73° 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 1884. 



from its jutlicious use, but that it must be applied 

 yvith iiui(;li more care to most deoitUioiis fruit-trees 

 in order iiot to iujure them.— Popular Science Ncios. 



To Kill Lice on Plants.— Professor Glacer re- 

 commends the following in a Germau journal. Dis- 

 solve 2 oz. soft soap iu half-pint of rain-water, 

 make an infusion of H oz. tobacco in half-pint 

 water, mix together ; add 2^ oz. fuse-oil, and half- 

 pint of luuthylated spirit, and make up the mix- 

 ture to a quart. Sprinkle the leaves of infected trees 

 with it, aud it will kill the lice without injuring 

 the iilauis. —Pojiular Science News. 



.Sulphate of CiiNOHonidine in Ixtehmittent Fetee. 



Wo have been favored hy Dr. B. J. Manasseh, a .Syrian 

 physician who has studied in London and is practising at 

 liriimana, Jlouut Lebanon, with an interesting note on the 

 utiHty of sulphate of cinchouidme in intermittent and re- 

 mittent fever. It relates to ninety.- three cases which he has 

 beeu able closely to watch, out of more than two hundred 

 in which he has given it. The dose with which he com- 

 menced (three grains four times a day) he found to be 

 meHicicnt, and this probably accounts for its failure in 

 twenty-four cases. In larger doses, five or six grains re- 

 peated four or five times a day, he found it most elfective. 

 The statistical lesult which he gives are as follows: — Ninety- 

 three cases were cured from the first dose, and of these 

 thirteen were of remittent fever ; thirty-four of quotidian, 

 forty-tlnee of tertian, and three of quartan intermittent. 

 Longer treatment was needed in seven cases. Ciuchonidine 

 failed (from insuilicient dose) and quinine succeeded in 

 five cases of remittent, and nineteen of intermittent fever. 

 In three cases quinodine was successful, although ciuchon- 

 idine failed. In two both these failed and quinine succeeded. 

 In two cases all tlu-ee alk.-iloids Mere employed without 

 result and iodide of potassium succeeded.— Zimcet. 



A New Field for American Enterprise.— A cor- 

 respondent of the Galveston News gives some inform- 

 ation regarding the Territory of .Soconueeo, the possession 

 of which is now a subject of dispute between Mexico 

 and Guatemala. It ia a strip of land lying on the 

 Pacific coast southeast of the Gulf of Tehuantepee, and 

 extending from the Bay of Tonela to the Bay do Ocos, 

 ou the present line of Guatemala, a distance of about 

 200 miles, and reaching inland to the summit of the 

 mountain range, from forty to fifty miles, containing 

 about 8,000 squ.are miles. It includes the entire water 

 front of the State of Chiapas, Mexico. The reason why 

 Guatemala desires this territory is its marvelous fert- 

 ility. It was celebrated before the inquisition for its 

 heavy yiehl of coffee and tine quality of chocolate. The 

 correspondent says tliat the Spanish Government re- 

 served tlie right to exclusively purchase tlie chocolate 

 crop of tliis Soconuseo Territory, and that until recently 

 the natives supposed that they had no right to sell 

 chocolate to any other than merchants of Spain. On 

 the Guatemalan side of the boundary these lands arc 

 held at very higli prices. The valuable product of coftVo. 

 chocidate, sugar, rice, cotton, vanilla and indigo, is 

 building up tliK cities, biautifyiug the country and 

 enriching the commerce. On the^Mexican side rich 

 lands in the State of Chiapas have all been conceded 

 to Dr. Edward C. Wise, of Virginia, and others, who 

 have organized a colonization company. An American 

 city is laid out, and a number of Americans being 

 alre.idy ou the ground. Grant's Mexican Sonlherii 

 Kailroad will pmi-tra e this fertile ngion within two 

 years. The corrospuiident .«ays that tliere is a perfect 

 sliimpede for its posses.--ion. The invigorating temp- 

 erature, pure water, miihr-giuy, rosewood, " walnut, 

 oollee, rice, sugar, etc., all combine to make it attract- 

 ive. There are ^aid to bo single cotfoe trees ten or 

 twelve years old yiildiug from tweufy-five to fifty 

 Ijouu.ls of coffee annually. l.,abor is cheap, .and Inuds 

 arc sold to colonists by the Comp.any on ten years' 

 time, without interest. — American Exportn: 



Geraniums and .Snakes. — Under this heading a contem- 

 porary draws attention to a new value for yeraniunis. In 

 South Africa, we are told, the geranium has the reputation 

 of being proof against snakes, which, it is saiil, avoid the 

 plant as though it were poisonous. AVe are reminded that 

 though the llowers of the geranium are scentless, the leaves 

 cont.ain a quantity of volatile oil with more or less pungent 

 odours, and it is stated that no snake will come near a 

 bed of these flowers. A missionary in South Africa has 

 surrounded his house with a cordon of geraniums, with the 

 result that it is never visited by these unwelcome intruders. 

 To the Kaffirs is attributed the discovery of this property 

 iu the geranium.— P;«rt«(;,-s' Gazette. 



A Use for Snake-Skins. — AYhilo the skins of nearly all 

 kinds of wild animals killed in sport or in self-defence are 

 preserved for use or ornament in some form or other — 

 even the thick, armour-like hide of the crocodile and al- 

 hgator being pressed into the service of the purse manu- 

 facturer and the bootmaker — the adaptability of the skins 

 of snakes to similar uses has been overlooked. The m.arkings 

 of many kinds of snakes are beautiful in the extreme, and 

 the colours can be perfectly obtained after <leath, as the' 

 preserved specimens in museums amply testify. The skin, 

 though thin, is exceedingly tough ; aud, if properly tanned, 

 would make an excellent material for the manufacture of 

 purses, ladies' bags, &c,, and for the covering of fancy boxes 

 aud other ornaments. In this respect snake leather would 

 be far superior to alligator leather, which shows how effect- 

 ively the markings of so unpromising-looking a skin as that 

 of this nng.ainly saurian in its natural state may be dis- 

 played in being turned into leather. A great adv.antage 

 which would result from the use of snake-skins in the 

 manner suggested would be that they would become of 

 marketable value, and an adtlitional inducement would thus 

 be given to the natives in India and elsewhere to kill the 

 reptiles which are so formidable a jiest there and in many 

 of our Colonies — Colonies and Iiul-ia. 



Utilisino the Sharks. — In the list of exports from Queens- 

 land, AN'estern Australia, Fiji, and other parts of Australasia, 

 "shark's fins"' figure as a considerable item, along with 

 other articles with the names of which the Europejiu 

 merchants are scarcely famihar. Sharks of various species 

 are abundant in tlie warm waters of theso tropical and 

 sub-tropical regions, and the natives .and settlers turn them 

 to good account in various ways. The first process is to 

 cut oft the back fins, which are of great value, fctchiug 

 in the market from 90.'. to 100?. per ton. They are extens- 

 ively used in making gektine. The back fins are the best, 

 yielding gelatine of a superior ([uality, but .all the fins are 

 more or less valuable. The operation is easily accomphshed 

 by merely placing a knife at the bottom of the fin, cutting 

 it off level with the bark. The fin is then allowed to 

 thoroughly dry in the sun. When afterwards placed in 

 warm water and the rough skin scraped off, the result 

 is almost pure gelatine. But the fins are by no means 

 the most vahuable portion of the fish, the liver yielding an 

 immense quantity of oil, which is largely used for medit;iual 

 and other purposes. The extraction of the oil is also an 

 ea.sy matter. The best method of obtaining the utmo.st 

 oil from the liver is to place it in a steam-tight reccptiicle, 

 and force in steam to the pressure of four atmospheres; 

 but a large proportion can be obtiiined by simply cutting 

 up the liver aud allowing it to drain, or jjlaeiug it under 

 pressure. In this case the oil often becomes thick, but 

 that obtained by the former process has a beautiful amber 

 colour, which fades on e.xposme to the light. It is often 

 used instead of cod-liver oil, being equally ellicacious. It 

 hiis, however, an uupleaisjlit taste and ilisngreeabic smell, 

 which may be slightly improved by allowing the oil to 

 drain through charcoal, A good deal of the oil sold .as 

 "Dugong" is really shark oil. The carca.so of the shark 

 is also sometimes utilised, and is of considerable value. 

 If, instead of being thrown aw.-iy aud allowed to putrefy 

 in the water, it is subjected to the same process as tlie 

 liver, a (inantity of oil may bo extracted from it, ai:d the 

 residue may be used as manm-e, — Colonies and India. 



"BUCHU-PAIBA. " 

 Qiii('k, complete cure, all annoying Kiilni y. Bladder aud 

 Urinary Disca.ses. Druggists. B. S. Madon & Co., Bom- 

 bay, General Agents. 



