May I, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



793 



A CHEAP KAIN-GAUGE. 



Mr. J. W. F. Stocktuu, in the San Francisco Scientific 

 I're^s, describes the following simple and inexpensive rain- 

 gauge:— 



Let the tinsmith make a funnel with a small, 

 say one-quarter inch, opening at bottom, and having a two- 

 inch baud soldered round the top to prevent the 

 rain that falls within it splashing out again. The upper edge 

 of this baud must measure an exact eight inches in diameter. 

 Take a good large bottle (an ordinary wine-bottle will serve; 

 but, in locaUties where the rainfall is heavy, something 

 larger is preferable) : into this bottle mcasm-e three fluid 

 ounces and a half, and mark the bottle at the water-level ; so 

 on till the bottle is filled, marking the water-level of each 

 added measLure of three oimces and a half. 



Each of these graduations shows one-eighth inch of rain- 

 fall. For convenient reference, the graduations may be 

 mai'ked on a strip of paper, and gummed outside the bottle. 



TEA IN WESTERN OHEStA. 



In our last issue we noticed at some length a very interest- 

 ing Parliamentary paper giving an account of a journey made 

 by Mr. Hosie through the provinces of Ssu-chuang Yunnan, 

 and Kuei-chou. In the account of his journey Jlr. Hosie 

 incidentally gives a few details regarding the tea production 

 and the western tea trade with Thibet. It was hoped by the 

 pioneers of the Assam route towards Ohiua that this trade 

 ivith Thibet might some day benefit Assam [jlan ters. Possibly 

 when these have found the necessity for tmuing to fresh 

 markets they may yet be tempted to look over their gai'deu 

 wall, after having exhausted the further corners of the earth. 

 Mr. Hosie tells us tLit of the tea-growing districts within the 

 prefecture of Ya-chou, Juug-ching Hsien ranks first; Ya-an 

 Hsien, second; and T'ien-ch'iian-chou, third; Chiung-Chou 

 produces least. "Within the district of IMing-shan only the 

 Meng-shan hills produce tea, and that exclusively for use in 

 the imperial palace. This tea is brouglit to Ya-an Hsien for 

 transmission to Peking. The best tea is picked by hand in 

 the " second moon ; " the coarse tea is picked — or rather cut, 

 for a knife is used for the purpose — in the ** third moon," 

 wheA leaves and twigs are indiscriminately collected. The 

 great tea trade is with Ta-chien-lu and Thibet. — Home and 

 .Colonial Mail. 



PPvAOTIOAL KECIPES. 



Gilding Leather. — The leather is first moistened with 

 a sponge, then stretched, and tacked on a board. When 

 dry, it receives a coat of thick isinglass-solution, then one 

 of white of egi^ that has been beaten, and allowed to settle. 

 TIpou this is laid lightly with a brush sheets of silver-foil, 

 which are then pressed down with a wad of cotton-wool. 

 When this is dry, it is painted over with yellow leather- 

 varnish, which gives it a beautiful golden appearance. A 

 varnish for bronze boots and slippers is made by dissolving 

 aniline red in shellac or other varnish. 



BoTTt-K-ULUK. — A good l]ottle-glue, insoluble in water, and 

 particularly suitable for sealing bottles containing volatile 

 liquids, such as chloroform, ether, alcohol, &c., may be 

 prepared by soaking glue or gelatine in water, dissolving 

 it in glycerine, then adding tannin (aljout two ounces for 

 every pound of glue), and heating the mixture ou a wat*;r- 

 bafch until perfectly homogeneous, and as free from excess 

 of water as possible. It may be coloured, if ctesired. Wheti 

 wanted for use it is melted and applied to the mouth of 

 the bottit s. 



To Polish Ejiony. — To put a high polish on ebony, that 

 will he durable, give the work two coats of fine copal- 

 varnish, and when this is dry rub it down smooth- with 

 fine ])umice-stoue ; put on a third coat of the same, and 

 rub dowu with rotten-stone ; clean, and put on a llowiug 

 coat of best spirit copal- varnish, and, when this has be- 

 come quite dry, polish with chamois-skin and the palm of 

 the hand. — Popidar Science News. 



HOW DRAINAGE HELPS. 



Experiment has shown that fur the best welfare of crops 

 a soil should not be more than from one-tenth to one-third 

 full of water; 'that is to say, most of the larger spaces 

 101 



between the soUd particles are empty of anything except, 

 air. This healthy contUtion sometimes comes about of it- , 

 self, when an open subsoil lets the surplus water run away 

 h-eely from the surface; but usually artificial drainage is 

 necessary to secure it. One of the most marked good effects 

 of this under tlrainage, whether natural or artificial, is the 

 improvement in the temperature of the soil. If this surplus 

 water cannot pass off below in due time, it must be evaporated 

 into the ah', at the inevitable cos-t of a -great quantity of 

 heat which would otherwise have served to warm the soil ; 

 a wet soil, like a wet person coming out of a bath, is cold. 

 The less heat a soil must lose in this way the greater will 

 be its reserve stock, useful not only for the production 

 of crops but also for then: protection against cold. The sun's 

 rays do not warm the air as they pass tiurough it; they warm 

 the soil and the rocks; these then throw out or radiate 

 this absorbed heat into the air and warm it. The lateness 

 of a frost in any locaUty depends therefore not a little ou 

 the reserve supply of heat in the soil ; and this again depends 

 largely on the freedom of the soil from surplus water dm-ing 

 the heated season; a well drained and properly dry soil 

 will not only give a larger and better crop than an uudrained 

 and wet soil, but its crops will not suft'er the harm from early 

 frosts that may ruin the harvest of uudrained fields. — iVcw 

 York Tribune. 



HOME-GROWN TEA. 



It is possible that planters m India and Ceylon have passed 

 through recent vicissitudes only to encounter fresh obstacles 

 at every tiu-n? Is the home market to hi' closed to the fra- 

 grant herb from India just when its true value is becoming 

 recognised, in order to make way for tea of home growth? 

 This time it is not sloe leaves, but the ikied leaves of Chimon- 

 aMhasfra(/ran.i,wh.ich is the threatened 1 ival. This is what 

 the EuijUih Jltdianic says:— "Our correspondent, 'Devon- 

 shire Squii-e,' in sending us a very fine sample of the dried 

 leaves of Chiinonantlms frayrans, says that he finds the tea 

 made from them in the usual way has 'much the flavour of 

 ordinary green tea — certainly less good than the best, but 

 fully equal to much that is sold under that name. It also 

 seems (but I may bo wrong as to this) to impart a peculiar 

 exhilaration to the nerves.' We can corroborate ' Devonshire 

 Squire ' as to the tlavom-, which is certainly superior to that of 

 much of the coloured stuff sold as green tea (fine samples of 

 which cost -Is. a pound), but we have not tried the etfect oh 

 the nerves. There is a peculiar, but not impleasant, bouquet 

 with the Ohimonanthns tea, and it is not impossible that if 

 the leiives were dried by heat Uko China tea, it would be 

 found as well worth cultivating as an economic plan' as it 

 ccrtaiuly is as a flowering shrub. It is commonly known as 

 the Japan allspice, and should be in :dl gardens where it can 

 have the protection of a wall." 



Until the editor of the En(jlish Mechanic tries the "effect 

 on the nerves," Indian planters will remain in a state of 

 anxiety. This gentleman, if he gives 4s. per pound for his 

 tea, is not well served, and he will do well to avoid green tea 

 in futiu:e. — Home and Colonial Mail. 



THE CHICK-PEA.- « COFFEE PLANT." 



The Chick-pea {Ciccr arietinum), one of the oldest of 

 cultivated plants, every now and then is sent us to know 

 what it is, or by some one who has received it as the 

 " coft'ee-plant," to know its value as a substitute for ooft'ee. 

 The Chick-pea was hardly known in this country imtil about 

 twenty years ago, when some enterprising person advertised 

 it as the " cottee-plaut," and advised every one to grow 

 liis own coffee. The chick-pea is related to the common 

 pea, and like th:it, is an annual. It grows about a toot and 

 a half high, and is covered with fine hairs. The engraving 

 of a small branch shows the shape of the leaves and the 

 small pods, which contain one, or at most, two seeds. These 

 are rather larger than common peas; they aae so .strongly 

 wriiJded that they have been compared to ram's heads. 

 This has given the plant its specific name, arietinvm. The 

 Chick-pea is cultivated in all warm countries. In ludia it 

 is sold as a food for horses under the name of "gram." 

 It is cultivated in Mexico, where a " garabauza," the Spanish 

 name, it is esteemed as a luxury. We b:ive eaten it there 

 and found it a very coarse food, far iufeiior to the/cty'u/f.--, 

 or beans of the country. The reputation of the Chick-pea 



