December i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



407 



No new estates were opened by Euiopoans during the 

 year, but those at Sliiu are reported to be brilliantly 

 successful as regards Liberian coffee, while the Govern- 

 ment Gardens and that of Mr. Schiitze at Gapia prove 

 the suitability of the climate and soil for Cinchona and 

 Ara bian Coffee ; the leaf-disease occasionally attacks 

 both Liberian and Arabian Coffee, but on the former 

 it has no perceptible deleterious influence, while A.rabian 

 Coffee eoon throws it off. 



The difficulty of labour, which is now, by the efforts 

 ot His Excellency, in fair course of speedy Eolution by 

 free immigration from India, has been a great draw 

 back. The Government Gardens contain nurseries o- 

 the linest strains of cinchor.a sufficient for 200 acres of 

 ground, and tea of the beet Assam kinds for a large 

 garden, bat nothing can be done for want of labour, the 

 coolies refusing to work the rate of 35 ctnts a day, 

 which has been freely offered by Mr. Schutzs and the 

 Government Superintendent. 



All kinds ot India-rubber succeed admirably, and 

 seeds and plants of " Hevea Braziliensis " have been 

 distributed to Java aud Singapore, to Ceylon .and to 

 India, and supplies will be forwarded on application 

 to any person or institution which will take care of 

 these valuable olants. — Straits Times. 



"GENUINE MOCHA." 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE LONDON "GLOBE." 



Sir, — One cannot but agree with the severe com- 

 ments in your yt-sterday's article under the above title 

 on the mem frauds of coffee adulteration. To get only 

 20 per cent, of the commodity asked and paid for, 

 shoHB, indeed, a lamentable v. ant of commercial hon- 

 esty. But is not the public itself, in a large measure, 

 to blame in this matter ? If the consumer is really 

 desirous of knowing when and how much coffee he is 

 buyiug, why cannot he ask for that article pure and 

 simple, and if chicory is, in his mind, essential to the 

 composition of a good cup of coffee, do likewise with 

 that. But if this be too much trouble, and he pre- 

 fers, or, anyway, persists in purchasing fanciful con- 

 coctions paraded as ' French coffee," his eyes are 

 opened wide enough tc the fact that he is buying a 

 mixture of chicory and coffee in proportions only 

 defined by the digree of the vendor's cupidity for 

 profit. By placing himself in such a tempting pos- 

 ition, he dii^ctly courts the pleasure of heing cheated. 

 It is largely to be regretted (and most painfully so 

 by those connected with the coffee trade, as I unfortun- 

 ately' am), that these deceptive compounds should 

 have obtained such a hold upon the public taste for 

 many reasons ; not the least being the extensive field 

 for imposition it lays open to the dishonest trader. 

 But, putting aside special considerations, it is distress- 

 ing to see a beneficial and enjoja'le beverage like coffee 

 vulgarised by its universal association with a root 

 chariicterised only by its medicinal qualities, and with 

 nothing in its favour but its comparative cheapness. 

 Nor can the consumption of " French mixtures" be 

 pardoned on the f core of economy, for whereas lOd. is 

 paid for these innutritions compounds, go"d genuine 

 coffee is obtainable at 1." per lb., and should the demand 

 arise in these times of fierce competition, it would poon 

 be supplied at lid per lb. None, I fancy, are so rfflicted 

 withp'niiy wifdom af tro i.dvocate ttc diinking of ai. 

 undesirable aiticle s-u. < as chicory, in place of one 

 douMe t^ I rice, fiT tl.e £.aving of Id. or 2d p< r IL.— 

 TruMii g .\''U will do nie the favour of in.-ertiLj tl p6i 

 few line-, I r main, your? truly. Coffee. 



L"n(lon, September 27 til. 



[In the instances refeired to incur Note of t hi- Day, 

 tl.e vendors were punished for selling the adulterated 

 tluff as " ctfl'te"puieandunuiixtd.— Ell, The Globe,] 



THE FLOKA OF QUEENSLAND.* 



This volume by the Colonial Botanist, Mr. Bailey, printed 

 at the expense of theG-overnment, aud issued from theirprint- 

 ing office, does equal credit to the author and the printer. 

 No volume specially descriptive of a complete colonial 

 flora by a colonial botanist has previously appeared, and 

 the fiberaUty of the Queensland Government m disbursing the 

 necessary expense is much to be commended, as the lucal 

 demand would not be at all sufficient to repay an author 

 for the laboiu" and cost of publication. Baron I\Iuelltn', 

 the Victorian Government Botauist, has indeed published 

 almost innumerable botanical memou's, profusely illustrated, 

 at the expense of that Government; but these extend 

 over the whole Australian flora, and though most valuable 

 contributions to the better knowledge of a very difficult 

 subject, aud largely used by BIr. Beutham in his cxcelleut 

 " Flora Austrafiensis," are rather intended for persons al- 

 ready more or less acquainted with the subject, and who 

 have surmounted the preliminary difficulties of that copi- 

 ous yet indispensable nomenclature, which is the main 

 deterrent to many who would gladly know something 

 of the most delightful of all pursuits, and which is a 

 scoff and by-word to ilfiteiate people of all ranks. 



Jlr. Bailey has duly, as far as in him lay, dispo.sed of 

 this difficulty by giring the derivation of most of the 

 generic and specific names, where possible : for some are 

 altogether untraceable and insoluble, as the original an 

 thors were not careful to record their meaning, aud the 

 were not Latin or Greek compounds. An explanation on 

 the words employed in describing the physiological of 

 morphological structure of plants is also subjoined, and 

 will obviate these preliminary difficulties with the help of 

 a fittle perseverance. These descriptions of species and 

 genera are clear and definite, with as little use of technic- 

 al language as possible; they are sometimes too short 

 perhaps, but brevity was indispensable in keeping the size 

 of the volume within bounds. 



The medicinal properties of such members of the Queens- 

 land flora, as ai"o certainly known to possess any, and 

 there are several of great power, are duly recorded, but 

 more experience is required to justify the admission of 

 others into a colonial pharmacoptcia ; credulity on this 

 head is almost universal among uuprofcssional people and 

 any amateur who has successfully administered a native 

 pre.scription on an emergency is ready at all times to in- 

 dorse its infalibility. Ml'. Bailey has of course followed 

 the systems of classification used by our most reputed 

 botanists — Lindley, De Caudolle, Bcntham— aud has in so , 

 serious a matt<-'r attempted uo iunovation of his own, while 

 ho luus paid, as lie was bound to do, due ackuowledgnient 

 to the um'emitting labours of Baron Mueller, who has done 

 so much to illustrate Australian phytology, and whose 

 name is better known in Em'ope than that of any other 

 Australian, whatever may be his local importance. Nay, 

 our late able Colonial Secretary will be transmitted to a 

 late posterity in that his name has been given to one 

 of the finest of our native lilies — Dotyanthefi I'almeri — 

 while fifty years heuce it will be forgotten that he was 

 the ablest of Colonial Secretaries, and the mo.st auto- 

 cratic of Kepublicans. 



Mr Bailey has duly explained the abbreviations he has 

 been compelled to use in the interest of brevity. Mr. Bailey 

 has done good service to the intelligeut youth of both 

 sexes in thus providing a ready and comparatively inex- 

 pensive means of obtaining some knowlciige of our very 

 extensive .and somewhat difficult provincial flora; and 

 is justified in beheviug that his name v ill long he re- 

 membered ill association with this <'xcel\nt model — the 

 first in its kind— of a complete local flora, if such a word 

 can be fairly appliea to the rnimense province of Queens- 

 land, long after most of his contemporaric; are forgotten. 

 Let us repeat that too much praise e;:n scarcely be 

 given fo the (Jovernmcnt Printing Estabfi--liment for- the 

 prrduction of the vnume, excellent as it is in t^ pograj-hj , 

 J Uictuation, and orl'iogiaphy — the latter l.nt scant praise 

 u printing ordiuarj booU.i, but less to hi f-xprcted where 

 iiirunievsble Greek nnd Latin con-pound werds necessarily 

 i.re employed, with v hich ordinary compositors cannot be 

 ianiiliar. — Queenslrmu- ; Aug. 18th. 



* " Queensland Flora, " by F. M. Bailey, F. L. S. &c, issued 

 from the Goverument Press, July, 1883. 



