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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 



[June 2, if 84. 



On taking the specimen to Mr. W. F. Kirby, at the British 



Museum, he wrote the following description of it for the 



Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London (1883). 



Abnobmal Specimen of the Gends Sajiia, 



By W. T. Kibby. 



■'This remarkable specimen, which has puzzled every 

 entomologist who has seen it, was bred by M. Alfred 'Wailly. 

 from a cocoon received from some part of Nortli America. 

 It may be a hybrid between IS. Cccropia and some other 

 species, but if so, it is so different from all the other known 

 .species, that it is difficult to guess with what it could have 

 been cros.sod. It is equally difficult to imagine that it is 

 a new species. The specimen is a female, and equals the 

 largest specimen of S. Cenopia in size, uieasiuring (ij inches 

 in expanse; and the wings are more rounded and less oblique 

 than in L'ecropia. The body resembles that of Ceciojiiu, 

 except that the abdomen is banded with yellowish grey and 

 black. The base of the fore-wmgs is brown, thickly scaled 

 with white towards the costa; below this is a brick-red 

 blotch, longer and narrower than in Cecropia. Beyond this 

 is a white space extending nearly from the base to one-third 

 of the length of the wing on the inner margin, but curving 

 up to the costa in a rather narrow stripe. This is followed 

 by a large irregular black blotch, broad .at the costa (where 

 it is thickly dusted with grey), and the narrow end extending 

 to beyond the middle of the wing. On this stands the large 

 kidney-shaped central spot, which is surrounded with red, 

 and divided by a reddish stripe at the outer end of the 

 black blotch ; it extends beyond it into ii broad red white- 

 dusted baud, followed by a black one, so very thickly dusted 

 with yellowish grey, that it appears of that colour. This 

 is succeeded by a grey space, divided by a black line (much 

 less indented than in Cccropia) into darker and lighter ; above 

 is a blue space; on the inside is a row of rather large 

 black spots, the uppermost, and the fourth and fiflh being 

 the largest. Hind wings, white at the base, followed by 

 a broad slate-coloured space, on the outer half of which 

 stands a large oval white spot, slightly surrounded with 

 red, the outer part bemg incomplete, and it rests on a white 

 baud, much broader than in Cca-opia, followed by a broad 

 red band, three or four times as broad as in Cecropia, but 

 followed outside by similar markings, only paler. The under 

 surface differs from Cccropia, chiefly iu the much paler 

 colour, and in the different position of the central spots." 

 — Jom-tud of the Society of Arts. 



CocoNCT Cakes. — One cup of grated coconut, one 

 cnp of sifted sugar, a little grated nutmeg; milk 

 enough to mould the cakes. Shape into round balls, 

 and brown siiglitly in a cool oven. They should be 

 made smal]. —Americati Grocer. 



The amoukt of vegetaui.e phoduce now annually im- 

 ported into England is more than double that produced 

 by the soil. To say nothing of the tropical or sub-tropical 

 vegetable products— cork, dye-woods, oils, resins, gums; 

 nothing of sugar, spices. Tea, Coifee, Oocoa; uothing of 

 Cotton and grasses, of Hemp and Flax, of indigo, madder, 

 and fruits — we import sawn or split timbers, .staves and 

 Mahogany to the value of £15,000,(100 per annum, of which 

 the one item that we could not ourselves proiiuce. Maho- 

 gany stands for under £400,000. Our imports of timber 

 not .sawn and split down to ISfiS fthe last year in which 

 they figm-e in the Statistical Abstract), stood steadily for 

 some years at about £5,000,000 in value. We look in vain 

 for any corresponding item among our exports. — Builder. 



Beet cs. Ca-ne-sicah.— It is estimated that a ton of 

 sugar made in Russia from the sugar beet costs on an average 

 £29 per tou, nearly as much as some of our best Queens- 

 land sugars realise iu the local markets. One hundred pounds 

 of beet gives at the most (lib. of sugar, and the appli- 

 ances in use for manipulating the roots and the juice are 

 as nearly perfect as can be expected. The megass of beet 

 as now treated on the Continent of Europe shows scarcely 

 any remains of saccharine matter, and between it and the 

 megass from the sugar-cane there is iu this particular a 

 remarkable ditferenee, ■\\'itliout increasing the cost of manu- 

 facture very materially, it is prebaljle that larger yields 

 will be obtained from the sugar-cane at no very distant 

 date, iu which case the beet sugar iu.luslry is doomed. — 

 Queenslander, 



FOEESTS AND RAINFALL. — It is not SO many years ago 

 smce the Editor of this magazine stood almost alone in 

 showing that there was no evidence worthy of beiug called 

 scientific to show that trees had any influence ou the m- 

 erease of rainfall; aud in many instances he was roundly 

 abused and held up to public reprobation as an enemy of 

 forestry, because he veutured to differ from what then 

 seemed to be the rest of *the world. In the hght of this 

 chapter from history, it is iuterestmg just now to observe 

 how nearly universally writers are showing up this me- 

 teorological absm'dity, and how such papers receive edit- 

 orial endorsement. Aside from personal feelings of satis- 

 faction, we are glad that these errors are beiug removed, 

 for uo cause receives any permanent advantage but from 

 absolute truth. AVe believe that forests can be planted 

 profitably in many places where good judgment is brought 

 to bear ou the problem, though we still believe, as we 

 have alw.ays taught, that forests are the utfect and not 

 the cause of climate. — Gardeners' Monthli/. 



In gbape raising people seem to go to extremes in 

 management. A few years ago the poor plant was in 

 leading strings. It dared uot make one free growth, but 

 it was puiched aud twisted iuto all sorts of ways. Now 

 the " prune uot at all " maxims are getting headway, and 

 this is as bad, if not worse. First, grape growing was 

 such a mystery it took a life time to study it, .and the 

 " old vigneron " was an awfully sublime sort ot a personage. 

 He is now among the unfrocked and unreverenced. But 

 there is great art iu good grape treatment ; ami yet this 

 art is founded on a very few simple principles. For instance, 

 leaves are necessary to healthy growth ; but two leaves 

 three inches wide are not of equal value to one leaf of 

 sLx inches. To get these strong leaves, see that the number 

 of sprouts be limited. If two buds push from one eye, 

 pinch out the weakest whenever it appears. The other 

 will be strengthened by this protective policy, and the 

 laws of trade residt in favor of larger aud better leaves 

 on the leaf that follows. Allow no one shoot to grow 

 stronger than another. If there are indications of this, 

 pinch off its top. A\ hile it stops to wonder what you 

 mean by this summary conduct, the weaker feUows will 

 profit to take what properly belongs to them. There is 

 little more science in summer priming thau this ; but it 

 takes some experience, joined with common sense, to apply 

 it. This, indeed, is where true art comes in. — Gardeners' 

 Monthly. 



Tab and Cankeb on Feuit Teees. — It is frequently asked 

 if tar or pitch will so far injm'e the bark of a tree as to 

 cause the death of the tree so acted ou. I may say that, 

 so far as I know, there is uo record of a robust tree with 

 sound nuature bark hainug been killed by it, although 

 doubtless its effects woidd be decidedly injurious if the 

 application was made over the major portion of a tree's 

 bark surface. AA'hen tar is placed over womids caused by 

 removing large limbs it acts beueficially in stopping up the 

 pores of the wood, aud thus preventing air aud moisture 

 acting ou the tissues so as to cause decay in them. This 

 protective effect can be made to last till the natural growth 

 of the bark has covered the place, which will generally 

 happen, if the tree has not approached maturity, in a few 

 years, more or less, according to the rate of growth. With 

 regard to the usefulness of tar in arresting attacks of 

 canker iu f luit and other trees, it has been found that in 

 trees so affected, if the infected portions of the baik, and 

 even tie wood, be cut away till sound tissues ai'e reached, 

 and fa I (coal) or pitch be well rubbed into the wounds 

 thus )i ade, it has a fatal action on the particular fungus, 

 which is the cause of the disease called canker. Of course 

 it will kill the genus of the fungus only where it touches, 

 will retard the spread of the disease on the particular trees 

 which are manipulated on, and will lessen the number of 

 attacks on ueighlnjuriug trees. But the real remedy in 

 the case of young trees, aud those of a manageable size, 

 is to lift them out of the soil, that by its nature predis- 

 poses the trees growing in it to the disease, :ui<l to plant 

 them in more congenial soil. Shallow or surface planting 

 over an imper\i(iu> flu<.r. aud in the casi- of small trees 

 occasional traiisjjlaufing and root lifting — and enough man- 

 ure to ensure vigoious growth aud superior fruit — will be 

 discovered to be the best treatment.— M.—6V«</««t)i' Chron- 

 icle. 



