April i, 1884.J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



7^1 



quantities. This destruction was stated in 1878 by Dr. 

 Deunys " to be so euormous that it seems impossible for 

 " the supply to long continue. It is computed that over 

 " 7,000 trees were cut down during 1877 in the neighbour- 

 " hood of Klang, while 4,000 must have perished near Sel- 

 " angor in a single month to furnish the 270 piculs (a 

 " pioul=1335 lb.) returned as exported. The estimated 

 " annual exports fium the Straits Settlements and the 

 " Peninsula was given as 10 milhons of pounds in 1875, which 

 " at the high average of 15 lb. to a single tree would give 

 " 600,000 trees. The demand seems alway.-. to exceed the 

 " supply." The quantity of Gutta I'ercha imported into this 

 country in 1882 was 72,C81 cwt. 



Ob^erve on the upper shelves of the central compartment 

 the eilible fruits of the Naskbekey (Acluns Sapota. L.). A 

 nativ<! of the T\'e.st Indies (where the wood is known as 

 Hapodilla), but cultivated in all tropical countries. An elastic 

 g\im furnished bj- the plant and kno^N'n as Chicle Gum is 

 imported into New York from Mexico for use as a masticatory. 



No. 315. Mahwa Flowers {ISassm latifulia, Eoxb.) and 

 spirit distilled from tlie same. Bassia hdifolia is a decid- 

 uous tree 50 feet liigh, indigenous in the forests of Cen- 

 tral India, and cultivated and self-sown throughout India. 

 The fleshy corollas of the flowers form an important article 

 of food both for jui^Yi and animals in Central India, and 

 yield by distillation a coarse spirit. The average yield of 

 flowers per tree is estimated at 2\ maunds, and they sell 

 at about 12 annas per mauud. The fruits are eaten raw 

 or cooked, and from the seed an oil is obtained which is 

 used for culinary purposes as well as for soap maldng. An 

 oil cnke for feeding cattle is made from the residue of 

 che seeds after the expression of the oil. 



No. 31G. Seeds and Oil of the Mek or lUnpi (Bassia 

 lont/ifulia, L ;, a large evergreen tree of India. The flowers 

 are eaten in the same way as those of the last-named 

 species, and an oil is expressed from the seeds used also 

 for similar pm'poses. The leaves, bark, and young fruit are 

 used medicinally. 



Note also seeds and vegetable butter of B. hutyracea, 

 Roxb. The solid white oil obtained from these seeds is of 

 the consistence of lard. It keeps a long time without 

 <leteriorat!ug, and is said to make good soap and candles. 

 Its* perfumed and used as an ointment in rheumatism. 



No. 321. Ebony. The best .sort is obtained iiom Biospi/- 

 ros Ebsnum^ Kcenig., a native of Ceylon. Ebony, character- 

 ised by its extremely dark colour and hardness, is (as 

 sj)ecimeus here exhibited show) the " heart-wood " (duramen) 

 of the tree; the " sap-wood " (afbnrnum) oi which is white 

 and not durable. The Greeks and Romans were acquainted 

 witli Ebony; it is mentioned by Dioscorides, Pliny, &c. 

 Indian caskets, ink.stand, and other articles, carved in Ebony 

 are shown. 



No. 3'.'2. Calamakdek Wood, afforded by another Cey- 

 lon iJiospuros (D. qu(FiiiUt^ Thw.), a most beautifid cabinet 

 wood taking a high polish ; it is so hard that edge tools 

 can scarcely work it. Boxes and similar articles made from 

 it are exhibited. 



No. 335. Yeeccm or Mudab Fibre, obtained from Calo- 

 tropis yiijantea^ Br., common in waste places in India. The 

 fibre obtained from the inner bark is very durable, and is 

 used for bow-strings, fishing hnes. and nets. Attempts 

 have been made to weave the hair or floss from the seeds, 

 without, however, any satisfactory results. The plant 

 abounds in acrid milk which has powerful medicinal pro- 

 perties. ,Stems of the plant with the fibre partially re- 

 moved are exhibited, also twine made from the fibre, and 

 a specimen of woven fabric made from the floss. 



The fibre or floss from the seeds of an allied species 

 (C. pi-octrra, R. Br.), is also known as iludar fibre. The 

 tlried bark of the root is an alterative, tonic, and diaphoretic. 



Nutmec: Order (Myristiceig). Trees confined to the trop- 

 ics, often characterised by their red viscid juice and arom- 

 atic properties. 



Observe fruits and seeds of various species of Myrisiicct, 

 amongst them M. surimtMcnsis, Roland, M.ajiyvlcnsis^ Welw., 

 JT. r/uattwa^ensiSi Herasl. Seeds and butter obtained from 

 ^f. Otoho, H.B., from .(Vntioquia and M. viahiharica, Lam., 

 from India. 



No. 379. Nutmegs, the seeds of Myrisiica frayrans^ 

 Houtt. A beautiful tree of the Moluccas, scattered also in 

 other islands of thi; East Indian jVrchipelago, and intro- 

 duced into Mauritins, West Indies, and South America. 

 *.I7 



The fruit of the nutmeg, which resembles a Peach, . con- 

 sists of a fleshy exterior, which is edible and splits into 

 two, disclosing the solitary seed or nutmeg surrounded by 

 the scarlet aril, which latter is the spice called mace. 

 Specimens preserved in fluid show the entire fx*uits, some 

 of which are partly open, exhibiting the shell of the nut- 

 meg and the " Mace " covering it. 



Other spices allied to M. frm/rans yield inferior nutmegs. 

 Observe instrument used in Eanda for gathering nutmegs 

 from the trees. " By far the largest suppHes of nutmegs 

 *' are derived from the Banda Islands. These are all at 

 " first shipped to Batavia." About 560,000 lb. are annually 

 imported into the United Kingdom and about 50(i,0U0 lb. 

 to the United States of America. The principal consump- 

 tion of nutmegs is as a condiment, but they are also used 

 in medicine for their aromatic and stimulant properties. 

 No. 380. Concrete Oil of Nutmeg, obtained in the 

 Moluccas, from the seeds, by heat and pressui'e. 



No. 382. Cassia Buds. The unripe fruits of Cinna- 

 momum Cassia, Bl., a tree of Southern China, used as a 

 spice chiefly in confectionery. 



Cassia Ligxfa, or Chinese Cassia as it is sometimes 

 called, is the bark of the same tree furnishing Cassia Jjuds. 

 Specimens are exhibited of different ages and qualities 

 from Pakhoi and from Tai-wu and Luk-po in Southern 

 China. Cassia Bark is used for similar purposes as cin- 

 namon, it is however more astringent. Note, instruments 

 used in collecting the liark, .also samples of Cassia oil. 



On the top shelf of the last compartment are eshibitnt- 

 specimens of the wood and bark of Ciiiiiamompvi Tinnala, 

 Nees. The b.ark is aromatic and is collected in large quaeJ 

 ities in India, and sold under the name of Taj, and the 

 leaves under those of Tez-pat and Taj-pat. 



No. 383. Cinnamon, the bark of Ciniiamomum zeylaiiica, 

 Breyn., a tree of Ceylon. Specimens of unbarked branches, 

 affording the different quahties of this valuable spice, with 

 the instruments used in peeling it, are exhibited, also a 

 series of photographs illustrating the growth and prepar- 

 ation of Cinnamon in Ceylon ; 1,835,039 pounds of Cin- 

 namon were imported in 1882. 



No. 384. Camphor, obtained by distillation, from the 

 wood of Cittvantomiiit Caviphora, Nees, a tree of Japan 

 and China. The root, trunk, and branches, broken up, are 

 heated with water, in closed vessels, the volatilised Cam- 

 phor bcin^ sublimed upon Rice-straw. It is further refined 

 on its arrival in Europe. Samples of crude and refined 

 Camphor are shown, also specimens of Camjihor wood. 

 (•S'ee also Borneo Camphor, Case 11, No. 62.) 



No. 409. Cassava or Mandiocca Meal, obtained from 

 the root of two species of Munihut (.^T. utUissima, Pohl, and 

 JJ. Aipi, Pohl), tlie former. Bitter, tlie latter. Sweet Cassava. 

 The juice of Bitter Cassava (which contains Hydrocyanic 

 (Prussic) acid is highly poisonous. Cassava is gi'owu eiiiefly 

 in Erazi', Peru, and on the African coast. — forming a main 

 article of native food. The roots of Bitter Cassava, which 

 are often large, weighing from 30 to 40 pounds, contain 

 nmch farinaceous matter. They are grated, after washing 

 the poisonous juice sepav.Tt. <\ 1 y pressure, and the residue 

 made into thin cakes (No. 410), which are baked. Prussic 

 acid being volatile, the heat dis.sipates the remaining poison. 

 Observe " Cassareep," the concentrated juice of Manihot 

 roots rendered harmless by boiUng. It is largely used in 

 the 'West Indies for culinary purposes, and in this^country 

 as the basis for many table sauces. 



No. 411. Tapioca. A very pure form of Starch, which 

 settles from the water employed to wash Cassava meal. 

 It is granulated upon hot plates. A close imitation of 

 Tapioca is prepared from potato starch. 



Ko. 412. Mandiocca strainers. Long, cylindrical, plaited 

 baskets in which the grated pulp is put after washing and 

 pressed by torsion. 



No. 413. Mandiocca grater, studded with particles of 

 granite, secured in the tough wooden frame by the viscid 

 juice of Comiia didcis, Aubl., one of the iJogbanes. 



No. 435. JjiCK-TitviT (Artociir/nis intec/rifolitt,'!,.). Grown 

 from time immemorial in Southern .isia. The fruit attains 

 an enormous size. Certain varieties are highly esteemed 

 as an article of food by the natives of India. The name 

 •'.Tack" is derived from the Sanscrit name of the fruit 

 " Tchackka." Fruits from the East and TTest Indies are 

 exhibited. Specimens of the wood, which is valuable for 

 furniture, are sltomi on upper shelves of Case 101. 



