7i6 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 1884. 



exiled Napoleon I. after the battle of Waterloo. Mr. Slorris, 

 iu bis iutro luctory notes, briefly refers to this fact, aud 

 points out that the islaud was discovered on May 21, 1502, 

 by the Portu^'uese; it was held by the Dutch until 1651, 

 when the East India Company took it, and it was trans- 

 ferred to the Crown in 1S33. The area of the island is 

 about 45 square miles, lOj miles long, and 8^ miles broad. 

 " Of the 28,800 acres of which the islaud consists, the 

 greater portion suitable for cultivation is in private hands. 

 The Crown lauds, with the exception of Longtown Farm 

 and a few other places, are barren wastes on the outskirts 

 of the island, incapable of cultivation." The special char- 

 acteristics of the island are, Mr. Morris says, observable 

 both in the geological nature of the soil as well as in the 

 plants which affect them. 



The coast zone, v/hich at the present day is dry and 

 barren, was at one time covered with luxuriant vegetation, 

 " and with trees droopiug over the tremendous precipices 

 that overhang the sea." The barren coast zone is described 

 as at present extending about 1 mile to Ik mile around 

 the island. Deep wide valleys, and rocky, almost inacces- 

 sible ridges run from the central ridge towards the sea, 

 breaking up the coast zone into numerous almost detached 

 prominences and ledges. It is absolutely devoid of veget- 

 ation, except Prickly Pear, a few plants of Mesembryant- 

 hemum, and the rare indigenous Pelargonium, Pharnaceum. 

 and Tiipteris. On the Bam there are straggling bushes of 

 the Scrub Wood (.Vster glutinosus, Eoxb.), which is prob- 

 ably the most abundant of the indigenous plants of the 

 1 ojky coast. In this zone the plants are so scattered and 

 so buried in crevices and hollows that they are scarcely 

 seen from the sea, aud do httle to reUeve the parched 

 :uid barren appearance of the island. 



The middle zone extends from the boundary of the coast 

 zone to about three-quarters of a mile inland ; its surface 

 is not so rocky, and the slopes are more covered with 

 grass. Here Australian, Cape, and American shrubs and 

 trees have established themselves into thickets of consider- 

 able size. The slopes are often covered with Furse, with 

 an occasional plant of the indigenous gum woods, and in 

 the damp iioUows some of the larger Ferns. " The Eng- 

 lish Brooms," Mr. Morris says, '• together with Brambles, 

 \Mllows and Poplars, Scotch Pines and Gorse bushes, 

 Cipe of Good Hope bushes, Australian trees and Amer- 

 i(.-.ni weeds have driven out most of the indigenous plants 

 f :-om this belt. The tendency of these introduced plants 

 i i to encroach more and more upon the higher lands where 

 tlie indigenous flora still remains. As regards the larger 

 trees, such as Pines and "Willows (Acacias), they appear 

 to be spreaihng downwards in the direction of the valleys, 

 following, no doubt, the distiibution of their seeds by the 

 action of the trade winds." 



The central zone is described as being not more than 

 about 3 miles long, and 2 miles wide ; in some places the 

 rocks are very precipitous, while in oihers the land is 

 undulating, mth grassy slopes, meadows, hay-fields, a few 

 farms and gardens, and well-wooded glens of Oak and Aca- 

 cia. On the extreme crest of the central ridge, extend- 

 ing from High Peak to Rock Kose, there is stiU left a 

 portion of the indigenous foi'est vnth Cabbage trees (fig- 

 ured in Gardeneri^^ Chronicle^ 1^80, vol. sii, p. 401) and 

 Ferns, the wild Olive (Nesiota elliptica), Angelica. Lobelia, 

 and the delicate campanulate "VVahlenbergia. Here the 

 soil is for the most part rich, though not very deep, and 

 the cUmate is particularly cool. 



Mr. ]Morris Biiggc^sts that Aloe, Furcrjes, and plants of 

 a similar character, together with some hardy trees should 

 be established in warm and sheltered valleys as a pioneer- 

 ing vegetition to spread over these wastes to gradually 

 reclaim them. About S,000 acres are in pasture and hay- 

 land, and the tendency is co allow this to increase. The 

 country houses, which in the East India Company's times 

 were inhabited by prosperous merchants and officials, and 

 sniTounded by well kept gardens and orchards, are fast 

 falling into decay and becoming ruinous. The cultivated 

 areas around them aie simply converted into grazing lands, 

 and a few cattle and sheep are the only indications of 

 life for miles around. 



About 40O acres are under cultivation with indigenous 

 and introduced trees, and nearly SOO acres with root-crops, 

 forage, orchards, and gardens. The census of 1881 showed 

 the population of St. Helena, exclusive of the garrison o, 



shipping, was about 4,500, aud of this number more than 

 half live in Jamestown. 



After giving the rainfall, temperatmre, and other mete- 

 orological conditions of the island, Mr. iMorris thus refers 

 to the future; — " Speaking from my point of view, and 

 after a careful consideration of the soil, climate, and gen- 

 eral resources of the island, I am led to take a hopeful 

 \'iew of those resources, provided they are developed in 

 such a manner as to place the island in fair comjietitiou^ 

 with other countries. X look entirely to the soil for the* 

 elements necessary to bring prosperity to St. Helena. But 

 the people require to be shown what there resources are ; 

 they need to be taught how to use those resources aright, 

 and they require to be encouraged and assisted while so 

 engaged. I should recommend, in the first instance, that 

 an intelligent and competent gardener be sent to the island 

 to take up the entire question of the revival of agricult- 

 ural pursuits, and that if the local government is unable 

 to support such an officer and a small staff, that a grant 

 be made for the purpose by the home Government." 



Mi\ Morris further recommends the formation of a small 

 establishment, with nurseries, &c., at Plantation House, for 

 a gardener and a small practical staff, who should intro- 

 duce and raise for distribution plants not already in the 

 island. 



We have quoted thus freely from this interesting report 

 to show its nature and character ; the remainder treats of 

 economic plants under their separate heads, and is of equal, 

 if not of greater importance, to that to which we have 

 specially referred. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Adulteration of Spices. — At the Pharmaceutical Meet- 

 ing in Philadelphia on January 15, Professor Maisch exhibited 

 a root called cinnamon root, which was said to be used 

 in Euro^ie tor the purpose of adulterating powdered cin- 

 namon. The root had a flavour of cinnamon and cloves. 

 Dr. A. "W. Miller stated that in the neighbouring city of 

 Camden there was a factory for roasting and grinding 

 coconut shells, the powder of which was used for adult- 

 erating spices; it sells at 2| cents per lb., and enables the 

 fraudulent operator to dilute the spice and obtain large 

 profits {Aiuer. Jouru. Phanna., Feb., p. 224.) — Pkarmaeet'.t- 

 ical Journal, 



The Preservation of Flowers. — Our readers may have ' 

 read iu the newspapers recently the account of the in- 

 teresting discovery of the boiUes of the Egyptian Pharaohs 

 and their Queens, and also of that of the daughter of 

 Pharaoh who was the finder and protector of the infant 

 Moses. Round th^.t necks of two of these illustrious 

 people were found wreaths of the sacred lotus and other 

 flowers, 'still, after the lapse of 4000 years, preserving 

 their form and hue as when they were first plucked to 

 decorate the deail. They were probably prepared by 

 loving hands, with no thought of the future time which 

 was to S'^e their repose disturbed and the sacred remains 

 exposed as cm-iosities in a museum. The following recipes 

 will show how the i^reservation was probably accomplished, 

 and will solve the mystery which surrounds the subject. 

 One of the processes consists in enclosing the flower or 

 flowers in a glass jar provided with an airtight, hollow, 

 ground-glass stopper, the cavity of which is filled with 

 quicklime wrapped in leather. The object of the lime is 

 to absorb the small quantity of humidity aheady exist- 

 ing in the jar, or which might enter on the removal of 

 the stopper. The dry air, dcpiived of its carbonic acid, 

 occupying the jar seems to brighten the colour of the 

 flowers, and preserve them in their natural colours. The 

 other method consists in burying the flowers carefully in 

 saud, and then drying them. The most convenient re- 

 ceptacle that can be used for this purpose is a piece of 

 paper wrapped in the form of a cone, the point bent 

 over so as to form a truncated cone. The desiccation may bo 

 effected at a tenii)»rature of 00 to 10<.l degrees; but the 

 method which gives the best results is desiccation in a 

 vacuum in the presence of commercial sulphuric acid, or 

 any other substance which absorbs water with avidity, 

 such, for instauce. as chloride of calcium or caustic potash. 

 The flower once dried, which will be in eight or ten days, 

 it must be removi-d from the sand mth verj- great care, 

 for it is very fragile. — Lc^Us Gaztite of Fa:ihion. 



