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tHE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[Dec. I, 1886 



Fkoits, &c. — Ainougst a fine collection of preserves 

 from native fruits those exhibited by Messrs. Jameson 

 & Co., of Durban, attract most attention, though 

 from the fact of their being in sealed tins the public 

 are unable to see what they are like, still less to 

 judge of their value. Mention maj', however, be made 

 of three of these from characteristic tropical fruits, 

 namely, the " jimatungulu" (Carissa [Arduina] gran- 

 diflora), which is of a dark reddish colour, not 

 unlike Plum jam in appearance, but with a less 

 decided flavour. The Papaw (Carica papaya), about 

 the medicinal properties of which so much has been 

 written of late ; this produces a fine soft preserve 

 of a yellowish-green colour, and a slightly acid taste. 

 The Grauadilla (Passiflora maliformis) has, perhaps, 

 the most distinct and agreeable flavour of either, 

 having a slight trace of Pine-apple ; one objection, 

 however, is the presence of the very numerous black 

 seeds, which cannot readily be crunched between the 

 teeth, nor can they readily be ejected, inasmuch 

 as the pulp clings to them with great tenacity. It 

 is interesting to see what can be done in the matter 

 of preserve-making from tropical fruits ; and though 

 few, if any, can ever approach the best known English 

 fruits, the foreign produce might be made to supple- 

 ment that of our own country. Though it may not 

 be practicable to import fresh fruits in any quantities 

 into England from distant countries, there seems to 

 be a field for tropical candied fruits, which might 

 be brought in tins or jars, as well as for whole 

 fruits preserved in syrup, and hermetically sealed in 

 a similar way. 



The Natal exhibits of vegetable food substances 

 generally are very interesting, and great credit is due 

 to Mr. Morton Creeu for his readiness in making the 

 exhibits known, and assisting by the help of samples 

 to develope the resources of the colony. — John R. 

 Jackson, Curator, Museums, Royal Gardens, Kew. — 

 Gardeners' Chronicle. 



HALDANE'S SUBTROPICAL CULTIVATIONS. 



This very in.etructive and well got-up work should 

 be in the hands of all those planters, who desiring to 

 profit by past experience in regard to coffee, are re- 

 solved to vary their cultivations as much as climatic 

 conditions will allow. Mr. Haldane has entered very 

 fully into the geographical and climatic distribution 

 of the various classes of products with which he 

 deals, in some chapters placing before his readers 

 carefully prepared maps, on which are indicated the 

 localities of certain growths. In many instances, such 

 as that of vine culture, the reader is informed why 

 certain latitudes are unsuited, and others suited to 

 particular products, by attention to which planters 

 and settlers may often avoid costly mistakes. 



Of the Grape vine, Mr. Haldane says : — " Beyond 

 the 50° parallel of !atitude, the fruit is deficient in 

 the saccharine matter required in alcoholic fermen- 

 tation : the wine not possessing sufficient alcohol to 

 preserve it is sour, and more like vinegar than wine. 

 On the other hand, if the vine is grown in too warm 

 a cUinate, too much grape-sugar is produced, and the 

 grape gives a thick, sweet alcoholic fluid of indiffer- 

 ent quality. When the vine is cultivated in tropical 

 countries, where there is no winter to check its 

 growth, which is therefore uninterrupted, we find it 

 proilucing in the same cluster flowers and both green 

 and ripe fruit in consequence of which wine-making 

 becomes impracticable." "Whether this has been 

 foiuid to be the case in Ceylon I am not aware. The 

 anther alludes to the practice of the .Jaffna vine cul- 

 tivators of baring the roots of vines during the 

 dry season in order to check vegetation, and arrest 

 the flow of sap as is caused by a winter, but I find no 

 notice of vine-growing in Colombo where grapes as 

 good as those of Jaffna are occasionally produced, but 

 thf probability is that the c'imate on the west coast 

 of your island is too humid for the vine, Mr. Haldane 

 insisting on the necessity for a dry atmosphere. 



The chapters on the citrus variety of fruits contain 

 sonii' iiiterestiug information, and seeing how readily 

 the tree grows and, bears in fJeylon it is surprizing 



that so little has been done for the production of a 

 finer class of orange than is usually met with in your 

 bazaars, where in fact the articles s<)ld under that 

 name are very frequently " sweet limes." The author 

 tells us there are 4.5 varieties of the sweet orange, .31 

 of the sour variety, 12 of sweet lemons, 5 of berga- 

 mots, 47 of lemons, 9 of limes, 1 of citron, 17 of 

 the cedrat, and of the Shaddock or Pomplemouse 

 (Pumeloe). 



Mr. Haldane says he has eaten most perfect oranges 

 in Ceylon grown at an elevation of 1,000 ft. ; we have 

 tasted some of the finest and most delicate flavored 

 grown at almost sea level ; at the same time we agree 

 with the author that as a rule the Oeylon oranges met 

 with in the native bazaars are sorry rubbish, of which 

 the Sinhalese growers do not appear to be aware any 

 more than they are of the difference between a good 

 and a bad egg. It seems strange that, whilst in several 

 of the warm colonies of Australia the cultivation of 

 the orange for marketable purposes is carried on 

 upon a large scale, little, if anything, has been done 

 in your island towards extending the production of 

 this really fine fruit. In New South Wales it is 

 usual to estimate the value of a full grown orange 

 tree at £1 per annum and fine trees in full bearing 

 have given a return of £100 per acre. Large trees 

 18 years old have given from 150 to 200 dozen oranges 

 yearly. The trees are subject to root-rot, the remedy 

 for which is to bare the main roots for a short dis- 

 tance round the stem and expose them to the sun 

 for a short time. 



The lime is cultivated in the West Indies for the 

 production of lime-juice, in which there is a large 

 and paying trade to Europe, after the juice has been 

 boiled down to a certain state of condensation. The 

 tree grows readily from seed and taken from the 

 nursery may be planted out fifteen feet apart; they 

 begin to bear in four years and are in full bearing 

 at eighteen years. 



Mr. Haldane affords a good deal of information 

 about tea and coffee cultivation as well as of rice, 

 sweet-potato and arrow-root cultivation. The Olive 

 cultivation is believed to have a good future in some 

 of the Australian colonies, and would no doubt thrive 

 in your hill districts. The best situation for this cul- 

 ture is on the slope of a hill facing the morning sun, 

 beyond the influence of fog or mist, and well sheltered 

 from high winds. The tree is very easily propagated 

 and lives to a great age, some say 300 years. They 

 commence bearing when 10 years of age and reach 

 their prime at forty, giving a gallon of oil per tree : 

 at the age of 30 years the tree will give a return 

 of 2s. Space alone forbids our doing full justice to 

 this very carefully compiled work, which is worth 

 all the money charged for it.— J. C— Local "Times." 



THE COLONIAL AND INDIAN EXHIBITION 



AT SOUTH KENSINGTON : DRUGS. 



Oetlon. — Diugs are largely represented in this Court. 

 A collection of three hundred and sixty-two specimens 

 of native remedies is exhibited by Dr. Trimen, the 

 Director of the Pioyal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, 

 and the special catalogue gives the vernacular and 

 botanical names of these drugs, with their medici- 

 nal uses, making it one of the most perfect of its 

 kind in the Exhibition. A case illustrating the cul- 

 tivation and manufacture of cinnamon in .all its stages, 

 accompanied by series of photagraphs, and by specimens 

 of the tools used in the process, forms a very in- 

 teresting exhibit. This is from the property of Mr. 

 David Smith, M.P. for Brighton. The exports of 

 cinnamon appear not to have increased much during 

 the last ten years, having been l,262,'2oO bales of 

 bark and 258,381 of chips in 1876, and 1,574,022 of 

 bark and G28,91't of chips in 1885. The chips consist of 

 the cuttings from imperfectly grown cinnamon bran- 

 ches; they are said to be largely used in perfumery 

 and in the distillation of cinnamon oil, much of which 

 is made in the island. The current value of cinnai.nou 

 is given in the Official Catalogue as l.v. 3cZ. per pound 

 for the first quality, 9d, to lid, for the second sorts, 



