654 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March i, 1884. 



to continue at least a general supervision over the estate. 

 In this indirect way therefore, we can see that it will answer 

 his purpose, but at the same time Jie obtains no unreasou- 

 ablc advantage. 



As to the probable returns from the undertaking, the 

 statcmouts put forward arc not extravagant, but in precise 

 accordance with ascertained facts. "SVell planted gardens at 

 suitable elevations are now producing from JOO to 700 lb. 

 of dry leaf per acre, at ages varying from three to seven 

 years, the tea being placed on the London market, all 

 charges paid, at a cost peril), of Sd to lOd. During the 

 past year, Ceyloa tea iuvoices have frequently averaged 

 above Is Ud per tb., Ihus leaving a siu-plus of 8d to lOd per 

 lb. to the producer. Taking a productiou of only 400 tt). to 

 the acre, at the proportionate cost of 9d per lb., the profit 

 to the grower would be at present rates £15 per acre. But 

 if the average fell to is per lb., there would still remaia 

 a profit to the Ceylon producer of 3d per Bb. or £5 per acre, 

 and it must not be overlooked that at this price most of 

 the Indian gardens would be working at a loss. At the 

 worst then, the return is equivalent to about 16 per cent, 

 on the capital outlay, and tbie with a fair prospect of 

 obtaining 50 per cent, ought to attract investors. We sin- 

 cerely hope that tliis novel attempt at co-operative planting 

 will succeed and that it will mark the commencement of a 

 new era in the prosperity of Ceylon. 



THE CASTOE OIL PLANT 



is thus noticed in the proceedings of the JIatlras Agri- 

 Horticultural Society : — Read the following letter from H. 

 E. Faimer, Ksq., Acting Sub-Collector of Cuddapah, to the 

 Acting Collector, dated iladnapalie, 19th Kovemberl653 : — 

 " In reijly to your letter, No. 2,614, l3th September 

 IS&'i, calling on me to fmnish you with some information 

 on the subject of the cultivation oi the castor oil plant 

 and the manui'actm-e of oil as practised in this part, I 

 have the honor to state that 1 have gathered the followmg 

 information from the Tahsildars of the Sub-Division and 

 Mr. Thomas Ward of Madnapalle. The xjrinted note receiv- 

 ed with your letter under reply was circulated to them. 



2. -^ The Botanical Uescfiptioii of the Plant. — Heights to 

 9 feet, stem round, hollow, and brittle, leaves large, and 

 divided into 7 or 8 segments, capsules prickly, and seeds 

 oval, shining and dotted with gi-ay marks. 



3. " Cultivation. — It is generally cultivated with other 

 crops, but sometimes alone. The plant flourishes ill soft 

 loamy soil and requues ordinary ploughing and manuring. 

 After a fall of rain in Jidy or August, the laud is fii'st 

 ploughed and the seeds hand-sown in parallel rows. The 

 rows and the seeds are at a distance of one from each 

 other. The shoots spring up in 10 days, and the land 

 is turned up with the plough after iO days. This is be- 

 heved to seciure a better harvest. The plant begins to 

 bear berries in about 4 months. These berries are col- 

 lected with the hand as often as they are ripe at about 

 the end of January. They are heaped up for a couple 

 of days, and then dried in the sun, and the seeds are 

 separated from the outer shell. An acre of land takes 

 from 4 to 6 Cuddapah measiures of seed. 



4 •' I'ariitie.i.—la this part of the country there are 

 three kinds of castor seeds, (i) Chittamiulalu; (ii) CAowia- 

 miclalu ; (iii) Feddamidalu. The first is small seed, rarely 

 cultivated ; the s«?cond is medium sized, and chiefly 

 cultivated in dry lands ; and the third is the lixrge seed 

 usually grown in betel and sugar-cane gardens. 



5 " Outturn and Fvtcentaije of Oil. — The average out- 

 turn is stated to be about J putte or nearly* 4J cwt. 

 per acre.f Twelve measm-es of seeds (li7 lb.) produce 

 by the procc-is of home manufacture, 3 measiu-es (7 lb.) 

 of oil. A mcasiue of oil generally weighs 144 tolas or 

 3 J lb. Thus, 27 lb. of seeds produce C3x3J) llj lb. 

 of oil. The percentage can therefore be stated to be 

 nearly 41 per cent. 



6 •• E.xtraction of Oil hy Home Process. — The seeds are 

 first roasted and then poimded to a pulp, which is mixed 

 with a large quantity of water iuid boiled. The oil is 



* The Madnapalle putte contains 320 Cuddapah measures. 

 f 1 measure (holduig 132 tolas of 2nd sort rice) of 

 castor seed weighs 88 tolas, and 38 8-9ths tolas are taken 

 as t qual to 1 lb. 



skimmed off as it rises, and when all the oil is thus 

 collected, it is again boiled to remove any inoisttue and 

 to precipitate impiurities. 



7 "Scientijic Process, — No scieuiific process is known in 

 this division. 



S '• The oil is used for lamps and as an unguent. It 

 is of course a well known purgative. After extracting 

 the oil, what remains of the berries are used as manure" 

 for betel and sugar-cane gardens." 



Bead the report of the Head Assistant Collector o£ 

 Cuddapah, embodying replies to his questions from tho 

 Tahsildars of Proddatoor, Jammalamadugoo, and Pulivendala 

 to the following eiiect; — Castor seed is generally sown 

 with other crops, though in Pulivendala usually alone and 

 only rarely with ■' Auumulu " (Dolichos lullal) and " Ala- 

 saudalu " (Dolichos sinensis). It grows and thrives best 

 in red, sandy loams, and gravelly soil, but will also grow 

 in black cotton soil ; it is planted only once in the year 

 in June, July and August; no special preparation of the 

 land is made for it, and it is sometimes used as fencing 

 for betel gardens ; the seeds are not soaked before sowing ; 

 the plant U\-es iu the dry lands from July to December, 

 but may be kept alive nine months by watering; two 

 sorts, large and small seeded are grown, large oidy iu 

 Pidivendala ; the ryots extract the oil by boiling, and with 

 the mill ; the husks are used with cow-dung, as fuel, but 

 iu Puhvendala are generally thrown away; and the oil- 

 cake forms an excellent manure for paddy fields. 



White ASTS — Although white-ants are a pest as mucli 

 toceitaiu crops as to anything else, they are said to per- 

 form a service to agriculture on unoccupied ground," 

 similar to that performed by the earthworm in England. 

 They are specially destructive to sngar-cane, and have 

 actually ueiu the cause of stopping the cultivation of 

 the cane iu several peryumiah-i of the Cawnpore and 

 other distiiots. Mr. Eidlcy, of the Lucknow Horti- 

 cultural gardens, however has found a remedy for 

 the depredations of the wbitc-aut in the field, which 

 he has proved invaluable. Kerosine oil will not of 

 itself mix with water, but if first shaken up with 

 milk it will amalgamate with that, and can^- be theu 

 diluted wiih water to any desired extent. A little of 

 this mixture, we are told, goes a long way and proves 

 a very effective iniseoticide. A mixture of two parts 

 of oil to one of sour milk, " churned" together, mixeil 

 completely, and thie mixture diluted to the extent of 

 one wiutglassful to four gallons of water, will not in- 

 juriously atfeci either plants or grass, but will effect- 

 ually keep off" whiteants. It will probably be useful 

 to many to know this simple remedy. — Friend of 

 India. 



New Veget.^ble Pkoduct is Costa IIica. — In con- 

 sequence OI the unremuuerative character of the Ooffes 

 crops during the past few years iu Oosta Eica, much 

 attention, it is said, is now being given to the in. 

 troduction and cultivation of other crops. Kew lauds 

 have been opened op on each side of tiie railway from 

 Eio Lucio to Limou, where already there are about 

 240,OUO Banana plants, which are calculated to yield 

 30,0U0 bunches monthly, besides whicb Tobacco Sugar- 

 cane, Pines, atd Yams are also largely grown, and 

 becoming articles of export. Potatoes grow well iu 

 the highlands 01 the K-pulic, where tbey are cultiv- 

 ated, and are now being shipped to Colon, the TA est 

 Indies, and the Ui.i'.eil states. -'The Goverumeut 

 is doing all in its power to promote the cultivation 

 of new products, amouLSt which may be mentioned 

 rubber, cocoa, giiger, vanilla, and ipecacuanha, the 

 three iaiter of natural growth, and which it is to be 

 hoped in time will considerably add to ttic prosperity 

 of the country." A proj.ct has been submitted to 

 Government for the establishment of a school of .igri- 

 culture and a model f.irm. Instruction, it is said, is 

 much needed •' for the cultivation of the almost un- 

 known and valuable products of Costa Kica."— /'teH^ 

 cis' Gazdle. 



