670 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[March i, 1884. 



the itinerant street vendors. A package of oranges con- 

 tains, on an average, 400; and in the season of 1881-2, 

 nearly a million packages were landed in Loudon ; and 

 not far short of that number were lauded in Ijiverpool. 

 Glasgow receives a large, and each year an increasing supply ; 

 while Bristol and Hull account for many thousands. Alto- 

 "ether, it was computed that in the season of 1881-2, two 

 and a-half niilliou packages were imported into this country, 

 which would represent something like 1,000,000,000 of 

 oranges for home consumption. This season wdl show a 

 still greater advance, as in most orange-growing districts 

 the supply is plentiful ; and the market value of the total 

 importation, including lemons, will represent something not 

 far sliort of two millions sterling, first hand. Tho increase 

 in tho trade is due not only to increased facilities of trans- 

 port, but to the abolition of the duty on the fruit. Formerly, 

 2s. 6d. per package was the impost; in 18.53 it was reduced 

 to 8d; and was altogether abolished in 1861.. Happily, 

 the orange is a very harmless, if not a decidedly whole- 

 some, fruit. — Journal of the Society of A rts. 



OYSTER CULTURE IN FORMOSA. 



Mr. W. B. Russell, the Oommissiouer of Customs at Takow, 

 has the following interesting note on the above subject in 

 his report on trade for 1880 :— " A very considerable pro- 

 portion of the poor people. on the coast gain their livelihood 

 by the cultivation of the oyster, and, as I believe the method 

 is peculiar to South Formosa, a brief history may prove 

 interesting. Two varieties exist, the bamboo ancl the rock 

 ovster. The beds are always found in lagoons or other in- 

 land waters which are susceptible to the ebb and flow of the 

 tide, and it is a sine qua non that these spots must not be 

 uncovered for a longer period than from four to six hours in 

 the twenty-four. The spat floats in with the flood tide, 

 and, attaching itself to bamboos and rocks placed for the 

 purpose, takes up its .abode until the oyster is sufficiently 

 grown for the market. The stronger the current and the 

 dirtier the water, the surer the chance of a good yield. 

 The cultivation of the bamboo oyster may bo thus described : 



After a suitable spot has been selected, the cultivator 



chooses a quantity of flat oyster-shells, the thinner the 

 better, and dividii;g them into two equal lots, he bores 

 tlirough the centre of one-half of them a bole li inches in 

 diameter, the purpose of which will soon be explained. He 

 next provides himself with as many bamboos as he requires 



the uumbi T representing 'he amount itf plants — each of 



wliich is about i feet 6 inches long by IJ to 2 inches wide, 

 and about half an inch tbich. These are split up about two- 

 thirds of their length, and when all are so prepared the 

 planter takes one of the entire shells, and placing it between 

 the bamboo, presses together the split ends an<l closes them 

 by pushing over and down one of the bored .shells, which acts 

 as a patilock. Now being ready for the nursery they are 

 taken to their destiuation and planted about 6 inches dis- 

 tant from one another, and are then in position to receive 

 the spat. It is estimated that 2,110,000 plants are put down 

 j'p.arlY- F.ach bamboo produces from four to five catties 

 of oysters in the sliell, but when opened and cleaned only 

 about half a catty, so the total amount of pure fish produced 

 annually is 10,550 piculs. The value varies in summer and 

 winter,"l)ut the average price may be taken at 39 casl> a 

 catty, which gives ■11.1.1.5,0(10 cash as the total value. This 

 sum, converted at 1.400 cash to the dollar — the usual ex- 

 change— equale 39.38G dol. Although iu most parts of the 

 world the oyster is considered unfit for food during the 

 summer months, here, where anything is welcome that gives 

 one a change from chickens and shrimps, they are a luxury 

 not to be despised, and even though they are not first-rate 

 in the hot weatiier, they are always fresh and palatable. 

 The Viamboo oyster is edible seventy "days after platiting the 

 bamboo, but i.s not considered in its prime until five months 

 afterwards. The best are those planted about the seventh 

 Chinese moon, thus reaching their maturity at Chinese New 

 Year time, when they figure as a con.siderable item in the 

 feasts of this festive season. It is stated that the colder the 

 north-west monsoon and the fiercer the wind, the better the 

 ovster thrives. They are usually eaten fresh by the Chinese ; 

 aiid so great is the demand for the bivalve, that the market 

 has to be replenished by the importation of dried oysters 

 from coast ports. Formerly this in^lustry was taxed toibe 

 extent of 120 cash for every 1,000 bamboos planted, but some 



three years ago Ting Futai ordered all taxes on the fisheries 

 of all Icinds to be done away with. The rock oyster requires 

 much less care than his fellow. Wherever spat is observed, 

 generally in lagoons and at the mouths or sides of creeks, the 

 natives lay down stones, rough or smooth, and varying in 

 weight from a catty to half a picul, and leave them until 

 sufficient oysters are produced to make it worth while 

 gathering them. Every creek and lagoon in the neighbour- 

 hood lias its oyster beds, as is the sad experience of all those 

 who love boat sailing. Although these oysters do not look 

 well ou the table, ou account of the ungainly ill-shaped shells, 

 the fish is good, and oddly enough is at its best in those 

 months which do not contain the letter K in their spelling. — 

 HonykoMi Daily Press. 



The Bot.\xic Gaedexs, M.iubitius. — Ninety-four thou- 

 sand ])ersons are reported as having visited the gardens in 

 1832. The rainfall was 75 inches — March, with a fall of 

 24'8S inches, being the wettest month. The highest temp- 

 erature .recorded was 85 ° '6 Fahr., on January 21, and 

 the lowest 53 ° , on June 1 — the mean maximum for the 

 year being 77 ° . the mean minimum 70 ° . The propag- 

 ation of the Ceara rubber tree, Manihot Glazio^ni, has been 

 proceeded with satisfactorily. Trials are being made of 

 other rubber trees, the great demand for caoutchouc stimul- 

 ating cultivators in all tropical colonies. Liberian coffee 

 is reported not to be a success in Mauritius. The propag- 

 ation and distribution of new kinds of Sugar-cane were 

 carried out satisfactorily, 131,700 canes haidng been distrib- 

 uted during the year. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Ceylon. — Dr. Trimen has recently published a httle 

 hand-guide to the Roy.al Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, 

 Ceylon, which connot fail to be very useful. « *■ « * 

 The history of the existing garden, of its predecessors, 

 and of its several superintendents, from the time of Alex- 

 ander Moon to the retirement of Dr. Thwaites is given at 

 some length. "We have at various times given illustrations 

 of some of the more remarkable trees in this garden, such 

 as of the Talipot, Corjqjha umbraculifera, the noblest of 

 all Palms, tliough in some sense an " annual," for like an 

 annual it produces flowers but once, and then, having 

 accomplished its mission, dies. The gigantic buttresses of 

 the indiarubber trees (Ficus elastica) have also been fig- 

 ured by Captain Oliver. Dr. Trimen's narrative, strictly 

 didactic though it be, makes " one's mouth water," if the 

 expression may be allowed. Three other gardens in differ- 

 ent climatic districts of the island are also under Dr. 

 Trimen's charge. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Influence op Lime on Soils. — Professor E. W. Hilgard, 

 in discussing the "Objects and Interpretation of Soil Analyses," 

 gives, among other things, the following advantages re- 

 sulting from an adequate .supply of " hme in soils: — I. A 

 more rapid transformation of vegetable matter into active 

 humus, which manifests itself by a dark or deep black 

 tint of the soil. 2. The retention of such humus, against 

 the o.xidising influences of hot climates: wituess the high 

 liumus percentages of such soils, as against all others, 

 iu the Southern States. 3. Whether through the medium 

 of this Immus, or in a more direct manner, it renders 

 adequate for profitable culture percentages of phosphoric 

 acid and potash so small that in the case of deficiency 

 or absence of lime the soil is practically sterile. 4. It 

 tends to .secure the proper maintenance of the conditions 

 of nitrification, whereby the inert nitrogen of the soil is 

 rendered available. , 5. It exerts a most important phys- 

 ical ai:tion on the flocculation, and therefore on the tih- 

 ability of the soil, as heretofore shown by Scholoesing tind 

 by myself. Professor Hilgard adds that in the majority 

 of soils (excejiting those that are extremely sandy) the 

 lime percentage is greater in the subsoil than in the surf- 

 ace soil. This is doubtless, he explains, the result of the 

 easy solubility of calcic carbonate iu the soil water, which 

 carries it downward and thus tends to deplete the surface 

 soil. This fact is strikingly shown iu the results of 

 Louthridge's iuvestig.ation on the composition of the several 

 sediments. The efficacy of lime in preventing "running 

 to weed " in fresh soils, and iu flavoui-ing the production 

 of fruit, is conspicuously shown in a number of cases. — 

 Australasitin, 



