758 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[April i, 1884. 



spheres, particularly in the West Indies, the chief places 

 being Trinidad,. Venezuela, and New Grenada, and latterly 

 Ceylon and Jamaica. There are many varieties of this plant 

 distinguished by the size and shape of the fruit and the 

 quahty of the seeds, of which each fruit contains a number 

 very closely packed in pulp. These, after being fermented, 

 rubbed and cured, constitute Cocoa; if merely broken up 

 Cocoa Nins; mixed with starch and very finely ground. 

 Soluble Cocoa of the shops. Chocolate con.sist.s of the 

 same made up into a pa.ste and flavoured. A collection of 

 specimens of cocoa from various countries, with its different 

 preparations, by Jlessrs. Fry & Sons, is here exhibited. In 

 1882 over 18,91)0,000 pounds of Cocoa were imported into 

 Great Britain, more than 11,996,000 pounds being entered 

 for home consumption. 



Illustrations of the fibrous character of many Indian species 

 of the order are exhibited in this case, including A hruma 

 auQifSta^ L., Gnazama tomeutosa, Kunth, &c. 



No. 85. A bundle of the dried leaves of the Coca (Eiy- 

 th-o.ri/lon Coca, Lam.), the masticatory of the Andes and 

 Peru.' The Coca-bush is extensively cultivated by the In- 

 dians; the annual producing ha^nng been estimated at 

 30 000,000 pounds. The leaves are either infused as tea, or, 

 as is usual, chewed with a little unslacked lime. The imme- 

 diate effect is a gentle excitement, with sensations of high 

 enjoyment. Its use lessens the desire for food, and enables 

 the chewer to undergo an enormous amount of fatigue, 

 from an mcreased nervous energy. 



Observe the " popona," or lime-flask of the Indian coca- 

 chewer, also ^' Impadu," the powdered leaf, mixed with a 

 httle tapioca, the ashes of Quinoa, Cecropia, ke. 



["Coca " must be distinguished from " Cocoa " of the shops, 

 the produce of Theohroma Cocoa, see Case 13] ; from the 

 Coco plum, see Case 42 ; and from the Cocoa Nut Palm 

 iCocos iiucifera, L.). 



Qcassia Order (Simaruiete). Trees or shrubs, growing 

 mainly in the tropical parts of America and Africa, distin- 

 guished by an intense bitterness. Some species are employed 

 medicinally as tonics. 



No. 104. Surinam Quassia Wood {Quassia amara, L.) 

 and cups made from same. This wood is the " Original 

 '* Quassia of the Materia Medica and the one upon wliich the 

 " reputation of Quassia as a medicine was established, but as 

 *' the tree yielding it was of small size the demand for it soon 

 '* exceeded the supply," and it is now uidinown in British 

 medicine. 



No. 113. Neem or Makgosa {.Velia Azadirachta, L.). A 

 large tree found throughout the greater part of India and 

 Burma. It is held sacred by the Hindus, and idols are made 

 of the woofl, which is also used for furniture, ship building, 

 &c. The bark is bitter and is a febrifuge. The leaves are 

 used for poultices, and the clear amber coloiu*ed gum is con- 

 sidered stimulant. From the pulp of the fruit is expressed 

 a yellow coloured fixed oil. which is bitter and acrid, and 

 used both for burning and Lu medicine. 



Note flowers of Aglaia odorata. Lour., used by the Chmese 

 for scenting tea. Also edible fruit of the Laxsa or Laxgsat 

 {Lansium domesticum. Jack.) of the Jlalay islands. 



No. 114. Carapa or Crab Oil, obtained from the seeds 

 of Cttrapa ffvianensis, Aubl.,and used by the natives of British 

 Guiana for burning and also for anointing their bodies. 



No. 115. Mahogany, the wood of '^!/7V^iijrt l/rt/iotfffH/.L., 

 ,a large forest tree of Centi'al America and Cuba. One of 

 the most valuable of furniture woods. It is stated that a single 

 log lies near the south coast of Cuba, too heavy to carry 

 to a port, measuring 9 ft. broad. 6 ft. high, aud 12 ft. in 

 length; supposed weight about 18 tons. It has been there 

 many years, and is likely to reraam till it rots. Upwards 

 of 36,000 tons were imported in 1882. 



No. 116. Model of a truck, laden with Mahogany, as 

 employed in bringing the logs to the works, from the in- 

 terior of Honduras. 



No. 120. Cedak Wood of New Sotth Wales, Toon, 

 of India, iCedrela Tvonn, Koxb.). A tall handsome tree, 

 found also in Sub-Himalayan forests, Bengal, Burma, South 

 India, &c. The wood is durable and beautifully marked, and 

 is used both in Austr,alia ami India for all kinds of furni- 

 ture, door panels,and ornamental work. The liark is astring- 

 ent and is used in India as a fel>rifugc. It yields a 

 resinous gum. The flowers yield a red or yellow dye, and 

 the leaves are used to fi-ed cattle. 



[Although called "Cedar," the-se are totally distinct from 



the true Cedar (C«?c«s iiiajii, Loud.), which belopgsto the 

 Pme Order, Case 121.] 



No. 121. S.iTiN Wood, afforded by an East Indian tree 

 {Chloroxylon Swicteitia,Ij.). The wood is durable, close-grained, 

 and will take au excellent polish, preserving a handsome 

 appearance for a long time. Largely used for the backs of 

 hair brushes and for inlaying. 



No. 125. " Terba de Mate," or Paraguay Tea, the 

 leaves of Ilex paraguai/ensis, St. Hil., ^and allied species 

 according to Miers) ; in the province of Pai-aguay and Brazil 

 cultivated to a great extent. The leaves are scorched and 

 dried, while still attached to the branches brought in by 

 the collectors; they are then beaten, separated, coarsely 

 gromid by rude mills, and packed in skins and leathern 

 bags. The leaves are infused in small teapots, of which 

 several forms are here shown, and the tea imbibed either 

 from the spout or by ; — 



No. 126, a "BoMBiLLA," or tube with wire network or 

 perforations at the bottom. The consumption of Mate in 

 South America is er.ormous; upwards of five millions of 

 pounds, it is said, are annually exported from Paragu.ay 

 alone. On a lower shelf are exhibited two packages of 

 Paraguay Tea, one inclosed in the skin of the "great 

 ant-eater." 



G&sHEK-'SvT Order (Anacardiacea). Chiefly large trop- 

 ical trees, often with a resinous or caustic juice; several 

 species bear very valuable fruit. They occur both in the 

 Old and New Continents; some extend into temperate 

 countries, a few reaching the south of Europe. The flowers 

 are usuallv very small. 



No. 151. Mango (Mangifera indica, L.), is a large um- 

 brageous tree cultivated very generally in hot countries, 

 though especially common, under a multitude of varieties, in 

 India. The fruit is most delicious; unripe it is used in tarts, 

 preserves, &c. Fruit and drawings of several varieties are 

 exhibited in this case and in Case 27. 



No. 152. Cashew-Nut. Fruit oi Anacardium occident- 

 ale, L., a tree of Brazil, Central America, and the West 

 Indies. The edible portion is the swollen pear-shaped stalk 

 (peduncle), which supports the nut. The kernel also is 

 eatable when roasted. From the stem a gum exudes, and 

 an oil is obtained from the kernels. Specimens of both 

 are shown. 



No. 153. CuDD.vPAH Almonds. The kernels of Buchan- 

 ania latifolia, Koxb. They resemble pistachio nuts, and 

 are largely u.sed in native sweetmeats ; an oil is extracted 

 from them. The fruit has a sweetish acid fl.avour, and is 

 eaten by the hill tribes in the central provinces. The bark 

 is used for tanning. 



MoEixGA Order IMoriTigen). A small family of decid- 

 uous soft wooded trees. Natives of Northern Africa, West- 

 ern Asia, and East Indies. 



No. 157. Fruits of the Horseradish teee (Moringa 

 ptert/goxpenna, Gffirt.). Common in many parts of India, 

 and" cultivated, as well as in various tropical countries for 

 the sake of the fruits which are eaten as a vegetable or 

 pickled. The seeds yield oil. The root is pungent like horse- 

 radish, and is used in India as a vesicant. The reddish gum, 

 which exudes, is used in native medicine. 



Observe seeds without wings, of Mm-inga aptera, Gsert., 

 of Abyssinia, Upper Egypt, Syria, and Arabia; it is said to be 

 the source of the true Oil of Ben. 



No. 164. Indigo. Obtained principally from two or three 

 species of Indigofera (I. Anil, h., I. tincto7-ia,'L., &c.), by 

 soaking the plant in large masses in tanks. After its removal, 

 the water is stirred and beaten by paddles, its colour passes 

 to a blue, and the .suspended particles settle to the bottom, 

 forming a blue mud, which after the water is drawn off, is 

 dried in the sun and cut up into eakes. Of this valuable dye- 

 stuff, 95,488 cwt. were imported in 1882. Specimtnsare ex- 

 hibited from Egypt. Nicaragua, Siam, and East and West 

 Indies. The "blue" of the laumh-ess is prepared from Indigo. 

 Specimens are shown. A colouring matter similar to true 

 indigo is furnished by several other plants, as Polygonum 

 tinctorimn. Lour. ISee Case 83), and ffrightiaiiiictoria, R. Br. 

 {See Case 73 ). ^Vrtificial indigo has recently been manufactured 

 on the Continent by chemical means. 



On the upper she'lves in this Case are specimens of the hard 

 wood and seeds of the Umzimbiti tree of South Africa {Mil- 

 leitia Caffra, Meisn.) 



No. i70. Ground Nuts. Pods and seeds of Araclns 

 hypogsa,lj.,Ka annual herb. Remarkable from the, plant, 



