Dec, I, 1 886 J 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



4^7 



FIREPROOF TREES. 



TO THE EDITOR OF THE " PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL." 



Sir,— The " Fireproof Tree," described by Mr. Dyer 

 in the Gardener's Chrcmicle, aud referred to in your 

 issue of October 2, would seem to lend some credence 

 to the wonderful tales of Methodius, Nieuhoff (quoted 

 by Folkard) and others, of similar "vegetable .sala- 

 manders" growing in various parts of the world. 

 One of these, near the city of Buran, in Natolia, is 

 described as rooted in fire, and yet flourishing in 

 great luxuriance and beauty, whilst another, some- 

 where in Tartary, even when cut down and thrown 

 into the fire, can neither be ignited nor consumed, 

 for though it becomes glowing red in the flames, yet 

 as soon as they are extinguished the wood is again 

 colo, and precisely the same in appearance as before. 

 You ask, naturally enough, '"to what cause this im- 

 munity is due ?" Is it pos.sible these trees belong to 

 the same order as the one described in Bishop Fleet- 

 wood's ' Curiosities of Nature and Art ' under the 

 name of Mesoneidereos, which grows in Java, has iron 

 wire for pith, and produces a fruit impenetrable by 

 iron ? Or perhaps they are related to that equally 

 wonderful plant which Sir John Maundeville saw iu 

 the city of Tiberias: — "In that cytee (says he) a man 

 cast an brennyngne dart in wratthe after owre Lord, 

 and the hed smote in to the eerthe, and wex grene, 

 and it growed to a great tree ; and yit it growethe, 

 and the bark there of is like coles." However this 

 may be we shall have in future to read these old 

 travellers' tales somewhat less sceptically than hereto- 

 fore.— 0. 0. Bell. 



[The above from the Pharmaeeutical Journal reminds 

 of the property, of resistence to fire possessed by 

 some of the Indian figures. After '• a good burn " 

 which .destroyed most of the felled forest on a plant- 

 ation being opened, we found some gigantic trunks 

 of fig trees at an elevation of about 5,100 feet, not 

 only intact but the bark retaining its natural colour. 

 It was many years before the trees yielded to decay. 

 —Ed.] 



♦ 



COLONIAL AND INDIAN EXHIBITION. 



Colonial Paintings, Photographs, and Draw- 

 ings. — A most interesting and bulky volume might 

 be produced on the photographs and paintings of 

 Indian and Colonial scenery exhibited in the different 

 coarts of the Exhibition. 



NeiLi Zealand. — The collections of New Zealand 

 paintings will not readily be forgotten, especially 

 those of the celebrated Pink and White Terraces, 

 which have become famous, if not historical, on 

 account of the recent eruption. 



Neiv South Wales.- The photographs also are of 

 unusual excellence. The New South Wales collection 

 of paintings will also be well remembered, many of 

 them giving vivid impressions of characteristic vege- 

 tation, especially of forests scenes in which the various 

 species of Eucalyptus play a prominent part. The 

 splendid set. of water-colour paintings of Australian 

 plants by Mrs. Ellis Rowan will be especially valued 

 for their general beauty and accuracy of drawing. 



Trinidad shows some instructive photographs of 

 the growth and preparation of Cocoa (Theobroma 

 cacao), the staple product of the island; while on a 

 screen between the Trinidad and the British Guiana 

 courts is a series of excellent photographs, several of 

 which illustrate the cultivation aud preparation of 

 sugar, inc'uding a general view of a sugar plantation, 

 {<. field of young canes, banking aud planting, weed- 

 ing, passing canes through the mill, view of manager's 

 quarters — a really fine house, behind wnich are the 

 works, and in front and around some tall Palms and 

 various tropiutl plants — apparently very comfortable 

 quarters, which is fully confirmed by another photo- 

 graph of interior of the mauagei's parlour, the 

 appointments of which are even luxurious. Tliis 

 serieB is both interesting and instructive. One photo- 

 graph which cannot fail to attract attention repre- 

 sents a portion of a trench 3 miles in length filled 

 with the Victorii Eegia Water Lily, the circular leaves 

 53 



of which are so thickly grown together as to forta a 

 covering from bank to bank. Three miles of this 

 magnificent aquatic must be a splendid sight wheo 

 in flower. 



Straits Settlements. — In the Straits Settlements a 

 co'lfiction ot photographs of buildings and some of 

 the principal economic plants are shown, amongst 

 others a group of Sago Palms at Singapore, an avenue 

 of Coconut Palms, also at Singapore ; a Tea plantation, 

 in which the plants strike us as being very wide 

 apart, not only in the rows but from each other. 

 That illustrating the preparation of Gambir (Uucaria 

 Gambir) is of considerable interest. Outside the 

 thatched huts, which are shown on either side, is 

 spread the Gambir to dry on light Bamboo frames. 

 Another photograph shows a very fine group of young 

 Betel-nut Palms, the trunks of which are remarkably 

 straight and slender. A Pepper plantation, with the 

 crop in process of harvesting, is shown, as well as 

 Liberian Coftee trees in full bearing. 



Ceylon. — In the Ceylon court, besides others of 

 special trees and characteristic vegetation, the series 

 illustrating the preparation of Tea is extremely good, 

 and will be found very useful. 



Natal. — In Natal there are a large number of 

 photographs of very varied subjects. Those bearing 

 on subjects with which we are most interested are 

 amongst a series exhibited by Mr. G. T. Ferneyhough, 

 of Pietermaritzburg ; one represents the smoking of 

 Dakka, or Hemp (Cannabis sativa), or, as the Kaffir 

 call.e it, " Isangu." Dakka is described as being a 

 " corruption of the Dutch work for the weed." The 

 following description is given of the photograph : — 

 " The plant grows wild all over Natal in waste places, 

 and produces large crops of seed, bat is useless for 

 fibre— at least, so far as experiments have gone, and 

 the natives alone make use of it. At a certain stage 

 of its growth,'>., when the flowers are fully out, 

 branches are cut off, and allowed to dry in the sun, 

 and are then tightly pn eked in bundles, wrapped round 

 with grass matting, when it is ready for use. The 

 pipe of the Kaffir is a species of hookah, and is called 

 ' Igadu.' It consists of a bullock's horn, in which 

 about half-way up is tightly inserted a hollow stick 

 in a slanting direction, which reaches nearly to the 

 bottom of the horn. Tuis stick is surmounted with a 

 bowl or pipe-head, made of a softly cutting green- 

 stone — " soap-stone," which is very heavy. The pipe 

 being filled with ' Isangu,' or Hemp, the horn is filled 

 with water, aud the smoke is drawn up into the 

 mouth ; several puffs are takeu, until a volume is 

 secured, which is retained for a time and partly 

 swallowed. This soon produces spasms, and results 

 in a most violent fit of coughing, that would kill 

 any ordinary white man. This is the luxury sought 

 for, together with the stupefying and soothing influence 

 ot the narcotic contained in the plaut. The fit of 

 coughing having subsided, the saliva generated is 

 then passed through a long hollow reed, and a 

 series of bubbles results which are formed into circles, 

 representing kraals, or into strings and other shapes, 

 and according to number, size, and other indications 

 are taken as signs of future wealth, number of wives, 

 and other items interesting to the childlike mind of 

 the Kafiir. This continues until they have had enough » 

 and sleep or go away. The smoking of this wild 

 Hemp is the most noxious aud injurious habit that 

 the native indulges in." 



While writing of Natal it may be well to mention 

 that the exhibits of Tea grown and prepared in the 

 colony have attracted a considerable amount of atten- 

 tion, and that the Tea is now on sale iu the Natal court. 

 We have had an opportunity of tasting this Tea, 

 and find that the quality is very good. The only 

 fault is that it is a little too mach roasted. This, 

 of course, will be readily improved upbu, aud there 

 seems no reason whatever .igainst Natal becoming a 

 regular Tea-growing country. Nu:nerous sampl-'s of 

 Tea from different estates are exhibited, and it is 

 worthy of note that tlie China Te.i from oii*^ estate — 

 uamnly, that of Mr. liriclcLiiil — was obtained from 

 plants introduced from the Royal Gardens, Kew, twenty 

 year.s ago. 



