July 2, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



45 



ulty presents itself in deciJiug whether many of its schists 

 belong to tlie Paltoozoic or Hypoztiic periods. All that 

 the geologist lias at present to gr.iJu him is the lithologic- 

 al eharacteristics, and these, so far as I have been able 

 to decide, place the various strata of which some of the 

 lower ridges aud spurs are composed, and many of those 

 that constitute the higher peaks in the metainorphic sys 

 tcni, aud within the Hypozoic period. 



The Government committee of 1832 found the prevail- 

 ing rocks of the Wynaad and surrounding districts to 

 he gneiss aud a species of clay-ironstone called laterite. 

 Now anyone who for such a short period of time has 

 sojomneci in Travancore could not fau to he struck with 

 the presence of this latter rock. Nearly all the houses 

 aud offices of the common people, and the bungalows of 

 even the weU-to-do natives and Europeans are built of 

 it. It will also he seen • fi-om what I have quoted of Mr. 

 Brough Smyth's report that he says the rocks of the 

 Wyniuul district are "gi-anatoid schists or gneissoid rocks ;" 

 and Mr. OKver Pegler also admits that " the more fissile 

 varieties" of the metamoi-phic series are present, "and 

 arc softer, and having thus yielded to the disintegration 

 and denudation of time have foi-med valleys and dells 

 adjacent to the peaks. These softer rocks are of a much 

 higher colour than the harder giauite crystalline form- 

 ations and give a reddish brown apjiearance to many 

 portions of the surface of the country." 



Wlio that has seen those parts of Travancore which 

 have been converted into coffee gardens ha.s failed to 

 notice the soft giieis.sic rock studded with small nod- 

 ules of quartz, varying in size from that of a pea to 

 that of a walnut, and which, when exposed to atmo- 

 spheric influences, have had their felspathic constituents 

 decomposed, leaving the quartz scattered over the ground? 

 Tins soft gneissic rock is essentially the rock to whose 

 decomposition, thi'ough the lapse of ages, the coffee soils 

 of Travancore are due, just as surclj' as it is the som'ce 

 of those of the Wynaad and Nilghi districts. Wliere 

 the rock is impregnated with a large amount of fer- 

 ruginous compounds the resulting soil has a yellowish or 

 reddish-yellow colour, aud where these ii'ou comjMunds 

 are absent in the under-lying rock the colour passes to 

 that of kaolin or potter's clay. 



Cliemienl and Metttllurtjicul Laboratory, Lime-street, 

 E. C. — Minhxj Journal. — Jumlras Mail. 



B.\RK ExTEACr. — It is said there arc produced annually 

 in North America 100,000 barrels of hemlock bark extract, 

 of which a single Boston firm produces 72,000 bairels. — 

 Forestry. 



Ants of many varieties are a troublesome pest in dili'erent 

 ways in these colonies. House-wives find them a great 

 affliction, aud would gladly welcome any effective means 

 of getting rid of them. In gardens also they bother the 

 operator in many ways. Some varieties take every x>oss- 

 ihle care of scale insects, guarding them from harm, and 

 tenduig them as assiduously as the stockowner his flocks, 

 and are therefore fairly chargeable with a portion of the 

 mischief and rum they occasion. The reason of this 

 is that ants " inillc " these insects, and thus hve by them. 

 The gardener is also very much disturbed with their uest- 

 makiug pertinacity, in hard dry walks, and sometimes 

 about the roots of valuable plants and trees, so that no 

 one desires more thoroughly their extcniiinafjion than the 

 careful gardener. Kerosene, c;u'bolic acid, and coal tar 

 have all been tried at different times with vei-y partial 

 results. Coal tar pom'ed hot uito their holes, and mixed 

 with the material of the ant-hill, is more etfectual and 

 lasting than either kerosene or carbolic acid, and is less 

 costly. But to destroy them some method of ijoisonuig 

 must be resorted to. M. C. Koad, of Hudson. Ohio, 

 says that aiits may bo eltectually destroyed hy the fol- 

 lowing application : — " Mix thoroughly one part of Paris 

 green in four jiarts of flora-, and stu- the whole into 

 such a quantity of molasses as will nm into t)io small 

 holes in the gi-oimd in the ant-hills. Most of them ivill 

 be poisoned by the fltst application, and one or two 

 more in a few days will finish the work." Paris green 

 and Loudon purplo are rival powdei-a for destroying 

 the Colorado beetle, so fatid to the potato, and either 

 of t.hos(! powilers would he likely to do good work il' they 

 couM lie had. .Au.sti'alian aul-s would greedily devoiu- tlie 

 materials meutioued. — QMeiisiamier. 



Quinine.— The Gazeta, of Campinas, Sao Paulo, of 

 the 14th iuat., states that a counterfeit sulphate of 

 quinine has recently made its appearance in that 

 market. The counterfeit, according to our colleague, 

 is put up in bottles labeled "Sulfate de quinine de 

 la sociiti anonyme." — Rio News. 



RooT-PKDXiNG fruit trees to make them bear is often 

 necessary. Its object is to diminish the vigor of the tree, 

 which induces fruitfuluess, probably by the instiueitive 

 endcavoiu^ of any plant when threatened with destruction 

 to hasten the seed-for min g process by which its kind is 

 pei-petuated. — Southern Planter. 



Th-A Sf.ed: as to Depth of Sowing. — I have planted seeds, 

 as an experiment, from 1 inch to 6 inches. The seed 

 at 1 inch came to nothing; it germinated, was a weak 

 plant, and dried up. The seed from 2i to 3 inch depth 

 came up well, and turned out healthy plants; 4 inch 

 depth rather weakly, and seed at 5 and 6 niches never 

 came up at all. — Indian Tea Gazette. 



Buying a Hoitsn. — The Turf, Field and Farm, than which 

 there is no better authority on the subject, says that " in 

 buying a horse lu'st look at his head and eyes for signs 

 of intelligence, temiwr, com-age, ami honesty. Unless a 

 horse has brains j'ou cannot teach him to tlo anj-thing well. 

 If bad quahties predominate in a horse, education only 

 serves to eulai'ge and intensify them. The head is the 

 indicator of disposition. A square muzzle, with large nos- 

 trils, e\ndenccs an ample breathing apparatus and lung 

 power. Next, see that he is well under the jowl, -ivith 

 jawbones broad and wide apart imder the thiottle. Breadth 

 and fulhiess between the ears and eyes are always desir- 

 able. The eyes should be full and hazel in color, ears 

 small and thin and thrown well forward. Tho horse that 

 turns his cars back every now and then is not to be 

 trusted. He is either a biter or a kicker, and is sure to he 

 vicious in other respects, aud, being naturally viscious, can 

 never be trained to anything well, so a horse with a round- 

 ing nose, tapering forehead and a broad, full face below 

 the eyes is always treacherous and not to be depended on. 

 Avoid the long-legged stilted animal — always choosing one 

 mth a short, straight back aud ramp, withers high and 

 shoidders sloping, well set back and, with good depth of 

 chest, fore legs short, hind legs straight, with low down 

 hock, short pastern joints, aud a round, mulish-shaped 

 foot. Jiy observing the above tlirections a horse may be 

 selected that is graceful in Ids movements, good-uatm*ed 

 and serviceable— one that will be a prize to the owner. — 

 Prince O'eorye Enquirer. 



SaLK of OrOVKKNMENT ClNCJIONA IjARK AT MADRAS. — 

 Tlie following " otiioe note" from tlic district forest officer 

 to tho acting Oolleetor of tho Nilgirix, gives an aecouut of 

 the sale of the Government cinchona barks at Madras : — 

 Schonliank, Eugel ami Co. and Ur. Carrie. Two 

 huudricl and forty bales with a total of 26,2o(i pounds 

 were olTered for sale. Twonty bales containing 2,723 

 pounds liad however to be witlidrawn, as no bids 

 wer?" nude, so thai only 22'l were add containing 

 2.3,513 pounds of bark. Tlio total sum realized 

 amounted to R36,095 aud including some surplus, 

 which sold for B 124— altogether 1!.3(>,219. The results 

 are on tbe whole not quite so favorable as tho.-o of 

 thelastsalc. The price for Crown bark being less, while 

 that for rid barks is as liigli na before ; but, cou- 

 sideriug that the price of bark at Home is just now 

 very low and very much less than it was in Septem- 

 ber last, we can congratulate ourselves on having 

 disposed of our bark at very fair and remunerative 

 rates. I hail to withdraw 20 bales of Mossed Crown 

 o3 uo one seemed disposed to buy 



tli. E. 



Dodabetta ... Renewed Crown ... 1,101 3,710 



Do ... Mossed „ ... sot 1.273 



no ... Natural „ ... .3,.5;)2 6,e«« 



Do ... Branch „ ... 1,079 385 



Nndiivatam ... Ilcuewcd Red ... «,000 10,440 



Do ... Mossed „ .„ 2,000 3,U.5 



Do ... Natura „ ... 7,5(W 9,101 



Do ... Urauch „ .,.- l.StJO - S35 



iii,513 3.095 

 'I'be CIcvormnent coii; Ucr the residla ol the sale to be on 

 the whole satitiactory. 



