JANUARY I, 1884.] 



THE 



TROHCAL AGRICULTURIST. 



527 



Jamaica and Cinchona Cultivation. — In the opin- 

 ion of Mr. Morris, the Director of the Government 

 Plantations in Jamaica, who has recently visited 

 British Guiana, the cinchona plant is very unlikely to 

 thrive in either British Honduras or British Guiana, 

 and, as he has not much faith in the systpmatio cult- 

 ivation of it in its natural home in the South American 

 States, whilst all attempts at its naturalization in the 

 United .States have failed, he thinks it very likely that 

 for many years to come Jamaica will remain the site 

 of the only successful cinchona plantations in the New 

 World. In that island plantations are now being laid 

 out by private persons on a large scale, and during 

 the last two years the Government has sold twelve 

 patents, or runs, of high forest land, containing about 

 five thousand acres, under conditions which reqiiire 

 that at least one-sixth shall be planted with cinchona 

 at the end of five years. — Pharmaceutical Journal. 



Tea in Ceyi,on. — I considei that eighteen months' growth 

 in Ceylon is equal to 3 years in India; consequently it is 

 better to begin a gentle course of plucking (which is 

 really pruning) at 18 months old, so as to form the bush, 

 than to allow the trees to run up, say, eight to ten feet, 

 than ruthlessly prune it down, and by so doing throw 

 away what really ought to be in tea boxes. I consider 

 the damage done to the tree by this method of treat- 

 ment incalculable; in fact, in one or more gardens that 

 had been allowed to rim up, as described above, I feared 

 to prune the trees to the required height, knowing the 

 shock might prove fatal. Again, if early plucking is 

 carefully carried out, the bush receiving a check on top, 

 throws out laterals and so forms itself. In India, a tree 

 pruned and allowed to run, for one year without plucking, 

 would make between three and four feet; in Ceylon it 

 would make near ten. It we do not pluck our trees here, 

 they will simply run away from us, and, in proof of this, 

 I could mention more gardens than one. Indian tea plant- 

 ers, and Ceylon men also, ridicule the idea of our getting 

 700 lb. of dry tea per acre all aroimd. From what I 

 now see, I have come to the conclusion that 800 lb. is 

 nearer the mark for carefully planted estates in the low- 

 country. I have no fears of the bush being injured by 

 his so-called "close plucking," if it gets a good start 

 after pruning. The tea tree in Ceylon is always gi-owing, 

 both above and below ground, and I have not on any 

 estate noticed the bush receiving a check, unless where 

 it has been sufficiently pruned. — (the late W. Cameron). 

 — Local "Times." 



Oilcake— WHAT is it ?— I am now writing of cotton 

 and linseed oilcakes, as, in piactice, I have little 

 knowledge of other oilcakes. lu almost all cases the 

 actual value ii based on the comparative number of 

 percentage parts of oil which a sample of cake con- 

 tains. Kound this central figure of ''oil" all Ihe 

 other component parts are grouped in various degrees 

 of lesser value or of no value at all— ?.</., on p. 248 of 

 the last issue of the Eoyal Agricultural Society's 

 Journal, in the report of tlie Chemical Committee, Br. 

 Voelcker, in giving 4'07 as the percentage of oi! in a 

 sample of decorticated cotton cake, say.s that " the 

 cake is poorer in oil than good undecorticated cotton 

 cake." Again, on p. 372 of part 1, 18S2, of the same 

 journal, Dr. Voelcker reports of two samples of linseed 

 cake sent to him for analysis that No. 1 contained 

 7'75 and No. 2 ll'OS percentages of oil. To use Dr. 

 Voelcker's words, "No. 2 was a good linseed cake. 

 The cake marked No. 1, it will be seen, was poor in 

 oil." In actual fact, compensation was paid to the pur- 

 chaser of this No. 1 cake by its vendor because of 

 BHch deficitncT. In the good time coming, when oil- 

 cakes will be sold by guaranteed analyeis, no cake 

 will fetch a high price unless it is not only pure, 

 but rich in oil. Meanwhile, for myself, I do the best 

 I can with what I find on the market, and purchase 

 both linseed and cottonseed oilcakes, just as each seems 

 for the time being better worth its quoted price. Just 

 DOW decorticated cotton cake is scarce and not fine. 

 Unfortunately also our best and purest linseed cakes 



have less oil than they hal a few years a^o. When 

 I bongbt, a few weeks since, E. and K.'s linseed cake 

 and the best deconicatfd cotton cake I could find, I 

 regrett' d that neither eample had as much oil as I 

 like. Perhaps it is right, to say thit by a preference, 

 founded on long use of bi>th, I like decorticated cot- 

 ton cake for nil purposes, better than linseed cake.- 

 T. C. .S. — London 2>a/jer. 



Why do Animals Nked Salt?— The Prof James E. 

 Johnston answers this qm-stion. "Upwards of half 

 the saline matter of blood (57 per cent) consists of 

 common salt, and this is partly discharged every day 

 through the skin and kindeys. The necessity of cou- 

 tinued supplies of it to the healthy body becomes 

 sufficiently obvious. The bile also contains soda (one 

 or the ingrtdienta of salt) as a special and indispens- 

 able constituent, and so do all the cartilages of the 

 body. Stint the supply of salt, thereafter neither will 

 the bile be able properly to assist digestion nor the 

 cartilages to be built up agiin as fast as they naturally 

 waste. It is better to place salt where the cattle can 

 have free access to it than to give it occasionally in 

 large quantities. They will help (hemaelves to what 

 they need if allowed to do so at peasure, otherwise 

 when they become salt hungry they will take more 

 ihan is wiiolesome. — Mark Lane Express, 



I FIND it is the almost universal experience in 

 these parts that a cow will, if turned out to graze 

 require at least IJ acre for the summer ; and my own 

 experience agreea with niy lieighbours', that for the 

 long winter of this district, the hay of another li 

 acre is required. It will be seen that by only using 

 half acre ot ground for the summer months, my plan 

 is I acre to the good for everv cow kept ; and, as 

 this will give 13 acres for my »hole herd, it en- 

 ables anyone working on this method to keep just 

 50 per cent more stock than by the old-fashioned 

 p'an. Against this is to be placed the extra labour, 

 which it does not need grewt calculation to prove is 

 much more than covered by the increased return. 

 Every day in the year each cow receives 2 lb of de- 

 corticated cotton cake, and during the winter when 

 tied up and fid on chopped hay any 8trf.w, and a 

 few roots, they get 3 lb. each of meal, composed of 

 equal quantities of maize, rice, cocoanut and palm nut 

 which, combined with the decorticated cotton cake' 

 forms a food of, I believe, uneurpassed nutrition and 

 manurial value. — London paper. 



Peaches.— I planted a peach orchard, writes M.Siroy, 

 of the Society of Horticulture, and the trees c^i-ew 

 well and strongly. They had just commenced tcfbud 

 when they were invaded by the circulio {pulyon) 

 which insects were followed, as frequently happens! 

 by ants. Having cut some tomatoes, the idea occurred 

 that by pla.-ing some of tlie leaves around the trunks 

 anel branches of the trees, I might preserve thera 

 from the rays of the sun, which nvo vcrj' powerful. 

 My ourprisa was gre.-it upon the following day to tind 

 my trees entirely free from their enemies, not one 

 remaining, except here and there where a curled Icjf 

 pi-evented the tomato from exercising its influence. 

 These leaves I carefully unrolled, plating upon them 

 fresh ones from the tomato vine, with the lesult of 

 banishing tlte la-t insect and enabling the trees to 

 grow with luxuiiauce, Wishing to carry ttill further 

 my _cxp<riment, I steeped in water some leaves of the 

 tomato, and sprinkled wrth this infusion other plants, 

 roses and oranges. In two days these were also free 

 from the innuuierable insects which covered tbeur, 

 and I felt sui-e that had 1 uped the same means «ith 

 my melon patch, I should have ntet witii the same 

 result. 1 tlierefore deem it a duly 1 owe to the Society 

 of Horticulture to make known this singular and uee- 

 fnl property of tlie tomato leaves, which I discovered 

 Iiy the merest accident.— /;jrf/a/f AijncuUuriet, 



