April i, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



717 



Movements of Sap in Plants. — Observatioas made by 

 V. IMarcona on the movements of tlie sap ia plauts in the 

 tropics indicated that in the plants examined, viz., Carica 

 PajMi/a and a Uana, there are two periods of maximum 

 rapidity in the twenty-four hours, one between 8 and IU'1.5 

 a.m., and the ot her between 1 and 3 p.m., the rapidity 

 in the latter being less than in the former and sinking 

 gradually to zero, the activity commencing again after 

 sunrise. — Fhannaceiitical Journal. 



China Olat in Australia. — Kaolin in by no means 

 uncommon in many parts of New South Wales, and a 

 deposit of kaolin, suita'ile for the manufacture of tlie 

 best porcelain, is reported to occur at Lambing Flat, King's 

 Plains, county Bathurst; while another of a dazzling 

 white colour has been found on a hill near to Rocky 

 Ridge, which is in association with a bright and pretty 

 coloured lavender clay derived from decomposed bassalt. 

 The substance is also found near BaiTaba, County DarUng. 

 — Jiiuraal of the Society of Art/. 



Bones.— De. J. R. iSTichols, of the Boston Journal of 

 Clicmi/tri/, gives this about reducing bones:— "Break 100 

 pounds of bones into small fragments and pack them in 

 a tight cask or box with 100 pountls of good wood ashes, 

 which liave been previously mi.xed with 25 pounds ot 

 dry water-slaked lime and 12 pounds of powdered sal 

 soda. Twenty gallons of water will saturate the mass, 

 and more may be added as required. In two or three 

 weeks the bones will be soft enough to tnrn out on the 

 barn floor and mixed with two bushels of good soil." — 

 Australasian. 



TiMBEES OF New Sooth Wales.— The collection of 

 specimens of indigenous woods, prepared by direction of 

 the New Zealand Government for the Calcutta Exhib- 

 ition, includes v,irious kinds of cedar, boxwood, gum, wattle, 

 myitle, and pine; also of ironbark, native wiUow, myall 

 sp'earwood, and other kinds known only by name to 

 Europeans. Many kiuds of native wood are valuable for 

 fancy work. For instance, the wood of the myall is used 

 for cabinet work, pipes, ijicture frames, veneer, &c. Co- 

 lonial cedar is said to be as beautiful in appearance as 

 the best Spanish mahogany, and is much used for build- 

 ing purposes throghout the" colony, the wood being cheap, 

 duraUo, and easily worked. Red pine, the wood of which 

 is beautifully mottled, and striped with black, white, 

 and yellow, is used in many places iu a similar manner. 

 — Journal of the Society of Arts. 



The AiiEGED Vietdes of the Blue Gum. — Botany has 

 made no such precious gift to therapeutic science as the 

 Eucalyptus globulus. From all parts of Europe, as well 

 as from the two Americas, pours in a flood of medical 

 testimony to the remarkable value of the chemical pre- 

 nanitions which are obtained from the leaves of this trees 

 the properties of which would have been regarded as mirac- 

 uloiis iu the middle ages. Baron von Mueller has been 

 at the pains of collecting and collating this testimony from 

 the scientific publications of many countries, and he cites 

 recorded cases, resting on the authority of practitioners of 

 eminence, to show that eucalj-ptus oil possesses almost 

 unique virtues as an antiseptic, as an agent for the reduc- 

 tion of the pulse iu phthisis and tyi^hns, for the diminu- 

 tion of bronchial catan-h, for the successful treatment of 

 intermittent and malarian fever, for combating incipient 

 or threatened gangrene, and for healing oertiiin ulcers. Dr. 

 Wooster, of San Francisco, enumerates 120 cases of various 

 diseases, 96 of which were cured by the administration of 

 the fluid extract ot eucalyptus foliage. In 23 cases of re- 

 mittent, intermittent, and typhoid fever, every one yielded 

 to the treatment. The American faculty are using the 

 extract largely in cases of diphtheria and scarlatina with 

 the most gratifying results ; and in severe cases of cystisis 

 it has effected curias when all ordinary remedies had failed. 

 In the practice of a single physician in New York. 100 

 dijththeritic cases have been successfully treated by the 

 fluid extract ; and plants of the yonug eucalyptus are now 

 being introduced for disinfecting purposes into the wards 

 of Euro]iean hospitals. Eucalyptus inhalations are cap- 

 able, it has been tound. of over-coming catarrhal asthma 

 and hooping cough, and of arresting pulmonary consump- 

 tion. In fact, if we may accept as trustworthy the trib- 

 utes paid to the eucalj'ptus by medical men m Europe 

 and Ameri(;a, it approaches more nearly to a panacea or a 

 catholicon than anything that has been discovered. — 

 Amlrulasian. 



Calasuvbek "VTood — or, as it is sometimes called Coro- 

 mandel \yood — which is so much valued for small orna- 

 mental articles on account of its beautiful figurCj is, as 

 is well known, the produce of Diospyros quajsita, Thw., a 

 large tree of Ceylon. Considering the value of this wood, 

 both in Ceylon and also for exportation to Europe, it is 

 not satisfactory to learn, on the authority of Dr. Trimen, 

 that the tree has become extremely scarce. Gamble, in 

 his llaniial of Indian Timbers, also describes it as the 

 most valuable ornamental wood in Oeylon, which is much 

 in demand, but now scarce. — Gardeners^ Chronicle. 



Paraguay Tea. — Yerba, or Paraguay Tea, seems to be 

 coming to the fore as a beverage in this country, if we 

 may judge from the way it is being advertised by a firm 

 in one of the large Midland Counties, who stjde them- 

 selves importers of this Tea. The folIo\ving appears in the 

 Church Tijnes : — No more bad tea ! Drink Yerba (trade 

 mark), as adopted by the most fashionable circles in Paris. 

 Descriptive catalogue post-free. Yerba, the finest quality 

 of the famous Brazilian tea (Mate), is very nutritious, 

 and has all the stimulating property of India or China 

 tea, but no tannin, consequently never produces indiges- 

 tion, and can be safely taken with nieat. A light, thin, 

 refreshing drink like tea, with fine fragrance and flavour, 

 yet as nourishing as cocoa. Millions of pounds are used 

 annually in Brazil. Price 2s. per pound." It will be in- 

 teresting to see whether the leaves of Ilex paraguayensis 

 will ever become an acknowledged beverage in this country. 

 Readers of the Gardeners^ Chronicle will remember the 

 ])ersistent attempts of Mr. Forsyth to introduce the use 

 ot the leaves of the common Holly for this purpose. — 

 Gardeners' Chronicle. 



A Lakge Apple Teee. — Probably the largest Apple tree 

 in the world is to be seen on the farm of Delos Hotch- 

 kiss, in Marion, Conn., U. S. A., the exact measurements 

 of which are as follows : — 



Circumference of trunk near the ground ... 1,5 feet 3 inches. 

 „ „ 3 feet from ground 13 „ 9 „ 



„ „ at the forks ... 16 „ 2 „ 



„ two main branches, from 10 ft. 4 in. & 8 „ 8 „ 

 „ of nine smaller branches, from ... 4 ft. to 6 ft. each. 



Height of tree 60 feet. 



Diameter of tree-top 104 „ 



A jjeculiarity of this tree is that it is what is termed 

 " an alternate bearer," five limbs bearing one year and 

 four the next. The usual yield from the five limbs is 

 about 85 bushels, although iu a single instance it reached 

 110 bushels ; and the four limbs vary from 35 to 40 bushels. 

 The fruit is said to be excellent for winter use, though 

 on this point I can only speak from hear.say. The age 

 of this venerable Apple tree is estimated at about 175 

 to 180 years. Curiously enough the patriotic old tree 

 marked the centennial year by bearing fruit on all it« 

 branches, the first time it has been known to do so in 

 its life, and it has continued to do so down to the pre- 

 sent time. .Some of the limbs are now dying, others are 

 broken down, signs of decay appear in many places, and 

 it is thought that this noble specimen of Pyrus mains will 

 soon be numbered among the things of the past. — Rev. 

 C. H. HovEY in Scientific American. 



The Diffusion Process of Sugae-Making. — At a meet- 

 ing of the Barbadoes Chamber of Agriculture, a paper was 

 read on this subject of which the following is an abstract: — 

 The speciality of the Robert uiffusion process is that we 

 require no cane Mills nor the immense power to work them, 

 that we get out fully 20 ^/^ more juice than by use of Jlills. 

 In this process the cane is cut in slices merely and steeped, 

 so that out of the' closed cells we take the juice by the 

 well known law of Exomosis and Endosraosis. Hence the 

 juice is mach purer, since it is freer of albumen and of 

 the fermentable matters of this piice which an; left behind 

 in the cells. The purity of diffusion juice may be judged 

 of by the fact thata clarifier of .'jiii.i gallons when deficated 

 would not give "Scum" sufiicient totiU a slop basin! The 

 drawbacks to diffusion are the large quantities of water 

 required for its use fmnch of this can be utilized however 

 for condensing purposes) aud the addition to the juice of 

 20 or 30 -'Ir, of water which means so much extra evaporation 

 and so mucli extra cistern space but the larger yield of 

 20 "U more than compensates for tlu^se minor disadvant.agcs. 

 The Aska sugar works is the only spot in her Majesty's 

 dominions where the process is at work. — Planters' Gazette. 



