The following extracts will show the progress made in different parts of the world of this important plant. (See Kew Report, 1878, pp. 15-17.)

Burma.—

Lt.-Col. H. P. Hawkes, Honorary Superintendent of the Government Gardens at Rangoon, reports:—" The Liberian coffee continues to thrive. It is now showing signs of flowering, and will be in full bloom about the middle of next month. I hope, therefore, to be able to venture upon some estimate of the probable economic value of this coffee at the close of next year."

Dominica.—

Dr. Imray writes to us:—" I am glad to say that the Liberian coffee cultivation may now be fairly considered as established in this island. The fine, healthy, luxuriant trees on my small plantation, with a crop of berries on many of them, afford sufficient evidence of the climate being congenial to the plant. The cultivation is successful, and only awaits extension by others taking it up. I have several thousand seedlings planted out in the open, and thriving well. I lost a good many seedlings, however, by putting them out when too small. To ensure their rooting they should be pretty well grown before they are transferred to the field. Protection of some kind or other is also advisable at first, as well from the scorching rays of the mid-day sun as from strong winds. When fairly rooted and growing, the plants are hardy enough, and will bear a good deal of exposure and neglect.

"My trees still remain free from the attacks of that dire scourge of the coffee plant in this part of the world, the Cemiostoma Coffeelum, and yet not altogether exempt from its attacks, especially in the first stage of its growth. As I shall relate, I had planted many hundred seeds in boxes and bamboo joints, and they showed above ground at the usual time, about six weeks after planting. At first the seedlings appeared quite healthy, but after a time I observed brown spots on the cotyledonary leaves. I did not pay much heed to this appearance, believing the plant altogether impervious to the assaults of the white fly, but as they rapidly became all affected in the same manner, I carefully examined some of the brown spots on the leaves, and found to my horror that the destruction was unmistakably caused by the larva of the white fly ! I was quite taken by surprise, as the grown plants had escaped its ravages. It was, however, only the seminal leaves that had been attacked, but if they were destroyed before the stem leaves were formed the plant would certainly perish; and, indeed, in this manner many were lost. I killed the larva in the leaves, and brushed off the chrysalis wherever it appeared, and thus saved most page 21 of the seedlings until the stem leaves began to grow; and these, as you may suppose, I watched with great interest as they grew, and to my intense relief discovered that the insect left them untouched. The seedlings steadily increased in size, throwing out fresh leaves, and most of them have been planted out in the field, and are thriving well, with not a speck of the blight on them.

This is a notable and curious fact in the history or study of this destructive creature. There were no blighted coffee trees growing very near to these seedlings, but in the adjacent field were some trees with the blight on them. From these the moth, by a marvellous instinct, or whatever the impulse that guides it may be called, had found out among myriads of other leaves the cotyledons just as they had emerged from the ground, and decided that they were exactly suited for the deposit of its eggs, and the nourishment of the larva when hatched.

"This, however, is not the only attempt the insect has made to gain a footing on the Liberian coffee. On carefully examining the large trees some six or eight months ago, a few leaves were found where the insect really had established itself, but in a very feeble manner. Some of the larvæ were lively enough, but others small and weak, and the skeletons, if I may so speak of others that had died, were found in the brown patches of the leaf, when the upper and under cuticle were separated. Very few cocoons were observed, and these were smaller than usual.

"There must have been something exceptional in the structure of those leaves that the insect had selected to deposit its ova, and from the blight not having extended it may be inferred that, although the eggs of the fly were deposited, and the larva when hatched had found its way to the cellular structure of the leaf, this was not found in sufficient quantity, or of such quality, as to form a healthy pabulum; hence the larva either died in the leaf, or formed a small and weak chrysalis which failed to produce the moth. Be that as it may, the very reassuring fact remains that the blight did not spread, and that at the present time the insect is not to be found in any of its stages among the well grown trees or the seedlings, although carefully searched for. The most striking point is, that though the seminal leaves were rapidly devoured, the stem and branch leaves of the seedlings remained untouched. Doubtless the soft juicy substance of the seminal leaf affords suitable nourishment, while the reverse is the case with the comparatively dry and fibrous parenchyma of the ordinary leaf.

"The fact of the Cemiostoma attacking the seminal leaves of Liberian coffee has a very important practical bearing in the cultivation of the plant in the countries where this blight exists. For if nurseries of Liberian coffee are formed near to a single tree with the blight on it, the seedlings will be quickly attacked and, possibly, all destroyed. Nurseries should be established as far distant as possible from the blighted coffee trees, and the seedlings should be assiduously watched, so as to destroy the insect in its larva state as soon as a brown spot indicates its presence, and this may be done by simply scraping the spot with the nail. When the stem leaves appear, and have grown somewhat, the plant is safe. I gave a few seeds to several page 22 persons in the island, but these, so far as I learn, have for most part failed, the plants having died, and from the description given of brown spots having been seen on the leaves, I have no doubt the white fly was the cause of their destruction. I purpose sending some remarks to the local paper soon, giving instructions as to the mode of cultivating Liberian coffee, and warning all of the absolute necessity of protecting the seedlings from the ravages of the white fly, or very few will be saved."

Jamaica.—

Mr. Jenman reported, 22nd February 1879:—" There is a great demand for this coffee, which the garden is quite unable to meet at present. All attempts which have come to my knowledge on the part of private parties to import either plants or seeds have proved failures. Another small parcel of seed received some months ago from Kew Gardens produced between four and five dozen plants, the majority of which I have planted out to increase the number of our stock plants . . . I am glad to be able to report that the first few trees received have this year (1878) borne a small crop of fruit, which has recently been gathered and sown."

Seychelles.—

Mr. C. S. Salmon, the Chief Commissioner, writes:—About 150 plants of Liberian coffee—mostly raised from seed you sent—have been planted at Mahé Island at elevations varying from the shore to 1,500 feet above sealevel. It comes best, apparently so far, in the open without shade. One plant at an elevation of about 300 feet, without any shade and close to a granite rock giving out considerable heat, has about 100 strong looking flowers on it. This plant is 18 months old."

Singapore.—

Mr. Murton reports:—" The Arabian coffee here is severely attacked by the disease [Hemileia vastatrix], which has destroyed all hopes of our being able to supply seeds for planters in the Peninsula. The Liberian coffee has not yet shown any signs of being attacked, although some Perak planters have been scared by yellow blotches on the younger parts of the branches. [They appear to have no connection with the disease.] The species is evidently very impatient of deficient drainage. The plants raised from seeds received from Kew in May 1878 are now blooming profusely. Eight hundred fruits from our plants have been sent to Government Hill, Penang, and 500 sent to Perak. Very favourable reports have been received from the Native States regarding the progress of the plants of this species there, and there can be now no doubt that the Liberian coffee has found a congenial home in the Malay Peninsula and adjacent islands, and its future propagation may now be left to planters."

Queensland.—

Mr. Bernays informs me that the Liberian coffee introduced [Kew Report, 1877, p. 17] from Kew has found a firm footing on the Herbert River, where it gives high promise of attaining complete success. The foliage of many specimens is rich and full, and, as there are signs of bloom also, it is not unlikely that ripe berries may this season follow."

Zanzibar.—

Dr. Kirk writes while this report is in preparation:—"Several useful plants take well to the climate; my Liberian coffees (the last lot) are now in flower."