554 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Februaet I, 1884. 



with as many hoes. The hoes are aU of the same 

 about six inches wide and eight or nine inches in length, 

 and are nearly all made by Chinese blacksmitlis, and 

 purchased at the rate of about one shilling each. "With 

 these commou hoes, the coolies do ail the planting, dig 

 ditches, maJte excavations, and fill the baskets that serve 

 in heu of wheelban-ows for removing earth, dChrisj or 

 stones. They carry two baskets at a time, suspended from 

 either end of pliable stick or bar, carried across their 

 shoulders. An ctfort has been made to induce the coolies 

 to use wheelbarrows, but hitherto without success. For 

 the removal, however, of objects too heavy for one or two 

 men to carry any great distance, they use *wo-wheeled 

 hand carts, which are large unwieldly vehicles, and on 

 which they pull and push very heavy loads. The rice- 

 planting natives, when plantiug lowland rice, have an article 

 resembUug a plough, made of very hard wood, and drawn 

 by butfaioes. It consists of a beam, into which a sharpened 

 broad stick of wood is inserted, the beam having simple 

 arrangements at either end for guidiug and drawing the 

 implement. With this, after the rice field is covered and 

 watered, they stir and Iqoseu the mud, then women come 

 with bundles of rice settings, grown in seed-beds near their 

 houses, and, armed with a shaip stick, plant a few set- 

 tings to a hill, ths hills being about one foot apart each 

 way. When the crop is ripe, they do not use scythes, 

 but with a very small sickle they cut it about two-thirds 

 the length of the stalk up from the ground, and carry 

 it to a shed under cover. The Chinese and Siamese, instead 

 of thie&hing it, tread it with buffaloes on hard clay ground. 

 This process separates the unhulled rice, called "paddy,'' 

 from the stacks. To remove the hulls from the rice, and 

 polish the kf-ruels, the paddy is taken to mills or hand- 

 machines, the latter being clunisj', hard to woik, and 

 very primitive in their construction. The Malays, not 

 having buffaloes, separate the paddy from the stalks by 

 hand, and, as a , rule, they i>Iant no more than they need 

 for thiir own use. For the cultivation of upland rice the 

 natives use the common hoe, breaking the soil as deeply' 

 as possible, and they transplant their settings when the 

 rainy, season commences. This species of rice is not so 

 yielding, the kernels oeing. smaller than is found in marsh 

 paddy. ThQ, liill rice is of excellent quality, but only 

 sufiicient for home consumption is planted. Consul Studer 

 says, that there appears to be a rooted objection on the 

 part of the planters to use ploughs, as they incline to the 

 belief that it would be impossible to break up with them 

 land wliich was covei-ed with stumps and lubricate masses 

 of large and small roots, and that they would be nseless 

 in "■ lallaug fields," ■* Jallaug," in Malay, meaning a species 

 of long and very tough grass, growing very thickly and 

 luxuriantly, used chiefly for thatching roofs. Tracts of 

 " lallang '; ai-e met with in many provinces, and each tract 

 indicates au abandoned rice field, or a gambier or pepper 

 plantatinu. Soou after cultivated land has been abandoned, 

 ■■lalling-' grass, especially on heavy clay soil, will spring 

 up, and so thickly that seeds blown from trees in the 

 jimgle, or carried by bhds, will find no chance to take 

 root. — Journal of the Society of Arts. 



INDIAN WHEAT, 



if well cleaned, i>roi)erly packed and carefully stowed in the 

 exporting vessels is likely to take first rank amongst cereals. 

 Wiiuejift the following extract from a report by Messis. 

 MacDougall Bros., of London, at the instance of the Secretary 

 of State for India:— We, pronounce them to be exceed- 

 ingly useful wheats, in fact, hardly equalled for what is 

 detioient and wantmg in the English markets by auy other 

 ■wheats. Their chief ch:iracteristics are just those in which 

 the wheats grown in our variable climate arc most de- 

 ficient. Theii great di-yness and soundness render them 

 invaluable for admixture with English wheats that are in 

 any degree out of condition through moisture, and 

 the great proportions of the wheats harvested here have 

 been in that cotidition for some years past, a condition 

 that must pv^^^i' "^ ***1 other tbau that of wheats har- 

 vested ar.d Stored during fine favourable weather; and this 

 the English farmer knows, greatly to bis, cost, is a stat^- 

 of climate tliut is by a long way the exception rather 

 than the ruic. Added to theu diyness, the thinness of 

 the skins of these wheats^ and consequent greatness of 



the yield of fiour, must alwaj^s place them in the front 

 rank as a "miller's" wheat, whenever they are handled 

 with reasonable intelligence and skill. 



buch unprecedented yields of fiour, as shewn by these 

 wheats, ranging (by ordinary grinuiug) from 77"46 to 80-52 

 per cent against English {»52 and American spring 72'2, 

 speaks volumes in their favour, and their value is still 

 further increased by another ot merit of almost equal 

 importance, viz., a larger percentage of bread may be 

 obtained than from any other of ihe flours included in 

 this review. 



That, for the best of these Indian wheats (the fine soft 

 white), on the day they were valued on Mark Lane maiket. 

 a price was otfered as high as that for American winters, 

 New Zealand or English (see list of values in syuopsis), 

 proves that the great value of the Imlian wheats is be- 

 coming recognised here, a knowledge that will ere long 

 extend to all our markets. The other lots of Indian 

 (Nos. 2, 3, and 4) were lower in value to the extent of 

 4^'. to hs. per quarter, as mi/ht almost have been expected 

 from the difference in colour and other characteristics; 

 still, as these latter wheats become better known here, 

 this difference in price will be somewhat lessened. Their 

 beany flavoiu" is not a serious obstacle, as fair average 

 deliveries, when well cleaned and properly dealt with, can 

 be employed in the proportion ot 'j.b per cent to 60 per 

 cent along with home-grown or otlier wheats, such as 

 Americans, possessing a fine sweet, miiky, or nutty flavour. 



Glancing t-t all the facts htre daborattd, it is evident that 

 these uhtut$ a^'oid a laryer 7ntnyin of ^oft both to the indler 

 and b.'ker than to vny other. 



We venture to record a conviction we have long held, 

 strongly emphasised by the results of these experimental 

 workings, of the measuieless importance of the great 

 resources of the In<_iian Empire being developed to the 

 utmost in producing wheat tor this country, l-armershere 

 are finding that to live they must produce beef and mutton 

 rather than grain, hence the greater need of resources of 

 supply under our own control. 



It is evident such a con\iction iscommon to the members 

 of your Honom-able Council, as testified by their unceas- 

 ing efforts in this direction. And we desire heartily to 

 congratulate them upon the important fruits arising from 

 their labours. The charact^'r and general excellence of the 

 Indian wheats are improving with the deliveries of each 

 successive season. The Indian wheats now specially under 

 review were delivered to us in excellent condition (see 

 details, with freedom from dirt (except Lot No. 3), barley, 

 gram, and other impurities, also with a freedom from weevil, 

 rarely equalled by Indian wheats, except the prime parcels 

 of the past season, and there is no doubt an outlet in 

 this country and the European continent for unlimited 

 quantities at prices that shall prove remunerative to all 

 parlies concerned, either in their growth, transportation, or 

 conversion into flour and bread. 



TEA AND ITS SUBSTITUTES. 



{Continued from ^age 169.) 

 Rhamnaceje. 



11. Sayeretia theezans, Brongn. (Sacaretia, or Tia of 

 Chinese). — A thorny shrub 6 to 8 feet high, with smooth 

 shining, green, egg-shaped leaves, somewhat resembling 

 those of the common Tea. The fruit is daik brown, globose 

 and succulent, about the size of a Pea ; has a sweet taste, 

 and is eaten largely where it grows, and the leaves are 

 used as a substitute for Tta by the poorer classes in China. 

 It grows in China and Japan, and according toBrandi&"s, 

 Forest /'Yorw extends into India, being "common in iJJaces 

 on the eastern flank of the Suliman range at between 

 2,000 and 8,0(i0 feet; in the Salt range, and in the North- 

 west Himalaya between 3,000 and t*.000 feet from the 

 Thebam to the Sarda." 



12. Paidlinia Sorhilis, Mast. (Guarana).— A woody plant, 

 described as of a climbing habit, with an angular smooth 

 stem, and alternate pinnate leaves on long staiks. It bears 

 an ovoid or pyrifoim fruit about the size of Grape, and 

 contains usually a solitary seed (rarely two or three). 

 The^e seeus have been described as having the appearance 

 of " Horse Chestnuts in miniature.'' The plant is 11 native 

 of Brazil, where the seeds are used in the preparation of 



