FEBRUARr 1, 1884.] 



THE "'TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



519 



THE EXHAUSTION OF SOILS. 



Sir,— lu your October issue, p. 452, 'N.X.,' in his criticism 

 on Mr. Paterson's views ou pruning, says, — ' If, on the other 

 hami, the covert of uuniixeil Oak be very open, the soil 

 is liable to be exbausteJ l)y heavy annual crops of gi-ass, 

 brackens, anil other woeJs.' Now if grasses, &c., which may 

 grow and decay on the same soil year after year for many 

 years, exhaust the soil, how great must be the exhaustion 

 where, along with the pioduetion of this grass, the soil 

 produces, say, 100 tons of saleable timber per acre. As 

 'N. N.' is not singular in the opinion he thu.s expresses, 

 perhaps he or some of those who bold the same views. 

 will hr so kind as to tell ns how tlii-y became awnre of 

 this exhaustion. — D. M't'oKQCoDALK, Dunrobin. < Golspie, 

 N.B. — Ji'tfrmd of Fnic-itrf/. 



THE DWAUK J'AL.M ri'H Al[:.i;i;i (I'S). 

 Tbi.- plant, referred to in the issue for Nov. -'nd. has 

 -oiue properties which I think are peculiar to itself, and 

 although of no commercial value, they greatly increase its 

 use for ornamental jiurposes. AVe have had one of these 

 planted (tut in a drafty corner of a garden for three years 

 without any protection; m one winter all the large. leaves 

 were broken down with the weight of snow accumulated 

 on them, and that winter was exceptionally severe. It is 

 almost the only plant which is absolutely uninjured by the 

 fumes of Inirnt gas, and it will keep in perfect and robust 

 health in ba<lly lighted rooms in which gas is constantly 

 used for lighting purposes. The plaut which stood three 

 years in the garden has been now standing twelve months 

 ou the floor of an eutrancc hall with a north aspect, and 

 at some distance from the window; it has had no attention, 

 except to occasionally wash the accumulated dirt or dust 

 off the leaves, and is now as perfect and handsome a speci- 

 men as could be desired. It has stood, without injury, 

 fourteen years of knocking about in an ordinary dwelling- 

 house and garden, and thrives under the treatment. If 

 its hardy nature were better known, it would become one 

 of the most jjopular ornamental plants in existence. — Thos. 

 Fletcheh. — Juunud of the tSocittj/ of Arts. 



PAINTING TAR ON FOKESX TKEES: AN ENQUIKY. 



SiH, — My son now rents a moor in a lovely part of this 

 county, called liiaucliJaud, which is ou the borders of 

 Northumberland and Uiu-ham. The former tenant having 

 a dislike to adders, &c., suppUed himself with goats to 

 destroy them (which these auimals are very clever in douig). 

 The lovely woods being f omid to suffer from such unsuitable 

 inmates, he (1 conclude in ignorance) painted the sutteriug 

 kinds of trees with coal-tar as a preventive ! The Planes, 

 Kowaus, A\'illows and Beeches, are all victims, and up to 

 the height of eight or ten feet are encased iu this black 

 baml, ami evidently dying. I notice where Nature has made 

 a strong enough effort to spht duifn tile bark the trees look 

 more hopeful; but iu dozens of cases the entire bark is 

 falling on to the ground, leaving the wood bare, and, of 

 course, dying. >\"ill anything save these tiea.iures, as trees 

 niust ever be considereili' 1 have thought that perhaps 

 oil, well rubbed into the injured baik, migfft do good, since 

 it seems so burnt. Can any of the readers ot lurestrj 

 suggest a remedy':'— Thkuesa T. Laixo, Thoruhill, Sunder- 

 land. 



[We fear that irremediable damage has been done to 

 the trees referred to, except in the instances mentioneil, 

 where Nature is rising superior to the injury which has 

 been done to her. But if any of our readers could suggest 

 a remedy, we shall be glad to publish it.— iiD.\— Juunud 

 of Furestiy. 



[We are all familiar with the band ot coal-tar painted 

 by the Sinhalese round their coconut palms to prevent, it 

 is said, rats from climbing to destroy the young fruit. 

 We suppose the coal-tar rings are two nairow to have any 

 injurious effect on the trees, such as tar is uescribed as 

 having ou English forest trees. — Ed.] 



THE GEKMINATION OF SEEDS. 



i'r. iSturtevaiit, the Director of the New York Agricultm'al 

 lOxperimental Station, reports that: — 



It early caine to our attention (hat seeds which resnonded 

 6S 



well to the test for vitality in the germinating apparatu 

 did not equally respond under circumstances of garden 

 planting. Hence a few investigations have been made, in 

 order to decide what relation might exist between tbo 

 germinating and the vegetating power. By germination 

 we mean a vitahty in the seed sufficient to put forth the 

 radicle. By vegetation, in our tests, we mean that vitality 

 which enables the seed planted under the favourable con- 

 ditions of a testing apparatus to form the cotyledons, or 

 seed leaves. Thus far we have found no constant relation 

 between the percentage of seeds which germinate and those 

 which vegetate. In some exceptional cases seed which gave 

 lllii per eeut ol' gi-rmiriatiou weie unable to vegetate a 

 single Jilaut. Thi'Sc cxeeptiouid .liffereuees were, however, 

 found only iu tbe e:ise „t some seed wliiili required quite 

 an extended pi-iiod lor veg.-tati<pri. and. therefore, was more 

 subjected to aci^idiMit than other seeds whose habit was 

 to vegetate more quicktv. 



Some seeds will germinate when .pute immature. Thus, 

 Sweet torn kernels, while in prime edible i-ondition, it 

 carefully removed from the irob, will germinate perfectly. 

 The same fact is true of Peas while in the edible state! 

 In sonie trials with unripe Corn it was fomid that im- 

 maturity of seed hastened the gcrminative jirocesses, ami 

 it is certainly worthy of trial whether by the use of im- 

 mature .seed we may not attain e;irliness in our crops 

 through a series of succes.sive selections. If earliiiess be 

 gained, even at the expense of some other <|uality of growth, 

 it may he possible, through a series of selections, to attain 

 earlmess 111 varieties and yet retain qualities which may 

 be sufficient for the purposes of the slower.— Ganleiurs' 

 Clu'onicte. 



THE CHINESE SABAH LAND FARMING COMPANY. 



Latest advices as to the progress of operations are — 

 The result of the ExiierimeiUal Planting of Tobacco and 

 Sugar IS so far satisfactory that we have fidl confidence 

 in the success of the planting ou a larger scale for next 

 season. There arc 4S,000 fine trees on one of the estates. 

 Cuttmg will begin shortly, and paddy will be laid down 

 as an after crop about October. The Marine lots pur- 

 chased by the Company are now worth $.5,000 for im- 

 mediate realization, adjoining lots having sokl at these 

 rates. We arc forming a township on the Sibooya estate 

 as a field for the immigration of Chinese Agriculturists. 

 In the centre of this is a mce fresh water stream about 

 40 feet wide, wo will be ready for settlers in two or three 

 months hence, and would prefer mai-ried people and their 

 families, there will be comfortable houses prepared for 

 them, with gardens, piggeries, au<l fowl houses attached. 

 The land will grow all tropical produce, and there are at 

 present near the township Pepper, Gambler and Coffee 

 nurseries all looking well. A road wiU shortly be com- 

 pleted to the Settlement of Elopura, thus securing a pro- 

 fitable return for the cultivation of fruit and vegetables 

 The land m the neighbourhood of this estate is now valued 

 at SIO (ten dollars) for acre. The cultivation of Lanoot 

 or_ Mandia Hemp has also been coimneiiced, the prepar- 

 atiim of which will be an additional soureo of income to 

 the wives and children of immigrants. Neighbours on the 

 spot remark that we have state.l on the two principals 

 of i)!auting and opening estates that our method of ex- 

 penmentnig is undoubtedly a good one. being both pract- 

 ical and economical, and that we are right iu giving our 

 first attention to the cutting of roads. 



Elopura— Agency of the Chmese Sab:iU Land Fannin;; 

 Company. — ]!f.-C. Uerald. 



-♦ 



USEFUL HINTS. 



A tablespoonful of turpentine, boiled \vith your clothes 

 ■will greatly help to whiten them. 



Clear boiling water .will remove tea stains, pour it through 

 the strain to prevent it from spreading. 



Salt lisb are quickly freshened by soaK'ng in sour milk 



Kerosene will ijolish your tea kettle like new, if vveli 

 rubbed in with a rag. 



A little gum arable dis.solved in boiling starch is a great 

 improvement. 



Salt ;ind beeswax will make rusty Hat irons cle:iii :md 

 smooth. Tie a lump of wax in a rag, and when the irons 

 are hot rub theiu with it, then scour with salt. 



