parts of the world cannot fail to be of interest and service to our - 
Queenstand planters, whom we desire to see flourish and to assist in every 
‘possible way. 
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