Sio 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[May I, 1884. 



of ether soluble resiu, aud is composetl almost entirely of 

 mucilaginous and extractive matter. It is probably an ex- 

 tract prepared from the root after the removal of the resin. 



The second sample is much harder, breaks with a cou- 

 choidal fracture, and has little or no smell. This contains 

 even less than the preceding, since ether dissolves only 

 6 per cent of resinous matter. It is partially soluble 

 in cold water, entirely so in hot; the latter solution gelatinises 

 on coohng. This sample of scammony consists of a mixtm-e 

 of mucilaginous matter and starch. 



The next two samples of sa£Eron .are both sophisticated. 

 In fact, the first consists entirely of the florets of the mari- 

 gold carefully manipulated aud dyed, so that the fraud 

 might easily succeed upon a careless purchaser. The true 

 nature of the imposture is at once made evident upon 

 macerating the ".saffron" in w.ater. I have here some of 

 these florets dried aud momited. They even show the 

 characteristic forked stigma, and I have come across one 

 or two tutanlardisc florets as well. The sediment which fell, 

 on standing, from this infusion was almost entirely com- 

 posed of pollen grains of the shape peculiar to the com- 

 posites. The dye used is said to be dinitrocresylate of 

 sodium. It is possible that it may be used to heighten 

 the colom' of inferior saffron as well as to dye the florets 

 or stamens of other plants. Jiince it is soluble in benzole, 

 ■whereas polychroit, the colouring matter of saffron, is in- 

 soluble, its presence in a sample may be easily detected. 

 If 10 grains ai-e infused in 1 oz. of hot water for half an 

 hour, then strained, and shaken with 2 or 3 drachms of 

 benzole, the latter should separate out almost colourless on 

 standing. 



The other sample is genuine safl'rou, but it has undergone 

 the process of "dressing " to increase its weight. The mineral 

 matter used in this case is sulphate of lime. This fraud 

 may be easily detected by the " infusion " method. 



A small-leaved herb, looking .somewhat like a dried heath, 

 was imported from the C'ape, and was offered as a new 

 kind of buchu. It is closely allied to the Barosma, being the 

 J(iatho»ma melalcucoides. You will notice that it exhales a 

 peculiar aromatic odour, which has earned for it the name 

 "Agathosma" (sweet smelling), not that I consider that 

 Barosma deserves its uanje, for freshly-imported buchu is far 

 from "heavy" smelling. It appears that the Hottentot 

 ladies are of this opinion. It is said that they rub themselves 

 with the leaves of the plant, and that, excepting this fragrant 

 odour, they wear Uttle else. The genus Barosma is dis- 

 tinguished from Agathosma by the following characters. 

 Leaves generally opposite, flat, and flowers axillary, whereas 

 in Agathosma the leaves are rarely opposite, and the flowers 

 never axillary. There are over one hundred species of 

 Agathosma native to the Cape. The natives use them in 

 infusions, as diuretics, aud expectorants. 

 Blackhoy Grai. 



I have only one more .specimen of vegetable drugs to 

 bring before you. This is a sample of the gum resin of 

 Xunthorrea liastilis, a plant of the natural order Liliac-ee. It 

 is used as an appHcation to wounds in Austraha, where it 

 is known , IS "Blackboy Gum." It somewhat resembles very 

 yellow benzoin in api)earance, and is said to contain cinnamic 

 and benzoic acids. The inflorescence of the plant is curious, 

 and deserves notice. It consists of a very long, closely- 

 aggregated spike of periauths, so closely crowded together 

 on a long primary axis that the arrangement looks hke a huge 

 bulrush. 



Tdutu: Oil. 



I have one specimen feom the animal kingdom. It is 

 turtle oil, a product of various species of Chelouia. In the 

 tropics it is largely used in wasting diseases where cod-liver 

 oil is exhibited in this country. In some parts it is even 

 preferred to cod-liver oil, and is said to be more easily 

 digested. This sample was obtained from the Seychelles 

 Islands, aud is produced, I believe, by Chdonia xiridis. It 

 has a peculiar odoui-, and a taste something like rancid 

 beef " dripping." I believe the oil is chiefly obtained from 

 the female turtles which come on shore to deposit their 

 eggs. They are either despatched by blow^ with a club, 

 or are turned over on their backs, for when once in this 

 position they cannot right themselves — hence the nautical 

 e.xpcr.ssion of "turning turtle." As many as fifty turtles 

 may thus be captured by two or three persons in a few hours. 

 A large turtle wiU yield about 30 pints of oil, which is used 

 fttj an article of food aud as an illumiuatUig agent, as well as 



for medicinal purposes. The flesh of the tiurtle is salted 

 and dried in the same manner as we salt cod or dry herr- 

 ings. In this state it is largely consumed by the natives, 

 and exported to neighbouring countries. — Chemist and Druy- 

 gist. 



COCONUT GROWING IN FIJI. 



Sir, — I am afraid your correspondent takes rather too 

 rosy a view of coconut planting in Fiji. I have always 

 understood labour to be the great difficulty in all plant- 

 ing operations. The greater part of the native labour 

 employed in Fiji plantations is brought from the New 

 Hebrides and Solomon islands, and the supply is nothin" 

 like equal to the demand. These imported natives are 

 generally bespoke long before they arrive in Fiji, and 

 many vexatious delays and expenses are attendant on their 

 hire. There pay is, I think, £12 per ammm; and I 

 do not believe that anyone coidd make certain of being 

 able to command the services of even ten natives for 

 thi-ee years. 



As regards Fijian labour, apart from the discom'age- 

 ment oficred by the Government to Fijians to work for 

 Em-opeaus, natives as a ride will not work regularly in 

 their own islands. 



I know myself of one man who has quite 100 acres 

 of nuts in fiill bearing ; but I very much doubt his 

 making anything approaching £2,(J0O a year, his diffic- 

 ulty being the impossibility of getting the labom- to 

 gather and prepare the copra. And I think that hitherto 

 the number of really successful planters in Fiji could 

 be counted on the fingers of one hand. 



The usual price of yams is about 3s a cwt., and it 

 is sometunes particularly hard to get an adequate supply 

 for the labom', the planter or hirer being required by 

 Government to supply each native labomer (imported) 

 with a certain allowance, aud I have freipiently come 

 across planters' boats, many miles away from then' plant- 

 ations, foraging for food. 



The great futm-e of Fiji probably lies in sugar and 

 coflee, the former, of course, requiring large capital for 

 the extensive plant and machmerv required, an enorm- 

 ous amount of sugar land in Viti-Levu (the largest is- 

 land) having been taken up and worked by Australian 

 companies ; and coflee has been -very successfully tried 

 in the higher islands. 



For a man with small capital, fruit gi'owing {i.e.., ba- 

 nanas and pines, the former especially) seems to hold 

 out advantages. It is, however, desu-able to be close to 

 Levka or Suva, and so manage Ito hit oft' the arrival 

 of the New Zealand or Sydney steamers with some 

 degi'ce of certainty. In some cases, however, the 

 steamer is a few days late or perhaps put in quar 

 antine, when the shipment becomes ripe, and of com'so 

 comparatively valueless. 



During a two years' craise in Fiji waters, I have 

 met and conversed with numbers of planters, all of 

 whom ai-e agi-eed that the difficulty of obtaining labour 

 presents the greatest bar to success. A high official, 

 who lately held an important position in the group, 

 stated pubfiely that " Fiji is not a white man's country;'' 

 this to the initiated meaus a good deal. 



I do not think a man with so small a capital as 

 yom' correspondent mentions could afford to pay any 

 one to look after his young plantation whilst he was 

 iu the colonies ; and I think, to do any good in a small 

 way, one must be on the spot. 



As your correspondent says, planters' fare is not by 

 any meaus varied, salt beef and an occasional fowl 

 being the standing dish. Pigeons and ducks are in 

 some parts plentifiU, and fish can eometimes be obtained 

 from the natives. 



Some of the streams contain fish which afford sport 

 with fly, grasshoppers, and minnow, the two latter baits 

 being of course most successful. The fish, howcrer, 

 are scarcely worth eating.— G. E. Vi,— Field, 



