January i, 1884,] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



507 



great of late years that the ryots of the South Arcot 

 district have largely increased their area of cultivation 

 and the commercial aspects have never been so flourishing, 

 as they are now. 



The Frknd of India of Ndv, 27th had the following 

 paragraph on the same subject : — 



The Americans are seeking to obtain flour, it is said, 

 from the pea-nut. In Virginia they are making flour 

 from this nut already, of which about two million bushels 

 are raised per annum. The pea-nut is the seed of the 

 Arachis hypogaa^ better known as the ground-nut, from 

 the fact that, by a peculiar motion of the stalks (trailers), 

 the pods are forced into the ground, as if the plant itself 

 understood that its business was to sow its seed. Is the 

 ground-nut of India the same plant as the, •f/'«c/ii's ? 

 This qiieslion is of course to be auswtrtd in the 

 affirmative. We quote as follows from the " Dictionary 

 of Popular Names of Plants ' <S:c., by John Smith, F, L. 

 S., publishecllast year : — 



Eaeth Pea oe Geoltjd Nut {Arachis hypoffna). — It is 

 an annual clover-like plant belonging to the family Le- 

 guminosre, attaining a height of 2 feet. It is supposed 

 to have been originally a native of America, but is now 

 cultivated in most wai-ro countries. It is curious for its 

 seed-pod being perfected imder ground. It is about 2 

 inches long, and contains two or thi-ee pea-like seeds of 

 an earthy flavoiu', extensively used as food by the negroes. 

 They contain an oU, and are imported in large quantities 

 into this country, and the oil expressed by clashing is 

 very sweet, and is largely used for adulterating olive oil. 

 An allied plant, I'luiiidzeia subterrancu, is a decumbent 

 annual, also extensively cultivated as an article of food 

 in Western and South Africa, and has become natural- 

 ised in the warm parts of America. 



Baron F. Von Mueller's "select extra-tropical 

 Plants " has the following : — 



The Earth-nut, Pea-nut, or Ground-nut. Brazil. The 

 seeds of this annual herb are consumed in a roasted 

 state, or used for pressing from them a palatable oil. 

 The plant is a very productive one, and yields a very 

 quick retiuu. It ranks also as a valuable fodder-herb ; 

 the hay is very nutritious, much increasing the milk ol 

 cows. A light somewhat calcareous soil is best fitted for 

 its growth. On such soil SO bushels may be obtained from 

 the acre. 



In reply to the enquiries of our correspondent, W, F, 

 furnishes the following : — 



" (Jrouud-nuts were grown iu England under glnss, 

 in 1712, and grew in &ylon in Moon's time (1824) 

 but the pl'int (Arachis hi/pogaca) is a native of South 

 America, though now cultivated iu nearly all the 

 inertropical (and some of the extiatropical) p.-irt3 

 of the world. The seeds of this plaut, are well known 

 in Ceylon as the rata (foreign) injH, and when roasted 

 are sold along all the streets of Colombo. They 

 are no doubt of a nourishing nature, but have a 

 stront; earthy taste. The plant grows readily in 

 Ceylon and has large bright yellow broom like flow- 

 era, but I am not aware that it has been cult, 

 ivated to any extent in the island : indeed, the term 

 raXa iudicat'S that the seeds used in Ceylon arc 

 imported, and no doubt, from Southern India 

 where the plant is cultivated to a large extent. 

 I question if we have the soil and the labor 

 in Ceylon to make this a profitable crop to be 

 cultivated iu the island. The generic name Arachis 

 is derivid from a barbarous name used by Pliny for 

 a plant without kaves or branches, with which our 

 plant has nothing to do, and the specific name hypo- 

 gee is derived from the fact (hat the pods ripen 

 underground. Very large quantities of ground-rut oil 

 is exported from Southern India to the United King- 

 dom, Bombay and Indian French ports, which is said 

 to be au excellent substitute for olive oil, and makes 

 a good soap. Your correspondent can, 1 doubt not 

 get seeds fit for growing f I om the'nearest bazaar under 

 their Tamil name faytr or kilai-kadelai ov the Siuhalete 

 riita-koj'u. 'J hey, ire sold in the Colombo bazaars at 

 the rate of Kl'2d a bushel," 



SUGAR. 



TO THE EDITOE OF THE "INDIA MEECDEV.'' 



The sugar-industry in Java runs no risk, as many 

 manufacturers have feared for a long time. The pro- 

 duction is importantly increasing, and to the constant 

 improvements in culture and preparation, will be 

 owing — I have not the least doubt about it — that it 

 wdl be able to bear up agivinst the sister-industry,* 

 which continues so vigorously to extend itself "in 

 Europe. 



But then we must not be sparing of trials that may 

 promise the best residts ; then we must have an open 

 eye to all the discoveries of science, and to examples 

 given us elsewhere, and make the best use of them 

 in our power. 



In the December Number of this paper, 18S1, we 

 drew attention to the apidication of .Salicylic acid it 

 the manufacture of sugnr. Since then the industry has 

 gained abundant experience, and it seems to us in the 

 interest of colonial manufacturers not unimportatit to 

 devote now a few lines to this important subject, — 

 Van Gorkom, 



SALICYLIC ACID (KOLBE'S PATENT), 



FOE THE I5fPE0VE3IENT OF THE YIELD OF CANE SUGAK BOTH 



IN THE QUANTITY, SHAPE AND COLOUE OF THE 



CBYSTALS OBTAINED, 



Salicylic acid is not a strong acid, but a white 

 crystalline powder, chtmically pure, free from < dour 

 and — when dissolved— colourless, and perfectly taste- 

 less. It is universally recognized as the best preserv- 

 ative agent for articles of food, as it destroys all 

 microscopic germs productive of false fermentation, 

 acidity, turbidity and mouldinees, The Juice ofGanc 

 Sugar is effectually preserved by trilling additlona of 

 Salicylic acid, which is perfectly harmless ; and for 

 the last few ycirs, salicylic acid (Holbe's Patent) has 

 been fuccessfuUy used, and ou an increasing scale, 

 by many of the largest Sugar-cane mills for its material 

 advantages in impioving the yield, both as regards 

 the quantity of the ciyatals obtained and their final 

 colour; as well as a flinty condition. Every planter 

 knows from experience, that the fresh cane juice, as 

 soon as it leaves the mill, and comes into contact 

 with the air, begins to ferment, and that this even 

 often happens to the juice while still in the cano. He 

 also knov\s very well that the farther the fermentation 

 has gone, the less good sugar is produced, and vice 

 versa. The chief merit of explaining this process 

 belongs to Mr. U. Gayon, whose researches on the 

 cause of the spontaneous alteration of the raw cani; 

 sugar, which were laid before the " Acad^mie des 

 Sciences" in Paiis on the 13th Dec, ISSO, were verified 

 by Prof, Ch. Pasteur. Mr. U. Gayon starts from thp 

 fact, that if the raw juice of the cane is left to 

 itself, a great (art of its sugar, wh.ch is capable ol 

 crystallization afttr passing through several stages, j 

 finally turns into Molasses^ By caieful experiments 

 M. Gaynu proves that this change of the juice is a 

 real fermentation. Though this prociss is not observ- 

 able to the naked eye, as is the cn.se with the f*-!- 

 ni( utation of Beer and Wine, the action is set up by 

 microscopic organisms, similar to the Alcoholic yenst, 

 consisting of " Torulae" like fungi, the warm and 

 moist atmosphere proving most beneficial to their 

 growth, 



Mr. U. Gayrn found now, that this fermentation 

 could be chei'.ked or prevented by the use oi Antisymnt- 

 ic agents. To prove this, he used seven difterent 

 neutial chemical substances, — neutral ones probably 

 because by the large quantities which he spplied to 



* Quite lately we were assuretl. that in Italy a great 

 Company has been organized, which purposes to establish 

 some eighty beet-root sugar factories. 



