894 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[June 2, 1884, 



best at a distance from water, although moisture and heat 

 are essential conditions to its vigorous growth,; it would 

 not succeed in arid portions of the. tiouth ; but the hummocks 

 and high prairie land of Florida might pro%'e adapted to 

 its cultui'e. Ohinamen who have partaken of its fruit mil 

 generally concur, an illustrious statesman ond patriot 

 Chang-chow-ling of the eighth century, who wrote a poem 

 on Lichi, lauding it as incomparably the most luscious of 

 fruits. Many attempts were made by the Emperor Wuti 

 (140-87 B. 0.) to introduce it from Annam into his garden 

 at Chang-au. For successive years hundreds of plants 

 were brought from that distant region (as if [the cultiv- 

 ation had not then extended to China) all quickly dying ; 

 at la«t one svu-rived, but for a single season only when 

 further attempts were abandoned. 



In its contour, the Lichi is compared to au official 

 umbrella or canopy, its name is descriptive of the toughness 

 of its stack fimiculus " trebly strong," it resembles a large 

 strawberry, its watery pulp is covered by a tenacious integu- 

 ment which is compared in books to lard; it encloses a 

 hard seed. The leaves are compared to those of the orange, 

 the seed to the iii/iistrum lucidura? pki/l/odes placentaria? 

 In Kuangsi it grows on the hills, in Kuangtung on plains, 

 at a distance from water, it is not easily cultivated, its roots 

 tending to the surfaces, rendering it necessary to pile on 

 earth and manure, it tiowers in March or April, ripening 

 in July or August. Kequiring to be protected ijy a covering 

 from cold for its first five years, it is remarkably sensitive 

 when owing to frost which destroys it and to electricity ; 

 when there is much thunder, flowers and fruit are small; 

 much rain is hurtful, and in a drought the tree bears no 

 fruit; and exposed to mark emanations no fruit is produced; 

 that drug causes the flowers to fall. AVhen the fruit is cut 

 from the tree, the operation must be completed at once, 

 for birds and bats devour what remains; — those bipeds 

 seemingly hold aloof until man has had the first cut. 



Medical writers describe lichi as heating, but men have 

 been known to eat a thousand a day. SuTung-po allowed 

 himself three hundred per diem, and .so deUcious were they 

 that the poet declared they might reconcile one to eternal 

 banishment; — the poet was in exile at Canton. As a medi- 

 cine it is given to hasten small-pox pustules, and in the 

 delirium of fever accompanied by thirst it tranquilises; it 

 is used as a topical apphcatiou in boils and tumors and in 

 toothache. Alchemistshad much faith in lichis. It is stated 

 in the Genii Kecords that there were those who from having 

 attained immortality from using its flowers and fruit were 

 denominated "lichi genii." Ko Hung, the highest authority 

 among Taoist philosophers lauded it as a "marrow touic." 

 Having attained the age of 81 that mystic joined the im- 

 mortals I fourth century A. D. ) becoming one of the genii ; 

 lichi then ceased to fortify his marrow. 



Lichi has a history. It was first sent asa tribute (dried) 

 to the Emperor Kao-tsu about 200 P.. C. Later it was obtained 

 from Annam (?) in a fresh state (they keep fresh for a week 

 or ttn days; the dried are preserved for about a year) at 

 a frightful cost of human life. To reach Chang-an in good 

 condition, relays of men were required to ruu at full speed 

 bearing a load of lichi, each man's task being fixed at five 

 li with a moment's rest half way, vast numbers succumbed 

 to the toil from suustroke by day, and from wild beasts 

 and venomous serpents by night, and from malarial fevers. 



The corvee was resumed in a farm somewhat about the 

 middle of thg eighth century. As one of the means employed 

 to gratify Princess Wang a pony express was estabUshed 

 to bring hchis from her birth place in Zzechuan; — at great 

 sacrifice of human and equine life. The Princess was 

 " transcendently beautiful — "ime belle sauvage" however. 

 Charmed by her talents and smitten by her beauty, the 

 Emperor Hsuan Tsung made her chief lady of his harem, 

 mollifying his sou, whose wife she was, by another from 

 the seraglio. 



This Lichi Princess is of interest to us, not an account 

 of her eventful history but from an ethnic point of \iew, 

 being (remotely) related to us. [It is easy to discover the 

 style of her beauty by examining the group photographed 

 in De Laguee's and Gomier's, "voyage de exploration en 

 Indo-Chine ; " the central figure is undoubtedly Aryan. 

 * Eight hundred years later, tree from which the fair Lichi 

 Princess obtained fruit was cut down by order (^f a magis- 

 trate ; it hati ceased to bear fruit, the wood was made into 

 combs.] 



Through many weary ages cultivators of lichi suffered ex- 

 actions from Imperial agents who were sent from local 

 yamens to collect that fruit as tribute. In 1821 Taokuaug 

 signalised the commencement of his reign by abolishing the 

 oppressive practice. 



Of tardy growth the Uchi is remarkable for its longevity. 

 The citizen who succeeds in acclimatizing it will be a bene- 

 factor to posterity: it does not mature until it is fifty years 

 old, but it will continue to bear fruit for four or five hundred 

 years, say, far into the twenty-fourth century, and judging 

 from the history of lichi tree that our fair kinswoman, 

 Princess Yang found so toothsome, the timber may be util- 

 ised late in the twenty-eighth century, A.D. — North-China 

 Herald. 



The Cochin'eal — A report has been submitted to the 

 Madras Government by the Inspector-Genera! of Jails on 

 the experiments made to rear the cochineal insect in the. 

 Central Jail at Coimbatore. The attempts were made by 

 Mr. Grimes, Superintendent of the Central Jail, but the 

 Government have ruled that another attempt be made 

 during the next cool season. Dr. Bidie .suggested that in 

 the next attempt some of these insects be nurtured in 

 sparse shade as ferns are grown in Madras. In addition 

 to live iusects, bearing mothers, it was suggested, should 

 be procured, and as they are likely to stand the transit 

 better, there is some probability of the experiment suc- 

 ceeding. — Jladras titaiwfard. 



The Maxgkove. — Until recently we have never heard the 

 mangrove spoken of approvingly as a honey producing tree. 

 But we live and learn. A writer in the Florida Journal 

 speaks in very high terms of this much absued tree, as far 

 as its use for the honey bee is concerned. He says it is 

 valuable as being unaffected by droughts, aud that the honey 

 gathered from it " cannot be excelled in appearance, even 

 by the white clover honey of A^ermont." He thinks the 

 mangrove the most valuable honey producing plant iu Florida, 

 which country he looks on as the best he has ever been 

 in for honey. This being so, dwellers on our bays and rivers 

 where there are thousands of acres of perennial mangrove 

 swamps should take this liint and go in largely for bee- 

 keeping. — Planter and laryner. 



Saw^-dust. — AVe frequently see notices of good results 

 obtained from the application of saw-dust to the sail. In 

 an horticultm'al journal a "writer affirms that he is always 

 able to strike cuttings better in saw-dust than iu any other 

 material. Recently a writer in an American agricultural 

 journal has given the results of his experience of saw-dust 

 in growing potatoes. In order to give it a trial he used 

 about a quart of saw-dust for each hill of one plot of 

 potatoes and none in another. The saw-dust hills yielded 

 nearly twice as much as the others and the potatoes were 

 larger and smoother. It would be very easy for farmers 

 near Brisbane to take home a load of saw-dust from one 

 of the saw-mills, where it could be obtained free, aud 

 give it a trial for various crops. 'We have an idea that 

 in a dry time it would tend to retain moisture in the 

 soil. — J'laiiter and Farmer. 



Eucalyptus Oil. — The demand for eucalyptus oil and 

 eucalyptol, based on the reputation of the products obtained 

 from the leaves of F'vcahjplns Globulus, has brought into 

 commerce oils obtained from other species, which are said 

 not to po: sess the same medicinal properties. However this 

 may be. ;is there is a difference in their money value, it may 

 be usefi'.i to quote from Messrs. E. Merck's circular the 

 charact rs iu which an oil that appears to be known in the 

 German market as "Oleum Eucalypti australe" dift'era from 

 the genuine product from F. glohuli's leaves. The genuine 

 oil has a weak dextro-rotatory action, forms a clear solution 

 in 90 per cent alcohol in all proportions, does not puff when 

 treated with iodine, turns yellowish in contact with sodium, 

 and has a specific gravity of from 0'9t>0 to 0'925, according 

 as it is distilled from old or fresh leaves. The "australe" 

 oil is strongly kvvo-rotatory, only slightly soluble in 90 pel- 

 cent alcohol, putts with iodine, is coloured red on stand- 

 ing with sodium, and has a specific gravity not higher than 

 0'8l)0 to 8'OTO. The characters for F. Glahv.lu.^ oil answer 

 for eucalyptol. The " eucalyptol puriss," has a boiling point 

 between 170'= and 173= C," a specific grarity of 0'910 to 

 0920 at 16= C, aud is as clear as water. — rharmaceutical 

 Journal. 



